It only took a second before Naruto realized he needed to follow them to the hospital as well.

He ran outside and saw their silhouettes and he jumped to catch up with them, which wasn't hard considering the chakra that he had.

Once Naruto reached Sakura's side he looked at her.

Sakura had a determined look on her face. And although he was sure she could sense that he was beside her, she didn't look anywhere but straight ahead.

Sakura landed at one roof railing and she squatted lower than normal to propel herself further.

Naruto did so too and he jumped as high as Sakura did before he called out to her, "Sakura-chan!" and he stretched an arm towards her.

Sakura looked at Naruto and his outstretched arm and without any words she understood so she placed her hand on his.

Naruto maneuvered Sakura midair. He placed the back of her legs in one arm and cradled her shoulders in the other before he activated his kyuubi mode and flashed both of them to the hospital doorstep, where he gently put Sakura down.

As her feet touched the ground, Sakura was quickly swarmed by nurses and she began giving them instructions to prepare for the operation at once.

Doctors ran towards her as well as she was walking towards the assigned birthing suite for Hakuto, all of them giving her information.

Naruto kept up with Sakura as they finally reached the suite.

Everything seemed to be chaotic until Sakura opened the door and she began commandeering the nurses that were inside the suite. Silence fell as everyone received instructions and only the groans and moans of Hakuto could be heard.

Sakura, while walking towards Hakuto, performed seals that were taught to her by Ino and she placed her glowing green hands on Hakuto's forehead.

Hakuto immediately gave out a sigh of relief, "Sakura-san…" Hakuto reached a hand out, the other was already holding Gaara.

Sakura grabbed her hand, still glowing green to give her a cooling comfort, "I'm here. We'll get you to the operating room soon. You're going to be alright."

Hakuto screamed in pain as a contraction hit her hard.

"Sakura-san, they're very close together." One of the nurses said, as Sakura was hovering her glowing hand on Hakuto's belly.

Sakura nodded and said, "Let's go."

Kankuro had his arm around Gaara's shoulder, while Naruto had his hand on Gaara's right knee.

Sakura initially let Gaara in the operating room, but once he grabbed the wrist of a nurse that was about to pass a scalpel to her, she quite literally picked him up and threw him to Naruto and Kankuro who were outside the operating room.

The three men didn't talk after that, they just held on to each other for comfort and reassurance.

Finally after what felt like an eternity for Gaara, but was actually just forty-five minutes, the door to the operating room was opened by a nurse and all three of them stood up.

The door was held open until Sakura, still in her scrubs, came out the door holding a perfectly clean and bundled baby.

Sakura walked towards Gaara and presented him with his baby boy.

Gaara's eyes were locked on the bundled baby as he walked closer and closer to them.

He lifted a hand and as soon as the back of his finger touched the baby's cheek it cooed, and Kankuro couldn't help himself anymore and he bursted out crying.

Gaara, not aware of anything else but his son, smiled at the baby's cooing noises and he continued to caress his cheeks.

Naruto, on Gaara's other side, was starting to sniff as well. He raised his eyes to look at how Sakura was practically glowing as she held another delivered baby into the world.

Sakura then said, "Would you like to hold him?"

Gaara looked up at her with worry in his eyes and so she immediately assured him, "I'll help you, don't be afraid."

Sakura adjusted the baby to his arms as she simultaneously gave instructions to him. And after a bit more fussing, Gaara was able to hold his baby for the first time.

Gaara shed a tear which he quickly wiped with his shoulder. He looked up at Sakura, "How's Hakuto?"

"Perfectly healthy." Sakura confidently stated. "Her bloodwork showed gestational diabetes, that's why this little bundle here," Sakura bopped the baby's nose, "wasn't able to turn around. But it's nothing life threatening, it'll hopefully disappear now she's given birth but we'll discuss this later when Hakuto's awake."

Sakura gestured that she was going to take the baby back and Gaara allowed her without any issues. Once she held the baby again, Sakura passed them to the nurse and the nurse proceeded to go back inside.

Sakura turned to Gaara, "Since Hakuto is still sleeping, I want you to rest for now."

"Sakura, I can't rest while…"

Sakura held both her hands up, "I will be here, I will not be leaving this hospital until you're back. I want you to be well rested before Hakuto wakes up and you have to be by her side all throughout the rest of her recovery."

