20. About a week later on a particularly sunny day she had….

About a week later, on a particularly sunny day she had a revelation. She was chewing rice, staring into Naruto's blue eyes, listening to his endless chatter and suddenly she realised that 90% of his monologues were about Sasuke. And ever so slowly an interesting notion dawned on her. She swallowed her rice and decided to act upon it.

"Naruto…. Are you in love with Sasuke-kun?" she asked bluntly.

Naruto fell silent and turned beet red in an instant, trying to hide behind his bowl of rice.

"It is ok. I had my suspicions for some time now", she lied.

He stared at her over the kitchen table, his expression turned serious and somewhat sad. He put down his bowl of rice and said softly: "All my life…." He added: "But it seems he is still in love with you…"

She felt her throat clenching. All the pieces of a puzzle that had been an intricate part of her life, seemed to connect finally. Naruto's endless efforts to retrieve him, the incredible ability to forgive him and on top of it all to keep on believing in him. Naruto loved him in more ways than a friend and teammate.

But it could not be a requited love, right? Or was it? It could have been precisely for that reason that Sasuke had been pushing her away all these years, hurting her on purpose. But it didn't explain his recent change in behaviour towards her, unless he was fighting his own feelings for Naruto. Could he be courting her in an extreme effort to escape the confrontation with what he really wanted? But then why did court her in secret?

The only reason that Sasuke would be keeping his avances a secret for Naruto was if he knew of his feelings for him. Her analytic mind made quick work of the loose ends of the puzzle: he didn't want to hurt Naruto! Sitting back in awe, she was shocked that the Uchiha actually seemed to possess some empathy after all.

But this was so wrong! She needed to clear this issue quickly. She steeled her resolve. She had let this issue slip long enough now. It was one thing to keep her conversation with Sasuke stalling out of grief, but another to hurt Naruto, even if it was indirectly. She needed to talk to Sasuke, and quickly.

She stared at the heart broken man across the table: "I do not love him."

He stared back at her: "You don't?" He sounded hopeful. Then he mentioned, "But he said that he wants to rebuild the Uchiha clan with you.…"

She blinked. Rebuilding the Uchiha clan? So that is behind his avances? Nothing more than duty for his clan and village? Was this part of his atonement?

"Well. I am not interested, Naruto."

"You're not? But Sakura-chan, you have been in love with him all your life!" Naruto sounded suspicious and she could understand that. She smiled at him.

"I guess I realised a long time ago that I have never loved him. I loved the idea of him, but he pushed me away so many times that I never actually knew him. And to be honest, I have found love in the past, I met an amazing man and married him." It hurt to say it like that, and she felt a lump in her throat threatening to come out.

"Married?", his jaw dropped.

"Yes I did." and then she was tired of hiding her story. He was one of her oldest friends. So she told him everything to the last detail, even her pregnancy. He sat there staring at her stunned for a while. His mouth agape. The rice on the table was getting cold.

"You are pregnant? From the Nidaime?"

"Haven't you been listening, you baka!?"

"Alright, alright! Don't get mad! It is just…. the Nidaime? It feels just weird that the old man is your husband now!"

"He wasn't that old when I met him, you idiot!"

He looked hurt. "Sakura-chan… I understand you know.."

"Than act like it!" she grumbled, taking the dishes off the table and depositing them in the sink with a loud clunk.

He was silent for a moment. Then he said softly: "I am glad that you found someone so honourable Sakura-chan. I have been fighting alongside the old man and he was awesome! I learned so many great moves from him! I am glad that you found somebody worthy. If anyone deserves you, it's him."

She turned around and stared at him. She smiled: "Thanks,... you baka…"

He grinned: "But if he ever hurts you Sakura-chan! I will beat him into a bloody pulp!"

"I bet he would have laughed at you if you tried."

Naruto smiled sheepishly, realising that the Nidaime was gone. With a determined look he added: "Sakura-chan. If you need any help with the babies. I will be here for you. You know that right?"

She started crying at that earnest statement, leaning against the kitchen sink. He took her into his arms to comfort her. Vaguely she noticed his tall posture. He had been growing into a man in the short time she was away.

"I was so happy with him, Naruto! But I lost him forever now..."

"I know."

When she calmed down, they drank their tea in silence. "You know… it keeps puzzling me that he was here for so long. Tsunade never told me. And she and Kakashi-sensei accepted my story so easily. Almost as if they already heard it. Can you think of a reason why they would keep that a secret?"

Naruto was just as puzzled as her. "I have no idea. Why don't you confront them about it?"

"They are very busy at the moment. I cannot even get her to drink tea with me."

They fell silent for a while, until Sakura asked him:

"So what are you going to do about Sasuke?"

He flushed again. "I don't know. I guess I am scared that he will just laugh at me. But sometimes, I think he knows and he feels the same. He just never shows it! That asshole!"

"I guess it is hard to confront him. You endanger your friendship right?"

"Yeah…."

"But if you never try, you might regret it forever.."

"I know…I will think of something. Or maybe I just have to kick his ass into submission and just kiss him, if he wants to or not. Kicking his ass last time worked pretty well."

