Summary: Nothing prepared one for their final moments, not even the occasional brush with death. As Sakura's life rapidly came to a close, she wondered how fate had brought her to this moment. She could see Sai, Naruto, and Kakashi all calling out to her, but all she could seem to hear was the distinct sound of a thousand chirping birds…

A/N: So, this is based off of something I wrote a very long time ago. It was originally titled "Confusing Hate for Love", but I thought "Confusing Love and Hate" seemed a more appropriate title. I'd like to think my writing has improved since my original version… but I suppose that remains to be seen. This story does not at all follow the final events of the Naruto series, or Naruto Gaiden. It follows the canon manga loosely through the final fight with Kaguya. I hope you enjoy!

CHAPTER ONE: A Deal Brokered

"Sakura, you can't be serious!"

"Completely."

"But this is your life! Your future! Why would you give all of that up for him?! He doesn't deserve you sacrificing your happiness!"

"It's not for him, Tsunada-sama."

"Well this can't be for you, you clearly want nothing to do with this agreement! Why would you agree to something so horrendous?"

"For Naruto."

Tsunade froze, momentarily baffled by the answer. Had she thought about it rationally, she would have come to the conclusion herself. Of course this decision was for Naruto. He wanted nothing more than to have Sasuke back, reinstated, and for things to go back to the way they had been 6 years ago, before this mess ever began.

"Naruto would not want this for you, will not want this. He'll be furious when he finds out that you've agreed to-"

"He won't be finding out." Sakura interrupted. Her tone was firm, leaving no room for arguments. "All Naruto has strived for since Sasuke left was to bring him home. His every waking moment has been dedicated to this. He made me a promise to bring Sasuke home, and he's told me that he will never stop trying until he succeeds. Though I know he would seek Sasuke forever despite the promise, I feel responsible. If I can do this, sacrifice my happiness for his, then I will.

"But he can never know, Tsunade-sama. If he ever finds out, he will blame himself. He will never forgive himself."

"Just as you blame yourself for his determination to bring back Sasuke."

"It's not the same thing." She said, her temper rising. "Naruto has done everything for this village. He has suffered since he was a baby, having lost both his parents, being shunned and ridiculed by the people he wanted nothing more than to impress, fighting harder, getting stronger than anyone else just to prove himself. He made a promise to me when I was young, foolish, and selfish. I was a blubbering idiot, pinning after a boy who would never…" She paused, composing herself. "...could never love me because of the tragedies that befell him. I was too blind to see what that kind of promise would do to Naruto, how it would eat him up inside if he failed.

"I need to do this."

Tsunade steepled her hands in front of her face and contemplated Sakura's words for a moment. What could she say to that? How could she change her student's mind, when it was so resolutely made?

Tsunade sighed, and straightened in her chair. "Are you sure this is what you want to do?"

"More sure than I've been about anything."

Tsunade nodded. "Alright then. Shizune! Send him in."

Sakura held her breath, for what, she wasn't sure. She didn't know what to expect when he walked in the door, or what she would feel - hatred, happiness, joy, relief? ...Love? She had spent such a large chunk of her life waiting for him, chasing after him, that now that he was finally here she didn't know what or how to feel.

The door opened, and Sakura resisted the urge to turn around. She stayed rooted in place, keeping her eyes locked on her mentor to prevent herself from giving away how much Sasuke put her on edge, even after all these years.

She heard soft footsteps in the carpet as he entered and approached her. It seemed a little anticlimatic, how uneventful his arrival was. In her imagination, Sakura had always envisioned her, Sasuke, and Naruto meeting on the battlefield; she had imagined blows being exchanged. In the end, they would all reconcile, and would return to Konoha together. Never had she imagined Sasuke returning on his own at the end of the war, without any complaints or mishaps. She had never imagined coming face-to-face with the Uchiha again without Naruto by her side. It seemed wrong, and incredibly dull for all they'd gone through to try and bring him home.

He came far enough into the room so that he was just out of her peripheral vision, and settled to her left. Was that a calculated move to goad her into turning to look at him? She wasn't sure, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of finding out. Silence enveloped the room as Tsunade searched in her desk for the necessary paper work.

Sakura was more than certain that the Godaime was taking her time on purpose, forcing Sasuke to wait. Tsunade was not happy with the terms he laid down in order to keep him from leaving, and she was making it known.

"He shouldn't be demanding ANYTHING!" The Hokage had shouted after Shizune had delivered Sasuke's terms, while simultaneously shattering every empty sake bottle in her possession. Of course, given the revelation of what truly happened to the Uchiha clan, what Sasuke had done to save the village, and Naruto's pressure on the elders to take the lone Uchiha back, they had no choice but to negotiate with him. Naruto was the hero of the village so his word held a lot of sway these days.