Sakura looked at Naruto, "Take them to our house since it's the closest here. And if you could leave a clone so I can send a message immediately should it be needed, please."

Naruto nodded and she turned to Kankuro, "Please make sure that your brother rests, that's something I know you could do."

Kankuro nodded at her and his eyes widened when Gaara stepped forward and embraced Sakura.

Sakura, surprised as well, froze momentarily.

"Thank you, Sakura. Thank you so much."

Sakura smiled and returned the hug. "You're welcome." Then they let go of each other. "Rest. Hakuto's going to need you once she wakes up."

As the three men crossed the house's threshold, Gaara started crying while saying "I'm a father now." and Kankuro started laughing while patting him on the back.

Naruto led them to the sofa while Gaara was still crying, also because of the tension he'd had endured since Hakuto shouted that her water broke.

Kankuro, still chuckling, looked at Naruto and said, "Liquor I guess?"

Naruto grinned, "Where do I get liquor at this hour?"

"Oh just look into the cabinets. We never let anybody else use this house since Sakura left and she had a cabinet full of liquor before she left."

Naruto knew Sakura drank but he didn't expect a cabinet filled to the brim with liquor. "What the… why are there so many bottles here?"

Kankuro chuckled, still sitting on the sofa and rubbing Gaara's back, "Sakura was an alcoholic for a while."

Naruto sighed. Let's add that to the list of things I didn't know about Sakura-chan.

Once he finally found an unopened wine at the back of the cabinet, Naruto extended his arm to reach for it.

As he pulled out the bottle, a long rectangular paper got caught and was lifted alongside. Naruto took it as well and placed it on the counter.

Naruto screwed the wine open, got a drinking glass and he placed both in at the coffee table in front of the sofa.

Kankuro playfully pouted at him, "Only one glass? Do you still consider me as your rival?"

Naruto made a face at Kankuro but he walked back to the dining area to look for another wine glass.

He successfully pulled one out of the cabinets and was about to give it to Kankuro but the paper in the counter caught his eyes again and it felt like it was calling to him.

So Naruto grabbed the paper and opened it.

Dear Naruto,

His eyes widened but as he fully opened the paper, everything that was written on it was smudged out. It looked like water - or liquor in this situation - was poured over the paper which made the ink mix together.

"Couldn't find another glass?"

Naruto looked up at Kankuro. "No, I got it. But I also found this. It has my name on it but everything else was erased by water… I think?"

Kankuro's eyes widened a fraction but then he shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe it was a scratch?" He took the glass from Naruto, "C'mon, Gaara's already had his wine."

Naruto, although still bothered by the paper, placed it on the counter again and followed Kankuro.

Gaara was fast asleep when they went back to the living room, adrenaline finally gone from his system. But that didn't stop Kankuro and Naruto from drinking a glass of their own.

They sat there for a while in silence before Kankuro said, "Sakura-chan and I never dated."

Naruto snapped his head towards Kankuro, "What?"

Kankuro smiled, "I tried to ask her out countless times but she would always graciously reject me. And then finally I noticed how her face glowed and she would just smile much more whenever she heard news about you," He looked at Naruto, "and I finally understood."

Naruto stared at him with wide eyes.

"We still became good friends, and drinking buddies, and I found out she really struggled with some feelings of inferiority, did you notice that?" He looked at Naruto who only furrowed his brows.

Naruto didn't say that he didn't. All he said was, "Why are you saying these?"

Kankuro sighed, "I don't know." He scratched his paintless face. "I guess I just wanted to say that people react differently depending on what they've been through." He yawned and he began to slide his head down the opposite direction of where Gaara's head was currently laid down. "Get some rest too, Gaara will need us both." and then he closed his eyes leaving Naruto to think about the words he had just said.

"I was in love with you!"

Sakura rubbed her tired eyes. What was she thinking? She's not some girl in her twenties, why can't she control her feelings around Naruto?

Or maybe because I bottled it all up it was only a matter of time before it exploded.

But she had to admit that some part of her felt like a thorn was plucked, a weight lifted. She sighed. "I thought adulthood will be easier."

Someone knocked on her door and she responded for them to come in.

"Sakura-san, Hakuto-san's awake and we've already started breastfeeding."

Sakura nodded and walked with the nurse towards the suite Hakuto was in.

This was a scene that Sakura would never get tired of, the mother looking down smiling at their newly born child. She smiled at Hakuto and she walked toward the side of her bed.

