Sakura and the Prince of Flowers
By Miss Angel Maxwell

Free Talk: If you are wondering why I bother doing these Free Talks, it is because I am totally addicted to manga and I really like it when the creator includes commentary and notes and stuff. This is my homage to them. This chapter is really continued from last chapter and it still came out rather long. It's kind of a touchy-feely chapter, so I'm not sure what people will think. The next (last) couple of chapters will have more happening. But emotional reactions and interactions are important so this chapter is necessary… Though I'm not sure how well I conveyed them… Thank you so much for the comments and support. And please tell me what you think! (Cuito, I would love to marry you, but I fear my constant singing would soon drive you to murder me in my sleep)

Chapter 19: "It Is Because You Love"

The walls of the Suna Palace hallway streaked past as Sakura flew to her bedroom. Her breaths were deep and coarse and her heart was banging against her ribs. When she got inside her room she slammed the doors closed and, unable to really throw herself onto the bed because of her size, fell backwards onto it.

It's all too much, she thought, holding the sides of her head. Monsters, seals, vicious attacks… it's just too much! It's like suddenly finding out that my nightmares are all real! She sat up in bed as soon as this thought came to mind. I didn't tell them about the nightmares. Should I have? Are the monsters in my dreams the same as the one that attacked me? But that can't be… my memories were sealed… She shook her head. That's really not what I need to worry about right now! They want me to come home! Am I even ready?

As she stared up at the gauzy canopy over her bed, Sakura anxiously contemplated the decision she now had to make. She was glad to have gotten out of that room. She couldn't possibly think with all those eyes on her. Now it was just her and the baby, squirming as usual, and silence.

Why is this such a difficult decision to make? I should be so excited to go home. But I've been living here so long, I lost sight of why I left in the first place. I was going to try to work off my guilt, make up for having caused Lee's death. But then… I didn't really cause his death, he chose to die… But that doesn't make the way I treated him right… I still need to somehow absolve myself… Urgh! If only I could just tell him how sorry I really am. If only I could feel that he forgave me… Because… I really do want to go home. I miss Konoha with all my heart.

A soft creak interrupted the troubled girl's thoughts as someone gently pushed open her bedroom door. She looked over, expecting to see Naruto or Sasuke, but instead found a much older, wizened face peering in at her. "May I come in?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah, I guess," she answered, still a bit surprised at who her visitor was.

As the short old man shuffled in, Sakura saw that he had a large basket of fruit in his arms. He smiled cheerfully at her. "You got a lot of information to digest this morning. I thought maybe having some food to digest as well might do you good. You know, your friends are quite concerned about you, Miss Haruno, but I think they're too nervous to come talk to you themselves, afraid they might upset you. Ah, but I'm just a little old man. Bringing a snack to a beautiful young woman no longer frightens me. Try an apple, they're delicious!"

Sakura eyed Lee's grandfather suspiciously as she picked a yellow apple out of the basket. "Did Naruto and Sasuke send you up here to convince me to go with them?"

"Heavens no," he chirped. "They don't even know I'm up here. But I can't blame you for being wary. After all, you don't really know me… and you do know how much those two want you back with them. They do love you, Miss Haruno."

"I'm not really sure why," Sakura sighed. "I mean… why me? Why do people always seem to want to protect me? I don't deserve it."

Rock Shin had to hop to get up onto the edge of the bed next to her, and when he sat there he was so short his feet dangled off of the edge. "My dear girl," he said kindly. "You may not realize it, but you have a special quality. You bring out the very best in those around you and you give them hope. You make people want to protect you."

"How do you know that?" Sakura asked skeptically. "You're seeing me today for the first time in thirteen years. And that time I was just a little kid… and unconscious."

"Ah but I could see how you brought together Naruto and Sasuke that day," he answered. "It was because of you that they became friends in the first place that day. And today I can still see it on their faces, and on the faces of your friends here in Suna. They have all been touched by your love, as was my grandson Lee."

Sakura looked down sadly. "I… I'm really not the kind and gentle soul that you seem to think I am, Mr. Rock. I'm really very selfish. And now, after everything that was revealed this morning… I think I feel even worse about how I treated your grandson… Lee did nothing but give to me. He gave his life for me. And I gave him nothing in return. I couldn't even love him the way he deserved… I just used him…"

"You are having his child!" the old man said joyfully. "And that is the greatest thing you could give to any man!"

