Author's Note: Sorry about the wait! Thank you all for your kind words! They really encourage me to keep going as quickly as I am. I am sorry for the wait, I just moved and we finally got our hands on some internet. So, this chapter is a little longer than the others. Note, that I have begun to deviate from the actual story now, so the level of accuracy to main story line is going to become more prominent. Thank you all so much for all of your support thus far! Let me know what you think! Enjoy!
Warnings: None, maybe just language.
Disclaimer: Goddess OF Death came up with the original idea and approached me to write it.
Word Count: 6,489
Sakura easily sneaks into the village and into her own home. She waited til her family was out. Mother went to the store and her father went off to do whatever it is that he does at times like this. Sakura was never all that sure what he did in his free time. Just wandered, she guessed, but never knew for sure. She slipped in through her window and looked around her room. It was exactly as she left it. Her mother came in to clean it, but that was it.
Sakura strips out of her regulation gear and instead grabs her shinobi gear of choice. Her pink zip up shirt and tight black pants with her beige skirt over it. She transfers her shinobi pouches to her person and then moves around the room, gathering up travel bags. She fills it up with shinobi weapons, medicines, medical books she was in the middle of reading, extra pairs of clothes and all the money she's accumulated over the years through missions, working at the hospital and her own allowance from her parents.
Sakura packs all of her stuff into storage scrolls so she can take the max amount of stuff without having to deal with the ungodly weight. The last thing Sakura takes from her room is the picture of the original Team 7 and then the new one, taken a few weeks ago.
Naruto and Sakura are back to back, grinning at the camera in the center of the photo. Sai is on the side, smiling his real soft, unsure smile off to the side a bit. Tenzo was smiles at the camera next to Kakashi who had that closed eye, high eyebrow smile he usually has on his face. Tenzo has his elbow perched onto Kakashi's shoulder off to the other side. They were all happy. Yes, Team 7 was incomplete without Sasuke there, but this pictures holds a lot of meaning to Sakura too.
And then, she stops and grabs the picture of her and her parents, eight years old getting read to enter the academy. She hadn't met Ino yet so she hadn't helped Sakura begin to gain her courage. So she looked so tiny between her prim and proper mom and her grinning father. Her hair was all in her face and her head was tipped down. But it was the only picture of her parents that she could take with her. So that went into her bag too.
The young medic makes her way down the stairs and into the kitchen with one more scroll. She packs in food that won't spoil, canned goods. Some basic recipes of her mother's. She grabs out a pen and pad and leaves a note to her parents, letting them know that she was here and that she won't be able to return for a long time but that she will be back one day, many years from now. She signed it and left. If she stayed any longer, she might not be able to gain the courage to leave.
Sakura steels herself, stopping in the doorway to her room one more time before bowing her head and leaving threw her bedroom window, much like how she entered, locking it behind her. Then she made quick work of leaving the village. After a long moment of standing a hundred yards outside the village gates, Sakura finally spun around in a circle on her heel and pointed her finger. Where she was pointing when she stopped ended up being where she headed.
It wasn't the most professional way to go, but it worked. Sakura had no clear cut place she was suppose to go to. It's just wander around for nine months, have a baby, raise it for thirteen years, come back home. Or at least, she hopes it will be. What if she has to wait until he's sixteen? Or twenty? To think, by the time the baby is born, Sakura will be sixteen. From them on, when the Fourth's soul is thirteen, Sakura will be twenty-nine. When he's sixteen, she will be thirty-two and when he's twenty, she'll be thirty-six. She really will be the forty year old virgin.
The thought leaves her cold. She's be at least thirty when she returns to the Leaf. That seems so far away from now. Sakura really will be giving up so much of her life to this. It had all better be worth it in the end or Sakura is going to be so pissed. Not that Sakura is some kind of sex fiend or anything like that, it's just such a long time to be away from the people she knows and loves and it really cuts into her time raising a family.
Sakura halts in her walking and looks around. She in the forest that surrounds the Leaf still, she hasn't made it all that far, but this random direction stuff is probably a really bad idea. Sakura has to think this through logically. If she's going to raise the Fourth's soul, she's going to have to do it somewhere where no one has any idea who he or she is.
