The Red Room Chapter X: Talking, a naruto fanfic

Chapter X

By: Hoozuki

Talking

"I believe one of the hardest things you can do is conquer your fears, but if you have a goal, then it's your job to open up and let it be real no matter how scary it seems."

Thursday, April 22nd….

Itachi's car, 6: 00 PM…

…

"Itachi-san?"

The man on the driver side glanced at the caller on his right for a mere second before he redirected his focus back on the road. "What is it, Sakura-chan?" he returned just as quietly, somewhat surprised that she decided to break the silence, and start the conversation despite only calling out his name.

Without removing her gaze from the view blurring past outside the window, the young woman murmured quietly, "Who are the white chrysanthemums for?" When the man didn't reply, she continued as softly as before. "Traditionally, white chrysanthemums are placed on the graves of lost loved ones." When she still received no answer, Sakura asked no more questions, knowing that the bouquets were for his parents' graves. Normally she would have been sympathetic, but since it was his parents that he lost, she couldn't really relate to that emotion. She had never known what it was like to be loved by the people who brought her into this world. The only kind of love she knew was from her little brother who was now deceased.

They finally arrived home when the sun, at last, settled beyond the horizon, blanketing the world with the light of the moon. The two sat in the darkness of the garage for a bit as Sakura slowly grew anxious in the small space. Every fiber in her body was telling—screaming—at her that she needed to escape into the open air; but she felt that Itachi had something important to say to her. However, not being able to stand the claustrophobia any longer, Sakura opened the door to breathe a sigh of sweet relief when the cool air in the garage hit her face. The pitch blackness of the space scared her as she rushed over to the door of the house clumsily. After much fumbling, she finally got the key into the knob, throwing open the door once she got it unlocked. Without waiting for the Uchiha, the girl ran straight to the kitchen, looking for any sign of alcohol.

It was at that moment that Naruto came into the kitchen to make some ramen when he saw a panicking Sakura. Alarmed by her urgency, the yellow haired teen rushed over to help her, only to be pushed away. Stumbling backwards, Naruto asked worriedly, "Are you alright, Sakura-chan?" His baby blue eyes followed her fidgeting form as she searched from shelves to cabinets. "What are you looking for?"

Not even bothered to glance back at the Uzumaki, she hastily replied, "Alcohol—any alcohol, I don't care."

Unsurely, the blonde answered, "Um, there should be some in the freezer. Ah! Sakura-chan!"

As soon as he said that, Sakura quickly darted to the large metal refrigerator, and without looking at the bottle or asking permission, she twisted the cap off, and drank it straight out of the bottle. Feeling the large gulp of alcohol burning its way down her throat all the way to her stomach, the young woman could already feel the effects of the beverage on her. Already, her nerves were calming if only a little and all of her emotions of sadness and agony were being washed away by the feeling of ease. Her hands were not shaking as much now either. Taking another big gulp, the teen let out a satisfied sigh, bowing her head and closing her eyes. She really needed it all day. Today was a long day and it's also been a while since she had any alcohol in her system to drown out any emotions she felt.

Naruto, on the other hand, was still stuck frozen in his spot, astonished at the girl's alcohol abuse. 'And I thought Tsunade-baachan was bad! This girl's my age and drank it like it was nothing!' he thought nervously, as the rosette took another swig from the bottle. Looking at the direction she came from, the fourteen year old saw Itachi by the garage door entrance with numerous bags looped in his hands. Without thinking, Naruto went over to assist his adoptive big brother—thankful he was not shoved away this time.

While still keeping one eye on his new roommate slash teammate, Naruto warily spoke in a whispering tone, making sure Sakura didn't hear, to Itachi. "Itachi-niichan…?" Eyes widened further when he witnessed her downing the entire bottle.

"Hmmm? What is it, Naruto-kun?" Itachi questioned distractedly, trying to sort through the bags.

"A-ano, well…she just downed your whole bottle of Shochu in less than ten minutes," came his straight forward answer.

Snapping his head up at the remark, black eyes pointed at the figure slouched over the counter of the island. "Sakura-chan?" he called out of concern, while he went over to her hurriedly. Taking the bottle away, Itachi tilted the girl's face up to exam her with a look of disapproval. "What did I tell you? You really need to stop drinking your problems away."

Slapping his hands away from her face half-heartedly, Sakura straightened up while pulling at the high collar. "I'm fine," she assured grumpily. "I won't get drunk off of one bottle."

Itachi sighed at her behavior. "The fact that you just told me you don't get drunk off of one bottle worries me. Just how much do you drink a day?" he inquired carefully with a lifted brow.

Shrugging uncaringly as she thought about it, Sakura finally said, "One shot in the morning to calm my nerves; a bottle of hard liquor before an extermination; and ten at night to ignore the disturbances of the night."

Both men widened their eyes at the answer, only expecting the number to be low. Naruto chuckled wryly before asking her, "Is this every day? Or just whenever you feel like it?"

Sakura frowned, not liking their judging eyes. "Every day."

As Naruto choked on saliva, the man patted his back while looking at Sakura worriedly. "Sakura-chan, that's a bit excessive, don't you think?"

"If it helps me get through the day, I'll be fine."

Curious, the blonde wheezed out, "So…at what number do you get drunk?"

Having not been completely drunk before—except for that one time in Ame, Sakura had to think about when she would get tipsy. It would have to depend on the drink, she figured. At a bottle of straight liquor, she was fine. Even with the amount she drank a day, she was only tipsy by the end of the night to be able to sleep, not drunk—not that she would try to get that wasted. Looking back at the pair, she responded bluntly, "I'd say about a barrel?"

Sweat dropping at her estimate, the two of them figured she was on par with the Godaime when it came to drinking. Itachi let out another exhale. "Still, remember what I told you," he reminded, knowing full well that she did. "It won't help if you don't talk about it to someone."

Naruto looked confusedly at the sudden tense atmosphere between the two, wondering inquiringly what Itachi was referring to. But he got the feeling that if he butted in again, he'd get the death glare from the pink haired spiritualist. Though in the back of his mind, Naruto thought that Sakura was really starting to be a part of the family now that she's getting lectured by Itachi. Because no one was really a part of the family yet until Itachi made fun of them and lectured them.

"Just think about what I said, alright?" Itachi reminded again before sending her off to her room. But before she could get the first step out of the kitchen with her shopping bags in hand, the man added, "When you're done putting your clothes away, come back down here."

At the instructions, Sakura turned to look at him with a confused frown.

Catching this, Itachi waved his hand offhandedly at her. "Just do it."

When the girl left with the frown stuck on her face and suspicion on her mind, the Uzumaki turned to stare at the Uchiha Head who heaved a loud sigh. "What the hell was that all about?" he demanded rudely, not minding his manners. "I've never seen anyone drink a whole bottle of liquor in ten minutes before."

"Sakura-chan has claustrophobia and agoraphobia," he informed while pouring himself a glass of water. Once the refreshing water slid down his throat, Itachi redirected his eyes back at Naruto whose eyes were squinted when he was thinking hard. Letting out a small chuckle, Itachi went over to ruffle the blonde's unkempt head. "It means she has a fear of enclosed spaces and large crowds."

