Chapter 39:

"Alright you sorry sons of bitches—and my beautiful wife…who looks like an angel sitting over there under that tree with my firstborn nestled in her—"

Naruto, please…" Hinata murmurs as the group looks towards her. She's bundled up in the thickest jacket Konoha had to offer, and she still looks unbearably cold. The fogginess of the day blurs the tone of her skin and hair, and somehow this makes her look more like a celestial being than a normal kunoichi.

And perhaps if she squinted, Sakura could see Kaguya Otsutsuki's likeness.

Shuddering as she raises her gloved hand, she snaps her fingers to grab Naruto's attention. "Alright, boss, what exactly is the plan for today?"

Her sarcasm is lost on him. Gaining a military-like dominance, the blond turns his nose up to the blue-white sky and belts out his first order of business; the warm-up. "Run three-hundred laps around the village!"

His subordinates, however aren't too fond of his battle cry. No one moves an inch, and the chilly wind picks up the haughty attitude a certain someone one conveys.

"Um, how about "no"?" Ino says grouchily while rolling her eyes. "It's December, I'm not running anywhere."

Naruto groans. "Why are you even here? Do you just invite yourself everywhere?"

"I didn't invite myself. I was at your house when you told "everyone" to meet you at the training grounds, doofus!"

"Why would I be talking about you?" Naruto complains, remembering the scene well. Ino had waited around, playing with Ahiru until both Sasuke and Sakura showed up to the Uzumaki abode. "You failed the exams, so I wasn't talking to you. This is a training session for winners only!"

She stomps on the ground, clearly offended by his rebuttal—however correct it may be. "Oh yeah, dickhead? Then why's your wife here?"

The two bicker, throwing insult after jab at one another. Although their fighting is hard on the ears, Sakura can't help but smile at it all. It feels like she's just a girl again. It feels like they've never been to war, or watched the life drain out of someone eyes by their own hand.

Sakura enjoyed moments like this, because it's almost as if "bad" didn't exist anymore. It's almost as if they can all pretend to be kids without any worries in the world except for the best comeback to a heavy insult.

Sasuke, however, loathes this familiarity.

Sakura can feel him shift beside her, switching pressure from his left to right foot. It is something he's done since youth. Just another quirk that ties Sasuke to his old self—the boy that Sakura fell in love with.

Her eyes wander over his frame discretely as she ignores the temperamental barking from her peers. The breeze picks up the tips of his bangs, letting them flop beyond his brow and over the tops of his ears like apuppy of sorts. Sasuke's jaw is set, and his eyes are hard, like he's waiting for the worst to happen. His broad shoulders gave off the appearance of a pouncing tiger, though Sakura found him to be more dragon-like than feline.

It was funny how many animals he reminded her of. It all boiled down to one thing—Sasuke was pure muscle and instinct—born and bred for the life of the ninja.

With glazed vision, the man runs his thumb along the braided chain around his neck—one of three—all the way down to the strange ring attached. Sakura's eyes follow the movement, becoming entranced by his touch, even as his nail slides over the brilliant red gem.

"I'm the leader here! Listen to what I say, you bratty psycho! Who do you think you're calling an idiot, anyways? You're the one that's gonna die of exposure with that outfit you're wearing!"

Sakura looks over at Ino—who looks amazing in a long slit skirt, and a sleeved crop-top. Her narrow waist is wrapped with white fabric, accentuating the tapering that leads to her wide hips. Somehow, she pulls off the epitome of fashion even as she wraps Naruto in a neck-breaking chokehold until he's blue and frothing at the mouth.

Sakura is everything Ino isn't. She's frumpy; wearing her father's sweater and some leggings she's had for years, that she's pretty sure never belonged to her in the first place. She picks at the small balls of lint that adorn the surface, wondering when their training would start, so she can stop feeling like a helpless 12-year-old who's too busy ogling to actually workout.

