Disclaimer: I really wished I owned Naruto, but I think it'll only remain a dream.

A/N: Ok, for clarification purposes, in this fic, the Oro-Naruto fight ended with Kabuto and Oro escaping and the modified team 7 returning to Konoha. Also, I already mentioned that Sakura's scar healed up and I don't feel like changing it because I like the contrast of physical wounds vs. emotional ones, so no kyuubi chakra is poison either – sorry kyuubi for taking away some of your awesomeness.

Chapter 8: Mentoring

Despite her exhaustion, sleep completely eluded the pink-haired ninja. She had already run through her mind multiple times what she was going to say to her parents in the morning. She was pretty confident she could convince them, but that wasn't what was bugging her. What really kept her awake was the idea of having to lie to them, to everyone.

Not that this was anything new, of course. She's spent much of her life hiding her real emotions. But something about having to pretend to marry Naruto made all the other things she has always been pretending rise to the surface. And she was kept awake trying to remember why she hid her emotions in the first place.

In the morning, Sakura smiled brightly as she bounded down the steps toward the kitchen. She cheerfully ate the breakfast her mother had prepared, and as she carried her dishes over to the sink, she began execution of her plan.

"Hey, Mom, Dad, I have something to tell you."

"What is it, dear?" her mother asked as her father also turned his attentions to his daughter.

"Well, it's not so much a 'what', but a 'who'. You see, I've been thinking about a lot of things since Naruto came back from his training, and I think I've come to a decision. I know you're going to think it's rushed, and that I'm not thinking things through, but please, just hear me out first, ok?"

Her mother was about to respond, but her words were cut off by a knock on the door. Of all the times for Naruto to show up early. I wanted to get my explanation out before he arrived. Oh well, guess I can't help it now, Sakura thought.

Sakura quickly rushed to the door so she could be the one to open it. Taking a deep breath, she swung the door open and found Naruto dressed in formal attire similar to what he wore for commemorating their search for Sasuke; he was also holding a package in his hands. Sakura stepped aside so he could enter the apartment. Then, turning around, she abruptly announced, "Naruto and I decided to get married."

"…." were both her parents' reactions. Her mother was the first to recover, though. "Sakura, honey, I'm sure you have a good reason for this, but don't you think this is a bit sudden?"

"I know, it seems that way. I mean, Naruto and I have been on the same team for a while, and since he came back, well, we just kept growing closer since." She paused to choose her words carefully. "You see, I realized on this most recent mission that you never really know when it'll be your last. And I just don't want to let this chance slip by me…again." Sakura looked expectantly for some sort of response from either of them.

Her mother decided to take a seat at the table before continuing. "I understand how you feel, that you're worried that something might happen, but if something doesn't happen and you both live for a long time – which of course is what I'm hoping for – while it may seem like a good idea now, you might end up regretting it later. I believe that you probably care about each other a lot, but maybe things should just go a little slower," her mother advised them.

"You mean like you and Dad?" Sakura retorted. "You knew Dad for what a few weeks before you two snuck off and got married – against Grandfather's and Grandmother's wishes, I might add. I've known Naruto for much longer, and I'm at least asking permission first before getting married." She tried not to inwardly wince at that last part. "And you and Dad are perfectly happy together after all these years. Why can't you trust me to make the same decision?"

"It's not a matter of trust, Sakura," her mother admonished, "it's just…it's just that…" she sighed, seemingly to search for the right words. "I'm not sure if you know this, but really he is…he is-"

"The container for the kyuubi? Yeah, Mom, I know." Naruto wordlessly started to turn toward the door, but Sakura grabbed onto his arm to prevent him from doing so. "And you know what? It doesn't make one bit of difference. Yes, the kyuubi is inside of him, but Naruto's a person, not the kyuubi itself."

"I think you misunderstand what your mother's trying to say," her father finally interjected. "You see, the Hokage-sama talked to us recently about Naruto's…instability, since you're potentially in danger while being on missions with him. We have nothing against him being the container for the kyuubi, but we're still concerned about your safety," he spoke gently.

