The Unexpected One

by xxKiddxx

Sakura left Konoha one night out of no where, no one knows what exactly happened except for one person. What will happen when she returns 4 years later with someone else? (Bad Summary)

10. Chapter 10

A/N : This story will get done eventually. How long it will take, I have no idea.

Okay this will be quick, I only have a few things to say.

1.) I know I said this would be a quick update but here we are a month later and I am so SORRY. Oh my gosh, I feel terrible so what I was planning for two chapters got stuffed into one, and I really hope you guys like it.

2.) WARNING: This will have a lot of drama and angst stuff that some of you dislike but I promise from here on out everything will be much calmer. Oh, and I also apologize for the OOCness that some of you were talking about, and I hope the characters seem more like themselves this chapter.

Please tell me what you guys think, and thank you ALL for reviewing!

Oh, and if it has minor grammar errors I apologize, I wanted to get this to you guys already after waiting for so long!

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Chapter 10

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The black haired male watched from afar as the blond he called his best friend sat in front of the tree, wallowing in his own self pity. His dark colored eyes studied the male and his depressing actions, just remaining there on the floor not moving. Sasuke knew that the situation was already bad but it seemed, by the broken state of his best friend, that matters were taking a turn for the worst.

Sasuke took a deep breath in and proceeded to make his way to Naruto after carefully watching him for another minute or so. The Uchiha walked over to where the blond male sat, his head in his hands, and Sasuke gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Naruto," Sasuke said in a soft voice that startled the blond, along with himself, initially but kept on talking. "I know you're not okay but we should take this to a more private place."

The blond looked up to the black haired male with an unreadable expression. For some reason, Sasuke could not tell how his friend was feeling nor what he was thinking, and that slightly concerned him.

Naruto was usually an open book. Whenever the knuckle-headed ninja felt something it was obvious for everyone to see, and he was never good at masking his emotions either. So for Sasuke to not know what the blond was feeling right away was startling, and it usually meant that there was something seriously wrong.

The two stayed silent for several moments until Naruto opened his mouth to utter some sort of response to the Uchiha.

"I-I'm so angry..."

Sasuke stared at Naruto with the same stolid expression he always had but his voice was still surprisingly soft and caring when he answered back to his friend. "I know, Naruto, but you cannot be upset like this here. You should be in your own home, not out in public like this."

The Uchiha moved around the Uzumaki in order to help him on his feet but the blond pushed away his friends hands whenever he tried to get relatively close. He tried a number of times, all being unsuccessful, before growing annoyed with the way Naruto was acting.

"Naruto," Sasuke said with annoyance clearly present in his tone, "I think it's time for you to go home."

The blond male stared up his best friend with a blank look. The two remained staring at each for a while, neither breaking away, and then Naruto finally spoke. "I want to talk with Gaara."

Even though it had caught Sasuke off guard, he kept his composure and simply raised an eyebrow at the blond. "I don't think that is such a good idea right now. I understand why you want to, but you're clearly not in the right state-"

"He took her away from me." Naruto said quietly, interrupting Sasuke. He slowly began to lift himself off of the ground with the same unreadable expression on his face.

Sasuke now had an idea to what Naruto was feeling by what he said and how he said it, but what he didn't know was how the blond was going to act when someone set him off.

The Uchiha knew that best thing to do for the blond was to keep him by himself until he calmed down and had his common sense back. Allowing Naruto to walk and mingle around in such a state would only cause a disaster no matter who he came in contact with, and Gaara was apart of the top two people that it was dire to avoid.

Naruto stood upright and began to walk towards the exit of the park, not acknowledging Sasuke or what he had said a few seconds prior. He now had a distant look in his face, and Sasuke could tell the Naruto he knew was no longer present.

"Dobe, come back here." Sasuke said sternly to blond while taking a few steps forward in his direction. "You're going to do something stupid, and you will regret it later."

The blond stopped in his tracks and remained frozen, remaining completely silent as well. His back was still faced towards the Uchiha and he made no movements in turning around either.

"Naruto," Sasuke tried again. "Don't do anything stupid-"

Naruto spun around angrily and quickly, causing Sasuke to stop speaking. He glared fiercely into the Uchiha's eyes and Sasuke saw the blond's eyes flicker between their normal state and thin slits.

"Naruto..." Sasuke breathed out, unsure of what to do now.

His best friend was losing control and he could tell that there wasn't much he could do anymore. Naruto's state of well being took a turn for worst, and Sasuke knew whatever happened had just managed to push the blond past his boiling point.

"I'm going to see him." Naruto said fiercely, leaving no further room for argument. Naruto was clearly not listening to what ever Sasuke said, he only had one goal in mind: find the Kazekage.

Naruto began to walk away from the Uchiha without saying another word, and without thinking it through, Sasuke reached out after the blond and clasped his hand around his forearm.

As soon as Sasuke's arm touched his skin, Naruto spun around with his fist cocked back and sent a chakra infused punch into the black-haired male's jaw.

