Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Katelyn - Thank you for reviewing! The encouragement really motivated me ^_^
Chapter 1: The Shock
A very loud shriek snapped the dozed off medic wide awake, she had been so exhausted from all the operations she had to performed today. Stupid group of shinobis fell off a cliff and were all severely injured. With a tiny bit of reluctance, she got up from her chair and raced to the direction of the sound. It resulted the pinkette in front of the Hokage Tower and found the most unexpected. There he was, her most beloved boy she never stopped loving for seven years. Sasuke Uchiha, the cool, strong, stoic, emotionless, calm and collected, jerk-
"I'm home, Sakura," he said with his onyx eyes looking intensely in her emerald eyes. She couldn't help but smiled brilliantly at him.
"Welcome back, Sasuke. I... I missed you."
'I need to show him my maturity, I have to let him see that I'm not a fangirl. Although I had to say that last part, I'm so happy that he's finally home! Woohoo!' She inwardly cheered while the other shinobi narrowed his eyes slightly and raised one of his eyebrows.
'Hn, she didn't call my name with the -kun suffix in the end.' He noticed.
After studying the medic for a second, he turned to the door. The raven haired shinobi was about to stepped in there until he hesitantly paused for a moment. In a soft voiced, he responded back the very unexpected thing Sakura thought she would ever hear.
"I missed you too."
She was shocked. The fangirls were shocked. The villagers were shocked! Oh god, the whole world was shocked! Because it had been two years since they last saw each other, she wouldn't know if he was really returning her feelings when he never ever paid any attention to her. Considering how he always rejected her in the past, that's what Sakura has been thinking, even though she constantly hoped there will be a chance one day.
Sakura Haruno was dumbfounded and bewildered. She was absolutely speechless to Sasuke Uchiha for the first time. Her emerald eyes had widen and her mouth was opened from the overshock she just had. Damn, even the earthquakes couldn't beat this.
'Ugh, why is it such a surprised? He's changing, alright?!' The young woman reminded herself, as the great shinobi went inside the Hokage Tower to report himself. No one probably noticed this, but someone was extremely excited about this new development between his teammates, the Cherry Blossom and the Icecube Bastard. Naruto wasn't gonna let this opportunity of the Teme staying home be wasted, it was time to play matchmaker.
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"Yo, Teme!" Naruto greeted inside the Hokage Tower. He had broken into the Hokage's Office, where Kakashi and Sasuke were talking to each other. The nine-tails fox vessel's break in through the window made Kakashi mumbled, "why have a door when no one uses it?"
"Well, someone in the team had to inherit that habit of yours after you do it too. Don't you agree, Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke replied, obviously amused than he usually let on.
"I'm not your sensei anymore. In fact…" the Hokage started softly and then yelled, "someone call Sakura and Sai in to report to the Hokage's Office immediately now!" It made the two young men in the room startled and confused, but the blonde was more perspective than he was given credit for. It seemed like they'll all be having a mission together sooner or later. The thought made Naruto smirked at how he must be a genius and started to fantasize his to-be coming victory.
Three minutes later, Sai came. One hour later, there was no sign of the pinkette. Everyone started to get impatient, especially Naruto.
"Where is Sakura-chan?! Why are we still waiting for her?! Her shift ended one hour ago when we sent the messenger. She was supposed to be here 'immediately' when the Hokage needs her. Even if she was stuck with an operation, she would tell the messenger to say something for us. But the messenger himself isn't here to report that." He turned to his old teacher. "Kakashi-sensei! Something must have happened to her!"
The Hokage sighed. "I'm sure she's fine. Sakura isn't weak anymore, Naruto." The blonde pouted and crossed his arms. Although Sasuke and Sai appeared to be emotionless, they knew they were also getting worried about her. Sakura was a very responsible person, she doesn't come late if unnecessary. Also, she would always tell the messenger to come back and report to Kakashi if she was in a operation or something, like what Naruto had said.
'Hn. She still makes people worried about her,' The Sharingan user thought. Her habit of having people saving her… despite the fact that she's very strong now. She's still the same precious person in his eyes that needed to be saved and constantly looked after. Something he would never admit it though, even if there was a time he did to Naruto.
Sakura was pinned on the tree by sand, which was slowly squeezing her till her death. Sasuke was too tired and weak to save her himself, so he called out to Naruto, who immediately turned to him.
"Sakura… You have to save her no matter what, I know you can save her… So once you've got her, carry her and run as fast as you can. If it's just for awhile, I'll be able to hold him in place… I've already lost everything once before. I don't want to watch those dear to me die before my eyes again."
"I'll go find her," he said and left before anyone could protest. Sasuke didn't know why he offered to find her, perhaps it was because no one else would find her? Well, he would have gone to the Konoha Hospital and her house to searched for the pinkette, but the messenger would have already went there to find her. So he activated his Sharingan and tried to sense her chakra. He had to be fast, it was already night time.
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"A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you're fast asleep"
'Bingo.' He found her. It was because of her voice, her singing voice. The lyrics were getting louder and louder each time the shinobi closed into where the medic was.
"In dreams you will lose your heartaches
Whatever you wish for, you keep"
The Konoha Children Mental Health Clinic.
