Complexity
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by summerdragonfly
Chapter VII
"Happy Endings"
A/N: Final chapter of Complexity. Please do not ask for a sequel, as
me writing one is very, very unlikely. However, you're welcome to imagine
a sequel as you see fit in your minds XDDD
Special note for this chapter: I'm going to say that Sakura's parents
died when she was a teen. Just for added drama. XD
Final Disclaimer: I, of course, do not own Naruto in anyway.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What are you doing?" said Sasuke. "Get that thing away from me."
Sakura smiled as she watched a video recorded of their group of friends
years ago.
"Oh come on," came Naruto's voice, obviously from behind the camera.
"Lighten up, will ya? It's called memories."
"It's called putting your life in danger," Sasuke said, advancing toward
the camera. He stopped suddenly, and looked behind him.
Sakura was hanging on him, her arms around his waist in a loose hug.
She just smiled up at him. "Hi," she said brightly.
"Sakura-chan! You're here!" Naruto said excitedly. "Just in time, too,
he was about to break my camera---"
"I don't like cameras," Sasuke said curtly.
"Anata," Sakura said adoringly. "You don't like a lot of things,"
"......." Sasuke put his face to Sakura's ear and whispered something.
Present-day Sakura turned off the television and smiled through
tears. "I remember what you told me that day," she said aloud.
*You were so embarrased when you told me...you turned bright red.
I said you don't like a lot of things....you said that..."I like
YOU."*
*Sasuke-kun....whatever you choose to do....just please...be
happy.*
* * *
"I'm sorry......I'm sorry."
Sasuke said aloud, very subconsciously. The words were coming from
him, but he did not feel them. He was never good at speaking
"from the heart". How was he supposed to get her to.....forgive
him....now?
*I can't belive what I'm doing. I'm rehearsing this.*
He didn't even rehearse what he said the night he had left her...
but she...was different. Every word she said she meant, everything
she practiced to get just right. Because...she loved him.
Several times he had thought to himself how lucky he was to be
loved by someone like Sakura. He never admitted this to anyone,
of course, but he knew it was true, and he could never shake
it away. When he was with her, he smiled. She made him....
happy.
Her and Takeshi, his son, his own flesh and blood. They were
the people that he could finally call family...since he
was a child.
*That's it.* He stood up. *I'm not doing this anymore....I'm
not like her. I've just got to...say it.*
* * *
The next morning....
"Mom?" said Takeshi, looking up at his mother.
"What is it, Takeshi?" Sakura said, snapping out of her train
of thought.
"Are you...okay?"
"Of course...why wouldn't I be?"
"You seem sad."
Sakura looked at her son. "Here, come sit down."
Takeshi went and took a seat across from her. "You know what
I do when I'm sad?"
"What do you do?"
"I go and throw shuriken at the wall."
Sakura even laughed a little. *....so like his father.*
There was a knock on the door.
Takeshi and Sakura looked at each other.
"Who could that be this early in the morning?" She asked.
Takeshi shrugged.
Sakura got up and went to answer the door. To her mild surprise,
Sasuke was the door. She had half expected him to take off
again.
"....good morning." He said.
"Morning." Sakura tried meaning it, but friendly conversations
were not what she wanted to have today.
"Can I talk you?"
".....all right." Sakura tried staying tough. *I can't put myself
up for another fall. Not again. I just can't.*
"Sasuke!" Takeshi said excitedly.
"Hey, kid." Sasuke even smiled.
"Takeshi, your uncle Sasuke and I have to have a little talk now,"
Sakura said. "Why don't you go visit Naruto and Hinata today? I'm
sure you can learn new things."
"Why can't I listen?"
"Because it's not meant for you."
"Who's it meant for?"
"....we'll be finished talking soon, and then I can spend the whole
day with you. Just give us fifteen minutes, ok?" Sakura said,
trying to negotiate.
"....fine..." Takeshi rolled his eyes and stomped out of the house.
"So," Sakura said. "I kinda figured that you'd be far away from
here by now."
"Why's that?"
"What else can I expect?"
"Sakura, I don't run off every time things get difficult for me."
"Well, you've been demonstrating that action for as long as I've
known you."
"......."
"So what else is there left to say? I don't even know who you are
anymore, Uchiha Sasuke. You told me you loved me last time."
"......."
"Well, do you?"
"What do you think?"
"I hate this; you always answering my questions with more questions.
Get to the point...and no more dodging the truth, please."
"I do love you, ok, Sakura?" Sasuke spluttered out. "Is that what
you want to hear?"