Naruto is breathing again, and as he moves his hands atop his head to fill his lungs better, he throws a sucker-punch to the side of Ino's arm. He is triumphant for only a moment, because the woman kicks her booted heel to the soft spot of Naruto's knee, forcing him back down towards the ground.

"Enough,"

Everyone turns to Sasuke, who doesn't seem the slightest bit amused. He runs his eyes over the idiots adjacent to him. Really, why had he agreed to come out here anyways? It wasn't as if he needed any extra warmups or workouts. It seemed that, instead, he would be babysitting again.

Hadn't he done enough of that the night before? A flashback of a sleeping Sakura pours into his head. He remembers leading her to her bedroom, and staying up with the almost-one-year-old child until her mother retrieved her in the early hours of morning.

"Why are you here?"

Ino throws her ponytail over her shoulder, eying Sasuke with a look she reserved for her most hated enemies. "Who is Sakura going to train with once you and Naruto go at it? Neither of you have any self-control."

Her words, however, hold a double meaning.

Ino can't help but glare towards the cold-hearted Uchiha that was playing with Sakura's heart once more.

Perhaps it was awful of her to think the way she was. Ino knew that Sakura was beautiful, beyond doubt. Sakura was kind and sweet, and selfless and sophisticated and a million other words that only made up a small part of her character. If there was anyone more genuine with their feelings and philosophies, it was Naruto Uzumaki.

Funny how it seemed Sasuke fucked both of them over in his life. He had hurt her best friend so much these past few years.

Ino was absolutely shocked to hear that Sakura, was indeed, sleeping with Sasuke. She had heard Hojo himself claim to be her boyfriend, and that declaration sent an onslaught of butterflies and bubbles into the very pit of the Yamanaka's belly.

Because Sakura didn't deserve to get her heart broken again; because Sakura didn't deserve whatever the hell Sasuke was playing at. As beautiful and perfect as Sakura was, Ino knew there had to be a reason Sasuke was delving into such a relationship with her.

She wasn't stupid. If he thought he would have a new clan of pink-haired, perfect chakra controlling, brutally strong, Sharingan-wielding kids running around, he had another thing coming.

For some reason, Ino couldn't even imagine the possibility that maybe…

…just maybe…

Sasuke Uchiha was in love with Sakura for who she was.

"So," Ino draws out, turning her attitude towards Naruto. "Are we're gonna run or whatever?"

Yeah," Naruto replies, speaking through his teeth. "That's literally what I've been saying FOR THE PAST TEN MINUTES."

Ino was good at hand-to-hand combat. She was well-trained and attentive to her opponent and the environment around her. Each sweep of her foot, and swipe of her arm was strong enough to bruise bone and split wood.

As a young girl, Sakura was sure short hair would lead to better dexterity and movement. Somehow, Ino battled against all scientific reasoning—with every spin and kick, her locks remained tangle-free, and her skirt covered her nether-regions as if it had been specifically designed to do so.

She was a frightening mix of pretty and ferocious.

Ino's fist flew towards the curve of Sakura's spine. The air coming off of her hit was strong in itself, ripping through the atmosphere like a piercing needle.

Still, as good as Ino was, Sakura was better.

She dodged, easily evading every advance as though she saw it before it happened. Sasuke has thought, many times before, that her cunning, analytical eyes were on par with the first level of Sharingan.

Pivoting on the heel of her hand, Sakura twirled around and slammed her calf into the blocking forearms of her best friend. The force is powerful, enough to slide Ino harshly against the dry, winter ground, leaving a rut in her wake.

Picking herself up and dusting off thick debris, the woman lets out a groan. "I seriously hate how strong you've gotten. I actually miss when you used to pull my punches."

Sakura laughs, letting her body mold to her default battle stance. With her body closed and both hands curled defensively in front of her, she prepares for a ruthless blitz.

On the other side of the field, Naruto and Sasuke work on weaponry. It is a studious task, but an easy one. Both men were very skilled in the art of beating the shit out of one another, so hand-to-hand combat wasn't necessary.

