Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters within. Just a fan with an excess of imagination and a penchant for writing thoughts down.

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Check out all this person's artwork, they are EXTREMELY talented!

Chapter 3:

The forgotten Kakashi stepped forward to remind them of his presence. He didn't need to hear anything that had been said to know what was happening. Sakura had obviously offered to leave with Sasuke, and weirdly, Sasuke had accepted. Kakashi knew how heartbroken Sakura had been when she had been refused previously. There was no doubt in his mind that if Sasuke was accepting her new offer, then she was going to be leaving with him. As the Hokage, he knew it would be in Konoha's best interest if he could keep them here to use their special talents for the good of the village. Yet, as their former Sensei, and someone who cared about their happiness, he could never hold them here. They both needed this time. Sasuke to atone for his "sins", and Sakura to reaffirm that Sasuke was alive and well. Add into the mix the blatant attraction between the two, and this journey was a much needed getaway.

"Don't worry that I'll try to keep you."

Sakura sent an astonished look Kakashi's way.

"What did you say Kakashi-sama?"

The "-sama" still threw Kakashi off. He actually kind of hated hearing it. Being Hokage was never one of his dreams, and he still wondered how he had let Tsunade pass this onto him. The only reasons he had agreed were because of his guilt over the past, Obito telling him he had to be the Rokudaime Hokage, and because Naruto wasn't ready to assume the position yet. Naruto thought he was, but there was a lot to learn before his time would come. Honestly, he'd take 'Kakashi-sensei' any day over the honorifics that came with the position of Hokage. Like Tsunade had said repeatedly, "Being Hokage is a shit." Naruto was a bit of a fool to want it that badly.

Sakura was giving him a look of bewilderment and curiosity. He knew his students better than they knew themselves sometimes. He knew that Sasuke would want to leave. He'd spent too much time on his own wandering the elemental nations to suddenly be able to settle down in the village again. He also knew that Sakura wouldn't be able to just let Sasuke walk away again. Sasuke's acceptance of her offer did surprise him, but only a little. Kakashi might have had an eye covered up for most of his life, but that didn't mean he didn't see clearly. Those two were destined for something big...together.

"I said, Don't worry that I'll try to keep you. I already know you will leave with Sasuke. I understand you both need to do this. I won't hold you back. Naruto will probably try to come with you, but don't worry about that either. I'll keep him so busy he won't even remember you guys are gone."

Sasuke breathed an inner sigh of relief. Naruto was the one obstacle he wasn't sure he could overcome with all of this. Naruto was his best friend, although he would never admit such aloud. If Sasuke and Sakura were to head out on a "mission" without him...he would do everything he could to make sure it wasn't without him. If Kakashi ran blocker for them, Naruto wouldn't be free to come with them for years. Hell, he'd probably be ready to assume the mantle of Hokage before he found the time and effort. A small smirk made its way to his face, drawing the left side of his lips up slightly.

"The dobe needs to get ready to become Hokage already. He doesn't have the free time to join us. He'd just get us into all kind of trouble."

Kakashi took note of the smirk on Sasuke's face, and the glazed look in Sakura's eyes and decided his time to leave had come.

"I bid you both adieu. Just make sure you come visit my office before you leave, and make sure you give a proper goodbye to Naruto. I will keep him busy, but it'll be easier if he's not raging about being left behind with no notice."

With that, Kakashi was suddenly gone and the two were left alone. Sasuke turned to face Sakura. She seemed to be a million miles away from him right then. She was probably thinking about all the things she needed to do to get ready to leave with him in only 2 days. He knew it was an extremely short amount of time, but he felt like the walls of the village were already caging him in. Unwilling to let him go. He couldn't stay here and feel comfortable. Even the Uchiha compound, on the outskirts of the village, was no longer a refuge for him. The whole place was filled with the haunting sense of death and sorrow, and Sasuke couldn't sleep there. No peace was to be found within the walls. His peace would have to be found within himself, and he couldn't find it while he was here. The memories ate at him, threatening to consume his soul.

"Sakura."