"Ah, Sakura-san…" Hakuto reached out to her which Sakura held on to. "Thank you so much." Tears formed at the edges of Hakuto's eyes.

Sakura smiled, "You're welcome. And I see your boy latched on easily there." She looked at the baby happily eating.

Hakuto chuckled, "Yeah, I was happy he did. I was so worried. I'm still worried… about being a mother." she looked worriedly at her baby.

Sakura smiled kindly at her, "You worrying about it means you're going to be a good mother… because you're going to try despite there not being a perfect rule book about it. And I can guarantee you that you have a very equipped team here at your hospital to take care of you and the baby and… you can send me a letter any time if you want to talk."

A tear finally flowed freely and Hakuto wiped it with her shoulder which reminded Sakura of Gaara. "Oh, would you like for me to call Gaara back?" Sakura realized. "I sent the men home to rest before you woke up."

Hakuto looked up at the clock above the window, "Let them rest. Just call them back once the sun rises please."

Sakura nodded and she came outside to see Naruto's clone watching the television in the waiting area. The clone saw her first and grinned at her. She felt a tug at her chest at the warm smile. "Sakura-chan! Should I get Naruto?"

She shook her head no, "Just inform him that Hakuto's awake and safe and that she said to come by at sunrise. I'll take care of her for now."

The clone nodded and then it stabbed itself to relay the message to Naruto.

The meeting of Gaara, Hakuto and their baby was filled with tears, mostly from Kankuro, and all around warmth.

Food was brought and enjoyed. And names were tossed around by Kankuro and Naruto while the couple laughed because they already had a name in mind.

Both Kankuro and Naruto pouted when they were informed about it and the rest of their friends who came by, including Sakura, laughed out loud.

After things settled down, Sakura slipped out of the suite.

She talked to the nurses and doctors in attendance and made sure that they're all up to speed with Hakuto's care before she went out and began the walk towards their house.

The world disappeared as she slipped in the hot water of the tub. As she leaned her head at the edge of the tub she recalled Naruto's words, "And what?! See your budding romance with Sasuke play out in front of me?"

And as she sank lower the waters, the words sank in her brain too.

Their lives seemed to have been the result of miscommunications and misunderstandings.

Should I have pushed more?

But she knew she couldn't have done that before, she was so filled with her feelings of inferiority she only ever had a burst of confidence once and that didn't turn out so well.

Besides, there's no point in dwelling on these things.

With that in mind, she finished bathing and went back to her room to get dressed.

Sakura stared at the Uchiha emblem at the back of her blouse longer than necessary before she put it on.

Sakura took one last look at the mirror and then she went outside, fully intending to return to the hospital so she didn't expect Kankuro to be at the door.

"Did something happen?" Sakura asked, worried.

Kankuro pulled out a folded paper while walking inside the house. Sakura, realizing that it wasn't about Hakuto, proceeded to close the door. "Is that what I think it is?"

"It is."

Sakura put a hand to her chest and she heaved out a sigh, "You are literally the best-"

"Naruto found it inside your liquor cabinet."

Sakura's eyes widened. "What?! What... what did he say?"

Kankuro eyed Sakura, "Nothing, apparently you splashed something on the paper long enough for the words to be erased."

Sakura closed her eyes, annoyed, before she waved a fist over at Kankuro, "Why would you make me nervous like that?!" she shouted.

Kankuro grinned at her but he let her take the paper from him. "Isn't this a sign that you should probably tell him yourself what you wrote in that letter?"

Sakura looked at the paper that only had Dear Naruto written on it. "It wouldn't mean anything, we're both married with kids now."

Kankuro sighed, "It would mean Naruto and you could close that part of your lives and start being friends again."

"He has all the friends he needs…"

Kankuro tilted his head to the side, "But they aren't you."

Sakura looked up at Kankuro in surprise.

"It doesn't matter how long you've been out of each other's lives, no one can replace you in his life." He walked towards Sakura and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Think about it. But let me treat you to some lunch, it is your last day after all."

Half of Naruto's last day in Suna was spent beside Gaara and Hakuto. He only knew a few tricks about child care but he gave it all to both of them.

Hakuto shooed them both away when she requested for a sponge bath so they decided to eat lunch.

They were seated by the window immediately and Naruto let Gaara order food for him. As they were waiting for their food to arrive, Naruto saw the way Gaara had a hint of a smile even as he stared out of the window. "If someone said that we both will grow up to become kages and have our own families," Gaara looked at Naruto, "I would've said they were crazy."