Really, it was in everyone's best interest. The terrain thanked them tremendously.

Naruto was observant, more so than usual. It was obvious that he was worried about the next stunt Kakashi would pull for the final battle in the arena. Would he face off against a giant, man-eating robot? Would he have to fight, like, 2,000 drones, with poison-laced kunai? Would he be strapped to a computer, forced to watch Sasuke dance on a stripper pole?

He didn't know. It could be anything. And it all sounded awful.

"So, am I holding it right?" The blond asks, pointing kusanagi towards Sasuke shakily. Honestly, he's surprised the man even let him look at the weapon, let alone practice with it.

"No, this is a one-handed sword." He explains. "It's an extension of your body. Turn your body inwards, and plant your feet farther apart."

Naruto had always thought of Sasuke as a brother. Most of the time, Naruto would call himself the eldest out of default, but Sasuke had bouts of kindness and knowledge that made Naruto feel like a kid, learning how to do something for the first time. A kid, yes, but not incompetent.

"That's good. Now, try a V-shaped cut." Sasuke says.

As a boy, Naruto considered Sasuke an obstacle to jump over. They were so alike, but so different. Now, as an adult, Naruto saw Sasuke in a new light. Though the man was narcissistic and severe most times, Naruto truly believed he'd be a great father one day. His patience and understanding ways told Naruto so.

In the background, the men hear a nostalgic cackle that could put a witch to shame. They both pause, turning towards the source of the awful noise.

Ino was speaking with Sakura. They had just finished their spar, wiping their faces on spare handkerchiefs as the former nodded her head vigorously. Covering her red lips, Ino sprouted off the latest gossip to the women around her.

Naruto could always tell when Ino was spreading rumors, even as a kid. It wasn't as if she started them, and it wasn't as if she was a bully of any sort. Still, she had a bad habit of telling everyone's secrets, and when she would lean in real close, and hide her mouth, nothing good would come out of it. Those devious blue eyes lit up with the newest drama.

Hinata would always act the same way, too. She would shake her head unbelievingly, and Sakura would nod at the information but never say what was said. It was always the same thing with those three, believe it.

He just hoped they weren't talking about him.

The girls splay out under the tree, on top of the blanket Naruto had dragged out of Sakura's storage room. Meticulously they start to prepare their meals, pulling out lunch boxes and drinks that Hinata had guarded dutifully. (Naruto is so easy to throw out compliments when it pertained to his wife.)

For a moment—a brief, fleeting moment—everything in Konoha is perfect.

Naruto turns his head and catches the jaded look in Sasuke's eye. He knows what he's thinking, because often, they think the same things.

Sasuke knows that this peace will not last long. There will always be another enemy, and more blood to be shed, and more people to die in the line of duty.

It is the way of ninja.

In a different life, Sasuke could stay. He would wake up next to Sakura every day, greeted by the smile she so easily shared with everyone else. He can almost feel the ends of her hair tickling his cheek. He can almost smell the wildflower scent of her home.

He can almost hear her whisper his name beneath him.

"Hojo," Naruto says, looking back towards his wife once more. "He came to Sakura's yesterday. Sakura was mad about something. I left so they could talk. She doesn't seem upset, so I guess they didn't break up."

Sasuke replies dryly. "I came back as he was leaving."

A chortle breaks free from Naruto's lips. "Oh, yeah? And he's still alive?"

"I told Sakura that I'd kill him, if she asked."

"And?"

He shrugs. "She hasn't asked."

A shriek bellows throughout the training grounds, and Sakura tackles Ino towards the frosted grass with a grin on her face. "You can't be serious, Ino! Get real!"

Sasuke watches the whole thing with a detached curiosity. Like a pestering sibling, his wife pins Ino down and captures her in a headlock, keeping her face still as she does the unthinkable.

The dusty-rose extends pinky finger, and aims straight for her best friend's nose.

"Don't you fucking dare, Sakura!" Ino bellows. She fights for her life, bucking and writhing with every approaching centimeter.

