Sorry for the late update. School's begun (goodbye summer vacation ) and it's been tough since we're doing our corrections (geez, we've done the exams, why do the whole thing again?) But I'm back with a new chapter.

WARNING: FLUFF ALRET!

CHAPTER 17-Confessions

Sasuke sighed as he ended his story. The presidents, heirs, Itachi, Suigetsu and Sasuke were in ANBU headquarters and Sasuke narrated everything to them. The heirs had rushed to headquarters after Naruto had told them about Sasuke's escape.

Sasuke passed the map Madara had give to his father, "These are the locations of where the bombs are planted."

Fugaku handed the map to Itachi, "Go and take a squad to defuse them."

Suigetsu and Itachi bowed and left the room.

There was a brief silence. Then Fugaku sighed, "Sasuke, you took a really great risk you know."

"It was worth it." Sasuke said with a smirk.

"Heh, teme will do anything for Sakura-chan!" Naruto said with a cheeky grin. Sasuke looked away, trying to hide the blush that was on his cheeks but everyone saw it.

"A man would do anything for love ne?" Minato said as he patted Sasuke's back.

"It feels weird using the word 'love' to describe Sasuke." Tenten said with a laugh which earned her a glare from the Uchiha. She simply stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well Sasuke," said Hiashi. "We have to further discuss this with Sakura as well. So for now, let's go see how she's doing. "

Sasuke stared out of the window.

'Sakura . . .' He thought worriedly.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (time skip ;])

All she could see was black. It was like she was sinking ever so slowly underwater. Her whole body felt numb and she felt limp and lifeless.

'Am I . . . am I dead?' She wondered. But she wasn't. She could feel something like a thread in her hand; the thread of her life. For some reason, she knew that if she let go, she would leave the world forever.

Slowly, she remembered all that had happened with Danzo, Madara and Sasuke.

Her heart clenched at the thought of her beloved Uchiha. If she could move, she would have smiled sadly.

'I never got to say goodbye to him.' She thought sadly. She was glad that she was able to avenge her mother and save the town but at the same time, she felt so much depression for she would never be able to see Sasuke again.

'I wonder if my mom and Madara are waiting for me . . .' Sakura thought. Slowly, she let the thread slip out of her hands. She could have sworn she heard the angels sing. But she heard another noise; the sound of a door opening.

She would have frowned if she could but she just lied there; still and silent. She held on to the string again when she heard soft footsteps. She felt a presence near her and then, someone was holding her hand.

"Sakura . . . please be okay." a soft voice murmured. Sakura was mesmerized; it was the voice of an angel and she was sure of it. But there was one problem. The angel sounded so sad and desperate. She wanted to reach out to him, the angel, and gently assure him that everything would be fine.

The angel sighed, "I don't know what I'd do without you. I don't even know if you can hear me! But . . . I need you . . . so don't leave me."

Sakura would have screamed that she wasn't going to leave him and that she won't even think of it but her voice didn't seem to work. She could feel something soft and smooth brushing against her fingers and she knew that it was him.

Sakura suddenly felt a burning in her hand. The thread of life was now burning through her skin and attaching it to herself again; Sakura felt . . . alive.

Slowly, she opened her eyes. Her vision blurred but soon they returned to normal and she could see the white ceiling of the hospital. She looked down to see who was holding her hand and when she did, she gave a small smile.

"Sasuke . . ." she whispered.

Sasuke, who was holding her hands between his, looked up at Sakura with wide eyes, "Sakura?"

"How long was I out for?" Sakura rasped. Her voice was dry and hoarse.

"Four days," replied Sasuke. He looked deep into her emerald eyes; the eyes he had missed so much. "You okay?"

Sakura glared playfully, "I'm in a bed and I just woke up from a mini-comatose. You think I'm okay?"

Sasuke chuckled, "You have a point. I'll get the nurse."

Sakura grabbed his hand swiftly. Movement caused her body pain but she didn't care. She looked at Sasuke pleadingly, "We need to talk."