Sasuke was definitely caught off guard by the punch and stumbled back a few feet before regaining his composure. He stared at the heaving blond, not fully believing what had just happened. Both of them shared the same bewildered look and then suddenly a different look dawned on Naruto's face.

His crucelean eyes returned to normal and he stared at Sasuke, shocked of his own actions. His mouth hung open, his eyes were wide open, and he began to regain his senses.

"Sasuke, I didn't-"

"It's fine," Sasuke said bitterly as he stood up straight and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Let's go."

Naruto remained staring at the black-haired male, still in shock, as he began to walk past him to the exit. The blond was still stuck in his position due to his incapacity to comprehend what was going on, and he did not move until the Uchiha took the first step out of the park.

"Sasuke..." He called after him, running out of the park to follow the Uchiha where ever he was going.

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Sakura sprinted out of the park and made a left, following her daughter who was only but a few feet in front of her. She quickly caught up with the child and reached out to grab an arm, bringing both of them to a short stop.

"Let me go!" Natsumi wailed, fighting against her mother's hold on her. "I want Ra!"

Sakura did her best to keep her emotions in check, having both of them upset and crying would do no good to the problem. Even though it pained her to watch her child fight against her she had to stay strong in order to calm Natsumi down.

"Sumi, please," Sakura begged quietly as she crouched down to her height, not letting go of her arm. "Please relax, Hime."

The orange-haired child shook her head vigorously and continued to try to break free from her mother. The tears streamed down her face at a steady rate, and her face was now red and blotchy. She pulled her arm as hard as she could but the pinkette refused to let her go. Out of frustration, Natsumi began to cry even harder and her desire to get away from her mother only increased as well.

"Get off of me! I don't want you, I want Ra!" She cried as she tried to viciously yank her arm away from Sakura. "Let go!"

Sakura let go of Natsumi's arm and quickly gripped onto both of her shoulder's, forcing the child to come face-to-face with her. "Sumi, please relax and let me explain-"

"No!" She yelled angrily. "No! No! No! I want Ra!"

Sakura stared at her crying child, who also refused to make eye contact with her, and she couldn't shake off the feeling of nausea washing over her.

Her child didn't want her. Her child was fighting to get away from her. And even though it wasn't said, it underlain her words and Sakura could tell: Natsumi felt hatred towards her own mother.

Sakura felt as if it was all some sort of nightmare that she was living in. Every time she believed she was doing the right thing it proved to be wrong, and it seemed as if she always got the blame for it all. She understood that the mess had started because of her, but couldn't she at least get some positive feedback for attempting to own up and fix the problem?

The pinkette felt sick all over, and for a moment she loosened her hold on her daughter without realizing. Natsumi felt the slight shift in her mother's grip and fiercely threw her body backwards, breaking free from her captor. The young Haruno fell backwards onto her rear, she got up quickly and clumsily and began to run away from her pink-haired mother.

Sakura remained frozen stuck in her thoughts with a blank look positioned on her face, not registering that her daughter was running away once again. After a few moments she snapped out of her trance and hastily got up to chase after Natsumi. She caught up with her daughter with little effort, and she proceeded to pick up the child by the waist as she kept on walking.

Natsumi cried and kicked, landing a few directly in Sakura's abdomen, refusing to go without a fight. "I want Ra-"

"Okay," Sakura said quietly, causing her child to turn her head and stare at her with a slight bit of surprise. "I will take you to him."

Natsumi remained silent to what her mother had said, and her kicking and squirming died down as well. Sakura came to a slow stop and took a deep breath in before slowly returning Natsumi to her feet, trusting her enough to not run away from her for a third time.

The young, orange-haired girl stood still in her spot, showing no desire in trying to get away. Sakura exhaled with relief and stared at her child sadly for several seconds before cautiously extending her hand out for Natsumi to grab. It was a risk, and she knew it, but Sakura was somewhat prepared for her to be rejected by the young Haruno.

Natsumi glanced at the hand briefly, and then she folded her arms in front of her chest and looked away from her mother with tears still in her eyes. Natsumi was young but she understood the seriousness of the situation she was in, and she knew that what her mother did was almost unforgivable. She was furious at the woman and it was not going to go away in a matter of a few minutes.

Sakura nodded slightly, understanding her daughter's refusal, and began to walk back to the hotel with Natsumi walking on the right of her. They walked in a deafening silence and it only caused the pinkette to contemplate about everything that was happening.

Natsumi wanted nothing to do with her. Naruto hated her, and the only reason he probably would talk to her was for Natsumi. Her own team viewed her as a terrible person because of the decisions she made, and she knew that no matter how much she tried they would only see what she did as cruel and selfish. The ones she cared about most were now against her, she had raised her hands in surrender but they continued their attacks so what could she do? Her back was against the wall and all she wanted was peace.

