Chapter 4 – Burning

It was four months after she began her training with Naruto that people began to notice the changes her daily exercises wrought in her skill.

Surprisingly, it was not one of her closer friends that pointed this out to her. Instead, Hinata had seen what so many others had missed.

It was during Sakura's year of teaching that Hyuuga Hanabi began her journey to become a ninja of Konoha. Sakura found the girl to be pleasant enough, especially compared to Neji, though she lacked the charm that Hinata seemed to possess in abundance. Always a bit cold, the girl rarely spoke, though replied quite politely when asked after.

In the middle of September a special parental visit day took place, allowing parents of the Academy students to visit the school and see the environment in which their children learned, and the qualifications of the teachers responsible for bringing them into the world of the ninjas.

Hanabi's father, Hiashi, had been unable to attend, an expected turn of events. The head of one of the most influential houses of Konoha rarely had the time for miscellaneous visits such as this.

In their father's place, Hinata came to watch Hanabi learn, a task most likely meant to expand the experience of the future clan head. Hinata had grown well over the past few years. Gone was the stuttering girl, now replaced with a self confident, though still quiet, young woman.

That particular day began quite normally. Sakura talked about poisons and counter poisons at some length to a group of unusually attentive students, quietly wishing for a few more of these parent visit days.

Hanabi took an unusually large part in the discussion, answering question after question where normally she would remain sitting quietly. When Sakura glanced up at Hinata, she saw a bright smile donning the girl's lips. Hanabi had obviously known how shy her sister had been during the academy days, and was dedicated to showing that she could be brave where Hinata had been timid. It pleased Sakura to see Hinata appreciate the girl's efforts. Though they were never close friends, the Hyuuga girl did at times provide some company, and was on friendly terms with Naruto, resulting in his occasional discussion of Hyuuga politics.

Hinata did not want Hanabi to suffer quite like she did for being shy or quiet, so seeing the child taking such an active part was quite pleasing.

It was some time later that Sakura released the class and followed them downstairs, where a sparring exhibition would be performed.

She caught up to Hinata on the way down.

"Hi, Hinata-chan," Sakura began brightly, "what did you think?"

Hinata smiled. "Your lesson was wonderful, Sakura-san. I so wish father would let me try my hand at teaching," she paused for a moment, "I still have hope that he will relent. It would be wonderful experience after all, don't you think?"

Sakura nodded. She was learning as much, if not more from these kids as they were learning from her. "Yes, it's something you could definitely use as a clan head. I could ask Tsunade to help persuade your father if you want."

Hinata smiled thankfully. "How is Hanabi doing?" she asked, changing the topic. "Am I safe in my assumption that she is not usually the center of attention?"

"You've got her figured out, Hinata-chan," Sakura laughed, "She's normally rather quiet. I guess she wanted to show off in front of you today. She is a bit more vocal than you were at her age."

Hinata let the friendly jibe pass unnoticed. "That's good to hear. I was afraid father had put too much pressure on the poor child, made her think she was above everyone else."

This too was a facet of the new Hinata. Before, she would not dare speak against her father even over the most minor of topics. These days contradicting the man, at least in front of her friends, seemed to have become a favorite pastime.

"It seems that being around other kids her age has mellowed her out," she continued.

Sakura stayed silent. It was true the girl did not have any of the habits Hinata had feared she would, but she still remained one of the quietest girls in the class, and therefore far from the most popular. That she was first in her class did not help. It was best that Hinata not concern herself with these things though, lest the rift that many had feared from the Hyuuga family come to pass.

Engaged in conversation, the two young women reached the training area behind the school.

The grassy field was normally used to practice the more destructive techniques that had a chance of damaging the school. A small forest surrounded it, acting as a fence of sorts. The wooden training dummies that usually littered the field had been cleared away in anticipation of the presentations that would be happening that day.

Pointing Hinata toward the back where the parents were gathering, Sakura went to join Naruto and Sasuke in front of the students.

When the crowds had gathered and it was apparent that no more students or parents were likely to come, Iruka walked into the center of the field.