Sakura just stared, her mind racing for some kind of response to make to that. Instead, Naruto spoke up first. "I understand your concern, sir. But that's exactly the reason Sakura wants to marry me. She feels that somehow it will help me control the kyuubi better, and so she'd actually be in less danger. I told her it wasn't worth it, that I'd find another way, but she was so insistent that who am I to go against the wishes of your daughter?"

Everyone stared in shock at the sudden explanation from the kyuubi container who hadn't spoken up to that point. Sakura's mother, clearing her throat, was the first to come up with a response. "Why do you think that, Sakura?" she inquired.

Shifting her weight as she thought of a reason, she blurted out, "Because it'll give him a reason to control it all the time," she paused before adding with a little less confidence, "I'm guessing."

"And is it worth it to make such a serious commitment for something you're not even sure of?" her mother questioned critically.

"It's what I want. Whether it works or not, it's still what I want, and if it could help, all the more reason to do it, right?" Whew, that at least sounds convincing…I think.

Her parents glanced several times between their daughter and the boy she wants to marry. Her father asked his daughter, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

Swallowing down the distaste developing in her mouth for having to lie so blatantly to her parents, Sakura nodded as she spoke softly but firmly, "Yes."

Her father continued, "I see. And Naruto, are you all right with this? You won't be able to make her happy if you're just doing this for her sake."

"Of course, sir. I want this, too. Throughout our experiences together as a team, I have fallen in love with Sakura-chan."

Sighing, Sakura's father looked over to his wife, and, placing a hand on her shoulder, confessed, "I think we should just trust them in this decision. After all, she takes after us…you especially," he added with a smile.

"All right," her mother replied simply. "Exactly when are you planning to have the ceremony?"

"This weekend," Sakura stated matter-of-factly. Two pairs of adults eyes bulged out in the direction of their daughter.

Regaining composure, her mother suggested, "Why don't we at least wait a few months. I mean, it'll take time to plan, and we'll have to see when the rest of the family can make the trip…unless you'd prefer to hold the ceremony in Setagaya, which that'll take time going back and forth making arrangements."

"No. I already said how I realize now how easy it is to not return from a mission. It's going to be this weekend. And it's going to be here. I don't think the family is that concerned about attending my wedding since I have even seen any of them since I was little. If they can make it, great, but if not, I'm sure they won't count it as a great loss. I feel closer to the other ninjas here, and I'd rather have them in attendance," Sakura stated boldly.

"Sakura!" her mother cried. "How can you say your family means nothing to you?"

"Well, if they're so important, why don't we live in the same town then? I'm not saying I don't care about them, but I don't see why we have to accommodate them. My cousin got married last spring and we didn't go."

"Yes, but they at least sent us an invitation and ample time to make arrangements to attend." She looked into her daughter's eyes only to have her determination mirrored back to her. "All right, this weekend. We better get planning right away then. Why don't you start by stopping by Yamanaka's flower shop, so then you can give Ino the news."

Sakura's defiance quickly melted away as she bounded over to give her mother a quick squeeze. "Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad," she called as she and Naruto exited the apartment.

Once outside and a safe distance away, Sakura heaved a huge sigh of relief and laughed as she said, "Wow, I thought they were never going to consent. I'm glad that part's over with. You really made an impression back there, Naruto. Where did you come up with that stuff?" she questioned as she playfully poked him. "Don't tell me flattering a girl's parents was one of the things Jiraiya gave you training in during those years."

Naruto just smiled.

Turning serious once again, Sakura asked one last time, "Are you sure you're ok with this? I mean, this is something serious even if it is only fake – it'll still affect your reputation."

"It's fine, Sakura-chan," Naruto replied staring straight at her.

A small chime sounded as Sakura opened the door to the Yamanaka flower shop. The sweet smell of flowers greeted her, along with her friend and old rival.

"Hey, Sakura!" Ino greeted. "Aren't you usually training with Tsunade by now?"

"We just got back yesterday, so…"

"Oh yeah. So how did that go? You seem to be ok. Did you get any clues to finding Sasuke-kun?"

Sakura simply shook her head 'no'.

Ino quickly jumped off the stool she was sitting on and walked over to her friend. Gently squeezing Sakura's shoulder, she reassured, "Don't give up hope. I'm sure you'll find him and bring him back somehow."