All of the sudden, Sakura felt the corners of her eyes begin to burn and tears oozed down her cheeks. "But I almost…" she choked. "I almost got rid of the baby… When I first found out… I… I wanted to get rid of it…"

Rock Shin patted the unexpectedly distraught girl on the shoulder. "But you didn't get rid of it," he said gently.

"Yeah, thanks to Naruto," she sniffed.

"But it was your decision," Shin said. "If you could go back and make the decision again would you choose to get rid of it?"

The young woman gasped and clutched her large stomach. "Never!" she wailed. "The baby is the one thing in my life that I'm sure of right now. Every time I feel it kicking, my heart speeds up a little. I feel like I know this kid already and if anything happened to this baby… I don't think I could take it…"

"You see," he replied with a smile. "It is because you love. And it is out of love that you feel remorse for what you think you did to Lee… You believe that you used him and caused him pain and that breaks your heart because you love Lee, even if it's not the same way he loved you. That's why you keep punishing yourself, Miss Haruno. That's why you won't let yourself go back to Konoha, no matter how badly you want to."

"It's true, I do want to go back," she sighed. "I love Konoha, it's the village where I was born and grew up. And I want my baby to be born there as well… but… I can't get rid of this feeling… this feeling like there's something wrong that I have to make right… If I could just tell him everything I need to…"

"Tell Lee, you mean?" the old one asked curiously. "Well, why don't you tell him? If that's all it will take for you to finally put all this behind you and be free, then I'm surprised you haven't done it yet! What's stopping you?"

Sakura stared at the little man with an expression of complete disbelief. "Lee is dead," she uttered. "I can't talk to him because he's dead. There is no way to talk to the dead."

"True, you cannot talk to the dead," Shin stated. "But you can write him a letter. Indeed, a letter can make it to the dead if you know where to send it! Do you have stationary, my girl?"

"Yeah," she answered cautiously. "I think there's some in the desk over there."

"Good. Now, do you have something that belonged to Lee?"

She had to stop and think about it for a moment, and then snapped her fingers as soon as the answer occurred to her. "I have this button," she said, pulling the charm out from the collar of her dress. "It came off of his shirt. Will it work?"

"Splendid!" the little man exclaimed. "Now you just write down whatever it is you feel you have to say to young Lee. And when you are finished, bring your letter, along with that button, down to the sitting room where we all met earlier and I will help you send it to him!"

"But sir," she began. "Isn't this a little strange to be…?"

"Oh no, it's all perfectly routine," he chortled. "Now I will leave you to write in peace, and I will be waiting for you downstairs when you are ready. Oh and I do help that this will make everything right for you. It's just a shame to see such a lovely face not smiling. Farewell! Farewell, dear girl!"

With another little hop, Shin bounced off the edge of the bed and waddled out the door, leaving Sakura in a bit of a daze. Is this guy for real? She asked herself. He really believes that you can right a letter to a dead person… He's certifiably nuts! But then… He is Rock Lee's relative. I guess it really wouldn't hurt me to write a letter to Lee. It might keep my mind temporarily off of the fact that I'm at the top of a monster's hit list.

Feeling a bit better, Sakura sat down at the fine wooden desk next to her bed, took out some stationary and a pen, and began to pour her heart out.

-

After Sakura had hastily exited the sitting room that morning, Sasuke and Naruto had decided it would be wise to give her some space. So instead of going after her, they went back to the conjoining guestrooms where they were sleeping to wait out her decision. It was a wait that was not proving easy for either one of them.

"Could you quit pacing already!" Naruto huffed impatiently as he sat on the bed watching his friend march back and forth. "Geez Sasuke, you're gonna wear the carpet out."

"Hardwood floors," the Uchiha quipped back without even looking up.

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" the blonde asked. "Why don't you go up there and talk to her? You want to so badly it's killing you."

"She needs her space," Sasuke sighed. "Some time alone to think about everything that's happened."

"Your words, not mine," Naruto said. "If you ask me, now would be the perfect time for you to go and finally tell Sakura how you really feel about her. If she's looking for a good reason to go back to Konoha, I'd say the guy she always been in love with finally realizing he loves her back is about as perfect as you can get. Besides, she's about to pop out a baby so you know she's probably looking for someone stable."

"That's exactly why now is a perfectly wrong time, Naruto," the dark haired boy answered. "I want to be with her, and the baby… But I don't want her to think that I'm with her because I feel sorry for her. Or that I'm desperately trying to have a family because I lost mine so long ago." Suddenly his voice sounded sadder. "And besides… she might not even want me anymore. I mean… it's not even my kid…"

Naruto gave a cynical snort. "Well it's not like ol' Fuzzy Brows is going to be takin' care of 'em. You've got no reason to worry about him."

