All the Waiting

By: Sasha

Chapter One – An Incomplete Explanation

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot and the original characters. Don't sue.

A/N: I went and fixed some stuff, don't be surprised by Sakura's reaction to finding out about Chouji and Neji not coming back to the village. She wasn't really close with them so I'll say that it warrants some of the way she takes the news.

Flashback: six years and four months ago:::

Sakura watched as Oyotaki's eyes widened. His mouth stretched into a smile and it was that moment that the genin knew that they had returned. Naruto had finally brought Sasuke back.

"Have they really arrived?" she called up to the gate guard. His quick nod and smile confirmed her question and Sakura started to feel jittery, a renewed burst of energy that used to make her bubbly had returned, and for the first time in a long time, she felt normal.

Uchiha Sasuke was back and she knew that he would stay.

"Open the gates!" Oyotaki yelled down to Fujin. The man on the ground level began to draw the gates in, ready to welcome the boys who left Konoha for nearly a month, back home.

Rushing to meet them, Sakura could make out blurs of the boys through the thin fog. She didn't care that she couldn't really see them. All that mattered was that they all came back and they were all okay. She knew that she owed Naruto for this.

Squinting, she recognized seven figures and she felt her stomach rise as she inhaled. It was such a relief to see them all.

"Oyotaki-san, can you see if they're okay?," she called up the guard.

"I can't really see. The fog is making it hard, but I think they look fine" he replied. Sakura sighed in relief. She was expecting half or more of them to come back badly injured. The news kept getting better.

"Sakura-chan, I'm going to need you to step back. You can't be in the way when they come because we'll need to check the boys before they can fully enter the village," Fujin said, smiling apologetically.

Sakura smiled brightly. "It's fine. I know you have work to do so I'll just stand to the side to let you do your job," she said, grateful that he hadn't told her to leave like the early morning gate guard Shuu, had told her once in the past.

"Oh no," Sakura heard Oyotaki say. She looked up to see his face suddenly saddened by what he was looking at.

"What's wrong?" she asked. She worried that maybe the fog was hiding something much worse than a couple cuts and bruises.

"Naruto looks like he's pretty badly beaten up. I think he might be unconscious. Sakura, you might want to know…" he started to say before Sakura ran to the gates and peered around the doors.

Sasuke wasn't there. Neither were Chouji and Neji. Instead, there was Naruto being supported by Shikamaru and Kiba, Lee, Gaara, and his sand-nin siblings. There were seven of them, but Sasuke, Chouji, and Neji were nowhere to be seen.

"Sakura-chan, please step back," Fujin said, thrusting an arm out to keep her back. She knew he wouldn't use force, but she was so stunned that she spun on her heel to turn and leave, but instead came face-first with the ground. Dimly, she could hear Lee call out her name in shock, but that was the last thing she heard before her fall sent her into unconsciousness. If she had eaten breakfast like her mother had recommended, she probably would have been awake to hear the Sand siblings' reasons for accompanying her friends. Instead, she would find out from Naruto once she awoke.

Sakura could feel a bright light above her and squeezed her eyes tighter to block out the harsh light. She kept hearing her name being called, sometimes in sobs, and sometimes as pleas. Something about her needing to wake up, something about someone being sorry. The brightness didn't lessen, but whoever was speaking started to sound more clear. Naruto was talking to her. Frowning softly, she slowly opened her eyes, the lids feeling heavy from too much sleep. Someone was holding her hand.

"You're awake. You're really awake," Naruto sobbed, his head falling to the bed to muffle his sighs and raspy breathing.

"Where am I?" she asked, trying to shift position in the bed she had been put in.

"You're in the hospital. We're both here. I was told that when you saw us arrive, you fell and you landed up here. I'm sorry Sakura-chan. I'm so sorry," he said, grasping her hand tighter in his, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Sorry for what?" she asked softly, managing to turn her head to confirm that she really was in a hospital room and that she was hooked up to an intravenous drip.

"I, I failed. I couldn't bring Sasuke back home," he said, using one hand to quickly wipe his tears away. He felt like an idiot crying in front of her, but he couldn't help it.

That's right. It came rushing back painfully: the moment she heard Oyotaki declare that the boys were back, finding out about the Hokage calling in reinforcements, and then the realization that Sasuke wasn't among the group. Her eyes closed and she exhaled loudly.

"Sasuke didn't come back," she said, albeit shakily. "Neither did Chouji or Neji," she added.

"They're gone," the blonde replied.

"What do you mean?" she asked, keeping her eyes closed to try and keep the tears in, praying that they wouldn't escape her eyelids.

