There was a knock on the door, stirring Sakura from sleep as she sat up slowly. The door opened softly and a red-headed woman entered.

"Hi," Sakura greeted. "Are you another friend of mine?"

Karin bit her lip as she shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, yes. Kind of. My name is Karin."

"Kind of?" Sakura wondered as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"I feel like I need to explain myself to you. I'd feel better knowing if you knew the truth."

"What truth?"

"I helped in your kidnapping."

Sakura looked at her, mouth agape.

"You...what? Why?"

"I was...obsessed with Sasuke," she said. "I met him in the Forest of Death during the Chunin Exams and he saved my life. Then I met him again after he became a missing-nin and I changed for the worst. I believed he belonged to me and I grew jealous when I found out he had settled down with you."

"Karin-"

"I was with Kuromaru at the time and I wanted you to suffer. It didn't take much convincing to get Kuromaru to target you and we captured you."

"What happened to me?" Sakura asked.

"Sakura-"

"What did he do to me, Karin?" Sakura growled.

"While I was there, he and his friends tortured you. Whipped you, broke your bones, mind-raped you to find out any weaknesses that Sasuke and Naruto might have. They were your husband and best friend as well as your teammates. You were in charge of their medical examinations and so if anyone knew how to bring them down, it would have been you."

"And you said we were kind of friends?" Sakura wondered. "Why would I befriend someone who caused me so much pain, who attacked my daughter?"

"I don't know," Karin answered. "It confused me, too. You decided to trust me, even with you the twins lives."

"I did what?"

Karin nodded. "After a while, we became friends and I helped to plan your escape once the twins were born but you were convinced you wouldn't make it. You almost died but I shared some of my blood with you and it was enough for you to use to heal yourself, yet you were too weak to make the journey. You begged me to run with the twins, to bring them back here to Konoha and I did."

Sakura was silent as she tried to remember anything.

"Sakura?"

"I don't know what to say," Sakura answered. "Without my memories, I don't hold any biased opinions. Part of my wants to thank you for saving my sons if what you say is to be believed but the other part of me wants to punch you for putting me in that situation to begin with."

"I-I'm sorry."

"Please...I'd like to be alone for now."

Karin nodded and headed for the door but stopped herself before her hand grasped the knob.

"Sakura...I hold no illusions that what Kuromaru did to you while I was away is most likely horrific. I believe it'll be both mentally and emotionally scarring. You might think it's terrible having lost all your memories but is remembering the trauma of what Kuromaru did to you worth the pain and suffering?"

She turned back to Sakura who watched her intently.

"You could make new memories, happier ones. You know you have a loving family and you can get to know your friends all over again. You're happy right now but I'm worried that when you get back your memories of your time with Kuromaru and I, it'll change you."

When Sakura didn't answer, Karin turned back to the door, opening it.

"Just something to think about."

"Do you really think it was a good idea to allow Karin to see Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

"We saw it ourselves. Sakura befriended her and I have no doubt the Sakura we knew would have wanted to see her."

Sasuke remained silent for a moment before finally speaking.

"Was she right?"

Naruto and Tsunade turned to the Uchiha.

"About not recovering her memories?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke nodded. "Would she be happier not knowing whatever hell Kuromaru put her through?"

Tsunade shook her head. "My apprentice would want to remember everything, the good and bad. They defined the person that she became."

Sasuke frowned and looked back at Sakura who was still mulling over Karin's words.

"Either way, that is not our decision to make. It is Sakura who must choose to remember or not. We can't force her to remember if she doesn't wish to, neither can we take away the option to remember."

Sakura stayed up that night, thinking about Karin's words.

'Is she right?' She wondered. 'Should I really be so eager to remember what is most likely the worst time of my life?'

She turned onto her side, blinking in the darkness.

'While I don't remember my time with Kuromaru, I also don't remember Sarada, Natsu and Itaru's births. Sarada's first steps, her first word, her first day at school. Am I really okay with that?'

