Itonami: Chapter 19 at your service! Read it and tell me what you think, ne?

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Naruto.

Chapter 19

It was already a week into March and the weather was surprisingly nice and warm. Sakura lightly hummed to herself as she packed several half-filled bentous with tempura and riceballs. The Godaime decided that everyone could have a picnic at the park since they had been blessed with such wonderful weather. Another unstated reason was to keep their minds off of the growing Akatsuki battle for a little while. They all deserved that.

Sakura neatly stacked the lunchboxes on top of each other and turned to put them in her basket.

"Oof!" She turned but only to bump right into a solid body belonging to another.

"Need help?" A deep voice asked, large, calloused hands taking some of the load in her arms.

Sasuke smiled when Sakura grinned and nodded. He put them in her basket. The two stood back and surveyed the handiwork. "Perfect." Sakura stated and dusted imaginary dust from her hands. "Come on, we'll be late."

Grabbing her picnic lunch made for her friends, she led Sasuke out of the apartment towards the park. The two of them made out the tall form of Hyuuga Neji and his wife near Naruto and Hinata. To their surprise, the Kazekage was there with his family and siblings. Waving a hand and calling their names, Sakura captured the attention of all four present at their picnic location.

Neji bowed courteously to the approaching couple with Tenten's arms looped with his. Gaara was situating himself between Temari and Kankurou who were both arguing and ready to eat each other's head. Naruto was playing a hand game with Setsuai while Hinata and Gaara's wife watched.

"Sakura, did you make that for all of us?" Tenten asked, looking at the big bundle in the pink-haired woman's arms.

Hinata carefully helped with unpacking the food while the men conversed quietly. "Hinata-chan, where's Ino and Shikamaru?"

The Hyuuga woman looked around. "She said that they were going to be late. I don't know what she is doing."

Their little gathering began, the women giggling and talking about the latest news around Konoha, while the men discussed weapon brands and techniques. It was by noon when Sasuke felt that something was amiss. Slowly twisting at his waist to look around his surroundings, and found what he was missing.

"Where is Sakura?" He asked suddenly.

Hinata smiled. "She went off to look for some wild flowers. She went that way." She pointed to the right behind her.

Sasuke, for some reason, did not feel very secure with her gone. Standing up, he excused himself first and headed off in the direction which Hinata pointed to. Brushing past some bushes he stopped. Something was watching him. Without his chakra, Sasuke couldn't really pinpoint who it was, though it did feel familiar. The eerie sense of being watched sent an involuntary shiver down his neck. A ninja's paranoia about being ambushed was still very much alive in Sasuke's system. Everyone looked at him curiously. What was he doing?

Without warning, a blur suddenly launched out of the greenery and tackled Sasuke by the midsection. There was no time to react. The petite figure on top of him aggressively tried to pin him on the grass, but the man obviously overpowered her. The Uchiha flipped them over, only to be back on the bottom. They continued doing so until he won.

Sakura was giggling breathlessly, her cheeks warm and pink due to the amount of energy she had used trying to fight Sasuke. He looked at her and his face was set into an emotionless expression. Worried, Sakura was about to speak when clear, beautiful laughter interrupted her. She blinked.

Uchiha Sasuke was laughing.

His laughter was alluring and breathtaking, a mature sound that started in the base of throat. Truly, it was a forbidden melody. It rang in her ears like deep chimes. His handsome face was smiling fully, not the half-smile that he always had, but a full smile that reached his black eyes. He had clearly enjoyed her childlike antics. Gradually, his laughing subsided and he was still smiling softly as he looked into her crisp eyes.

"You almost caught me." He whispered. Sasuke was still on top of her, his hand cradling the back of her head carefully and away from the ground. His other hand slipped down her arm as he leaned quite close to her. Her supple body was pressed against his muscular, lean body initiating small waves of pleasure through both of them.

"Get a room, you two!" Naruto shouted, covering Setsuai's eyes to hide them from the scene.

"We should get up." Sakura said quietly and waited for him to get up first.

Standing swiftly stood and without waiting for the pink-haired kunoichi to get up, he scooped her up gracefully in his arms. Stunned beyond words, Sakura's eyes merely went wide with astonishment. He started to walk away from the picnic.

"Oi, what are you doing, teme?" The blonde cupped his hands around his mouth to project his voice louder.

"Getting a room." Sasuke said simply while he shrugged effortlessly with Sakura in his arms.