"The Sand-nins came to bail Shikamaru, Kiba, and Lee out. Uh, Neji and Chouji are..." he trailed, unable to say it.

"Dead?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"I think so. I mean, I didn't really get a chance to stop and see what happened because there was so much going on. I know it's no excuse," he said.

"They tried to save the team. I know they would risk their lives to help you guys," Sakura said, trying to deal with two deaths and a missing person.

"They did. And I think they fought until the end. They were those kind of guys," he said sadly, lowering his head to hide his black eye and split lip. Though he had amazingly quick recovery from injuries, the ones Sasuke inflicted seemed to be unusually slow in their healing.

"Who did this to you?" she asked, sadly eyeing his injuries. Those were only the ones on his face. She wasn't sure how many others ones he had.

"Sasuke. He's become a monster," Naruto said, tucking his chin lower so that Sakura wouldn't have to be subjected to the various cuts, swelling, and bruises marring his face.

A monster, Sakura thought, tightening her fists so hard that her knuckles turned white.

"Can you tell me what happened. How this happened," she asked, half scared of the truth, half anxious to know about the mission she was unable to participate in.

Because I'm weak, she thought.

"We fought and he used his sharingan on him. He took me to the same place Itachi took Kakashi-sensei, but he didn't hurt me. He just left me there. I don't remember what happened after that. You need to ask Lee and Gaara, they were the ones who found me," he said.

"Oh," Sakura said so softly. Obviously, the curt explanation was Naruto's way of telling her that he would rather not talk about it. She couldn't keep the tears in any longer and let them fall, trying hard not to sob in front of Naruto. She knew he tried his best and she didn't want him to feel anymore guilt. Biting her lower lip, she turned to her side so that her back faced the blonde. She felt his hand rest on her shoulder and warmth covering her back.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I'm just not strong enough," he said before embracing her.

"It's okay," she managed to say, "I'm not blaming you. No one is," she whispered, turning to face him and letting her fingers gently trace the swollen area around his eye.

Lee was the first one to enter once visiting hours started. He waited anxiously at the door, a large bouquet of pink roses in one hand and a get well card in the other. He entered the room to find Naruto curled up next to Sakura, both teammates fast asleep.

He found his lips turning into a frown and he cleared his throat rather loudly, hoping to jolt the blonde. Instead, Sakura's green eyes opened slowly.

"I'm sorry Sakura-san! I meant to wake Naruto. He looked like he was invading your personal space," Lee apologized, setting the card and roses down on the nightstand beside her hospital bed.

Sakura smiled softly, sitting up to talk to her first visitor. "I'm used to it. Did you bring those for me?" she asked, pointing to the bouquet wrapped in pink tissue and clear plastic. Lee nodded, a blush spreading across his cheeks.

"They're supposed to be a get-well gift. How are you?" he asked, taking a nearby visitor chair and pulled it up to the side of her bed.

"Well rested," she said, laughing hollowly. "I haven't been sleeping very well. This was some direly needed sleep. If you're asking how I feel emotionally," she said, watching him nod slowly at the suggestion, "I feel like someone put me through a blender," she concluded, bending her head forwards so that her hair obscured her face. She hoped that the tears from her conversation with Naruto hadn't made her eyes swollen.

Lee's mouth formed an 'o' in understanding. He'd been worried about her even before he'd left Konoha to help Naruto. He'd seen her (on more than one occasion) seated in front of the gates, waiting tirelessly for any news about her comrades. He knew she was waiting for Sasuke and he couldn't help but feel a little responsibility for not being able to bring her teammate back. He knew as long as Sasuke lived, Sakura's feelings for the quiet shinobi wouldn't fade, which made him feel as though he should have somehow tried harder.

"If you need to talk, you can always find me. I'll try to tell you everything I can, but I don't know how much I'll be able to help," he offered, giving her his thumbs-up and trademark good guy smile.

"Thanks. I appreciate it," she said. Truthfully, Sakura wanted to know what state Naruto ended up after being exposed to Sasuke's sharingan.

"You know, Naruto told me to ask you what happened once you and Gaara found him. He says he can't remember anything after what Sasuke did to him," she said. Sakura didn't know how much peace of mind it could bring her, but she thought that maybe she could figure out how much stronger Sasuke had become after his transformation. She knew enough from the blonde that Sasuke using his sharingan like Itachi had to have been some high level bloodline limit that must have come from his transformation.

Lee nodded. "Naruto was on a cliff. We found him lying unconscious and there wasn't a trace of Sasuke anywhere. I don't know how much that can help you," he said.