"Parents, thank you for coming. You are granting us quite an honor by visiting these grounds," Iruka spoke in a cheerful voice, "It is traditional that the students show some of the skills they have learned over their time at the academy on this day. There will be some sparring, where any match is welcome. Please understand this is not a tournament, as we have seen parents get rather excited over the years. I'll let the future ninjas of Konoha take over from here."

With that the teacher stepped out of the limelight and let the kids spread out to show off.

There was some point to these games, Sakura knew. Though not as intense as the final stage of the Chunnin exam, these small sessions were meant to show parents how powerful their children had become in only a few months. If duly impressed, most parents would be doubly likely to allow their other children to enter when they came of age.

She winced as, on the field, Hanabi performed a rather strong gentle fist combination on a boy. Instead of falling and crying, as many would have expected, the boy merely spit out some blood and resumed sparring, undaunted.

Next to her, Naruto chuckled, watching the same fight. "That kid, Kiyomori, he's going to be something, I think."

Sakura nodded absently. Naruto did not speak to her much these days, something she had still not grown used to. Their training was always silent, and during school they rarely saw each other.

They kept watching for over an hour, occasionally commenting on a student here and there. Finally, the kids grew bored and parted with their parents. Many of the teachers left as well, their duties catching up with them. Soon only a small handful of people remained. Hanabi was still tussling with Kiyomori, whose parents were obviously some of the few no-shows. Hinata was sitting on a rock, talking to the mother of another Hyuuga child in the class. It was amazing to see a branch house member get along with someone of the main house, but Sakura was thankful.

Suddenly Naruto spoke. "Hey Iruka, want to have a spar, for old times sake?"

The man in question favored Naruto with a curious gaze before nodding his assent.

The two went into the field and began exchanging light blows, both showing considerable grace. Sakura noticed that the dance was curiously absent today, and Naruto was moving with his usual jerky and sudden style.

Next to her Sasuke shuffled in his spot. He was obviously restless, but did not want to leave without Sakura or Naruto. Catching the mood, Sakura turned to her friend.

"How about it Sasuke? Let's show Naruto what we're made of." She grinned; if anything got his attention, it was the opportunity to show off in front of Naruto.

The two moved toward where Naruto and Iruka were playing and began their own spar.

Soon Sakura found herself dodging Sasuke's blows. They were both going rather slowly, more of a game of tag than a fight. Sasuke aimed a punch under which Sakura rolled, trying to use her momentum to trip the boy. Instead he jumped over and landed where she would have been had she not stopped rolling. In response, she pivoted on her arms, doing a handstand, and launched a kick toward his head, which was easily dodged, before flipping herself upright.

She did not notice Naruto and Iruka winding down, nor the attention her fight with Sasuke had garnered among the remaining students and parents.

Now Sasuke was trying to trip her with a hooked leg. Not one to fall for such a thing, she merely flipped out of the way, landing gracefully on her feet a small distance away, her arm raised to catch the punch that came toward her chest. She spun, attempting a chop at Sasuke's neck, which was blocked quite quickly.

And so they continued, back and forth, for many minutes. At last Sakura was starting to feel slightly winded and raised a hand in surrender. Sasuke smiled at her, and took her hand in his, thanking her for the match.

Around them the small group of remaining people let off a round of applause.

Thoroughly embarrassed, Sakura smiled and moved to sit on Hinata's rock.

"That was wonderful," said Hinata when Sakura sat down, "You've improved so incredibly. Those moves were so graceful I thought you were an ANBU training."

Sakura waved it off. "Nonsense, Hinata-chan. That was just normal sparring with Sasuke, I'm nowhere near the skill of an ANBU yet."

"Sister is right, Sakura-sensei. You fought like my cousin Yoshi. He has recently become an ANBU, and I often see him practicing with Neji-san," Hanabi provided helpfully.

Sakura looked incredulously at the two sisters. Surely she could not fight with the skill of one of the Konoha elites, even in sparring. The looks on their faces were quite earnest though. Confused, she glanced at the rest of the group. In that second, Naruto looked up and caught her eye. His face sported a small smirk, and he nodded at her before turning away and walking off with Iruka.

