Save The Best For Last

Sakura looks back at her desire for Sasuke, but didn't realize someone else mattered more in her life. NaruSaku.

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Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. Shocking isn't it? I also do not own the lyrics to this song ("Save The Best For Last" by Vanessa Williams).

Okay, so this doesn't wind up confusing people, the lyrics at the end connect to Sakura's experience entwined moments with both Sasuke and Naruto. I will most likely post the original story for the first chapter and then the second chapter will be the SAME EXACT THING EXCEPT it will clear up the confusion and the lyrics for the song will be spread throughout the entire story instead of the song connection at the end (in the afterword, Sakura won't sing). Meh, you'll see if you glimpse at it.

Side Note: 'TEXT' is for thoughts. "TEXT" is for conversation. TEXT is for the song lyrics. The bold is not part of the story, like now. Also, --- is kind of like chapters I guess…more like breaking points between the story (since they are shorter than a typical chapter). Now that that's settled, let's start the tale.

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Haruno Sakura was getting ready to meet with the rest of Team Seven at their all-so-famous bridge to receive news on their next mission when she heard a knock at her door. "Just a minute!" She called out to the mysterious knocker. The knocking continued, but grew to a faster pace. "HOLD ON!!" Sakura yelled, getting annoyed while gathering her backpack full of clothes, food, money, and other necessities for her mission. When she finished, she answered the still banging door. 'Of course, it is Naruto,' Sakura thought to herself.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Uzumaki Naruto yelled. "Why aren't you at the bridge yet?" Sakura sighed. "I was on my way, why?" "Because we were supposed to leave an hour ago so I was sent to find out." "WHAT?" Sakura looked at her clock which read 8 AM. "No Naruto, we still have an hour." "Sakura…did you forget about daylight savings time?" "WHAT?" Sakura ran to her calendar and noticed that this was indeed the first day for daylight savings time. "Damn it!"

Sakura screamed and pulled Naruto out of her door with herself, running to the bridge. 'Why does this always happen to me?' Sakura thought. 'Always. I am always the forgetful one.' This was true. Ever since Sasuke came back to Konoha, Sakura started to calm down and focused less on reality. She was still crazy about Sasuke…well…maybe not crazy, but she still liked him. She mellowed down on her obsession with this guy, but still hoped for the best outcome for her when it came to the topic of love.

Naruto, on the other hand, was another story. He still loved Sakura and only Sakura. It was no longer a childhood crush, but more like a passionate and serious love to her. He started to hide it a little more, which made Sakura think that he was over her, but deep down she was all he could think of. If you could ask him what he lived for, he would say for Sakura. Heck, he would even turn down ramen and the title of Hokage in order to be with this girl. He was no longer this 12 year old immature kid, but an 18 year old man who had a huge heart for his friends.

Yes, life has indeed changed for the ninjas.

When Sakura and Naruto arrived at the bridge, both were painting for air since they had run as fast as they could to arrive at their destination. "Where were you Sakura?" Kakashi asked the pink-haired kunoichi. Sakura tensed up. "I'm so sorry you guys! I forgot about daylight savings time and-" "Sakura…" Sasuke started. "Kill your fantasy world and start paying attention to reality. Naruto is starting to become more sensible than you are." Sakura frowned. Those words hurt her deep inside since even Naruto himself claimed that he was unreasonable at times, mostly to be a goof. She, however, was being flat out serious. Naruto saw that Sakura was saddened and spoke up.

"Sasuke-teme! You're the one who needs to get into reality. Sakura said she was sorry and people mess up all the time." "Whatever, dobe," was all Sasuke could say. Sasuke was still the same, cold-hearted person that he was when he first became a Genin. Out of the entire group, he was the one who changed the least. He still desired revenge and he never wanted to return home. This was not his home in his eyes. He felt like he didn't have a home or any allies and he certainly did not want a love life. He had nothing…nothing at all. A strong silence occurred afterwards.

Breaking the silence, Kakashi speaks up. "Alright…now that that's settled, let's talk about the mission." The group remained silent. "We are going on a C-ranked mission and will be gone for about a week." There was still silence. 'Hmm…no one cares that this isn't a B or A ranked mission…this is odd. Well I better tell them the worst part about this mission.' "We have to escort two children to the Hidden Cloud Village. This mission was given to us because Orochimaru wants these kids since they have special bloodline ability and the fifth believed we are the best to go against him if we run into him. Got it?"

The group was still quiet except for Sakura's sobs. Obviously Sakura was still hurt, crying about what Sasuke said to her. Sasuke looked rather pissed off to care about what they were going to have to do. Naruto felt bad for Sakura, wanting to comfort her and beat up Sasuke at the same time. Kakashi sighed. "I'll go get the kids," he said and ran off, leaving the 18 year olds alone.

Naruto looked over Sasuke's way. "Karma…" Naruto said. "Huh?" Sasuke responded, confused. "Karma, Sasuke. Karma will come your way. You don't realize how great of a girl Sakura is and how stupid your actions are around her. She won't be so nice to you in the future." Sakura looked up at the two talking. "Yeah right," Sasuke replied. "She is wrapped around my finger. She'll never hate me. She's too desperate to win my love that she will do anything for me. It's like I have my own personal slave."

