This will be the last chapter--there's still an epilouge, don't worry--to Konoha Hearts. I am sooooo happy with this story, and have had this ending written, and the epilouge, ever since my computer blew up on me. Enjoy!
Love ya
Nicola
Chapter Twenty-Two: The Necklace
It was several months later that Kaede was standing, dressed in a rather hideous green bridesmaids dress, holding both a small and large bouquets of flowers and watching her two friends get married.
Miki, in her long, slimming, strapless white wedding dress with the simple design around the edges and long white veil draped over her elegantly swept up hair, had only eyes for the man in front of her. Neji returned the gaze, his normally hard gaze replaced with one of love and caring. His dark suit brought out those white eyes of his, and the difference in his attitude was striking. The two held hands as Tsunade spoke of commitment and love and a lifetime of marriage.
The small clearing was beautiful and perfect for sealing the two lovers in holy matrimony. It was peaceful, speckled with tall wildflowers and outlined in high, swaying trees. Chairs were set out for the guests, and every single one was filled. The isle was sprinkled in red rose petals, lined with lengths of lacy cloth. A slight breeze lifted hats and bottoms of dresses all throughout the little clearing, and Kaede breathed the sweet air deeply.
Next to her stood Sakura, dressed in the same green dress but holding only one bouquet and next to Sakura was Hinata, then Shizune and finally Hanabi, Hinata's younger sister. On Neji's side of the archway, Naruto was first in line as the best man, followed by Shikamaru, Rock Lee, Sasuke, and Konohamaru. All five of the men were trying their best not too look affected by the sweet words being spoken, but Kaede caught the gushy eyes Sakura and Naruto kept shooting at each other, and vaguely wished Sasuke would look the same way at her. But his face was stone cold, as usual.
Snapping back to attention, Kaede heard Tsunade ask if Neji would please put the ring on Miki. She watched as Neji took the ring carefully from the pillow a small boy had carried up the isle and slipped it delicately over Miki's finger. The Hyuga girl sniffed and smiled at her almost-husband. She, too, picked the ring off of the pillow and lightly placed it onto Neji's finger. He smiled back at her, and Kaede could tell she was having a hard time not grabbing him and kissing him before Tsunade said he could.
The words that Miki had been waiting to hear came through Tsunade's lips and, almost as eagerly as his new wife, Neji pulled Miki to him and kissed her passionately.
Kaede felt tears spring to her eyes at the sight and clapped with the rest of them. Miki and Neji walked down the isle, her arm linked through his, and kissed at the end of it.
The crowd dispersed from their seats and crowded around them, shouting congratulations among other things at the newlyweds. Kaede was in the midst of it, pulling her friend into a tight hug, and crying out how proud she was of her. Miki hugged her back and the two began to cry happy tears, holding tight to each other. Kaede couldn't find the heart to let go, but she felt Neji lightly tugging on Miki's arm and reluctantly released her. Miki smiled warmly and winked at Kaede before kissing her husband again.
"Their's will be one hell of a honeymoon!' Naruto hooted, earning laughs from all sides. "She can't keep her hands off him!"
Miki flushed, but shouted right back, "You're damn right I can't! Look at him! You'd have a hard time resisting, too!"
Kaede chuckled along with everyone else, vaguely wondering where Sasuke could have gotten off to. She didn't have to wonder long, for his warm hand reached out and took hers, lifting it to his lips for a kiss. She relaxed immediately and leaned against his side, his arm wrapping around her shoulders.
"Did you like the ceremony?" she asked, truthfully curious to why he'd refused to show any sort of emotion during the sweet event.
"Of course I did," Sasuke replied, squeezing her shoulders.
"Then why didn't you act like it?" Kaede queried innocently, standing on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek. "You looked like you were bored."
"Well…sort of. It was kind of difficult to concentrate on anything while Naruto and Sakura were looking at each other like a couple of lovesick teenagers."
Pretending to seem indignant, Kaede gave him a look. "Really? Because I was flashing you the same looks and you weren't paying a bit of attention to me."
