Three days later, Sasuke and Sakura were leaving Konoha first thing in the morning, when the birds were still sleeping and the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon. Naruto had left the day before for Sunagakure and Itachi was too busy with work, so Kakashi was the only one who had come to see them off.

"Be careful," he told them, smiling through the mask. They might not be his students anymore, but that didn't mean he stopped caring about them.

Sakura smiled at him as she waved goodbye, thinking that sometimes Kakashi would worry too much. Technically, the mission could be considered C rank. Any genin or chunin could have done it, and Sakura was convinced to some extent that sending them was nothing more than part of Itachi's plan for them to spend more time together. They didn't even expect to meet resistance.

"See you in a few days," she assured him, before turning and running to catch up with Sasuke, who had already started to walk away.

The journey to Amegakure was smooth and light, much to Sakura's liking. They made their way into the middle of the forest, carefully examining every little detail, and when they determined that no one had used that route in weeks they picked up the pace. They decided that they would arrive to Amegakure, investigate the city, and if they found nothing that could give them any clue as to where the missing team was, they would take an alternative route back to Konoha to try to find anything. Nor could they spend a lot of time hanging around in the forest, not so close to the border, if they didn't want to attract attention. So it was supposed to be a short trip.

The trail itself was nice too. Sure, Naruto could be the cheerful of the group and his absence was noticeable, but Sakura also appreciated the silence with which Sasuke moved next to her. In addition, the two of them worked well together, while with Naruto she always had to be aware that he didn't jump into danger at the slightest opportunity. Sasuke was calmer, more cautious, and that allowed Sakura to relax a bit next to him, something Sasuke was proud of, even if he would never admit it.

After so long together they knew each other so well that they kept each other's pace without being aware of it. Her legs had only just started to tire when Sasuke had suggested to stop for resting, as if he could somehow see the chakra she'd expended without needing the Sharingan, and they'd barely stopped when Sakura had pulled the water bottle out of her backpack and handed it to Sasuke, who had thanked her with a mute nod. Yes, they worked too well together, and Sakura had to admit, as she stood up and stretched, that deep down she had missed those moments with him.

They reached Amegakure when the sun had already set and the lights of the shops lit up the city, with people still in the streets. Sasuke and Sakura walked through the village gates together, looking cautiously around their surroundings, trying to give an image of exhaustion that would match the story they had created, although most people hardly noticed them. After all, this was Amegakure, the free village where missing-nin fled to from all over the world after Pain's fall, so nobody was interested in a couple more refugees. Sakura was simply grateful that it wasn't raining as she pulled tighter the hood of her cloak to better cover her hair, thinking regretfully that she should have dyed it, if only to draw less attention. If someone there had something to do with the disappearance of Konoha's team, it was not convenient for her to attract much attention.

They crossed one of the main streets until they found an inn central enough to be a good base of operations, yet cheap enough that they didn't have to worry about being disturbed. The innkeeper, a woman in her fifties whose gray hair made her look older than she was, looked at them curiously as they entered. Sakura pulled her cloak closer, trying to look shy and scared, as Sasuke moved inside.

"I'll get the rooms."

She waited at the door and looked around her curiously, mentally counting the number of people she sensed in the rooms upstairs. At least three of them were ninjas, but hopefully they wouldn't give them trouble.

Her attention returned to Sasuke when he finished speaking with the lady and returned to her, the keys in his hand. He stopped in front of her and leaned down slightly, holding out his other hand with an amused glint in his eyes.

"My lady."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, intrigued, but instantly returned his smile and placed her hand over his, playing along without further explanation.

"Thank you, Kyosuke-san."

Together they walked through the hall and up the staircase to the first floor, which divided into a long, narrow hallway with doors on either side. Sasuke looked at the number of the rooms on the keys and found that they were the two at the end of the left side, so they quietly walked down the hall till there. They ignored the first room and went straight into the second, closing the door behind them. It's not like they were going to use the other room, as sleeping apart could be dangerous if someone attacked them by surprise and caught them off guard, but it was less suspicious that way.

As soon as the door was closed, Sakura placed seals throughout the room and the small bathroom that it included, so that no sound would come from those walls of questionable quality. The seals weren't the best, but they would do their job and they would know if someone tried to remove them. When she was done, Sakura turned to Sasuke, amusement still dancing in her green eyes.

"My lady?"

"It wasn't my idea," Sasuke explained, sitting in the tatami. "The owner is convinced that you are the daughter of some daimyo and that I am your bodyguard. She believes that we are lovers who have eloped together, and she has assured me that she will not say a word if someone comes asking for us. I thought it would be best to play along."