They laughed, finishing their tea. She waved him goodbye when he jumped the roofs towards the training grounds. When she closed the door. The echo of the door sounded hollow and empty. She sighed and quickly changed for her hospital work. Opening her window she climbed on her roof, jumping onto the next one, sprinting towards the centre of Konoha.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

After another failed attempt to try and get Tsunade to schedule lunch with her, she sat in her office frustrated. It was busy. She approached her patients with a snappy demeanour and only spoke with a clipped voice, scaring most of them into submission. Her mind was in turmoil. How the heck was this possible? It was almost as if Tsunade did it on purpose! She took a sip of tea, biting angrily in a dry biscuit.

Then another knock and suddenly Sasuke stood in front of her, a shallow but nasty gash in his arm. His proximity and presence overwhelmed her momentarily. She wanted to talk to him, but was not prepared to see him this soon.

When he held out his arm, she quickly recovered, rolling her eyes: "He beat you again huh?"

"Hnngg.. He was just lucky."

"Why do you still fight each other? Was losing an arm not enough?"

He stared ahead, face impassive: "Others are no match."

She smiled at that. Finishing knitting his skin together, she decided that telling him as soon as possible was top priority. She invited him for tea in her favourite cafe close to the hospital.

When they sat down and ordered, an awkward silence fell and she said: "Sasuke, I am sorry. But I am not the girl that you hurt anymore. I don't love you anymore, not in that way."

He looked taken aback.

"Is it because I hurt you?"

She smiled at him. "No, I have forgiven you for that."

He stared at her and she continued: "I think my love for you in the past was a longing for an idea that existed only in my mind and not in reality. I don't think I ever really knew you well enough to love you."

He nodded slowly and said hesitantly: "I was not intending for you to love me. I wanted to offer you the position of the Uchiha matriarch for a future Uchiha clan." he swallowed nervously after he finished the sentence.

She blinked.

"So, a marriage of convenience?"

He just nodded.

"Well. That is a surprise, since you've been acting as if you wanted to court me."

He seemed embarrassed. "I did not know how to proceed otherwise. I wanted to win your heart and then ask your hand in marriage. Should I have just presented you with terms and conditions?"

She wanted to feel angry, but she couldn't. It was just too much like Sasuke and it seemed befitting somehow. "I am sorry Sasuke-kun. I could not marry if it was not for love."

"Love might come after we get to know each other better, Sakura."

She gave him a soft smile: "I am sorry Sasuke, I am already taken."

"Somebody else?" He frowned.

"Yes, I am married. But he is gone now. It doesn't change anything in my feelings towards you. I think I never really loved you other than a good friend and teammate."

"I am not sure how to take this news, Sakura. Other than to tell you I feel displeased." He looked solemn and serious. The anger slowly inverted inwards. His eyes burned. She felt uneasiness creep up on her. He looked so much like Izuna! What if she was wrong? What did love do to an Uchiha? Did he love her? Or Naruto? She felt uncomfortable, but she could not undo her decision.

He noticed her troubled look and his features relaxed: "Don't worry, I won't turn into Madara any time soon." He gave her a faint smile.

She blurted out: "Naruto was jealous of me, he was heartbroken"

Sasuke turned the same shade of red that Naruto had instantly and she knew her suspicions were correct. She smiled at him: "Sasuke-kun. I think you know how to fix his heart, right?"

He nodded silently, his cheeks still aflame. "So he told you of his feelings for me?"

She nodded.

"I have known for a while now. It scares me."

"Scares you?" she frowned.

"It scares me because I feel the same. I am scared to give in to it, Sakura… I am scared to lose control. I have never felt like this before. I had been consumed by revenge all my life. And suddenly it is replaced by these feelings. They are the opposite of how I felt all these years and I don't know what happens if I give into it."

"Just don't give up on him. He never gave up on you…"

"But there is also duty, Sakura. The village elders have pressured me to rebuild the Uchiha clan. That future will not exist if I choose him."

"You idiot. You can rebuild your clan in other ways. Anything is possible."

He gave a feeble smile in embarrassment. "I guess…"

Then he held his hands to his forehead for a moment: "But I am hurting him, Sakura. I am hurting him and it makes me so angry with myself! I have hurt him enough in the past years….."

She felt herself becoming warm. He had never shared his emotions with her and she valued this rare insight in her closed off teammate. Smiling, she said: "It is never too late Sasuke-kun. He has a big heart. He will forgive you."

"Yeah, he always forgives me. That stupid baka."

He suddenly stood, putting some money on the table.

"I need to overthink my actions." He started walking away, but turned around and said: "Thank you Sakura. Thank you for your honesty. I will see you around."

He left her sitting there wondering. How was it possible that her two teammates were in love with each other and she only just noticed it! The magnitude of Naruto's suffering hit her in the face threefold and she could almost feel his heartbreak as if it were her own. She smiled to herself: there must be a happy ending soon now. She felt jealous, thinking of Tobi, but quickly dismissed those thoughts. She hoped that Naruto would be blown off his socks by the stoic Uchiha. She had high expectations, after all, love ran deep for an Uchiha.