Feeling another headache coming on, she closed her eyes and fell into a restless sleep.

Finally, she was released from the observation room and was returned to her shared home with Sasuke and their children.

'Our children,' Sakura thought strangely. 'I still can't believe I had children...'

As the walked the streets, many greeted Sakura with smiles and well wishes, people Sakura knew she should have known.

She looked over at the man who was now moving around the kitchen to fix her and Sarada dinner after laying the twins down for the night in the nursery.

'...or that I married such an emotionally challenged man.'

Sarada disappeared into a room, only to return with a book.

An album to be more specific.

"This is our family photo album," Sarada explained, smiling at her mother.

Sitting with her, Sarada opened it and flipped through the pages.

The first one was of their wedding. Sakura stared in wonder at the pictures that solidified their claims of her marriage. She stared at herself in the photos, glowing with happiness and love.

Out of the many photos of their wedding, Sasuke acknowledged the camera twice. One was with both of them as the newly weds. She was smiling brightly with Sasuke beside her, almost glaring at the photo. The other was of all their friends together. Everyone was smiling, with the exception of Sasuke, Shino and probably Kakashi, considering he wore a mask.

As they went further into the photos, there were pictures of Sakura with her friends who were weirdly pregnant around the same time. The pictures went on and on as Sakura got bigger then after she was born and growing up. While the pictures helped her to form that maternal bond with Sarada that she was missing, she couldn't help but notice the distinct emptiness the photos seemed to project.

Sasuke wasn't there.

"Sarada, go wash up before dinner is ready," Sasuke spoke.

"Okay, papa!"

As Sarada ran off to do as she was asked, Sakura lightly drummed her fingers on the table, contemplating her words.

"Sasuke," she called.

Sasuke looked at her over his shoulder from his place at the stove. Sakura eyed him for a moment before she continued.

"You weren't around a lot, were you?"

Sasuke watched her, unsure of what to say before looking back at the stove and continuing to toss the vegetables.

"Hn."

"Words, Sasuke," Sakura spoke, rolling her eyes. "I might have understood you before, but in case you forgot, I forgot the Uchiha dictionary."

"No," Sasuke corrected. "I wasn't around a lot."

"Why?"

"I did a lot of bad things in my life," Sasuke said, repeating her words from the other day. "I was so full of hate, it blinded me to the world around me. I wanted to be a better person and so I chose to travel the world to see it with a new, lighter perspective."

"But you came home," Sakura answered. "You came back home to me, yes? We got married, I got pregnant. Were you here with me during that pregnancy?"

"No."

"How often were you here with me...with us?"

"I'd visit every couple of months."

"For how long?"

"A couple of days, sometimes a week."

"What was the longest amount of time you spent away from us?"

"Eleven months."

Sasuke could hear the accusation in her voice, in her gaze despite having his back to her.

Sakura ground her teeth before Sarada came running back and dinner was served.

The two adults were quiet as Sarada found many different stories of her life to tell Sakura who nodded with a smile every so often.

Once dinner was over, Sakura grabbed the plates and began washing them.

"You don't have to do that," Sasuke intervened.

"I'll help her!" Sarada jumped in and rushed to help Sakura who smiled down at her.

Sasuke sat there, watching them as they washed and dried the dishes before he went for a shower. When he finished, the dishes were completed and Sarada was turning in for the night.

"Goodnight, Mama, Papa!"

Sakura kissed Sarada's cheek. "Goodnight, Sarada."

Sasuke pet Sarada's hair. "Goodnight."

When she disappeared into her bedroom, it left the estranged married couple alone in an awkward silence.

Sakura sighed as she stood. Sasuke followed her to the bedroom and watched as she moved around, grabbing a blanket and a pillow.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm sleeping on the couch."

"Sakura, we're married. You don't have to do that-"

"Sasuke, please," Sakura stopped him, putting her hands up and out towards him. "Yes, we're married but I don't remember you so the idea of being alone with you makes me uncomfortable."