"Thanks, Ino. But I actually have some good news to share with you," Sakura smiled.

"Good news? Do share." Thank goodness she's not too depressed about the dead end mission. She always tries to hide how much it really affects her…she's always been that way.

"Well, it actually has something to do with the reason I came here. You see-" Sakura started before she was interrupted by Chouji's entrance.

"Hello, Chouji," Ino greeted her teammate. "Don't tell me I'm late? I thought we weren't meeting with Asuma-sensei until 11."

"Asuma-sensei moved the time up, so I came to let you know and walk with you there now." Turning to the pink-haired shinobi in the story, "Hello, Sakura. Congratulations on your engagement."

This was followed by two girly shrieks. Simultaneously, Ino and Sakura shouted, "Engaged? What do you mean engaged?" and "How did you find out already?" respectively.

Throwing his hands up in defense, Chouji explained, "Well, as I said, I came to get you, Ino, since the meeting time was changed, but I stopped by your apartment first, and Sakura's mother was there and she was talking with your mother, so I overheard that Sakura is engaged to Naruto. By the way, your mother wanted me to tell you that she'll be down here soon so just lock the door in the meantime."

"I can't believe you found out before me! That's just so…so wrong." Turning to Sakura, "Is it true? Are you and Naruto really engaged?"

Sakura smiled and cheerfully bobbed her head. "Yep, we broke it to my parents this morning. And I stopped by here to see if your family would be willing to do the flowers for it on my way to see how Kakashi-sensei is doing. I told Naruto he could go ahead of me instead of boring him with girly stuff."

"Did you even need to ask? When's it going to be?"

"Saturday," Sakura stated matter-of-factly.

"This Saturday! Why so soon?" Ino exclaimed. Even a little surprise played across Chouji's face.

"What's wrong with it? You know what kinds of missions we go on…I just don't want to take any chances and have it be too late." Ino caught the slightest hint of sadness in her friend's eyes before it was quickly covered back up. "Anyway, do you think you can manage it? It's not going to be a big wedding, so it shouldn't be too much work, just however much you can handle."

"Um, yeah, that shouldn't be a problem. Well, I have to go meet up with my team, but we definitely need to start picking things out. When can you meet?"

"How about we meet for dinner to discuss some ideas before coming back here?"

"That sounds good. Why don't I pack something and we can meet at the park, say at 6?"

"Works for me. I'll bring dessert."

All three of them walked out the door and Ino locked it behind them and put up a sign saying someone would be back soon and an apology for the inconvenience.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei! How are you feeling?" Sakura inquired as she walked into her sensei's house. She forcefully resisted the shudder that wanted erupt from being reminded of her dream of a few days ago.

"Ah, I'm feeling much better now. Thank you for asking, Sakura," Kakashi spoke.

"Where's Naruto?" she asked when she noticed a distinct absence of noise.

"He heard Jiraiya was in the village, so he set off to look for him. He told me to tell you he was sorry to rush off before you got here," responded Kakashi.

"I see. I'm guessing you already heard that we didn't get any information, then? If only we could have kept up with them," Sakura spoke as she slammed her fist into her palm in an exhibition of frustration.

"Yes, Naruto already told all of that to me. He also mentioned that you two are getting married on Saturday. I know this mission was difficult on him emotionally, but surely he's not delusional now, is he?"

Laughing, Sakura answered, "No, he's not hallucinating. We really are getting married. You should know how close we've become on the missions and everything."

Kakashi just stared at her before responding, "Yes, you and Naruto have become closer…as comrades. Don't lie to me, Sakura. Naruto's always had a crush on you, but your feelings were always directed on someone else." Sakura just stared back at him as a response. Sighing, he continued, "Just tell me one thing, does Naruto know you aren't in love with him?"

Sakura hung her head in shame as she whispered quietly, "Yes, he knows."

"Well, that was my main concern," Kakashi responded surprisingly brightly.

"You mean you don't object?" asked a confused Sakura.