"Really?" the boy asked, interested in his teammate. "Huh…I wonder why."

Itachi shrugged, not wanting to reveal the reasons for her unease. "Some people just do," he commented, and then remembered her reactions to the dark. "But it seems she might also have a fear of the darkness as well."

This definitely surprised the blonde as he twisted his head to look at Itachi with big blue eyes. "I never would've thought she would be afraid of the dark," Naruto admitted truthfully. "I mean, she's a spiritualist and all."

"Technically, she's a high priestess," Itachi corrected, with his finger straight up to emphasize his point.

"But everyone's been calling her the 'Haruno Spiritualist."

Itachi shook his head. "Yes, but with her powers, the ranking should be 'High Priestess."

The boy knitted his eyes brows. "What's the difference?"

The man went to lean back against the island as he thought about how to answer Naruto's inquiries while taking another sip from his drink. "Well, spiritualists are more like psychics or seers. They can only see into the spirit world and divine or convey what the spirits are saying," he explained as simply as he could, remembering that he was talking to the dumbest person on the planet. "Sakura-chan, as a high priestess, must know the proper techniques in exorcising and disposing a demon. She probably has to do the sacred cleansing in order to keep her powers pure. Not only that, but she must learn the Kagura which is a dance performed to send the lost spirits of the dead to the other world. However, these are only the basics of being a priestess."

"Okay…" Naruto drawled out, trying to understand Sakura's job as a high priestess. "What are the duties of a high priestess, then? And can Sakura-chan be a seer, too?"

"Well, as far as we can tell, she is a seer since she's able to sense things we can't," he surmised with a finger on his chin. "Also, according to Kakashi-senpai, as Priestess of Hakurei, Sakura-chan has strong purifying abilities along with powerful spiritual barriers that are able to block any evil while protecting those within the barriers. The appearance of a strong barrier indicates that she is the heir of the clan," Itachi informed, glancing briefly at his little brother with an amused smirk. It was always fun to watch Naruto struggle to learn a new concept and always made it easy to tease the boy. "Her weapon of choice would be a blessed bow, making her a master archer. Though she might know how to wield a sword—I'm not sure."

At this point, Uzumaki Naruto was pulling his hair out from his scalp in frustration. "Okay, so she can purify bad things, has a powerful shield, can sense shit," he listed, counting it off on his fingers. "But how the hell does she shoot a bow without arrows?!" Naruto yelled loudly despite being scolded numerous times before on volume control. "You just said her weapon was a bow—where are the arrows!"

Itachi let his smirk widen at Naruto's distress as if he knew some sort of secret that he didn't—which made Naruto all the more annoyed. "Here's what makes her the High Priestess of Hakurei: she can manipulate her spiritual chakra into the shape of an arrow," he revealed conspiratorially and proudly like she was his own sister. "With one arrow, she can destroy a large vicinity of demons. She can also form barriers with the arrows she shoots off, too, trapping them."

Naruto was silenced. The information was processing at a rate with which his brain couldn't keep up with until it exploded. "That's…"

Itachi lifted an amused brow at the blonde. "That's?"

Blue eyes sparkled with excitement as his hands were gathered at his chest shaking wildly like a child. "That's so cool! And she's on our team! Woohoo!"

"What's so cool? And what's with all the commotion?"

Both heads whipped around to see Sasuke standing behind Sakura with a blank expression while the girl seemed to be seething at something…or someone. The two looked closer at the pair and saw that there was a minute angry blush on her face while Sasuke's eyes glinted in amusement. But seeing as the two said nothing, it only served to make Itachi and Naruto more curious. Luckily for Itachi, he had Naruto to thank for as the blonde had the tendency to just blurt out whatever came to mind.

"Why the fuck do you look like more of a jackass than usual?" the hyper teen asked crudely, glaring a stink eye at the boy he regarded as a brother before moving his eyes down at the shorter girl. "And what the hell did you do to make her look like she's going to kill you?"

Hearing the Uzumaki's description made Sasuke smirk wider and more evilly as he lightly pushed her aside with his shoulder. "Nothing interesting," the dark male said simply, standing next to his older brother.

With still a lifted brow, Itachi looked at Sakura expectantly. "Are you ready?"

She nodded, though even now a little bewildered as to where they were headed since they just got back and it was dark outside.

The oldest Uchiha went to the huge island where he placed the grocery bags and pulled out a pineapple which he gave to the unsuspecting blonde—who almost dropped the fruit with a 'Hey!' Ignoring him, Itachi then went through some of the cabinets and drawers until he retrieved a lighter and a tube of incense. When he handed his baby brother the items, the boy frowned unappreciatively. The last thing the man grabbed were the two bouquets of chrysanthemums he purchased earlier with Sakura at Yamanaka Flowers and gave one to the young woman with a soft smile.

Green eyes stared at the bouquet in her hands with puzzlement before looking up at Uchiha Itachi. "What's…" she murmured barely.

Continuing to smile, the Head Uchiha just stated, "You'll see." With that, he gestured for all three teenagers to follow him out of the house.

Communicating

Along the streets of the Uchiha District, 6: 30 PM…

…

As the small group walked at a leisurely pace deeper into the silent district, Sasuke realized that they were headed towards the family cemetery near the Naka Shrine. The Uchiha District was placed near the Naka River as it ran alongside the compound and into the city. At the back of the District sat the shrine where a waterfall ran merging with the river. The waterfall in the back was used for ritual cleansing; but it hasn't been used in a long while since no one was around anymore. Because the river ran on the left side of the temple, the family cemetery was on the far right side, a little ways from the Naka Shrine to keep the place pure.

A frown creased his brows in contemplation considering his brother had yet to explain the reason why all four of them were out and about. However, he couldn't ponder more when his sharp eyes noticed the small movements of the girl before him. His frown was soon replaced with an interested countenance. It was so miniscule that he didn't notice it at first; but he could see the way she would move from side to side ever so lightly every so often as if she was trying to avoid hitting something. Not only that, but Sasuke caught how tense her shoulders really were. No longer being able to stand her anxiousness, the young man walked faster until he was beside her, looking ahead.

Once side by side with the pink haired blossom, he spoke with a low and deep tone. "What's wrong?"

Sakura quickly stiffened at the voice, too distracted by the spirits to sense his presence until he was next to her. She shook her head silently. She didn't want him to know that she could see the dead people of his clan roaming the earth still. The young woman figured he wouldn't be too happy to hear that.

Sasuke let out a quiet grunt. "You can see them, right?" Sakura jumped, thinking he knew about his people until he added, "The spirits and demons, I mean?"

The young priestess visibly relaxed, causing him to look at her funny. Then remembering what he asked, she could only nod in confirmation numbly.