Sasuke finally stopped pacing, and with a sigh sank down into a chair. "It's not Lee that I think Sakura might want to be with… It's you, Naruto."

"Me?" the fox-eyed boy scoffed. "Why would Sakura want me when she can be with you?"

"Well," Sasuke explained. "You and Sakura got a lot closer when I was with Orochimaru. And even before that, you always cared about her, always loved her. I always had other things that were more important to me. In a way, I think it was like I was always gone. Even the most patient heart can't wait forever for someone as stubborn as me. So I can't help but think, that maybe Sakura has moved on to the one who's loved her all along."

"Not this again," Naruto whined. "Sasuke, we already went over all of this back in Gray Brows' cabin. Do we really have to do it again?"

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you about that," Sasuke said. "When we talked about Sakura after seeing Rock Shin's genjutsu, your attitude was completely different. Before that you really seemed to consider me your romantic rival… and now you're cheering me on? What changed?"

Naruto let out a heavy pent up breath. "Nothing changed really. I just started seeing things more clearly after that. Here, I wanna show you something." He jumped down from his perch on the bed and over to where his backpack and gear had been unceremoniously dumped in the corner of the room. He scrambled noisily, digging deep into his bag before emerging with a tiny, aged scrap of paper and handing it to Sasuke.

The Uchiha had to scrutinize the chaotic childish scrawls for a moment before he could read it out loud. "Don't let Sasuke… beat you? Is that what it says?"

Naruto nodded. "That's what it says. Do you know what that is?"

"Some dumb reminder you wrote yourself?" Sasuke guessed. "I don't know."

"I've had this scrap of paper for thirteen years, Sasuke," he answered. "And I never could remember having wrote it… until I saw that vision. This is the nindo I wrote down that day. This is what I felt was most important for me to remember: don't let Sasuke beat you."

"That's pretty much been your philosophy for as long as I've known you, Naruto," Sasuke replied. "And it never had anything to do with Sakura."

"Actually it did," said Naruto. "The truth is… I didn't start to like Sakura until after I found out that she liked you. I thought…" He paused and swallowed hard. "I thought that if I could get Sakura to like me more than she liked you, it would be another way for me to beat you."

Sasuke looked at him with a mix of confusion and suspicion. "Are you saying that you never really liked Sakura?"

"No, I do like her," Naruto answered. "I like her a lot… I love her, in fact. But that was the result of my pursuing her, not the cause. I went after her to beat you, and then fell for her in the process. But my relationship to her has always been connected to you, Sasuke. The more you seemed to notice her as a woman, the tighter I would try to hold on to her."

"What's your point?" Sasuke asked, sounding a bit impatient.

"My point is… I don't care if I beat you or not anymore," Naruto answered. "All I want is for Sakura to be happy. And I know she still loves you because the entire time you were gone, all she talked about was you. This whole ordeal now with the journey into the mountains and the Children of the Kyuubi has just proven that you are ready and willing to give her the love she needs. I can let go of Sakura now, Sasuke… because I know you'll be there to catch her."

For a moment there was silence as Sasuke stared at his friend. "Naruto…" he finally said. "Are you sure you're okay with me telling Sakura that I love her and trying to make it work with her?"

Naruto smiled a bit wistfully. "I always knew you'd come around eventually. But you know that from now on I'm going to be watching you like a hawk. So you'd better not ever make her sad. You know… 'cause Sakura deserves love and happiness."

"I know," Sasuke said, a strange smile spreading on his face as warmth filled his chest.

"You know that if it works out you're going to be a father, right? Are you sure your okay with the idea of being father to a kid that isn't biologically yours?" Naruto asked. "And, based on family history, there's a good chance this baby isn't going to be a looker. Can you love an ugly baby, Sasuke?"

"Naruto!" the prospective father stammered. "That's a terrible thing to say! Sakura's baby is going to be beautiful, just like her!" He paused and his voice suddenly took on a more nervous tone. "And besides, I'll love the baby no matter what it looks like because I love Sakura."

"Well then stop telling me and go tell her!" Naruto urged with a wide grin. "Unless you're afraid to."

"I'm not afraid," the Uchiha replied with a surge of confidence. "I'm going to go talk to her."