Naruto grinned, "Not me! I would've believed they were a time traveler!" Naruto said and Gaara laughed.

Gaara nodded as he sipped his tea. "Yeah… you had everything figured out. Become a Hokage and marry Sakura-"

Naruto choked on his tea.

Gaara pursed his lips before saying, "I'm sorry…"

Naruto waved one hand while smacking his chest with the other, "No! No!" He laughed. "I won't deny how loud I was before about making Sakura-chan fall in love with me." Naruto smiled sadly, "I guess that's one thing I wasn't able to fulfill."

Gaara looked at Naruto, "I never heard about what happened between you and Sakura but... spending time with you both last night at the festival… it's like no time has passed between the two of you."

Naruto smiled again, "Yeah… it was really nice. But, I realized... she has this brand new life I don't know about and it seems like she has everything she needs."

"But she doesn't have you."

Naruto looked at Gaara who was smiling. "You may not have made her your wife but I think that shouldn't stop you from being her friend. Besides, you never had any difficulties making friends."

Naruto smiled, understanding what Gaara meant. But he sighed, "Yeah, but this situation's different. It's… complicated."

"I'm sure you'll both figure it out. You always do so together."

Hakuto's final check up was done and Sakura made sure that Suna's team was prepared before sunset.

"I really do wish I could stay longer." Sakura pouted as she was lulling the baby in her arms.

"I do too." Hakuto said. "Next time, I'm going to make sure to make plans with you beforehand so it wouldn't be so time constrained."

Sakura raised her brows at Hakuto and she grinned, "Already planning for baby number two?"

Hakuto blushed and waved her hands, "No! I meant in the future! In the far future!"

Sakura chuckled and she placed the baby back in the hospital bassinet and tucked them in.

"Well… you know where to find me." She grinned at Hakuto.

Gaara opened the door then and he noticed Sakura obviously looking past his shoulder to presumably look for Naruto. "Naruto went back to your house to pack his things," he said.

Sakura chuckled, embarrassed that she looked too obvious. "Oh, right."

Gaara walked towards Sakura and he presented a scroll to her. "This is for you, Sakura."

"Oh, what's this..." Sakura took the scroll and read it. She gasped. "Are you serious?!"

Gaara and Hakuto smiled at her. "Of course." Gaara said. "Funding for your mental health department and a little bit more for any other study you would want to conduct."

Sakura blushed, "I don't mean to be rude but I didn't need any payment for this, I really just wanted to be here for the both of you."

"Oh we know that Sakura!" Hakuto immediately said, not wanting to offend her. "But when we learned from Naruto that you were also starting the mental health department at your hospital, we were really amazed and wanted to help. Naruto was gushing about it and we understood why."

Gaara added, "And also, the result of your studies have been a great help to us too, so this is really a give-and-take situation." He smiled at her.

Sakura looked at the couple gratefully. "Thank you, you have no idea how great of a help this will be."

"And you have no idea how great of a help you are to us and Suna." Gaara said.

"I can't wait to tell…" Sakura paused, wanting to say Naruto but they just fought, didn't they? She cleared her throat. "I better get to packing my things as well. Thank you so much for this."

The couple and Sakura exchanged another round of hugs and thank yous before Sakura returned home.

Once Sakura reached the doorstep of their house, she had already made up her mind that she was going to be graceful to Naruto and just forget about everything that has happened between the two of them.

When she entered the home though, Naruto was already sprawled on the couch and was snoring.

It had been a long day for the both of them and Naruto wasn't as used to the crazy hours in the hospital as she was.

Sakura walked towards him and took the blanket that was neatly placed at Naruto's feet and she placed it over Naruto's body knowing that he could get cold over night.

As she stared at Naruto she couldn't help but smile at how he looked younger while sleeping. Sakura stretched out a hand toward Naruto's face to wipe away an errant hair that was coming too close to his eyes.

And as Sakura stared at Naruto, a painful feeling started to fester around her heart.

This trip was her dream before everything happened.

Sakura thriving in the medical field while Naruto thrived at being a Hokage, both of them working together for the betterment of Konoha.

And at the end of a long tiring day, they would come home and be with each other in their warm and safe home.

Sakura quickly stood up.

She realized she couldn't do it. Couldn't forget everything that happened.

