So I know I said I was taking a break, but I was suddenly overwhelmed by the need to write, I decided to continue on anyways! Truthfully, seeing some of the very sweet comments you guys left me was also very encouraging and motivated me to keep at it, so I think you guys for that!! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, has some cute and fun Sasusaku moments I think you will all enjoy!
.
.
.
The next morning, Sasuke woke up to the sun shining through the window and a mouthful of Sakura's hair. Sakura slumbered next to him as he tried to remove the pink strands from his mouth. When he was finally free, he scooted close to her and whispered, "Sakura, wake up."
Sakura moaned in reply and turned away from him. Sasuke looked at her back and recalled his dream last night with Itachi. It had been a while since he really thought about the prospect of 'reviving the clan', he wasn't even sure that's something Sakura wanted to be apart of.
He would have to visit the family vault when the mission was over to see if the heirlooms were still there. Frankly, Sasuke never kept track of that kind of stuff and considered it useless. But if it meant something to his family, then he had no choice but to value it.
Sasuke focused back to the sleeping kunoichi before him, "Sakura, we have to get ready."
Sakura flipped back around and gave him a dirty look. "You wore me out," she whined. She felt sore between her legs and a foggy haze surrounded her head. She could barely even open her eyes to glare at the man in her bed.
Sasuke smirked at her in return, "Well then I did my job."
Sakura scoffed, he was really unbelievable, "You know, as my team captain, the welfare of your teammate should be top priority."
Sasuke bent down and kissed her forehead, "I thought I took very good care of you last night." Sakura rolled her eyes, but she couldn't deny that she enjoyed this side of Sasuke. He was so much more free than usual, and she wanted to soak it all up, cause as soon as they left on their mission it would be back to business.
Sasuke wasn't sure where this new found energy came from, but he used it to get himself out of bed and encourage Sakura to do the same. He pulled on his under garments and watched Sakura stare up at the ceiling.
"Am I making a mistake?" She asked him, Sasuke felt his breath hitch in his throat. Maybe she was second guessing things between them. He suddenly was filled with a quiet anxiety and sat down next to her on the bed.
"Why would you say that?" He asked quietly.
"What if something bad happens while I'm gone?" He looked at her confused and she sat up to face him. "What if we can't save Yoake?"
Relief washed over Sasuke, she wasn't second guessing their relationship. He focused back on her question and said, "Sakura, I know you can save him. You fought so hard to be where we are now, I don't want to see you give up." Sasuke placed his hand on her head and ruffled her hair. It was something his brother did to him as a boy when he needed encouragement.
Sakura smiled, "Thank's Sasuke-kun."
.
.
The sun was high in the sky when Sasuke and Sakura reached the gates of Konoha. However, they were surprised to find they were the first ones to arrive. Next, Ino and Sai arrived with Temari and Shikamaru in tow.
Sasuke forgot the girl from the sand was married to Shikamaru and had permanently moved to Konoha. Shikamaru's are was draped over Temari's shoulder and he listened to Temari talk at her husband as they got closer.
"Shikamaru," she huffed, "please, for the love of god, do not let my hydrangeas die!" The dark haired ninja just rolled his eyes and huffed, which angered the blonde ninja underneath him. "IF I COME BACK AND FIND EVEN ONE WILTED FLOWED, YOU WILL SLEEP ON THE COUCH FOR A MONTH!"
Shikamaru stiffened and put his hands up defensively, "Don't worry Temari, I got this." His reassuring words did nothing to soothe the woman.
She continued to glare at him and said, "You think this is a 'drag' don't you?"
Shikamaru gulped, "No Temari," he tried to recover from her icy stare, "I promise I won't let anything bad happen while you're gone." The couple didn't notice they had an audience until they heard a snicker come from Sai and Ino, who were both thoroughly enjoying the show.
Temari and Shikamaru both blushed bright red and quietly apologized to everyone.
Where was Yamato? Sasuke was just beginning to worry about his older teammate when almost out of thin air, he appeared behind them all. "Glad to see everyone is all here," he said looking to Sasuke for the next bit of guidance.
"Right. Temari is going to be leading us to Suna, so I'm going to let her take charge," Sasuke said as he nodded to Temari. Temari looked quite surprised that the dark haired ninja would concede to her so easily, but she took the gesture kindly and prepared to lead her team.
"Right!" The blonde kunoichi placed her hands on her hips and looked at her team. "I want to travel through the night as much as possible. The summers in The Sand are atrociously hot, so I want to limit our movement as much as possible during the day light."