He just looked down at her with that blank expression with a little bit of exhaustion in it and shook his head. "Come on," he said, leading her through the diminishing crowd. "If we don't leave now, we won't make it to the reception, now will we?"
Kaede shrugged half-heartedly and let him pull her through the crowd to the waiting carriages. She and Sasuke loaded into one with Sakura and Naruto, who were huddled in their own little corner, speaking quietly to each other. Sitting down on the opposite bench, Kaede cleared her throat lightly, startling the two lovebirds. Sakura blushed and Naruto gave several "ahem's" before he settled for looking modestly flustered. Sasuke merely seemed indifferent.
As the carriage gave a jerk—the horses had begun pulling—Kaede stole a glance over to Sasuke. In the past few months, with all the wedding preparations, she hadn't had much of a chance to speak with him about all of the other issues they were having. She wanted to settle it all and be able to live in peace and harmony, like Miki and Neji seemed to be. It hurt their relationship to have all these problems and unanswered questions rampaging around both their minds. Although Kaede didn't have a clue what Sasuke would want to ask her.
The Uchiha man was looking rather solemn, as if he had something extremely important on his mind that he was just itching to speak about. Kaede wanted desperately to ask him what it was, but his furrowed brow, far-off eyes, and the little tilts to the corners of his mouth steered her from that direction. She would just settle for waiting him out. After all, she had spent their first few months as teammates ignoring him and trying to beat him at everything. It wasn't that big of a change.
Kaede stared out of the little window in the carriage, watching the scenery pass slowly by as they trotted towards the Hokage temple where the reception was going to be held. The trees slowly disappeared and the outer areas of Konoha came into view, little wooden houses and tiny shops and fields of corn. Kaede smiled as she saw the figures of workers out in the fields, harvesting what they had managed to plant and grow sine Konoha had been taken back.
She watched them look up and wave merrily at the passing carriages, and gladly waved back at them. They did not know who was in the horse-drawn taxi but were pleasant enough to greet them anyway. Kaede chuckled as a little boy out in the fields with his father or uncle or whoever pointed and started babbling loudly. She could make out the sound of his voice, but could not understand what he was saying. The man he was speaking to gestured towards the carriages and the little boy nodded, having been explained to what they were.
Another image flashed into Kaede's mind, and suddenly the little boy became a small child with black hair and black eyes, dressed in a dark-colored shirt and white shorts and tugging at his mother's shirttail, questioning what the big fountain in the middle of Konoha was for. And she told him that it was for wishing, and handed him a coin, instructing him to throw it in after making a wish just like the Hokage had taught her when they were younger. And a tall, stoic black-haired man who was the older version of the little boy came up and whispered sweet words into the woman's ear, and she leaned against him, his arm around her shoulders, as they watched their son throw his first coin into the fountain…
She viciously shook her head. There was no reason for her to think that way, as if she were older and married and had children. So what if her best friend had found a new beginning with her one true perfect love that she could spend the rest of her life with and live her dreams out with? That didn't mean she should take on the same thing, especially not so suddenly.
Kaede scooted a little bit away from Sasuke, feeling like she needed a bit of space at the moment. She could really see Miki and Neji five years from now, with little kids bouncing about their feet in the front yard of their spacious house. It seemed like the picture perfect life, and she felt a small tug in her stomach, almost like jealousy.
Again she shook her head. Her life was picture perfect, too. She lived in a wonderful house without nosy neighbors to bother her and her wonderful boyfriend, Uchiha Sasuke. She was a Sannin-level ninja. Her boyfriend was Jounin, a very successful one, one trained by Orochimaru, like herself. She was a previous Hokage of the Leaf village, and even though she hadn't done a very good job of it, she was still well-known and loved by the villagers. What did she have to complain about?
Nothing, she firmly told herself, and looked away from the window. She saw Sakura staring at her, hand still entwined with Naruto's, but her gaze completely different. There were no more gushy eyes, only bright green orbs staring blatantly in Kaede's direction. Kaede shifted nervously under the scrutiny, feeling as if Sakura could see exactly what she was feeling, and she probably could, knowing her.