Naruto was fuming. "HOW THE HELL CAN YOU SAY THAT?" Naruto yelled so the whole village could hear. Sasuke laughed while Sakura started to cry harder. "Sasuke, you will lose the greatest girl in the world one day and I will be the reason why," Naruto vowed. "Go ahead, take her." "I WILL!" "Fine." "FINE!" Sasuke smirked. He just saw Sakura as dead weight anyways. Sakura was devastated. 'How could the love of my life give me to Naruto? I don't even like Naruto in that kind of way…do I?' Sakura started to question herself, thinking that she was delusional.

Kakashi came back with two kids who looked like twin sisters. They both had light orange hair with light blue eyes. They were rather slender and looked to be about 10 years old. "Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, there are the kids we are escorting to Cloud. Their names are Hikaru Yoko and Hikaru Tsukiko." Both girls waved slightly, not getting a reaction from Team Seven. "Okay, let's go," Kakashi stated. The group headed out to the gate with an eerie silence.

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Three hours have passed and the young group was still in silence, team seven as well as the two cloud children. Kakashi decided to read his perverted novels. 'Mmmm, this is genius,' Kakashi thought while reading. Sasuke was in front of Kakashi, trying to keep his cool and thinking he was the only sane one here. The two girls were behind Kakashi, looking at the ground and feeling awkward by their company. At the end were Naruto and Sakura. Sakura was still upset about Sasuke's viewpoints of her while Naruto tried to comfort. To Naruto's surprise, Sakura did not keep him away or yell at him. Nope, she just let him wrap his arms around her while she rested her head on his chest.

"Sakura?" Naruto asked, breaking the awkward silence. "Um…are you feeling alright? I mean, you didn't kill me yet for holding onto you." Sakura looked up at Naruto. "Yeah, I'm fine. And…I know you're trying to comfort me. I've learned throughout the years that you would never hurt me. I thought the same thing about Sasuke until now." Naruto didn't know what to say. 'She trusts me? But she also trusted Sasuke and he caused her pain…does this mean…does it mean she could lose faith in me too?'

Naruto thought about Sakura's feelings the entire time, until Kakashi told the group that they should rest for the night. Kakashi started to set up the tent, Naruto went to get the firewood, Yoko and Tsukiko climbed up a tree to talk, and Sasuke and Sakura went to collect water and catch fish for dinner.

While collecting the firewood, Naruto looked up into the now sun setting sky. 'I wish Sakura could see this.' It was a pretty site indeed. The sky had a pink and orange tint to it while right behind the sun was a dark blue color. 'Who's the dead-last now Sasuke. I will keep Sakura into the light with me.' After Naruto collected enough firewood, he was on his way back to camp.

Meanwhile, Sasuke and Sakura walked up to the creek, neither saying a word to each other. After collecting some water into a 3 liter container, Sasuke looked over Sakura's way. 'Wow, I never realized how beautiful she really is. Maybe I was a little harsh to her today.' "Sakura? Can we talk?" Sasuke asked. Sakura nodded. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I came off a little bit too strong. I didn't mean to make you cry or anything. If anything…I think…I think I may love you." Sakura was shocked. 'Is this the same Sasuke from earlier? Nah, this has to be an imposter.'

"Knock it off Naruto," Sakura assumed. "I know you transformed yourself into Sasuke like you did after graduation. You're not fooling me." "Sakura, I'm not that dobe. It really is me." Sakura looked into Sasuke's eyes. He was telling the truth. This really was Sasuke and all she could see was love in his eyes. Love for her? This was all too good to be true. This was not the way she had planned for love to spark, but it was enough for her. "I have always loved you Sasuke," Sakura replied. A fish jumped out of the water, catching both of their eyes. "Well, we better go fish," Sakura said. Sasuke nodded. Both remained quiet, trying to catch enough fish to feed five people.

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After catching eight fish, Sasuke and Sakura headed back for camp. Both looked deep into each other's eyes, sensing a soothing feeling of passion and happiness between the other. Half way there, Sasuke pulled Sakura close to him. They both were now standing face to face, hearts pounding heavily. "Sasuke…" "Shh, don't say anything Sakura." Both continued to gaze into each other's eyes, unable to nor wanting to blink. Their faces got closer and closer until Sasuke pressed his lips against Sakura's.

Sakura couldn't believe what was happening. She was kissing the man of her dreams. 'I must be dreaming!" Sakura pinched herself during the kiss and yelped. 'Nope, I'm still awake.' "Are you okay Sakura?" Sasuke asked with a concern-like tone to his voice. "Yeah, I'm fine. Perfect for that matter," she replied. Sasuke embraced Sakura, staring right behind him.

Naruto saw what happened and turned his head away. 'Sasuke kissed Sakura?' Naruto's eyes became watery and his heart sank down to his stomach. 'Sakura, he is just using you. Please escape this trap.' Naruto turned his head back, seeing Sasuke carrying Sakura back to their campsite. He decided he should head back as well. Naruto went on his own little path back, hoping that no one saw him spying on Sakura and Sasuke.

When Naruto arrived back, he saw everyone eating their fish and spotted two on a piece of paper. "Those are yours, Naruto," Kakashi stated. "Thanks," Naruto said, grabbing the two fish. "You know what would be fun!" Yoko exclaimed. "What?" Tsukiko asked. The rest of the group focused in. "Well, I was thinking maybe a little friendly competition. Like a game called Capture Me." "What's that?" Naruto asked the young girl. "We will split up into two groups and go off into different parts of the forest. Then after a certain time, we try to capture people from the opposite team and the one who is caught after a little battle is now useless to the other team and cannot help the remaining teammates out. The team with the last people standing wins. Got it?" "I think so," Sakura said. The others nodded in agreement.