"That's my Sasuke!" Naruto cheered "Not afraid of anything! Go get her!"

The handsome young man smoothed out his black hair and walked out of the room with his shoulders held high. As soon as the door was closed and he was out of Naruto's presence, however, he let out a thick sigh and let his posture sag. Truthfully, he was scared. Terrified, really.

Dammit, he cursed in his head. All those years when I was younger, love was at the bottom of my priority list. I never cared how Sakura would react to anything I said, and that was back when I was usually cold to her. Now I want to be tender and… Look! Look at my hands! They're shaking! What's wrong with me?

Sasuke walked all the way down the long hall to Sakura's door without even thinking about it. Then he paused and just stood there outside her bedroom, watching his trembling hands, and trying to decide exactly what to say to the girl who had always wanted him. She had already gotten more than her share of unexpected news today. Maybe it was too soon to bring up the possibility of a relationship. Unable to decide whether or not to knock, he stood there for a long time.

-

Rock Shin was asleep in one of the armchairs by the fire when Sakura entered the sitting room, but he woke up with a small squeak when she shut the door behind her and she jumped slightly.

"Didn't mean to startle you, my dear," he said with a yawn. "I can fall asleep at the drop of a hat these days, but I can wake up just as easily."

"Well, I did take kind of a long time," Sakura said. "But I finally finished my letter to Lee. And I brought his button, too. So how are we going to send it?"

"Ah! Splendid!" he said. "Oh good, I see you put his name on the envelope. Very good! Now, may I please take the letter and them button?"

Shooting the old man a curious glance, Sakura handed over the envelope then carefully pulled the red string off from around her neck. Hastily, he clipped the thread with his canine teeth and pulled it out from the buttonholes. Next reached into the pocket of his Chinese style jacket and pulled out a small red stick.

"Sealing wax?" the young woman asked.

Shin nodded. "To affix the button to your letter. You see, a small object that belonged to the deceased is the address for the letter, to make sure that it gets to the right person." He pried himself carefully from his chair and waddled over to the fireplace. With one arm he held the stick of sealing wax close to the flame until it lit then held it over the envelope in his other hand until a fat red blob fell. Then he pressed the little white button into the blob until it stuck and then handed the letter back to Sakura.

"Now all you have to do is toss it in the fire," he instructed.

"That's it?" she asked, sounded slightly disappointed. "No powders or potions to add the fire first? Just toss it in?"

"Just toss it in," he replied. "And watch it while it burns."

She took a deep breath and threw the letter into the fireplace then watched as the corners began to brown and curl before dissolving into ash. Sakura felt her chest lighten as the flames ate through the letter, from the edges inward, before finally swallowing up the tiny button in the middle. She hadn't realized how heavy the little object had grown around her neck over the past months until now that it was off her.

When it was gone, Sakura turned to Shin and asked, "How will I know if it made it to Lee?"

He smiled at her very grandfatherly and answered, "You'll just know, my girl. Now, I think I might get back to napping, if you don't mind. I really do help that this has helped you, Miss Haruno."

"It has," she said. "Thank you."

As she walked out of the sitting room and back towards her own dormitory, Sakura kept thinking about how simplistic Rock Shin's plan had been. He's certifiably nuts… As if burning a letter with a button attached could send it into the afterlife. If I had known it was just going to be a joke, I wouldn't have taken hours writing the thing. I wrote out my deepest most heartfelt… Then something in her brain finally clicked. The letter really wasn't for Lee! It was for me! The old man had me write all those things down to unburden myself. And then watching them turn into smoke along with the last bit of Lee that I was clinging to… It was all meant to free me! But wait… He said that I would know that it made it to him. What could that mean?

Sakura was still puzzling this last point when she arrived back at her bedroom door and found her attractive teammate standing there, his knuckles raised as if prepared to knock, but an unsure expression coloring his face.

"Sasuke?" the girl asked, causing him to turn around and meet her gaze.

"Sakura," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "I was just coming to see you. I guess you aren't inside then. Where have you been?"

"I was just getting a snack," she lied. The letter was just too weird to mention. "Would you like to come inside?"

"Okay," he breathed.

Finding Sasuke waiting outside her door was one thing Sakura was not prepared for. Her heart was throbbing uncomfortably and her knees felt weak in a way that had nothing to do with carrying around almost twenty extra pounds. Be cool, she told herself. Be cool and don't freak him out. And don't get clingy and needy. He's just being nice because of the situation, so don't read to much into it. Just treat him like a friend and teammate. She hadn't the slightest clue that Sasuke was battling similar thoughts in his own head.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked as she let him into the room. "You haven't been seen much since you ran out on us this morning. I just wanted to know how you're taking everything."