Sakura didn't say a word, but her eyes told all, and the kunoichi knew exactly what was going through Kaede's head, as if she, too, had had those same thoughts.
Kaede swallowed and tried to tell Sakura that she knew she had no reason to be thinking that, and Sakura gave one stiff, quick nod. Kaede was able to relax a little bit, but she knew that her friend would want to have a conversation as soon as they could.
Kaede went back to looking out the window, and saw that they were getting closer to the temple. They were in the main streets of Konoha now, and she smiled, thinking how nice it would be to walk up these streets and shop, holding the hand of a small boy or girl, telling them that no, they couldn't go touch the pretty shiny trinket, or no, it was not nice to run off and not tell mommy where they were going. Her stomach gave another look as Miki took her place, and a little child with white eyes was now on the end of her hand.
She grimaced, wondering why she was all of a sudden having longings to be a mother. Really, it would be nice, but children had never been her thing. Sure, the occasional hug to the village child was nice and helping out every now and again in the daycare centers was a nice change, but to be a full-time mom was an entirely different story. She didn't think she fit the motherly profile; Sakura seemed like the type of person a child would run up to yelling, "Mommy!"
Taking a deep breath, Kaede stole a glance at the still-tense man next to her. Sasuke met her eyes with a stone-cold expression, as if he neither knew nor cared what she was thinking. She thought she saw a glimmer of something behind that mask, but it was probably nothing. This was Sasuke they were talking about—he wasn't the most social, conversational person in the world.
She looked away again and watched her hands, which her wringing in her lap. She hadn't known she was so nervous and worked up—she would have to stop this before they reached the temple. She did not want to mess up Miki's wedding day because she had the jitters about some crazy idea she'd gotten in her head.
Forcing her hands to sit still on her lap, on the surface of the ugly green dress, she licked her lips and looked out the window again. The Hokage temple was in sight now, and the horses sped up with a jolt. Apparently they were just as eager to get there as the bride and groom were.
Laughing at the idea of it, Kaede straightened her dress and smiled warmly at Naruto and Sakura, who were getting themselves situated as the carriage slowed and finally stopped. She stepped towards the door, and went to open it, but a hand beat her to it. She looked up, slightly startled, to see Sasuke's face close to hers. Smiling, she allowed him to open the door for her and lightly walked out, Sakura and Naruto close behind her. Sasuke was the last out, and he shut the door behind him, taking hold of Kaede's hand as they walked behind the bride and groom into the hall.
There was food set out, a dance floor, and a band to play music. Kaede took her place at the main table with the other bridesmaids and watched as all the other guests came in. There were so many of them—Hyuga family members, friends, fellow ninja, and a menagerie of other people walked through the double doors into the main hall. As soon as they were all seated—and that took a while—the singer of the band stepped forward, taking the microphone in his hand.
"It's time for the first dance for the newlyweds," he said, and the guests clapped.
As Neji took Miki's hand and led her to the dance floor, Kaede felt tears spring to the corner of her eyes and she wiped at them irritably, a smile still on her face. She shouldn't be crying. This was a happy occasion! But, alas, the flow of tears would not stop, so she had no choice but to let them go as the bride and groom swayed slowly to their soft song of preference.
Feeling a little sad, but still happy, Kaede saw Naruto move over to Sakura and bow down low, holding out his hand. She giggled, and took his outstretched fingers into her own; they walked onto the floor and began to dance together. Kaede sniffed, not even daring to look at Sasuke. He didn't dance, she knew that.
But she was surprised.
He tapped her on the shoulder lightly, and she looked up into his face with amazement. He held out his hand, she took it, and he pulled her from her chair. Fingers still entwined, they made their way to the dance floor. Kaede wrapped one arm over his shoulder, holding the other, and he placed his left hand on her waist. They swayed slowly to the music, heads close together, stomachs pressed against each other. She sighed, relaxing, against his chest, and she felt the low rumble of a silent laugh shake his torso. She, too, gave a small chuckle and laid her head under his chin.