"Ra!" What usually sounded like a cry of joy, only sounded like a sob mixed with a cry for help.

Sakura looked up and there sat the Kazekage a few feet away from them on a small bench in front of the hotel. He was absorbed in his book but when he heard the cry his head snapped upright and he quickly rose, making his way towards the girl who was running in his direction with tears streaming down her face.

His face was stern and easily caught the girl when she jumped desperately in his arms, sobbing into his shoulder instantly. He hugged the girl tightly against his body, whispering consoling words to her as her proceeded to walk towards the pinkette who was walking his way.

"What happened?" Gaara asked once he got closer to the woman.

Sakura stared at the man for a moment, and she felt her tears on the corner of her eyes threaten to fall. She quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, taking in a shaky breath, and turning her gaze away from the auburn-haired male. "She wanted you." The pinkette answered simply.

Gaara kept his eyes on the pink-haired woman for another moment before turning away from her. Like always, Sakura was trying to be strong and refused to talk about what was going on that had everyone crying and upset. Gaara knew he would have to figure what was going on at a later time from the pinkette or someone else, because his current focus was exclusively on getting Natsumi inside and calming her down. Having to watch Natsumi cry, he discovered long ago, was one of the most difficult things he's experienced. It seemed as if the day itself got a little darker, and he found himself unable to smile or laugh until she was doing one of those herself.

The Kazekage walked into the hotel at a steady pace and navigated to his room smoothly without any problems. He unlocked the door of the room, holding the child with one arm, and closed it behind him once they were safely in the room.

Gaara made his way over to the bed in the room and set the crying child on it, sitting upright. He crouched down to her height, and his pale eyes could see the sadness in her usually cheerfully, emerald ones. "Sumi," he said softly, "what's wrong? Why are you so upset, Hime?"

The small girl wiped her tears away with her forearms and tried her best to calm herself down. It took her a few moments, but when she felt stable enough to speak she opened her mouth.

"Mommy told me about him." She said quietly as she looked down at her feet. "She told me about my daddy."

Gaara's eyes widened slightly with realization, and he could only imagine the number of negative outcomes that could have happened. He quickly regained his composure before Natsumi could notice and gently encouraged her to go on. "And what happened, Sumi?"

"She told me how... how he never knew about me..."

"...and then what?" Gaara asked as delicately as he could, having already an idea where things were going.

"She- she hid me from him..." She answered, her lip beginning to tremble. "She kept me from him for so long and then-"

"...Then what, Hime?" Gaara waited patiently for her to keep going whenever she was ready to talk again.

Several seconds went by before Natsumi continued on her story. "And then he was there, Ra." She said quietly, barely louder than a whisper. "He was standing in front of us but I didn't want him to be."

Gaara nodded slightly, listening to the child intently as he wiped away one of the tears that managed to escaped from her eyes.

"I-I was so angry at Mommy, and confused, and when I saw him there, Ra, it was that mean man that was yelling at her the other day. I didn't- I didn't want it to be him!" She sobbed out, burying her hands in her face.

Gaara hugged the child and she moved to cry into his shoulder. He remained silent and allowed her to cry without any interruptions. She was only turning six, but yet she was going through this and understood how serious it all was. Most children would just be satisfied with the simple fact of meeting their father, but Natsumi understood how wrong everyone's actions was and that over powered any joy she had to hear that she did have a father.

"Ra, why did mommy do that?" Natsumi asked softly once she began to calm down, her head still rested on Gaara's shoulder.

"I don't know, Hime, you're mother decided it was best if she kept you to herself in Suna..." Gaara felt Natsumi grow rigid in arms and he instantly knew why. She had to know, and there was no way he could hide the fact that he knew, and to an extant, participated in keeping her a secret from her father.

Natsumi slowly removed herself from Gaara's embrace and stared at him with a terrified expression on her face. "D-Did you know too, Ra?"

Gaara took a deep breath and glanced away from the child, too ashamed to face her.

"Ra, did you?"

Her voice was shaky yet again, and Gaara couldn't bare to look into her eyes. He couldn't imagine how much hurt the child must have felt but she had to know, and Gaara had to suffer the consequences of his actions too- for he was trying to find the road to redemption along with the pinkette.

"Ra!" Natsumi yelled, demanding an answer from the man.

Gaara could only give the child a slight nod in response, because there was nothing he could say to make the situation any better.

Natsumi began to breath heavily, and her vision began to blur with the tears forming in her eyes. "Why-... Why would you- Ra..."

The auburn-haired male turned his face so that is pale eyes were now looking into her sad emerald ones. She was trying to hold everything back but he could see how hurt she was. Her lip began quivering uncontrollably, and seeing her hurt because of his actions only caused his heart to shatter into a million pieces- well, that's what it felt like to him.