Sakura shook her head. "No, I'm just trying to piece people's stories together. Even a little bit counts. Thanks," she said, her smile failing to reach her eyes.

Lee nodded, then stood. "I have training to attend to. I'll visit you soon," he said, patting her hand. "Take care," he said on his way out.

Sakura watched his retreating form. Warmth stirred next her.

"How long have you been awake?" she asked.

"You knew?" he asked. She nodded.

"I've been up since he took a seat. You mad?" he asked. Sakura shook her head.

"How's your face?" she asked, turning to her other side so she could get a better look at him. He shrugged, but she could definitely see some improvement. Maybe their nap had helped the healing process because the black bruise had started to fade to a darkish purple and the split in his lip looked like it was finally starting to come together.

"Are you okay to get out of here? I hate hospitals," she said. He nodded, getting out of the bed and holding out a hand for her to grasp. Gratefully, she took it and stood wobbly, unsure of how long she had gone without standing or walking.

"They'll let us leave, right?" the blonde asked, smoothing the deep wrinkles in his orange jumpsuit as Sakura quickly removed the IV from the back of her hand, grimacing at the feel.

Sakura shrugged. "I don't think they could stop us even if they tried," she said solemnly, pushing their shared hospital room door open. She peered out into the hallway and noted the bored nurse sitting at the nurse's station. Since there seemed to be nobody else, she quickly slipped out, followed by Naruto. Both heard a 'poof' before they even reached the end of the quiet hallway.

"Escaping the hospital?" Kakashi asked, amused.

Naruto laughed. "We don't like hospitals," he said, scratching the back of his head.

The jounin nodded slowly, his visible eye watching the two skeptically. "I have to sign you out. I'm supposed to be responsible for you two," he said, motioning for them to follow him to the nurse's station.

He had them signed out in minutes and Sakura and Naruto were free to go.

"Do you want to come with me to the Ichiraku? I'm pretty hungry," he asked, pointing to his beloved ramen restaurant. Sakura shook her head.

"I think I should go home to see my parents. They're probably pretty worried," she lied. If they had been worried like she said, Sakura was sure that they would have been the first people she's see once her eyes opened. The fact that they were completely absent from the hospital confirmed her belief: her parents really didn't care that much about her wellbeing.

"Oh, okay. Want me to walk you home?" he offered.

"I live right down the street from the Ichiraku. I think I'll be fine," she reminded him. He laughed nervously.

"Right. Be careful," he said before waving and running across the street to order his favourite ramen.

Sakura wondered how Naruto had always been able to hide the way he felt. She grew up with him so she knew just how isolated the other children made him feel. She had her share of loneliness before and she could hardly stand it. How the blonde had been able to persevere was a mystery, but Sakura figured that his ability to move on was something that she would need to acquire to move on.

She wondered when she would be able to piece all the information together. Something seemed to be lacking, but she didn't know what it was. The story she knew so far was that Sasuke didn't want to come back because he wanted to get his revenge. His transformation was to make him strong enough to defeat Itachi, and the change must have been so great because Naruto had described their former teammate as a monster. Still, something was lacking. Orochimaru didn't seem like the helpful type. Sakura was sure that the reason the member of the Genius Three helped Sasuke was for purely selfish reasons.

Sakura fished her house key out of her pant pocket and unlocked the door, welcomed home by darkness and quiet. Her parents were out again, like so many other times. For a fleeting second, she thought that maybe the reason they weren't home was because they had left for the hospital to visit her. The thought fled almost as quickly as it had come, but left a sadness lingering in her that she was used to by now. She was a child of benign neglect and she had accepted it years before today.

"I'm home," she said softly.

Chapter two preview: Sakura asks Shikamaru for information and Naruto gives it another shot as he goes into detail (blow-by-blow) of what happened on the cliff with Sasuke.

A/N: ALRIGHT... this is the reason I need a beta reader. Dammit, I am so ashamed of myself for forgetting Chouji and Neji. Thanks to my reviewer nancy, who pointed this very important fact out. I feel like a big idiot now, but I forced myself to fix the error so the story changed just a TEENY bit. To the other reviewer, Licht Sieger: I'm not saying you're wrong, but I know that Orochimaru IS that strong. Think of how a twelve year old girl would come to a conclusion like that. She's in love with Sasuke so obviously she'd try to pin the blame on someone else for Sasuke's leaving, even if there is no reason to see it otherwise. I admit, not everyone knows about the Kyuubi in Naruto. That was my mistake and I'll fix that too. Ah... I'm so sorry for all this mix up, readers. Still, review and try to catch my mistakes until I get a decent beta reader. Thanks!

re-edited: June 19th, 2004