"Dammit, Sasuke! Is that what I want to hear....I want to hear to truth. From your...
heart. Don't tell me you love me just because you think that's what I
want to hear."
There was no more working his way around the truth. He had to speak
from his true feelings. Right now. *....how do I feel about her...right
now? ....I'm a little pissed since she isn't making this easier. But...
it was never easy in the first place. ....no. Nothing else matters
right now. Just her...and how I feel about her. What I have to say
to her.*
"....after....after my clan was wiped out...." He began. "I thought
I'd never love anyone, anything ever again. I never knew that I'd
meet people like you and Naruto...people I could actually call
friends."
Sakura was silent.
"...after all that time went by...and those missions...we all got
closer. But you...you had always loved me. I don't know why I never
noticed it earlier...and when you actually told me that...I still
left you." (A/N: The Chapter 181 incident.)
Sasuke continued, "And then when I returned, we all got even
closer, made stronger bonds...but you were different. I saw you
in a different way. And when your parents passed away...and you
showed up at my door..."
Sakura looked away. *Why does he have to bring that up now?*
"You were...sad. It was raining." Sasuke was remembering it in
his mind. "I remember that I didn't know what you wanted me
to do. You said you had no one else to go to...and that you...
needed me. I didn't even invite you in, I didn't know what to
do at all. I saw that you were trying your best not to cry,
that you didn't want to show me any tears. You had shown
me so many when we were kids...you didn't want to do that anymore."
"......"
"I remember....thinking...that I wanted you to feel safe. That
whenever you were hurt, you could come to me like you did
then. That if you felt the need to cry, you could cry in
front of me, and know that it was OK, that I would...be
there for you. And at that moment...I....fell in love."
"So that's why you let me spend the night at your house
that time..."
Sasuke shook his head. "Not only that. You were also my...
friend. Like I said, I wanted you to feel safe. I didn't
ever think about having a relationship with you, but---"
"Your feelings are something you can't control." Sakura
said. "I know that too well."
"Sakura," Sasuke said seriously, walking up to her. "I've
loved you for over ten years---"
"And I've been loving you all my life! ....Since before
I can remember."
"I know that," Sasuke said. "And I hate myself for not realizing
how much you meant to me early on. When the village got invaded
in our late teens and you were hurt...I thought I would...
die. I didn't want to see you hurt, I never want to see
you hurt. You've stayed by my bedside many times. I wanted to
be there for you."
"You WERE there when I woke up. You...kissed me." Sakura smiled.
"The first time I ever did that." Sasuke said. "I just wanted
you to know how much I loved you...but I don't think I ever
told you that."
They were both silent for a long time, Sasuke appalled at what
he was saying. But he didn't care anymore. At least...he
thought he didn't.
But there was still one thought haunting Sakura. "Sasuke..."
"....?"
"I have to know....would you have...fallen in love with me
even if I weren't a kunoichi...?" She said uncertainly.
"When I lost my family...who were all ninjas....that was
agony beyond anything I could imagine. I just couldn't forget
about that day. It was hard to want to live for anything
other than revenge...then I met you and Naruto. You, in
particular...you made my life brighter."
Sakura suddenly remembered what Kakashi had told her. *"In
spite of his loss, he still fell in love with you."*
"You being a ninja or not was never in the question. After
falling in love with you, I didn't want to marry someone because she
was a ninja...I actually wanted to love her for who she was...and that's
you."
"Sasuke-kun...."
"So you see...in your case...I would've fallen in love with you
even if you weren't a kunoichi." Sasuke said.
Sakura was crying now. She felt really stupid, but she couldn't
stop them.
"Ah, Sakura, I've made you cry again---" Sasuke said, startled.
"No, no," Sakura said, shaking her head. "It's not your fault,
it's just that I---never mind,"
"....I just want you to know," Sasuke said. "It was never easy
for me to leave you in the first place. But...coming back and
seeing you and our son....it was...gratifying. I wish I never
had to leave in the first place, so that I could've seen him
grow up....but I'm so glad to be back now...I wish I could just
erase that."
"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura put her arms around him, sobbing into
his chest. "Thank you....for falling in love with me!"
Sasuke kissed the top of her head and put his arms around
her. "....thank YOU for loving me back."
Sakura hugged him tighter.
"Oy, you two!" came a voice at the door. Naruto was standing
there, along with Takeshi, Kakashi, and what seemed like
half the town. "Stop confusing us, eh? You back together or
not?"
".....yeah." Sasuke said, his arm still around Sakura.
"....Finally." Naruto said, and the people behind him laughed.