"Oh, I'll do it! I'll make you eat it, too!"

For a moment, their silly chiding reminds him of his own relationship with Itachi. The ring on his chest seems to throb, as if there was some sort of physical reaction to this feeling Sasuke was experiencing. The man grasps it just as Naruto's laugh brings him back to reality. His tanned friend throws his prosthetic arm over Sasuke's shoulders and cranes his neck to view the women.

"They're like kids when they're together, aren't they? I'm happy we don't act that badly!"

Grimacing from the touch, Sasuke takes a step back. "Get off of me."

"I'm not even on you." Naruto retorts.

"You're literally touching me."

"Yeah, but I'm not on you."

And before the men can continue, a single phrase forces them to both to completely freeze.

At first, Sasuke doesn't think he hears her right. But when he catches Naruto's wild-eyed look, he knows that his ears have not deceived him.

Running her hands through Ino's hair, disheveling it, Sakura laughs. "I can't believe you seriously thought I was dating Hojo!"

Ino stuffs a mushroom into her mouth, groaning as the warmth fills her whole body. She absentmindedly brushes twigs and leaves out of her hair, throwing her best friend a glare here and there. When she fills her mouth up with the Uzumaki woman's famous fried rice, her anger slowly fizzles out. "Hinata, if Naruto would have just waited even a year longer—I would have married you; your food is delicious!"

"Oh, thank you…" the timid woman responds as she watches her husband parry Sasuke's blade. They continued to practice even though the girls had stopped long ago. "I took classes when I was little."

Sakura wipes her mouth with the back of her hand and picks off loose bits of rice from her shirt, already finished with the meal. Don't get her wrong—Sakura was the type that savored her food. But Ino had an odd habit of taking a bite, then straying from her meal like a child who was more preoccupied with play than nourishment. This usually meant Sakura was finished hours before Ino had even started.

Both Sasuke and Naruto had decided to skip their snack. Instead they moved farther away from the group, speaking animatedly between powerful hits and blows.

"Hinata, did you take any classes with Sasuke?"

Ino wants to gauge just how personal Sasuke has gotten with Sakura. The more of his life he's shared, the closer he feels with her. "Or, should I be asking you, Sakura."

Sakura shakes her head, oblivious to her friends' scheming. "I wouldn't know. He hasn't told me much about his past."

She, too, had always wondered just how closely the Hyuuga/Uchiha dynasty had been. Even though the two groups hated one-another, they were all still members of the same village. The head clans nowadays usually sent their children to extra-curricular programs for further development. Did they share these classes together? Sakura lifts her head up and waits for the white-eyed woman's answer.

"Dance," Hinata says after a moment, letting the word roll off of her tongue slowly. She doesn't have much memory of him, in his younger days. He wasn't nearly as spectacular as his brother was. "If my memory serves me well, we took a traditional dance class together."

This causes two pastel eyebrows to raise high upon Sakura's face. "I had no idea he could dance!"

Ino shakes her head, frowning at the girl before her. Did she really know nothing of Sasuke at all? Standing, Ino yells loudly out into the field. She wants to see how Sasuke and Sakura interact with each other.

So far, both have behaved as though they weren't screwing each other.

"Naruto, teach me how to do shadow clones!"

The kyuubi falls to his knees after Sasuke slams his fist against his own blade. The weapon rings painfully through Naruto's hands, sending vibrations all the way up to his shoulder. His ears pop.

"I'm a little busy right now!" You psycho.

Ino frowns, crossing her arm as Sakura comes up to her side. It's quite in this proximity. Ino can tell Sakura how she really feels, if she wants. She can tell Sakura that Sasuke is just going to break her heart. She can tell Sakura that she can't handle her depression again—that she can't handle holding her as she withered away, going days without eating stacked on top of cruel training sessions with Tsunade. That Sasuke's not worth the grief—that she can't understand how anyone could be drawn to someone as callous as he is.

