So, hello weasels... This is by far my latest update I think, not counting the ones while Tango was dead... But anyway I feel really happy because the reason for this hiatus because I finally graduated and I am utterly happy about it; I wrote the next chapter and I guess I'll refer to some of the reviews at the end of this chapter for now I just want to say: Thank you for your support and reviews, the time you take to read and appreciate my work...

This chapter was hard to write but only because i had so much to do that i barely had time to do it...

Please enjoy weasels and don't forget to leave a review! :)

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36

Her secret

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Gaara stared at Naruto's wide eyes; he seemed to be really astounded as his blue eyes roamed the headband that had been handed over to him.

Sasuke had a deep frown on his forehead and he wanted nothing else than to yell for everything to be explained; his black orbs went to Sakura for she had the same wild look on her face and he confirmed there was something he ignored when she stood and extended her trembling hand over to Naruto.

"May I… May I take a look at that?" she questioned lightly.

Sasuke took a deep breath and tried to remain calm and settled while he waited for them to explain what this nonsense was about; Naruto's eyes looked at her and ever so slowly he handed the red headband.

Sakura grabbed it and inspected it with her most analytical thoughts; she sat and pressed a hand on her forehead trying to make something out of this situation.

"I've read enough and our intelligence department as well. Our first course of action was to discuss this over with Konoha." Gaara said in his toneless voice. "This was successfully recovered after one of our teams went to scout the area; they encountered trouble with the group just like I was informed you were." He added; this time Sasuke couldn't help but narrow his eyes at the Kazekage.

"Is this from an unidentified Village?" he asked in his most annoyed tone; next to him Shikamaru snorted and reclined in his chair.

"So there's actually something Uchiha Sasuke ignores…" he mocked and immediately received a glare from Sasuke.

"It not an unidentified Village…" Naruto said in a worried voice; his eyes still locked on the headband.

"It is from a Village we thought dead…" Sakura added as she traced her index finger over the spiral carved on the metal, but suddenly she shook her head and stood again as she looked at the Kazekage. "What are you going to do?" she asked rather harshly; Gaara and his sibblings seemed equally surprised and then Baki stood to argue.

"You are in no place to talk like that to Kazekage-sama!" he pointed his finger at her and she gritted her teeth together.

"There must be a reason they are attacking at random!" she was only worried what the Kazekage might do to these people.

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto stared at her in awe almost like that time he had learned she had gone through a deep research just to beat another scientist about his capabilities.

"Yes." Gaara replied as he raised his hand to Baki so he'd seat back down. "There must be a reason and that's why I've treated this as top secret information until I could meet with Naruto." He said softly watching as she blushed and sat back down. "We will take part for the scouting part for as long as we can, but I still believe this concerned him even more than it did me or this Village." His features softened upon her and a real small and almost imperceptible smile took over his face.

"I beg your pardon, Kazekage-sama…" Sakura said lowering her eyes so she could avoid any more embarrassment. "I was out of line there…"

"It is understandable and there's no need for you to apologize. Since I know how important it is to protect everything related to your Hokage for you." She could've sworn there was a slight hint on his voice when he said "Hokage", but it was not like Gaara to throw hints at people.

"Whatever… What will be the next course of action against these people?" Sasuke all but groaned at them with a deep frown; this time Shikamaru refrained from making any comments, but a smirk was still on his lips.

"Against them?" Gaara questioned still not believing the Uchiha ignored the information. "I believe nothing will go against them…" his eyes darted to Naruto who only nodded back.

"Thank you, Gaara…" he said. "I'll still need at least a week to gather my tactical team; some of them are away on missions, but as soon as I get them together I'll be gone there…" he said and Gaara nodded.

"I'll still send a group to scout. It would do no good if they are discovered by another Village." Gaara added and then with an unusual long sigh he stood from his chair. "That would be all for now; you're all dismissed." He said and the rest nodded in agreement.

As they exited the room; Sasuke wasted no time and approached Sakura who was still sitting and staring down at the headband; he snatched it and she glared up at him.

"Very mature of you, Sasuke…" she mocked and rolled her eyes; Sasuke grabbed her arm and prevented her from leaving.

"Explain." He ordered and she rolled her eyes again.