She sat there for a few minutes, wondering what that meant, while next to her the Hyuuga sisters got up, and, with a few parting words, headed toward the front of the school.

The field was almost empty. Sakura stood up and took her leave. At the entrance of the building, she was quite surprised to see Sasuke waiting for her.

"Sakura, I would like a word."

She nodded, wondering what this was about. He seemed to be hesitant, worrying about something with a rather un-Sasukeish look on his face.

"Would you like to join me for dinner next Friday, around eight?" he asked quietly.

She resisted the urge to stare. True, she had gone out with him on two occasions, the only girl to her knowledge that had accomplished the feat, but both times it had been at her prompting. What had caused him to ask her so suddenly?

Mulling this over in her head she shrugged. "Of course Sasuke-kun. I'll see you then."

Satisfied, he walked off, leaving her quite confused.

The day of the date came quickly, as days were wont to recently. Constant teaching during the day, and training in the Dance during the night kept her busy. She idly realized that she had not slept for three days. For a moment, she considered following that train of thought, but sleep was not the biggest of her problems. She was not even a bit tired, anyway, and she needed to prepare for her date.

It was already quite late, almost eight in fact, and had this been half a year earlier she would have been trying on her hundredth dress and an even higher number of shades of makeup. Instead, she grabbed a pretty dress that caught her eye and ran into the bathroom. Quickly, she picked a few colors she knew would not clash and applied a small amount to her face.

Glancing in the mirror, she was satisfied with her work. Pulling on her dress, she walked downstairs to wait for the doorbell. On her way down she passed her mother, who was starting to show signs of her pregnancy. The woman commented on her wonderful appearance, which Sakura waved off.

Sasuke did not keep her waiting for long. At eight sharp the doorbell rang and the pair set out.

He was dressed rather casually, something she had expected. He would have looked nice in a more traditional dress she was sure, but it was not his style.

They headed to a rather nice Sashimi place. They had both found that they enjoyed the atmosphere the last time they had gone. The restaurant was near a park, and on the way there Sakura was quick to suggest a walk after dinner to enjoy the early autumn trees.

The pair entered the restaurant and quickly got a table. While the place was quite popular, a spot was not particularly hard to come by.

Promptly, the two ordered, and at last had some time for serious conversation.

Sakura rested her chin on her clasped hands, and favored Sasuke with a curious look. Sasuke returned it, examining the left side of her face. "I've been meaning to ask Sakura, what's that tattoo about?"

Sakura paused. This was something she had asked herself several months ago when she first woke to see it adorning her face. Her recollection of the previous night was non existent, a fact that worried her slightly, but the slanted mark looked like it belonged, so she did not let it worry her too much. To this day, however, she still did not know what it meant.

"Oh, so many ninjas have some sort of tattoo I just thought it would be nice to get one myself. Nothing big, just a nick. Doesn't it look cute?" She gave him the same lie she had given her parents.

Sasuke grunted a non-committal 'hn' and turned his attention from the mark.

"You are getting better you know, you really had me tired with that sparring session on the parent visit day."

Sakura just smiled in response. She had accepted that she had improved more than she had right to, and took it in stride. That Sasuke felt tired after was an interesting revelation, but she had started to feel some of that herself back then.

She studied his face and winced for an instant. That look, the annoying, calculating look had returned to his eyes as it had during their previous dates. Not letting it bother her, she picked up a new topic, which they carried on until the food arrived, and then after they had finished. They discussed the academy and the students, their training regiments, and even Sakura's soon to be sister.

"How do you feel about that anyway, being a sister?" he had asked.

She had told him, honestly, that she was looking forward to the event. She had long ago decided that even with her initial misgivings, a child in the house would be a nice change of pace. True, she did not expect to remain living there for more then a few more years, but it would be nice to watch her sister growing up.

At last they were finished, and Sasuke paid the bill. The two rose and headed to the park they had spied earlier. The sun had set a while ago and lamps lining the streets illuminated their path.