Sasuke was pleased that Temari wasn't going to make them power through the vicious heat of the summer and nodded in agreement with her. As they prepared to set off, Sasuke watched as Sai and Ino passionately bid each other goodbye. He looked over to see Sakura had also noticed the pair and her cheeks tinged red at the sight. Sasuke chuckled to himself, how could she be so embarrassed considering the things they did last night?
Finally, the two broke from their embrace and the group of ninja set off towards their next destination.
Temari took the lead and Sasuke brought up the rear. Sakura fell in like with Sai and Sasuke watched the two ahead of him run together with a small twinge of jealousy.
He hoped that this mission wouldn't last too much longer because he had plans for the future, and a certain pink haired girl was in them.
.
.
.
Sakura would be lying if she said seeing Ino and Sai's relationship didn't make her jealous. She knew Sasuke would never be that affectionate towards her, especially in public. The public was a bridge they hadn't crossed yet, she had no idea what Sasuke would like from her in public, so she figured distance would be her best option.
Sakura ran side by side with Sai as her companion this time around. Maybe she was just over thinking things, but she figured Sasuke may want some time alone after all the time they spent together recently.
As they ran, Sakura turned to Sai and decided to question his intentions with Ino. "So Sai," she began, "You and Ino are getting pretty serious.." Sai chuckled at her and flashed one of his signature smiles.
"I know you both know my plans to propose," Sakura gasped in shock. How did he find out? "I can't get anything past Ino, but she's doing a great job acting like she doesn't know," he said with a laugh.
Sakura smiled at her clever friend, "So when are you gonna pop the question!?"
"Probably when we get back, I requested time off after this mission so we can be together." Sakura's heart swelled with joy for her friends. Ino was her best friend and she had always prayed for her friends happiness. She was finally having her dream come true.
"Ino will be thrilled, Sai," Sakura said. As they continued running, her mind wandered back to her own love life. Sasuke would probably never propose to her, she would probably have to ask him to marry her. She almost laughed aloud at the thought.
Sai must have sensed where her thoughts had lead her and said, "Don't worry Sakura, things will work out for you too," he reassured. Sakura gave the man a small smile and a nod. But she still wasn't reassured.
Temari suddenly picked up the speed ahead of them and they all had to compensate. "I wanna reach the edge of the Land it fire by nightfall!" she shouted.
They all nodded and picked up the pace as well.
.
.
As the trees thinned, the sun was beginning to set and Temari finally halted. The group settled down at the edge of the Forrest. "Let's rest for a while, then we will continue through the night."
Sakura felt a presence beside her and looked up to see Sasuke staring down into her eyes. "Help me gather firewood?" He asked. Sakura nodded and followed him back into the trees. When they were finally alone Sasuke turned around and placed his hand on her back. Sakura pulled back from him surprised he would do something like that when their teammates weren't that far off.
Sasuke frowned at Sakura's resistance and pulled back once more. He was definitely not used to any kind of rejection from Sakura. He began walking once more and bent down to pick up firewood.
"Sasuke-kun.." Sakura said, but he ignored her and continued his search. "What's wrong?"
"You tell me Sakura," he replied bitterly.
"You just took me by surprise," she mumbled. He turned around and gave her a puzzled look. "I just don't know what you want."
Sasuke laughed, "Oh I think you know what I want," Sakura blushes at his statement.
"We can't do that here," she hissed at him.
"Sakura, I just wanted to be close to you," he bent down with his face close to her own so their noses almost touched. "A simple hug and kiss would suffice. Sakura couldn't believe herself, her ears reddened with embarrassment. To think Sasuke would even want to do that outside.
Suddenly they heard leaves rustling behind them, causing them both to ready themselves for an attack. The bushes moved and somebody pushed forward, only they weren't trying to attack the two.
Sakura realized it was Temari, kneeling in front of them as she heaved and vomited.
"Temari!" Sakura shrieked. "Sasuke, get my bag."
Sasuke nodded and ran back to their campsite to get Sakura's back pack. Sakura ran forward and placed her hand on her friends back and helped her sit up.
"Are you alright?" Sakura began going down her list of worse case scenarios as she waited for Temari's answer.
"I don't know what happened," she panted, " I was feeling just fine, then suddenly I felt as if I was going to vomit." Sakura placed her hand on the blonde Kunoichis head, but didn't sense a fever.