"Okay, good," Yoko said. "Tsukiko, just to be on the safe side, you and I will be on opposite teams and will be the team captains." "Alright," Tsukiko replied. "I want Kakashi on my team!" 'These girls seem really mature for their age,' Kakashi thought to himself. 'I wish that Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were like this at their age.' "Okay, then I get Naruto and Sakura on mine," Yoko said. "You can have Sasuke." "Fine," her sister responded. "I wanted Sasuke on my team anyways." The young adults stared at each other. 'This will be interesting,' Kakashi thought. 'Why must I be on Naruto's team?!' Sakura freaked to herself. Sasuke didn't care as long as he wasn't with the dobe. Naruto sighed. 'I don't know…' Naruto said to himself. 'I would normally be happy about being with Sakura, but she l-l-l-loves Sasuke-teme.'

Naruto sniffled. "Are you okay?" Sakura asked. "Huh, oh yeah. I'm fine Sakura-chan." Sakura smiled and Naruto tried to put on his fox-like grin. "Wait, what about the mission?" Sasuke questioned to Kakashi. "Ah, lets let the kids have some fun," Kakashi answered. "Besides, this will be fun. We'll start in the morning." Everyone else agreed and went into the tent. Sakura slept between Naruto and Sasuke, snuggling up to her lover-boy. Naruto turned his back to the couple, crying himself to sleep silently.

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"WAKE UP!" Yoko and Tsukiko yelled in unison. Team Seven jumped up in the air, letting out a short scream. "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!" Naruto yelled back. "Yeah," Sakura agreed. "It is 5 in the morning!" "Exactly," Yoko said. "We have to start the game." "This early?" Kakashi moaned. Tsukiko forced her team up while Yoko did the same for her own. "We should eat first," Kakashi stated. The two girls sighed and allowed this.

Yoko and Tsukiko were talking about the game among themselves, Sasuke and Sakura sat beside a tree in their own little discussion, while Kakashi and Naruto were preparing the breakfast. "Tell me why again, Naruto, that we are having ramen?" Kakashi asked. "Because ramen is the best!" Naruto exclaimed. Kakashi sighed and decided not to argue with the hyperactive blonde.

"Hey Sakura, good luck with Naruto," Sasuke said sarcastically. Sakura rolled her eyes. "Thanks…I guess." Sasuke smirked and gave her a hug. Sakura blushed a bright red. "You know," Sakura started. "Even though we will be separated for a little bit, I will be thinking about you the whole time." "I know," Sasuke replied. "I know quite well that you will Sakura." Sasuke pecked her cheek. "Here's breakfast," Naruto said, shoving the two paper plates in front of the two love birds of the team. Naruto walked away from them and sat at another tree by himself, staring at the ground beneath him. "What's up with him?" Sasuke asked his teammate. "I don't know," Sakura said. "I'm going to talk to him." She got up, picked up her plate, and went over towards Naruto. Sasuke, on the other hand, went over to Kakashi.

Naruto saw Sakura coming his way and turned his back towards her. "Naruto? What's wrong?" Naruto didn't answer. Sakura sighed. "Come on, you can tell me." "No I can't Sakura-chan…I really can't." "Why not?" "Why not? WHY NOT? DAMN IT SAKURA!" Naruto shouted. "BECAUSE YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Sakura's eyes widened while the others looked at their direction. Naruto gave the others a nasty glare, enough to make them all turn away and back to their own conversations again. Sakura became nervous. 'Is this the same Naruto from yesterday?' Her eyes started to tear up and she looked away. Naruto felt really bad at that moment, turning around so he could see her.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. It's just that…I…" Naruto couldn't finish his sentence, afraid that Sakura would hate him for doing so. "You what?" Sakura asked, still sobbing. "Never mind. Just please…forgive me?" Naruto went and gave Sakura a hug. Sakura looked into Naruto's eyes and saw the same thing that she saw in Sasuke's: love and happiness. 'Does…does he love me?' Sakura asked herself. She nodded to him and he hugged her tighter. He whispered in her ear, "Thank you Sakura-chan." He let her go and continued his breakfast. She did the same.

After everyone was finished their meals, it was 6 AM. "Let's start this thing already," Tsukiko said. "Yoko, you and your team go east. My team will go west. At seven, we will start the search." Yoko nodded and both teams went their different directions.

It was 6:30 and Tsukiko's team was thinking of a plan to attack Yoko's team. "I was thinking we should go to the nearest village and get costumes," she started. "Then we surprise attack them without them knowing who we are and knock them down one-by-one. Kakashi, you go after Naruto. Sasuke, you go after Sakura. I will find Yoko." Sasuke and Kakashi were somewhat amused and surprised at this strategy. 'This might work out,' Sasuke thought. 'We won't have to be stuck in the forest the whole time so I can get a life for a short while.' Kakashi smirked to himself, impressed with Tsukiko's plan. 'And this is coming from a 10 year old. Not bad. You will be a great ninja when you grow up.'

Yoko's team was another story. Yoko tried to start a strategy with the other two team members, but they were silent. They jumped tree from tree and decided to just hideout until 7 came along. "What is your problem?" Yoko asked. Sakura shrugged while Naruto tried to speak, but couldn't get his words out. Yoko realized that something was up with them. 'Maybe I should have taken Kakashi and Sasuke,' Yoko said in her head. "Well, I will tell you my plan anyways," Yoko continued. "We need to stay together and capture them one by one. We shouldn't break up so it would be harder for them to get any of us. Whoever we see first, we capture first. Got it?" Naruto and Sakura remained quiet. "I'll take that as a yes."

