Chapter 12: Here to Stay, Don't Make Me Leave

Flashback – Sakura POV

"Sakura, it's you." My father announced with a sick, gleeful smile upon his face.

I paled and fear twisted my stomach into knots. "I-I don't want to. Don't make me." I pleaded. "I don't want to go. I want to stay." I insisted.

My mom sniggered. "Don't talk as if you actually have a choice in this. The shaman is offering us 200 gold pieces if we accept to sacrifice you. I'm hardly turning that down."

I shivered in my thin robe, "Don't you know what they're going to do to me?" I demanded through clenched my teeth. "The Water God is a horrible monster who devours mortals! You're going to put me through that?"

My father approached me, his face downturned with a glower. He raised his hand and brought it down on my cheek with a loud sting. I recoiled backwards. "The Water God?" he spat out with disgust. "He doesn't exist; everybody in the damn village knows that. They're so desperate they're willing to pin their hope on a myth!

"You're wrong." I whispered out.

My mother shrugged, her bony shoulders rising up and down. "It doesn't matter. Whether there is a god or not we still get our money."

I was about to retort back but the door opened with a swing and my little sister, Sayuri stepped through with a bright smile on her chubby face. Her face darkened as she saw me on the ground. "Onii-chan?" she whispered.

I covered the bruise on my face, "I'm fine, Sayu. Go to your room."

My father turned to his little daughter, "Sayu! Great news, Sakura has been chosen to be sacrificed to the Water God." He sang out.

Sayu's bottom lip trembled and horror crossed her face. "Sakura-chan? Does that mean you're going to die?"

I tried to smile but it came out as more of a grimace, "I'll be fine." I repeated. But it was more to reassure myself. Would I be okay?

My mother glared at me, "Do not lie, Sakura. Sayuri dear, she won't be fine. And yes, she will die. That's just how things will have to work out if we want to live happily. That's just the price we have to pay." She snarled it out.

Sayu trembled, her body shaking with what I thought at first had been sadness but when she lifted her head, her face showed an emotion of pure anger. She launched herself at my mother and tore at her clothes and her hair. "I hate you! I hate you!" she cried over and over as my mother's yells grew louder and louder.

I could only watch, frozen, my body wouldn't move. My father let out an angry curse and he shoved Sayuri off my mother's body. He swooped down like a vulture and picked up Sayu's little body. "I'll teach you a lesson." He roared out, his eyes bloodshot.

My mouth moved, "Father! Don't hurt her!" I struggled to stand and chase after me but he knocked me down once more with a heavy blow of his fist.

Her wails and screams were the last thing I heard before I blacked out.

End Flashback.

Sasuke POV-

"I hate it." I replied boredly as a handmaiden showed me a sample artwork. "Tell Sai that the next time he wants to make a sales pitch, it better be worth my time." The handmaiden ducked her head meekly and fled the room.

I sighed; this was a complete waste of time. I was sitting in the foyer of my palace with Naruto. This morning I was supposed to be preoccupied with Sai's art show but all of them were different colored self-portraits. That guy was the epitome of narcissism.

Naruto snickered, "Harsh. Just the way you always are, you've never changed." He paused, "That is until Sakura-chan came."

I raised an eyebrow, "How so?" I demanded.

"Eh, come on Sasuke. You've gotten soft." He pointed a finger at me in an almost accusing way. "She's making your heart all warm and squishy!" he poked me in the ribcage.

I rolled my eyes and let out a disgusted scoff, "Idiot, my heart's not there." I shook my head, why was this guy my best friend? "I'll be on my way, it's almost 12."

He blinked, surprised. "What about preparations for Ino's birthday? I thought we were going to get her present."

I groaned as I remembered that it was her birthday in 2 days. "Yeah, about that…I'll get started on it tomorrow. I have to meet Sakura today." I replied shortly.

"Oohh…that's right. You have your date with Sa-ku-ra." He teased. "See? I'm right; I've never seen you take anybody to your secret garden. She's special!" he sung out in a high-pitched voice.

God, could he get any more annoying? I eyed the glass of water he was holding and narrowed my eyes. The glass of water exploded with pressure, and water sprayed out onto his face and kimono. Naruto let out a loud yelp but as the water touched his skin, it immediately dried. I glared at him, "Damn, fire god." I muttered.

He snorted, "Don't act like you didn't know that was going to happen." He paused and was silent, a rarity when talking about Naruto Uzumaki. "H-have you noticed anything different about Hinata?"

I shrugged and looked at him curiously. "Where did this come from? Are you guys having trouble?" Naruto and Hinata being together was no secret even though it was looked down upon. However, they had been together for so long that it was hardly scandalous news.

He shook his head, "Nah. She's just been avoiding me lately. I think she may be-pregnant." His face was devoid of any color. Naruto knew what that meant if Hinata was pregnant.

I stopped and grabbed him by the collar, "Are you serious?" I hissed. "Naruto, you said you wouldn't do anything stupid. This qualifies as being stupid!" I growled out. Having a baby born when both parents were unbounded marked the child as a bastard. Having a bastard child spelt out trouble and people would not turn a blind eye to something like this.