"My mother could see them as well before she died," he admitted with little difficulty. He thought it was only logical to let her know that she wasn't the only one suffering. Sasuke could remember the times where his mother would collapse from exhaustion due to her sight. But every time he asked if there was anything he could do to help, his mother would only smile warmly at him, telling him that she was fine. Yet he knew she wasn't. Having sight of the spirit world always caused her to be bedridden and sick. It was something he always hated to see. He and his brother were fortunate enough to have not inherited her spiritual abilities, something she'd say many times when he was young. She never wanted them to suffer as she had. His mother said that this was due to the fact that they naturally repelled malevolent spirits—that it was in their blood. To this day, he never understood what she meant by that.

"Can—"

Before Sakura had the chance to get a word out, Itachi had already interrupted her. "Well, we're here, kids," he announced, his voice echoing loudly in the silent night.

The youngest brother looked up, the location confirming his suspicions. "Itachi," Sasuke called out, a bit angered. "Why are we here?"

Before answering, Itachi glanced at Sakura's face, noting her worried and disconcerted gaze, and then shifted back to his little brother. He knew the boy caught this, and was grateful he didn't question it. "We're here because we're a day late, but not only that." The Head Uchiha then strolled over to the wary Haruno while carefully placing his arm around her shoulders amicably. "I want to introduce Sakura-chan to our mother and father."

This shocked the brunette greatly. "What? Why?" Sasuke snarled at the idea. 'What the hell is he thinking? She's an outsider!'

While Naruto was confused at the reason for Itachi's actions, he didn't mind introducing Sakura to the rest of the family. Though, he had a feeling he knew why Itachi was doing this. It had something to do with her ability to see. "I think it's a great idea," the boy cut in, disregarding Sasuke's glare on him. "Mikoto-bachan and Fugaku-jichan would love to know that there's finally a girl in the family."

Beside her, Sakura saw from the corner of her eye how difficult it was for Sasuke to let an outsider like her into his family.

The brunette tightened his hands around the items unknowingly until the top of the tube popped off. Now aware of his growing anger, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves until he spoke once more. "What's the point of introducing her? Our parents are dead. It doesn't matter!"

"Sasuke!" Itachi yelled, rarely raising his voice ever. However, he would not allow his little brother's behavior before their graves. "I won't have you disrespect our parents in front of others. They may be gone, but that doesn't mean we can go saying whatever we want. Is that clear?"

Unable to look at his brother in the eye, Sasuke glared at the cobblestone ground with a defeated grunt instead. "Hn."

Sakura, a bit nervous due to Itachi's lecturing, jumped slightly when he pushed her towards the gates. Though, she was more than apprehensive upon entering a cemetery, especially at night. As a ground rule, she would never ever go into a cemetery at night because that's where most of the spirits roamed besides at haunted houses and crossways. As soon as the four passed the threshold, her green eyes could already see the large amount of ghosts in the vicinity. Some were so old that they were still wearing the armor they died in all those years ago. Surprisingly however, none of the spirits had the grotesque decomposed bodies that she was so used to. These spirits actually looked human. But they didn't attack her. Neither did the other ones outside the gates. She just wanted to avoid them just in case; but when they came at her, Sakura saw them sending dirty looks at the Uchiha men.

Turning to look over her shoulder, she noticed the demons and spirits steering clear of the youngest Uchiha. Her pink brows rose high. All around her, the demons were moving away, as if afraid of the Uchiha. She knew some people were naturally repellent against the spirits, but how much of it was a coincidence that she was staying with the people who could possibly help her with her demon problems? It can't be just a coincidence, can it? Sure she fights things from beyond the human world; however that didn't mean she was a religious person—as ironic as that seems. She just believed in reasoning first before all else.

"Sakura-chan, we're here," Itachi informed the young woman softly, disrupting her inward pondering. She froze immediately at what she saw.

Her guardian had gestured to the two gravestones embedded in the grass below her; but that wasn't what caught her knowing eyes. Before her, standing translucently against the light of the moon, was a young couple who didn't seemed at all surprised that she could perceive them. Though, they looked young, she was pretty sure that they died in their forties. The woman had beautiful long black hair with matching eyes and a fair complexion. She had never seen a face that held such kindness before. The fifteen year old was just so used to the glares or looks of pity she always received. She certainly remembered not seeing that look on her own mother's face either. Her gaze shifted then to the man beside her. His face was stern with no emotions. He, too, had dark eyes; but they weren't as dark as hers. His skin was tanner and his hair a brown shade. The woman looked far younger than he did, she noted. Stress was lined in the wrinkles of his face, making him look a lot older than he really was. If she had to guess, Sakura figured he was, at least, in his mid forties when he died.

Sakura turned her wide-eyed look back at Itachi, realization hitting her like a ton of bricks. "That's—!" she barely got out. However, all the man did was nod at her. Her eyes quickly glimpsed at the ghostly former Uchiha Head before looking at him again. "Can you…?"

His head bowed down once, answering her unfinished question. "Just me, though," Itachi swiftly said, predicting her next inquiry.

Peeking over their shoulders, sea foam orbs noticed the impatient and confused gazes of the boys behind her. When Sasuke lifted a brow in question, she merely shook her head slowly before kneeling in front of the graves of Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto. Usually, Sakura wouldn't have cared for those who passed on to the other world; but after seeing the people who brought the two Uchiha brothers in the world and taking in an orphaned Uzumaki Naruto, something told her that she should pay her respects.

As she placed the bouquet in the small hole in the ground, from her peripheral, Sakura saw Itachi gesturing for the boys to come over with a single nod of his head. While Naruto put the pineapple on the small plate he brought along with him, Sasuke took out four incense—one for each of them. Sakura observed all of this quietly and respectfully, knowing that this was a big deal for all of them. She watched somewhat drawn in as the youngest Uchiha lit up the sticks with the lighter all at once. The flames burned brightly with smoke slowly forming as the yellow burned away to reveal red ember. At the tip, the burned part turned to ashes, breaking off and falling onto the grass.

Then, silently, everyone prayed.

Honestly, Sakura didn't know what to pray for since she didn't know the deceased and what they were like in the past. However, she settled for praying what was on her mind.

'Konbawa, Mikoto-san, Fugaku-san. My name is Haruno Sakura and I'll be living at your house with your sons for the time being until I can live on my own again; so please don't be alarmed—nothing will happen to them,' the rosette introduced, wondering if they could hear what she was thinking. 'Even though I am reluctant, I am very grateful that they took me in despite all the trouble I gave them. I didn't know if I would be able to handle being alone any more until your youngest son found me.'

Sakura opened her eyes to look at her right, seeing Sasuke with his eyes closed praying. Reclosing her eyes, she went back to telling her story.

'Uchiha-san told me of your abilities to see, Mikoto-san. I wondered if you were in as much pain as I am now. How were you able to live on with all those demons trying to kill you? I'm doing it because I made a promise to my little brother. But I honestly don't know if I can keep it up. It's really hard to move on even though I know it's been two years now.'

Her mind went back to that night. It was cold, considering it was summer. She remembered the chill she felt but ignored it. She remembered crying a lot that night, feeling numb at the lost. There was a lot of blood and screaming. And then there was nothing. It felt like she had blacked out until she woke up covered in the thick crimson liquid. Then she ran away with her little brother. The image of his body flashed through her mind as she tried to repress it, recalling why she was here in the first place. Her mind went back to the Uchiha matriarch asking her if her son could see.