The pink haired girl isn't one to toot her own horn, but she is pretty well known. A good portion of people know her name, but most know her as Tsunade's apprentice. She has to get away from that. If Sakura knows Naruto, and she does, after this war is over he's not going to waste any time sniffing out her trail. She has to go somewhere that people won't recognize her. She has to keep her Leaf Village affiliation a secret in case people think that she went AWOL. Which she kind of is, but the last thing she wants is to be treated like that.
Naruto will come searching in the places he knows she would frequent.
Unless Lady Tsunade tells them that she was KIA. The thought causes Sakura's entire body to run cold. She looks around, suddenly anxious. It's one thing to be away and everyone to wonder, it's selfish of her to wish to be in their thoughts, but it's another thing to be considered dead. They will bury her and then forget her. They'll grieve and then move on. How in the world would she be able to go home with them thinking she's dead. Sure, Lady Tsunade will make up some story, but that would mean she would be going back and taking a dead girl's place and Sakura's not sure she would be able to handle that. This journey will change her, she knows it will. She won't be the same afterward.
Sakura shakes the thoughts away. There is nothing she can do about it now. She will just have to play it all by ear and hope that she can make it through this endeavor.
The pink haired girl looks up at the sky to depict what direction she is facing. South-east. She turns and heads west. To this direction, Sakura can easily slip between the Land of Rock and the Land of Wind territories through the small minor countries in-between. The first one she will have to worry about, the Land of Gysers has a hidden village, Tanigakure no sato. It's an ally of Iwa. Most of their shinobi will be off assisting their allies in the war, but that means that the boarders will either be slightly more lax or that much harder to tread.
The journey is a long and tedious one, Sakura doesn't dare run for fear of getting far away fast only to have to return, per Tsunade's orders. So she walks along small side roads, stopping in a no name village to pick up a map of the Land of Fire and all it's small routes, villages and shinobi bases. Sakura follows groups of traveling merchants and listens to the news of the war. Sakura is both astounded and confused by it all.
Madara Uchiha has returned from the dead. Hokage of old have been seen on the battlefield; friend or foe? The Nine Tails has been released. All nine great demons spotted on the battlefield. False Madara killed in battle. False Madara not killed in battle. The Nine Tails host is dead. The Nine Tails host is alive. Sasuke Uchiha has been spotted aiding in the offensive. A dead goddess has returned to life. False Madara is dead again, for real this time. And then communication cut out. Nothing entered or escaped the battlefield.
Sakura can't make heads or tails of it. No one really knows for certain what exactly is going on right now it's just things filtering out through the whispers of people providing supplies and provisions for the war.
After three long, agonizing weeks lolly-gagging around in the villages near the boarder of the Land of Fire, Sakura finally get's word.
The war is officially declared over.
After that, Sakura counted down the days anxiously. Her first goodbye to home was easy, she'd done it dozens of times, because she knew she was going to come back again after the war was over. Now it's over and she's returning, but only for a short while before having to leave again. This one is going to be the hard one. She's going be away from Konoha for so long.
The night before her return day, Sakura is camped out a few miles from the Leaf. She's timed it all, because she's that bored, and if she's correct she'll be in the Leaf at noon tomorrow. Two months after the end of the war. There will probably still be a lot of people. Sakura got word that the Leaf was hosting the other nations in celebrations for their victory. The thought brings a rueful smile to her lips. That could have been her. She could of been there with friends and family, celebrating the victory that they all worked so hard to accomplish.
But no. She's outside the Leaf. Outside the celebration. Outside that life.
After months of feeling sorry for herself, Sakura has grown tired of it. She'd like to believe she will be able to march out of the Leaf tomorrow with her head held high and believing whole-heartedly that this is something that she will be able to take on. Unfortunately, going back home may just crack that resolve into a million pieces and Lady Tsunade might have to physically punt Sakura out of the village just to get her to leave, and even then she'll have to chase her away so the pinkette doesn't try and slink back in.
Sakura looks up at the dark sky, there's no moon tonight. Her only source of light is the stars and the small fire she has made in front of her. Sakura lifts up her shirt and looks down at her smooth stomach. She lays her hand over it. There is no prominent baby bump yet, but she can feel the firmness forming under the skin, slowly. She's just starting to show, but very slightly. But even then, Sakura can't risk traveling around heavily pregnant. She needs to find a suitable place to have the Fourth's soul be born and then raise it in secret.