She walked towards her room, packed her things, and she went back to the hospital and requested a vacant suite she could sleep in.

Or at least try to sleep in, as she also tried to prepare herself to return to reality once they leave Suna tomorrow.

Naruto groaned as the sunlight attacked his face again. "I'll get you tomorrow! I'll remember to not sleep in this position." he said as he slowly stood up.

And as he was stretching, the realization hit. "Oh… wait. We're leaving today."

Naruto sat back down.

He knew he shouldn't feel sad since he'll be coming back home, back to his family, but that meant that he and Sakura would go back to how they once were again… maybe worse with everything that has happened.

He looked down on the floor and realized that a blanket was placed on top of him during the night. Naruto picked it up and looked at it.

It seemed that no matter what happened, Sakura couldn't stop caring for him.

Naruto's heart ached at what could've been. If only he knew what Sakura felt. This could've been the reality for them. Working together, side-by-side, supporting each other and then caring for each other at their own warm home…

But how could he have known that he had a chance when all he knew was Sakura wanted Sasuke back with them?

And what does it matter now that they both have their own lives.

Maybe it's best for them to just forget it all, Naruto thought.

But could I just forget about it? Forget about Sakura-chan's feelings for me? Forget about my feelings for her?

Naruto panicked, he hadn't thought about it. But now he realized that he still has feelings for Sakura. It dawned on him that it hadn't really left, it was just forced down.

But it doesn't matter anymore! Naruto internally screamed.

They both had families of their own. And Sakura would surely agree with him…

Naruto stood up and knocked on Sakura's door to talk to her about what happened at the greenhouse. Maybe hear from her that it's all in the past and they had to move on.

But there was no answer.

Naruto knocked much harder now but he still had no answer. He grabbed the door knob and realized that it was unlocked so he turned and opened it.

At the back of his head he knew it was irrational for him to worry about Sakura, but knowing that someone was supposed to come home and didn't, and all their belongings were gone, you would think the worst had happened.

Or maybe it was just Naruto about anything related to Sakura.

Naruto quickly got dressed and ran towards the hospital and to Hakuto's suite. Thankfully Gaara just came out of the suite when Naruto got there, "Naruto? Why do you look-"

"Is Sakura-chan inside?" Naruto said, almost out of breath.

Gaara nodded and before he could say that yes she was indeed inside, Sakura came out of the door.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted.

"What are you shouting for?!" Sakura demanded.

"I was worried because you weren't at home and your things were gone!"

Sakura scowled, "Do I look like a lost child to you? I can take care of myself!"

Adrenaline winning over thoughts of staying calm Naruto countered, "But we're a team, damn it! I know you have a hard time telling me your feelings but communication is key in any mission!"

His statement ticked off Sakura, "Maybe you shouldn't assume the worst all the time and maybe talk to me before doing anything rash!"

Naruto's brows furrowed, "How could I even talk to you if you weren't there!"

"I was there! I just couldn't talk to you!" Sakura tightened her hands into fist.

Naruto assumed that Sakura was talking about what happened to them in the past and said, "Can we not talk about that right now?! Our feelings don't matter any more!"

A look of impassiveness washed Sakura's face and Naruto realized he might have miscalculated, "I was talking about how you were asleep and I couldn't talk to you." She stated.

This took Naruto's energy down a notch, "Oh, I uh… I assumed…"

"Yeah, you assumed. But you are right, my feelings don't matter."

Sakura looked over Naruto's shoulder where Kankuro was standing and she turned to her side to talk to Gaara who remained silent throughout the exchange.

"I'm sorry about this." Sakura said, voice calm and proper.

Gaara shook his head, "It's fine. Kankuro's here, let's head on out for breakfast before you go."

Sakura nodded mutely and began walking towards Naruto.

Naruto swallowed before Sakura walked past him and toward the hospital exit.

"That was stupid." Kankuro commented to Naruto when Sakura was safely out of earshot.

Naruto groaned. "You don't have to tell me twice."

The four of them ate breakfast together, Sakura actively ignoring Naruto, before they walked towards Suna's gates.

"Just remember, no matter what happens you can contact me, okay?" Sakura assured Gaara who nodded at her with a smile and thanked her again for the nth time.

Gaara turned to Naruto, "Thank you for giving me such great support during this time."

Naruto grinned at him, "Hey! I told you, that's what friends are for and like Sakura-chan, I'll always be one message away if you need any help."