Naruto growled, his eyes glowing a ruby red and his teeth sharpened into fangs. Pushing me off of him he let out a feral growl. "I know what it means! She hasn't told me yet. I found the pregnancy test, it was positive of course. Besides, you never know. We might bond before the baby is born." He insisted defensively.

I let out an exasperated sigh, "Listen to yourself, Naruto! 'Might' bond, this isn't guaranteed."

He scowled, "What does it matter? Screw the damn rules that were made during Pervy Sage's time. I don't need rules telling me when I can start a family or not."

My eyes hardened, "You know it's not as easy as that. We're a society built on traditions and ancient rules. They're not going to all of a sudden agree with your reasoning." I replied fiercely.

A soft knock came at the door and Hinata's voice echoed over the silent din, "Naruto-kun. Can I come in?"

Naruto swallowed hard, "What do I do?" he snapped. "Am I just supposed to ignore what I found?"

I cursed under my breath, "Just tell her the truth. Honesty is the best policy." I offered lamely.

He glared at me, "Wow, thanks Confucius. Now my problems are ALL solved."

I shrugged helplessly and just called out to Hinata and let her in. She bowed once she saw me and as she caught sight of Naruto, the color vanished out of her face and her lips parted. Nothing came out and she glanced at me but shook her head. She tried once more and this time the words cametumbling out of her mouth. "Naruto-kun, I'm pregnant."

My jaw dropped and Naruto was speechless hearing the words out of her own mouth. "H-Hinata…" he couldn't say anymore and Hinata winced at his reaction.

"I'm sorry," she breathed. "I didn't know how to tell you but just say it. It was stupid of me to think that this wouldn't happen. I can get rid of the baby if you-"

Naruto grabbed her by the wrist, "We're not getting rid of the baby." He stated confidently and firmly. "We're keeping it, I don't care if we're not bonded yet." He declared.

She went wide-eyed, "Naruto-kun you don't have to do this." She insisted.

He gave her a light smile and gave her a kiss on her cheek, "I want to keep this baby, screw everybody else." Hinata's cheeks tinted a bright red and her hand trailed unconsciously down to her stomach.

A hesitant smile graced her face and she nodded, "Alright." She whispered.

I cleared my throat, "Well, I guess now would be an awkward moment to offer my congratulations, nonetheless, congratulations." I scratched the side of my head, "Guess, I'll get a move on." I nodded awkwardly and stepped out of the room when Naruto and Hinata resumed talking.

I immediately caught sight of Sakura who was staring bemusedly at the ceiling while leaning against the wall. She straightened up when I came out, "How did it go?" she asked anxiously.

I frowned, "What are you doing out here? Aren't you supposed to be up in our room?"

She rolled her eyes, "Forget about that real quick, I was helping out Hinata, did she tell Naruto or not?" she demanded with a haughty flip of her pink hair.

My lip curled, "You're just so stubborn and impatient. Yes, they're okay."

Sakura let out a huge sigh of relief, "Ah, that's good. I was so worried for her, she was a wreck." She muttered while chewing on her lip.

My eyebrow arched, "She went to you?"

"Well, yes." She shrugged, "Actually I heard her crying and got her to tell me what was wrong. And she told me about the-er-baby. Why is it so bad for Naruto and Hinata to be together?" she demanded. "I find it stupid they can't be together." She growled angrily. "Don't you run this place? Can't you do anything?" she searched my face desperately.

I shook my head, "I just run this palace. There's a very strong hierarchy in our society. I don't think I would be able to change all of our traditions."

Her upper lip, jutted out, as it usually did when she was in deep thought. "I see…" she said with a trace of a smirk on her face. A scowl came over my face when I realized what she was thinking.

I rolled my eyes, "Sakura. The society already does not think well of you. You can't be possibly thinking of trying to change things."

She shrugged, "I don't like it." She stated firmly.

Letting out an exasperated sigh I grabbed her by the arm. "Look, I don't either. We'll come up with something, but, right now…it's time for your surprise." I grinned wickedly.

She looked as if she was going to say something further on the issue of Naruto and Hinata but she closed her lips together. "Alright, what is the surprise?" she ventured with a cautious tone.

I smirked, "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you."

Sakura looked at me warily. "Why do I all of a sudden feel very cautious?" she wondered aloud in a teasing manner.

I looked down on her, "Hold on tight." I warned.

Nodding she clung tight to my robes, her knuckles turned white. "Got it." She breathed out.

My eyes closed and I let out a small hiss, feeling the chakra well up within my veins, surging around and circulating throughout my body. Wind whipped around or bodies and it swirled upwards, her cherry blossom locks whipping into my face. I felt my body lift up the floor for a moment and then, I felt the ground underneath me once more.

Opening my eyes, I saw that her eyes were still glue shut, her teeth chattered with the breezy wind still stirring up the air. My hands traveled to her shoulder and I shook her gently. "You can open your eyes now." I exhaled out.

