The first time it happened, it was a little before Naruto returned to the village.


Being the apprentice of the esteemed Tsunade Senju, who also happened to be Hokage, came with certain benefits. As one would expect, that included having the freedom to exit and enter the village without needing special permission or surveillance.

Sakura was very passionate and hardworking, a stellar student. She eagerly grasped every ounce of knowledge her master was kind enough to share. Even more so, lately, when on numerous occasions the young kunoichi managed to impress The Lady with her expertise on poisons and welcoming fresh take on cooking up interesting antidotes.

She was beyond grateful, because Tsunade really took pride in having her as an apprentice. She never failed to make Sakura feel like she was something...extraordinary.

So when the blonde woman gently tapped her head with affection earlier that month, Sakura knew all of her efforts to impress The Lady had not been in vain.

Tightening her hold on the empty basket she carried, Sakura thought that maybe, just maybe she was one step closer to those two. Sooner or later she would catch up to them, she would prove herself useful and worthy of everything they've given her unfettered.

It was about time she gave something in return.

Passing through the enormous gates of Konoha, she felt the spring breeze caress pale white-red tresses and smiled eagerly to the horizon.

This was her first solo "mission".

Sakura had been dying to investigate for quite some time now. The place itself was a bit further from the village than she was used to traveling alone, so it took a bit of convincing on her part. Contrary to popular belief, Tsunade was rather protective of her little student, however strict and downright brutal she might be during training.

But Sakura was strong now, and she could definitely handle herself. If she succeeded, no, when she succeeded, she would finally be able to make a difference.

Shizune spoke about it once, briefly. But it was more than enough to catch her sharp attention.

There was talk about some special phosphorescent flowers that contained the light of the moon. And if the formula was just right, ingesting it could provide the human body with a much stronger immune system, aiding the dreadful lifestyle of shinobi in unimaginable ways.

She could picture it already: being almost immune to infection and disease. Quite the asset to have. Of course, nobody ever figured out how to make them edible, or at least non poisonous for humans. So with the passing of time, their existence inevitably turned into folktale.

Sakura lived for a good challenge. Conveniently, she was a lover of challenges who also happened to be in the possession of a map. The map was lazily marked by a red circle somewhere on the right corner and even a bit dirty too, but her emerald green eyes shined with clear determination.

The flowers weren't a myth and she would be the one to find them.


Somewhere dark, in depths of forbidden earth, bloody coughs could be heard echoing through the heftiest of walls. The flickering of candles did nothing to erase the ominous feeling plaguing the underground dungeon.

"What do you want."

Between carefully changing reddened bandages, Kabuto nervously looked at his master. Unfortunately, his condition was worsening way faster than he initially thought. So much so, that even something as basic as breathing turned into a painful chore.

"Impatient as ever, Sasuke," the Sannin barely managed."You see, there is a flower I seek. White as the reflection of the moon. Bring it to me!"

His body failed him yet again, filling his lungs with fluid and as the taste of metal rapidly spread throughout his mouth, Orochimaru dammed his inflicted weakness.

"That old imbecile! Curse you, Sarutobi!"

"Master, please! You mustn't push yourself!" Kabuto panicked, quickly preparing a syringe with something Sasuke could only guess to be a sedative.

There the last Uchiha stood, pitifully looking at the sick, tormented man before him. Sasuke watched as his most loyal subject carefully cleaned the blood dripping off his chin.

It made him sick.

"Get it yourself." He indifferently replied as he turned away to leave.

"How dare you speak to Orochimaru that way? You ungrateful brat!" Kabuto spit out angrily, almost dropping his precious medical attire.

Sasuke slowly turned his head and looked at him sideways. Kabuto could almost feel the fearsome red bleeding from his infamous eyes. Damn those eyes, and the arrogance they carried with them. Surely if it wasn't for the swirling crimson and one forgotten name, Kabuto could be the one and only person Orochimaru needed. To be envious of cursed genetics, that's the kind of rottenness he carried within these days.

"I'd be careful if I were you." Sasuke's words were ice, cold and abusing, and they were destined for anyone who dared to think they could control him.

"Silence!" Kabuto gritted his teeth in frustration as his master struggled. "You will bring me the flower. You will do as I say, my precious student. Or have you forgotten… about your treacherous brother?"

Sasuke remained motionless. The power he attained, the hatred he collected by damning himself to this place, by giving everything up—was it not enough? Was he not strong enough to kill him? To rip him to pieces just as he's ripped apart his bare soul and condemned him to this life of misery.

He clenched his teeth, closed his eyes as the memories of his beloved mother and father laying breathless in the shadow of his weakness, appeared. Images of orange and pink surfaced at once, the ones he tried hardest to keep chained. The tears and the shouting, that forbidden night and the last battle.

Much to his dismay, the two of them often invaded his mind, too. What was left of it anyway.

Itachi took everything away from him. After all these years, could he…could he not be strong enough?

Suddenly, as if reading his accursed mind, Orochimaru spoke: "Not yet."