It was finally seven o'clock and both teams started to head out. Tsukiko's team went north to find a nearby village while Yoko's team headed west in search for the others. "I hope we find them soon," Sakura told her team. "Yeah," Naruto added. Yoko started to think like her sister and wondered what one of her strategies would be. She finally spoke up. "Where is the nearest village?" Naruto pointed north. "It's a little town called Hiroshi." Yoko smiled and yelled out, "ALRIGHT! LET'S GO!"

Tsukiko, Kakashi, and Sasuke arrived at Hiroshi and were in search for a costume shop. "Hey, let's ask this lady where one is," Kakashi stated. "I'll ask," Sasuke replied. He walked over to a light blue-haired woman and asked where one was. She turned around. Sasuke was stunned. Her hair complimented her light purple eyes nicely. She was slightly shorter than Sasuke and wore a purple and blue dress which accented her curves nicely. He nearly drooled over her. "Sure thing, cutie," she answered told him one was six stores to the left. Sasuke was unable to take his eyes off of her. "What's your name?" she asked him. "Oh...um…it's Uchiha Sasuke." "Nice to meet you. Mine is Konomi Miki." He blushed deeper. 'Konomi Miki, huh. What a nice name.' "Hey, you want to come with us, Miki?" Kakashi interrupted. Miki smiled and agreed. They headed out to a costume store.

An hour later, the gang came out with all black suits that covered everything, but their eyes. Kind of what burglars would wear. Miki smiled. "Well, I'm glad I could help out," Miki stated. Tsukiko cheered, "You helped a lot!" "I'm glad."

However, without Tsukiko's team knowing, Yoko's team was right there, hiding in the bushes, watching the scene. "Hey, who is that lady?" Sakura asked. "I don't know," Naruto replied. They continued to watch the scene.

"So, Sasuke, how long are you here for?" Miki asked. Sasuke didn't know what to say. He surely didn't want to tell her that this was all that they came for. He wanted to stay here forever. He could honestly say that he fell in love with this woman. "We're leaving now," Kakashi added. Sasuke slapped his face. 'Damn it Kakashi!' Miki frowned, not wanting to know why. "Hey, can we talk?" Sasuke asked Miki. She nodded and both walked over to the other side of the street. Naruto and Sakura followed while Yoko stayed to track Kakashi and her sister. Both Naruto and Sakura feared about the conversation Sasuke was going to have with this woman.

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Arriving at the end of the street, Sasuke looked deep into Miki's eyes. He sensed only innocence and bliss, something he needed in his life. He was about to speak when Miki beat him to it. "I love you, Sasuke." His jaw dropped. 'Did she just say she loved me? No, she couldn't have…could she? I wasn't meant to love. I'M DARK, DAMN IT!' After hearing that, Sakura's heart tightened, hoping Sasuke would turn her down. Naruto himself knew that deep down Sakura would experience a heartbreak at this very moment. "You do?" Sasuke said, shockingly. "I…I-I think I…I love you too," Sasuke answered.

Sakura's heart sank down. She couldn't believe that she had just heard. She looked over Naruto's direction and he frowned at her. He knew something like this would happen and Sakura knew that he knew. Tears started to stream down her face, hoping that she heard wrong. She watched Sasuke and this girl again, assuming she was having a nightmare. When she thought her heart couldn't drop any further, it did. Sasuke was making out with the blue-haired woman in the street. 'It's official,' Sakura thought. 'I have hit rock bottom.' Sakura couldn't take the sight anymore and ran off into the distance. Naruto followed along.

"Sakura, wait!" Naruto yelled out to her. Sakura collapsed on the ground, barely breathing and crying harder than she ever had before. Naruto sat next to her and held her in a tight embrace. "Shh, it's okay. Please stop crying Sakura. Please…please." Now it was Naruto's turn to start crying. He really did not like seeing the girl of his dreams heartbroken from that bastard Sasuke. 'He will pay! No one hurts Sakura, especially Sasuke. He will see hell.' Sakura felt a tear drop hit her face and noticed Naruto was crying. 'Why is he crying? He's not the one who's hurt. Does he really like me that much?' She held him tighter and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Naruto blushed and pulled out of the hug.

"W-what was t-t-that for?" Naruto asked through his tears. Sakura smiled and whispered in his ear, "Because you care about me. And I care about you." Now Naruto's jaw dropped. 'Did she just say she cared about me? WOW!' Naruto grinned slightly. "Will you be okay Sakura-chan?" Sakura's mind was scrambled up. 'Sasuke never cared about me, did he? Nah, not at all. The only one who did was Naruto and I didn't see that. Am I starting to get feelings for Naruto? Oh my god, I am! Snap out of it Sakura. Come on…wait…do I want to? I think Naruto would make a great boyfriend. He is the light I am looking for, not Sasuke. Sasuke is just a lost cause in the darkness. I'll let him keep that nut.' Sakura got up and told him she was better. Naruto let out a full grown grin and both went over to where Yoko was.

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"So Yoko, what's the plan now?" Sakura asked. Yoko smiled when she saw that her team looked livelier than earlier. "Okay, I heard Kakashi say that they were heading back into the forest soon so we can start the attacks then. It may not be individually, but in groups instead. I guess you can say it will be more like a sparring session between two groups. A very short one I can hope." Naruto grinned, but was confused on one aspect. "Yoko, how are we supposed to capture them?" "Easy, in anyway you can think of. Tie them up, place then in a trance, knock them out." "Whoa there," Sakura added in. "We can't have anyone unconscious here! We need to return you guys home in one piece." Yoko laughed. "We'll still be in one piece in the end and alive. Don't worry about that." Naruto and Sakura were a little unsure about this, but decided to go along with it. Besides, it isn't everyday that the opportunity for revenge on Sasuke came about.