Sasuke returned with her bag and look concerned at the two women on the ground. Sakura dug our a bezoar and had Temari swallow it, only for her to gag and throw up once more. "Temari, I hope you don't have food poisoning. Have you ate anything strange recently?" The blonde girl shook her head and clutched her stomach. She didn't look to be poisoned or fatally ill, so Sakura figured she must be dehydrated.
She pulled out her canteen and put it to Temari's lips, "Drink this, you're probably dehydrated." She sipped the water, then leaned back against the grass with a thud.
"I'll be okay, Sakura," she muttered, "Thank you." Sakura nodded at her friend.
Sasuke stepped closer to them and said, "Are you alright to walk? We should go back to the others." Temari nodded and he stretched out a hand to help her up. She eyed the ninjas hand cautiously, still wary about him, and then took it in her own as she stood up.
"Thanks," she nodded to Sasuke. Sakura smiled at the efforts they were making. She knew Temari had her reservations about Sasuke, but their efforts were reassuring.
Sakura kept a close eye on Temari as they rested. While she was sure it was just dehydration, she didn't want to risk passing up something serious. Especially after what happened to Yoake, sudden illness was never a good sign.
.
.
.
Sasuke felt more confused about Sakura than ever. He thought she liked all of that affectionate stuff that couples do. Then she turned around and rejected him. He sat back against the tree and watched her fret over Temari. He was a little concerned that she had become so violently ill all of a sudden, but she seemed to be fine now. He watched Sakura place a cool compress on the blondes head and he felt a sigh escape his mouth. Women were so much more difficult to understand than he thought.
His thoughts were interrupted by a certain pale ninja plopping down next to him. "If you get violently ill, Sakura-Chan will pay just as much attention to you," Sai snickered next to him. Sasuke gave him a sharp glare in return. Sai just chuckled some more at his irate team member.
"I'm proposing when we get back," Sai stated. Sasuke turned to the ninja and gave him an incredulous look. He didn't mean..
"To Ino," he said with another laugh. Why was Sasuke acting like this? He suddenly felt like he had no idea how to act. "I know it's not my business, but I know things will work out for the both of you," Sai said reassuringly.
"How do you know?"
"Because you love each other," Sasuke felt his cheeks burn at Sai's comment, even though it was true. "These things take time. Ino and I still have trouble understanding each other, but we always try to." Sasuke considered the other ninja's words. Maybe he was thinking too hard on everything.
Sai moved to get up but paused at Sasuke's voice, "Thank you," he said, and he meant it. Somehow Sai always brought clarity to a situation.
.
.
The group rested for only an hour or so before Temari popped up and demanded they keep moving.
Pretty soon the green grass faded into brown dirt, and once more Sasuke was met with Sand. Why would anyone want to live out here? He really had no idea what the Village hidden in the Sand had to offer the world anyways. On top of that, it could take up to a week to get there.
When he traveled, he wouldn't always run. He liked to take in the scenery and experience the places around him, unless he was in the Land of Wind. He had once traveled Far East, past the Land of Wind, and afterwards he vowed to himself never to make that trek again. It was painfully hot and dry, and the scenery was absolutely boring. Everywhere he looked he only saw sand.
This time as they traveled, Temari and Sakura took the front and the three men followed closely behind them. Sakura, no doubt, was still concerned about Temari. Sasuke began to find himself strangely missing her company. While they rarely spoke during their travels, he enjoyed her silent company and stolen glances.
Temari's voice interrupted his thoughts, "Shit!" She exclaimed. He tried to see what had cause the kunoichi to stop dead in her tracks, only to realize he couldn't see anything at all. "Dust storm," she muttered angrily. "We're gonna have to stay put so we don't get disoriented."
Sasuke sighed, there was always something getting in the way. Thankfully, Yamato summoned a small shack to shelter in. While dust storms never lasted too long, the sand could get in your eyes and stay in your hair for days. The five of them crammed into this small shack and waited as the wind around them howled.
Finally, Sakura was next to him once more, and while they didn't speak, the brush of their hands next to each other was enough to let Sasuke know not to worry.
Sand seeped through the cracks in the walls and began to cover the floor. "Well this is quite the dust storm," Temari said.
Suddenly Sai piped up and asked Temari, "So is this why you live in the leaf now?" Temari looked at him skeptically, trying to figure out what the pale ninja was getting at. "You got tired of the sand."
"HA!" Temari laughed, "Tell that to Shikamaru, he thinks I'm staying in the Leaf village cause I'm in love with him," she teased. Sakura snickered at her joke, but it seemed to have gone over Sai's head and he watched her confused.