"You are not strong enough, not yet. I have plenty more to teach you. Have you already forgotten the taste of power? Who offered you what you sought after most, if not I? Your training is not over. But first, I need that damn flower and you will bring it to me!"

He could do it right now if he wanted. He could kill Orochimaru with the bend of his finger if he wanted to.

Sasuke knew, Orochimaru he could kill. In this pathetic state he was, at least.

"Kabuto is going to give you a map of the accurate location. You are to retrieve the flower and bring it to me untouched. I expect you back in three days."

Kabuto reluctantly stepped closer to Sasuke, holding out a dusty scroll. Without turning to face either of them, the raven man nonchalantly took the scroll from Kabuto's hold and into his own.

When he finally walked away, Sasuke cursed himself. He knew he still needed Orochimaru's power, at least for a little while. Mistakes were not allowed.

I will defeat you, brother.


Almost there.

The journey proved to be a pleasant one, Sakura came to find. She loved the forest, especially during spring, it held a special place in her heart. The wind, the grass and the trees sung songs unfamiliar and it made her feel at peace.

Blooming and ambiguous, she found comfort in the mysterious depths of wooden green. Sakura felt like she belonged among the birds, the grass, the rivers and everything else that colored the world with so much life. She did have pink hair, after all.

She was also happy to have found other useful plants along the way. Of course, the basket was to be filled with the moon flower, but the bits gathered thus far were a mere bonus.

Suddenly, there was a crack.

It sounded as if a twig snapped in two. Quickly, she made her way behind an old, imposing tree—perfectly fit for hiding—and soundly took out a kunai from her back pouch.

"It's supposed to be somewhere around here, boss. Come on, Taro! Pick up those damn logs and help me, will ya?"

"Why don't you carry them if it's so easy? Fucking Jintan."

"I heard that!"

"Shut up and get to work, I'm not paying you to talk!"

"Sorry boss."

Three men. Sakura sneaked a quick look, and once she saw the Sound symbol displayed on their clothing, she decided they weren't three men anymore. They were three enemies.

Now she only had to think of a plan.

They didn't look too strong, not above Chunin level anyway. Sakura was confident she could take them on. But first, she'd have to find a way to separate them. She was confident, not stupid. Kakashi made sure to thoroughly prove the importance of teamwork.

Never underestimate your opponent. Keep your guard up and look for vulnerabilities. Sakura could almost hear his voice ringing in her head, scolding her about the basics as he had done so many times before.

Except now, Sakura knew stealth. Practiced it, even.

She swiftly concealed her chakra and patiently waited for the opportune moment to strike. The element of surprise was on her side. She had the great advantage of watching them, while they didn't even realize they weren't alone. Amateurs.

"Here they are boss!" The Sound ninja were also seeking out the alabaster flowers, that much was obvious. But surely they weren't stupid enough to actually touch them—

"CHIDORI!"

What? It can't be! That sounded like...

"Sasuke?"

She gasped in surprise, turning her head a little more so she could see better, but fairly careful to not blow away her cover. Sakura gulped anxiously. She could recognize that voice anywhere. It was all coming back. The overwhelming emotion of worry and unadulterated excitement.

She thought about Sasuke's fight against Gaara, when he had haughtily introduced the newest weapon in his arsenal: Chidori. The determination in his eyes and the certainty with which he moved...she loved every minute of it. Seeing him that way. A little while after that, he deserted the village, breaking everyone's hearts in the process. Seeking the only thing she could not give him.

She couldn't believe it, but there he was. Flesh and bone before her bare eyes:

Taller, way taller than her by now and very much changed, but it was Sasuke no doubt. Same disheveled, spiky black hair, only a bit longer now, same magnetic feel about him. That was definitely Sasuke. He had gotten unbelievably handsome, with his white shirt split down the middle and his unmistakable charcoal eyes. Terribly strong, too. She could only imagine.

Sakura cursed herself as the memory of their last encounter surfaced back to the present. Her confession stood still, untainted in the chambers of her heart, tucked away along her with regrets and unanswered prayers. A bitter feeling overtook her as the realization hit: Sakura no longer loved a boy, she now loved a man.

A man she no longer knew.

She wanted to ask him so many questions, about where he's been in the past few years, what he's been doing. If he still cared about them, if he ever cared about her. If he ever cared at all.

She feared one particular possibility more than the others: that Orochimaru managed to erase every last bit of emotion Sasuke ever had. She wanted to hold him in her arms and keep him safe from the heavy burdens weighing on his dreary heart. To take him away and banish the loneliness he pretended he wanted. She wanted to scream as loud as her voice would let her.

That he is not alone. That he will never be.

"The fuck you think you're doing? We were here first," the foreign shinobi complained, making Sakura mentally slap herself for getting too riled up. It was not the time to be reminiscing about the past.

The battlefield was no place for wishful thinking.

"Out of my way."

She startled at the sound of his voice again, and not only because it was deeper than she was used to. This time though, Sakura made sure to keep her primary focus on the enemy.

"Look kid, you think that just cuz you're Orochimaru's favorite you can do whatever the hell you want. Well you can tell that dying snake I don't give a single fuck about whatever orders he gave you. My merchant is paying good money for these stupid flowers, so beat it!"