"I thought I was going to have to resort to drastic measures
or something."
"Yeah!" Takeshi piped up, walking over to Sasuke and Sakura.
"Oh," Sakura remembered. "Takeshi, there's something I have
to tell you---it's about your fa---"
"Yeah, I know." Takeshi said.
"You...do?" Sasuke and Sakura looked at each other.
"I figured it out when...OTOSAN---" Takeshi looked at Sasuke,
who blinked blankly back. "---First came back into town."
"....but...." Sakura said.
"Plus, Naruto-ojisan told me."
"What?!" Sakura said. "Naruto, I told you not to---"
"Calm down, Sakura-chan," Naruto said. "The kid already
knew, he was just asking for....clarification."
Sakura was a little vexed, but left the matter alone
anyway.
"So when can we expect a wedding?" Jiraiya said. "Tsunade's
been a lousy Hokage, anyway, wouldn't kill her to do something
useful---"
"Hey!" Tsunade said, and Jiraiya fell silent.
"Seriously though," Sakura said in a mock voice, turning toward
Sakura. "When am I getting a wedding anyway?"
Sasuke smiled at her, then kissed her left hand at her ring
finger. "You and I are as good as married," he said. "The
official date won't matter."
Sakura made a thinking face, and then turned back to him. "Sounds
good to me."
Sasuke smiled at her once more, and they locked lips in front
of all the people.
Kakashi was still buried in his book. "Huh? What happaned? They
getting married now?"
Everyone laughed and applauded, while Takeshi tugged at Sasuke's
shirt. Sasuke and Sakura broke apart, and their son said, "We
finally have that family you secretly told me about, Dad."
Sasuke got a pink tinge across his face. "Uh....um...."
Sakura pulled him toward her, and said to Takeshi, "Your father's
just being shy......he knows he wants a family like ours." She
rested her head on his shoulder and beamed.
Naruto looked upon his two best friends, who were finally
happy at last. And as Hinata found his hand and held it, smiling
at him, he couldn't help thinking:
Love truly is complex.
~OWARI~
A/N: Ahh...so lame, but I had to make the story tie in together. ^^;;
Hopefully you didn't think it was such a bad chapter as I do. I hope you enjoyed reading
this as much as I've enjoyed writing it. =^_^=
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
by summerdragonfly
Chapter VII
"Happy Endings"
A/N: Final chapter of Complexity. Please do not ask for a sequel, as
me writing one is very, very unlikely. However, you're welcome to imagine
a sequel as you see fit in your minds XDDD
Special note for this chapter: I'm going to say that Sakura's parents
died when she was a teen. Just for added drama. XD
Final Disclaimer: I, of course, do not own Naruto in anyway.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What are you doing?" said Sasuke. "Get that thing away from me."
Sakura smiled as she watched a video recorded of their group of friends
years ago.
"Oh come on," came Naruto's voice, obviously from behind the camera.
"Lighten up, will ya? It's called memories."
"It's called putting your life in danger," Sasuke said, advancing toward
the camera. He stopped suddenly, and looked behind him.
Sakura was hanging on him, her arms around his waist in a loose hug.
She just smiled up at him. "Hi," she said brightly.
"Sakura-chan! You're here!" Naruto said excitedly. "Just in time, too,
he was about to break my camera---"
"I don't like cameras," Sasuke said curtly.
"Anata," Sakura said adoringly. "You don't like a lot of things,"
"......." Sasuke put his face to Sakura's ear and whispered something.
Present-day Sakura turned off the television and smiled through
tears. "I remember what you told me that day," she said aloud.
*You were so embarrased when you told me...you turned bright red.
I said you don't like a lot of things....you said that..."I like
YOU."*
*Sasuke-kun....whatever you choose to do....just please...be
happy.*
* * *
"I'm sorry......I'm sorry."
Sasuke said aloud, very subconsciously. The words were coming from
him, but he did not feel them. He was never good at speaking
"from the heart". How was he supposed to get her to.....forgive
him....now?
*I can't belive what I'm doing. I'm rehearsing this.*
He didn't even rehearse what he said the night he had left her...
but she...was different. Every word she said she meant, everything
she practiced to get just right. Because...she loved him.
Several times he had thought to himself how lucky he was to be
loved by someone like Sakura. He never admitted this to anyone,
of course, but he knew it was true, and he could never shake
it away. When he was with her, he smiled. She made him....
happy.
Her and Takeshi, his son, his own flesh and blood. They were
the people that he could finally call family...since he
was a child.