"Sasuke!" The woman in his arms playfully punched his chest and swung her slender legs. "Let me down!"

Sighing in resignation, Sasuke set her down. She led him back to where everyone was sitting. Neji smirked. "There is something called marriage, Uchiha."

The old Sasuke returned as he glared at the Hyuuga patriarch. "Yes, I'm aware of that."

Tenten tugged on Neji sleeve, causing him to turn and look at her with his pearly orbs. She was smiling as she pointed to his right. Following her finger, he saw what she was seeing. Coming towards them was a family of cats in a strict single-file line, from oldest to youngest. Chopsticks was first, walking with his tail held high, as Hanryo trailed gracefully behind her mate, and four little kittens trotted eagerly in the wake of their parents. One was completely snow white except for a little tip of its tail. The second was half brown and half white; its head was brown with white tipped ears. The third was trying to walk and play with its sibling's tail at the same time. It was like its father; a dusty brown in color and a white stripe lining its back. The last kitten was so tiny as it struggled to keep up with its family. It was mainly white and brown patches spotted its body randomly.

Neji smiled at the brand new family of cats. The litter of kittens had been born only a month or so ago. Chopsticks was the proud father of four fine kittens and the Hyuuga had been happy to observe new life growing in the compound. Tenten cuddled two of the kittens. The smallest kitten, who Neji had named Kosai, strayed immediately to Setsuai. Gaara, being overprotective again, created a small wall of sand blocking its way. Mewing loudly, Kosai tried to evade the wall of sand.

"Teishu, it won't hurt her. Let it go. Setsuai needs some friends." His wife said in her quiet, yet awfully persuasive voice. The Kazekage looked uncertain but let down his guard.

The little kitten dashed to the little girl and purred excitedly as Setsuai began to pet it. "Oto-san, look!" She held out the kitten for him to touch, which he did only to please his daughter.

A sneeze took place.

Sabaku no Gaara sneezed of allergies. To a cat.

Everyone became deathly silent. Then everyone burst out laughing. Gaara glared at the cat. He was different from the rest of them; they didn't have the responsibility of being Kazekage. The cat was ruining his stern image.

Neji and Sasuke were chuckling while everyone else was hilariously rolling on the floor, tears streaming from their eyes. Tenten clutched her husband's arm for some support to keep herself from flopping helplessly on the ground with laughter. Sakura and Hinata were holding each other and laughing freely. Naruto was howling with laughter while disrespectfully pointing a finger at the displeased Sand nin. Meanwhile, Temari and Kankurou had gotten over their argument and were laughing also.

The bout of laughter finally died off and all were panting from extreme exhaustion of laughter. Gaara resisted the urge to kill everyone who had witnessed his moment of humiliation. Weakness was not tolerated by the Kazekage.

It was until late evening that everyone decided to head home. The Hyuugas left first with their cats following them. The Kazekage and his family departed to their temporary residence in the village. The rest went after saying good bye to each other.

Sasuke and Sakura stayed behind to pack up the empty lunchboxes away. The sun was setting behind the horizon, the last of its gleaming rays giving away into darkness. The park was now vacant besides the only two occupants in the middle of it.

"Sasuke, you don't need to clean up. I can do it myself." She said apologetically. Her comment went unheard by the man. He was patiently picking up the bentous and carefully matching the lids with them.

"I'm guessing you'll need to wash these, too?" He drawled thoughtfully, gazing at the many colorful boxes. Sakura nodded dumbly, watching him and mesmerized by him.

He straightened with the bentous in his arms. Sasuke turned to look at her inquiringly. "Well? Am I going to wash these alone?"

Sakura shook herself out of her trance and flashed him a quick smile. "Here, let me have some of those." She took half and they walked quietly together. Their destination, which was Sakura's house, was finally reached. Fumbling with the key to get in, she unlocked the door and it swung open. Sasuke slid off his training sandals after her and walked to the kitchen.

Being a cozy apartment with a tiny kitchen, it barely had enough capacity to hold both of them at the same time. But the pair of shinobi didn't really mind. Turning on the faucet with warm and cold water, she set her armload of bentous with traces of food still on them down on the counter. Sasuke mimicked her actions.

One by one, Sakura soaped while Sasuke rinsed with water. The bubbles gathered on the surface of the water as the couple calmly washed the dishes. Sakura nudged Sasuke so that she could rinse off her own hands. It was then that Sasuke struck.