Sasuke was silent for a while and then he sighed, "Sakura, you're not fully healed. We'll talk about it some other-"

"No," Sakura cut in stubbornly. "I think we need to sort things out right now."

Sasuke looked at her and nodded. He sat on the bed, next to her feet. Sakura looked at him with pleading and questioning eyes, "Sasuke, why did you come after me? You could have gotten killed!"

Sasuke smirked, "It was worth it, wasn't it?"

"But why?" asked Sakura.

Sasuke reached for her hand and held it, "Because Sakura . . . you matter to me; a lot."

Sakura's cheek turned pink but she shook her head, "Sasuke, we can't be together-"

"Why not?" Sasuke cut in. "Why can't we be together? There's nothing keeping us apart."

Sakura shook her head again, "Sasuke, you don't get it. Our fates were never meant to cross; you are the heir to a large company. You have to marry a strong and beautiful woman who will birth your children who will succeed you and take over the company. As for me, I have avenged my mother but in doing so, I've broken several rules and now I'm a fugitive. We just . . . can't be together."

"Do you want to be with me, Sakura?" Sasuke asked suddenly.

Sakura was baffled by the question but she answered, "I told you Sasuke; our fates weren't meant to-"

"I'm not asking about our fate Sakura," Sasuke said to her. "I'm asking you."

Sakura looked down to her lap. Small droplets of water fell down one by one; she didn't bother wiping her tears away.

"You don't know . . . how much I want you for myself," Sakura said softly. "You don't know . . . how much I just want to . . . be with you, hug you, hold you, kiss you, love you. I just . . . don't want to ruin your life, Sasuke. I have to hold my feelings back."

Sasuke cupped her cheeks so that she looked into his eyes; the never-ending deep obsidian eyes which Sakura loved so much. He brushed her tears away with the pad of his thumb, "Then don't fight it."

Sakura looked at him, helplessly. Her eyes were pleading; pleading him to understand her. Sasuke gave her a rare smile which made her heart skip a beat.

"I know that it's hard for you to give in to something; after all that you have been through," said Sasuke. "But you've taken care of everything till now; you took care of everyone. Now you have to take care of yourself too. Don't fight the pain, Sakura. Succumb to it because after pain, comes pleasure."

Sakura was lost in his eyes; his onyx eyes which contained so much sincerity and love which he was only willing to give to her. Sakura couldn't hold back anymore.

She grabbed Sasuke by the collar of his shirt and smashed her lips upon his. Sasuke was shocked at first but eventually, he gave in.

Her mouth met his in a frenzy; moving feverishly and ravenously against his. Sasuke gently brushed his tongue on her bottom lip and asked for entrance which she gave gladly. Their tongues danced together in a passionate battle of dominance which Sasuke won in the end. Sakura's fingers were tangled in his spiky raven locks, pulling ever so gently, while Sasuke's arms went around her waist to hold her close.

It seemed like forever and slowly, Sasuke reluctantly pulled back. But Sakura didn't want to let him go. She whimpered and gently nibbled his bottom lip. Sasuke chuckled softly and gently pushed her away. He kissed her forehead, "You have to rest, love."

Sakura snuggled into his chest, "Don't leave me."

"Never," Sasuke whispered as he pressed his lips to her hair. "Never ever."

Sakura pulled away and cupped his cheeks. She placed a soft and sweet kiss on his lips. She pulled away and smiled at him, "I love you Sasuke, so much."

Sasuke pulled her back into his arms and nuzzled her hair.

"I have no choice but to love you." Sasuke said softly. Sakura leaned towards his embrace. The two stayed that way for a while and were soon interrupted by Naruto.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto yelled as he ran into the room.

Sasuke groaned, "Dobe, you'll make the whole hospital deaf." Naruto grinned sheepishly as he heard shouts of complaints from the hallway. A nurse that was passing by poked her head into the room and glared at Naruto. He mouthed a 'sorry' at her.

Soon, Ino, Shikamaru, Tenten, Hinata, Suigetsu and Neji came into the room. Suigetsu hugged Sakura tightly, "Stupid girl!"