"You see this all the time in your uniform and you still ignore its origins?" she snorted and he narrowed his eyes at her. "This is from a long lost village and a lost clan… sort of…" she dragged looking at the headband with worry. "The Uzumaki clan used to wear this headband."

Sasuke raised his eyebrow and then looked down at the headband with renewed interest; he had seen it in his uniform, but just like everyone else has suspected he ignored its origins…

"So that's why the fool was so smitten with this." He said and Sakura sighed…

"Yeah; I bet this was shocking to him." She bit her lower lip.

Oh… there'll be more for him to be shocked about…

Shut up! We are not even sure about it yet!

"Oi, Sakura!" she snapped out of her thoughts as someone poked her forehead rather harshly.

"Hey!" she complained and looked on to see Sasuke with a deep glare and Naruto staring at her with a confused face.

"We were talking to you… But you seemed a bit distracted… Is everything alright, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked and she blushed.

If only he could read your mind!

"I'm sorry… is just this new discovery." She waved her hands around. "You must be really shocked, Naruto." She said and watched as he took a deep intake of air.

"Yes, but I am really excited about it; they know me after all and the last time they saw us they stopped their attack, so I guess it should be fine to meet them again." He grinned and she relaxed a bit; he always tended to see the bright side of everything.

Oh, I bet he'll be seeing stars with our news…

Sakura grimaced at the thought of telling him; truth be told she was a bit anxious and somehow she felt a bit worried of his reaction; she could seriously understand Matsuri and she needed to share it with someone…

"I'll go to my room to cool off… If there's something new be sure to tell me…" Sasuke grunted tugging at the neck of his shirt and then walking away from them; Sakura's skin crawled and she felt suddenly cold in Naruto's overwhelming presence.

"Can we talk in private?" he asked her as soon as Sasuke was gone and she felt the pressure of everything that had happened between them overpowering her senses.

"I guess…" She dragged feeling drained; sure in the past she had felt things… felt emotions towards people; Sasuke and Naruto were the main drainable subjects in her life, but Naruto seemed to be absorbing her whole being with just his presence.

As they walked outside the building and down the street heading for Sakura's quarters he noticed the vacant look in her eyes and then the way she bit on her thumb, much like Tsunade did when she was worried.

"Don't worry about it, Sakura-chan! Everything will be fine, believe it!" he said with a grin that totally annoyed her; this was just so like him to be relaxed about every single thing in life.

"You don't know that, Naruto!" she snapped and he flinched. "They could be really bad people; you being a good person don't make everyone else in this planet to be like you… Seriously…" she sighed. "You need to think things through for once in your life and stop popping out of nowhere to talk about love and second chances…" she chastised not even looking at him.

"Why is it bothering you so much?" he asked with a deep grimace, feeling like a little kid lectured by his mother.

"Because!" She yelled and then took a deep breath. "I'll tell you something, but you cannot say anything about it…" she got closer to him and whispered this making sure no one was hearing them.

"Sure!" he whispered back leaning down a bit so she could speak lower.

"Matsuri-chan is pregnant…"

"What?!" his voice boomed and she slapped her hand on his mouth as some people turned their heads to look at him.

She spotted the door to her quarters and pulled him quickly inside. Closing the door behind her and then leaning to see through the peephole for any followers; she was getting paranoid.

"How's that even possible?!" he asked in a desperate murmur; Sakura gave him a puzzled look.

"Why is it bothering you so much?!" she retorted back placing her hands on her hips.

"Because Gaara was seeing her! And when he learns that she's pregnant he'll be broken!" Naruto was panicking and it was not even funny.

"Naruto… what makes you think Matsuri-chan's baby is not his?" she narrowed her eyes at him and he widened his eyes.

"Oh…" he seemed speechless for a moment and then let his body fall on the couch; she sat in front of him on the coffee table.

"Yes. She told me this morning at that was why I was late for the meeting." She said and then started to think about her suspicions. "Matsuri-chan was worried about Gaara's reaction to the news; she thought Gaara might be not happy about it because of how hard everything has been for him…" she explained and Naruto nodded.

"I see…" he mumbled and then another grin. "He'll be fine… and Matsuri-chan as well, she'll be taken care of… I think he will even keep her in bed so she won't strain herself!" he laughed and Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"Naruto, she's pregnant, not sick." She said and Naruto shrugged.

