Disclaimer: Naruto was written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto, not me. However, this story is mine.

Whispered Voices

"I'm home!"

"Welcome home, Sakura."

Mom's voice. Always soft and sweet. Always welcoming me home. Always making a simple house into a warm and loving home. Poor Naruto, sometimes I feel sorry for him. He has never known a home like mine.

"How was training?"

"Naruto was loud. Kakashi was late. Sai was… Sai." I kick off my shoes at the door, then drop my gloves onto the table as I enter the kitchen. Training left me dehydrated. For the last hour all I could think about drinking something. I fill the glass up and drink about half before filling it up again.

"Sakura dear, don't be a slob."

I roll my eyes and pick up my gloves as I head back to my bedroom with a cool glass of water in my hand. Ah, it feels like I might just live. Gently kicking the door closed, I gulp down some more water, then start taking off my weapons pouch. I feel all sweaty and disgusting. Kakashi doesn't let Naruto take it easy on me in training. Not that I want that. But listening to the whining about how he can't hurt his Sakura-chan can sometimes grate on the nerves. Nothing I do or say can get him to fight me seriously. But still, Naruto is sweet.

And built like a god!

Oh, shut up. Who asked you?

Che!

I refuse to think of Naruto like that. Sure he grew up to be tall and handsome, especially since he added more black than orange to his wardrobe. And yes, he has the most amazing crystal blue eyes. But he is my friend. I won't lose him like I lost… Sasuke. I will NOT go boy crazy. But my inner Sakura pants over him and refuses to see sweet, slightly stupid Naruto as brotherly anymore. Just like she refuses to see Sai as only an obnoxious team mate, who somehow grew on me. Or Kakashi as a just a sensi instead of a really yummy specimen of manhood. She even goes so far as to whisper naughty things about Neji, and sometimes even Lee, for goodness sake! Inner Sakura really needs to lay off those romance novels Mom keeps hidden in her closet.

Stripping off my clothes I head to the bathroom. I really need a shower. A nice hot shower. Maybe I can scrub those thoughts away. And before you start up with any more of your nonsense, shut UP Inner Sakura.

You have no passion.

I do, too.

The water is near scalding, and I am generous with the soap and shampoo. But the rush of water around my ears isn't enough to silence that obnoxious voice in my head.

Ah, c'mon. You only live once!

Yeah, but I have to live here. And WORK here. With these people! I can't be some hormonely imbalanced crazoid.

You need to have fun.

I do have fun.

No, you don't.

I love my friends. I love being a medic nin. I love my life.

Liar!

I turn off the water and grab a towel to dry off. I wrap one around me and attack my hair with another. The movements as I dry my hair are rough and angry. What I really needed was a way to turn off that inner voice. She was bound to drive me insane. I do too love my friends and my job. I do love my life.

Mostly.

I mean, no one completely one hundred percent absolutely loves every single aspect of their life. Of course there are a couple things I would change. But that's normal. I'd be more worried if I thought everything was perfect.

My hair. That's something that's not perfect. Pink is a terrible color for a ninja. Unless I'm hiding in a rose bush or in a tree while the cherry blossoms are blooming, it isn't exactly good camoflage. I could dye it, but I won't. It's my father's hair after all. He'd be insulted and Mom is sure to cry. Ino did a lousy job cutting it a few years ago. It makes me wonder why I still let her do it. It's not even remotely even!

Some days I think about letting it grow out again like Ino did. Sure, Sasuke likes (liked?) girls with long hair... but... well... the long hair reminds me of being weak. Left behind. That's not me anymore. And never will be again.

I tug on a lock of hair, and let my hand drop to my shoulder. I turn slightly, examining the skin in the mirror. I grimace as I see the scars. I should be proud of them, I suppose. Badges of honor from the lives I helped save being a human shield, the role most often assigned to me in battle. Even before I was a medic nin. But that feminine streak in me hates the fact that I'll never have perfect skin. I suppose I could use a jutsu and hide them, like Tsunade masks her true appearance. But that just seems like a whole lot of work. Though sometimes, I have to admit, it is very tempting.

"You're a beautiful girl, my daughter."

"Thanks, Mom." I can't help but grin. "But you aren't exactly impartial, are you?"