'I wonder, though…if Uchiha-san knows that you're still here in the world?' Sakura asked curiously, feeling pity for him. His parents have always been by his side and he never knew. She, too, have always wondered sometimes if her little brother was still lingering around, but she never did see him. 'Would he be angry with you? Or sad? Was it hard back then to know that you'd be leaving three boys to fend for themselves? Was it hard since you would never be able to see them grow up? Did it make you sad that he couldn't see you?'

Sakura stopped suddenly in the middle of her musings when she felt a soft brush of tenderness on the side of her face. For some reason, she expected the touch to be very cold; however, it was so warm and something else she didn't recognize.

'…will it ever get easier?'

The inquiry could have been taken in many ways. Like would it be easier for them to continue lingering as time passes? Or would it be easier knowing that Sasuke couldn't see them? Yet Sakura knew she was asking whether she living like this will ever become easier to deal with? Will the suffering stop? Will her heart stop breaking?

"It's never going to be easy…" came a soft melodic reply.

Listening to the whispering response, Sakura opened her eyes widely, showing all the emotional turmoil she was currently experiencing. The priestess was hardly surprised to find up close where Sasuke got all his looks from. He obviously resembled his mother more than his father. The woman looked breathtaking even beyond death. Her head lowered in disappointment at Uchiha Mikoto's answer.

'So I won't ever be able to move on?' Sakura thought despairingly. 'I'll always be sad?'

The warmth enveloped her lightly around her slouched form. Tilting her head back up, sorrowful green eyes met compassionate obsidian ones. A bright smile covered the woman's face as she tightened the embrace. Not having the heart or energy to pull away, the rosette settled into her arms, closing her eyes in content.

"As long as you have people who love you around you, the burdens of being a priestess, of death, will not wear you down," Mikoto told her kindly, stroking her hair. "I promise you."

Eyes grew big at the promise that so easily broke her heart as lips thinned into a tight line to keep from letting out a whimper. Nodding her pink head, Sakura shut her eyes, wishing that the promise was real and that her own mother had been like this. 'So warm and loving…'

From where Itachi stood, he watched the entire scene between his mother and Haruno Sakura and smiled. He knew that this would've been a good thing to bring Sakura here and was glad everything turned out alright. May be she'll come here more often? 'Now just one more thing,' he thought with finality.

After placing the incense into the small gold cup, feeling a light weight on her shoulder, the girl turned around curiously. Itachi was standing behind her with a gentle upward curve of his lips as he gestured for her to follow him. 'Again?' Lifting an eyebrow at the man's confusing actions, Sakura sighed before trailing after him wordlessly, leaving Naruto and Sasuke where they were. All the while they crossed the long length of the cemetery; Sakura couldn't help but notice the large amount of graves in the area. There were even tombstones that were dated back to a thousand years.

Throwing an incredulous glare at the man's head, Sakura thought, 'Just how old is this family?!' She was going to ask him about it until she found herself being pulled in by the Uchiha crest. Her eyes narrowed to small slits. The girl wanted to smack herself on the forehead for not realizing sooner. During her travels, she had taken shelter in an abandoned city and the crest was everywhere. It didn't occur to her then that it belonged to one of the most prestigious clans in the world.

"—kura? Sakura?"

The said girl was snapped out of her musings again at the sound of her name being called. She looked around their surroundings inquiringly. They were on the far side of the graveyard where there were very little tombstones. In the far back corner where Itachi stood was a large and ancient cherry tree. This made her realize something. She never noticed before until now, but there were many cherry blossom trees on the compound. So much so, that the compound looked like it was raining the pink petals. Seeing the Uchiha waving her over, Sakura went to where he stood warily, wondering why he brought her there.

As he gave her the bouquet of the white chrysanthemums and gestured her forward, Sakura threw him a confused glance. Moving her gaze to the tombstone by her feet, she still couldn't help but feel apprehensive. And then she saw it. It was the second time tonight that the young woman was at a loss of words. Unbeknownst to her, so caught up by the name etched elegantly in the marble stone, Sasuke and Naruto stood a couple of feet behind her, interested in what was happening.

Sensing that she was unable to speak, Itachi explained himself, "I saw the urn of ashes at your place when we first met, and figured that you still had it because you couldn't find the right place to bury him."

Sakura bit her bottom lip to keep crying while Sasuke and Naruto widened their eyes at their older brother before shifting back to the silent fifteen year old girl.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier," the man continued apologetically. His eyes softened, knowing how hard it was for her to think that the ashes were gone. "I hope that this is a nice place to bury your little brother, and hope that I didn't overstep the boundaries."

After processing his words, Sakura quickly shook her head stiffly while trying to keep her hands from shaking. But that was nearly impossible. Never in her life has anyone done anything this generous for her. It was true she had his ashes for a long time because she wanted to find the perfect place for her sibling's final resting. There was no way she could've left him in their old village where there were only bloodshed, hatred, and revenge that lingered.

Naruto stepped up beside her while placing a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan," the blonde started off, giving a brief squeeze. "Can I ask…how old?"

Sasuke was still standing behind them, quietly listening to their conversation. His mind wandered back to Naruto's words earlier that day. 'He said she looked like she regretted being alive,' Sasuke remembered, glancing at her hunched back. 'Was it because of her brother?'

"He was…" Sakura began, but took a deep breath until she started again. "My little brother was six when he…died."

'So young,' Naruto noted sadly. When she said nothing else on the subject, the young man backed away giving her some privacy beside Itachi. When she went to sit down and shakily touch the smooth stone in disbelief, Itachi motioned for the two of them to leave. As cerulean eyes looked questioningly at the older man, he pointed to the other Uchiha. Naruto shifted his eyes to Sasuke, and immediately noticed the change in the boy. There was no longer any anger in his face. He didn't know what it was, but something was calmer about the boy. Nodding in understanding, Naruto slipped quietly away with Itachi, hoping Sasuke will actually talk to her.

Conveying

Sasuke said nothing nor did he turn his head when he became aware of the fact that his brothers were trying to give him privacy. Secretly, he was grateful because they knew he wouldn't be able to say anything with them or any audience around. When there wasn't any more whispered cursing and barely concealed painful grunts—Naruto was bumping and tripping on his way out—Sasuke went back to staring at Sakura's shaking form. He suddenly grimaced at this. 'Is she crying?' He really hoped she wasn't crying. He was able to handle her anger, but if she was shedding tears, he wouldn't know what to do. There was just something about girls crying that made them so emotionally vulnerable to such a point that it made him uncomfortable and cringe.

Still clinging to the hope that the girl wasn't crying her heart out, he gathered up his courage and slowly took the last few steps to her, and tilted his head at an angle to see her face. Even though Sakura was sitting, the dark male almost let out a sigh of relief. No tears were streaming down her pale face thankfully, but he could tell she wanted to. Her hands were tightly clutching at the bouquet, the stems bending this way and that. Her eyes were still glued to the engraved tombstone in awe. Nonchalant onyx orbs glimpsed at the name etched in elegant script on the marble somberly.