*That's it.* He stood up. *I'm not doing this anymore....I'm
not like her. I've just got to...say it.*
* * *
The next morning....
"Mom?" said Takeshi, looking up at his mother.
"What is it, Takeshi?" Sakura said, snapping out of her train
of thought.
"Are you...okay?"
"Of course...why wouldn't I be?"
"You seem sad."
Sakura looked at her son. "Here, come sit down."
Takeshi went and took a seat across from her. "You know what
I do when I'm sad?"
"What do you do?"
"I go and throw shuriken at the wall."
Sakura even laughed a little. *....so like his father.*
There was a knock on the door.
Takeshi and Sakura looked at each other.
"Who could that be this early in the morning?" She asked.
Takeshi shrugged.
Sakura got up and went to answer the door. To her mild surprise,
Sasuke was the door. She had half expected him to take off
again.
"....good morning." He said.
"Morning." Sakura tried meaning it, but friendly conversations
were not what she wanted to have today.
"Can I talk you?"
".....all right." Sakura tried staying tough. *I can't put myself
up for another fall. Not again. I just can't.*
"Sasuke!" Takeshi said excitedly.
"Hey, kid." Sasuke even smiled.
"Takeshi, your uncle Sasuke and I have to have a little talk now,"
Sakura said. "Why don't you go visit Naruto and Hinata today? I'm
sure you can learn new things."
"Why can't I listen?"
"Because it's not meant for you."
"Who's it meant for?"
"....we'll be finished talking soon, and then I can spend the whole
day with you. Just give us fifteen minutes, ok?" Sakura said,
trying to negotiate.
"....fine..." Takeshi rolled his eyes and stomped out of the house.
"So," Sakura said. "I kinda figured that you'd be far away from
here by now."
"Why's that?"
"What else can I expect?"
"Sakura, I don't run off every time things get difficult for me."
"Well, you've been demonstrating that action for as long as I've
known you."
"......."
"So what else is there left to say? I don't even know who you are
anymore, Uchiha Sasuke. You told me you loved me last time."
"......."
"Well, do you?"
"What do you think?"
"I hate this; you always answering my questions with more questions.
Get to the point...and no more dodging the truth, please."
"I do love you, ok, Sakura?" Sasuke spluttered out. "Is that what
you want to hear?"
"Dammit, Sasuke! Is that what I want to hear....I want to hear to truth. From your...
heart. Don't tell me you love me just because you think that's what I
want to hear."
There was no more working his way around the truth. He had to speak
from his true feelings. Right now. *....how do I feel about her...right
now? ....I'm a little pissed since she isn't making this easier. But...
it was never easy in the first place. ....no. Nothing else matters
right now. Just her...and how I feel about her. What I have to say
to her.*
"....after....after my clan was wiped out...." He began. "I thought
I'd never love anyone, anything ever again. I never knew that I'd
meet people like you and Naruto...people I could actually call
friends."
Sakura was silent.
"...after all that time went by...and those missions...we all got
closer. But you...you had always loved me. I don't know why I never
noticed it earlier...and when you actually told me that...I still
left you." (A/N: The Chapter 181 incident.)
Sasuke continued, "And then when I returned, we all got even
closer, made stronger bonds...but you were different. I saw you
in a different way. And when your parents passed away...and you
showed up at my door..."
Sakura looked away. *Why does he have to bring that up now?*
"You were...sad. It was raining." Sasuke was remembering it in
his mind. "I remember that I didn't know what you wanted me
to do. You said you had no one else to go to...and that you...
needed me. I didn't even invite you in, I didn't know what to
do at all. I saw that you were trying your best not to cry,
that you didn't want to show me any tears. You had shown
me so many when we were kids...you didn't want to do that anymore."
"......"
"I remember....thinking...that I wanted you to feel safe. That
whenever you were hurt, you could come to me like you did
then. That if you felt the need to cry, you could cry in
front of me, and know that it was OK, that I would...be
there for you. And at that moment...I....fell in love."
"So that's why you let me spend the night at your house
that time..."
Sasuke shook his head. "Not only that. You were also my...
friend. Like I said, I wanted you to feel safe. I didn't
ever think about having a relationship with you, but---"
"Your feelings are something you can't control." Sakura
said. "I know that too well."
"Sakura," Sasuke said seriously, walking up to her. "I've
loved you for over ten years---"
"And I've been loving you all my life! ....Since before
I can remember."
"I know that," Sasuke said. "And I hate myself for not realizing
how much you meant to me early on. When the village got invaded
in our late teens and you were hurt...I thought I would...
die. I didn't want to see you hurt, I never want to see
you hurt. You've stayed by my bedside many times. I wanted to
be there for you."