"Sumi, I wanted to help your mother in any way I could with you, and she decided what was best for your future. I didn't agree but I saw her point-"

"No!" The young girl screamed, backing away from the man slowly. Her expression was heart breaking to see, and she looked like she had been crying for hours. Her face seemed worn out by time, and it made her seem a lot older than just a child. "Why, Ra? You- you said you didn't know who he was."

"S-Sumi, we tried to do the best thing for you..." Gaara tried to reason softly, scared to say the wrong things. He knew that Natsumi would not understand why they did what they had done, and he could only pray the she would eventually forgive them.

Tears began to stream down the girl's face for the several time in the day, and her body began to shake due to the growing anger inside of her. "I hate you..." She mumbled quietly, staring at the floor with as her hair shielded her face from being seen.

"Hime...?" Gaara called quietly, not picking up what she had said.

"I hate you!" She snapped, raising her voice at him. He stared horrified, and unable to move, as she continued on. "I hate both of you!"

She stared at him for a moment, heaving as the tears continued to roll down her face. The Kazekage found himself speechless as he stared at the young before him. Staring at Gaara, Natsumi felt her heart crack even more than it had before. The pain felt almost unbearable, standing there with him, and she spun around and bolted towards the door. She flung it open, but stood frozen when she met who was on the other side of the door.

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Sakura sat with her head buried in her hands as she listened to the conversation going on in the room next to her. She heard Gaara's soft voice trying to calm the child down but the young Haruno only seemed to increase in volume as the seconds went by.

She was lost. The pinkette truly had no idea of how to handle the situation in front of her. Her brilliant plan had failed her, and she was stuck without any further ideas. Confrontation was never something she was good at, and more serious situations only made it ten times worse. She was intelligent when it came to concepts and numbers, but intense social interactions was not her strong suit.

She was terrified as well. She would have never thought that her daughter would react in such a negative manner, to the point where she no longer wished to speak to her. Her daughter meant the world to her, and here she was watching their relationship crumble to pieces. She knew she had to fix things quick but she was afraid she would only make matters worse.

Natsumi was so mature for her age that Sakure over-looked the fact that she was only six years old. She had spoke so blatantly about the subject that it was too overwhelming for the child. She never had to tell her daughter something so serious on this caliber that she just approached it as if it was just a simple, everyday conversation.

More screaming and crying could be heard from Sakura's position, and after a few seconds she could no longer stand being away from her child while she was in such a state, no matter how angry Natsumi was at her.

The pinkette lifted herself off of the couch she was sitting on and hurried out of the hotel room, rushing over to the one next door. She placed her hand on the door and suddenly an eerie silence filled the hallway and the room in front of her.

Sakura felt herself holding her breath, waiting for something to happen. She had this bad feeling creep over her and it turned her stomach upside down. The sound of her blood pumping rang loud in her ears, and she was unable to turn the handle due to her unknown fear.

"Come on, Sakura." She whispered fiercely to herself. "The worst already happened, grow up and handle this like the adult you are-"

"I hate you! I hate you both!"

The pinkette's eyes widened and she quickly began to turn the door handle when it suddenly flung itself open.

Sakura stared wide-eyed at the small girl in front of her. Natsumi's hair was a mess, her eyes were red and puffy, and her tears left noticeable trails down her face. Sakura released the breath she was holding in, and she felt her own tears began to form in the corners if her eyes.

"Sumi..." She said in a whisper as her child's emerald eyes stared back up into her own.

The young Haruno remained still as she stood in front of her mother. She wanted to scream and run away, but she felt as if she couldn't do any if that. She didn't know what to do, or what to think, all she knew was that she was hurting- and it was a pain she had never felt before.

Natsumi felt as if the sadness was consuming her, she felt angry and sad through every pore of her body. It snaked its way through her insides and she felt as if there was nothing there but the sadness, just resting in the pit of what she believed used to be her stomach.

She opened her mouth to say something to her mother, who was speechless just as she was, and all the sound that managed to come out was a loud sob followed by tears that streamed down her small face.

Sakura snapped out of her state of stupor and quickly grabbed her daughter, coddling her close to her chest. Her own tears began to roll down her face and she rocked back and forth, whispering to her quietly.

"I'm so sorry, Sumi," Sakura whispered into her hair, "I'm so, so, soo sorry."

Gaara stood a few feet away from the door watching the duo with his eyes wide open. His heart felt as if it was shattering into a million pieces, and he was unable to fully grasp the reality of the situation at hand. All he could focus on was what Natsumi had said, three words he'd never expected her to say.

"I hate you!"

He wasn't sure of how to feel, and he was stuck in an initial state of shock and hurt. That was his princess saying those things to him, he had watched her grow up- she was practically his child.

His child...

The thought stayed stuck in his mind, and even though it sounded horrible he couldn't help but feel it to be true. It was not his decision to keep Natsumi hidden, but he took on the responsibility to raise her as a father when there was no other option. He should be credited some way, it was not fair that he was to have the child completely ripped from him and have her hate him as well.