But then, as if on que, Sasuke lifts the edge of his shirt to wipe the sweat that had gathered on his forehead. He flashes a solid view of his delicious abdominals, glistening with perspiration in a way that put magazine models to shame. His flesh is a shade between alabaster and peach, giving off a subtle, almond hue, and the scars of battles and torture and endurance seem to tell a story across his torso.

Okay, so maybe Ino could understand how someone could be drawn to him. But still, Sakura isn't as vain as she is, and even Ino knows that just because a guy was a stud didn't mean he was worth a damn.

Take Madara, for example. Yeah, I said it.

From this far away, the marks Sakura left aren't visible. But she knows they're there. She knows where she touched, and scratched, and dug her nails and teeth into.

After another unsuccessful dodge with kusanagi, Naruto lets out a frustrated sigh. He grips the sword like it's a baseball bat and leans back like he'll hit a homerun on the next shuriken Sasuke throws.

"I'm done with this! This is bullshit! I'll never get this right!"

"If you're done, then get over here already and practice with me."

Ino puts her hand on her hip. She knew Sasuke well enough to know that he wouldn't bother wasting his time training anyone that wasn't on his level. Sure, both he and Sakura had punched a God in the face or whatever, but the only person in the world that could maybe beat him was Naruto, and he'd lost an arm the last time he tried.

In all, there was no way Sasuke would bother training with Sakura. And this would just be another reason Ino could use to persuade the girl to dump him before he knocked her out and left her outside in the middle of the night again.

"Ugh, fine, but it's a really complicated jutsu so I doubt you'll pull it off anyways."

Ino walks up to him, leaving Sakura behind. Though she's sure Naruto is explaining something very important or whatever, she can't help but train her focus on the Uchiha and his narrowed eyes. He cleans his blade on the fabric of his pants and then turns away from everyone, walking to the middle of the field.

Just as Ino is ready to declare victory, Sasuke turns his head towards Sakura.

"Summon your axe."

"You've got the logistics," Sasuke says to her as he directs her huge axe to the ground. "But your movements are too easy to read."

She rolls her eyes and swings he blade out. "You're kidding me? You've got the fucking SharRinnegan. It's not that my movements are easy, it's that you're eyes are freaky!"

He completely brushes off her comment and comes in close, bypassing her offense just enough to wrap his hand around her wrist. Squeezing powerfully, her tendons release the axe on reflex and it clambers to the cold earth. He was incredibly fast, for sure.

"You may face someone with these eyes, so you need to be prepared."

"But…you're the only one with those eyes."

"So you need to be prepared." He repeats. Sasuke allows Sakura to grab the battle-axe once more.

"If you think you can kill me, go ahead and try it, Uchiha."

He scoffs. "It wouldn't be worth the stain on my blade, Sak-u-ra."

Sakura smiles at the chiding, taking several steps towards the dark, brooding man ahead. The chilly wind blew their hair in the same direction. She scrunches up her nose, trying to pull a joke from thin air. "Would I be worth a stain on your shirt?"

He turns his head to the side, narrowing his eyes. "You've already done that, haven't you?"

It takes her a moment to comprehend, but then it all comes to her in a rush. She remembers how the second round of the exams ended, and the embarrassing story Ino told her after Sasuke had held Sakura against his shirt.

Ah, periods. How mortifying.

She feels her face heat up, and she's thankful that Naruto is approaching them, because if he hadn't, she's sure she would have crawled under a rock and died.

Naruto's hand wraps around her shoulder and she understands his silent plea—he doesn't want to train with Ino. It's too late though, because she makes her way to their group with a sour look on her face.

For the last thirty minutes, Ino has been watching. While it was a revelation that Sasuke actually decided to spar—or rather, train—the pink-haired girl, Ino looked for subtle hints that would make her more comfortable with her best friend taking this man to the next level of their relationship.

Listen, Ino is all for casual, emotionless, physical…releases. In fact, she'd say it was normal, and healthy, and that more people should do it. But emotionless, physical releases wouldn't work for someone like Sakura who had been painfully in love with Sasuke since before they'd even become teammates. You can't keep things casual when you have those types of feelings.