The tombstone read:

Haruno Hikaru

June 23 XXXX- June 21 XXXX

The most beloved child

The date of death surprised him. It was the same night his clan was massacred. Every month since then on the 21st, he, Itachi, and Naruto would go and visit their parents' graves. But for two people to lose their loved ones on the same day was too much of a coincidence for him. Perhaps his brother saw this as well which would explain why he had the girl living with them.

Sasuke glanced at the girl cautiously. 'Maybe I should ask about it later tonight…' he thought, and glimpsed at the name again.

'Hikaru…?' Sasuke questioned almost doubtfully, but then he abruptly recalled that bright smile in the locket he continued to keep in his possession. Sighing, he sat down beside her while pulling the locket out. Earlier that day, he was going to give it back to her, but seeing as how she wouldn't see him, Sasuke decided to wait until she was ready before he returned the locket. He was a bit disappointed, though. To see those shining emerald eyes in the child in the picture, he was hoping he could see those similar jade eyes shine as well; however, they were only filled with sadness and sorrow. With his right knee propped up and his left leg folded beneath the other, Sasuke comfortably placed his elbow on the joint so he could lean his temple onto the closed hand. The way he sat made it so he could look at her blankly while waiting for her to avert her attention to him. While he waited for her to snap—for some reason, he found amusement in seeing her annoyed—Sasuke took this opportunity to examine her again. The blue shirt and white shorts she wore was actually his favorite outfit he wore when he was twelve. He had presumed that those would fit her better than what Ino had gotten her. At this, Sasuke inwardly shook his head in mirth, remembering what happened earlier.

…

Flashback…

…

When Sasuke stepped from his room, he heard mutterings and grumbles from the room across his and was curious. Expertly walking silently due to his training, he crossed the small space between his door and hers—which she left open absentmindedly—and peeked into the room. From where he stood, Sasuke saw on the left side of the large room was her four poster bed—courtesy of Itachi—in the center of the wall with a rectangular window on each side, letting in more light. On the right of the bed was a desk she could use for studying while on the left was her nightstand. Before him was her window seat which had piles of blankets on it, allowing him to assume that she sat there most of the time when she was awake. Then on the east side of the room was another door that led to her walk-in closet. Beside the door was a large dark cherry wood dresser. The top of the dresser was scattered with simple essentials like a mirror and a hairbrush.

The sounds of rustling caught his attention as Sasuke crossed the threshold. From the open door of the walk-in closet, he saw clothes being sorted and tossed by the pink haired girl as she continued her mutterings, not aware of his presence. It wasn't until he was leaning against the frame of the door that she finally noticed him. And when she did, he gave her a cocky smirk, glancing at the clothes.

"What, don't like the clothes Ino gave you?" he questioned sarcastically.

Sakura rolled her eyes as she carried on her work. "If you must know, I don't like to dress so provocatively," she informed him with irritation, shocking him because it was the first time she spoke to him. "Seriously, who dresses like this?" she inquired incredulously, lifting up a tiny ruffled mini skirt that barely covered her buttocks. Sakura shook her head once again before tossing it into the large pile outside the door by Sasuke's feet.

Looking at the article of clothing beside him, Sasuke couldn't help but agree that the tiny item was pushing it a bit. The girl might as well just wear only her undergarments instead of trying to pretend to cover up. He inwardly chuckled. "Is that why Nii-san made me give you some of my clothes?"

The girl froze at his inquiry whether from embarrassment or aggravation he wasn't sure. Though, to him, the way she acted made him believe that she would never be intimate with anyone—not entirely anyways. However, with girls like her—the ones who seem to have psychological issues—he could never be too sure.

After a moment, Sakura snorted haughtily. While pulling out her new clothes from the shopping bags, she said arrogantly, "I can assure you, Uchiha-san, that that is not the case." The Uchiha rolled his eyes, not affected by her words. Then she stopped in the middle of her inspection to look at him directly, the sincerity in her eyes surprising him. "I'm sorry for ignoring you. I'm just not used to this yet."

Unable to say anything else, Sasuke merely grunt an 'Hn.'

After that, he just stood there watching her go through the clothes she wanted and the ones that were far too much for her taste. All the while, Sasuke tried to keep the smirk off his face as she kept on grumbling about how inappropriate some of the clothes were. Through her sorting, as she pulled out a cropped black leather jacket, something fell out of the bag that caught his interest immediately. Smirking outwardly at his discovery, he bent down to pick up the lacey navy blue material.

"I guess Ino's not the only one who wears provocative clothing," he commented lightly, catching her attention.

"What the hell are you—!" The young woman turned red in the face as she stared at her hipsters being swung back and forth in front of her on Sasuke's finger. And seeing the smug look on his face irked her like no other as she snatched the underwear from him in mortification. While she hastily stuff the lingerie back into the bag, the brunette let out a deep chuckle, enjoying her humiliation. "Get out, baka!"

"Yes, yes," he replied half-heartedly.

…

End Flashback

…

Sasuke inwardly shook his head again at her amusing behavior. He looked at her again, secretly thinking she did look cute in his clothes. But after noticing the way she would constantly shrug the shirt up so the collar wouldn't expose her shoulder, his finely shaped eyebrows wrinkled in scrutiny. From where he could see her shoulders, his sharp eyes saw how much of her collarbone stuck out. The young man's gaze narrowed thinner. He already knew that she was petite, but she didn't eat anything for a while after all, and the effects were settling in. Not only was the girl thin, but since she was in the room across from his, the Uchiha knew she wasn't sleeping at night. He made no mention of it to his brother, knowing how much he would fret over her like a little child—he had firsthand experience of this—however, he wished he had done so. She looked sickly and stressed. If this keeps going, she wasn't going to have enough strength for her special Chuunin exam.

Beside him, Sasuke could sense her slowly getting angrier with his presence and quickly lifted up the silver trinket in her face when she snapped at him. At first, she frowned in irritation at the object in his hand, and was about to slap his hand away until the light glinting off of the shiny surface caught her eyes. The Uchiha observed with satisfaction as her expression changed from anger to shock.

While watching for her reactions, the fourteen year old was contemplating something. 'Will you thank me for the locket? Or will you get angry at me again?'

To his astonishment, as she let out a strangled gasp—bringing him back as she did so—the pink haired priestess did something he didn't expect her to. As her trembling hand hesitatingly took the dangling necklace from his hand, she allowed Sasuke to witness a side of her very few had seen before. Thin lines of shimmering tears shined their way down her cheeks, leaving a salty trail. No sounds were made from her except for the occasional sniffs. Attentively, he remained observing her as small fingers clicked open the locket to make sure the tiny heart-shaped picture was still in place. Sasuke was pretty positive that if it weren't for Itachi's gift to her earlier, the Haruno would not let him see her in this state. She seemed like the prideful type that wouldn't let people see her as weak.