"Sumi, I love you and I'm so sorry for all of this..." Sakura cried into her daughter's shoulder. "I-I... love you... I just wanted to protect you, Hime..."

The small girl remained silent but allowed the woman to hug her tightly. Silent tears ran down her face, she had no idea what to do or how to feel. The two people she loved, and trusted, the most managed to hurt in ways she never thought possible. She was only turning six but she felt as if she experienced enough hurt in one day for a year's total.

Sakura hugged her child tightly, and rocked the two of them back and forth- trying to calm the both of them down. Their crying died down eventually, and Sakura felt overwhelmingly tired once she was calm.

"I know you don't want to stay with me right now," Sakura whispered softly to her daughter, "but it is time for you to go to bed... I can sleep on the couch and you'll have the bed, okay?"

The small girl nodded slightly in her mother's shoulder, and Sakura proceeded to head to their own room. She closed the Kazekage's door, who was still sitting on his bed speechless, and quietly entered her room which was right next door.

"I want to see him..." Natsumi muttered as her mother carried her through the threshold.

Sakura heard what her daughter said, but remained silent for a few seconds before answering.

"If that's want you want, Hime, then I will bring you to him. I promise."

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Sakura stared at her child's sleeping face, and she gently pushed back the lose orange strands of hair behind her daughter's ear. Her daughter's face seemed peaceful and calm, and she was glad to finally see it other than the pained looks that was held on her face for the majority of the day.

She hummed quietly to a soft lullaby as she continued to run her fingers through her daughter's orange locks. The pinkette felt exhausted, but she stayed awake because of the rare opportunity of seeing her child so peaceful. She wasn't sure of what was going to happen in the future with their family, much less what tomorrow was going to bring for them but she enjoyed the moment for all it was worth. Things were calm and peaceful, and that allowed Sakura to relax her own mind.

The pinkette continued to hum softly as she separated herself from her daughter in order to go to the bathroom. She made her way into the small space that was designated as the bathroom, and she turned on the sink in order to allow the water to run. She rested her hands on the side of the sink and lifted her head up to look at her reflection in the mirror that was hanging above the sink.

She looked horrible. Sakura couldn't believe how disordered her appearance was. Her eyes were bloodshot red, her hair was messy and full of knots, and her usually pale face was full of red blotches. She shook her head disapprovingly at her reflection, and cupped her hands under the water. She splashed her face with water and then glanced back up at the mirror. There wasn't any change but she felt a little better overall, and she felt much more relaxed and cool.

She turned off the water and turned around to dry her face in the small hand towel that was hanging in the bathroom. There was a loud knock at the door that demanded for her attention, and she curiously made her way over to the door. It was turning late into the night, and she could only imagine that it was one of the sand siblings at her door.

She opened the door, expecting to be meet with a friendly face, but instead stood shocked as she stared at the last two people she would imagine to come looking for her.

"N-Naruto... Sasuke...?"

She felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach and a million thoughts ran through her mind. She stared at them wide-eyed as they both looked back at her, sharing the same serious, angry expression. Sakura had no idea what to do, and she found it extremely difficult to move. She looked back and forth between the two males, and saw slight differences in their facial expressions.

Sasuke was giving her the same stone look that he always held on his face but Sakura could sense it was more serious than just his everyday look. There was an underlining of anger and hate that Sakura could practically feel radiating off of him. Naruto on the other hand seemed angry but hurt as well.

Sakura emerald orbs stared into Naruto's blue ones and she could immediately tell how upset he was at her- and the situation all together. It was nothing like she had ever seen before and it sent cold shivers down her spine, but there was also a hint of slight disappointment when he looked at her. She understood his anger for her, and was somewhat able to cope with that realization that her may hate her for quite some time- which she could work to make that situation better- but adding disappointment was something she didn't know how to handle.

It made her realize how badly she messed up, but it also meant that Naruto lost respect for her as well. The person he used to adore and think so highly of was now nothing. She was nothing to him. She had hurt him so badly, that he could not deal with her anymore. He no longer thought of her the way he used to when they were younger, he couldn't afford to. He couldn't allow himself to think of her as anything but two separate individuals who were raising the same child, and the glimmer of light that used to shine in his eyes whenever he looked at her was gone and replaced with anger. His eyes were cold when he looked at her, and in that moment when their eyes met she saw it for herself.

Her chest began to tighten as she thought about it more and more, and her breathing increased as well. The silence that was going on them was deafening, and the pinkette's thoughts were loud and continued to scare her as the seconds went by.

"Can we come in?" Sasuke asked, becoming agitated with them all just standing there.

Sakura stared blankly at the male for another moment before nodding and moving to the side to allow them to enter. She felt numb, and she couldn't exactly process what was going on. Her mind was racing and it was affecting the rest of her body.

The two males entered quietly, and Sakura slowly closed the door behind them. Sasuke made his way towards one of the far walls and rested his back there as Naruto immediately began to venture towards the sleeping child on the bed.