Sakura puts her hand over her stomach and sends a bit of chakra into it. The seal appears and glows in the darkness. So much these last few months, Sakura has spent staring at the seal. She could probably replicate the seal in the dirt a hundred times over, she knows it so well. Now, would the seal she makes be able to do anything? No, in fact she's more likely to blow her fucking arm off trying then anything else. But still, that got Sakura thinking.
She has no knowledge in seals whatsoever. She doesn't even know what she's suppose to teach the Fourth's soul. Barely anyone knew anything about him. Even now, Sakura doesn't even know his real name. He was just the Fourth Hokage. Sakura hoped that whatever Tsunade had for her would be something she could use to raise the Fourth's soul.
The young medical shinobi is too keyed up to get any more than a few hours of sleep, but it's enough for her to make it to the Leaf by noon the next day. She pulls her hood up to cover her signature pink hair. The city is bustling with people from all nations. The celebration is still in full swing, even months after the war. Sakura has to wonder if it has something to do with Sakura slipping in and out unnoticed. She quickly conceals her chakra and slips into the village among the other shinobi also making their way in.
It's no surprise, in Sakura's opinion, that people would still be filtering in, it was a long walk back plus the divisions were all broken up and pretty far away from one another. Of course it would take a while for the last of the people to pack up their base camps and make their way back here. Sakura's just surprised that the village is able to maintain this large of an influx of people. There is tents galore outside the perimeter of the village filled to the brim with visitors.
She works her way through the village, straight for the Hokage tower. The less time she spends here with all these celebrating, happy people, the better. She's a little bitter at being unable to celebrate with them. She keeps her head down and sneaks through the village to the tower, feeling like an outsider. Only a few weeks away and Sakura already feels herself not belonging. It settles heavily in her swelling gut.
Sakura walks through the familiar halls of the tower, stopping outside of the Hokage's office. The ANBU don't look at her, as far as she can tell, but she knows that they are analyzing her, assessing her threat to their leader. Sakura could tell them that the only chance she would hurt Tsunade was if she squeezed her too tightly when she hugged her Master.
Sakura knocks on the door politely and waits. A moment later she is called to enter the room. She steps in, closing the door behind her and looks around the room. Tsunade along with the other Kage sit around the room, comfortably, as if they were all old friends.
Hesitantly, Sakura reaches up and pulls her hood down, stepping further into the room. She bow respectfully to all of the Kage. "Lord Tsuchikage, Lady Mizukage, Lord Raikage, Lord Kazekage, my Lady Hokage."
"Welcome back, Sakura," Tsunade says, standing up and walking around her desk to the pink haired girl, pulling her into her motherly arms. Sakura hugs her back hard, not wanting to let ago. But she must, at least she's relieved in seeing that her master is happy and healthy. All of the other kage look a little beaten up but nothing that they won't eventually heal from.
"I'm here, as promised," Sakura says, as Tsunade returns to her chair behind her desk. She looks around at the other kage and nods her head respectfully once more. "Is... everything okay now?"
Tsunade nods slowly, a sad look in her eyes. "Everything is okay. For now, at least." She gives Sakura a meaningful look.
Sakura returns the look with a solemn one of her own. "That's good," she says, feeling a need to fill the silence for just a moment. "You wanted to give me something?"
"Yes," Tsunade says, digging around in her desk before pulling out a file and laying it on the smooth wood. This is probably one of the few times Sakura has ever seen Tsunade's desk look so empty. Perhaps for the sake of her guests, Lady Hokage hid the mountain of paperwork that Sakura assumed would be awaiting the blond's return.
Sakura hesitates a moment before stepping closer to the desk. Each step feels like she's walking down a runway, naked, and the room is filled with thousands of people seeing right through her. For some reason, Sakura feels so exposed and she doesn't know why. She stops in front of Tsunade's desk and picks up the file and opening it up.