"I'm sorry I bolted," she sighed, sitting down on the bed and patting the space next to her to indicate that he should sit next to her. "It was just a bit overwhelming is all. I'm still a little shaky from it… monsters… death… erased memories… I don't know if I'm even ready to think about it yet."

Sasuke watched her longingly as he sat down by her side. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Sakura had to think about it for a moment before replying. "Tell me about your journey, the journey north to meet Lee's grandfather, and the trip back here with him and Naruto. I wasn't there with you so I want to hear everything."

"It could take a while," he said. "Are you sure?"

"I don't care," she answered. "I really want to know what I missed. And I'll fill you in on what I've been doing here, if you want to know."

Sasuke felt a pristine flicker of pleasure deep inside him when he saw how Sakura's eyes were gleaming with excitement. He could tell her that he loved her another time. Right now, he couldn't resist the joy of just sitting there with her and watching her glowing face as he told her his story. This was what he had been missing while he was away the past eight months, what he had missed the most during those years when he was away.

Sakura never got to tell her story to Sasuke. By the time he wrapped his up tale of hermits and snow and perseverance, she was peacefully asleep lying next to him. "I'll tell you some other time," he whispered. "Even if Naruto will call me a coward when I go back to my room." Before he left, he grabbed a comforter from the foot of the bed and tucked it snuggly around the sleeping girl. Then he brushed a strand of short pink hair out of her face and pressed a sweet kiss to her forehead. "Goodnight, Sakura."

-

The next morning found Sakura and Sasuke taking a walk together around the Suna palace courtyard. She had slept wonderfully the night before, her dreams filled with the colorful buildings and familiar faces of Konoha. When she awoke, she still could feel the lingering bliss and when Sasuke asked her over breakfast to go for a walk with him she thought for several minutes that she was still asleep. She was so happy to be walking at his side through the cool winter air.

As the sun climbed higher, though, thoughts of the previous day's strange ritual crept back into her mind, causing her to worry. Well, now that I've gotten everything off my chest I guess I'm suppose to feel ready to go back. But I still feel unsure. What's wrong with me? Is this how the letter is supposed to work? Am I not supposed to feel totally sure, but just go with it anyways? Here I am on a walk with the man of my dreams and I can't even enjoy it. It's that crazy old coot, Rock Shin's fault. His idea was supposed to make me feel better, but all it did was make me feel more confused!

"Are you okay, Sakura?" Sasuke asked her, interrupting her thoughts. "You look a bit dazed."

"I'm fine. I just need to sit down a minute," she replied.

The two young shinobi sat down on the ledge of one of the huge stone planters, the same one Sakura had perched on when she had her heart-to-heart with Gaara. She took a good look around her. The trees were still bare and the flowerbeds were just dull patches of soil. Finally, her gaze settled on Sasuke. But as gorgeous as he was, she just couldn't get her eyes to focus when her brain was squirming so badly.

"Sakura," he began, taking her hands. "There's a reason why I wanted to take a walk with just you today. There's something that I want to talk to you about…"

Sakura listened to each word as it left his beautiful lips until something white in the very corner of her vision stole her attention. She turned her eyes almost imperceptibly towards the middle of the planter then let out a rather loud gasp when she realized what she had seen. A single cream-colored narcissus flower had emerged overnight from the dirt and opened up and was basking in the yellow glow of a rising dessert sun.

"Sasuke look!" she exclaimed, tugging at the sleeve of his jacket.

"It's a narcissus," he replied, trying not to let his frustration at being interrupted come through in his tone.

"I know!" she said joyfully, hopping off the ledge and onto her feet. "It's the same kind of flower that I took to Lee after he was injured during our first chuunin exam! Do you know what this means, Sasuke? He got my letter! Lee got my letter! And this is his answer! He's telling me that it's okay! Everything is okay and it's time for me to come out of the dirt! It's time for me to go home!"

Sasuke was positively bewildered. He had been about to confess his feelings to Sakura then she spotted a flower and broke out into unbridled joy. And what was this about a letter? He did, however, perfectly understand what it meant when she wrapped her arms around him, her baby pressing warmly against his belly, and cried ecstatically into his shoulder.

"Take me back to Konoha, Sasuke! Take me home!"

To be continued…