Another round of thank yous and hugs were given, and some flirting from Kankuro to Sakura, before Naruto and Sakura went on their way back home.

As Gaara and Kankuro stood at the gates, watching their backs, Kankuro asked, "Are they even going to survive the trip back?"

Gaara smiled, "I have never lost hope when Naruto's involved."

Naruto was losing hope.

They were almost at the halfway point of their journey home but neither he nor Sakura have said a single word to each other.

The skies were mirroring the glumness he was feeling inside as the dark clouds were rolling in and a low rumble can be heard from the distance.

Naruto looked at Sakura's back and said, "Sakura-chan, rain's coming, we should go look for a shelter."

Sakura answered without missing a beat, "Let's go to the trees, we can make it home in time." and she jumped.

Naruto sighed, what deja vu, he thought before jumping as well.

As soon as their feet landed on the trees, everything went downhill fast.

Rain started trickling down in small amounts at first, but it became a heavy downpour within seconds.

The rumble that Naruto could've sworn was miles away from them before seemed to be so near and random thunders could be heard from where they were.

But it still did seem possible for them to get home at the pace they were going.

Until Naruto noticed strands of Sakura's hair standing up. Static.

It made sense, it was stupid he didn't think of it much sooner. The trees they were in right now weren't so dense and they were too high up.

And it made them a perfect target for lightning… Sakura specifically.

Naruto didn't even think twice, he positioned his body pointedly towards Sakura's body and applied a lot more chakra on his feet. He launched himself towards Sakura and he grabbed her body just before the lightning hit her.

Unfortunately he didn't take into consideration their surroundings and how they would land. There were no trees near them and now they were free falling.

So Naruto did what he could only think of, he tightened his grip on Sakura and turned their bodies so his back was facing the ground.

Sakura, arms wrapped on Naruto's neck, tightened her grip.

Naruto thought she was scared, but Sakura tightened her arms to reach her thumb and she bit down hard to draw blood before making the seals and shouting, "Summoning jutsu!"

And suddenly they were engulfed by something smooth yet slimy at the same time for a moment before they were propelled upward again, and finally landed on top of Katsuyo's body.

Naruto was still hugging Sakura tightly when she said, "Naruto… you can let go now."

Naruto opened his eyes and realized they were on top of Katsuyu, "Oh… oh!" He let go of his grip on Sakura and he sat up. He gave out a relieved sigh, "That was smart, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura ignored him, annoyed with herself that she let feelings cloud her judgement. Of course signs pointed to a thunderstorm and finding shelter would've been the correct course of action.

She clicked her tongue before she turned to face away from Naruto. "Lady Katsuyu, thank you for saving us. The fall would've been fatal for the two of us."

"It's my pleasure to be summoned to this kind of weather, Sakura-chan. Do you need any more help?"

"I apologize for asking more but can you help us look for shelter?"

Another tree was hit by lightning and the heavy downpour wasn't going anywhere.

"Of course." Katsuyu became silent for a moment… and then she said, "I've found a cave nearby." She produced a smaller version of her on the ground. "If you'll follow me."

Which both Sakura and Naruto did.

Once they reached the mouth of the cave, both of them thanked Katsuyu before she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

They entered the cave and Sakura immediately put her bag down with such force that Naruto looked at her in worry.

Sakura pulled out a black turtleneck dress from her pack, and knowing that she would be changing into her dry clothes, Naruto turned away.

He also got his dry black clothes in his bag and changed into them as well.

Naruto was almost done changing into his clothes when he heard Sakura starting to pick up some of the wood that was already inside the cave.

Naruto quickly tugged his shirt down and he jogged toward Sakura to help her.

Moments later, they were near a crackling fire while the storm raged outside the cave.

Sakura was squatting, hands outstretched to warm her hands while Naruto was standing doing the same with his hands.

Silence stretched between the two of them.

It was Naruto who broke the precious silence, "Sakura-chan, I apologize about what I said earlier at the hospital. I didn't mean to offend you…"

Sakura remained seated, the glow of the fire illuminating her impassive face. "You didn't offend me… you hurt me. I've been hurting for years and then you tell me my feelings don't matter?

Naruto was about to say something but Sakura continued.

I hated you, you know… I hated seeing you around the village… seeing you in meetings where I can't avoid you. My heart ached each time. How can I spend my whole life with you and then you forget about me?"