Sakura's eyebrows shoot up at the sight of the Fourth staring back at her. His face is stoic, with his eyebrows pulled together a bit but without an actual aggressive look. He doesn't have a headband on and his hair looks long and messy, his face framed by the hair giving it a narrower appearance. He appears to be wearing a white t-shirt with another red shirt over it to top it off with a blue, high collar long sleeve jacket. He appears to be indoors with some kind of purple curtain behind him.
Sakura hadn't really noticed before, but she does now. The Fourth Hokage was really, really handsome. And so young.
The pink haired girl's eyes flicker over to the basic information.
Name: Minato Namikaze
Age: 27
Family background: Orphaned (no known living relatives)
Shinobi alias: Yellow Flash
Rank: Fourth Hokage (Yondaime)
Status: Deceased (October 10th)
Graduation age: 10
Sensei: Jiraiya
Teammates: Shibi Aburame and Choza Akimichi
Marital status: Married (subject unknown)
A lot of his file as been black markered out. As Sakura expected from the Hokage's file. A lot had to be blacked out for his safety. And for the safety of his kids. Naruto, that's why Sakura mistook him for her friend. Naruto is the only child of the Fourth Hokage.
Minato Namikaze is his name. The Fourth Hokage's real name. And he was taught by Master Jiraiya, which explains why they both appeared in her dream together... kinda, and Shino and Choji's dad's were his teammates. Sakura didn't know that. She had to wonder if the two boys knew.
Flipping through the file it is clear that a lot of information was recently added to the file, a list of known jutsu, some of which has the formulas with them, IQ levels as he aged and stuff along those lines. All the information that Sakura would need in raising his spirit once more. Tsunade must have pulled his original file and added to it in order to help Sakura.
Sakura closes the file, bowing her head to her Kage. "Thank you so much for this, my lady. I will put it to good use."
"You'd better," Tsunade says and Sakura can almost hear and you will ensure it doesn't leave your possession. Sakura nods slowly, straightening up.
"Congratulations on the victory," Sakura says, looking over at the other Kage.
Mei Tarumi is the only one to verbally respond beyond a single nod, "Thank you, Lady Sakura."
Sakura blushes at the title, especially being called it by someone like the Mizukage, it's extremely flattering. She bows respectfully to them before turning back to Tsunade. "Is Naruto and the others okay?"
Tsunade's eyes lower a bit. "There were casualties of war, Sakura."
Sakura's heart picks up in her chest and her horror is written across her face. Her hands start to tremble and she has to clench them tightly to her chest to try and stop them. "Who..?" In her mind's eye she can see Naruto, beaten and bloody. And it leaves her feeling cold. Naruto couldn't die. He was like this constant presences in Sakura's life. A bright light that forces out all the darkness in her life.
He couldn't be dead. He couldn't. This was Naruto. Her best friend.
"Neji Hyuga was killed in action," Tsunade says solemnly. Sakura's heart pounds loudly in her ears. She squeezes her hands together so tightly that they hurt. She closes her eyes a moment while the rush of sadness and pain washes over her. In her mind's eye she can see the white eyed boy, staring back. It's like a collage of all the times Sakura has seen Neji, from when they first met in the Chunin exams, to his battle with Naruto and then to how they had managed to become friends after all was said and done.
After he had gotten over his rage and anger at Hinata, Nejis had managed to simmer down and relax. He turned out to be pleasent to be around. Sakura really liked him, he was one of her friends. And for him to now be gone forever... Sakura doesn't know what to think about it. It was one thing with Asuma-sensei. He was older, more expirienced. His death was horrible, but Sakura wasn't nearly as close to the older man as she was with Neji.
She went on missions with Neji, all the time. She would stop and talk with him on the streets when she saw him. She accepted all her friends as her immediate patients and if they ever needed any sort of medical help they were to go to her. He wasn't just some boy that was part of the Lee's team. He was her friend and now he was gone. Neji had once told her, one night while the bunch of them were out eating at one of Choji's family resturants, that he was still trying to make up for how he treated Hinata, and Lee, and even Naruto. Really everyone. He felt bad for the way he acted and all he wanted was to prove to them that he wasn't like that anymore. That he was going to be a good and loyal friend.
