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.

Reviewer response:

Lizzy-May93: thank you for loving it! I'm super excited too about where these two are going!

TwinkleTwinkleI'mAStar: Thank you for always leaving me a review! I really appreciate you coming back and continuing to read my story! :D

On with the story:

Naruto's apartment was empty when they arrived, and it only took Sasuke a minute to disappear inside and return with his belongings. Sakura almost felt bad about leaving without saying goodbye to Naruto, but it wasn't like they were disappearing without any notice. Everyone important in their lives knew they were leaving, even if they were supposed to have another day or so. Sakura was surprised by how she felt at this final hour. She had been expecting to feel apprehensive, anxious, sad, and nervous...yet, now that the time had come to leave, she felt an overwhelming sense of adventure and happiness. All of the anxiousness and sadness about leaving was still there, it was just overshadowed by all the wonderful feelings in her heart from the positive changes happening in her life. If anyone had told her 6 months ago that she would be leaving on a journey with the love of her life, and that it would appear he shared her feelings...she would have smashed them into the ground and never believed a word of it. A smile bloomed across her face as she waited for Sasuke's return.

It almost made sense that Naruto wasn't here. This was a journey that only she and Sasuke would undertake, and it seemed right that they would begin it as just the two of them. Naruto was probably with Kakashi in the Hokage's office, or off with Hinata getting ready for her move into his place. He was busy preparing to take the Hokage hat from Kakashi as quickly as he could, and planning his future with the woman he loves. If Naruto could move forward with his life and reach for his dreams with the gusto he did so with, then damn it, so could Sasuke and Sakura!

Sasuke mentally sighed in relief when he entered Naruto's apartment and found it empty. Naruto was his best friend and he appreciated everything the Dobe had done for him over the years...but, he was best enjoyed in small doses. His energy was enormous and it was hard to keep up with him when he got excited about things, and he got excited about EVERYTHING. He knew that Naruto would be pissed off that they left without telling him they were leaving early, but Sasuke was sure he would settle for an angry letter delivered by toad. Kakashi would keep him too busy to leave the village in pursuit of them.

Sakura had surprised him with her question about leaving early. She had true ties here in the village, between her parents, Tsunade, Naruto, Kakashi, the hospital and more. She was a focal point of support within Konoha, and he had assumed that she would struggle with cutting those ties. Sasuke had nothing outside of Team 7 to keep him here. His clan was gone, and he had no one waiting for him when he returned. Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura...they were his entire reason for being here. Now, he was about to leave and take Sakura with him.

He was about to share with her all of the places he had gone, people he had encountered, and all of the moments where he had been given the chance to make good choices...and sometimes he had failed. There were places he done horrible things to people who had gotten in his way. These were people and places who had seemed like obstacles in his path to revenge, and then vengeance. There were a lot of skeletons in his past that were about to be revealed to the only woman Sasuke had ever envisioned a future with. He knew Sakura would support him no matter what. There was no way she would be waiting outside Naruto's apartment for him if she didn't have to fortitude to stand with him. She would have been long gone if her devotion was shallow and unworthy. Sakura had proved over and over again that she was a forgiving and dedicated individual. The problem for him was her disappointment. His actions over the last few years were sure to earn him her disappointment, shattering some of the illusions she may have had of him as a young girl. He finally cared and was willing to pay attention to her feelings for him.

A bright future was on the horizon for them, and Sasuke didn't want to lose any of her regard. She was waiting with a smile on her face as he exited the apartment. This beautiful woman was his for the taking if he had the courage to reach for what she offered. He knew he didn't deserve her, but honestly, what man deserved any woman who loved him? She was stuck with him now. He may have reservations about sharing the dark spots in his past with her, but he had no reservations about sharing his future with her. This woman was his. Her strength, both physical and mental, and her strength of character were a perfect compliment to his. Her willingness to join him in his atonement proved that she is his compliment. How he was lucky enough to be gifted such a boon in life was unknown to him.

"Ready to leave?"

Sakura shook herself from her thoughts and focused on Sasuke. His face seemed impassive at first glance, but his eyes held warmth and he seemed amused. She felt a little blush dust her cheeks.

"Yes! I'm ready to head out. Did you leave a note for Naruto? I don't want him hunting us down because we didn't say a final goodbye."

"Hnnn."

Sakura took that as an affirmative. She stepped to the side to allow Sasuke to exit that apartment. He turned to lock the door and then pushed forward with her by his side. She expected him to head in the direction of the gates, so it was surprising when he set out in a different direction. It took a few moments for her to realize he was headed toward the old Uchiha district. Why would he be heading that way? Did he need to say a final goodbye to the memory of his family? She silently followed his lead, trusting that he would reveal why they were heading this way when he was ready.

Sasuke led her through the empty streets of the Uchiha compound until they stood somewhere near the center. He stopped and turned towards her, silently watching as she come up and stood beside him. His arm reached out and he took her hand in his.

"Do you trust me?"

"You know I do."

Sasuke quirked one corner of his mouth up, and something seemed to settle within her. Whatever was about to happen, Sasuke would never harm her. She squeezed his hand in reassurance and felt him return the squeeze. A moment later, the rinnegan activated and the two of them disappeared.

-/b/-

Naruto was pissed as fuck. He had been minding his own business, coming up with ways to make Kakashi pay for his pervert lecture, when he had felt the pulse. The instant rise of chakra had been unmistakable, and Naruto had immediately known it was Sasuke. At first he had been furious because he had thought Sasuke left without Sakura. The hair had risen on his neck, and he had raced to Sakura's apartment. His assumption that she would be there was proven wrong when he found it locked tight, with the lights off. He felt no sense of her in the apartment, and had quickly moved to his own apartment to see if Sasuke had left him any indication why he would leave early.