Finally, Tsukiko's team was heading into the forest after Sasuke said goodbye to Miki and promised to come back to her. After fifteen minutes of walking, they winded up in a clearing. "Now then, we need to find our designated opponents," Tsukiko said. "You know what to do. Let's get a going!" Kakashi laughed a little while Sasuke smirked. "NOW!" was all the team had heard before Kakashi was sent down to the ground and tied up to a tree with an unbreakable string. Yoko, Sakura, and Naruto were now glancing at Sasuke and Tsukiko.

"How did you…" Tsukiko started. "You let your guard down," Sakura replied. Naruto gave a nasty look at Sasuke. "It's two against three now, you have no chance sis," Yoko said. Tsukiko grinned. "You wish, Yoko. Sasuke, go after Naruto and Sakura. I'll handle my sister." Sasuke couldn't agree more with the facings and ran towards Sakura and Naruto.

'Time to kiss my best friend now, eh,' Sasuke said to himself. 'Better late than never now.' Naruto prepared for a serious attack. He knew Sasuke wasn't going to take this lightly. "Sakura! Let me face Sasuke! He has the intent to kill!" Sakura was a little shocked. She had thought that Sasuke would get over his brother's concept for a stronger ninja. But she didn't want Naruto to face the dark demon alone. "NO! I have something to fight for!" Sasuke laughed. "What do you have to fight for Sakura? You love me, remember?" Sasuke laughed even louder. "I thought I did…but then I saw you making out with that…that slut! You're nothing but a black hole in my eyes Sasuke-teme!" 'Teme?' Sasuke wondered if she really was over him because of his kiss with Miki. He didn't care though. He didn't love Sakura at all. He just felt sorry for the girl and let her have her fun for a day.

"Whatever," Sasuke replied. He prepared his Chidori. "SHIT!" Naruto yelled and started forming his Rasengan. Sakura held her ground down and was ready for anything that was sent her way. Before the two of them collided, they heard shouting from the other two girls. "Taiyou no jutsu!" Yoko shouted and a few seconds later, Tsukiko yelled, "Tsuki no jutsu!" Team Seven looked at the sisters as bright lights surrounded them. Yoko was shielded by a yellow light while Tsukiko was with white. The light was shaped with their bodies and glowed brighter the longer they stared at each other. Naruto and Sasuke were at a loss of what the girls were doing, but Sakura understood exactly what was going on. She read about this in some scrolls in Tsunade's office.

"What is this?" Sasuke asked out loud to himself. "Day and night, Sasuke," Sakura answered. "Night and day?" Naruto questioned. Sakura sighed. "Yoko's and Tsukiko's techniques are based on day and night. Yoko is the sunlight while Tsukiko is the moonlight. Both are very powerful light sources and can blind one if bright enough. This technique allows the girls to temporarily blind their enemy if they look into the enemy's eyes. The only thing is they don't work individually. When both are combined together, however, it is almost invincible. It's like they compliment the other. I don't get why they are using the individual techniques against each other. It's basically useless to do so since it won't work against those who have either the sun or moon jutsus." "What if they don't know about that yet?" Naruto wondered. "They don't," Kakashi interrupted while still tied up. "But I think they should learn on their own." Naruto and Sakura let out a small laugh while Sasuke had a faint smile. "Well, since the show won't get anywhere, let's continue our fight," Sasuke stated while starting his Chidori again.

Naruto sighed and prepared his Rasengan. Sakura backed away since she knew she couldn't interrupt them. It didn't do any good while they were at the hospital, nor will it do anything here. Naruto and Sasuke ran towards each other when Sakura had a plan. Sure, it wasn't the best plan, but it was still a plan. She ran towards Sasuke and slid under him, causing him to fall to the ground and the Chidori to fade away slowly in his rising hand. Naruto laughed and hit the Rasengan against a tree stump. "This is no fun Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed. "He tripped. How sad." Sasuke got pissed off and pulled out his kunai. "Fine, the old way this is then," Sasuke said. Naruto pulled out his own as well as Sakura. Sasuke then disappeared. Naruto and Sakura wondered where he went. Out of nowhere, Sasuke appeared behind Naruto with his kunai to Naruto's neck. "Heh, no clone?" Sasuke asked. Naruto sweat dropped. Sakura zoomed behind Sasuke with her kunai at his neck. "I'll kill you," Sakura said. Sasuke's eyes widened. He couldn't believe how she turned against him like that. Not only was he shocked about that, but he was shocked about the turn out of this pathetic battle. He dropped his kunai while Sakura dropped hers.

"I'm leaving," Sasuke said. "I want to stay with Miki. She would never threaten to kill me." Naruto ran up to Sasuke. "You aren't going to finish the mission with us, are you?" "No, dobe. I won't kill you either. It's pointless to do so. After losing to a sad fight, I don't want to know how weak I've become against you." Naruto laughed and thought the same thing, but won't let it affect his dream to be Hokage. "Yeah, you're right Sasuke. Just don't let this minute murder your dream," Naruto added. Sasuke gave him a small smile and turned to Sakura. "You are stronger than when we first met," Sasuke said. "I'm glad to see that you are a worthy opponent now Sakura." Sakura was speechless. 'Did Sasuke just compliment my fighting skill? I must be dreaming.' "Until we meet again. Naruto, Sakura, I bid farewell," Sasuke concluded. He set off to Hiroshi. Sakura and Naruto smiled at him and at themselves. 'Maybe Sasuke has seen a little bit of the light,' Sakura thought. She glanced over at Naruto, realizing he was thinking the same thing.