For a while after that, the two sat side by side with no words exchanged between them in an oddly peaceful silence. The Uchiha was just passively staring at the clouds as it blocked the moon while the pink haired girl played with the locket absentmindedly. It was the first time since she arrived at the Uchiha Estate that the two of them weren't fighting—well more like him yelling and she ignoring. The peace between them was nice and not tense like it normally was.

"Suman," Sasuke said out of nowhere, taking Sakura's attention from the locket. He looked back at her to see her giving him a puzzled gaze. The young man sighed heavily as he ran his hand nervously through his hair, avoiding her green eyed gaze. "For not returning it to you sooner," Sasuke grumbled almost sulkily, and then added, "Though that was your fault for not talking to me." There was no way he was going to take full blame! She wouldn't open her door!

At his comments, Sakura had to bite her tongue lightly to not laugh out loud at his immaturity. Despite looking so serious, she was surprised he could even make a joke. The rosette assumed he was the type of person who was mature when people first meet him, but also had an immature side with people he's close with. She saw evidence of that when he and Naruto were visiting her at the hospital. The two appeared extremely close—so much so that Sasuke didn't have to pretend to be someone else.

The young woman shook her head at his apology and murmured to him her question, "How…?"

If the Uchiha was surprised at her speaking with him civilly, he hid it well. Acting as if he conversed with her before, Sasuke answered simply, "I found it in the mud at Yamakawa."

Accepting his answer, Sakura went back to fidgeting until Sasuke stood up. Her eyes went cross-eyed temporarily when a hand was shoved in her face. Leaning back a bit, she moved her head up to stare curiously at him. The boy's face was turned away from her scrutiny; however, Sakura could still make out the pout and a hint of a blush. Her orbs softened at the gesture and she gently grabbed his open hand as he hauled her to her feet easily. From there, Sasuke and Sakura walked quietly back home.

Conversing

8:00 PM…

Uchiha Residence…

…

Naruto was chilling in one of the stools at the island as he watched with boredom with no intention of helping as his older brother set the table with four rice bowls and four pairs of chopsticks instead of three. The Uzumaki changed his expression from uninterested to confusion. Did the man really think his little brother was successful in talking with the girl? They were talking about Sasuke here, after all. There was no way in Seven Hells he could convince the hot-tempered priestess to come down and eat dinner with them suddenly after a week of failures.

While the blonde was lost in his sea of thoughts, Itachi continued to set the table with the large pot of rice at the one end of the table where he normally sat along with a pot of nikujaga, a dish of cucumbers, a large plate of sautéed vegetables, and miso soup. As soon as he was done, the front door clicked open and a second later was shut silently. Though he looked calm and stoic on the outside, Itachi was actually excited to see the outcome between his brother and Sakura. On cue, as the pair stepped through the entrance together, he nearly dropped to his knees to thank the heavens that they didn't kill each other—otherwise, he would have a lot of explaining to do—and that the two are finally on talking terms—hopefully. Itachi was almost at his wit's end because his foolish little brother couldn't even talk to a girl properly. There were times—times where he had too much free time to think—that he wondered where he had gone wrong when he was raising the two boys. Sure as Naruto grew more hyper—albeit slowly maturing, and Sasuke became more insightful yet anal and grumpy; Itachi could've swore that his two boys were getting dumber and dumber as the days passed. They fought about everything! He just hoped that Sakura wouldn't be so bad. Maybe she could influence them some.

"Sakura-chan, Otoutou, welcome back," the jovial man greeted them with a smile—the smile actually making the younger sibling suspicious. Glancing at the shorter girl, he noticed the distance between them was small and came to the conclusion that having Sasuke around her was a good choice. Not only would he help her open up to people, but he can ward off the evil spirits and demons after her. "I trust your walk home was a pleasant one, Sakura-chan."

Her pink head snapped up quickly at the meaning behind the phrase. It wasn't a question, she realized, but a statement. Her mind flashed back to the walk and found that it was pleasant. Nothing bothered her at all. When she was with Itachi, she could still see the demons. However, with the youngest Uchiha, there were nothing but clear skies and the light of the moon. She glanced calculatedly at him, wondering if he knew how strong his warding abilities were or if he knew at all. Then something seemed to click in her mind. Sakura turned an open frown at the older Uchiha when realization dawned upon her. Did he even know? Did he know of his little brother's abilities? Is that why he kept on insisting that she and Sasuke should get along? Because he can ward off the spirits for her?

As these questions flew through her mind at lightning speed, her body instinctively reacted as a hand waved in her face and her own reached out to catch it. Blinking at the sudden contact, mint green orbs looked up to see royal blue ones staring back curiously. When she realized how close the blonde was in her bubble, Sakura automatically drew back her other hand to land a punch on the boy's cheek.

Naruto landed roughly on his butt at Itachi's feet, hand on his face along with shock and confusion. "Itai!" he exclaimed loudly, rubbing the sore cheek tearfully. "What was that for?! I didn't do anything wrong!"

Sasuke clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. "Idiot, you were invading her space," he muttered, making his way to the dinner table. He took his usual seat on the right side of Itachi's proclaimed chair, not wanting to be the one to scoop rice all the time. The hyper teen moaned again while Sasuke gave another eye roll. "Hurry it up, Dobe. I'm hungry."

Begrudgingly, Naruto went to his place on Itachi's left still grousing about his hurt face. "It's not my fault she was spacing out like that," came his childish comeback. "I thought there was something wrong with her again."

The youngest Uchiha raised a black eyebrow. "Again?"

At this point, Itachi sat down and decided to interject. "There's nothing wrong with Sakura-chan, boys," he sighed as if it was common for them to unintentionally insult someone. "Don't be rude." The oldest man stopped momentarily as soon as he saw that Sakura was still standing at the kitchen entry. "Sakura-chan, why are you still standing there? Come sit."

But she didn't. Couldn't. Sakura refuse to believe that the wish she made those days ago in her lonely apartment actually came true. It was just unreal. Things like that just doesn't happen in real life. It never usually does.

"Is it such a bad thing if it does?" the voice she knew so well echoed in the back of her consciousness. "Let's just see how this goes for now…"

"Sakura-chan?" Itachi stood before her, eyes full of concern with his hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

Being abruptly jerked from her inner conversation, Sakura decided to push this matter aside for now. Seeing his worried face, Sakura averted her gaze only to see Sasuke's and Naruto's face both filled with curiosity and wary as well. The young woman shook her head uneasily and let her guardian lead her to the only seat available at the table. Nervously, she sat with her head bowed, hair acting as a curtain, as she started fidgeting with her fingers. The scraping of the chair legs across the tiled floor brought her attention back up while Itachi sat at the opposite end of her with a smile and Sasuke on her left and Naruto on her right.

The long-haired Uchiha started serving one paddle full of rice into each rice bowl, asking Sasuke to pass one down to her. Once everyone had a bowl, Itachi said, "Alright, everyone! Dig in!"

"Itadakimasu!" the men chimed, save for Sakura who merely muttered hers.