They walked hand in hand, enjoying the silence and peace of the village. Finally Sakura saw a bench dragged Sasuke towards it.

Seated next to each other, Sakura looked up at the sky, which had caught her attention more and more these days, while Sasuke observed surrounding trees with the slightly yellowing leaves.

Eventually, Sasuke broke the comfortable silence.

"Sakura..." he began, "I don't think we should do this again."

To her surprise, this did not come as a shock. She had expected him to say that.

"Yeah..." she said quietly.

"When I'm with you, I feel unusual, Sakura. For some time I thought this was love, the love that you mentioned to me all those years ago," he paused.

Sakura knew the moment he was talking about. It was summer and she was still twelve, on the day that Sasuke left seeking Orochimaru, leaving Naruto in the hospital and her broken hearted. Looking back, she wondered if she really were in love then… Perhaps she would never know.

"But the more I think about it, the more I realize that this is not love, Sakura. With you, I do not get the warmth that some of the idiots always talk about, nor the feeling of absolute rightness."

She nodded at that, too. They were still so young, what did they really know about love?

"That's why I wanted to ask you out today Sakura," Sasuke stopped and finally turned towards her, "To say thank you."

Her eyes met his. For the first time on any of their dates, the look she had come to dread had disappeared from his eyes. He looked quite beautiful now, without that cold cruel appearance. Acting on instinct she moved forward and placed her lips on his cheek in an absolutely chaste kiss.

"You're right, Sasuke," whispered Sakura, "this is for the best."

Her mind was not on what he had said, already glossing past it. Instead she looked up at the night sky. She knew the exact distance to the star that had suddenly caught her eyes. A mere five hundred and two light years. It was a Class A star burning a bright blue, quite young as far as stars go. It could not support life, though the binary combination rather close to it could, and did. She knew these things naturally, and perhaps she always had. It terrified her even as it fascinated her, made her happier than she had ever been.

"And thank you too, Sasuke," she said so quietly she was sure he could not have heard, "thank you for everything."

The next few months passed into the annals of history silently. As she worked and trained, Sakura continued to change. Soon even the students noticed. Following her last date with Sasuke, she had upped her training regiment, now practicing almost the entire time she was not at the Academy. Still, she knew she could not reach even a fraction of the grace she had seen Naruto exhibit when he danced.

Her parents were slightly worried, but she assured them that everything would be for the best. So intent on upcoming birth of the baby, they had taken Sakura for her word.

She and Sasuke still sparred quite often, though the feel of the spars had changed as well. They were friendlier, not feeling as forced now that their relationship was cleared up.

She had even heard that Sasuke had gone on a date with Ino. This came surprisingly not from Ino herself, but TenTen, whom Sakura had caught gossiping with a few other Chuunin girls when visiting the Hokage.

Naruto was still silent, though he seemed to be smiling a lot more these days, not his trademark grin, but a smaller, truer smile.

It was into this atmosphere that Sakura's sister was born. It was a chilly February morning when word had come to Sakura's class via a Genin who was stationed at the hospital for just such occasions.

Excusing herself, she ran to get Iruka, who was free that morning, and asked him if he could take over for the remainder of the day. When the man heard the reason why, he was too happy to send Sakura on her way.

She arrived at the hospital just in time. Normally, only the husband was permitted in the birthing room, but as she was a certified med-nin trained by the Legendary Tsunade, she was admitted without any hassle.

Sakura ran into the room as the head had finally appeared. She watched, fascinated, as the doctor delivered the baby, cleaned it, and at last presented the child to her mother.

"Hello there," said the eldest Haruno to her daughter, "I'm your mommy."

Sakura smiled, watching her father do likewise.

"She was the same with you, you know," he whispered to her as an aside.

Blushing a bit, she returned her attention to the baby.

The girl cooed and reached out her arms.

"She's beautiful mother," Sakura said, moving closer to the bed and looking gently at her sister, "Hello, Imouto. I'm gonna make sure you grow up to be a wonderful person."