Quickly I comb through my hair and go back into the bedroom to put on some clean clothes. I reach for the first clean thing in my closet, but it is sleeveless. And since I'm feeling a little out of sorts about my scars today, I reach for something different. Ah, yes! There's the one with short sleeves. Most of my clothes are very similar, so it isn't a difficult decision. Ninjas have more things to worry about than fussing about what clothes to wear. Of course, just choosing between sleeve lengths means that I have more choices than most. It's vain and I admit it. It's something I can live with.

My stomach rumbles. It is way too much trouble to fix something. I don't think I have anything to fix anyhow. Maybe I should catch up with Naruto at the ramen stand.

"I'm going out!" I yell over my shoulder as I head through the living room.

"Have a good time, dear."

I slip on my shoes and open the door...

"Bye, Mom!"

... and run right into Kakashi-sensi.

"Oh!"

I fight my blush. Besides the fact I'm sure I looked like a fool for running in to him, I HAD just come out of the shower where Inner Sakura had been teasing me with thoughts and images of my teammates. I swear, sometimes I think she exists to make my life miserable.

Huh. Now that's interesting. He looks at me with his one exposed eye with an expression I don't recall ever seeing before. Even more surprising, he tucks his beloved book into his pocket and crosses his arms to give me his full attention. I never realized just how nerve racking having Kakashi-sensi's undivided attention could be.

"Sakura..."

My heart drops. I don't like the tone of his voice. It is far too serious. And unfortunately, I have a very bad feeling I know just where this conversation is going to go.

"I know, Kakashi-sensi." It's difficult to not let my head drop like a scolded child.

"Sakura... I heard you."

This time I can't stop the blush. "I... I..." Why can't I think of something to say that doesn't seem lame and pathetic?

"Can I come in?"

"Mama doesn't li..." I wince at the words I was about to say. Yeah, no wonder he wants to talk. So I open the door wider. "Um... yes, of course, Kakashi-sensi." Suddenly I wasn't very hungry any more. I step back and let him into my house. Then I slip off my shoes and shut the door.

Following him into my living room I feel like I'm twelve years old again. I fidgit as he makes himself comfortable. His presence makes the room seem smaller.

"Oh! Tea!"

Yes, I know it is cowardly. But I use the excuse to race to the kitchen and escape the inevitable. I put the kettle of water on to boil and search until I found matching tea cups. Considering how often I break them (why do dishes have to be so fragile?), it's amazing that I have two of the same at all. I turn to hunt for the tea and find Kakashi-sensi standing there, leaning against the door frame and watching me intently. I give him a sad excuse for a smile and quickly retrieve the tea.

"Sakura, we need to talk."

"I know." I put the tea down more forcefully than necessary. I'm glad I wasn't holding the cups at the time, I'm sure I would have just broken yet another dish. Ninja's fingers do not tremble. They don't. So I clench my fingers into a fist. "I mean, I really know, Kakashi-sensi. We don't have to talk about it."

"Sakura. Sit."

I sat. There was no escape.

"Your mother..."

"Yes," I interrupt quickly. "I know."

"…is dead."

"I know." I close my eyes tightly. I can't look at him just yet. "I just... sometimes I can still hear her voice. And when I talk to her... it... it makes me... remember. How it used to be. And I don't feel as lonely." I clear my throat, horrified that it cracked on that last word. "And sometimes I talk back… because… because otherwise it's just so… quiet."

I know my parents are dead. I was so young when it happened. But I remember the funerals. My parents were ninja. Mama was so gentle and kind, too gentle for such a violent life. Hinata reminds me of her. Mama's team was killed in the line of duty. Papa carried her back to the house and held her broken body and cried. I remember that. I remember the blood. On the doors. On the walls. I remember that he wouldn't give her up when they tried to take her from him. Papa couldn't survive without Mama. They say he died of a broken heart. He loved her too much. With her gone… he had nothing. Nothing to live for. So he made a stupid mistake in battle, and was carried home, just like Mama was.

I was so young.

I push away the memories, aware that my eyes are beginning to water. I take a deep breath and try for a realistic looking smile. I'm the master of pretending after all. Pretending my parents were still alive, and mocking Naruto for growing up without any when we first became ninja. Pretending that there was a chance that there was a happily ever after with Sasuke. Pretending that it didn't hurt that they both left me, even though Naruto did come back. Pretending everything was okay. Pretending the voice I hear sometimes really is my mother in the other room. I think after all that I could pretend to smile.