And Sakura whole-heartedly believed it and told him so. That was probably the first and only time that Sakura had seen the Hyuga boy's gentle and kind smile. It was lovely and soft and something that she will never have the chance to see again.
Sakura has lost people before, but for some reason, this leaves the coldest and the most empty she has ever felt. Not even the first death under her careful yet inexperienced hand had left her feeling this way.
She can feel the tears well up in her eyes but she quickly blinks them away, straightening her back and pushing back her shoulders. "I... see..." she closes her eyes for a moment, trying to steady her voice. "Thank you for telling me, my lady."
Tsunade looks at her with knowing, but sad eyes. "Sakura..."
"I should go. I have orders I must follow," she smiles faintly, tightly. It doesn't reach her eyes.
"You can stay," Tsunade says softly. "We can figure this all out. You don't have to go." Perhaps it was because Tsunade didn't care what the other kage might have thought, or maybe the other Kage could understand a bit of what Tsunade must be going through, although Sakura really hoped not because that might mean that she told them about what is going to happen, because she didn't seem to mind them being there. She doesn't seem to care that they are hearing something between the master and student. But Tsunade wouldn't betray her like that. She wouldn't break Sakura's trust like that.
"I have to," Sakura says. "If I stay, I won't ever leave again, and I have a mission to uphold."
Tsunade nods solemnly. Sakura can see in her wise brown eyes that she wants to deny Sakura the opportunity to go. Do exactly as Sakura wants and tell her not to go, but Tsunade is a professional. She knows that she must let Sakura go, and Sakura knows that she must go too.
"If you ever need anything, Sakura," Tsunade says firmly, "I want you to come home. We can figure it all out. Do you understand me?"
Sakura nods, smiling tenderly to her abrasive but sweet master. "Yes, ma'am."
Sakura turns to leave, wanting nothing more than to throw herself into her sensei's arms once more but knowing that may crack both of their paper thin resolves, she steels herself to the desire, when Mei calls out, "Won't you at least stay for the festivities?"
The pink haired girl pauses, at that moment, that was all Sakura wanted. She wanted to celebrate with the friends she still has, mourn with them over the loss of Neji and celebrate his life. But just like with Tsunade, if she allows herself that simple pleasure, she may not be able to turn away.
"No," Sakura says, shaking her head. "It's best that I just go. Thank you though, Lady Mei. Lord Onoki, Lord Ay, Lord Gaara, Lady Tsunade, farewell." Sakura bows her head again. "I will keep my promise, Master. We will see each other again."
Tsunade nods, posture stiff. "We will." The definite note in her voice brings a bit of comfort to Sakura. They will see one another again. Sakura takes a moment to look around the room that she has spent a good portion of the last three years in and says her silent goodbye to her student life here, and embrace her master life out in the real world. Now it is Sakura's turn to travel around and help out those in need. Her time to train those in the art of healing and care. And one day, she will return home and hopefully have something she can teach her master.
"Goodbye," Sakura says, pulling her hood up.
"Not goodbye," Gaara says, staring at her with his light green eyes, sitting politely by the Raikage. It's like she's made of glass and he can see right through her. "It is farewell, Sakura. Until the next time we see each other. Good luck."
"Farewell then, Lord Kazekage, my lords and ladies," Sakura looks at the rest of them. "Farewell."
Then she turns and leaves, quietly shutting the door behind her. Sakura takes a moment to catch her breath, leaning against the door to support her, before pushing off and walking down the halls and out the building for the last time in a long time.
Sakura squeezes into the bustling crowd, making her way through the cramped streets. She moves up onto her tip toes and glances toward the main gate. With the flow of people moving in, there is no way that she'll be able to mosey her way out through that door. Although, perhaps that's not a bad thing. It gives her the reason to go through the town to exit the opposite way. It saves her the time of skirting around the village anyway.
Sinking into the flow of traffic, Sakura drags her heels as she makes her way through the village, watching all the people laughing and joking and having fun. People of all the five great nations talking to one another as if they've been friends forever. People from everywhere can easily slip into any conversation with anyone regardless of the majority of people's origin that are already there. Like a group of three Leaf shinobi and a single Sand shinobi welcome a Cloud village shinobi to join without even batting an eyelash at it.