Sasuke gently kissed her hair and breathed in the scent of her shampoo. She felt those familiar butterflies flutter in her stomach and she kissed his collar bone, enjoying the sweet moment when she knew that he loved her as much as she loved him.
The song was over way too soon, and as they parted, Kaede saw that there were several other couples on the dance floor, too, other than herself, Sakura and Naruto, and the newlyweds. Still holding Sasuke's hand, she led the way off of the dance floor and back to their seats. This time, though, she sat next to him as a fast song came on; he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. She smiled up at him and moved her gaze to watch the quickly dancing people.
It wasn't long before they began playing more slow songs, and Kaede found herself and Sasuke on the floor more frequently than she would ever have guessed. But she wasn't going to complain. It felt right to be there, with Sasuke, so close and so warm. When they were dancing, she matched her breathing with his, and felt that their heartbeats were almost in tune, too. She did not want the songs to end, the comfort of having her head on Sasuke's chest, his arms wrapped around her, making her feel closer to him than she had in months. Ever since their little conversation, it had been slightly tense, but today, they were back to what they were before he'd left, before the war. A happy, comfortable, loving couple.
As another fast-paced number came on, Kaede sat down with Sasuke on one of the benches outlining the dance floor. She leaned against his shoulder, basking in the warmth his presence was giving. It was nice, being here with him.
Suddenly, the music cut off in the middle of the song, gathering the attention of every single person there. The only one who didn't looked confused was Naruto, who had been dancing with Sakura, who was now looking around at the band as if they were insane. Kaede saw something glittering in his eyes that she'd never seen before, and gasped, grabbing onto Sasuke's arm as it hit her what he was going to do.
Naruto bent down on one knee, and, digging in his pocket, pulled out a deep purple velvet box. Sakura's hands flew to her mouth, and Naruto gently took one from her, holding it in his own hand as he popped the box open.
"Haruno Sakura," he began, holding the ring up so she could see it easier, "I have loved you for many, many years now. And I want to love you for many more. Will you be my wife? Will you marry me?"
Unable to speak, Sakura made a sort of a squeaking noise and threw herself down at Naruto. With her arms still wrapped around his neck, the Hokage stood up, holding her to him and grinning like he'd used to as a child after earning a free ramen ticket.
Kaede watched this with that jealous feeling still in her stomach, but her heart swelling with joy for her good friend.
"Yes," came Sakura's muffled sob into Naruto's shoulder. She pulled away from him and nodded. "Yes, I'll marry you!"
The cheers erupted all around them as Naruto slipped the gorgeous diamond ring over Sakura's third finger on her left hand, and she kissed him passionately before pulling back to stare in wonder at the ring. She looked up at Kaede, who smiled at her, and Sakura smiled back.
Sasuke had stiffened as soon as the ring had come out of Naruto's pocket, and Kaede was only just now noticing how rigged he'd become. She looked up at him, wondering what the hell his problem was, and studied his hardened dark eyes.
"Hey, Sasuke, what's the matter?" she whispered concernedly, but he just shook his head firmly and stood up, shoving his hand into the pocket of his jacket and fingering something there. Kaede watched his movements curiously and swallowed hard, forcing her face to look unconcerned about her long-time partner's abrupt departure. She turned back to the newly-engaged couple, who were surrounded by the bridesmaids and groomsmen. Standing up, she walked over to Sakura and Naruto and pulled Sakura into a hug.
"Congratulations honey!" she whispered to her, and Sakura hugged her tightly back.
"Thank you!" Sakura murmured, and pulled away. "Can you believe it? At Miki's wedding and he proposes." She looked a little bit scornful. "Couldn't he have waited until after the reception or something?" But Sakura was too happy to be upset, Kaede knew, and merely laughed.
"No, I couldn't have," Naruto answered, coming up behind his fiancée and wrapping his arms around her waist. He planted a soft kiss on her cheek. "I've waited too long already."