Watching from the sidelines, Ino noticed that their dynamic seems…blasé. It hurts her for Sakura, because although her friend is happy to have whatever kind of attention Sasuke gives her—even if it's purposefully out of the view of others—she knows it's fleeting. And what, does he expect her to wait for him? Wait while he travels, meets and sleeps with whomever he wants, and when he's near enough, go ahead and swing by for the bare minimum with Ino's very best friend? That's not fair for Sakura. That's no way to live.

Naruto babbles on about what he believes Hokage Kakashi has in mind for the big finale, speaking animatedly. Ino steals a glance at both Sasuke and Sakura.

Sasuke stands stiffly, listening with a detached superiority. His eyes blink lazily. Sakura, however, doesn't even pretend to pay attention to her orange friend. She is looking directly at Sasuke as if she's never seen anything so stunning. As he offers his input—"Naruto, that doesn't even make any sense."—a small smile spreads across Sakura's lips.

She has so much admiration for him—not only as a lover, but as a person—and Ino can't help but feel bitter towards it all.

Sasuke Uchiha didn't deserve someone like her. He really, really didn't.

Pulling the pettiest, final stunt out of her big bag of tricks, Ino tries to do something that would infuriate her if she were in the same situation. She takes two steps, coming only inches away from Sasuke, and clasps the ring that hung on the lowest chain around his neck.

"Wow, Sasuke, this looks so cool!"

Before he can object, Ino loosely drops the jewelry over her middle finger. It's too big, but she's always been told that her hands were smaller than average. Something about this catches her eyes, though, like she's seen it somewhere else before. It's a gleaming ruby, large and beautiful with inlaid kanji script.

"Scarlet?" She reads.

None-too-delicately, he snatches the band off of Ino with a cold yank. Sasuke can feel all sorts of things stirring up inside of him that he carefully tried to control. He, after all, didn't like to be touched. He didn't like strange people touching his stuff, either. And most importantly, Sasuke didn't particularly like Ino, and now everyone was staring at him.

Trying to keep his voice steady—trying not to lash out her even though she was incredibly infuriating, Sasuke opens his mouth to speak. "Don't."

The whole thing happened quickly. Sakura blinks, shifting her gaze between both Ino and Sasuke as though a showdown was imminent.

Naruto, oblivious to the entire situation, makes an offhanded comment. "Damn, that looks expensive. Who did you have to kill to get that? Haha."

Sasuke frowns. "Itachi,"

It his Ino like a ton of bricks—she suddenly felt… dirty. She didn't know much about Itachi, but she did know about the Akatsuki. That ring was how they identified their ranks, before the members had died and the group had disbanded.

She draws her hand up to her lips, shaking her head as she thinks of what to say. All she can see is Hiden, and Asuma, and his grave and his wife and his child that he never got to meet because of that damned Akatsuki and yet, Sasuke wore that ring as if it was something to be prideful about.

She clenches her fist, unsure of what she is about to say, but unable to hold back the emotions welling up inside of her.

Sakura sways beside her friend. She is kind, delicate, moving her body close to Sasuke's as she gathers the gem into her freezing cold fingers. The purity of her soul seems to add a new shine to the small ruby.

It's beautiful, shimmering against the winter sunlight, reminding Sakura of the first time she'd seen Sasuke's Sharingan. She eyes the thing, thinking of all the things she wished she could ask.

…all of the things Naruto had no problem asking.

"So, why'd you keep it? Does it do anything?"

Sasuke watches as Sakura turns the ring around in her hand. "No, it doesn't do anything."

Sasuke loved, and hated Itachi more than anything in the entire world. This ring was the last physical connection to earth his brother had. All of the bad, and all of the good, everything that was left of Itachi lay in the memories and marks he left on the ones who were still alive. Many viewed the older Uchiha with disdain—and Sasuke did too. But he also loved his sibling. He also missed him, terribly.