Soapy water made a beeline for her face with a mere flick of his wrist. Sakura ducked quickly and retaliated by flinging her wet sponge at him. With excellent reflexes, Sasuke swiftly step-sided, allowing it to fly past him. He decided he had to go on the offensive. Reaching for the cold water handle and turning it on at full power, he blocked most of the mouth of the faucet with the flat of his palm. Water went everywhere.

The pink-haired jounin had no way of dodging. It was over. She was soaked and he was happily dry, a smug smirk on his face. "I win this time."

She shook her arm to get rid of some of the excess water and pouted. "At least you could have the decency to attack me with warm water. It's cold!" She never regretted saying that.

Sasuke enveloped her in his arms, not caring if the wetness of her body transferring to him. He pressed her against him like he had before in the park. He felt her thin arms wind around his middle. She exhaled into his chest, her breath hot on his shirt.

"S-Sasuke?" She whispered uncertainly.

"Come with me." He said suddenly, taking her by the hand and leading her out the door quickly. She didn't have time to protest but let herself catch up behind him.

It came to her realization that he was leading her down the road that had once led to the Uchiha Massacre, where his entire clan had been driven to the point of extinction. Was he ready to face his past and leave it behind?

Sasuke abruptly stopped at the place of crossing over from the village to Uchiha private property. He gazed far into the distance, his body immediately tensing. His breaths were shaky and his hand groped for hers, seeking some comfort. She yielded everything to him.

"Whenever you're ready, Sasuke." She breathed, making him look at her. Her sea-green eyes evidently gave him more courage.

"It's time…that I let them go." His voice was almost haggard and weary with age, though he was not a day over twenty one.

With Sakura tucked by his side, Uchiha Sasuke took the very first step into his past.

The Uchiha Township was suddenly filled with noises and people…people whom he recognized from a long time ago.

"Sasuke-san, I've got new supplies to get that roof fixed. I'll be by tomorrow as soon as I can!" An old man shouted and waved from the front of his store. Sasuke remember him as the same old man who used to do the fixing in the Uchiha manor. He kept walking. Sakura was oblivious to everything that he was seeing. Fascinated, the last Uchiha looked around.

"Hey, Sasuke, who's that gorgeous woman that you've got there?" A young man called from a short distance. This person he didn't know. As if he had heard Sasuke's thoughts, he grinned and laughed. "Yeah, you wouldn't know me. I was dead years before you were even born, kid. I'm Uchiha Obito. Kakashi's told me a great deal about you."

'Kakashi?'

"Yeah, he's been a rambler these past years. Not one to forget his past easily. So, who's the lady?" He could hear the eagerness in Obito's voice.

'Sakura…Haruno Sakura.'

"Oh, she's the other student of Kakashi's, isn't she? You finally hooked up with her? I heard she's got some mad skills."

'Che. You sound like Naruto.'

Obito laughed, not unlike Naruto. "Kakashi used to say that. But he says that the Uzumaki kid matured quite a bit."

Sasuke could feel himself smirk. 'Not really.'

Obito squinted at him through his goggles. "You really do look like your father, you know that?"

Sasuke stopped. 'You knew my father?'

The man scoffed. "Know him? I'm his nephew, boy!"

'You are my cousin?'

Obito grinned. "Yup, come on, I'll show you to where your father is now."

The elder man spun on his heel and gracefully trekked through the throng of people. Sasuke was quick to follow diligently. More and more people greeted him graciously. Swirls of different noises filled his ears, his eyes bearing the sight of lively Uchiha people. Vendors were excitedly calling out to the crowd to try food or by products. It was all so real that Sasuke almost fooled himself into believing that it was reality. Soon, the mass of people melted away and it was only Sasuke and Sakura who were following Obito. The dusty path gave way to the intensely familiar way to his house. Tall stone fences lined the road, each one sporting the clan symbol, the red and white fan.

There it was, the Uchiha manor coming into view and he could see the front gates. The painted red gates were partially open. Obito gestured to the gates. "This is where I leave you."

'You're not coming with us?'

"I live elsewhere. I don't belong here. Go on, they're all waiting for you." He gave Sasuke a quick smile and dashed off. "Take care of that girl, Sasuke!"

Now, Sasuke was faced with a decision to face his parents. Taking deep breath and gripping Sakura, he pushed the gate away to reveal a shocking scene. His father, his mother, and his brother were laughing and eating green melons on the oriental porch. Itachi wore his usual black training attire and his eyes were black as night. His father was smiling while his quiet wife sat beside him and giggling as Itachi was telling a funny tale. There was no blood nor was it gloomy.