He laid his eyes on the girl and a child-like nervousness over came him. The closer he got to her, the more he felt like running away. He was terrified to get close to her, but there was a calming bliss settling over him as well. Seeing her in such a peaceful state made him momentarily forget about the events that happened earlier, and he felt as if he just saw her for the first time; a feeling that he guessed was the equivalent as to watching your child being brought into the world.

Sakura watched the man, from her position near the door, stare in awe at their child as he took cautious steps to the bed. He hesitantly sat on the edge of the bed, and looked at her with wide eyes.

Natsumi slept peacefully, snoring slightly, and completely oblivious to all that was currently going on around her. Naruto continued to stare at her in amazement, and he couldn't help but notice how much she resembled her mother. He studied her features and all he saw was Sakura. He looked harder to find bits and pieces of himself within her but he couldn't seem to spot any. His eyebrows furrowed slightly as he continued to search for himself.

The pink-haired woman slowly walked over to the man and her child, and quietly stood behind him.

The corners of his mouth turned downwards, in a slight frown, when he could not find himself in his child. Sakura said that was his child, but he found it hard to tell by just looking at her. He was slightly disappointed that he did not resemble the girl in some way, not even their hair was the same.

"She has your smile..."

The blond looked up to the pinkette, who was staring at the girl as well, with a slightly confused look on his face.

"I couldn't find you in her at first either, but it's her smile- and her eyes as well." Sakura continued softly. "They are my color but that is it. They are your eyes, reflecting her emotions in them the same way you do."

Naruto nodded slightly, not really answering the woman back, and looked back at the sleeping child. "...She's beautiful..." He breathed out without realizing. He slowly brought his hand his daughter's orange locks and ran his fingers through them carefully but tenderly. "...Beautiful..."

Natsumi moved slightly, turning her head, but remained sleeping as her father continued to gape at her in complete awe.

She was so foreign to him. He understood that she was his, but she couldn't have felt more like some strange creature he encountered for the first time. When he believed that she was only Sakura's child he didn't view her as so strange, but once the truth was revealed she become a lost wonder to him. He knew she was there but he couldn't believe it to be true at times, and his anger masked this side of him most of the time. No one really knew how scared he was because he only showed how angry he was at the pinkette all of the time.

Naruto was terrified to be a father, and it all seemed unreal to him. To have his own child, someone that shared the same blood as him. It all felt so weird- so unknown that he didn't know how to handle it.

"...whiskers this past year."

"Wait," Naruto interrupted rudely, looking up at the woman, "what did you say?" His mind was elsewhere and he didn't catch nothing but the very end of what she had said.

"She has the same whisker marks you do..." The pinkette answered quietly, running her thumb over their daughters cheek where a thin mark was barely noticeable. "It started to form this past year, but there is only one on each side."

It did not stand out, and no one would notice unless someone pointed it out for them, but it was there. There on his daughter's cheeks were light whisker marks that resembled his own. He stared in astonishment as he lightly ran his fingers over the marks.

"That's amazing... I didn't think that was possible." He said aloud, not directing towards anyone in particular.

"Me neither," Sakura said with a soft, tired laugh. "She must have some of Kurama's chakra in her."

"It has to be that." Naruto answered quietly, talking more to himself than to the pinkette. He stared at his daughter with a slight smile on his face.

"Dobe, I think it's time for us to go." Sasuke spoke from the shadows of the room. "It's getting kind of late."

Naruto turned towards his best friend and nodded, lifting himself off of the bed. "I just have to do one thing," he said calmly, showing no indication of him losing his temper once again. "I'll meet you outside."

The blond looked at his daughter longingly and slowly pulled his gaze away from her. He left the room without another word, to the Uchiha nor the pinkette, and did not even look at her on his way out.

Sakura wished she could say something to him, but she felt as if she couldn't. He barely talked to her when speaking about their child, and she had a feeling he wasn't going to waste his time talking to her just because she wished to.

She watched sadly as the door closed behind him, and she stared at it for another several moments- feeling as if her heart was shattering once again.

Sasuke stared at the pinkette for a few moments, studying her facial expressions, but turned away angry and began to follow in the blond's tracks out of the room. He was almost to the door when a small item managed to catch his attention in the corner of his eye.

He curiously walked over to the cabinet in the room where the item was, and he began to run his fingers over it numbly. His fingers floated over the smooth, brown wood of the cabinet and he seemed to get angrier as he got closer to the item. His fingers paused, as if by their own will, on a picture frame that he managed to notice from a few feet away.

The Uchiha's dark eyes focused on the picture frame his fingers were touching and he knew that it must have been the pinkette's because the picture was one the he had seen before, long ago. He stared at the picture as his anger began to throb within him.

"Why do you have this still?" He asked, his fingers becoming tight around the glass frame.

Sakura slowly turned her head to look at the man, and what he was talking about, but once she saw what he was holding she was at a loss for words.

