Chapter Twelve; One Big Happy Family
"Wait Sakura!" Naruto cried just as soon as she had run out the door before he heaved a heavy sigh and hung his head. "I never meant to hurt her. I just didn't want to tell her because I knew you both were going to when you were ready." He said before he glanced back up at Kushina and Mebuki.
"I know Naruto, it isn't your fault. It's mine. I should have told her a long time ago." Mebuki admitted sadly.
"Me too. I feel awful about what happened. I'm sorry I wasn't involved more in yours and your sister's life." His mother told him.
"I still can't believe that you guys really are related." Sasuke began. "And after years of having a crush on her." He said before Naruto made a disgusted face.
"Please Sasuke don't remind me." He told him when all of a sudden his mother handed him the locket.
"Here Naruto, you know Sakura better than I do. Would you talk to her for me? She is your sister after all. You can even take Sasuke with you." She began before turning her head over into his direction and looking at him. "I'm sure that she'll listen to both of you more than she ever would listen to me." She told them as Naruto nodded.
"You can count on me. Believe it!" he exclaimed as Sasuke rolled his eyes at him.
"Me too." He told her.
"Good, now that we have that settled." Naruto began with a grin before snatching his friend's car keys off of the kitchen counter. "What do you say on me giving this baby a test drive?" he questioned him before Sasuke quickly snatched them away from him.
"Don't even think about it! We can take my car but I'm driving. Nobody is to drive that car but me." He told him.
"Ouch! You know that really is a sucker punch for somebody who gave you that car in the first place." Naruto said crossly before turning his back towards him and folding his arms.
"I don't care. You should be lucky that I'm allowing you to ride shotgun." Sasuke told him before Kushina giggled.
"Wow, you two aren't even related at all yet and already you act like brothers." She said.
"That's right, as soon as you marry Sakura you're going to be my brother in-law." Naruto said.
"Whoopee." Sasuke said sarcastically with a teasing grin. "Now come on, let's go find Sakura." He told him before he turned around and started heading towards the door.
"Come on Sasuke, next to your wedding day this should be the happiest day of your life!" Naruto exclaimed before he followed him out the door.
…
"Do you see her anywhere?" Sasuke questioned while he continued driving the car down the street before Naruto took a deep breath and sighed heavily.
"No, not yet." He said before he turned his head and looked out the window. "Wait a minute, stop!" he cried when suddenly Sasuke slammed on the brakes and came to a screeching halt.
"What is it, do you see her?" he questioned him anxiously.
"What? Who?" he asked him.
"Sakura! You know, your sister my fiancée and soon to be wife." He growled irritably.
"Sakura, who's talking about Sakura?" Naruto began. "I just thought that we could stop for a bite to eat at Ramen Ichiraku." He said before Sasuke rolled his eyes and groaned.
"You really are an idiot do you know that? It really amazes me how you even became hokage in the first place. All I can say is that thank God your sister didn't inherit the same stupidity as you." Sasuke told him heaving a heavy sigh and then shaking his head before putting his foot back on the accelerator.
"Well, sorry." Naruto began while folding his arms as his stomach started to rumble. "I can't help it if I'm hungry. After all I need to eat to survive." He grouched.
"Yeah well if you don't shut up and help me find Sakura that's not going to be a problem for you anymore." Sasuke told him.
"Wait a minute!" Naruto cried before Sasuke impatiently slammed on the brakes again.
"What is it this time!?" he hollered. "Do you see another restaurant or something that you want to stop at!?" he cried.
"No." Naruto began quickly while he pointed across the street from them. "I see her, she's right over there." He told him before Sasuke slowly turned his head and saw that he was right.
"She's at the cemetery. I should have figured that she would be there." He said before he put the car in park and turned off the engine. "Come on, let's go." He told him before pulling his keys out of the ignition and throwing off his seatbelt. Naruto removed his own seatbelt before they both got out of the car. Sakura was unaware that they were there even after they slammed their doors shut. Sasuke pushed the automatic lock button while Sakura heaved a deep and heavy sad sigh staring down upon her (biological) father's gravestone.
That's when suddenly she heard a familiar voice speaking her name behind her. "Sakura." Sasuke began before she turned around to look at him. "Are you alright?" he questioned her.
"I'm sorry Sakura, it's all my fault." Naruto said before she glanced over at him. "I should have never even been born, then none of this ever would have happened." He said heaving a sad sigh while hanging his head.
"Don't you dare say that." Sakura told him.
"Sakura's right, if it wasn't for you than we wouldn't have even been together." Sasuke said before Naruto slowly raised his head.
"Look. The only reason that Mom left is because of me. I'm the one who put you both in danger!" he exclaimed.
"For something that you couldn't control." Sakura pointed out. "Listen Naruto it's not your fault and I shouldn't have gotten mad at you. I'm sorry, I'm the one who should be apologizing to you for treating you the way I did. And the only reason I got mad at you is I guess because I was jealous of you." She explained while glancing down at the ground.
"What!? Jealous of me? How come?" Naruto questioned her widening his eyes with bewilderment and disbelief.
"You and Sasuke have a stronger relationship than we do. You could never love me the way you love him and you're not even brothers." She told him sadly.
"What!? Don't be ridiculous! Sakura, even before I knew that you were my sister I still loved you. Sasuke might be my best friend but so are you." He told her before he dug inside his pocket and took out the locket. "It just makes our relationship even more special now that I know you really are my sister." He told her. "And it's good to know that I finally found you at last. Here, Mom wanted me to give this to you so you could finally have it back." He told her smiling warmly at her.
Sakura smiled before she took it away from him. "Thanks Naruto, it really means a lot to me." She told him before she put it around her neck.
"There, now you really do look like a beautiful bride." Naruto told her. "Well except for one thing." He said before he reached up into the tree and picked a cherry blossom and then tied it into her hair. "There! Perfect!" he exclaimed with a giggle as Sakura smiled back at him while Sasuke smiled at her. Then before he knew it, Naruto found himself inside a tight embrace as she flung her arms around him tightly. Naruto closed his eyes and hugged her back deepening the embrace before they finally broke out of it a few minutes later.
"Say, what are we standing around here for?" Naruto questioned. "Race you back to the car." He told her. "First one there gets to ride shotgun." He told her as the two of them exchanged grins.
"And the last one there is a rotten egg!" Sakura exclaimed before they took off running and laughing while Sasuke smiled at them while he watched them before he stifled a laugh and shook his head and then started walking away.