Kakashi looks at me. Studying me. It looks like he's trying to make some big momentous decision. It's rare to see him so serious. I don't tell him just how real her voice sounds. Because it really does sound like she is here in the room with me. Almost as real as Inner Sakura. If I started talking about it, then I'd be forced to compare it to the other voice I hear in my head. And somehow I don't think that is going to go over too well and this talk will probably end up with a trip to the psyche ward at the hospital. So I bit my lip to keep from talking. Or babbling.

"Okay, Sakura."

He reaches out and pats me on the head, like I am still a child. I should be indignant, but the gesture is rather touching so I don't say anything. One thing I miss about my parents is the hugs. And, yes, the pats on the head.

"Did you put us on Team Seven because none of us had family?"

The question was out before I could stop myself. I had always wondered that. I mean, at weddings and funerals and other occasions, the other teams would stand with their families. And Naruto, Sasuke, and I stood together. Or Naruto and I. Then it became Naruto, Sai, and I.

He scratches his head in the same way he usually does before telling another one of his outrageous lies. "I..."

"Were we... expendable... since there was no one waiting for us at home?"

"No!"

I breathe a sigh of relief at the force of his denial. Part of me always wondered about that too. The pairings were awfully suspicious sometimes. Mostly they mirrored the teams that their own parents were on.

"Look, Sakura... I can't be sure of why they made the decision to put you three together, but it wasn't because you were expendable. You aren't some leftovers to just be thrown away!" He rubbed his hand over his face. He took a breath, then he lowered his hand and looks at me. "We are a family. You, me, Naruto, Sai, and Sasuke. Somewhere along the way we became a family. So you aren't alone, Sakura. None of us are."

Kakashi looks uncomfortable and ready to bolt. Heart to heart conversations aren't really his thing. It was sweet of him to try though. The attempt actually made me feel much better, and effectively chased away the feelings of depression that were beginning to set in.

"So..." I try to smother my grin, "That must make you the dad. In that case, Dad, can I have an allowance? There is this really cute dress I saw at..."

He ruffles my hair as he stands to leave.

"Nice try."

Feeling cheered, I walk him to the door. My appetite has returned. Maybe I'll go see if Naruto is still at the ramen stand. I should probably bring a coat, the air is suddenly chilly. How odd. I wonder if we're in for a cold spell. Dang it, and I just planted some new flowers in the garden.

"Come on, Dad, let's go eat some dinner." The air grows colder and I actually shiver.

"Stop calling me that."

"Okay... Father..."

"Sakura..."

I laugh at the mock warning in his tone and slip on my shoes once more. I open the door and let Kakashi-sensi out first. He turns to face me and make some smart comment, but then he freezes. His eye widens and he takes a step back. He shifts immediately into an aggressive battle stance and I see him reaching towards his face as if to uncover his eye. Then the door rips out of my grasp and slams shut.

Startled, I let out a very un-ninja like squeak. I don't have time to feel embarrassed, though. My blood runs cold as I feel someone behind me. Someone very angry. Forgetting all my training as a kunoichi, I turn slowly, but no one is there.

"Sakura!"

I hear Kakashi-sensi's voice, but can't answer. In front of me I see confetti floating through the air. I spy bits of orange, and realize that it is what's left of that book of his. Someone shredded it! But that... that's impossible!

"SAKURA, GET OUT OF THERE!"

SAKURA, RUN YOU IDIOT!

"Sakura, stay."

The world stops and I cannot move. It is like I'm petrified. Literally. Everything feels out of balance. Tilted. And I'm not sure if I should scream or cry. It's quite possible that I did both. I feel my body slide down the wall and am vaguely aware when my bottom hits the floor.

For the first time since I was a child... I heard my father's voice...

ooOOooOOooOOooOOoo

Author's Note:

I used to wonder why we never saw Sakura's parents, only ever heard voices. Then one day I did some more wondering. What if Sakura was the only one who heard those voices? How do we KNOW that her parents are alive?

If I missed the episode or the chapter where you actually see her parents, then I'm sorry… she must be seeing things too.