"Things will never be the same and there is not point to dwell on the past." He continued, speaking through his teeth.

Sakura tried to uphold a somewhat strong demeanor towards the Uchiha, but when she saw the photo his fingers rested on she found herself feeling exposed and vulnerable in a way. She loved the picture, and it stood as a reminder for all the good times she had with a certain blond. No one knew she had it for all this time, for it was her little secret, and as it sat on the cabinet she could not remember when she even placed it there- in the open- in the first place.

Her emerald eyes stared up at the Uchiha's back and she could see his whole body tense up. "I... I just like to look-"

"It's not going to happen." Sasuke snapped angrily as his head turned slightly towards the woman. "The possibility of you two being together is nearly impossible."

The pink-haired woman looked down at her feet as another sharp sensation rang through her chest.

"You don't deserve him, you never did and you never will... I don't know why he ever looked at you with that dumb, smitten look of his. All he ever did was try to make you happy, and I never quite understood why. Someone like him deserves someone that would make him their first priority, and you would never do that for him-"

"That isn't true." Sakura interrupted the man, tired of being attacked by his words as she sat their helplessly. He slowly began to turn his head towards the pinkette fully, with a bewildered look on his face.

"What have you ever done for him!?" He asked, his voice raising significantly. "Name one time you ever put him before yourself!"

"I stayed away so he could be happy in his marriage!" Sakura retorted fiercely, jumping out if her seat to stand up facing the Uchiha. "I wanted him to be happy so I stayed away-"

"That's fucking bullshit!" Sasuke yelled angrily as he slammed the picture frame down on the floor. "You left because you were scared, not because of him. Don't make yourself seem great when we all know you're just a scared little girl. Grow up, Sakura." The male spat angrily as he turned away from the woman.

Sakura stared in horror as the picture frame fell, shattering on the floor, and exposing the picture of a tall blonde smiling next to a much shorter pink-haired girl. The pinkette slowly crouched down and picked up the photo, cradling it in her shaking hands as his words rang through her head. The glass from the broken frame was cutting into her bare feet but she did not care. She looked at the picture with wide eyes for several more moments before speaking.

"I'm trying..." The woman whispered softly, her voice crackling slightly. "I'm trying to, Sasuke. I really am... I just am going about everything wrong."

The dark-haired male glanced at the woman by turning his head but kept his back faced towards her.

"How do I make everything right?" She asked, knowing she wasn't going to receive an answer. "It seems the more I try to do right, the worse the whole situation gets..."

The woman ran her thumb over the smiling male in the picture and she did her best to keep herself together. "You're right, Sasuke. I don't deserve him, and I never did, but it was harmless to think I eventually would, right?"

The Uchiha's stolid features softened slightly at the words coming from the woman, but it could not be seen for he was still facing the wall. She sounded defeated, unlike moments ago or any other time they argued, and she seriously sounded like she broke. Sasuke knew Sakura was a proud woman, and to hear her succumb to his words, he couldn't help but feel a tiny bit sorry for her. Despite that minor thought though, his anger towards her was at an all time high like his blond friend.

The man was angry at the pinkette for a number of reasons, and he didn't want to forgive her for all she had done. She had kept Naruto's child away from him for almost six years, a child their whole team would have loved unconditionally- including the Uchiha himself.

She had her abandoned her team after months of lecturing the Uchiha, any chance she could get, about the concept of a team, abandonment, and how those two should never coincide with each other- not even in the same sentence. She had abandoned them but it was the worst type anyone could ever go through with.

Sasuke would have truly understood the pinkette if she left with a purpose: to seek revenge, if someone had hurt her, or even to become stronger from an outside accomplice. All of those reasons, or any dark reason in general, Sasuke would have understood and forgiven easily. He knew that people strayed from the right path from time to time, from personal experience, and he could only offer the same forgiveness towards those individuals like he had received from his friends- Sakura included.

The black-haired male had hoped- prayed even- that the pinkette had left because of some dark motive, but to hear the real reason as to why she had left everyone behind only enraged him.

For someone to abandon their whole life, and all those that care about them, just because they were scared is the worst kind of person in his opinion. She couldn't find the strength in herself, and those around her, to believe that she could get through whatever mess she managed to get herself into. She didn't think her teammates were strong enough to help her, even when anyone could see the blond knucklehead was ready to take on a whole army for the woman.

She abandoned them in the most unforgivable way: one not even any punishment from the law could rectify.

"I-I know we can't go back in time, but sometimes I truly wish things could just magically go back to the way things were." The pinkette whispered softly, talking to herself more than the Uchiha.

Sasuke clenched his fists and quietly turned around towards the door. He moved silently towards the door, ignoring the strange look from the pinkette.

"Sasuke..."

The man was at the door when the pinkette called out to him, bringing him to a stop. He paused for a moment, with his hand rested on the door knob, and his head hung downward.