"Kunoichi are so thickheaded… Missions are dangerous and strenuous work out of the question as well. It is just the way I see it…" he said again; the smile was still playing on his lips.

"So… if one of your kunoichi… let's say… Ino gets pregnant…" she dragged with narrowed eyes.

"She'd be off duty, of course!" he said missing the way she swallowed thickly. "Is Ino pregnant?" he suddenly asked and Sakura rolled her eyes.

"No… but you know she'll probably marry, right?" She said by means of changing the conversation to a supposedly safe side; though this seemed even scarier.

"Oh, Shikamaru mentioned something, but yes; he was to be back in 3 days though now I guess he'll have to wait." He took a deep breath and then silence fell over them.

She seemed to noticed the absence of words after a moment and lifted her head to meet his eyes; he was looking at her; no a trace of the previous smile on his face and she felt the room suddenly cramped; her whole body stiffened.

"Why did you leave?" he asked.

She felt a shiver running down her spine; even sitting like he was; relaxed and fresh he was causing major wreck in her system; he intimidated her like no one else did…

"Naruto let's not-"

"Yes, we will… Why did you leave, Sakura?" the absence of suffix made her lower her eyes to her lap only then noticing her knees where between his opened legs; he had grown up so much that she could no longer ignore it.

"I promised I wouldn't do anything to endanger your relationship with Hinata…" She said with a little voice and not meeting his eyes; it was important that they got to understand everything. "I promised that as a friend I would encourage you to do great things, Naruto and accept your decision whenever they made you happy, but…" she looked up to see his eyes; the blue of the storms. "I failed you and… I did the unthinkable." She bit her lower lip to prevent more words; she knew there were no more tears inside her.

"It wasn't as if you did it alone, Sakura-chan… You think so little of me that I'd do something like that if I was truly in love with Hinata?" he asked and she shook her head no in frustration.

"This is not about you, Naruto…" she stood from the table and paced around the small stance. "I kept trying to reach… No matter what I did after so many confessions on your side when I finally gathered enough courage to confess on my own you-"

"Thought it was a joke…" he said as he stood from the couch; she opened her mouth several times, but no words came out. "I am sorry." He lowered his eyes in shame and she gave a desperate snort.

"No! Don't apologize!" she said in anger. "I really try for this to be taken seriously! I know what people must think or what our closest friends might think of me! To confess in such a moment could only seem like a joke… a cruel joke… a lie." Her voice was filled with bitter venom that made him feel really bad. "You'll always be Naruto; the hero, the great friend, the strongest man alive, the hokage, the perfect man… Sasuke will always be the rival, the foe turned friend, the traitor that defied you, the strongest man our hokage ever fought, our Hokage's best friend, the man I used to love…" she said in that same vinegar coated voice; he frowned at her words simply staring.

"Sakura-chan…"

"I'll always be Sakura; the eyesore in every fight you had, a whimsical woman, the weak part of the team, the doctor because her brains was the only thing that worked, the woman that confessed her feelings to you out of a whim." She finished feeling a bit dizzy. "So, please don't apologize because that would mean that you think you did something wrong, but no… You're…" she waved her hand at him not able to conjure the right word… "Perfect."

"No one's perfect, Sakura-chan and… you're not anything of what you said; so what if we became stereotypes for people; only we, team seven, know the truth behind our actions and stories." He took a few steps forward seeing her so tough and dry; she seemed made of steel at this point, no tears at sight. "Far from being weak I think it takes a lot of strength to endure everything you did; to stand next to me, next to us… Kakashi, Sasuke and me… to see the way we fell and how we seemed to die every second. I am happy nothing ever happened to you; I know I wouldn't have had the courage to simply stand and take care of you… when we all seemed broken beyond repair…" he said and watched as something snapped in her face.

She seemed to be remembering something; or maybe simply counting on the several times she had to heal every single wound in their bodies and minds to make them walk and think again.

"You're strong… inhumanly so…" he smiled at her; her eyes acquired a glassy tint and he thought she might start crying. "But not only that, yes you're physically strong, but also smart and careful, you think things through when I don't… You succeed in everything we fail…"

"I still can't beat you, Naruto. Or Sasuke… or Kakashi-sensei…" She reminded and he nodded.