Naruto turned to look at her, brows furrowed in anger. "Well I… I hated you too… hated that you ignored me so much I thought that was what you wanted! I hate you now… for not telling me what you felt before. How could I have known what to do when I didn't even know your feelings began to change ?"

Sakura stood up abruptly and looked up at him. The distance between them, or lack thereof, was highlighting how taller Naruto was than her.

"Did you think I knew when it changed!? I didn't, Naruto!" She shouted, hands clenched to fist. "One second you were my best friend and then… I woke up and realized I love you…" she finished looking down on the ground.

"Then why didn't you tell me?!"

Sakura's head snapped up again to look at Naruto's equally angered eyes, "Because I wasn't good enough for you! You were so sure of me! Loved me and showed me you loved me from the very start and I wasn't that for you! I was never that for you! It took my years before I even realized that I liked you! It took me more to have the courage to tell you, that's why I…"

Sakura started to choke up, tears starting to form at the edge of her eyes, realizing that what she was about to say was exactly what she wrote years ago, "That's why I stopped you when you were about to kiss me at the booth… I didn't want you to think of your first kiss, think about me and be disappointed. Now that I think about it… I wish I hadn't done that. At least I would've had that memory with me."

Naruto took a step back and looked up at the cave's ceiling, "That's unfair, Sakura-chan." Then he looked at her again, tears were in the edges of his eyes too. "You can't say that! You don't know what you're doing to me! And don't tell me you weren't good enough when I never asked anything from you! I just wanted you! I would've had half of your heart than nothing at all."

"That's what I was afraid of!" Sakura poked his chest, hard. Tears now free flowing on her cheeks, "You deserve everything good, Naruto! You don't deserve half a heart!"

Naruto raised both his hands, gesture pleading, "You don't get to decide what I deserve! That was supposed to be my decision! You didn't even give me a chance to decide for myself!"

Sakura's face contorted in anger, "I tried to! I tried to talk to you but you shut me out! Left me for Hinata!"

"Because I didn't know I had a chance! After years of you pining for Sasuke, how could I have known you wanted me?!" Naruto couldn't remember the last time he had ever felt this much mix of anger and annoyance in his life. Especially not directed towards Sakura.

"You couldn't have known because you didn't give me a chance to say it to you! You were a coward! You ran away from me!" Sakura pushed at Naruto's chest hard again.

But then he grasped both of her wrist. And they stared at each other with furious eyes.

"You were as much of a coward as I was!" Naruto countered. "You couldn't even say what you felt without the fear of rejection! You weren't any braver than I was!"

"Yeah well… we were both a bunch of cowards." Sakura said, voice lower, as she looked at the ground. "We both messed up and now we're out of each other's lives."

Naruto let go of her wrist slowly and he turned to look at the side, not knowing what to say.

Sakura turned and started to walk towards the mouth of the cave, their argument done.

She sat down on the ground once she reached the end and leaned on the wall and watched the rain as she let her tears flow.

It had been hours since their fight and Sakura fell asleep.

Naruto sat beside the fire, and he watched Sakura's back, just like he had always done when she returned home to make sure she was alright.

Just like he had always done since then.

Just like he did whenever he would venture near the hospital late at night and see her office lights were still on so he would ask one random nurse to bring her food.

Just like how he nervously did when he saw her walking around the village running errands, very much pregnant, so he could run to her if she needed any help.

He just watched her back and he didn't make her feel seen. Didn't let her know that he was there for her.

Didn't let her know that he wanted her to be a part of his life as well.

He didn't have the courage to talk to her back then.

But he does now.

Naruto stood up and went to his bag and he began removing all of his belongings until he finally found a secret pocket that only he knew about and he pulled out a square slip of plastic. He looked at it, looked at Sakura's back and he smiled.

Naruto walked towards Sakura and sat beside her.

He waited until Sakura slowly opened her eyes and she blinked slowly like a cat at Naruto. "What?" she asked.

Naruto stretched his hand out and gave the plastic slip to Sakura. She looked at it suspiciously before she took it from him.

And then slowly, her eyes widened, and tears began forming again at the sides of her eyes as she realized the papers that were inside the slip were the letters she gave to him when he was training.

Naruto had kept all of Sakura's letters.