SAKURA POV

I peeked out from underneath my eyelashes and gazed around me with a child-like wonder. We were in a grand garden, but none like I had ever seen before.

Vibrant colors blinded my vision as slowly uncurled my fingers from Sasuke's kimono. I walked around slowly taking every plant, flower, tree in. Large trees with thick, sturdy trunks hung overhead shielding the sky; its green leaves a colorful green. Large plants curled upwards to the heavens with little colorful buds peeking out behind the stem. And the thing that drew Sakura's attention straight away was the flowers. Tulips, roses, daises, violets, chrysanthemums, and sunflowers covered the ground in a thick blanket.

"It's…I'm….speechless." Sakura breathed out. "It's like a little Eden." She twirled around looking at everything with careful observance.

Sasuke walked to her side, "It's as old as me, my mother cultivated at the time of my birth, and I've been maintaining it for her ever since I was able to walk."

I glanced at him with a small smile playing upon my face, "Uchiha Sasuke is a green thumb? I keep learning new things every day." Grinning, I bent over to examine a small red flower that had delicate petals fanned out around a light green stem.

"What's this flower called?" I asked, interest coloring my tone.

He plucked it from the ground and held it up, looking at it solemnly. "This is called the Misery Flower." He answered shortly.

I looked up at him, confusion crossing my face, "The Misery Flower?" I repeated. "Why?" I persisted.

He threw up the flower in the air and as the flower glided back downwards in his palm, he fisted his fingers together, crushing the small red petals. The red juice trickled down his skin, like a bloody stream. His eyes went blank, "This is the flower that allows a mortal to turn immortal." He answered me quietly.

A silence followed and I struggled to reply back. "The Misery Flower…" I repeated once more.

He looked upwards, "The chances of surviving after ingesting the Misery Flower is 1 in 10000. Most do not care of the consequences; they are driven for their want for eternal life. This flower has caused so many deaths. The chances of becoming an immortal are slim, but people are willing to gamble their lives. They lose, of course." He chuckled mirthlessly.

"Is that why you don't want me to stay here and turn?" I enquired softly.

He slowly nodded and unclenched his fingers letting the broken flower fall to the ground. "There is no way that I'm going to risk your life." He bit out evenly.

I was silent for a second. "Does that you mean you care for me?" my eyes widened as I surprised even myself for asking him this. I still wanted to hear his answer.

He cocked his head to the side and stared at me with his onyx eyes, "More than I'd like to admit." He smirked with a bitter smile on his face. "You need to go back to your village." He ordered softly. "Before I grow even more attached to you, if that happened, I'd be more tempted to turn you." His face was inches apart from mine and I felt his hot breath on my face.

"I don't want to go back." I declared slowly.

His eyes went wide with surprise, "You don't want to go back?" he repeated with disbelief.

I nodded once. "Don't make me go back." My tone was almost begging. "I don't want to go back, I just want to stay." The thought of home was distant; the only thing that mattered was being here because I felt more alive here than I ever did when I was back home at the village. I would get Mikoto to protect my little sister back at home. But right now, I wanted to escape that part of my life; I never wanted to go back there. I wanted to stay here with Sasuke. If that was the wrong thing to do, it sure as hell felt like the farthest thing from wrong.

He stepped back and uttered a low curse under his breath, "Do you know how difficult that makes this?" he demanded in a low voice. I ignored him and shrugged.

All thought left my mind and I stepped closer to him, my hands found their place on his broad shoulders. Sasuke let out a small hiss and shook his head, "Sakura. I already told you why this can't happen."

"I wasn't listening." I replied with a small smile, only meaning to tease him just a bit. I was carefree now, my mood lightening considerably.

He glared at me and for a second I thought that he was going to lecture me once more but he leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine with such force that nearly put me off balance. Sasuke pulled apart and I breathed hard, trying to regain my breath. I grinned, "Why can't this happen again?"

He smirked and leaned forward to whisper in my ear, "It's complicated." He replied hotly. "I'll explain it you later. Is that alright with you?"

My breath caught in my throat as he leaned down again to kiss me feverishly.

What did he think I was going to say? NO? Hell no.

This was alright with me on so many levels.

A/N: Hola mi amigaaas :) What's up? I've been gone for a little bit longer, hope you guys didn't mind! Here is chapter 12, ENJOYYYY!

FYI: Sakura is 19. Sasuke is 251 years old, BUT he looks like a 22 year old. Itachi isn't all that evil, he'll be more in this story and so will the whole pregnant Hinata plot. It's not done yet, don't worry :) !

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Finish line- thank you also for your really kind words! I'm glad I had you squealing, swooning and …twitching. No idea why you were twitching LOLOL , I hope that's a good thing. I'm also touched that you read this at four in the morning? I mean c'mon you need the sleep! Don't waste your precious sleep on this! And OMG, if you could draw a doujinshi on this *_* I would be so…effing happy and excited. PLEASE DO IT. MUCH LOVEEE!

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