Sakura hugged him back, "Sorry." She could feel Sasuke glaring at them and so could Suigetsu. He pulled away and grinned at Sasuke, "Lighten up! She's like my sister. Don't kill me for nothing!"

Sasuke looked away, "Hn."

"Are you okay, Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked timidly.

Sakura nodded, "Thank you for your concern. I'm sorry for all the trouble I have caused." Sasuke noticed that her voice was returning back to normal.

Ino crossed her arms, "You better be! After all, you made us all worry so much."

Sakura gave a sheepish smile, "Sorry."

Her smile had everyone baffled. Sakura looked at them confused, "What?"

Neji smirked, "It seems you've changed somehow."

Sakura simply looked away with a light dash of pink adorning her cheeks. Sasuke chuckled and kissed her pink cheek.

Tenten gasped, "Are you two . . . does that mean-"

"Yes Tenten," said Sasuke as he wrapped his arm around Sakura's waist, making her blush even more. "Yes, we are."

Ino squealed and started to shake Shikamaru's shoulders back and forth, "That's so sweet!"

Shikamaru pulled away and groaned, "Troublesome woman."

"Congratulations guys!" Naruto said as he slung his arms around Sakura's and Sasuke's shoulders. He looked at Sakura. "Please don't leave teme. Otherwise, he'll use me as a tissue again!"

"Again?" Sakura said as she looked at Sasuke with an amused expression.

Sasuke smacked the back of Naruto's head, "Dobe."

Naruto rubbed his head and stuck his tongue out at Sasuke, "What? You know it's true!"

Everyone laughed/chuckled, including Sakura. Sasuke pouted and crossed his arms like a seven year old that had his cookie taken away from him.

Someone cleared their throat from behind them; at the door, the presidents and Itachi were smirking at the happy moment.

"Sorry for interrupting," said Hiashi. "But can we have a word with Sakura?"

Everyone nodded and left the room, except for Suigetsu and Sasuke. Fugaku looked at Sasuke, "It'll only be a while, son."

Sasuke tightened his hold around Sakura's waist, "I'm not leaving."

Fugaku sighed, "Very well."

Itachi smiled as he sat next to Sakura on the bed, "How are you feeling?"

"Better, thanks." Sakura said softly. Itachi pulled Sakura towards him and kissed her forehead, earning him a glare from Sasuke.

Suigetsu laughed, "Geez Sasuke, he's your brother!"

"Hn." Sasuke said monotonously.

"Sakura," said Shikaku. "Why didn't you tell us you were investigating your mother's case?"

Sakura clenched her fists but then sighed, "If any of you knew, you would have told me to stop."

"You have a point there," said Hizashi. "But Sakura it almost cost you your life!"

"It was worth it," Sakura said with a small smile. Sasuke smirked when she heard her using his words. "My mother was trying to save the town and she did. She wasn't able to figure out the mystery of Danzo before her death. I had to avenge her . . . and protect the town; she would have wanted the same thing too."

Inoichi shook his head, "That old fool, Danzo. He had all the power and it still wasn't enough for him."

Fugaku snorted, "And he convinced my brother to think with the same twisted mind as him."

"I don't blame Madara-san for everything that has happened," said Sakura. "In the end he did the right thing."

There was a brief silence before Minato spoke, "Well I'm glad that you're okay, dear."

The others nodded in agreement and Sakura whispered out a thank you.

"Sakura," said Fugaku. "I hope you know that you will be punished for this."

Sakura sighed and nodded, "As soon as I'm discharged from the hospital, I'm willing to take up any punishment that you give to me."

Hiashi smirked, "You're a very honest and sincere girl, Sakura."

"But I hope you'll be able to take it up," Minato said with a wink. "We've decided to give you the most difficult punishment ever. In fact, this is the first and last time we'll be giving this punishment to anyone."

Sakura nodded, "What is the punishment?"

Suigetsu grinned," Guess what Saks? Itachi has been appointed as the new head of the ANBU after Madara's death."

Sakura looked at Itachi who was smiling innocently. She smiled at him, "Congratulations Itachi-san . . . but how is that related to my punishment?"