"You WERE there when I woke up. You...kissed me." Sakura smiled.
"The first time I ever did that." Sasuke said. "I just wanted
you to know how much I loved you...but I don't think I ever
told you that."
They were both silent for a long time, Sasuke appalled at what
he was saying. But he didn't care anymore. At least...he
thought he didn't.
But there was still one thought haunting Sakura. "Sasuke..."
"....?"
"I have to know....would you have...fallen in love with me
even if I weren't a kunoichi...?" She said uncertainly.
"When I lost my family...who were all ninjas....that was
agony beyond anything I could imagine. I just couldn't forget
about that day. It was hard to want to live for anything
other than revenge...then I met you and Naruto. You, in
particular...you made my life brighter."
Sakura suddenly remembered what Kakashi had told her. *"In
spite of his loss, he still fell in love with you."*
"You being a ninja or not was never in the question. After
falling in love with you, I didn't want to marry someone because she
was a ninja...I actually wanted to love her for who she was...and that's
you."
"Sasuke-kun...."
"So you see...in your case...I would've fallen in love with you
even if you weren't a kunoichi." Sasuke said.
Sakura was crying now. She felt really stupid, but she couldn't
stop them.
"Ah, Sakura, I've made you cry again---" Sasuke said, startled.
"No, no," Sakura said, shaking her head. "It's not your fault,
it's just that I---never mind,"
"....I just want you to know," Sasuke said. "It was never easy
for me to leave you in the first place. But...coming back and
seeing you and our son....it was...gratifying. I wish I never
had to leave in the first place, so that I could've seen him
grow up....but I'm so glad to be back now...I wish I could just
erase that."
"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura put her arms around him, sobbing into
his chest. "Thank you....for falling in love with me!"
Sasuke kissed the top of her head and put his arms around
her. "....thank YOU for loving me back."
Sakura hugged him tighter.
"Oy, you two!" came a voice at the door. Naruto was standing
there, along with Takeshi, Kakashi, and what seemed like
half the town. "Stop confusing us, eh? You back together or
not?"
".....yeah." Sasuke said, his arm still around Sakura.
"....Finally." Naruto said, and the people behind him laughed.
"I thought I was going to have to resort to drastic measures
or something."
"Yeah!" Takeshi piped up, walking over to Sasuke and Sakura.
"Oh," Sakura remembered. "Takeshi, there's something I have
to tell you---it's about your fa---"
"Yeah, I know." Takeshi said.
"You...do?" Sasuke and Sakura looked at each other.
"I figured it out when...OTOSAN---" Takeshi looked at Sasuke,
who blinked blankly back. "---First came back into town."
"....but...." Sakura said.
"Plus, Naruto-ojisan told me."
"What?!" Sakura said. "Naruto, I told you not to---"
"Calm down, Sakura-chan," Naruto said. "The kid already
knew, he was just asking for....clarification."
Sakura was a little vexed, but left the matter alone
anyway.
"So when can we expect a wedding?" Jiraiya said. "Tsunade's
been a lousy Hokage, anyway, wouldn't kill her to do something
useful---"
"Hey!" Tsunade said, and Jiraiya fell silent.
"Seriously though," Sakura said in a mock voice, turning toward
Sakura. "When am I getting a wedding anyway?"
Sasuke smiled at her, then kissed her left hand at her ring
finger. "You and I are as good as married," he said. "The
official date won't matter."
Sakura made a thinking face, and then turned back to him. "Sounds
good to me."
Sasuke smiled at her once more, and they locked lips in front
of all the people.
Kakashi was still buried in his book. "Huh? What happaned? They
getting married now?"
Everyone laughed and applauded, while Takeshi tugged at Sasuke's
shirt. Sasuke and Sakura broke apart, and their son said, "We
finally have that family you secretly told me about, Dad."
Sasuke got a pink tinge across his face. "Uh....um...."
Sakura pulled him toward her, and said to Takeshi, "Your father's
just being shy......he knows he wants a family like ours." She
rested her head on his shoulder and beamed.
Naruto looked upon his two best friends, who were finally
happy at last. And as Hinata found his hand and held it, smiling
at him, he couldn't help thinking:
Love truly is complex.
~OWARI~
A/N: Ahh...so lame, but I had to make the story tie in together. ^^;;
Hopefully you didn't think it was such a bad chapter as I do. I hope you enjoyed reading
this as much as I've enjoyed writing it. =^_^=