"You're a smart girl and not one to be rash. I'm sure you have good reasons for doing this. As long as Naruto is willingly going along with this without being deceived, I won't question and won't say a word...for now. I hope, though, that you know what you're doing," he kindly warned. "And now onto business. Tsunade may have given you the day off from training, but I haven't. I want you and Naruto to meet me at the usual place at 1."

"So that means you'll be showing up when?" Sakura chided as she walked toward the door. She was relieved Kakashi wasn't going to reveal the fakeness of the marriage. "I'm glad you're feeling better, Kakashi-sensei…and thanks," she spoke as she let herself out of the apartment.

"Oh, and one more thing. Between now and then, you might want to go tell Tsunade the news."

"Hehe, yes, that's probably a good idea. Thanks for reminding me, Kakashi-sensei," she thanked joyfully while inwardly cursing. "Well, I guess I should head over there now." And with that, she slammed the door behind her.

"You can't be serious, Naruto! After all that I taught you, you're just going to throw that away over one girl?" Jiraiya stared mournfully at the boy he had trained for 2 ½ years.

"I'm not like you, Ero-Sennin," Naruto responded. They sat on the rooftop of Naruto's apartment building, their legs dangling over the side of the building. "So what are you in the village for anyway?"

"I just came to report some information I discovered…about Akatsuki. They seem to have become active again since the attack on the Sand village and are moving more quickly to capture other tailed beasts. They may be motivated to complete whatever their goal is before Orochimaru has a chance to-"

"Orochimaru won't have that chance!" Naruto interrupted. Changing the subject slightly, Naruto asked, "So have they been able to capture any more?"

"They have one more, although I don't know which one, and how many they have total now."

Naruto clenched his fists and grit his teeth at the thought of another jinchuuriki like himself dying at the hands of Akatsuki. "I will stop them no matter what!" he vowed. "Do you know where I can find them?"

"I think you need to stay away from them right now. You're in no condition to fight. I already heard what happened on your most recent mission. You have to learn to control yourself first…otherwise, you're just as much of a threat to your comrades as your enemies, if not more. Even after all this time you're still too hot-headed. I won't allow you to endanger anyone right now." He paused for a moment before continuing with, "Maybe this marriage is coming at a good time. Take some time off and learn to deal with your temper."

"But I don't have time. In less than 6 months-"

"You're no good to him like you are now. Your determination can do a lot of good, but right now, it's doing more harm."

"I know, but I can't afford to…"

"You don't have much choice. So get your emotions straightened out quick so you can go back to searching for Sasuke, hm?"

Naruto just stared down at his hands. The Sannin glanced at his trainee. "Well, I need to go make my reports. Don't forget what I told you," he advised as he leaped from the roof and was quickly out of sight. You'll find your way…and your strength, Naruto, Jiraiya thought to himself as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop.

Naruto sighed and continued to stare at his clenched fist before slowly releasing his tight grip.

"Come in!" called the fifth Hokage. She looked up to see Sakura walk into her office. "I thought I gave you the day off from training, and I'm sure Kakashi would want to have a meeting."

"You did, and we do later this afternoon," Sakura replied. A little more hesitantly, she added, "But there's something I should tell you."

Tsunade motioned for her student to come closer to her desk as she walked around to the front of her desk and leaned against it. "What is it? Did you think of something to add to your report?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, it's not that. I just thought…you'd like to know that Naruto and I are getting married on Saturday," she blurted out suddenly. She thought maybe if she said it quickly it would somehow reduce the shock and therefore repercussions from her temperamental mentor.

Slamming her hands violently down on the desk behind her and stomped one foot as she straightened up, Tsunade glared venomously at her pupil. "What? Are you crazy? What on earth are you thinking doing something like that? Are you willing to just throw away all of your training like that?"

Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, Sakura thought to herself. Speaking in as calm as manner as she could muster, she responded, "I'm not planning on ending my training or being a ninja. Naruto wouldn't ask me to."

"What if you get pregnant? I can't risk sending you on missions, so what good are you as a ninja then? Even if you want to be engaged, I highly recommend putting off the marriage for a while yet," she suggested through clenched teeth.

"If I do get pregnant, it's only temporary. I can still keep up with theory and go on missions again once the child is born," Sakura answered matter-of-factly.