That night, Kaede sat in her living room, sipping on a cup of hot cocoa and reading one of her favorite novels. The wedding reception had gone on for a long time, and had been a blast. The food was amazing, the dancing highly entertaining—especially after a few of the guests had had a little too muck sake—and the events wonderful. Neji and Miki had had a literal smash shoving cake into each other's faces, and Sakura and Naruto were now engaged. What a reception.
She lazily turned the page of the book, not really into it but entertained nonetheless. Sasuke was in their bedroom, either brooding or asleep, and she was not in the mood to bother with him. After leaving the reception early—and leaving her without an escort home—she assumed he'd come straight home, taken a shower, gotten changed, and locked himself in the bedroom. She really didn't care at the moment, though, because he was not the nicest person when he had a hot head, and she'd be damned if she would let him tell her off just because he was in a nasty mood.
She took another sip of her cocoa, relishing the taste of the chocolate drink and marshmallows in her mouth. Her book was beginning to get to one of the boring parts, and she was starting to regret opening it. She didn't remember it being so…bland, so…stupid and hopelessly romantic. So what if the "perfect girl" met the "perfect guy" and had a happy ending? Those things didn't happen in real life. Life was a bitch, full of lies, war, and the smallest bit of love in the midst of it all. Yeah, Kaede knew just what saying she felt like living by: Life's a bitch and then you die.
Only minutely surprised at her negative attitude, Kaede tried to remember a time when she hadn't been overly positive. Probably underground, hiding from Orochimaru, trying to think up master plans to get the village back. After five years, it had all finally paid off, but at what cost?
She scoffed at the paragraph she was reading. Who honestly cared about the goo-goo eyes the boy and girl were shooting at each other, how they both secretly loved each other but were both too shy to say anything about it? No one, that's who. Maybe some lovesick teenager, but definitely not an esteemed, twenty-five year old ninja like Kaede. Definitely not.
Her head pounded unceremoniously, and she rubbed her temples, wondering what had spurred the unexpected headache. Perhaps the annoyance of reading such a daft book, or maybe thoughts of an irritated Sasuke waiting for her in the bedroom. Whatever the cause, she needed a pill.
Standing up and stretching, she carried her cocoa into the kitchen with her and opened up the cabinet where all the medicine was kept. She scanned the bottles and plucked a case of aspirin from the shelf. Opening the child-proof top—as if they had any children anyway—she dropped one pill into her palm and popped it into her mouth, taking a swig of cocoa to swallow it with. There, the headache would be gone in no time at all.
Feeling a bit braver now that she had a bit of pain medication in her system, Kaede, still carrying her cocoa, walked through the living room and into the hallway, heading for the bedroom. As expected, it was shut firmly, and she could hear someone pacing inside. She shook her head and pushed the door open.
Sasuke was halfway through his stride when she closed the door behind her and stood there, waiting patiently for him to make the first move. He pulled himself together, obviously having been giving himself a stern mental lecture, and lifted his chin in greeting. She returned the gesture, bored with his lack of speech.
"What were you doing in here?" she asked, licking her lips vaguely and sipping her cocoa again. His hands once again went to his pockets, and she saw him grab onto something in the fingers of his left hand. She lowered the mug from her mouth and stared hard into his face. She wanted to know what was going on, and she wanted to know now.
"Nothing," he answered calmly, but his hand was still messing around with something in his pocket. She glared at the offensive piece of material and tapped her mug impatiently.
"You weren't just doing nothing," she accused rightly. He tilted his head to one side as if he didn't understand, and she growled under her breath. She walked past him to sit on the bed and placed her mug on the bedside table. She tugged her long sweatpants off and replaced them with a pair of sleeping shorts draped over the footrest of the bed.
Sasuke sat down next to her, looking at his lap mindlessly. She sighed heavily and lay back on the bed, her legs bent at the knees and her feet resting on the edge of the mattress. She saw Sasuke shift to the side so that he could look at her better, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Startled by this small show of emotion but knowing better than to let it be known, she focused her gaze on the ceiling, sighing heavily again.
With a grunt, Sasuke lay down on her right side, staring at the same spot she was. "Anything interesting up there?"