At this point, his anger had skyrocketed when he found Sasuke's note.

'Dobe,

By the time you read this, we will be gone.

I'm sure you are enjoying all the new information Kakashi

shared with you last night. We realized there was a gaping

hole in you knowledge about women, and felt you would

benefit from a little extra knowledge shared by a professional.

Don't even think about following us or I will destroy you.

Try not to fuck things up with Hinata. She deserves better than

you, but seems to be ignorant to the fact. You have a good thing

going. Good luck with Kakashi's hokage training. I'm actually glad

you talked me out of being hokage.

We will return...eventually. Invite us to the wedding.'

The Teme was a dead man. An asshole dead man. A stupid fucking annoying as hell asshole dead man. Now he had even more pranks to plan. Kakashi needed pranked, and clearly Sasuke was due to be taken down a few hundred pegs. Pranks were his lifeblood. He had a legacy to live up to. Kushina had been a legendary prankster, and her son could do no less than live up to her example. Kakashi first, Sasuke next.

It took a while, but Naruto calmed down enough to realize that Sasuke had written 'we will be gone'...WE. He had taken Sakura with him. They had left without saying goodbye. Well, they had said they were leaving, and he had known that it would mean goodbyes and separation, but he figured they would say goodbye. Part of him was hurt that they hadn't come to find him. They were his family. Why didn't they come say goodbye? Another part of him understood a bit. This was their journey, their beginning to whatever would be shared between them. He's known they were perfect for each other since childhood. Even while he had been professing his own affection for their pink haired teammate, he had known he didn't stand a chance. He'd half heartedly continued to do it just to piss off Sasuke. They had clearly decided not to wait until tomorrow before they left, and Naruto had no idea where Sasuke had planned to travel to first. He'd have to send a message via frog if he wanted to contact them. Naruto decided to wait before sending a message. He needed to think about what kind of prank he was going to pull on them. Yes them. Sakura was going to get pranked too. She would never let Sasuke take her against her will, so clearly she was okay with leaving without seeing him too. Those jerks! He'd show them. Naruto smiled like a cat with the cream. They'd never know what hit them before it was too late. Naruto was so excited that he felt Kurama stir with unease. If his glee was unsettling to the fox, then it must be at a fever pitch. Yessssss...this was going to grand.

-/b/-

Kakashi felt a shiver travel down his spine. He'd felt the surge of chakra that indicated Sasuke's departure. A had hawk swooped into his room and dropped off a scroll. Sasuke's brief note had let him know that he and Sakura were leaving early and would keep Kakashi appraised of their location and wellbeing. Classic Sasuke. Short, curt, containing pertinent information only. Kakashi imagined this was a bit like what it felt to be a parent watching your child grow up. His students, the only students he had ever taken on, were young and impressionable when they had been given into his care. Two had been orphans. 2 had been painfully naive. 1 had been a fangirl of epic proportions. 1 had been an emo mess of emotional constipation. 2 had been underestimated while the third had been held to an impossible standard. Each of them had come to Team 7 with their own problems and insecurities. ALL of them had exceeded his expectations and proven to both him and Konoha that you can never judge a book by it's cover.

Pride swelled in his heart. These 3 were like his own kids, and he felt extremely proud to have been a part of their development into the heroes of the village they had become. Obito and Rin would have been proud of them. Kushina and Minato would have been ecstatic about their journey. Naruto would succeed him as Hokage, achieving his dream, and living up to the memory of his father. Sakura would succeed Tsunade and her legacy as both a medic and a Sannin. Sasuke. Sasuke had been his own disciple for a short period of time, and had gone on to achieve his revenge against Itachi, and then vengeance in Itachi's name. Kakashi had not known Sasuke's parents very well when they had lived. He hadn't been concerned much with the Uchiha clan because of his disdain for Obito as a child, but he imagined that they would be proud of both of their sons. Hell, even Kakashi's father would be proud of him. He had a better understanding of his dad than he ever had as a child. The heartbreak when your child copes with their own mistakes. The joy when your child achieves their goals. The frustration when you cannot help your child as they struggle with their own demons. His dad was probably laughing his ass off at him from the grave.

Kakashi reclined lazily at his desk, and allowed himself a moment to revel in his happiness for his students. He knew any minute now Shikamaru would be bringing him more work, but for a moment it was peaceful. Peaceful meant…

Shikamaru sighed in annoyance and frustration. He knew by this point that he shouldn't be surprised to enter the Hokage's office and find Kakashi's face shoved into an Icha Icha book. The mega pervert continued to read, even as he must have known Shikamaru was there with more things that needed his attention. Too troublesome. Shikamaru didn't have the energy or the desire to deal with this. He knew Kakashi would make sure he did the paperwork, he always did. Kakashi was an efficient and annoying leader, but he made sure he got his work done. Shikamaru just didn't know how he did it and still had time to read that pervert trash. That was a mystery he didn't need solved. As long as Kakashi kept working, he didn't need to know.

Kakashi just continued to look at his book. He knew Shikamaru would set the paperwork on the desk and leave. The Nara clan was supreme at acting as a right hand, no matter how much grumbling they did about troublesome situations and people. Maybe he should have a private talk with him about his relationship with Temari. Kakashi was sure he could get the Nara to blush. He lived for messing with people. It was the only benefit of this job, and he would make sure he got his use out of it before he handed the hat off to Naruto.

"So Shikamaru...how go things with your lovely blond friend from Sand?"

Shikamaru looked up in alarm before a small blush broke out across his cheeks. He sputtered through a brief response before he practically ran from the room. He'd never seen the Nara move that fast. Being Hokage was shit...but it had its moments.

(Little did Kakashi know what his future held. He wouldn't have been so carefree if he had known what our favorite blond knucklehead was planning…)