"So you honestly think you'll be able to gamble your life on a mission knowing that a child's waiting for you to come home?"

Sakura only answered with silence.

Tsunade continued, "And what about Sasuke? What happened to your determination to rescue him? I was under the impression you still cared for him."

Forcing tears, or maybe they came naturally, Sakura shouted back, "What are the chances I'm ever going to see him again? Huh? The last mission was a bust, and there's not much time left. And even if we do find him, who's to say we'd even be able to bring him back?" Lowering her voice slightly, she added, "And Naruto's always been there for me. This latest mission has made me understand some realities, I think. And I can't stand the thought of losing another person who's precious to me."

Tsunade lowered her own voice when she responded with the question, "Sakura, why are you doing this exactly?"

"Like I said, I came to some realizations on the mission. I discovered just how much Naruto really means to me. Yes, I've been training all this time with the specific goal to rescue Sasuke-kun in mind. However, I realized that I never would have had the courage to take that step if it weren't for Naruto. He's always been there. He's someone I can rely on…he will always be there for me. So do you really need to ask why my feelings would change?"

Tsunade walked back around to take her seat behind her desk once again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to push you on such a personal subject. You may go."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama," Sakura replied as she turned and exited the hokage's office.

With her elbows propped up on the desk, Tsunade interlacd her fingers together and, resting her chin upon her hands, thought, Even if your feelings have changed, why rush into marriage like this? This isn't like you. What are you thinking, Sakura?

"So what did you bring?" inquired a curious Ino as her friend sat down next to her after setting a box down on the blanket.

Shrugging, Sakura answered, "I just picked up some yatsuhashi on my way here. I hope you like the strawberry kind." Sakura smiled as she added, "Remember we used to eat strawberry yatsuhashi in your room after class?"

"Yeah, I remember those days. Strawberry's still my favorite," Ino replied with a smile. "We wasted too many years, didn't we though? I shouldn't have let you turn our friendship in a rivalry."

"It's ok, Ino. I think I understand why you did – and that we did it for the same reasons in mind. I hope you know I'll always be grateful for everything you taught me."

The two girls just smiled warmly at each other, taking in the sincerity of the moment before chatting carelessly while unpacking all the food.

"So you're really going to do this, huh? Marry Naruto on Saturday?" Ino paused for Sakura to nod in response. "I still can't believe it. Back then, it felt like we'd always compete for Sasuke-kun's attention until he finally chose one of us."

"Yeah…"

"So I guess our rivalry is officially over then."

"Yeah, I guess so," Sakura replied cheerfully while she ate her meal.

"You know, I've actually been thinking…" Ino trailed off.

Seeing her friend wasn't going to complete her sentence, Sakura prompted, "You've been thinking what? Come on, tell me."

"Well, I…um…wow, this is harder to say than I thought. I'm used to being the confident one between us," she smirked at her friend.

"Just say it," Sakura encouraged.

"Ok, here goes. I think I might like Shikamaru," she spoke as quickly as she could. Sakura just laughed in response. "Come on, Sakura, what's so funny? I thought we were supposed to be friends now," Ino slightly whined.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I don't mean to laugh, it's just it is ironic that you'd be the one to be nervous about that. Maybe that just goes to show how much you're in loooove with him," Sakura prodded.

"Shut up, forehead-girl," Ino retorted.

"Whatever Ino-pig." After a minute or two of staring venomously at each other, they both burst into laughter. "Ha, I just couldn't hold it in any longer. How on earth did we ever act like that before?"

"You got me. But I'm glad to have another girl to confide in again," Ino confessed.

"Me, too," Sakura replied. "Me, too."

Swallowing some food, Ino interjected, "Hm, so what kind of flowers do you want? Did you have anything in mind? Any colors you want to go with?"

"Well, I was thinking for this time of year, daffodils might be nice. What do you think?"

"That sounds good. We could also decorate the reception hall with plum blossom branches. They're already starting to bloom, too."

"Really? You can do that? That'd look great!"

"Well, we have to make the room look beautiful to make up for the ugliness of the bride," Ino chided.

"Ino!" Sakura growled at her re-discovered friend.