Sakura nodded once, realizing that she didn't find the idea of posing as lovers as bad as she thought, perhaps because she was aware that it was a lie after all (and Naruto wasn't there to make fun of it). She left her backpack on the floor as well and locked herself in the bathroom to wash up a bit, dirty after travelling al day. The bathroom wasn't that great, but at least it was clean and had hot water, which was already a big improvement compared to other places they had stayed. They had been in worse places but they had also been in better places, and Sakura could not help but remember that mansion in which they had stayed during a mission in the Country of Lightning; only the bedroom's closet was bigger than her kitchen. Even so, Sakura still preferred when they camped outside, she could see the stars above her, and everything felt right knowing that Kakashi was watching over them on the other side of the fire.

Yes, maybe she had missed those times too much, even after she had joined the ANBU, even after she had entered the hospital, perhaps more than ever.

"I'll do the first watch," she told Sasuke when she came out of the bathroom. She said it in a concise way, without questioning tone or anything that could lead to discussion, because she knew very well that if she slept first, there was a great possibility that Sasuke would not wake her to let her rest, even if that meant that he wouldn't get any sleep.

He seemed to want to reply, but Sakura must have had a very clear expression, because in the end he didn't say anything. They ate almost silently some onigiris that she had bought the day before, and shortly after Sasuke prepared the futon, got into it and closed his eyes, not before reminding Sakura to wake him up at the slightest sign of danger. Just five minutes later, Sasuke was already sound asleep, and if it had not been for the slight movement of his chest that gave him away, anyone would have said that he could be dead. Sakura quickly pushed the thought away, annoyed that it had even crossed her mind, and she settled by the window. She watched him for a while, and once again she envied the ease with which Sasuke could fall asleep. It had always been like this. Naruto turned around a lot and even once he was asleep he kept moving, although then nobody could wake him. She was calmer when going to sleep but still struggled a bit, always with the underlying concern of what might went wrong on the mission, worrying about her teammates. Not Sasuke; he fell asleep instantly and woke up when called, though that didn't mean he didn't have his own problems.

When she was tired of looking at him, she turned her head to the window and analyzed the city in detail, mentally planning the next day. The small and narrow streets did not allow to observe much between them and half of the streetlights were off, but even so, Sakura could distinguish several places where to try to find out information, and the route started practically appearing in her head. Barely an hour had passed and she was sorting the places by proximity to the inn when a soft noise of fabrics rubbing caught her attention and made her lose concentration. She turned quickly to Sasuke and found him sitting up, his eyes wide with the Sharingan gleaming in the darkness of the room. Without waiting a second, Sakura took the kunai she had hidden in her clothes and struck a defensive pose, wondering how the hell could she have missed something if Sasuke had noticed it despite being sleeping. She swept her chakra for any threatening presence, whether it was in other rooms or outside, but when she didn't notice anything and she turned back to Sasuke to ask, she understood it all at once.

She knew of Sasuke's nightmares about the massacre, although perhaps calling them nightmares was not the most accurate. She had seen genjutsus weaker than the visions Sasuke suffered during these attacks, and not because he didn't try to fight them. Sometimes they disappeared for months, even more than a year, but in the end they always came back. It had been like this for years, only that this time was the first that Sakura was alone with him. Before, she had witnessed it twice. The first time had been barely a year after graduating from the academy, the night before a mission where she and Naruto had stayed at Sasuke's house. He had started screaming in the dark, but before she could do anything, paralyzed by the screams of terror, Itachi had appeared and calmed him down. She would never forget his older brother's face as Sasuke called out to him, despite having him right there. The second had taken place just a few months later, during a mission outside the village. On that occasion, it had been Kakashi who had convinced him that he was not on the scene of his childhood. Since then, Sasuke had taken special care to get the minimum amount of sleep in front of them and to get far enough away, but Sakura knew there had been more.

Without thinking twice, Sakura put the kunai back and approached him carefully, sitting in front of him. Sasuke continued with the same posture, his red eyes fixed on no particular point and his hands clenching the sheets of the futon. She cupped his face in her hands and lifted it, forcing him to look into her eyes.

"Sasuke. Look at me."

He raised his head automatically and his eyes seemed to meet hers, but she saw that his gaze was still lost in the past.

"Everyone... Everyone is..."