Sakura feels a smile working it's way across her face. She looks around at all the people feeling pride bloom in her chest. This was such a wonderful and remarkable sight and Sakura was so glade that she took the time to see it. This almost makes leaving worth it. If by her leaving can help this friendship between them sustain, then Sakura would do it in a heart beat.
"Shut up, Naruto, you are so annoying!"
Sakura perks up at her best friend's name. Her head swivels around trying to locate her friend. She stops when she sees him, bright blond hair and all, so much like his father, through the open window of one of the many Akimichi restaurants. It looked like everyone was there, excluding the jounin senseis and Neji. But in his place, is Killer Bee. The Eight Tails jinchuriki. He seems to be able to mold in with Sakura's friends easily.
"Sorry, Shikamaru," Naruto says, laughing. "I just want to know. Has anyone seen Sakura?"
That breaks a little piece off of Sakura's soul. Of course her best friend would be wondering where she is. He was Naruto! Never quick to the draw but forever loyal. It's one of the many things that Sakura loved about the blond haired boy and something she hopes she's able to instill into the Fourth's spirit.
"I already told you," Ino says, tucking a stray strand of blond hair behind her ear, "Sakura was still part of the medical unit. She has to help the rest of the injured people get to hospitals and stuff. It's not like they can all come running back, they're hurt. It will take a while."
"I know," Naruto whines, "but I miss her."
Sakura closes her eyes, feeling a wave of both love and sadness wash over her. She wanted to walk through those doors and throw her arms around him. Tell him that she was right there. That she missed him too. But she couldn't. Sakura turns away. Her eyes widen at the sight of Sasuke. He's looking just past her, making his into the Akimichi's shop. Sakura ducks her head and sinks into the crowd.
She makes her way around the village until she gets close to the back gate and separates from the crowd and heads toward it. It was strange. The village has never had so many people in it and yet, like all those years ago, there isn't a life on this street. This was the same place where Sasuke said goodbye to Sakura. The same street where he left the village with the intent of never returning.
The pink haired girl slows down in front of the bench. The same bench she slept on the night Sasuke left all those years ago. She reaches out and touches the wood, it's withered and old. A new coat of paint and it will be fine once more.
"Where are you going?"
Sakura has never snapped up straight that fast in her entire life. Her head kinda hurts from the movement. Sakura turns slightly to see Sasuke staring back at her and it is the greatest form of irony that Sakura has ever witnessed. She turns completely to face him for a moment, taking him in.
His hair is longer then before. He's not wearing a hand band, it's tied off his belt, dangling at his waist. His eyes aren't as cold and lifeless anymore. Not like she saw him on the bridge when he told her to kill that red haired girl, Karin. Instead he looks calm, almost at peace and Sakura could have cried again at the thought. Sasuke has finally found his peace. She's not sure how it came to be, but now that it's there, she's happy. Happy for him. Happy for Naruto. The blond is no longer bound by the promise she made him make and the promise that he made himself make.
Naruto was finally free.
Only now, he'll have to worry about Sakura. Which is the last thing that Sakura wants. But she can't bring herself to say goodbye. Not to Naruto. But is it more cruel to just leave him without a word? Just like Sasuke did? Surely Tsunade will trying and explain to him as much as she can but hopefully he will understand.
"I'm leaving for a little while," Sakura says slowly, trying to keep her voice steady.
"When will you be back?" He asks.
Sakura shakes her head. "Not for a long time." Sasuke's dark eyes stare through her much like how Gaara's did. Sakura turns around and starts to walk away, really she tries, but her body won't move.
Sasuke's footsteps toward her are slow and soft. Sakura can barely hear the sound of his sandals scuffing against the ground. He stops about a foot behind her, making Sakura's entire body tingle. She closes her hands into a fist, trying to reign in her emotions. After a long moment, Sakura finally whispers, "Welcome back home, Sasuke-kun."
"Thank you," he says, although he doesn't sound thankful. He sounds as if he's saying it out of necessity rather than actual appreciation. There is a moment of silence between them. Sakura has no idea how to respond to that. Thankfully she doesn't have to, because Sasuke speaks again. "Will you say nothing to Naruto? He's been waiting to see you."