"Umm…you guys," Kakashi stuttered. "GET ME OUT!" Naruto and Sakura went to Kakashi and untied him. "We better stop Yoko and Tsukiko now," he added and went towards the two girls and stopped them from their techniques. They did not look happy when they received the news about their jutsus and how they won't work alone. Naruto and Sakura turned to face the other and couldn't stop staring. Sapphire met with emerald. Blue with green, showing affection and confidence for the other color. They were standing face to face and closed their eyes, pressing their lips together and started the tongue wrestle. Both pulled up at the same time for some air. 'This world is a crazy place,' Sakura said alone. Naruto continued on this thought, 'As I thought our chance passed.' Both, in unison, continued the thought, 'The best was saved at last.'

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Four days passed and the group was only a day away from the Hidden Cloud Village. It was a long and rather quiet journey for the group. No one has tried to attack, the sisters shut up after two days of bickering about their ability, and Naruto and Sakura were closer than ever. Sakura told Naruto that they could officially be boyfriend and girlfriend which made Naruto jump for joy. Kakashi thought Naruto was just annoying while the girls saw this as amusing, especially when Naruto tripped over an ant pile and was attacked by the "killer ants" as he would say.

Naruto was on full alert, thinking that something serious was going to occur. Sakura and Kakashi sensed the same thing. Tsukiko and Yoko felt safe under these people so they didn't worry about the possibilities. Camp was set up and the girls, including Sakura, were talking about a female's most common topic for discussion: boys.

"I'll get a boyfriend before you do!" Tsukiko yelled. Yoko refuted, "Not a chance. You and I both know I will be the first." Tsukiko and Yoko stuck their tongues out at each other while Sakura just watched at the girls. 'Gah, I remember when I was like them. I always had this type of fight with Ino.' "Being obsessed about guys won't do anything for them. The moment will come in time," Sakura said the last part out loud without realizing it. Yoko and Tsukiko stared at Sakura with confusion. 'How would she assume this?' both wondered. "It's true," Naruto added, walking towards the girls. "Sure, I was crazy and wanted a girlfriend really badly…okay, I wanted Sakura really badly." Sakura smirked as Naruto continued, "But you shouldn't pressure yourself into finding the perfect person. Time will allow for that. If you rush into things, you could regret who you are with. If you take the time to find the perfect one for you, you'll be happier in the end. That's what happened to Sakura-chan and I." 'It's like he can read my thoughts,' Sakura thought. 'But wait…' "Naruto, you've never had a girlfriend…have you?" Sakura asked. Naruto shook his head. "Nope, you're my first. You know why? Because I knew you were the one I wanted to be with. Yeah, when I was younger I would kind of obsess over you, but after my trip with Ero-sennin I realized I should take my time and be happier in the end."

'Naruto, you've grown so much.' Sakura blushed at the thought. Tsukiko and Yoko didn't realize the significance of Naruto's lecture and continue about who would find their perfect match first. Naruto and Sakura sweat dropped. They decided to let the girls continue the fight and find out the hard way while they went further from camp. Both found a nice, clear spot to see the stars without a branch in site and decided to lie down on the grass. Sakura rested her head by Naruto's, since they were lying in opposite directions from each other. A star shot through the air, leaving Sakura in awe. Sakura was amazed at how pretty the sky was. Naruto was amazed as well, amazed how beautiful Sakura was.

He turned his body around so it could cuddle up to Sakura's as he held her close to himself. Sakura snuggled up to Naruto and kissed his lips. She then caught a quick glimpse of him. 'Damn, he's so handsome. How come I couldn't see this before?' She looked into Naruto's deep ocean blue orbs and ran her fingers through his sunshine blonde hair. 'His hair is so soft…shocking since it's always so messy.' Tugging onto Naruto's locks, she pulled him closer to her and French-kissed him. The kiss grew more passionate as the minutes passed by. When they finally came up for air, Naruto snuggled his head against hers and fell asleep. 'He's even cute when he's asleep. I wish I could have been with him sooner.' She closed her eyes. 'But I have him now. That's all that matters.'

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"Wake up," Yoko said while shaking Sakura. "Yeah," Tsukiko snarled while shaking Naruto. "We're almost home!" The couple started to get up and went back to camp to get their belongings. At their arrival, they saw a snake-like being and his grey-haired assistant gang up on Kakashi. "Orochimaru," Naruto said. "And Kabuto," Sakura added. "Who?" both Yoko and Tsukiko asked in unison. Kakashi was then pushed to a tree, knocking him unconscious. Orochimaru turned to the others.

"Well well well, look who we have here," Orochimaru started. "If it isn't the Hikaru twins and the Kyubi together. This makes my job so much easier." "You can only dream that," Sakura replied. Orochimaru huffed. "Kabuto, get the girls. I'll get the demon and the girlfriend myself." Kabuto nodded and went after the girls. Yoko and Tsukiko knew this was the time to try out their jutsus together. "Taiyou no jutsu!" Yoko yelled while Tsukiko shouted "Tsuki no jutsu!" Both looked in Kabuto's direction, yellow and white light surrounding the girls. "AHHH!" Kabuto screamed. "MY EYES! WHAT ARE YOU WITCHES DOING TO MY EYES!" The girls continued to stare down the man, without lifting a finger.