"Sasuke, I-"

"You should've just listened to yourself, Sakura. 'The word team and abandonment should never run parallel to one another, much less in the same sentence.'" He restated bitterly.

The pink-haired woman stared in horror at the man, but before she could retaliate he was already out of the door, slamming it closed behind him.

"I-I..." She choked out, fighting back the sobs resisting in her throat. "I-I need your help..."

.

.

.

.

.

Gaara sat in his room, stuck in the same position, as thoughts he never imagined having ran through his head. He felt numb, as if the true affect of Natsumi's words had not hit him just yet. He just sat there on the bed staring at the wall without moving. He was never good at social interactions to begin with, but this was on a whole different level that he simply did not know how to deal with it.

"I hate you!"

He couldn't move. Those words kept him stuck where he was, and a large part of him didn't want to move. He didn't know what to do once he decided to move out of the spot he was stuck in, so what was the point. He needed to figure out what was next before even deciding to leave.

"I..."

He simply couldn't rush to Natsumi and beg for forgiveness, she had what she had said. She hated him. He understood why she felt upset towards him, but hate? Hate? It seemed like such a strong word that only went along with the unforgivable but what he had done had to deserve even the most minuscule chance of forgiveness. He only wanted to protect her.

"...hate..."

To hear such words from someone he loved unconditionally was heartbreaking. He didn't know what to do or how to feel. He felt lost. He had loved Natsumi as soon as he laid eyes on her; he was one of the first people to see her once she was born. He knew that eventually Naruto would be brought into the child's life but he never would have guessed he would eventually have to the child ripped from him. Does his countless attempts at pestering Sakura to tell Naruto about the child count for nothing? He didn't mean to get caught up in keeping Natsumi, but he didn't see that it was right for her to be taken away from him completely.

"...you."

A part of him knew he deserved it and that's what freaked him out the most. He deserved isolation from the child. He deserved Naruto's hatred. He deserved all of it, because he knew what he was doing

He knew how Naruto would feel about learning that his child was taken from him, but yet, he continued on.

He knew that Natsumi would be angry to learn that she was a secret, but yet, he continued on.

He knew that Sakura was making the wrong decision in the long run, but yet, he continued on.

He was selfish, and he knew deserved all of it. Sakura was wrong in keeping Natsumi for herself, but Gaara did worse by keeping the both of them for himself. It was truly unforgivable.

"Gaara..."

The Kazekage's head snapped towards the voice and stared at the individual with wide eyes until he realized who had entered his room without him knowing.

"Naruto..." He breathed out softly. His pale eyes softened as they came in contact with the man's blue ones; He quickly looked away, unable to face the man the same way he couldn't with Natsumi.

"I didn't come here to yell and scream at you, like I had planned originally... but I need to get this off my chest." Naruto spoke, his voice was quiet but stern. His face expression held the same seriousness when he first entered Sakura's apartment, but it also held more sadness in it which anyone could see it by looking into his eyes.

"I don't think words can express how angry I am, Gaara, but there really is no use in explaining when I made my final decision about everything. I considered you a close friend, one who understood my past and had the same goals as I for the future. I even considered you family, Gaara, but what you did is something that family would never consider in a million years. You- you took my daughter away from me..." Naruto said angrily, trying his best to stay in control of his emotions.

"I trusted you with my life and you did that! You kept Natsumi hidden within Suna for so long, and never once tried to tell me about it or at least hinted it. What kind of family does that?" He asked, staring at the auburn-haired male with wide eyes.

The blond closed his eyes and took several deep breaths in order to calm himself down before continuing on.

"All my life I've only ever wanted someone to just get it, ya know? Someone who went through what I had... Sure, my friends were great but no one fully understood all that pain I had to go through by myself... and then you came along. You were the first person I met to truly understand, and it was probably one of the best feelings I've ever had. For someone to just 'get it' without explaining was... unbelievable. It was an instant connection that I thought would never be broken... I guess I was a little naive, huh?"

"Naruto-"

"I'm almost done," Naruto said as he held up his hand to pause the man. "What I'm trying to say is that what you did, Gaara, is unforgivable... I don't think I can find it within myself to ever forgive you for this. You were the only person who truly understood, and felt what I had, but yet... you still went through with that."

Naruto looked away from the man's gaze and blinked back the tears that were forming. "I understand Sakura believed what she did was right but as my friend you shouldn't of allowed it to go this far... allowed for Natsumi to believe I didn't want her for this long... and that is why I don't think I can forgive you."

The blond paused for a moment and turned his head to the side, avoiding Gaara's wide-eyed stare. "I won't allow this to affect the relationship between Suna and Konoha when I become Hokage, and that is a promise, but our relationship is strictly professional."

Naruto bit down on his lip and clenched his fist as he turned to face the Kazekage, who was still sitting and staring at him with wide-eyes. He took a shaky breath and spoke his last words to the man.

"But we... we are no longer brothers, Gaara."