He looked inside through the window with his chakra hidden. Even though he didn't need to, he felt like he should hide himself. There she was, standing in the middle of a room filled with children in their rows of beds. They were all awake, listening to Sakura's singing.
"Have faith in your dreams and someday
Your rainbow will come smiling through
No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
The dream that you wish will come true"
Honestly, Sasuke was memorized by her. She sounded absolutely pure and had a voice of an angel. When had she been able to sing so well?
"A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you're fast asleep
In dreams you will lose your heartaches
Whatever you wish for, you keep"
The children started to dozed off and laid down on their beds. As the amazing medic-nin was singing, she pulled up each of their blankets and tugged them in.
"Have faith in your dreams and someday
Your rainbow will come smiling through
No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
The dream that you wish will come true"
With that last verse, all of them had fallen asleep. Sakura smiled like a mother looking at her children, they were all a handful and energetic, but she loved them. Sakura and Ino had develop this mental health center for the children left mentally damaged after the Fourth Shinobi War. It was heartbreaking for the Director of the Konoha Mental Children Health Clinic when she first saw their states. The pinkette would usually come here when she's free from her shifts and missions. The children always made her smiled and forget about any loneliness she ever felt.
'Sasuke-kun… he's finally home, this is my chance. Except that… I still have doubts, will he really fall for me and love me?' Her face went gloomy. The person she thought about frowned and knocked to snapped her out of it. She looked up to the window and sensed the well-known chakra. Sakura pursed her lips in a thin line, then went outside to meet him.
"Hello, Sasuke. What brings you here?" She asked.
"Hurry, we need to go to Kakashi now. Let's go." Not wanting to answer anymore questions that he was sure she would ask, he already started to sprint off without the woman. The pinkette was surprised and sad that he didn't wait, but she quickly went after him.
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The four members of Team 7 stood in front of the Hokage's desk, waiting for him to give their mission.
"Come on, Kakashi-sensei! Tell us the mission already!" Naruto complained, waving his hands around in the air.
"Quiet down, Dobe," Sasuke said with his eyes closed and arms crossed. "But hurry up, Kakashi."
"I want to know the mission too," said Sai with a poker face. Kakashi looked at Sakura, waiting for her to also have a say in this. She lightly shook her head as she smiled and took a deep breath.
"Kakashi-sensei, if you don't wanna face my wrath, then you better tell us now."
The spiky silver haired man smirked a little. "Alrighty then, the mission I'm assigning you guys is a B-rank one. It's-"
"Whaaaat?! Just a B-rank?" The blonde wailed. A vein popped on Sakura's forehead, she punched him on the head. "Just be quiet and listen to him! Also, with you involved in our team, it changes to be higher occasionally. It always lead you to do your 'admirable speeches' to the enemies or the person involved in the case."
"Hmm, indeed it can. The person who asked us to do this mission sounds a bit weird and is from the Hidden Village of Sound," the Hokage said with a thoughtful tone at first, then serious. It grabbed everyone's attention instantly with Sasuke frowning a bit. "This afternoon, a shinobi from the Hidden Village of Sound came. An illness was spreading through the village, so he requested Sakura to go investigate and find the cure to the disease. It's weird because Otogakure has Orochimaru, who should be very good at this. Let alone, ask for Sakura."
Sakura's eyebrows knitted together and bite her lips, she wasn't on the best terms with the Sannin Snake Master. He had done so many horrible things, especially to Sasuke. Even though the man changed now, she still felt uncertain. In the end, she's a shinobi and she can endure it. "I understand, Orochimaru needs my help to identify it and find a cure. But why give the mission to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai too? Doesn't it makes more sense to have Ino or Kabuto to help me in this mission?"
"Like I said, it's a bit weird. He may have changed, but the knowledge he has should be able to do it himself. That's why I'm sending Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai to become your escort and help you. Naruto thinks quite differently than others, which it could spark something-"
"What's that supposed to mean, Kakashi-sensei?!" The blonde whined.
The Hokage ignored him and continued speaking. "Sasuke can help with his sharp seeing and hearing skills. Sai will be like a messenger and spy. All three of them can help with fighting too. After everything, it's still hard to trust Orochimaru and I want to know his movements a bit too."
The pinkette nodded in understanding. "Reasonable, I too don't believe that he can't cure it himself. When do we leave?"
"Tonight, because I want you guys to arrive a bit more early and settle in. One to two hours of journey from here to Sound, so leave at 8:00 PM, that is in thirty minutes. Plenty of time to pack up and say some goodbyes... I don't know how long this mission is gonna take if Orochimaru can't even figure out the illness himself. I suggest you guys campout and go into the village when Orochimaru expects you, which is tomorrow at dawn. Here is the scroll of the mission," Kakashi said, holding it to his female ex-student. "Be careful, all of you."
"Yes!" They all responded.
Teme = Bastard (what Naruto calls Sasuke)
Dobe = Idiot (what Sasuke calls Naruto)
"… it was time to play matchmaker." *Widely Grins*
OOC Sasuke because he said he missed her too? AND in front of everyone? Well, maybe he wanted to try something new. Also, because Sakura took out the suffix next to his name ;)
Song: A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes by Lily James (from Disney's "Cinderella")
