Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of it's characters

--

Sakura stumbled through her door, physically and emotionally drained. Her chakra was low from activating her sharingan so many times, and her normally sharp mind seemed to have stopped.

She dropped onto her bed, eyes dull and glazed. Toyoe called to her from downstairs, but Sakura ignored her. Usually she admired her mother. She admired her ANBU status, how confident she was, the way she was beautiful, with her big green eyes and long dark brown hair streaked with blue, but you knew she could kick your ass by her muscles and her uniform. Usually her mother was her idol.

But not today.

Today she wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her, shake her until Toyoe saw her mistake, saw how it was all her fault her daughter's entire life was over. Sakura wanted to scream at her, ask her what was wrong with her, how could she do this? How could she have an affair with a married man, and then not tell her own daughter about it until it became absolutely necessary? How could she make up those lies about her so called "father?" Why in the hell had she, Sakura, believed her? She, Sakura, who was supposed to be so smart.

But, being Sakura, she didn't. Being Sakura, she lay on her bed and didn't say anything.

Sasuke had seemed equally unhappy. He had touched her hand before they parted, opened his mouth, stopped, shook his head and left. He obviously wasn't pleased. Not that it mattered. Not that it mattered if he liked her now.

I am in love with my brother.

Sakura buried her face into her pillow and cried.

--—--

Sasuke stood under Sakura's window, listening to the small sniffles that occasionally escaped her.

This...really sucked. He shoved his hands into his pockets and scowled. Not only had his father cheated on his mother, but Sakura was his half-sister. His chance was ruined. Completely ruined.

Why did the sharingan gene have to appear in Sakura? If only that stupid woman had just kept her mouth shut. Then neither of them would know the difference, and –

Did I really just consider incest?

And dammit, now she was crying. He couldn't go up and hug her or whisper to her or anything, because he was her brother.

And the way he wanted to comfort her was entirely wrong, given the situation.

He walked away, shoulders slumped.

--

This was bad. This was real bad.

Naruto trudged to his small apartment, playing over the day's events in his mind. Sasuke and Sakura were half-siblings. The look on Sakura's face had been crushing. Sasuke was pretty down, too. And, and...

And it was the best thing that had ever happened in his life.

He felt disgusting, thinking that way, but it was true. Now it was impossible for Sakura to love Sasuke. This was his chance. Now he had no competition whatsoever.

But...Sakura was so sad...

He shook his head, more confused now than ever.

--

No, she wouldn't cry anymore. That was what the old Sakura would do. She was older and stronger now. She sat up, hiccuping softly, and rubbed at her eyes.

Well...you've always wanted a special skill, haven't you? Sometimes super strength just isn't enough.

That was true. But she had no idea how to use them, and she doubted she could anyways, what with her limited chakra and stamina. She would have to fit a lot more training into her schedule; maybe Kakashi would be willing to pay a little extra attention to her?

This isn't a bad thing! Now there's more chance of the Uchiha clan being revived. And, catering more to your wants, maybe the sharingan are just what you need. Maybe you'll become a famous kunoichi and go down in the bingo books and people will call you Sakura the Almighty.

...so maybe not that last one.

But, first things first. She could work on all that later.

She quietly crept down the stairs, already knowing where Toyoe would be.

"Mama?" She said, entering the den. Toyoe looked up from her book and patted the spot on the couch beside her.

"Come here, Sakura."

Just like that, her mother was forgiven. Sakura curled into a ball beside her and rested her head on her breast. Toyoe played absentmindedly with a strand of her daughter's pink hair.

"Did you know that Sasuke is my half brother?" Sakura asked quietly.

"Yes. If your relationship with him had gotten too out of hand then I would have put a stop to it." In other words, 'I would have done something if your love wasn't one-sided.'

"Oh..."

"You okay?"

Sakura nodded, closing her eyes. "Uh-huh."

Stop lying...

"Um, did that guy, my dad, did he know I existed?"

Toyoe's hand stilled in Sakura's hair. "Yes. He did."

"Really?" Sakura turned around so she could see her mother. "Did he visit me when I was little? Did he pay child support and buy us gifts and wish he could be a normal father but he couldn't because he was married? Did – "

"No, Sakura," Toyoe interrupted softly. "He didn't do any of that. The only thing he did was drop me as soon as he found out I was pregnant and refuse to acknowledge that you were his daughter after you were born."

"Oh," Sakura said again, trying not to make her disappointment too obvious. Then, after some silence, she spoke again. "Why did you have an affair?" It took all her self control not to add, I mean, you're the coolest person I know. You're beautiful and smart and funny, so why him? You could have any guy you wanted.

