The pounding on her door the next morning as she drank her coffee had her walking warily to her front door.
She opened and peeked around it at a figure in orange. "Naruto?" She gawked at him. "What are you doing here?" She asked
"I told my dad you didn't have a car and had to walk to campus, since I'm dropping him off at work I asked if we could pick you up on the way in. I'm taking his car for the weekend, mine is in the shop. I was going to come back later and pick you up for dinner maybe before I go back?" He said as Sasuke came into view.
"Hey Sasuke! Did you spend the night with Sakura?" Naruto's mouth hung open staring at them.
"It wasn't like that idiot, we talked after he drove me home last night and it was late so he stayed, no biggie. I'm actually going to be in town this weekend, Mikoto asked me to dinner Friday." She smiled at Naruto's happy expression. "Let me grab my backpack I'll be right out."
She shut her front door turning to Sasuke, Naruto and his dad are going to give me a ride to class Sasuke, make sure to lock the door if you go out?" She handed him a spare key.
"I can drive you to class Sakura." Sasuke took the spare key and was putting it on his keyring.
"Naruto and his dad are already here, I don't want to be rude." She was already at the front door. "I should be back in about 5 hours, then we can go back to Konoha together." She waved goodbye to him and walked out the door.
Sasuke went to Sakura's apartment window and saw her running down her steps and get into a dark blue car. Naruto was in the back seat having switched to give Sakura shotgun. He watched as Naruto's dad watched Sakura settle into the passenger seat next to him.
Sakura sat in Naruto's dad's car her backpack at her feet as Naruto began questioning her.
"Sakura why did Sasuke spend the night with you?" Naruto was asking loudly from the back seat, again.
"I told you, he came up with me after he drove me home last night and we were talking about old times and it got late. I didn't want him to drive home tired so I told him to spend the night, besides, I'm going to be in Konoha for dinner tonight with his family, he is going to drive me after my last class." She said calmly.
"Are you two back together? You mean you would go back with him after he tried to." Naruto paused as if remembering that they were in the car with his dad.
"Shut up Naruto!" She glanced over at Minato and quickly looked away.
"Everything okay Sakura?" Minato asked her a small look of concern in his blue eyes.
"Fine. Fine, it happened a long time ago. Nothing happened, it's fine." She huffed at herself, why couldn't she have answered that better.
"What happened?" Minato asked her.
"I don't feel comfortable talking about it." She said.
Naruto and his dad exchanged glances. "It's nothing dad, don't worry about it." Naruto says after an awkward minute.
They pulled into a spot on the side of the student parking lot and they got out of the car. Naruto hugged Sakura and got in the driver's seat telling his dad he would be back later to pick him up.
Minato and Sakura waved as he drove away. It was a little awkward. She had eaten dinner with her Psych teacher and had just gotten out of his car with him the next morning. Warranted she was best friends with his son and he had known her almost all her life but...still.
"We should probably get to class." She looked at Minato who stood there watching her with an odd expression on his face.
"I know I'm you teacher but I can also be your friend." He smiled at her in what he hoped was a reassuring way.
"Sure thing Mr. Namikaze." she brushed past him into the building and he followed. She wasn't going to tell him anything, stupid Naruto.
The class was normal and wasn't too uncomfortable for her. Naruto's father seemed to forget their conversation and taught his lesson with his usual calm intelligence. Once in a while, she could feel him looking at her but he would look away whenever she would look up at him.
She hurried out of class when he dismissed them and ran to the art building for her next class.
Minato frowned as he watched her run out of class as soon as he had dismissed it. He picked up his briefcase and walked out to his favorite chair by the art building under the tree and sat down to enjoy the gentle breeze till his next class.
To his surprise, he saw Sakura walk out of the art building and lean against the railing of the stairs soon after entering and pull out her cell phone. Had her class been canceled? She made her call and then sat down on the steps presumably waiting for something. He was just about to rise from his seat to go talk to her when a red headed boy approached her. She tensed up a bit but smiled at the boy nevertheless and they made small talk till a black car pulled up in front of Sakura ten minutes later.
The tinted window rolled down to reveal Sasuke waving to Sakura and giving the redhead a glare. Sakura got up and excused herself with an apology and got into Sasuke's expensive black car and they drove away. Whatever rift had happened, and he still didn't fully understand what had happened, apparently, it was mended. She really did seem at ease around the Uchiha and genuinely happy to see him.
Minato noticed the redheaded boy still standing by the curb watching the black car drive away. He took out a sketch pad and pencil and wrote something down, turned and walked back into the art building. Strange, thought Minato, what did he write down. Minato looked at his watch, time for his next class. He got up and walked back into the Psych building, his briefcase in his left hand.