"What the hell are you doing Kabuto?" Orochimaru screeched. Kabuto started to twitch on the ground, unable to move from the pain. "This is easier than I thought," Tsukiko said, her sister agreeing with her. Both girls slowly walked up to the male on the ground and stabbed him with their kunais. "We're being nice to you," Yoko started. "We could of left you blind forever. But since we're not that cruel, we'll bring you death." Both girls stabbed Kabuto again, finishing off the job.

Orochimaru was speechless. 'How could these brats defeat Kabuto so easily? Damn it, I need better assistants.' The sisters collapsed on the ground. The group noticed that the girls were low on chakra. 'Humph, at least I won't have to worry about losing to children.' Orochimaru looked up to where Sakura and Naruto were, preparing for his fight with them. 'Better make this quick,' Naruto thought. "Kyubi, give me some of your power," Naruto told the fox inside of him. A bright red chakra surrounded his body in the shape of a fox, his eyes were a bloody red color, his hair grew wilder, and his fingernails were now sharp claws. "It's over," Kyubi said.

Orochimaru bit his finger to draw blood, then pressed it firmly to the ground. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!" Orochimaru yelled. A huge snake appears below him. "You know what to do Manda." Manda swung its head towards Naruto, attempting to swallow the boy whole, like that during the Chuunin exams. 'Damn it' Naruto thought. 'Not again.' 'Whoa,' Sakura exclaimed. 'This thing is trying to eat Naruto! Please, don't turn into snake poop. I won't let you live that down Naruto.' Suddenly, out of nowhere, Kakashi steps in front of Naruto and winds up inside the snake. "WHA???" Naruto shouted, dumb folded while returning to his normal self. Sakura dropped her jaw and couldn't believe what she had just witnessed.

'Now then,' Kakashi thought inside the snake. 'If I remember correctly Naruto used clones to burst the snake.' He nodded to himself and started the technique. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Hundreds of Kakashis burst out of Manda, destroying the snake in the process. He dispelled his clones, leaving himself to gloat. "Way to go Kakashi!" Naruto shouted. "EWWWWW!!!" Sakura screamed. Kakashi gave Sakura an evil glare and went towards her, still covered in snake slime. "NOOO! GET AWAY! WAAAAA!!!" Sakura ran away from the site, Kakashi following her from behind. Naruto laughed. 'Same old Sakura. You've got to love her.'

"Enough nonsense!" Orochimaru interrupted. "I was just warming up. Now that it's just me and you, we can start the real battle." The pressed his bleeding thumb to the ground again. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!" A snake didn't appear this time, but a coffin. Naruto had no clue what was going on. "Oh Kabuto, arise!" Naruto looked over to where the ninja with glasses had died, but he was not there. The coffin opened and the corpse of Kabuto rose. 'Oh shit!' Naruto thought. 'How can I beat the living dead. I'll let Gamabunta handle this.' Naruto bit his thumb and smashed it down. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!" Naruto cried. –Poof- "AH, DAMN IT!" He saw that Gamakichi was on his head. "What the hell was that, demon!" Orochimaru laughed out. Naruto sweat dropped. 'Okay, I'll try this again.'

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" he cried again, this time summoning Gamabunta. "YEAH!" Naruto shouted. "What's going on?" Gamabunta asked. The giant frog then took a step backwards and heard a squishing noise. He sweat dropped. 'Oh crap, not again,' he thought. Naruto was confused until Gamabunta lifted his foot up, revealing a now squished Kabuto. Orochimaru slapped his face in disbelief. 'Yeah, that will be the first and last time I summon that idiot,' he told himself. Now it was Gamabunta, Naruto, and Gamakichi versus Orochimaru alone.

"Heh, I'll still defeat you fox," Orochimaru said. Naruto asked the fox for his power again, which he did give to the boy. Naruto was now the Kyubi with two tails. "Ready to see hell?" Kyubi asked. "Because the devil welcomes you today." Kyubi went and attempted to slash Orochimaru constantly with his claws, having Gamakichi on his head the whole time. Orochimaru dodged about half of them, but came out cut up all over. "Is that all you've got?" Orochimaru asked. "Nope," Kyubi replied.

Orochimaru wrapped his tongue around Naruto's body and started to squeeze. Kyubi laughed, knowing what Naruto was thinking. He whispered to Gamakichi his plan and went over to Orochimaru with a kunai. Orochimaru laughed to himself, thinking this little frog couldn't do anything. He was wrong. Gamakichi sliced Orochimaru's tongue off, leaving Orochimaru stunned and letting Naruto's body free. 'Crap, there is no way I can win now. I've tried snakes, resurrections, and even my own tongue is gone. I guess I have to accept defeat. Good job Uzumaki.' Orochimaru disappeared off into the night while Naruto took full control of his body again.

"What? Where did he go?" Naruto asked the frogs. Gamakichi shrugged and Gamabunta mentioned how he just ran away. Naruto sighed. 'What a coward,' he thought. He then realized something. "Where are Sakura and Kakashi?" Screams were heard, coming closer to his direction. Sakura came running by, covered in the snake slime. Naruto fell to the ground, laughing his butt off. That was, until Sakura fell on top of him, covering him with this sticky substance. Now it was Sakura's turn to laugh. Kakashi came by and saw the couple covered with grime and goo.