The group goes quite.

Naruto looks at Ino, whose eyes are downcast. She feels awful and awkward for messing with his stuff. It was really just a pitiful attempt to see how Sasuke would react to another beautiful woman, such as herself, flirting with him. It had certainly backfired on her. Now everyone's depressed…

She thinks of her younger self, always flinging her body onto Sasuke and screaming his name, not caring about what he'd really gone thorough and what her affections did to the boy that had lost everyone he'd ever loved in a single night.

Ino understands what Sakura saw in Sasuke…truly, she did. He used to be this sad and lonely boy, full of so much anger and hatred. It made him mysterious and worthy of attention. But everyone's lost someone, now. They've all dealt with the pain of loss.

The loss of your family, was different, though. Especially family you'd grown up beside and…having it all taken away from you…by someone you love and care about to much…Ino can hardly imagine.

Sasuke doesn't want anyone's pity.

He can feel it around him, suffocating him. He doesn't want to look into their eyes and see a reflection of sorrow and grief. He doesn't want sympathy, or understanding, or compassion.

"If we're not going to train, I'm leaving." He says, sliding Kusanagi back into his holster. Naruto and Ino look fully into his face, both trying to read the unreadable.

Slowly, the wind blows, and it carries a tendril of Sakura's dusty rose hair with it. Sakura tucks the strand behind her ear with her right hand. She does not sound sad.

"It's really beautiful, Sasuke. I'm sure Itachi is happy that you have it, rather than someone else."

Sasuke has no problem meeting Sakura's gaze. He sees sympathy.

But what is so different about her? What makes things so different with Sakura? He doesn't want to push her away. He's much too tired to run from her anymore. Sasuke wants to fall into her kind, caring eyes. He wants to fall into her, to tell her everything because he knows she won't think any less of his character or family. She is safe. She is home.

"Why do you wear it on this chain?" She asks, reaching towards the braided gold. She's careful not to touch the ring.

"It's too small for me."

Ino and Naruto watch as outsiders with confused curiosity as Sasuke pulls Sakura's hand from the necklace and carefully stares at her hand. His mind is working overtime and his eyes are jaded, because he wants to do something badly but he's not sure it's the time or place. It's a very intimate gesture to him.

Sasuke gathers the ring in his hand and carefully reaches out towards the woman before him. He slides it down the length of Sakura's finger. It fit perfectly.

"Your hands are as big as Itachi's." He says, falling into her bright, emerald eyes. Sakura can see the hesitation in his voice, and she can feel the slight tremble his hand gives off as he holds her finger.

This was something important to him.

This was very hard to do.

Sending her happiest smile, Sakura disarms him with a joke. "My mother always said I had man hands. I'm not embarrassed about it now, though!"

Sasuke leans in incredibly close, as if he's no longer aware that they are surrounded by comrades. "Wear it. It will be safe with you."

This is all that tied Sasuke to Itachi anymore. This is the only thing left of the man Sakura never had the pleasure, or disdain, of meeting. She doesn't know much behind his death, besides the bare bones. She doesn't know much about his family secrets, and why Itachi was both good and bad, and why Sasuke loved him as much as he did. But, she hopes to learn all of this one day. Sakura hopes that Sasuke will share good memories of the man that took so much away from his childhood.

Pink dusts her cheeks as she looks down, too embarrassed to meet his eyes. "Are you sure you want me to have it?"

Sasuke pulls her hand up to his mouth and smooths his lips across the gem on her finger. "It's a lot better than that chunk of cement you won't throw away."

And like a bumbling fool, Sakura yanks her hand from his mouth and shoves him teasingly. "It's not my fault you gave me junk!"

"You didn't have to keep it." He smirks.

"I am going to keep it, if you give it to me!"

And for the first time in her life, Ino sees a genuine happiness from Sasuke that only Naruto and Sakura could bring out. She sighs and flips her long bangs behind her shoulder, wondering if she was trapped in some elaborate genjutsu.