"Who was that guy you were talking to when I pulled up?" Sasuke asked her as they drove back to her apartment to get her things before the drive to Konoha.
"Oh that was Akasuna no Sasori, he is in my art class. Since our class was canceled he wanted to know if I wanted to grab a cup of coffee together but I told him you were already on your way to get me."
"If I hadn't been on my way to get you, would you have said yes to his date?" Sasuke asked, he really wanted to know.
"It wasn't a date. We sit next to one another in class, he is just a class friend type person. He is an amazing artist, I admire him." She smiled.
"Sounds like he was asking you out on a date. What kinda name is Akusuna no Sasori, it sounds very formal...and familiar. Sasori of the Red Sand...I know I have heard that somewhere before." Sasuke frowns. "Dokuhebi, is his father's name Dokuhebi?" He asks her.
"I have no idea, really we don't really talk that much. That is the first time he has talked to me outside of class."
"Akasuna no Dokuhebi," Sasuke mutters to himself.
"Viper snake of the red sand?" Sakura translates.
"Yeah, he was a notorious international criminal in my Uncle Madara's day, before my Uncle retired. It was actually his capture that allowed my Uncle to retire. He is in a prison cell wasting away somewhere in Suna. I wonder if that kid is his son, the red hair…" Sasuke is muttering to himself again.
"I have no idea like I said he doesn't talk too much." Sakura shrugged and got out of the car as soon as it stopped in front of her apartment.
Sasuke sent a text to his father as he waited patiently for her to get her things. It didn't take her long and they were back out the door on their way to Konoha. It was one of the things he found most attractive about her. She was never whiny or girly, taking forever to get ready or asking if she looked fat.
The ride back to Konoha was nice. Sasuke wasn't big on talking but he found he talked more when he was around Sakura, she was always so enthusiastic and bubbly, but not in the "I want to punch myself in the face" way Naruto is.
They pulled up to the Main house around 2 pm that Friday afternoon. Fugaku was still at the precinct but it looked like his mom and Itachi were home, at least their cars were.
"Itachi will be pleased to see you Sakura. He misses you too. Shisui will be by later I'm sure he knows you're coming." Sasuke grabbed her bag out of the trunk and they headed inside.
"I'm home," They both said as they walked in the door taking their shoes off putting them in little cubbies by the door.
Sakura stood for a moment just inhaling the smell of good cooking. Mikoto was the best chef in the world. Sakura didn't know if she missed her cooking or the family more.
"There's my little cherry blossom!" Mikoto rushed toward Sakura from the kitchen embracing her warmly if not tightly.
"Glad to be here Mikoto, thank you for inviting me." Sakura kissed her on the cheek and hugged her again.
"Sakura, welcome home." Itachi said from the door to the kitchen a little ways down the hall.
"Itachi." She ran and jumped into his arms making everyone but Sasuke laugh. "My hero" It was a nickname she had given him. He had always been there while they were growing up, saving her from bullies, then later on unsavory boyfriends, and even now he would drop by just to make sure all the locks on her doors and windows were safe.
"I have all your favorites dear." Mikoto was saying as she led her into the kitchen by the arm. "Tempura, sushi, Dango but you will need to fight Itachi for it, pork stuffed mushrooms…" The delectable list went on and on. Sakura was in heaven.
" I should have come for a visit months ago!" Sakura jokes.
"Well, make sure you come by more regularly from now on young lady, we all miss you terribly. And worry you don't eat enough on your own. I would really prefer it if you moved back, I mean there is no place safer for you than Konoha for heaven's sake. The whole family knows you, loves you and we are basically the police force here. No safer place on Earth for you if you ask me." Mikoto had hit her stride and there was no end in sight.
Sakura thought she might regret it later but said it anyway." I was actually thinking of moving back after this semester, I kinda miss everyone."
"Ohhhhh! That is wonderful dear! Your room is all ready for you and…"
"Mother, I am sure Sakura will want to move into her house when she moves back." Itachi interrupted her as politely as possible.
"Oh, of course, dear, silly me, but you know, you could sell it and keep the money so when you get married you can…" Sakura had started to zone out after Mikoto started talking about marriage.
"Mother, I'm sure Sakura doesn't want to get married yet, she is only 19 after all." Itachi to the rescue again.
Sakura smiled at him and he winked at her.
"Let's put your bags in your room Sakura," Sasuke said grabbing her by the arm and led her down the familiar hallways to her room. It really did look exactly the same. She smiled. It was nice that some things still never changed.