"But Temari, didn't you marry Shikamaru?" This made the blonde girl laugh even more. For such a wise ninja, he could also be clueless. Sakura had explained to him a while back how Sai had always had trouble with taking things too literal.
"She's only joking Sai," Sakura finally said. Thankfully the wind was beginning to die down around them and they would be able to set off once more. They stepped out of the crammed space and back into the vast dessert. Temari took off in front of them and the other four followed her lead.
Sasuke was grateful to have her guidance this time around, because he truly had no idea which way they were headed. He looked to his right at Sakura who had decided to run next to him once more. He smiled to himself, it was a small victory after her earlier rejection.
They trekked on through the sand for hours and Sasuke was beginning to pray the sun would come up soon so they could rest. Though he knew he would immediately regret it when he felt how hot it was.
The sun was finally peaking out over the horizon and he began to feel a little hopeful of a respite, but Temari shouted back, "Just a few more hours guys! We should take advantage of the cool morning air." He knew she was right and he did want to get out of this dessert as soon as possible, but they hadn't slept for over 24 hours and he could tell even Sakura was beginning to wear down.
He reached over and grabbed her hand in his own and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He didn't know what possessed him to do something like that, but it felt like the right thing to do. She reciprocated with a squeeze and a nod back, then focused back on the land ahead of her.
It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky did Temari halt. She stopped near a cluster of rocks that they could use for shade and shelter while they rested. For someone that had only just puked their guts up a few hours ago, she had a lot of stamina.
Sasuke stood in front of the largest rock and tried to find the best place for him to carve out a small shelter. He settled on the sturdiest part that had the most ground space and activated his chidori. As he worked on the small space, he thought back to the passionate kiss he and Sakura shared the night before the Ninja Alliance meeting, in the hiding spot he had carved out.
Maybe he would make another one just for the two of them, he smirked at himself. That would probably embarrass Sakura, and he wasn't too keen on embarrassing himself either.
Finally he and the other ninja moved the debris out of the way and moved into the shelter's protection from the sun's harsh rays. Temari plopped down in the cool ground looking quite worn out, and the rest followed suit.
Sakura sat down next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. He was happy to have her attention once more and pulled out some rice balls for them to share as the rested. Temari fell asleep almost immediately, as did Sai. So he and Sakura sat in silence as Yamato scribbled in his notebook. He hadn't been able to talk to the older ninja much since they had last returned to Konoha, but Sasuke found himself missing the quiet man's company.
Sasuke looked down at Sakura who had fallen asleep mid bite. He tried his hardest not to laugh and wake her, but she has brought her rice ball to her lips only to fall asleep in the middle of her bite. He moved slowly to remove the rice ball so she wouldnt choke and let her get her much needed rest.
"I'm glad you two worked things out," Sasuke looked up at Yamato who was motioning to he and Sakura. Sasuke nodded in return, he was glad too. "I watched how hard she and Naruto fought for you, and I'm very proud of how you three have evolved." Sasuke frowned, he hated thinking about those days, especially now that he had Sakura by his side.
"Everyone makes mistakes, I know I have. But you two have something stronger than love binding you together," Yamato's eyes almost looked misty as he referred to their relationship.
Suddenly Sasuke found himself wondering about the older ninja and asked, "Have you ever been in love?"
Yamato was quite amused that Sasuke would ask him a question as personal as that, he leaned back against the cool rock and considered the young ninjas question for a moment.
"You know, you are very lucky to have someone so precious to you. I love many people but I've never been able to have one person to be in love with." He paused and Sasuke watched him close his eyes as he thought of what to say next, "I once loved someone very deeply, but they have never returned my affections. That's why I can't say I was in love. To be in love you both have to love each other deeply."
Sasuke felt a sudden sadness wash over him as he considered the older ninja's words. He couldn't imagine how he would feel if Sakura never loved him. Perhaps he would have truly turned evil without her love. Yamato spoke once more, "Cherish what you have everyday," as he nodded to the pink haired girl resting against his shoulder, "you never know when it can all be taken away from you."
Sasuke nodded and leaned back once more. He closed his eyes and let rest take over his body. He truly was exhausted.
.
Sasuke was jolted awake by the sound of someone dry heaving outside. He immediately noticed Sakura's absence and shot up to make sure she was alright. He ran out of their shelter and found Sakura rubbing Temari's back as she bent over her arms and vomited.
This was not good, he thought. He approached the two women and put a hand on Sakura's shoulder, startling her slightly. She jumped and turned to face him but relief washed over her as she saw it was only Sasuke. "Is everything all right?" He asked, concern evident in his voice.