"No," she mumbled, turning her head to look at him. He was watching her again, that same smile pulling on his mouth. She tried to hide her own smile and failed, and he chuckled lightly.
"Then what were you looking at it for?"
"Because I like the color of it," she said snidely, but he saw straight through her irritated tone and ran his hand down her arm until he reached hers. She kept it tightly against her side, and he settled for resting his hand on her wrist.
After a few moments, Kaede relented, and entwined her fingers in his. He squeezed her hand lightly and scooted until they were shoulder to shoulder. He moved their hands onto his stomach and held them there. She could feel his breathing, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. She placed her cheek against his upper arm; it was somehow soft, yet hard from the muscles he possessed. She sighed lightly this time, relaxing and settling into a comfortable silence with her Sasuke.
A slight movement broke that little spell, and she lifted her head to see him pulling something out of his pocket. Thinking that it was just some trinket or another that Naruto had probably given him for good luck, she lay back down until Sasuke sat up, pulling her with him. She grunted in protest but he kissed her, silencing her complaints.
It was then that she noticed the thing he'd pulled out of his pocket—a tiny, black, square box with the smallest Uchiha fan she'd ever seen outlined in gold on the top left corner. In the back of her mind she knew just what it was, but she could not bring herself to actually think it. She watched as he turned the box over and over in his hand, staring at it, as if he were wondering if its contents were right to reveal at this moment.
He half-turned until he was looking her straight in the eyes, those black orbs no longer cold and reserved, but hopeful and loving, like those of a small child. Kaede's heart tugged towards him and she tightened her grip on his hand.
"Kaede," he whispered with some difficulty, glancing down before looking back at her face. He took his hand from hers and placed it on her cheek, his thumb rubbing her cheekbone lovingly. She leaned into the caress, and was sadly disappointed when he went back to holding her hand.
It looked like he was really struggling to find what he wanted to say. Kaede could understand that—she, too, sometimes had trouble with words. And Uchiha Sasuke was not the kind of person who spoke very often. She watched him curiously, wondering what was really going through his mind.
Finally, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Kaede," he repeated, and she nodded her encouragement. "I know that we haven't had the best relationship, but when we were at our happiest, it was the most amazing thing I've ever felt. I've never felt like that around anyone in my entire life, not my mother or father, or my brother, or even Naruto and Sakura. Around you…I feel like I could fly if I wanted to, jump off the highest cliff and somehow sprout wings like some sort of bird.
"The biggest mistake I made in our relationship was leaving you to train with Orochimaru. That was stupid, and it nearly ruined everything. And when we broke up for real, I have never hurt so much. Every time I saw you I wanted to run up and pull you into my arms and tell you how sorry I was and how much I loved you.
"And now, with Konoha back, and our relationship back in its place, I've finally found the courage to ask you what I should have years ago." Kaede saw him slip one finger under the edge of the box and slowly open it. She caught her breath and started shaking her head in disbelief. No, this couldn't be happening…this was Sasuke…he wouldn't…would he?
"Kaede," Sasuke said, his voice so full of love it cracked, "will you please, please, please marry me?"
Having never heard him beg once in her life, nor heard such a long speech come from his mouth, Kaede was utterly shocked. She could not move, she could not breath, she could not think, much less answer his overwhelming question. He wanted her to marry him? To seriously marry him? Oh, Kami!
Her breath came out in gasps as she stared at the gorgeous ring in the small black box.
The silver band was tiny, delicate, and smooth as glass. The diamonds were encrusted into a miniscule replication of the Konoha symbol, each one carefully placed in the correct pattern. It shimmered in the light of the room, and Kaede could not take her eyes off of it. It was so…perfect.
She reached out and touched it, and Sasuke took her left hand, looking hopefully into her face for some sort of answer.
But suddenly, her stomach gave a lurch, and she couldn't seem to make the decision. Her senses wildly came back to her, slamming back into her body like a ten-ton truck, and she visibly jerked backwards at the mental impact of it. Sasuke looked at her in surprise, seeming slightly hurt at her reaction. She tore her hand away from his and shook her head rapidly, unsure.
