One Year

NaruBaby2496

A/N: I did it! Two in one day—I feel so accomplished right about now.

Chapter 10

Exhausted, Sakura wiped sweat from her brow, and asked Tsunade, "Are we done for today?" She was speaking about healing the longhaired prodigy, Hyuuga Neji, one of Konoha's best ninjas. From all she got from Shikamaru before he rushed out, saying he needed to go and see Ino before she got to worried, Sakura understood that Neji had worked himself past his normal chakra barriers and allowed himself to get carried away while fighting a Sound ninja, who, reportedly, worked for Kabuto, the four-eyed apprentice to the late Orochimaru. Tsunade rose just as slowly as the other four Medics around her did, and answered Sakura, "Yes. He is breathing on his own, so we can all leave for tonight. Why don't you let everyone in the waiting room know that, Sakura?" Sakura nodded her head curtly with a smile, happy that she did not have to stay the night, giving Neji a secure chakra flow without leeway to help him breathe, and she perked, "Of course!"

Even though she was fatigued, she skipped out the darkened room and pulled open the door, surprised at the number of sleeping familiar faces she saw. Was it really that late? She carefully stepped toward the window, leaning over TenTen and trying not to wake her. She pulled the blinds away to see the pitch-black sky, a full and bright moon hovering high. Judging by those conditions, Sakura concluded that it was, in fact, very late, and it would be better for her to head home than to wake the whole Rookie 9. She glanced at the nearest girl to her, and Sakura immediately felt pity for her. Though TenTen hardly ever showed it, the moments when she did show that she cared for Neji overpowered all the times that she did, and even Sakura knew that they cared for each other, and that TenTen would be put at even more stress unless she found out more good news tonight.

Sakura gently poked the brunette's shoulder, and waited patiently until she opened her bloodshot eyes, a result from crying so hard until tears no longer flowed down her face. Sakura knew what this felt like, and she experienced it far too much for her liking. The way the moon hit the weapons mistress' face made her look more angelic and beautiful than usual, and Sakura smiled lightly, whispering, "I have more good news, about Neji-san, TenTen-chan." She smiled back, though tiredly, and whispered, her voice raspy, "Really, Sakura-chan? Could you tell me what, please?" Sakura was glad to see that as soon as she started her story on his condition that her brown eyes shone with anticipation of more and more information. She had been here every night after trying, and left early in the morning, before the sun even rose. When Sakura finished her informant, she ended with a quieter than a whisper question, "You really care about Neji-san, huh, TenTen?"

Her face grew red, and her eyes widened, making her look like a deer caught in headlights, even more so because of her brown hair and eyes. Burying her head in her arms as if she were going to sleep, she muttered, "Yeah—your point is? You obviously care about Sasuke-san, too."Sakura gasped at TenTen and her sudden outburst. She started to speak, but the girl shoved a hand in her face, "Talk to the hand." Sakura's shoulders slumped down, because she soon realized that, there was no point trying to argue against TenTen's statement, unless she felt the need to make herself look like an idiot any time soon, arguing with a girl who was already half way asleep about something that was undeniable. The fact was solidified even further after what happened a few days ago, the last time she was outside the hospital halls. She lived here whenever she had a patient in such an unstable condition as Neji was. However, now that he was better, she could leave whenever she wanted to. She felt eyes studying her, and she flipped her head to her right to see Sasuke quickly shutting his eyes, acting as if he were asleep.

She smiled lightly, and then crept over Naruto, who was snoozing on the linoleum (since when was the floor more comfortable than a chair?), moving to the pretender. His tensed when he saw from the corner of his eye Sakura moving toward him, his attempt at fooling her failing. He knew it would not fool her in the first place; he just wanted her to come over toward him faster. She had been talking about Neji for so long it was starting to annoy him. Just the mental image of Sakura touching and sending the soothing healing aura to the other prodigy's bare chest made him even more upset. He did not necessarily want to admit why, but that did not matter now. Sakura stepped toward him and poked his nose, a warm smile plastered on her face, "You can stop pretending, Sasuke."

He smirked, and raised an eyebrow teasingly, "I was notpretending, Sa-ku-ra." He put emphasis on her name, making her smile even brighter, a growing blush on her face. She squeezed her way into the same chair as him—which wasn't much of a hard task, since they both have slender hips—and she placed her head on his shoulder. She yawned, "You know, Sasuke, you make a great pillow." Snuggling deeper into the crook of his neck, she started to fall asleep in his protective and selfish grasp, before he whispered in her ear, "Are you calling me fat, Sakura?" She could feel the smirk on his face, and she punched him lightly, laughing softly, "No, I'm not."

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The sun raised about four or five hours later, and most everybody was asleep, except for the obvious Shikamaru, and Team 7, though many had suspicions that Sasuke was just acted like he was asleep so no one would bother him and his Cherry Blossom. Ino had 'accidently' stepped on Naruto back a few times, but the golden haired boy refused to awaken. She stomped her way back to her seat near Hinata and grumbled, "I do not see how you could like such a couch potato, Hinata-chan." The look Ino received from the Hyuuga priestess made laughter erupt from Kiba, Kakashi, Lee and TenTen's mouths. She looked like an aggravated parrot or insulted hamster, the way her cheeks puffed up and eyebrows furrowed.