"It will be, as soon as she's finished," Sakura sighed, "I will definitely need to do an extensive check on her." Sasuke nodded in reply and waited to see if Sakura needed any more help from him.
Finally Temari stood back up and apologized to the two ninja, "I promise you guys I'm fine, there's no need to worry." Sasuke raised his eyebrow and looked to Sakura who just shook her head.
"Let's get back in the shade and I will give you a once over."
They entered back into the man-made cavern where Sai and Yamato were resting. Sakura had Temari lie down and she began using her chakra to check her body. Her hands glowed green as she began at her head and worked her way down. Sasuke watched Sakura in fascination, he remembered that she had promised to teach him some medical nin-jutsu and wondered if she remembered her promise.
Sakura's hands moved down Temari's body slowly and stopped over her abdomen. She scrunched up her face in confusion and she continued moving her hand around that area. Finally, she sat back and rubbed her temples as Temari propped herself up to look at the medic nin.
"Sasuke would you give us some privacy," Sakura asked, he nodded but Temari reached out to stop him.
"He's the team captain, he will need to know what's wrong," she said, Sasuke looked at her surprised and sat back down next to Sakura. Temari had been really kind to him this whole trip and while he knew he didn't have the best history with the woman, he appreciated the effort she was making with him.
Sakura sighed, "Alright," she looked between the two ninja and began, "You're pregnant." Shock filled the blonde woman's face and suddenly tears filled her eyes.
"How could this be?" She asked, Sasuke had to struggle not to say something sarcastic about how she should know, but the woman looked absolutely distraught.
"Have you stopped taking your birth control?" Sakura asked.
Temari nodded and said, "Yes, but I didn't think it would happen so quickly. I thought that the birth control needed a few months to get out of your system." Sakura placed her face in her hands. She couldn't believe how uneducated some women were when it came to this stuff.
"As soon as you stop taking it, you are immediately at risk of becoming pregnant Temari." The woman still looked shocked and Sasuke kept quiet, he was somewhat in shock as well.
Temari stood up suddenly and headed for the enterance. "I need to go think, I'll be back."
He and Sakura sat in silence as they waited for Temari's return. Sasuke wondered if Sakura was taking birth control as well, he guessed she must be. He wondered why she never really brought it up with him and decided at some point he should ask her about it.
Temari being pregnant will definitely change their team's dynamics. She wouldn't be able to act as guide when they got to Suna, and he frankly didn't want to put her at risk of danger if she was pregnant.
Temari returned once more and it was very clear she had been crying. Sakura stood up and went to embrace her friend to try and provide some form of comfort.
Sasuke decided to give the women some privacy and he went to take watch outside.
He climbed on top of the rock and looked out over the vast terrain that was covered in sand and sun. He began to wonder why Temari was so upset about being pregnant, did she not want to have children?
Then he wondered, did Sakura want to have children? While he knew he wasn't ready for that yet, he thought of his dream where his brother visited him and talked to him about restoring the clan.
Restoring his clan had always been on his agenda, per say, but he never truly thought about what that actually meant until now. He was going to have children someday. Sasuke had felt fairly indifferent about children for a while, but lately he had been thinking about the topic more.
He closed his eyes and imagined he and Sakura together as a family, raising children together, doing domestic things like laundry and helping with homework. He was surprised at himself for being so open to the idea of having children.
Sasuke felt the rock vibrate beneath him and Sakura appeared next to him. Her presence affected him much more than he'd care to admit right now, and suddenly he felt his mind flood with questions about Sakura and what she wanted from their relationship.
"Temari's pretty upset," Sakura finally broke the silence, "she doesn't think Shikamaru will be too thrilled with this news."
"Why wouldn't he be?" Sasuke asked confused.
"She doesn't think he's ready to be a father."
"I see." Sasuke looked to Sakura and suddenly blurred out his burning question, "Do you want to have childeren?" Sakura's eyes widened at the suggestion and a blush spread across her face. Sasuke immediately regret asking her and was filled with embarrassment at his blunt question.
Sakura laughed awkwardly and said, "Someday I hope so." Sasuke recovered his composure and let himself feel happy that Sakura does want that someday. He reached his hand out to her own and they both watched the land in front of them as a comforting silence passed between them.
.
.
.
Sasuke's been so cute. I've keep hoping that he and Sakura will have another child in canon and give Sarada a little brother or sister. Maybe I will write that fic one day ;) anyways I hope you guys enjoyed, get ready for some more characters next chapter as they journey into Suna!!