A/N:
Oh my gosh… third chapter… hehehe… Temptation proved too great!
Just to clarify something…I absolutely love Sakura! (All who agree with me raise your hands! ...looks around) and I love any pairing with Sakura too… She kicks ass… especially in the later Manga. I just have this weird fascination with killing my favorite Characters…hehehe. gulp okay… Enough chit-chat… Enjoy the Fic! Please tell me what you think!
Disclaimer: I Do not own Naruto (rolls eyes... duh)
"I'm starting to doubt my decision about going to this stupid party" Sasuke muttered as he and Sachi walked towards the Hyuuga home.
"You're forgetting it was my decision" Sachi giggled.
"Hn" Sasuke replied.
"Oh come on!" Sachi rolled her eyes, "can't you say something else other than that? You're beginning to sound like my father!"
Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks
"Your father?" he felt a pang of jealousy.
"Yes, my very stoic father" Sachi answered sarcastically, unaware of Sasuke suddenly alert attitude, "You're a lot alike! Seems my mom loves guys who has the personality of a rock… hehehe no offence…" she glanced shamefully at him.
"Who's your father?"
Sachi almost stumbled.
"What?"
"Who is the man you call father?"
She fell silent. Avoiding his stare she glanced at the setting sun.
"Sometimes the person we think never finds love usually proves us wrong right?" She whispered softly. "Right?"
"Don't change the subject, Sachi"
She laughed, "Who said I did?"
"Tell me!"
"Fine! You want to know who? It's-"
"What are you doing with my daughter, Uchiha?"
a Cold whisper rang out, A voice Sasuke had not heard for a long time, a voice that could have chilled blood but only made his boil.
"You…"
Sachi turned a look of surprise on her face, and when she realized who it was she quickly gave a small bow.
"Good evening, father… I-"
"I said, Uchiha, what re you doing with my daughter?"
Sasuke faced the speaker, not quite believing this was the man Sakura married, Why him? He was cruel, cold, cold-blooded and most of all… unloving.
"Uchiha!"
"Gaara…"
Gaara stood in the shadows, his face emotionless, the mark on his forehead still glowing, even in the dark night. Slowly he walked towards the
two of them, carrying the air of danger around him still.
"You're back, Uchiha…." He spoke softly, emerald eyes glittering in the dark.
Sasuke thought, ironically, his eyes were strangely alike Sakura's, yet hers held warmness and love, while this man in front of him had none.
"Gaara" he said slowly.
"What are you doing with my daughter, Uchiha?" Gaara spoke quietly.
"He was accompanying me to the party, Father." Sachi spoke up, now losing some of the fear in her eyes.
"Hn" Sasuke noticed that Gaara softened ever so slightly, his fists relaxed.
"Go ahead" Gaara ordered her, eyes not meeting his daughter's. "I want to talk to him alone."
"Yes father." She bowed, glancing at Sasuke before turning her back and disappearing in the night.
"What do you want with my daughter, Uchiha?" Gaara asked walking towards Sasuke, His unnerving quality disappearing slightly.
"Like she said…I was accompanying her to the party." Sasuke muttered.
Gaara walked past him, stopped, clearing indicating Sasuke to follow. Grudgingly, he did.
"As you must know, Uchiha, I had married Sakura-" He continued.
"Yes" Sasuke replied not being able to hide the jealousy in his voice.
"-And that she is dead."
"Yes."
"Are you not even wondering how? Or why she married me? You seem different, Uchiha…" Gaara Glanced at him.
"Has those past years as a fugitive changed you?"
"No" Sasuke replied, anger beginning to rise. "In fact I was about to ask you how someone like Sakura could manage to marry a cold-hearted bastard like you, Gaara."
"You have been gone for too long, Uchiha." Gaara replied. "You were not here when this town was in peril. You were not here when Tsunade-sama had to think of a way to combine the Leaf and Wind village to become stronger. It was an arranged marriage, undoubtly. "
Sasuke did not say anything; he had already figured that out. Instead he gave a slight nod, indicating Gaara to continue.
"Sakura had changed a lot since you left Uchiha.
She had been taken in by Tsunade as her apprentice and as you might not know, Tsunade is not easy to impress. But only a few years later she quickly rose as a top medic nin and was well known woman.
Smart, beautiful, talented, good-natured… and strong. She also had great strength and was talented in ninjutsu, taijutsu and Medical ninjutsu. Hard to believe she was the helpless little girl we knew, right, Uchiha?" Gaara said sarcastically. " Even Kakashi confided to me that she would surely one day surpass even Tsunade-sama."
Sasuke had been stuck by the tide of information he had just aquired.
It wasn't the Sakura he knew. Had she really changed that much?
"Suddenly, Sound village invaded Konoha. Orichimaru was the mastermind." Gaara's voice hardened.
"It was almost hopeless. Hundreds died. They needed help. Hokage-sama had to use her last resort, she needed something to unite the Sand and Leaf villages. Sakura at that moment was one of the strongest, if not the strongest, shinobi in the country. She was Tsunade's assistant, Shizune was killed in a mission.
"She did not agree to it at first. She thought the same as you did, Uchiha, I could not love in her eyes. And… she was still waiting for you.