"SAKURA! We need to go RIGHT NOW!" her mother screamed up the stairs to her bedroom.

"Coming, Mom! I'll be right down. I'm just about done with my hair," she called down to her mother. Sakura stood in front of her mirror, but her hair was already done. She faced her reflection, questioning if she could really do something like this. Ok, just take a deep breath. There's no other choice right now, so I'm just going to have to go through with this. This is just part of the consequences for my decision before…I just hate having to drag Naruto and everyone into it…I hope they'll forgive me for what I've done. But no more negative thoughts, I've got to pull myself together. Sakura was about to exit her room when she paused just for a moment to glance at her balcony door. Sasuke-kun, are you really not coming back? And without receiving an answer, she walked out the door and carefully down the stairs to meet her mother waiting impatiently for her.

Despite her worry of being late, Sakura noticed that her mother smiled at the sight of her daughter in the wedding kimono. It was nowhere near as fancy as the one she had (secretly) worn prior, but it still flattered her nonetheless. Sakura gracefully stepped into her zori sandals, smiling to herself as she recalled her predicament with the tabi socks – she made sure not to make the same mistake this time, although she had her mother and grandmother to help her dress this time.

"Are you all ready then?" her mother questioned, her tone softened from her previous yelling.

"Yes, Grandmother already took the kimono and everything for the reception with her, and Dad was seeing to all the offerings for the ceremony."

"That's not what I meant." Her mother clarified, "I meant, are you ready for marriage?"

"Oh, that." Sakura mustered up the will to lie to her mother, "Of course I'm ready for this. Don't worry about me, Mom. I know what I'm doing."

"Well, then let's get going," her mother suggested as she smiled at her daughter. It sure is hard to let go, but I guess I just have to trust her. I wonder if this is how my mother felt when I got married. Holding out her arm, she escorted her daughter down the street.

(Track 8)
Arriving at the shrine, Sakura found everything to already be in order. She swallowed down the sense of déjà vu to prevent the fact that she had already done this once before from invading her thoughts. But she couldn't keep his image out of her mind. At the start of the ceremony, she squeezed her eyes shut tightly in order to will herself to enter the shrine; and she felt the urge to cry when she saw Naruto dressed in his wedding garb, thinking of how horrible she was for asking him to do something like this. I'll make it up to him…somehow.

Kneeling in front of the priest next to Naruto, a thousand thoughts ran through her mind. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Now I'm starting to wish that Naruto had said no, or that I had never made the request. What was I thinking to go through with something like this? I should have just left in search of-, her thoughts were interrupted by a priestess placing sake cups in front of her. Glancing next to her and seeing Naruto's serious expression only made her feel worse. Shakily reaching her hand out, she took a sip from the first cup and swallowed back the sake and all her apprehensions. What happens, happens I guess.

Sakura entered the reception hall having changed into a red kimono decorated with small flowers of an array of different colors. The aroma of cooked fish and rice met her nose as she and Naruto were formally introduced to the guests at the reception before taking their place at a table for the meal. Several rectangular tables were set up in the room, and all the other ex-gennin sat together at one table, while Sakura's family and some of the adults of the village sat at another.

"Wow, Sakura looks really great in that kimono," Tenten commented to Ino.

"Yeah, she really does. I sincerely hope those two will be happy together," Ino wished to her friend.

"What are you two talking about?" interrupted an exuberant Lee.

"We were just talking about how pretty Sakura looks," Tenten answered her teammate.

"Yes, indeed! Sakura is quite the epitome of youth and beauty!" Lee declared.

"Of course," Tenten remarked sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

And in a flash of inspiration, or perhaps foolishness, Lee jumped out of his chair and stooped down on one knee next to Tenten. "I'm sorry if I offended you, Tenten. Of course you are also an example of youth and beauty"

A little uncomfortable with the attention suddenly drawn in their direction, Tenten quickly replied, "Uh, it's fine, Lee. Please get up before everyone gets the wrong idea." Ino giggled in the background and Neji glanced over with a raised eyebrow.

Without standing up, Lee continued, "Please, let me make this up to you. Allow me to take you to dinner tomorrow night."