"Well you see," said Itachi. "I'm no longer the ANBU investigation squad captain and we've decided that the new captain will be you, Haruno Sakura."

Sakura's eyes were as wide as an owl's. Sasuke kissed her temple and buried his lips in her hair. Sakura looked at the presidents, "W-what?"

"You heard him Sakura," Shikaku said with a smirk. "You're the new ANBU investigation squad captain."

"But . . . why?" Sakura asked, baffled.

"Well let's see," said Inoichi. "You solved your mother's case which didn't seem suspicious at all, you defeated Orochimaru, you solved a mystery not even your mother could solve and you saved the town from being destroyed. We all agree that the best punishment for you is to promote you."

"Yes," said Hiashi. "I can't imagine the responsibilities and work that you'll be given from now on."

"And the paperwork," Fugaku said with a sigh. "You'll have so much work! I think it's a suitable punishment don't you think?"

Sakura's lips slowly tilted up to form a smile. Minato grinned brightly, "Well Sakura? Are you ready to take it up?"

Sakura smiled and nodded, "Yes. I promise I won't fail in my duty!"

Hizashi nodded and smiled, "Make us all proud, Sakura."

"Oh by the way," said Suigetsu. "You have Itachi to thank for your punishment." He pointed his thumb towards Itachi.

Sakura tackled him with a hug and kissed his cheek, "Thank you."

Itachi chuckled and ruffled her hair, "You're most welcome. Now you better pull away or else my otouto's gonna catch a fire."

Sasuke glared at Itachi and pulled Sakura back into his arms. Itachi smirked and poked his brother's forehead, "Foolish little brother."

Suigetsu and Sakura laughed while the presidents chuckled.

"Sakura," said Shikaku. "You can now use your research room as your office."

Sakura gasped, "How did you-"

"Sasuke." They all answered together.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at Sasuke. Sasuke simply shrugged, "It was worth it, wasn't it?"

Sakura smiled and shook her head as she leaned against his chest.

"We've decided to give Sasuke a punishment to Sasuke too," said Suigetsu. "Courtesy of Itachi, of course."

Sasuke gave his brother a glare and sighed, "What do I have to do?"

"Well you're allowed to date Sakura." Minato said with a smile.

Sasuke smirked, "I can live with that."

Fugaku chuckled, "Sakura's going to be as busy as a bee. I doubt you two can get any alone time."

Sasuke crossed his arms and pouted, "No fair." He glared at Itachi one more time.

Itachi chuckled, "I just love messing with you, dear otouto."

"Well, we'll be leaving now," said Inoichi. "We have to arrange a ball for your promotion . . . and Suigetsu's."

"Suigetsu?" Sakura said as she looked at her white-haired friend.

"He's been entrusted with the scrolls and swords of the seven ninja swordsmen." explained Hizashi.

Suigetsu grinned, "Get well soon Saks. I'll see you at the ball."

Everyone started to leave. Suigetsu poked his head back in again, "Oh and Sakura? Try wearing a dress this time." And with that, he left.

Sakura crossed her arms, "I am not wearing a sissy dress!"

Sasuke kissed the corner of her mouth, "You don't have to if you don't want to. You always look beautiful to me."

Sakura smiled and looked at him, "I don't care even if I go naked, as long as I'm with you."

Sasuke leaned down and kissed her lips. He pulled away and gave her a cocky smirk, "But I'd like it if you're naked only for me."

Sakura glared at him and punched his arm, making him chuckled at her.

Sakura smiled and wrapped her arms around his torso.

'Mom, Madara-san,' she thought. 'Thank you; it's because of you two that I met Sasuke. I could have never asked for anything better.'

Me: I just love humiliating Sasuke-chan! It makes him so cute!

Itachi: Me too! ^/_\^

Suigetsu: -grins- Same here!

Sasuke: I hate you all.

Itachi: -pokes Sasuke's forehead- relax bro. You got the girl didn't you?

Sasuke: . . .

Me: -sighs- boys will be boys.

Suigetsu: Please review and leave a feedback! =D