"Not at a fight. But you have kicked our asses in so many different aspects and you don't even realize… What's so great about Sasuke and me if we can only beat ourselves with fists?" he said and she widened her eyes only a bit. "You have done your best trying to beat me in the field, Sakura-chan that you blindfolded yourself thinking that you couldn't be my rival because you were weak and then you did it again thinking you couldn't be my friend because you thought you were too little for me…" he said and she blushed…

"How…-"

"You never stopped to ask me what I wanted from you…" he smiled at her and then placed his big hand on her pink head. "But then again that's just like you… You do things the way you think them right; and most part of the time you're right about them, just this time please let me help you." He whispered looking down at her big green eyes.

"Naruto…"

"I don't need a rival, Sakura-chan… and I believe I have too many friends; including you." His hand pushed a few strands of pink hair behind her ear. "I just need you to love me… I don't have reasons to believe you're lying to me… I never had them and I never will… I still love you, Sakura-chan…" he said.

She felt her shoulders relaxing and her legs as well; it was like she had finally reached completion in an emotional side; finally synchronized with everything she had ever felt and finally… once and for all… reciprocated.

"Dear lord…" she said as she hugged him around his torso; she just needed this… his warmth and care, to feel important for him, to be able to do this without having to be drunk or asleep and dreaming.

She felt his arms enveloping her as well and keeping her close to his body; he too felt at peace now he just needed to keep her there, because now he knew she liked to run form things she didn't understand or things that scared her; he could still take anything from her, but he truly wished she'd stop running from her own feelings.

As she held on to him she started to dread other things; like his words earlier when he had said what he thought of Matsuri-chan's situation; she wouldn't simply stay in bed for nine months like an incapacitated person when she was raised and prepared to be a kunoichi, sick or not, pregnant or not…

Would it really be so wise to tell him about her pregnancy?

The whole tactical team was gathering soon to leave for this mission… this really important mission for the Hokage and she was to be left out of it just because she was pregnant?

She was not even showing yet, but she knew him all the more now… were he to know this; he wouldn't let her move from Suna…

No… she'd keep it for herself until the mission was over…

Yes… that's my best choice…

If you think so…

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Nice Rant!

Hope you enjoyed and if you did please leave a review if you didn't fell free to walk out of the story...

Rainbow China, who was too lazy to log in...: lol The line at the end was the way Sakura realized that the feeling she's getting from the heat of her supposedly called flu, is the very same she gets from Naruto because of the Fox's chakra. Hope it clears it and sorry for the long wait!

Blackwolf501: thanks for all the observations and your comments, i really appreciate you review and then I really try to update often, but I have a hectic life out of this page and it gets the best of me at times; anyway, thanks for your review!

DefinitelyNotATurnip: I am sorry if it felt that way... I just tend to write when I can and maybe it was just the chapter, because sometimes i reach a point in which I have to write a chapter that won't be as interesting, but important for the plotline, at least in my head... I really try with my grammar issues lol and my poor eyesight which i am DefinitelyNotUsingAsAnExcuse! lol Anyway thank you for reading and reviewing!

Nethis: The way you feel I share! Totally agreed!

Ramen and Cherries: thank you for the nice words and the encouraging; you really made me feel all fuzzy and shy lol all with the dear and darling stuff and for a moment i thought it was my grandma's talking (no offense! lol) Thank you!

Thanks to all of you: Majindra! My anonymous guests, celebimew100, Kor Anders, mdtiger, canonOTP, Nerd4life, Fanwoman! bloodyrosesbrokenspirits, peepsmaniac, unknown98, maxslayer10, Spartan1, harunomaki, inubabygirl1, (uh the guy who suicided or whatever...), SorrowoftheHeart! ruuki, aaa, happy every day life, Silent Bunshin, lavinia29andreea, Mangaka Shuzen, Deadman19!

raidersfan777: that had to be the longest review you've ever left me! jajajaja I am glad i made you happy with the chapter and seriously hope you'll keep on reading.

RandomMOFO: LOL your name made me laugh, anyway because of the length of your review i got a bit confused at times i think you actually like the story and are just commenting on what you think will happen and then all of a sudden i think ok no... he doesn't like it... and i go back to okay... and then whatever I'll just say thank you... good or bad you read it and reviewed and thank you for your time... As I said before It is my plot... if you don't like it or think it is " a load of shit" then you can go and write your own... but seriously you got me all confused... anyway...

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See ya, weasels! :)