"Fine," she answered quickly. "Will you sit back down at the table now?" Tenten pushed hurriedly, although a small smile played at the corner of her mouth despite the slight humiliation.

From the head table, Sakura saw that everyone was having a good time, and she slowly started to release all the fears she had pent up inside. That is, until she looked in the direction of the far end of the ex-gennin table, at the person sitting between Kiba and Shino.

"Well, that went well!" Naruto commented cheerfully back at his apartment. "Everyone seemed to believe us, so that's good." Naruto, Sakura, and her parents had just finished bringing over most of Sakura's belongings to his apartment, and her parents and grandparents had expressed their good wishes and good nights. And now, newly married couple found themselves standing facing each other from opposite sides of the bed.

"Naruto…" Sakura trailed off.

"What is it?" he asked in response.

"Um, it's nothing. I'm kind of tired. Do you mind if I just go to sleep now?"

"No, that's fine. You take the bed, and I'll take the couch," he offered, gesturing toward the bed.

Sakura held up her hands in protest. "No, you should take the bed. This is my mess, so I should sleep on the couch."

"I can't sleep in my bed knowing there's a girl sleeping on the couch. What kind of guy does that make me?"

"It's ok. I insist, I don't mind sleeping on the couch. Really."

"I won't allow it. Go ahead and take the bed."

"I can't make you sleep on the couch. I'm already inconveniencing you way too much. Please, take the bed and I'll sleep on the couch."

Crossing his arms, Naruto insisted, "I'm not letting you sleep on the couch no matter what you say, Sakura-chan. You should sleep on the bed, especially in your…condition."

"Well, I'm not letting you sleep on the couch either," replied a slightly exasperated Sakura. "You're not going to give in and take the bed?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nope."

Sakura sighed. After a few seconds of contemplation, she suggested, "Then if we're both going to be stubborn about this, why don't we both take the bed."

Naruto's arms that had been crossed quickly dropped to his sides. "What…?"

"I mean, if that's ok with you," Sakura added. "I'd rather have that than forcing you to sleep on the couch. It'll be fine. You'll sleep on one side, and I'll sleep on the other. No big deal," Sakura shrugged.

"Are you sure then?"

Sakura just nodded.

"Ok, then that's what we'll do then."

After getting ready for bed and changing into pajamas, they each awkwardly climbed into the one-person-sized bed, squeezing as far as possible to each side. Naruto turned off the lamp next to the bed and plunged the room into darkness.

"And don't try anything funny," she warned before trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in such a confined area. "I may be pregnant, but don't think I can't still beat you up."

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan. I won't. You have my word," Naruto replied seriously.

Sakura sighed before closing her eyes and began to drift off to sleep from the exhaustion of that day before hearing Naruto murmur "Good night," next to her. He really is a great guy, was her last thought before falling asleep.

"What took so long? I thought you would have been back hours ago."

"My apologies, Sasuke-kun. I ran into some old friends of yours, and one of them proved to be more of a challenge than expected. Nothing that can't be handled, of course, but it was enough to fatigue this body. That's why it took so long to return," Orochimaru explained.

"Hmmph. Well, are you still going to teach me that jutsu you promised?"

"Of course. But before that, tell me something. That pink-haired girl from Konoha, is she finally pregnant?"

Sasuke just narrowed his eyes at the Sannin. "So you knew where I went those times," he stated flatly.

"Well, to be honest, I didn't know who it was, but yes, I knew of your trips there. She was your old teammate, and she didn't fight at all in our meeting, so I thought maybe she was the one you chose and is now pregnant with your child," Orochimaru explained, a malicious grin flickering across his features.

"You don't object?" Sasuke questioned, although it came out more like a statement.

"Of course not. Kabuto told me she defeated a member of Akatsuki, so it sounds like you didn't make too bad of a choice. But you never confirmed if she was pregnant."

"She's not."

"Ah. Well, feel free to keep trying as much as you want. However, if you're still not successful, when the time comes, I can continue for you," he offered casually.

Still with no emotion in his voice, Sasuke replied, "Don't bother. I've already changed my mind on the matter."

"As you wish then, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru smiled. "Shall we go train then?"

"Yes."