Sakura was startled by the sound of her name on his lips. His voice sent a shiver of awareness down her spine. In less than 15 minutes, her entire world had shifted on its axis and was dangerously close to tilting out of control. The man she had been in love with almost her entire life had acknowledged the attraction between them; the chemistry of tension that was there. He had also accepted her invitation to join him, alone, on his journey of redemption. A huge part of her was elated. He wasn't pushing her away or blocking her out. She could spend the one-on-one time with him that she had been dreaming of for years. It made her heart pound thinking about all the intimate moments they could share in the future.

Another part of her was scared. Terrified even. She had harbored all kinds of plans for the future. She would head the hospital in Konoha and work towards the health and safety of every member of her beloved village. She had plans for improving the facilities and programs used with shinobi and especially children. She also planned to expand on Lady Tsunade's ideas about medics on every shinobi team. To do that, she needed to help write and plan the training those medic shinobi would need to prepare them for their expanded role on their team.

Then there was Naruto. She was pretty sure he would lose his mind when his best friends left on a journey without him. Sakura knew he would be hurt that he was not invited to join them. He just couldn't join them. His place was here and always would be here. He needed to study and work hard to assume his role as the Nanadaime Hokage. There were mountains of books and policies he needed to read and memorize. Sakura also knew that Naruto was pursuing a romantic relationship with Hinata Hyuuga. Naruto thought he had kept it a secret, but Sakura had seen the ring box at his apartment. He had plans to ask Hinata to marry him. That wouldn't happen if he was traveling the world with Sasuke and Sakura. Instead of trying to fix everyone else's lives, he needed to focus his energy on himself.

That thought brought Sakura full circle to the fact that this was her chance to further things with Sasuke. There wouldn't be anyone getting in between them. No one and nothing that could prevent them from learning more about each other and possibly seeing where this sexual tension took them. Oh my gosh...sexual tension...Sakura finally admitted it to herself. She knew that she found Sasuke immensely attractive, but now she could see a spark of that same attraction in his eyes.

"Sakura." His voice didn't get any louder, but it snapped her out of her stupor.

"Sasuke. Sorry, my mind was elsewhere."

Sasuke inwardly smiled. He knew he had overwhelmed her with all of this. It was a bit overwhelming to him as well. He'd been determined to make this journey a solo one. He alone had to make up for all the mistakes he had made. Not once had it occurred to him to bring someone with him, especially not Sakura. This woman had gone from his most annoying fangirl to an irreplaceable presence in his life. A rock of acceptance and love that he had never experienced outside of his family or Naruto. He had been fully prepared to step out of the gates of Konoha today and begin his journey. Now, he had 2 days to kill and would be bringing Sakura with him.

Part of him was surprised he had accepted her offer so quickly, or even at all. He was inherently a 'lone wolf' character. He preferred to go alone, and it was what made him feel the most comfortable. Ever since the massacre of his clan, Sasuke had been alone, even in a crowd of people. The only exception was his Team 7 family. He had resisted them at every turn, but no one came out a winner against Naruto. His quick response to Sakura still surprised him. He had never closely examined how he felt about his pink haired teammate. She had always just been there. His mission of vengeance had not left much room for anything else, especially friendships or relationships. Single-minded focus on his goals had been his way of life. It had seemed like that was how it always would be. Now, in the blink of an eye, EVERYTHING had changed. Everything.

"2 days. Meet at the gates at dawn. Pack light, we will be traveling far."

"I'll be there, and I'll be ready."

With that, Sasuke was gone. Sakura immediately turned towards her apartment. There was so much to do and so little time. First things first, speak to Tsunade and then her parents. They would be the easiest ones to break the news to. Sakura knew the real trouble would begin when Naruto found out. Maybe she could make Kakashi break the news to him?

I know some people might think I'm moving too slow, but this story is going to be about Sasuke and Sakura, the dynamic of their relationship and how it could build. Its not going to be fast paced or jump the gun into an instant relationship. Between Sasuke's emotional constipation and Sakura's emotional rollercoaster, this will take time to build up to. I'm anticipating a long story that will take time. Soooooo...please be patient and enjoy the ride.