"Woohoo!" the blonde hooted happily, his chopsticks already in the air attacking every morsel of food. "I'm starving!"

Sasuke's eye twitched at the blonde's lack of manners in gross irritation. "Would it kill you to eat with your mouth closed, usuratonkachi?" he growled menacingly, while flicking a stray grain of rice off his face—courtesy of Naruto. "You're getting food everywhere!"

Itachi, of course, said nothing as he ate—used to the banter that always occurred at the family dinners since he was a kid.

"Whatever, Teme"—Naruto quickly swallowed some cucumbers before downing his soup—"You just don't want me to eat all the food! Haha!"

"Tsk! I'm not a pig like you."

"Pssh! I bet I can eat more than you!"

"I'm not falling for that again."

"Ha! You're just scared I'll beat you again!"

This caught the youngest Uchiha's attention as he sent his death glare at the blonde. "Is that a challenge?" he inquired calmly, though he was boiling inside.

Naruto, not fazed by the boy's threat, simply said with a distinguished wave of his hand, "I do believe I just said I could eat way more than you." When he was finished, he gave Sasuke his infamous cocky grin, irking the brunette purposely.

A vein popped from the dark haired male's temple at the jibe, shooting sparks across the table. "Don't make a threat you can't follow through with, Dobe," Sasuke warned with an air of confidence.

"Pssh! I'll bet that you'd puke before I do," Naruto added, sending Sasuke another mocking look.

Sasuke smirked, and said, "You're on!"

As the boys grabbed their chopsticks and attacked the food on the table, Sakura could only watch the competitive ruckus quietly. She watched as Itachi shook his head in disapproval at the boys' behavior, though there was still a hint of amusement on his face; Naruto guffawed boisterously while flinging food debris all over the place; and Sasuke glared childishly at the blonde, determined not to lose. Seeing how the men were acting around each other during dinnertime made her wonder if this was how these kinds of gatherings went. Growing up alone for most of her younger days, Sakura didn't know how to act during dinners since the only company she had was the silence and sometimes darkness. Sure, her baby brother was there during lunch times, but she always made sure he never came out to see her at night. It was already bad enough they attacked her; she didn't need them to hurt him, too. Thinking back, Sakura still felt guilty, but she was going to keep her promise no matter what. So pushing her insecurities aside, the young priestess took a small bite of rice while trying to hide the miniscule smile forming on her pink lips.

On the opposite end, Itachi softened his gaze when he noticed the smile. The change was so dramatic in his eyes that she looked more like her age instead of a girl forced to grow up, seeing things no one should see. Even though she was hiding it well, nothing could get past his sharp eyes. The man was glad, however, that she was comfortable enough with them to actually show that kind of expression. Nevertheless, he wanted to make sure.

So he perked up and asked innocently, "Is everything okay, Sakura-chan?" Itachi almost let out a small chuckle seeing her flinch at the sound of her name. "You haven't said anything since you sat. Does the food suit your taste?"

Sakura, on the other hand, wanted to throw the bowl at the Head Uchiha because, as soon as he addressed her in the middle of her musings, Sasuke and Naruto stopped their food competition to stare at her. Sinking into the cushion of her seat in embarrassment, the pink haired teen shoveled more rice into her mouth to avoid the question.

And then Naruto had to go and ask, "You're just eating the rice?" She gave him a deadpanned face, making him let out a sheepish grin. "We didn't eat all of it, but still—I know Itachi-niichan isn't that great of a cook—"

"Careful Naruto—remember who cooks your food," Itachi cautioned casually, but the threat was there as he gracefully drank his soup.

"Ehe…hehehe…" the boy chuckled nervously, dismissing Sasuke's smug smirk, and turned back to the Haruno. "But the food's pretty good…" Naruto paused to glimpse at the older man who gave an approving nod. Grinning, he continued, "So you shouldn't feel bad—you can eat whatever you want here."

"It…It's not that," Sakura grumbled, keeping her eyes on the individual white grains.

"What?" Naruto called. "Can't hear you."

Finely shaped pink eyebrows wrinkled together. Inhaling, she reiterated with slight annoyance, "I said it's not…like that…" Her strong sentence ended quietly and weakly as her eyes caught Sasuke's curious ones. Once he lifted a brow at her, she lowered her head deeper in her chest.

Naruto looked back at his friend who shrugged his shoulders uncaringly and resumed eating. But the blonde refused to eat until he figured out what was wrong. And that was when it hit him. He snapped his head so fast at Sakura, she was a little worried that he might've twisted his head clear off.

"It's because of Teme, right?" he assumed dramatically, throwing the said teen a pitiful gaze as Itachi finally let out that chuckle. "It's because he spent his whole life around us, but he's totally clueless when it comes to girls. It's sad really."

Across from the blonde, the youngest Uchiha growled menacingly at the insults thrown his way. "Dobe…"

But once again, Sasuke's threat failed to faze him and went ignored while the Uzumaki only rolled his eyes tiresomely. "What, it's true, you bastard," came the blunt reply. "You always act so constipated around chicks."

"At least I'm aware of them. I don't know how Hinata puts up with you," the Uchiha grumbled sulkily before moving his attention to the girl on his right. "So what's your deal? Don't like eating with other people?"

It was an honest question. He was just curious.

"Sasuke!" Itachi reprimanded and smacked him upside the head.

A hiss of pain escaped the younger sibling, hands clutching his head. "What the hell, Itachi?!" he demanded rudely.

"Huh!" Itachi groaned loudly. He looked at Sakura apologetically, easily ignoring Sasuke. "I'm sorry about Sasuke's rude behavior, Sakura-chan"—he darted his to younger brother disappointingly—"If we're making you uncomfortable—"

"I told you," came her hard statement, causing Itachi to stop halfway in his apology. Now that all the focus was back on her again, Sakura wished she would've stayed quiet. Looking up from her bowl, the men were still staring at her and she inwardly sighed. Taking another deep breath, she repeated slowly to make it clear. "I told you that that wasn't it."

When she didn't clarify any further, Itachi wanted to smack his forehead. "Then can you please clarify what you mean," he requested politely. "The only way to get people to understand you, Sakura-chan, is to communicate, right?"

As soon as the words left his lips, the rosette threw a malicious glare at him, trying to damn him to hell with all her might. But, alas, he only gave her a smile. Groaning loudly, she hastily placed the half eaten bowl of rice and chopsticks onto the table, making the dishes and utensils clang together, nervously. The spiritualist was pretty sure her actions were confusing them at the moment, but she had never been so nervous in her entire life. Never before had she ever needed to explain how she was feeling in that moment. It felt strange and unpleasant to let others know what she was thinking.

"Sakura-chan?" the Head called again.