After several minutes of rummaging Sakura was losing her own patience, she was certain that Sasuke was ready to blow a gasket. She peeked a glance to her side to gauge how he was taking this, but his outward demeanor showed no signs of annoyance. He stood rather still, in an almost casual pose, like he wasn't about to take her entire future from her.

Sakura quelled the boiling rage that threatened to spill over. She had to remember that this was for Naruto. If she forgot for even a moment… well, it was better not to think about the possibility of that.

Finally, Tsunade pulled out a sheaf of paperwork and handed it over to the Uchiha, who took it and tucked it underneath his arm without so much as glancing at it. Sakura awaited anxiously to receive paperwork of her own, but was met with nothing.

"All of the paperwork is there, I had it drawn up last night. Upon reading it over you will find that most of your terms are being met." Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the word 'most'. "Your crimes have been pardoned, and you will be reinstated as a shinobi of Konohagakure. However, as you never successfully completed a chuunin exam, your request to be promoted to anything above genin has been denied. Don't feel so bad about it, Naruto is still a genin as well. You'll be in very good company."

Sakura had to stifle a laugh at that. She could see Sasuke's mood heading south very quickly. "Also…" Tsunade's eyes hardened slightly as she took in the full measure of the man standing in front of her. "As you've probably already guessed from her presence here, Sakura has agreed to your other terms. However, it will be at least two years before that will move forward to completion, possibly longer. She needs to remain an active shinobi for at least that long, while the new world order stabilizes. Sakura is an integral part of Konoha."

Sasuke's mouth quirked downward. "I never requested she be taken off the active roster."

"True, however, that's usually par for the course in situations such as these. Eventually… life happens."

Sasuke shrugged. "No matter the circumstances, I will not demand she be taken off the roster. That is her choice to make."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Choice, huh? Since when is she allowed to make any choices?"

"I'm not forcing her into this decision," Sasuke said. "She has chosen to accept. She is free to change her mind at any time."

Sakura turned to Sasuke, baffled at this admission. Was she really free to…?

Tsunade clucked her tongue in annoyance. "Sure she has the freedom to choose, but then you'll leave, correct?" Sasuke's non-answer spoke loudly enough. "Not much of a choice, when everything is considered. Regardless, two years will be the minimum. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No."

"Good. Finally, since the entire village was destroyed and rebuilt, the old Uchiha complex is, unfortunately, gone. It wasn't rebuilt during the village's reconstruction, since you weren't around and it felt almost… wrong, to do so. As a result, you've been relocated to an apartment on the South West of the village."

Sasuke nodded, accepting the keys offered to him by the Hokage. "That should be everything. You're both dismissed."

"Wait a minute," Sakura spoke up, "that's it? I don't have to sign some kind of agreement, making sure that I honor my word or something?" Sasuke turned to look at her, for the first time since he'd entered the room. His eyes were calculating, seemingly taking her measure.

"I don't need a piece of paper to prove that you'll do as you've promised, Sakura." Her name rolled off his tongue so easily she almost forgot how much time had passed since his departure. "And I don't own you. You are free to change your mind at any point during our agreement. However, my terms remain the same."

"Yeah, I know. Do as you say or you'll leave. I got it, loud and clear, your highness." Sakura's anger flared, and she gave a mock courtesy at him. As soon as she stood up properly, she turned on her heel and banged her way out of the Hokage's office. Shizune jumped slightly at her desk at the sudden departure, but Sakura was too angry to care. She knew that it was not a good idea to show just how much he riled her up, but her temper got the better of her.

"Sakura." Sasuke called at her retreating form, using her name with such familiarity that it almost made her angrier. She stopped, and he stepped out of the office and came within ten feet of her form, though she never gave him the courtesy of turning around. "We haven't had a chance to discuss this. Let me explain-"

She whirled around, anger apparent on her face. "No, let me explain something, Uchiha." She spat out his surname like it was disgusting. "Though I've agreed, that doesn't mean that I have to like it. Nor does it mean that I have to pretend that we're anything but fellow shinobi. I will do what you've asked, but don't expect me to just go back to the way things were when we were children, and don't expect me to treat you like a friend. You haven't earned that right."

If anything, Sakura would say that Sasuke looked almost surprised at her outburst. She allowed herself to feel some satisfaction at that thought. Before he could form any response, she turned and left the building, allowing her rage to propel her away from him. It had taken every ounce of her energy to tell Sasuke off, and as her anger ebbed, all she could feel was empty.

I'm not the best with updating, but hopefully I'll have another chapter out soon. Thanks for reading!