The last year has been a whirlwind of change, death, and defeat for her. She hadn't been lying when she had told Sasuke he hadn't been the only reason. Being here again though reminded her of everything she had left behind, she hadn't realized how much she missed it, them.
"Hey wanna go out to the old part of the property? I wanna see if the fort we built when we were kids is still there." She asked Sasuke after she took her clothes out and put them in her dresser.
'I think it is yeah let's go, it will be fun." He smiled at her.
They left her room and headed back to the kitchen, "Mom, Sakura and I will be out by the old lake on the old property, we'll be back later." Sasuke waves to his mom and snags two sticks of Dango one for him and one for Sakura as they leave the kitchen.
"Okay but be careful" she calls after them not noticing the missing Dango.
They pass by Itachi who is on the computer in the living room and wave, he waves back but heads to the kitchen when he notices the Dango in their hands.
They hear Mikoto yelling at Itachi to drop the Dango as they shut the back door laughing.
It was a beautiful day in September, not hot, not cold, clear skies, no rain, just beautiful and blue. Sakura enjoyed the long walk and small hike to the old property. It was called the old property because it was the oldest owned property by the family. There was the old compound back by the lake that wasn't used anymore, some old outbuildings and barns for when they used to grow their own produce as a clan.
The Uchiha clan and the Senju were co-founders of Konoha so naturally, they had the most and the oldest properties. Sakura climbed over a broken down fence with the help of Sasuke and they made their way around the back of the old compound to the forest line.
"Wasn't it over here?" She asks him pointing to the left of a really big rock.
"No it's here, I found it." Sasuke is smiling smugly as she walks over at having found it before her.
"Congratulations! You win at nothing!'' she smacks him on the back of the head.
"Hey," he grumbles. "Sore loser"
Sakura ignores him to crawl on her hands and knees into the fort.
"Get up, your pants are going to get all dirty, Sakura, mom will get mad if you track dirt all over the house, you know that." Sasuke sounds like an old woman instead of a 19-year-old guy.
"Pfft, come on pretty boy, on your knees! I don't have all day." She calls over her shoulder as she crawls farther and farther into the old fort they had made when they were 12.
Sasuke sighs and pulls two plastic bags from his pocket, somehow he had known it would come to this. He ties a plastic bag around each knee and slowly drops to the ground to crawl in after her.
She is already inside in the farthest corner by the time he reaches her and can stand up again.
"Why the hell did we make the entrance so damn small?" He complains.
"We were shorter back then? You weren't such a little prissy bitch? I don't know but would you please stop complaining? This is awesome!" She is grinning at him in the dark.
"Yeah, I can't believe it is still here and hasn't fallen down." He smiles and looks around. He hadn't been here since the last time they had been here together. It had been years.
"Hey! I wonder if ..." she runs her hand along the wall until she finds a small alcove dug into the dirt wall and pulls out a box from the makeshift shelf.
"It's still here!" She cries in excitement.
"What?" he is curious. "The bracelet your brother gave me when we were 9, well I was 9 he was what 14?"
"He gave you a bracelet?" Sasuke asked her.
"Yeah, let's go back outside I want to show you but I don't want it to get dirty." She tucks the small box in her shirt and starts to crawl back out.
She draws a little hand carved wooden box with the Uchiha symbol out from the cover of her shirt once they are back out in the open. She unclicks the latch and the box springs open to reveal a beautifully delicate cherry blossom bracelet of gold and silver links with little emeralds laid into the flowers to make leaves.
"Sakura." Sasuke is still looking at the bracelet. "That was my grandmother's. Itachi gave it to you?"
"Yeah, when we were kids." She looked confused, then her eyes grew wide. "You mean, it's real? It's real gold and those are real emeralds?"
Sasuke was frowning at the bracelet." Yeah. It's been in our family for generations. Our mother gave it to Itachi to give to his wife."
"But." She started to say as Sasuke's ears started to redden.
"Let's go back, we need to make sure we have enough time for the walk and to get cleaned up. Give me the bracelet, I'll give it back to Itachi for you." He holds his hand out for the bracelet.
Sakura hesitates.
"You do know what accepting that gift means, don't you? I mean, he probably thinks you have had it this whole time, you need to give it back, the sooner the better." Sasuke moved to take the box from her and she pulled it away.
"I will do it. I will give it back to him. You will just hurt him and make him feel stupid. I didn't realize what a gift like this meant, I don't want to hurt him. I'll give it back to him myself."
"Fine. Let's go home" He started stomping off toward the house.