Sakura closed her eyes for a second, hurt. Although she couldn't see what Sasuke was seeing at the time, she could imagine it. They had never discussed the subject openly, but she had heard the rumors. The people of the village hadn't repressed a bit when describing the most macabre ways in which the members of the Uchiha clan had died. And she knew, from the reports of that time, that Itachi had been out on a mission that night. By the time he had come to rescue his little brother, Sasuke had spent a lot of time inside that hell.

"Sasuke. Sasuke, I'm here," she called out to him several times, trying to get to him. "Listen to me, Sasuke-kun."

Somehow Sasuke seemed to hear her at last, because his eyes fell on hers in turn and he deactivated the Sharingan as soon as he recognized her, although he didn't move an inch.

"Sakura?"

"That's right," she nodded, but she didn't look away or release her hold, not yet. "Breathe with me, Sasuke."

She began to count out loud, slowly, matching the rhythm of her breathing so that he did the same. They stayed like that for a time that Sakura couldn't determine, without breaking eye contact, until little by little his breathing calmed down and Sasuke finally dropped his head on Sakura's shoulder.

"God, I'm so sorry," he murmured with barely a thread of voice. "It's been so long since... I thought it would be fine."

"It's okay. You don't have to apologize," she assured him, raising a hand to gently stroke his hair. "I am here for whatever you need."

"... Thanks, Sakura."

They stayed a few more seconds like that, in total silence, just hugging each other. Sakura was still alert, for both of them, because she knew that Sasuke was more vulnerable than ever and that he trusted her. If someone decided to attack them at that moment they would have to kill Sakura before touching a single hair on Sasuke.

"Thank you," he repeated, finally pulling away from her. Then he put his hand on her shoulder. "You should sleep. I don't think I can sleep anymore, but at least one of us should rest."

Sakura looked at the futon next to her and bit her lip doubtfully. She certainly could use the rest, and she knew that the next day would not be a vacation. Sasuke was right. But then again, it had only been a little over an hour since she had started to stand guard. If Sasuke had slept, she would have stayed awake for at least three more hours. And besides, she didn't like the idea of leaving Sasuke alone, after what had happened.

" I think I'll keep you company for a while," she said, flopping onto the tatami next to him. "I'm not tired yet."

Sasuke watched her from above, still sitting, and let out a sigh. He knew perfectly well when Sakura was lying. After all, they had known each other since they were little, and he could read her like an open book. Still he didn't say anything, because he knew she would answer back. And because, deep down, he knew why she was doing it. And he appreciated it.

He lay down next to her carefully, so that they were facing each other. The room was dark, lit only by the dim light coming through the window, but they were so close that Sasuke could see Sakura perfectly even without the need of Sharingan. She gave him a smile, before settling better next to him. He closed his eyes, not trying to fall asleep, just enjoying the proximity.

They stayed like that a while, silent in the dark, until Sakura spoke in a low voice.

"Hey Sasuke. Do you remember our first day as team 7?"

"Hm," he murmured, not opening his eyes. "What about that?"

"Do you remember ... when Kakashi asked us what our dream was?"

Sasuke opened one eye to look at her and closed it again, unbothered.

"Yeah. Naruto said that he wanted to become Hokage. You, on the other hand, said that you wanted to become so rich you would never have to worry about cooking again. It was really inspiring."

The next thing he noticed was her fist on his arm, and when he opened his eyes again, with a satisfied smile, he saw that she had turned slightly red from the embarrassment.

"You had to remember just that!" she complained with a stifled groan. "It was just a kid. I don't know what exactly Kakashi-sensei expected ... Anyway, I wasn't asking for that," she quickly changed the subject, becoming serious again. "You answered that your dream was to revive your clan. Do you still think the same?"

At that, Sasuke opened his eyes and stared at her, slightly surprised. He didn't expect that question. Sakura panicked for a second. It was probably not the best time to talk about it, precisely after what had just happened, but it was a topic that had been in her head for a while.

"Yes," he finally answered, softly. "Why do you ask?"

Sakura, who until then had been looking at him, turned on her back, staring at the ceiling of the room.

"I've been thinking about it," she admitted, speaking almost to herself. "You know where I come from. The Haruno are no clan. It's just me and my family, so I can't quite imagine what it must be like. But you…," she turned back to him. "I just wanted to tell you that it sounds like a great dream to me."

He looked at her seriously before nodding solemnly.

"Thank you, Sakura."

She smiled at him again, calmer. "Anyway, you are lucky to have your brother. I suppose that with the two of you it will be easier."

"My brother?" Sasuke repeated, disbelief staining his voice. "My brother has no plans to ever get married or start a family."