The baby giggled, and suddenly Sakura had the image of a beautiful white flower opening up to greet the sun.

"Lily," she whispered.

Her parents did not hear her, their attention focused on their new daughter.

"Yuri, that's your name," said her mother proudly, "You are Yuri, our spring lily."

It was early March when Sakura's parents left for their annual visit to her grand-father's place on the border of Fire Country. Unlike previous years, Sakura could not come, as she was far too busy with her teaching. Yuri remained behind also. The weather was still chilly, and Sakura's parents were worried about the baby catching a cold. Sakura was left with detailed instructions on baby care. The next few days were quite relaxing for her, as she had stopped training in order to dote on her sister.

Several of the kids did ask slightly embarrassing questions about Yuri when Sakura brought her to class, but these were solved quickly by a yell of, "I'm only FIFTEEN, do you really think that's my daughter?"

The week passed quickly. The last day was the first time Sakura had slept in months. These sorts of occurrences had stopped even registering in her mind. She had long ago realized that Naruto had warned her she would change, and now she was seeing the result. She had not known how tired she truly was, nor how long it had been since her last visit to her bed until one day she lay down watching Yuri play in her crib. The fatigue hit her like a sack of bricks, and she collapsed into a pleasant dream of a beautiful pink haired woman wooing a dark haired boy strangely reminiscent of Sasuke.

It was at one in the morning that she woke up, her dream suddenly interrupted. Her parents would be returning soon, she knew from experience. The trip took over sixteen hours at their normal pace, and had they left early in the morning as they always had, they would be reaching the town around this time.

Hoping to meet them with tea after such a long journey, she picked up Yuri and walked downstairs.

Several minutes later she had boiled enough water for the family. After warming a bottle of milk for her sister, she poured herself some tea, and the two girls settled down to wait. It was on her second cup that it happened. Sakura felt as if her body had turned to ice, and then pain, burning and unending, seared through her. At the same time, Yuri dropped her bottle and began to cry.

Quickly, Sakura jumped up and scooped the girl into her arms. Something horrible had happened, she knew instinctively. Yuri would not stop crying in her arms, and Sakura gave up trying to calm her down with her usual rocking. Instead, she recalled a lullaby her mother had sung to her when she was young.

Mukudori, yamabato, koganegumo
Omurasaki mo yume no nake
Otsukimisou wa nemurenai
Gin no shizuku wo nonda kara

She rocked with the child and sang, whatever had happened. Her first concern was her sister.

Yuusuge, kisuge, konohazuku
Yofukashi nousagi, benisuzume
Shippo no kireta tokage no ko
Kawari ni tsukeru ryuu no tama

Why had their parents not returned yet? The clock now read two in the morning. Perhaps they had trouble getting through the gate. She knew Tsunade had been careful the past few weeks from a tip she had received recently.

Dokuzeri, asebi, yamakagashi
Mozu no eda ni wa amagaeru
Kitsune ga tabeta shika no ko wa
Tsuki no momo-ito mite shinda

Two thirty now. Yuri had drifted off into a troubled slumber. The poor child seemed to be having a nightmare. Sakura did not stop singing, the song granting her the strength to keep going.

Oyasumi yoiko
Oyasumi...

The clock struck seven when Sakura looked up next. She heard slow footsteps coming up the street, before they stopped in front of her house. They seemed louder than her bustling neighbors. The steps resumed again, now walking toward her door.

A woman's sharp gasp was audible from the house next door, though she paid it no mind.

At last there was a knock on her door, slow and determined.

She stood up, little Yuri stirring slightly in her arms but otherwise remaining silent. The trek to the door should have been one of the most horrible things she ever had to do, yet her mind did not seem to register any discomfort. Instead she felt a sense of detachment as she reached for the doorknob, as if it was someone else driving her body, and she was merely seeing the events.

She opened the door to find herself looking into the eyes of her teammates, both of them quiet and sullen. Behind them stood Kakashi, his mood mirroring theirs. The group outside the door took a moment to register her presence and another for the bundle in her arms.

She heard Naruto grit his teeth while Sasuke's expression became even stonier.