Feeling a large pressure building up from their undivided attention, the sudden urging from Itachi was enough to make her snap. "I don't know! Yes! I am uncomfortable, alright! What do you expect from a person like me, huh?! Do you expect me to just open up suddenly to a bunch of people I don't know—who, by the way, took in a stranger like me! Who does that?!" Sakura directed her glares at Itachi at this statement—all the questions and confusions bursting forth—before continuing, unable to stop. "How you want me to react when you people were kind enough to let me into your home? A stranger you know nothing about. I grew up with nothing and now—out of nowhere—I received such undeserved kindness. How am I supposed to even feel about that?" Her head shook to and fro in disbelief, reliving past recollections that were supposed to be long forgotten. "I mean, this is the first family dinner I've ever had since the only kind of dinners I've really had was in the dark." Sakura sighed, unable to look at them any longer. "I don't even know what to say or how to act. I was better off alone. There was nothing to worry about. It was just me and no one else."

When she was done, Sakura slumped over the table with her head in her hands, panting heavily from her outburst. She was spent. Her appetite was gone and at the moment all she felt was regret and anger. Though, none of it was directed at them. She was angry at herself. She had never meant to take it so far. She just wanted the interrogation to stop. There was almost an urge to let out a chuckle; however, she held her tongue. Before she met these people, she was so composed and calm; yet they seemed to just keep on pushing her buttons with everything thing they say, pushing her over the edge until she snapped. Already, the teen could feel her other self pushing through, taking advantage of her emotional vulnerability. Slowing her heavy pants to deep breaths, Sakura forced her inner self back down. She didn't really need another headache at this point in time.

Everyone was feeling the weight of her words, each of them relating in their own way, haunted by their own memories.

Naruto, without moving his eyes off his own bowl, spoke softly, making Sakura jump at the sound as she listened closely, "Before Mikoto-bachan took me in, dinners were really quiet when I was by myself." As the blonde inhaled deeply, his breath shook slightly from the sad remembrances. "The silence was always deafening though, hehe"—Sasuke and Itachi lowered their eyes at the comment, but Sakura clenched hers tightly shut, knowing full well what he meant –"There were times when the silence was so crushing that I wish someone would just come in to just say 'hi' to me—anything to stop the quiet."

The young woman lifted her head and her melancholic emerald eyes met his equally sorrowful blue ones. In that instant, Sakura realized that he experienced more than he let on.

Then the Uzumaki let out his signature beaming smile. "But then one day, just when I was going to give up on the notion of having a real family, Mikoto-bachan found me and asked me if I wanted to live with her and her family." Naruto stopped briefly, laughing as he recalled the certain memory.

As he did so, the Haruno took a glimpse at the Uchiha boys and saw the same content look on their faces as well.

"I was so surprised that anyone actually wanted me in their family. I mean, who would want a monster like me in their home," he chuckled bitterly. "But she did—she wanted me, the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki, to join her family!" The boy then turned his expression of sadness to one of happiness as a blush met his cheeks. "It was the happiest day of my life! Dinners weren't so lonely anymore and the silence was just a background noise I hardly notice now." Naruto glanced at Sasuke for a second with a knowing look in his eyes. "It was also the same time I met the Teme here!"

Even though, the mood somehow seemed lighter, the guilt was settling in the bottom of her heart painfully as she said nothing.

Sasuke sat quietly, watching and observing the minute changes in the girl's countenance and inwardly sighed. Though, he could see that she was still feeling guilt, she wasn't willing to trust yet. 'I guess I'll just have to work harder then,' the young man thought with finality while a small smirk curved his lips. 'She is, after all, my mission.'

Deciding to add in his two cents, Sasuke said monotonously, "If you're feeling guilty, then don't. We're not trying to do that." He watched as her eyes widen slightly at his words. "We're just trying to help you. If you don't understand something, then I'll help you." Black inquisitive eyes caught the surprise in her face. "I'm sure you're not as hopeless as the Dobe here."

"Hey!"

Ignoring the flustered blonde, Sasuke stated in a business-like fashion, "Technically, you're my responsibility"—he continued, paying no mind of the frown she sent him—"but since I don't like being a babysitter, think of me as your partner instead."

"Partner?" the girl questioned curiously.

The Uchiha boy nodded. "Since we're going to be on the same team and all once you get your license, you'll watch my back and I'll watch yours. Got it?"

She took the information carefully. 'If we're partners, I suppose that would make it easier for me to work. Plus, my movement won't be as restricted,' she thought over carefully before giving Sasuke a confident nod.

Itachi looked around the table, satisfied that everything was finally resolved. Of course, it wasn't easy, but the desire results were well worth it. Sasuke and Sakura aren't fighting right now, and they may grow closer after this. Same with Naruto perhaps; she now knew she wasn't the only one who suffered from loneliness; and now she, at last, have the family she always wanted—or something close to it.

"Now that that's done, let's eat and we'll head to bed after this," he told them, picking up his chopsticks. Before he could get the potato in his mouth, however, Itachi was stopped when the girl murmured something softly. "What was that, Sakura-chan?"

"I'm sorry," she spoke louder.

Hearing her apology, Itachi merely waved it off. "Nothing to worry about," he told her casually. "We all have something that we're not comfortable with, but we learn to deal with it one way or another, right?"

Sakura bowed her head. "Hai…"

Itachi chuckled suddenly, catching the teens' attention. "At least, we've accomplished something here tonight."

Naruto looked at the man incredulously. "Like what? Making everyone feel awkward?"

"It obviously isn't that, you moron," Sasuke muttered, not caring for what his brother was talking about.

"Then what?"

Itachi turned his gaze from his adoptive little brother to the young pink haired girl from the opposite end of the table, causing the two fourteen year olds to stare at her again. Sakura squirmed from the gawking.

"We're finally having a family dinner with the final member of our family," the eldest man stated with a large brotherly smile.

Jade eyes grew large at the declaration and looked at her bowl. He was right. This definitely was her first dinner with them.

"Also," Itachi continued, making her brows furrow. "You're finally talking to us. After almost a month in Konoha City, you are talking to us. Now I can officially welcome you into the family, Sakura-chan! I hope you like it here."

Somehow, him saying it aloud, sounded official to her. She finally had a family. It felt nice as she felt the warmth spread throughout her chest.

Around the table, Sasuke gave a small smirk and an amused grunt while Naruto let out a good-natured chortle as the girl ultimately lowered her head to hide the tears that at long last spilled over the rim of her eyes. Even though all they heard were her sniffs and occasional hiccups, the boys knew that she was thankful and grateful.

They didn't need words for that.

Holy crap. I so hated writing this chapter. My hands were gonna fall off from writing longhand. Took freakin forever with midterms being a boob. Also I just got done cleaning the bathroom like an hour ago. My hands are sore! But I don't like this chapter for some reason. It just rankles me-urgh! Curse my long ass plots!

You guys are such boobs! Haha. I only needed 4 more reviews to reach 90 but no, no. You don't like reviewing I get it. -cries in corner of woe- So for my EASTER present, I want reviews buwahahaha!

Anyways, happy Easter and whatever it is that people celebrate on this day (I'm Buddhist XD). Please be kind and review. And no flames.

Sincerely,

Hoozuki

And here just because it's Easter-congrats to those who knows what show this is from!

"We don't make zombies."

"Jesus rose from the dead after 3 days"

-deadpan look-

"Jesus is not a zombie. I shouldn't have to tell you that."