After that, there was an awkward silence in which Sakura stood there, still, wondering if she had heard correctly, until she jumped up and screamed;

"Your brother WHAT?!"

Sasuke sat up instantly as well and grabbed her wrists, shaking her. "Not so loud! Do you want to wake up the whole inn? "

"I put seals, remember?" she replied, but she reluctantly obeyed him. "Besides, you can't tell me that the finest man in Konoha doesn't want to get married and pretend that I keep quiet! What nonsense is that about Itachi not getting married?"

"Just that," Sasuke sighed, carefully releasing her. "Do you remember what Tsunade said about him? That he was probably the best Hokage we've had since the First?" Sakura nodded, remembering perfectly the moment after the nomination. "Well, she's got a bit of a point. Itachi loves Konoha too much to give up everything to start a family. He knows that he could not dedicate the time that either those things deserve at the same time."

"But... but..." Sakura muttered, as if she had just been told that the sun was not going to rise the next day and she was trying to understand it. "That makes no sense. He won't be Hokage forever. We may not know when, but sooner or later he will leave the position to the next… Then what?"

Sasuke sighed heavily, like a teacher trying to teach a lesson to a particularly slow student.

"And when will be that? In fifteen years? Ten, hopefully, if Naruto works really hard? And after that?" he asked him, approaching her. "You know my brother as well as I do, Sakura. Do you think that, because he stops being the Hokage, Itachi is going to sit at home and do nothing?"

No. He was right. Sakura knew Itachi too well to know that he was not that kind of person. When he left his position, Itachi would most certainly be active again until he couldn't move or until he was killed, whichever came first.

"Wait," Sakura snapped, raising a hand to him. "You… you knew it, right? All this time. Is that why you were so insistent that I wouldn't get my hopes up about him?"

Instantly, Sasuke looked away, as if he were a little boy embarrassed that he was caught doing something he shouldn't.

"I didn't want you to get hurt, Sakura."

Sakura put a hand to her chest, moved, while he avoided her gaze. She knew Sasuke cared for her, but she could count with the fingers in one hand the times he had opened up like that. She lunged at him and wrapped him in a hug, pulling them both onto the tatami.

"You're a brute," Sasuke complained, but she knew he didn't mean it. "So, what about you?"

She pulled away from him a bit, looking at him without understanding. "Me?"

"We've talked about my dream," he explained. "But what about yours? I doubt that it's still the same as it was then." Then he became serious and frowned. "Please tell me it's not the same."

"Hush, idiot," she growled, pinching his cheek. "Well of course it's not the same, who do you take me for?" she sighed. "I'm telling you ... If you promise not to laugh."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Come on, it can't be worse than the first." But seeing Sakura's serious look, he added, "Okay, I won't laugh."

Sakura nodded and cleared her throat. "Okay, well, I've been thinking for a while that I would like to open a mental health clinic. But, the more I think about it, the more I realize that it's an ambition, not a dream. It is a goal that I have and I try to walk towards. If we talk about dreams ... I would like things to continue like this, as they are. With the village at peace. With the three of us together. With Kakashi-sensei being late every time. With Itachi kicking us out of his office when we don't let him work." She laughed a little before continuing. "I want to see Naruto become the Hokage. I want to see you revive the clan. I just want ... to be there, with everyone." She looked up at him with an embarrassed smile. "Do you think is silly?"

Sasuke, who until then had been silent, spoke softly. "It's not silly."

"Really?" she laughed. "I sometimes think so. It's just that, compared to the two of you, mine seems so unambitious..."

He stared at her seriously and took her hand carefully. "You said it yourself. You have other ambitions. Dreams can be whatever you want, Sakura. You don't owe anybody any explanations."

Sakura watched him for a second and smiled back at him, caressing his hand.

"Thanks, Sasuke. I'm glad I told you," she confessed. Then she looked out the window, as if trying to calculate what time it must be. "I think I should get some sleep."

"You should," Sasuke nodded, but he didn't move or let go of her hand. "Good night, Sakura."

"Good night, Sasuke."

So you're telling me a kid sees how his whole family gets killed and he doesn't end with any kind of trauma except for his hatred towards his brother? Yeah lol, not in my AU. At this point this Sasuke has nothing to do with the canon and I care nothing xdd

Anyway I was supposed to update a looot earlier but I got wrapped with work and exams, so have a bit of a longer chapter for compensation (it was supposed to be longer but I'm not sure when I'll have time again so have this. Also wanted to end with something sweet before what's coming).