Sasuke didn't say anything to counter the man's rude remarks, nor bothered to look at either of them. Instead, he dismissed the lot as he nonchalantly passed by them, making his way to the glade.

"This is my last warning kid," the man retorted full of hostility.

As Sasuke started to bend over, wanting to reach the moon-painted plant, something in Sakura suddenly snapped.

"Don't touch it, Sasuke! It's poisonous!"

The realization hit her just seconds later and it felt like a thousand bricks to the spine. She had been there, quietly hiding all along. Masking her presence and doing everything by the book but...

...now, she was hiding no more.

Sasuke immediately yanked his hand away from the ground, eyes widening with disbelief. He recognized that voice. And the person it belonged to.

In full acceptance of her outburst—not a mistake, because if he had touched the flowers he would have been poisoned and there is no cure yet—Sakura stepped out, into the light.

All eyes settled on her.

However, she was looking straight at him. And Sasuke was looking only at her. There existed a lingering plea only the two of them shared. It was as if the wind itself knew enough to whisper words of comfort between two people who hadn't seen each other in a long time.

"Konoha ninja! Get her boys! Destroy all evidence, a pissed Hokage is the last thing we need on our backs!" The spell was abruptly broken.

Before she could even think to blink or prepare for an attack, Sasuke appeared in front of her. His back was turned, sharingan dangerously spinning in his eyes, ready for anything.

"What are you doing here?"alone, she almost heard him say. He instantly grabbed his trusted katana, eyes taunting the enemy.

"Where's Naruto," he reluctantly added, tone almost bruising.

Sakura shivered at the memory of her golden friend, broken bones and broken spirit, laying bandaged in a hospital bed. Naruto had almost died. Sasuke almost killed him back then.

"I don't...know." She confessed.

He had always been different from them, she knew. His dark and mysterious façade seemed innocent compared to the magnitude of loss and tragedy he had been buried in ever since childhood. Despite all of it, they grew close, the four of them. Sasuke would certainly deny it even now because he always did.

But they had so much fun, working and laughing and training together.

Their family had a name:Team 7. Bonds like that were impossible to sever. And something from within made her believe Sasuke would never be able to shake them, either. She knew that in his heart of hearts, he still cared.

"Stay here."

The power of Chidori loudly blazed through his sharp blade, ruby eyes charged with fury. They have both changed. And undoubtedly, Naruto too. Wherever he was now.

But the greatest witness to the changes that have occurred in the past years just had to be moments like this.

Devoid of all the confidence she felt not too long ago, but still graced by the determination which kept her going all this time, Sakura decided she would not let anyone fight her battles for her ever again. She strongly gripped Sasuke's shoulder and used it to launch herself towards the enemies. They were preparing for an attack, so she did what Tsunade taught her best: fight.

Naruto and Sasuke have always performed proudly on the battlefield. This time, the ones clapping in the background would be them. Somehow she knew Naruto was there with her, too, his untamed spirit always present in the courage of her movements. She would make him proud.

She would make them all proud.

Although she lacked the arrogance and pride her beloved teammates always shamelessly displayed, she had something neither of them did: humility. And that's where her strength truly lay.

She smirked.

When you strip yourself of pride, you begin to think you can be bested. You begin to see the cracks in your defense and whatever it is you're lacking. But just as you can be bested, so can the enemy.

When you're not blinded by arrogance, the battlefield turns into nothing more than a wheel of strategy.

Closing her fists and pumping carefully trained chakra through her knuckles, she smashed the tree behind them. Sakura managed to dodge the kunai hits whilst creating a safe pathway to walk on. A surface away from the poisonous herbs below.

There was wood and dust flying everywhere. Amidst the destruction, there Sakura was, with her pink hair fluttering in the wind and green eyes full of a conviction built on sleepless nights and tears.

"It's Lady Hokage you jerks." Sakura warned in triumph. "And don't make me tell you twice."

.

.

.

.

Sasuke's gaze followed her with a newly found interest. He watched as this five-foot-nothing pink haired girl he used to know had enough power to crush bone into dust with the mere touch of her fingers.

"Don't you dare belittle us, you bitch! You have no idea who we are!"

In an instant, he was beside her. He daringly glared at the three shinobi in front. Sakura almost flinched, undoubtedly not used to his close proximity after so long.

"I couldn't care less about who you guys are. Tell your merchant to find work elsewhere." He heard her viciously spit back, the fragility of her temper showing through.

"You haven't changed."

Sasuke darkly teased her as a rather bemused grin appeared on his face. It appears she wasn't all that different, after all. Without wasting another second, he launched his attack.

Sakura was left baffled by his particular choice of words. Always harsh but not necessarily, impossible to decipher and undoubtedly meant for her soft spot he knew had his name written all over it. Arrogant jerk.

This was going to be fun.

"Just watch me, then!" She promised, joining in on the fight.


Author's note:

HI. This will eventually become sexual. Stick around and please review because I need that serotonin.