Itachi heard the creak of the gate and looked up first. His face spread into a slow, but sincere smile. "Sasuke."

'Itachi?'

His mother's eyes wandered to Sakura beside him. "My, my, who is lovely young lady?"

Sasuke couldn't believe his eyes. 'Oka-san?'

The woman, who looked as young as the day she died, got up and smiled merrily. "You've grown so much, Sasuke. Is this the woman who you've chosen to carry the Uchiha name with you?" Her eyes clouded with tears of happiness.

He couldn't answer for there was a painful lump in his throat. It didn't help the fact that his father had stood and gazed at his youngest son with his piercing eyes. Sasuke bowed slightly. "As expected…you are my son." He said softly.

Sasuke looked up sharply and something inside of him wrenched with heartache at hearing his father saying those words again. His father continued. "You've done the entire clan proud, Sasuke."

It was Itachi's turn. His face was gentle and it was free of all the malice that it had once displayed. "I'm glad Sakura-san has helped you. I was almost afraid you'd be foolish not to see such love."

The brothers' mother gazed at Itachi curiously. "You know this woman?"

The elder brother looked sheepish and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I've had a liking to her myself, Oka-san." He chuckled.

"Sakura…what a beautiful name." His mother mused as she gazed at Sakura. "Would you have married me if I had pink hair like that, teishu?"

Her husband looked thoughtful then turned his gaze to his wife. "Hn."

A typical Uchiha retort.

"Live well, little brother. We will be waiting and hopefully, you'll not join us for a long time to come." Itachi said quietly. Sasuke's parents nodded.

"I think you're mature enough to go on. Know that you've made us all proud. Thank you for visiting us, Sasuke." Sasuke's mother said and planted a kiss on his forehead on her tiptoes.

His parents bid him good bye and departed elsewhere. He knew not where. The elder brother had a smile hovering. "One more thing, little brother." Two fingers shot out and painfully poked Sasuke's head. Sasuke rubbed the sore spot with his hand as he scowled. Itachi shook his head and chuckled. "Still the same, Sasuke. I wish you and Sakura-san all the best. May I?" He looked to Sasuke for silent permission. Sasuke nodded.

Itachi gazed at the completely oblivious Sakura and smiled. "Thank you, Sakura-san. What you've done means a lot." Drawing nearer, he kissed the top of her hair. A gentle hand ran down her cheek.

Sakura shivered. The wind had blown gently against her face to caress it, but it seemed strange that the wind made her shiver. "Sasuke?"

Snapping out of his dream, Sasuke looked around him. It was getting darker each minute. They were in the courtyard where his family had met him. The house was silent, but something about it made him relax. "I'm fine. Thank you for coming with me."

Sakura blushed. "It was nothing. I wished to be here when you wanted to do this. So, how do you feel?"

There was long pause as he gazed at the night sky. "Forgiven."

The medic nin had to smile at that. "Forgiven…it must feel really good."

Sasuke nodded. "Yes, it does."

She tugged on his sleeve. "Ne, do you think we can clean this place up?"

He looked around. Weeds were invading once pretty gardens and litter was everywhere. Sasuke sighed. "Why not?"

"I'll bring Naruto and everyone along!" She chirped, obviously in a good mood.

Sasuke was quick to reply. "No."

Sakura's smile dropped off her face. "Why?"

He gave her almost a mischievous smile. "Just the two of us."

Her eyes widened in surprise. He brought her closer. "Tomorrow, it will be just the two of us."

Sakura didn't know how to reply to that. She heard a chuckle rumble in his chest. "By the way, my family seems to like you."

Author's notes: Wow, fast update, right? I'm happy. Are you happy? Hopefully you are.

How about this SasuSaku? It was okay, wasn't it? I'm pretty satisfied with this chapter. It came out pretty naturally. Thank goodness. Thank you for your reviews! Thank you!

Some more Gaara things and NejiTen, as well as NaruHin. Cats! Cats! New cats! Cats! Happy! Cats! Yes! More cats!

Was the part where Sasuke meets his family again weird? Confused? So am I. Well, when he walks into the Uchiha territory of the village, he basically sees how it is in a different world, I guess. Sakura can't see it, because it wouldn't make much sense if she could. No, it wasn't Sasuke going crazy or delusional.

That's the best I can explain it. Hope you liked it!