His words cut. Sakura's not sure if he knows that, but they cut deeply. Sakura is painfully aware of what this might do to Naruto but she has to hope that he will somehow be able to understand and let her do this in peace. It's not like she won't come back. She's not like Sasuke in that retrospect. She doesn't even want to leave, she'll be back the next chance she can. But she's not sure what to even say to Sasuke. She doesn't even understand why he's here. This place has history for both of them and it's not good for either of them. Why would he follow her? Clearly he spotted her when she was looking in on her friends, but she can't understand what would make him divert from his path.
Why would he come out to this place with Sakura? What in the world could he want?
"Why are you here?" Sakura asks. She lowers her head, sadly, wishing that their circumstances could have been different. She wishes that she wasn't in this situation. Where she isn't able to celebrate with her friends because she's scared she won't leave them. Where she can't be happy that the young man that she has spent the last three years looking for and even longer pinning for.
But now he's here and he's seeing her, for some reason, and she has to leave.
Sasuke doesn't respond. Sakura's not so sure she expected him to. She manages a few stops away from him before his voice stops her once again, "Do you know?"
Sakura tilts her head slightly toward him, but doesn't turn to face him. "Do I know what, Sasuke-kun?"
"Why I said thank you that day?"
"Sakura, thank you."
The pink haired girl closes her eyes for a moment, remembering that moment so vividly in her mind. Sakura stiffens, turning her face forward again, her chest tightening painfully.
"I don't," she admits. And she doesn't. All this time it has always been a mystery to her. Why Sasuke thanked her before he basically ripped her still beating heart from her chest. She spent so long analyzing his words trying to find the meaning behind them but it's hopeless. She couldn't do it, all she managed to do was drive herself mad trying to wrap her head around it all.
Sasuke is quiet for a long moment, his breaths are slow, calm, even. Even hearing this, Sakura can see in her head, turning around and seeing his neutral face in her mind. Sasuke was always pretty good at hiding his emotions. And he's only managed to improve this skill with age. While Sakura's emotions are worn on her face for everyone to see.
"Do you want to know?" Sasuke asks.
And just like that, Sakura's entire body relaxes. Her shoulders slump forward a bit in defeat and his chin falls to her chest, eyes slipping closed. Sakura can hear her own heart being so loud in her ears. Sakura shakes her head very slowly. "No, Sasuke-kun. I don't think I do." And it's true. Sakura doesn't want to know. Not right now, not when she's about to leave. She doesn't want another reason to hate herself for leave.
After she says it, she walks. One part of her wants to know. Wants to know something that has been eating away at her for years but the other part of her, is ready to say goodbye. Sasuke has to move on with his life and Sakura can't be the one he moves on with. Sasuke has to have a family. He is the last living Uchiha in the world. It's scary enough that he's gone this long without adequate protection, but now that he's old enough, Sasuke needs to focus on having children, getting himself a wife.
There is no way he would be able to wait for Sakura. And there is no reason for him to. Any girl would practically throw herself at him for the chance to bare his children. Sakura is going to be busy for the next few years raising a fatherless child. There is no chance for Sakura to ever be with him. Sasuke has to move on. Even if he had any feelings for Sakura, it wouldn't matter. All it'll probably do is hurt Sakura to know. Sasuke must know this, so why is he trying to tell her? What in the world could he get from it?
Sakura stops a few feet away from Sasuke, turning slightly to stare at him. "Tell Naruto that I'll see him again, will you?" Sasuke doesn't respond, just stares back at her with dark, fathomless eyes. "Goodbye Sasuke-kun, take care of yourself." She doesn't wait for a response. She doesn't have to. She's pretty sure that he wouldn't give her one. There really was nothing else that needed to be said.
It seems like "goodbye" is the only thing that can be said between them. That and...
"Sasuke," Sakura says, dropping the honorific. His chin tilts up slightly noting that. She smiles back at him, sure that her sadness is written across her face, but she's willing to part with a smile. "Thank you."
Sasuke's eyebrows twitch up a moment before settling back into place, and Sakura turns back around and walks, feeling more and more empty with each step. But at the same time, being able to see Sasuke at least once more before leaving, being able to talk to him, even for that little bit, somehow made it all just a little bit better.