But as the weeks passed by, she concerted, damage was great and if that marriage could strengthen and save the country, then it didn't matter if she loved me or not. She was that good, Uchiha."
"Sakura said she would wait for me." Sasuke replied bitterly.
"Oh, but she did. Over the years we spent together, she began to love me, and so did I. She was my confidante, you might not believe me Uchiha but I did love her.
She was the only person who did not feel fear or disgust when she was with me. For the first time I knew what it was like to be loved.
And she did love me, but she was still more deeply in love with you. I couldn't change that. Even marriage did not stop her from loving you. She was 17 when she married me."
"We had a son 3 years later." Gaara noticed Sasuke's shocked expression. "Yes, Sasuke a son. A son that could have been yours, if you had not left. He's name is Renji. He's 17, already a Anbu." Gaara told Sasuke with a hint of pride.
Sasuke did not say anything. A boy that could have been his. A boy to carry on the Uchiha line. His heart felt heavy with regret. A heir….
"Sachi was born when Sakura was 22, 2 years later. Sakura died when Sachi was 10, five years ago. She died a heroine, Uchiha. She killed Orichimaru." The Kazekage stopped
abruptly. "Amazing, isn't it? Who would have thought that the girl who was so defenseless, that I almost killed her, 25 years ago, could defeat one of the strongest ninjas of all time."
Sasuke could not breath. Sakura? Kill Orichimaru? Unbelievable.
"That was how powerful she had become. Orichimaru invaded again, 5 years ago, and it was a great battle. Ninjas dropped here and there, even normal citizens.
Sand village offered help. Of course. But in the end, the one to end it all was Sakura. Orichimaru was the only one left. His followers were dead, the joined forces of Sand and Leaf were strong. He was battling Tsunade then. He killed her. Killed her with a forbidden technique. He killed his own former team mate, the woman who once loved him when they were young. He was ruthless. Evil.
The other Konoha ninjas were weakened by the battle, Hyuuga and Uzumaki were near death.
Sakura herself had sustained fatal injuries. Orichimaru began to form another forbidden seal, one that could have caused the death of the entire village, but obviously, Sakura interfered. With the last of her charka she formed a technique herself, one that was forbidden too, because that seal needed a a great amount of talent and charka and even then would need the sacrifice of the ninja's life. She learned it secretly, after convincing Tsunade to tell her about it.
She needed it, if ever she had to face a situation like that. She killed Orichimaru, She saved the whole village, she died." Gaara finished with a sad silence. "She died… The seal required a full sacrifice. That headstone on the hill is just a monument."
Gaara stopped after that. There was nothing more to say. Sasuke was in shock. The walked in silence for a while before he finally recovered.
"How could she have done that?" he asked so softly, it was barely understandable.
"She had children, she had you… how could she do that!" He shouted, all the anger in him finally going out.
"SHE SHOULDN'T HAVE DIED!"
Gaara was silent. He had already had years to vent out the anger in him. All that was left was sadness… and regret.
"She shouldn't have…" Sasuke spoke defeated.
"But she did" Gaara spoke up. "She did it to give the rest of us a future
To give her children a future, to give you a home to come back to..."
She had no choice. It was either her, or us. Orichimaru didn't want to kill her, you know. He needed her as his new container. He needed someone to produce a heir too. She could have lived. But she chose death to make us live. She loved her village too much."
Together they walked in silence, mindful of the leaves falling, winter fast approaching, deep in the shadow of their own thoughts.
Finally they reached a large mansion, The Hyuuga home.
"We're here" Gaara muttered.
Sasuke stood in silence, not wanting to come in and enjoy the merriment, after the distressing news he had heard.
"You have to go in you know." Gaara said. "Everyone is waiting for the guest of honor to arrive. And Sachi must be worried sick, she must think I've killed you by now. Gaara uttered, a hint of humor in his voice. He strode forward, entering the enormous estate.
"Gaara... wait" Sasuke hesitantly called out.
"What, Uchiha?"
"You've changed too, you seem more….Human…what happened?" Sasuke curiously asked.
"Sakura happened." He spoke, his back still faced Sasuke. "She showed me what it was like to really live. She gave me Sachi and Renji. She loved me, even if she didn't love me as much as she loved you."
He turned slightly and gave a quick grin that could have been Sasuke's imagination.
"She wasn't real was she? She was too good to be true." Gaara said softly, more to himself then to Sasuke
"Yes she was." Sasuke whispered. Gaara had already gone in.
"She was the most real thing in my life."
A/N:
Ahmm…. I finally finally gave a third chapter. Thanks for all the comments guys, I really loved it. Can't explain how nice it is to know someone really cares enough to review….
Ehh… corniness aside, Finally, Sakura's husband is out! And its no other then our stone hearted sand prince. I bet most of you figured that out already. I'm so predictable.
Anyways, Reviews please! I'm not sure if I should end it there, I think I should... I like simple stories yah know…. But… thanks for giving me your time and I love you guys!
That's it! that's the last of it! uh... yup, just wanted to share somethings like Sakura's husband and such. I'll leave it there then. Ahh...Stay in tune for who knows how long until I get my lazy butt of the couch and start writing again! hehehehe
Glazed Amber signing off!