Ino crossed her arms angrily, and stuck her nose in the air, "I see nothing funny in that comment whatsoever." Kiba scoffed, swinging his cup of water to his side like it was a cup of beer. "Yeah just like it's not funny how you like Shikamaru, right?" Ino screeched, covering her mouth as everyone laughed loudly again. This awoke the sleeping genius, and he stared at everyone with anger, for reasons of waking him up and implying Ino's sudden interest in him. That was highly unlikely. "Could you guys not be so loud? I am trying to sleep, if you haven't noticed," He slurred, grimacing.

Sakura murmured too, rubbing her eyes, "Yeah you guys. Shut up."

Kiba laughed, "If only I had the guts to ask you and Sasuke to shut up last night," He impersonated Sakura voice poorly, "Ooooh, Sasuke-kun…keep on going! Do not stop! Mmhmm I like it there, yeah!" Sakura flashed a bright red, as did Kakashi, and Naruto and Sasuke glared at the dog boy, Sasuke with his Sharigan activated, "That is notfunny at all, Kiba."

Naruto growled, "It's not."

Being the old ball out, Kakashi giggled sheepishly, "I liked it."

Everyone stared blankly at the pervert, slightly disgusted at the words he uttered. The silenced echoed throughout the halls, until Sakura rose suddenly, pulling Sasuke up with her. She yawned, stretching, "Bye you guys. We have to go home and put up some Halloween stuff." The two walked away together, Sasuke not leaving without glaring at Kiba one more time, but not without Sakura pulling him away from one of his favorite competitions, criticizing, "You do not need to glare at every person that pisses you off."

As soon as they walked far enough away, Naruto laughed, "She has him on a very short chain, ne, Kakashi-sensei?" The gray haired man however, was too busy reading his book, and imaging what it would really look like if Sasuke and Sakura did do what Kiba teased last night. A blush splayed across his face at this.

October 30

Sakura lounged across her couch covered in a blanket, eating her pizza quietly as she waited for Naruto's birthday cake she put in the oven about ten minutes ago, and watching Sasuke prepare to repaint her living room for her, since it was 'too bright and bubbly' for him. She scoffed at this; surprised he even cared enough about her little bungalow.

October, for the most part, she decided, was tedious in an interesting way, if that made any sense. About three weeks ago, she would have refused to have Sasuke in her house as much as he was now. He came in whenever he wanted, since she gave him a key last week, saying she was tired of opening the door everyday just to let his duck-ass head in her house. He smirked and ruffled her hair, soon going straight to the refrigerator. He was such a guy.

The microwave dinged and she hopped up to get her hot chocolate, already smelling the warm cocoa and cinnamon. Nothing much had happened after Sakura felt the need to kiss Sasuke two weeks ago, for they were more like best friends now. Looking back, she laughed at how she thought that he would seriously feel that strongly toward her enough to want to kiss her in public. Now, that was ridiculous, even she could say that, despite the fact she wanted him so much to be the father of her children many years ago. She laughed at this too, because now she could barely imagine doing that with Sasuke. She spun some marshmallows in her cocoa and sipped some of the almost burning liquid, loving the way it immediately warmed her chilled toes.

She crawled back into her blanket, and Sasuke turned away from the wall, light blue paint all over his pale skin and asked cockily, "Where's my food? You need to pay me in some way for my kind services." Sakura hopped up from her seat with a smaller square of pizza, and skipped over to his stepladder, trying not to slip on any of the plastic covering the hardwood floor. She made it to him, lifted the pizza to his mouth, and laughed, "Open." Instead, he bit the Italian pie out of her fingers, kissing them softly, hid gaze on her loving, but still teasing. Sakura stared back blankly, a blush growing across her cheeks as he chewed. It wasn't the chewing that made her pink, that'd be just weird, but it was the fact that no matter how much she convinced herself that they'd never be more than friends, Sasuke would always make her second guess herself.

He swallowed, "Thanks. You're still going to Naruto's party as a cheerleader?" Sakura glanced at the white and pink pompoms on the floor, with matching scrunching, lip gloss, mascara, and of course uniform, and nodded, "Duh. It was either that or a bumblebee, and yellow and a pink do not go that great together. Are you still going as a football player?" Sakura went to her kitchen to get a paper plate, just in case Sasuke wanted more pizza and skipped back to the Aurelio's carton and picked up the rest of the square pieces on the table nearest him. He murmured, focusing on making sure the lines were still straight, "Thanks, and yeah, white and red."

She rose an eyebrow as she cuddled back into her blanket with her hot chocolate. It was weird that they had matching colors even though she thought she went to the store without him. She heard Sasuke chuckle to himself at her slowly realizing this. She threw a pillow at him, and missed dreadfully, "Gosh, Sasuke-kun, you are such a stalker!"