"I-I-I…Sasuke," she whispered, focusing in on his black eyes. "I-I can't answer you right now. Can-Can I have a chance to think? Please?"
His face hardening into the solid rock Kaede painfully recognized, Sasuke nodded and looked down at the floor, snapping the little box sharply. "Sure."
Kaede didn't know what else to say, so she got to her feet, looking once more pleadingly at Sasuke, and walked out of the bedroom, her hands still shaking.
Kaede sat on the edge of the fountain in Konoha the next morning, tracing the surface of the water with the tips of her fingers. The streets were as busy as they ever got this early in the day, people bustling about, mothers with their children, trying to get done their shopping before the lunchtime rush came out. Laughter echoed off of every building, surrounding the throngs of people walking through. Voices merged into a low, dull rumble. Normally, Kaede would have joined in on the merriment of early morning goers—hadn't Konoha been back in their hands for months now?—but she had too much on her mind to focus on anything.
Last night, Sasuke had asked her the biggest question, the most difficult one to answer, of her life. It hadn't been the most traditional proposal, but it had been the best he could muster up, and she'd ruined it. Having dreamt of marriage and a family for the past several weeks, she couldn't understand why the thought of commitment suddenly frightened her beyond anything else, even Orochimaru. After he'd asked her, with much difficulty, if she would marry him, she had only stared at him. She'd yanked her hand away, shaking her head, and requested time to think about it, which he'd granted with a surly, monotonous "Sure." He was upset, she knew, but she didn't know what to do.
Visits to Miki, Sakura, and even her own mother—who had thankfully survived the war—had brought about the same answer: Do what your heart tells you to, what you felt was right. But how could she do that, when her heart was inevitably split in two ways? How could she choose between her village and Sasuke when she'd spent the last five years ricocheting between the two? There didn't seem to be an answer. If she married Sasuke, she would be more reluctant to go on missions, and he'd flat-out forbid it, knowing him. They'd probably want to have children, and leaving on dangerous, long missions would be that much harder. If she chose to serve her village, like she had always done in the past, she would live in a pit half-full of successes and half-full of regrets.
She smacked at the water, scattering droplets everywhere, and uttered a pathetic mew of indecision. Once again she found her heart tearing in two, and she couldn't take it anymore. She loved Sasuke with all of her being, but for the past seven or eight years she'd been completely dedicated to her village, giving her entire life, every waking hour, every bit of energy she had to it. She still felt she owed it to Konoha to serve, protect, and live for it. After pretty much handing it over to Orochimaru, she knew her debt was not yet paid.
Digging in her pocket, she pulled out a silver coin and clenched her fist around it. She closed her eyes as tightly as she could and wished with all her heart. Please, please help me decide what to do.
With a simple flick, she sent the coin flipping into the air, and it hit the water with a solid plop. As she watched it sink to the bottom, she felt like her chest was sinking with it. It was worth it, throwing the coin into the fountain. After all, it had never let her down before, right?
She noticed something glittering gold in the bright, early sunlight. It drew her attention like a magnet, and, curious as to what it was that could be sparkling so much—certainly not a coin—she reached into the water towards the glistening object. Her fingers touched and closed around a familiar gold chain. Excitement coursed through her veins as she pulled it out of the water.
Looking like it ha d the last time she'd seen it, after pressing it into Sasuke's palm during their hard goodbye's, the necklace, her necklace, seemed to scream the answer out at her. She ran her finger gently over the diamond-studded heart dangling off the end of the golden chain and turned it over, looking for the inscription. The love of one cannot compare to the love of two. U.S. and K.S.
The inscription was still there, the necklace unharmed. U.S. and K.S. Her Sasuke….
I can't help but be utterly upset that the ending is only one epilouge away. But, I'm excited for my new story. And I've decided that the title, according to popular vote, will be "Is Forever Enough". I hope you all enjoy it as much as you have Konoha Hearts. I can't wait to read your reviews for this one!
Oh, and yeah, she found the necklace. Yay!
Luv ya!
Nicola