"I'm not really sure." Her hand started twirling her daughter's hair again. "Fugaku wasn't kind or funny or...anything that usually attracts me." She stopped and shook her head. "I don't know. But he was so quiet and mysterious, it sort of...drew me to him."

Okay...this is starting to sound sort of familiar.

"I don't think he loved me, even at the beginning," Toyoe continued. "I was just his newest thrill. I told myself so many times to break it off. I knew it was wrong. I felt so guilty whenever I saw his wife. But...I couldn't. He was like a drug, and I was addicted." She stopped and glanced at Sakura, surprised. "I cannot believe I am talking to my fifteen year old daughter about my love life."

Sakura shrugged, like it was no big deal, even though her mind was in turmoil. Yes, let's add some more lies to our list.

"Sakura-chan, don't think to much on it," Toyoe sighed, pulling her daughter closer. "It was my decision, not yours. And, frankly, since you're the result, I don't regret it. Don't worry about things you can't change."

Sakura looked up at her mother, and felt her admiration returning. Toyoe was so strong, so incredibly strong. And she always knew the right thing to say. She was a wonderful mother. Sakura found herself thinking again what she had believed her entire life.

I don't need a father. Mom is more than enough.

...

Even if she did have an affair with Sasuke's father.

--

At the same time Sakura was working things out with her mother, Sasuke was wishing he had a mother. Then he got around to imagining his mother was still alive, and was hugging him and protecting him from the world, just like she used to.

How pathetic are you? He sneered to himself. Stop this pansy shit. She's dead. And before she died, her husband was busy screwing another woman. WHO HAPPENS TO BE SAKURA'S MOTHER.

Strangely enough, the thought of his father comforting him never crossed his mind. Fugaku hadn't really been the nurturing type. And at the moment, Sasuke wasn't thinking too highly of him.

Sister. She's my sister. I can not believe this.

Which, for some reason, brought to mind an image of Naruto shoving a thumbs up in Sasuke's face and shouting "BELIEVE IT!" at the top of his lungs.

You get out of my head, asshole.

Angrily he kicked a rock. It went flying and rebounded off the brick side of a house. Sasuke mentally sighed. What was he doing here, in this trashy part of town? He needed to go back to his apartment and mull everything over.

...but you're already having so much fun kicking rocks.

He turned around to head back to his apartment.

But didn't make it.

--

Sakura and Naruto were frantic.

If it wasn't one thing, it was another. Why did this all have to happen to them?

They couldn't find Sasuke.

The words echoed hollowly around her mind. Can't find him...missing...

Again.

He hadn't shown up for Team 7's weekly training session. He wasn't at his apartment. He wasn't with Kakashi.

He was missing.

--

That bastard. That BASTARD.

How could he do this to them?

Naruto gritted his teeth and choked down an animalistic snarl. He chanced a glance at Sakura. Her lips were pale and her body stiff as she sprinted through Konoha's streets with him, crazy fear alight in her wide eyes.

He was pissed. Pissed and scared and disoriented. His thoughts had become a mix of jumbled words, none of which made sense.

Bastard...red...Sakura-chan...Sasuke...sad...pink...black...missing...dead? Sasuke nooo.

They ran faster, pushing their limits as far as they could go.

--

The two split up, Naruto taking Konoha's North side, Sakura covering the South. They should have notified Kakashi, but they didn't. This was between the three of them. It was a small village. It shouldn't be taking this long to find him.

Her heart was thumping almost painfully against her chest. She could hear the blood rushing through her ears. Her throat was dry.

This couldn't happen...

She searched for an hour, stomach twisting painfully. Every minute she felt more and more sick.

Something was wrong. Something was so, so wrong.

And she didn't even know any more if it had something to do with the possibility of him leaving.

I feel like I'm gonna barf...

She crouched, eyes scanning as far as she could see from her position on a grimy rooftop. Surely he wouldn't be here, in this beat up part of the village...would he?

She lighted in the middle of a street, where she could see her surroundings better. This place was...deserted. Barely anyone lived here. It was creepy.

She shook her head and set off again, not going quite as fast as before. She had a job to do. Her stomach was getting worse.

Please don't let me keel over and die in this dinky little place.

"Sasuke," she called out hoarsely. "Sasuke!" She repeated, louder. Are you here?

"Kn..."

"Sasuke?" She stopped and listened hard.

Breathing. Soft, labored breathing. Right ahead.

She had to force herself not to take off again, to slow down and follow the only lead she had. She peeked into an alley, where she was sure the sound was coming from.

And froze.

Blood, was the first word her mind registered. Blood everywhere. Pooled on the ground, streaked on the walls. On the lump hunched over on the ground...the lump with spiky black hair. The barely breathing lump.

Oh, no.

Sakura opened her mouth and screamed.

And screamed and screamed and screamed.

--