Sakura looked up at Naruto but he wasn't looking at her. He was looking at the sky when he said, "You were never gone from my life, Sakura-chan. Never stopped cheering me on. In my mind you were still my best friend." he turned his head to look at her with a sad smile, "There's nothing we can do now. We both have our own families. I wish things were different, I really do but the reality isn't."

"Don't you think I know that?!" Sakura wiped her face aggressively, but she wasn't angry anymore, she really couldn't stay angry at Naruto even if it killed her. "And I never intended to tell you what I felt. I didn't have any intention of taking you for myself. I could never do that to Hinata and not to your children. All I ever wanted with this mission was… I just wanted to become your friend again. That was all I ever wanted."

Naruto grinned at her, and she rolled her eyes at him. "You were never not my friend, Sakura-chan."

"I'm sorry for running away, Sakura-chan… I should've…"

"I should've too." Sakura cut him off, not wanting to dwell on what they should've done anymore. "And I'm sorry too."

They sat in silence for a long time after that.

The raging storm passed hours ago and the skies were clear again. The edges of the sun began peeking out the horizon.

Sakura was hugging her knees and Naruto had his legs outstretched as they made no attempt to move, clearly wanting to see the sun rise together.

And as it did so slowly, the heat radiating on their face, Naruto began to speak again. "Maybe in another life…" Sakura looked at Naruto, watched the sun beam on his smiling face. "Maybe in another life we will know from the very beginning that we were made for each other, we will never doubt it and we would never let anything tear us apart. Maybe in another life we'll be holding each other tightly every night. Have lots of babies that have the color of my hair and your bright green eyes and your smile…"

Sakura looked towards the sun again when she interjected, "And your annoying energy…"

Naruto chuckled. "Yeah…"

Naruto then opened up his palm towards Sakura who looked at it before she looked up at his eyes.

"But until our next life... I would like to become a part of your life again, Sakura-chan… as your best friend… if you'll have me."

Sakura smiled before she placed her hand in his open palm. "I'd like that… I'd love that."

And the sun shone over them as they held hands.

Ino was fixing Sarada's bow when the girl gasped, "It's mom!"

She stood up and brushed her knees and she smirked at Shikamaru, "I won, they made it back in one piece."

Shikamaru sighed but then he smirked at Naruto.

"Sarada!" Sakura ran towards her daughter and she engulfed her in a tight hug and rubbed her face on her.

"Mom, stop!" Sarada protested, embarrassed. Sakura laughed but she let go and she stood to greet Ino as well.

And as Naruto finished greeting Shikamaru, he turned to Ino and greeted her as well.

And then he looked down and saw Sakura's girl who looked very much like Sasuke that he had to smile.

"Hi there!" Naruto grinned at her.

Sarada blushed but replied, "Hello, hokage-sama."

Naruto placed a hand on her head, "You can call me Naruto, I'm your mom's best friend after all."

Naruto's statement made Ino look on in surprise at Sakura who just smiled at her and slightly shrugged her shoulders.

But Sarada just furrowed her brows, "No you're not. Ino-san is mom's best friend."

Ino, Shikamaru and Sakura laughed while Naruto scratched his head in embarrassment. "Well, your mom and I had a little bit of a time out there but I swear, she's my best friend and I'm hers."

Sakura looked on at the two of them in amusement as Sarada said, "I don't believe you."

Naruto grinned at her. "Well it looks like I have a challenge now to prove I'm Sakura-chan's best friend then eh?" Naruto looked up at Sakura and she smiled at him too.

"No rush," Sakura said, "We have all the time in the world."

A/N: Phew! This chapter was LONG LOL! And I have to be honest, I didn't think this story of mine would be 7 chapters long (I only planned for it to be 4 LOL) but I am very happy at how it turned out. This is the last chapter, BUT THERE IS AN EPILOGUE and I will be posting it separately. I'll be posting a chapter here as a notification when it's out so if you're following this story, you'll be notified.

Also, after reading some reviews, I just want to put it out there that, for me specifically, both Sakura and Naruto were never the vindictive type so I couldn't picture them hating each other too much. Since both of them were at fault technically in this story, so I wanted them both to realize each of those fault and start healing from there... you'll see!

But I am immensely grateful for every single review and likes I have received through my dipping-of-the-toe in multi-chapter story. And I hope I can produce every multi-chap ideas in my notes app for you lovely NaruSaku people.

And as always, reviews are greatly appreciated. ( ͡❛ ᴗ ͡❛)