"Alright you guys," Kakashi started. "The fun is over. Where is Orochimaru?" "He ran off like a little baby," Naruto stated. 'Oh thank God,' Sakura said to herself. 'And I thought I had lost you again. You really are amazing Naruto.' Kakashi just smiled under his mask. "Fine, then let's clean ourselves up. I don't think Yoko and Tsukiko would appreciate us carrying them while we are filthy," Sakura stated. Kakashi and Naruto agreed, cleaned up in the nearest creek, picked up the two girls, and headed towards the nearby Cloud Village.

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The gang arrived at the Village Hidden in the Clouds, dropping off Yoko and Tsukiko to the hospital. "I'm going to miss these two," Naruto said. "I will too," Sakura added. Kakashi nodded. 'Yes, the twins are wonderful. Hopefully Naruto and Sakura have learned from them about teamwork.' He then saw Naruto and Sakura kissing each other in the hospital room. 'I stand corrected.'

Suddenly, Yoko and Tsukiko opened their eyes. "What?" Tsukiko asked. Yoko was just as lost as her sister was. "You're home," Sakura told them. The twins let out a sigh. "I guess you'll be leaving us now," Yoko implied. "Yeah, we are," Naruto said. "But if you need us again for a mission, feel free to recommend us. TEAM SEVEN!" The girls laughed while Kakashi told him to keep it quiet. Everyone exchanged hugs and tears, then parted in their own ways. "Goodbye," was the last thing the gang of five said to the parting.

Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi were walking out of the village, on their way back home with the sun starting to rise in the background. Before they left the gates, Naruto pulled Sakura to the side and looked deep into Sakura's emerald eyes. "Sakura…I've wanted to ask you this for the longest time, but I didn't know when the perfect moment would be. I think the time is now." He sat Sakura down on a tree stump, pulled out a black box, got down on one knee, and asked Sakura the special question, "Will you marry me?" Sakura's eyes started to water and she hugged Naruto tightly. "Yes, yes I will," she replied. Naruto slipped the platinum ring with the big diamond on her finger and smiled at her.

'The best was really saved for last,' both thought in unison. They held hands and went over to Kakashi. They were finally heading home with a new start in life. Naruto and Sakura were now a part of two teams together.

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Afterword:

Team Seven made it home with no problems at all. Everything went as easy as pie on their journey home. There was no fighting, no bickering, no emotional outbursts, no problems at all. Well, the only issue was Naruto and Sakura spending way too much time together and Kakashi getting annoyed with the couple kissing around him constantly.

"Well, I'm off," Kakashi said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow for some training." "Bye sensei," Naruto and Sakura said before Kakashi disappeared from their site. Now it was just Naruto and Sakura, hand in hand. They went over to Sakura's house to pack her things to stay at Naruto's place. Her parents heard about the engagement and were surprisingly happy for her. They had nothing against the boy since they were one of the few people who truly understood the Kyubi issue. When they were done packing, they headed off to Naruto's apartment and placed the boxed down on the floor. Both sat down on Naruto's bed, too exhausted to unpack anything for that night.

Sakura spoke up. "Naruto, can I sing you a song? It's one that I was thinking of the entire way home." "Sure Sakura-chan. I'd love to hear it." Sakura started to sing.

"Sometimes the snow comes down in June
Sometimes the sun goes 'round the moon
I see the passion in your eyes
Sometimes it's all a big surprise
'Cause there was a time when all I did was wish
You'd tell me this was love
It's not the way I hoped or how I planned
But somehow it's enough

And now we're standing face to face
Isn't this world a crazy place
Just when I thought our chance had passed
You go and save the best for last

All of the nights you came to me
When some silly girl had set you free
You wondered how you'd make it through
I wondered what was wrong with you

'Cause how could you give your love to someone else
And share your dreams with me
Sometimes the very thing you're looking for
Is the one thing you can't see

And now we're standing face to face
Isn't this world a crazy place
Just when I thought our chance had passed
You go and save the best for last

Sometimes the very thing you're looking for
Is the one thing you can't see

Sometimes the snow comes down in June
Sometimes the sun goes 'round the moon
Just when I thought our chance had passed
You go and save the best for last

You went and saved the best for last"

Yes, everything was perfect now for the newly engaged couple. Naruto thought Sakura had the most gorgeous body and very playful personality, but now can proudly note her beautiful voice. She was the perfect girl for him. Sakura thought the same for Naruto. He had the perfect build for a guy, a colorful personality, and the perfect deep voice that made her relax every time she heard it.

They were lying down, face to face. Their chance did not pass, but the best was saved for last.

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To clear things up more (as in why I chose certain names and such):

Yoko means "sun child". Tsukiko means "moon child". Hence why I pick out their names for their ability. Hikaru means "light" or "shining" so that's why I used that as their last names.

Hiroshi means generous, which is ironic due to the situation Sakura experiences with Sasuke there. Tama means "perfect or whole" which she is perfect in Sasuke's eyes. Konomi means nuts, since she is nuts about Sasuke AND she is nuts for loving Sasuke. Konomi can also mean success, which she is at winning Sasuke's heart.

Taiyou means sun while Tsuki means moon. That's why the Taiyou no jutsu and Tsuki no jutsu are present. It should make sense for Yoko's and Tsukiko's bloodline abilities.

Sorry for not dividing the story into chapters, but I am indeed a lazy person and I didn't feel like uploading this section-by-section. Sending it all at once so people can read a finished tale always is for the better. I am also sorry about the short, and rather stupid, battles. I cannot write fighting scenes if my life depended on it. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the story.