"Then let me take the couch," Sasuke offered.

"It's fine. I don't mind. This is your room and I'll probably watch a little TV before going to sleep anyway."

Sakura turned and walked back out but paused just outside the doorway.

"If I hadn't been taken, would you be here right now? With Sarada and I?"

"Sakura-"

"Would you be here?" Sakura asked firmly.

"...no. Not if I didn't receive a messenger hawk."

Sakura nodded with a click of her tongue and spun around.

"Sakura, wait-"

The pinkette turned back to her with something akin to disgust in her eyes.

"You have been absent for a majority of Sarada's life...our marriage even," she hissed out. "And you just told me that if I hadn't been attacked- if nothing had gone wrong, you wouldn't even be here right now. You might have come back when the twins were born but you were gone."

"I know. I fucked up and I-"

"Give me one reason," Sakura spat. "If I never regain my memories, give me one goddamn reason why I shouldn't get a fucking divorce?"

Essentially stunned into silence, Sasuke could just stare at his wife.

When his silenced panned out for over a minute, Sakura scoffed and walked away.

"That's what I thought."

Sorry for the delay everyone.

I've been busy preparing for my onstage assessment in my acting course.

I've gotta do a lot of things like be a sloth, be a flower, grow from a seed into a flower, the emotional journey of a liquid (I'm oil by the way) and other weird shit.

Crazy right?

-Flails around like a retard- OMG GAIDEN IS FINISHED!

I. FUCKING. TOLD YA!

Karin, you are NOT the mother!

Muahahahahhahaha

But come on guys, let's be honest, we all saw this coming xD

I mean Karin? Really?

Yep, Sakura is indeed the mother of Sarada and the DNA test was a match because it was Sarada's own umbilical cord.

Does anyone else find it weird that Karin keeps a piece of that in her desk just coz?

-cuckoo-

Also, this chapter is for you Sibrael who said in a review 'I feel it would have been better to have Sakura's current situation with Sasuke explained to her and for Sakura then to turn to Sasuke and ask him point blank "Even if I do regain my memories, why the fuck shouldn't I get a divorce?"'

You gave me this idea and here you go. For you.

Also, to ScarletteLee.

You, my dear, made me cry.

Your review was so touching, I've shown it to my friends because it meant a lot to me. I want you to know that I read every review because I check almost every day for a new review after every new chapter. This is my shout out to you. Thank you so much for your review. I find myself rereading it when I needed the extra push to finish this chapter.

That goes for everyone. Thank you for your reviews and know that I do read them and like with this chapter, I take suggestions.

This chapter was hard. I'm not sure why. Maybe because Sakura needed to angry? I'm not sure.

Annnnnnnd

I was thinking of maybe doing a Youtube channel since my rants are so AMAZING xD

Jks.

Just an idea.

You don't see many female anime reviewers.

I love Double4anime.

He's funny xD

Also to the guy that had told me to get rekt.

Eat a dick bro coz SS is NOT dead, ITS CANNON -guitar solo and confetti everywhere-

Ahhh

It's good xD

Alright, well, enjoy this chapter and I'll try to start on the next chapter.

ALSO!

I'm already planning a new fic which I'm really excited about.

I was watching Naruto pre-ship for inspiration on a part of this story some time ago and I was watching the episode where Sakura is fighting the Sound team while Naruto and Sasuke are unconscious in the Forest of Death?

I was thinking about re-writing the whole Narutoverse going on 'What if Ino never jumped in to save her? What if Sakura had looked up during her major beating to see Ino and her team and watch as Ino turned away from her?'

How much would things change?

Personally, I think they would change drastically. Sakura would turn bitter and hateful after her ex-bestfriend/rival left her to die. Betrayal is a good supply for hate.

What do you think about that upcoming fic?

Reviews because you all know how much I love them!

- Mee 3