"May we come in?" asked Kakashi.

She nodded and stepped aside, tracking the progress of the guests. When they were inside she took a moment to peer out, where the aging Endo-san stood, a hand over her mouth. She gave the older woman a sad glance before closing the door.

Inside her teammates stood waiting for her to acknowledge them. She nodded them toward the dining room, idly noticing that none of them bothered to remove their footwear as they went.

They gathered around the table, exchanging dark looks.

"Sakura-chan..."

"Sakura..."

Both Naruto and Sasuke tried to start, but trailed off at a loss.

She studied her old mentor, who gave a deep sigh. He reached up and removed the headband covering his left eye, and then he did the unthinkable: he took off his mask.

Astonished, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura gaped at him. In all of their years together they had never seen his face. He was quite good looking for someone over thirty, though they did not dwell on that long.

Kakashi focused his eyes on Sakura, before placing his hand on the table.

"We were asked to deliver this by the Hokage," he said, before withdrawing his hand, a single sheet of paper in its place.

Sakura stared at it. She did not need to pick it up to know what it contained. There was, after all, only one form in the Konoha ninja world that bore that particular shade of yellow. Closing her eyes, she wondered why she did not weep.

ANBU Notice 7 – Civilian casualty
Present to – Haruno Sakura, Chuunin, Konoha
Security Clearance 3

Dear Haruno-san,

We regret to inform you Haruno Akina and Yasuo have been involved in an ANBU class
battle during their return to Konoha on this day (March 14th). Further information has
been classified Security Clearance 4. Please present this letter at the Hall of Records
to obtain related documents.

In addition, your parents have been awarded posthumously the title of honorary
Konoha Ninja and will be marked upon the Memorial Stone at 1000 hours on
March the 16th.

Sincerely,

Kashikoi Kisho
Head Clerk
Konoha Hall of Records

Shadris Corner:

Shadris Assassin's Guild – Formed quite recently the assassin's guild is not the first such in the history of the Shadris. Normally such guilds operate by accepting request from beings over the multiverse for strategic assassination. Assassinations of Shadris are forbidden due to several ancient laws and the Shadris senses of Honor and Revenge. Any other race is fair game. Due to an almost 100 percent success rate the rates are quite steep, often less preferable to trading with a demon for the requestor's soul which, to note, results in a greatly lower chance of success.

The current guild was formed as an offshoot of the House Raven preceding the time of the 1st Legacy. It was meant to be a minor branch to handle miscellaneous requests that would not merit a Raven operative. It was instantly popular among the rather busy Shadris, and quickly expanded into an existence wide organization providing service to most races. I grew into a rather vast, poorly structured political body, which is attributed to bringing the events predicted in the 1st Legacy and the collapse of the Seeker Council.

After final battle upon the Springs of Memories the Lady Ascendant Shier Raven realized that the Assassin's guild was out of control. She returned the reign of the guild into the direct control of the House Raven and requested help from several top ranked members of other Great Houses to help control both her own Elite Raven operatives and the Assassin's guild. Now aided by many experienced, and less busy leaders the guild reshaped itself into the current structure. In the lower ranks it remains intertwined almost entirely with House Raven. Further progress within the house is limited to members not part of other Shadris houses. The only exceptions to this rule are the elite Raven Special Operations team, the hand picked, highly secretive Advanced Raven Special Operations and the Mission Commanders mentioned earlier.

Any members of outside houses are permitted to proceed into the Assassin's guild proper, and advance in ranks as they would in any other Shadris political structure.

Author's Notes:

Some minor details to answer before anyone asks. Sasuke didn't notice the changes because he spars with Sakura and Naruto regularly. Though the difference over four months is huge a few days would barely be noticeable. Also, some may notice that Sakura really should be freaking about what's happening to her. She's not. That's all I've to say on it.

I'm sure some will recognize the lullaby. I'm thinking of something a tad more original, but for now that will work as a placeholder. If you don't know where it's from... Well... You are quite sheltered.

Tiki

Ch. 4 – Version 1.0

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