Title: Sakura's Home
Author: Winter Ashby (rosweldrmr)
Disclaimer: Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto-sama. I don't own anything about Naruto, this is just for fun and if I did own Naruto I wouldn't have to right this, because I would have a team of very talented people turning this into a saga right now...
Rating: K+
Warning: this not only has spoilers until Manga 270ish, but it's kind of required for you to know what's going on. I use a lot of the Gaara mission, just made it AUish.
Summary: Sakura was kicked out of Konoha five years ago but now has been asked to return… She will meet old friends and be faced with the consequences of her actions. Future AU Sakura centric. No pairings, and you need to be up to date in the manga and series.
Authors Notes: It's been FOREVER since I last updated. But there is a good reason for that. I've gone through, and revised all the previous chapters. There will no longer be any Japanese words used improperly. (For tiny rant on this... see the footnote of the first chapter.) I dedicate this massive change to the reviewers who have been so kind in letting me know their opinion. Atra Nox, Demeter1, SpiritualEnergy, qqq102, and probably more that were just too nice to tell me to shove it. Also, finally I reveal the guy who hates Sakura. Interestingly enough, no one got it. (I'm proud of that.) So enjoy this, and as you can see I'm still working on it. There will be more updates soon.

Chapter 14 - Interlude

Sakura was finally brought out of her own mind with a strong touch on her shoulder. She turned, expecting to see the hooded figure and insensible aura. But instead, there was the soft skin of a slender, female hand. Just past her delicate wrist there was a strong woman, with brown hair tied in two buns on either side of her head, and two large scrolls that emerged from behind her back.

"Ten-Ten-san?" she looked sad, in through the dissipating grey sky. Her soft eyes rounded at the corners and she offered a sideways half-smile.

"It's been a while, Sakura-chan." Sakura scanned the surrounding foliage for the mysterious hooded figure, but found no trace of him. She wasn't surprised; she already knew she couldn't sense him. But Ten-Ten's warm voice and malice-free aura was soothing. So she smiled warmly at the woman who had grown beautiful and strong in her absence.

"I hope Kiba-kun has been treating you alright." And just like that, everything fell into place. Who else in the village could have held such contempt for her? Everything made so much sense now, distant eyes that followed her, the focus that it must have taken to hone his particular skills, and the subtle sniff.

With that, a figure emerged from the shadows, accompanied by a large white dog. "Inuzuka Kiba-san?" She let the shock sink into her tone as she finally voiced the revelation that invaded her mind. She turned farther over her shoulder to find him leaning against a tree. She was mildly aware that the rain stopped. But the still-drenched cloak clung to him as he removed his mask.

"Yo." he responded for the first time in the voice she'd come to know so well as a teenager. The dog specialist that Naruto beat in his chuunin exam was suddenly all too familiar. As apparently he saw fit to release his chakra, she nearly fell to her knees. He had indeed become quite powerful.

"Akamaru?" her tiny, shivering voice quaked as the world came back into focus. Akamaru was standing just next to him; at least she assumed it was Akamaru. He too had grown quite a bit. She could have kicked herself for not understanding sooner.

She remembered the last time she'd seen him, the night she killed, the night he became an avenger. He promised her, with bloodshot eyes and the limp body hanging in his arms that the next time he saw her, he'd kill her. She felt like vomiting then, knowing that he was the one who escorted her here. She felt dirty and unworthy to grieve for her mistakes in the presence of someone she'd hurt so much.

So she righted her clothes, and proceeded to leave this circle of memories she would never outlive and marched on, to meet her fate. In the wake of the rain, all the leaves and even the sky seemed brighter, somehow. Kiba and Ten-Ten walked behind her, and she was grateful for a moment alone to appreciate how beautiful her former home really was.

She looked to the sky and breatheed in the fresh rain-soaked air. Today is a good day to die. Just behind her, she could hear Kiba quietly explaining the situation to his comrade.

"You're going to save Kakashi-san?" Ten-Ten's voice holds a distinct edge of hope in it, and Sakura's heart sunk just a little.

"Yes." She paused and turned to face the man she was nearly terrified of only a few hours ago. She didn't say anything. She was sure that whatever she said, it wouldn't be enough to make up for what she'd taken from him. So she did the only thing she knew how. She dropped to her knees and spread her palms flat against the dirt. Then, she lowered her forehead to rest on her thumbs and begged for forgiveness.

"Sakura…" Ten-Ten's voice is distant, and shocked. But still Sakura didn't move. She could sense Kiba's aura now, and it erupted into a lance of hate and malice she'd rarely ever experienced before. And his righteous anger rained on her and beat her farther into the earth at his feet.

"Stop." He spoke to her in a sharp warning that finally brought her from the formal bow. "Stand up." His roughly took her arm and pulled her to her feet. And she didn't understand why he souldn't let her express her sorrow. "It doesn't matter to me how much you mourn. You are a criminal. You will always be a criminal. And the only reason my claws haven't ripped into yet is your duty to this village." He was so close then that she didn't have to sense his aura to know his feelings. She sould see them all dance through his canine eyes. "I hope you never make it out of Kakashi's mind. At least then, you'd die doing something good. But I swear to you, if by some miracle, you do make it out alive… I'll kill you myself." Then he released her from his hold and debilitating hate and she stumbled back.

"Kiba-kun!" Ten-Ten scolded him but Sakura no longer cared because she knew that he was right. And a part of her also wished for death in her last redeeming action. She wished to join Sasuke in her reform. She wished she could go back and change it all. She wished Hinata was alive instead of her. She wished so many things that don't matter at this point, because the past it just that… the past. And the present required her to focus on the task at hand. Kakashi.

They made the short journey back to Tsunade's office in silence. But it hadn't escaped Sakura's consciousness that Kiba had once again masked his chakra completely. She considered that he not only had honed this ability for himself, but Akamaru as well. And she wondered… would he have been this strong if she never killed Hinata? The irony sliced like a knife through her resolve, and she was sure he'd thought of the same thing before. It only made him more tragic in her eyes.

Ten-Ten smiled lightly just outside the office and hugged her softly. "Goodbye." Sakura nearly split at the seams, because it occurred to her then, that no one had hugged her like that in a long time. It was a welcoming, female embrace of old friends. It was also her silent eulogy. From here, Sakura knew she must face her own mortality for Kakashi's sake.

"Thank you, Ten-Ten-san." Sakura held her just a moment longer than she knew she should, but the gripping vice of impending death was a powerful deterrent from taking anything for granted. "Truly." Then she released her, and Ten-Ten turned from them to walk through Sakura's mind. This was the last time she would see her.

Tsunade faced the setting sun in her window. Her hands were clasped behind her, like a monumental pillar of strength. Sakura tried to memorize that moment, and the woman who was so strong that she could move the earth and sky. She wanted to ask Tsunade to give her parents a message when she was gone. But she couldn't bring herself to ask anymore from the woman who'd already given so much.

So she stepped through the door, Kiba at her back and tried not to think about how easy it would be for him to rip her apart. Instead she focused on the pale face that haunted her, even now. Kakashi's silver hair and masked face blazed in her mind like a mission banner. She would die for him. She would die to save him, just as Sasuke died to save Naruto. It was only right, it was only fair.

Finally, Tsunade turned, grim and sullen. Her warm eyes swept over Sakura like she was inspecting her. "Ino has already been informed of the situation. She's waiting for you at Kakashi's. As you requested, I haven't told Naruto of the risks, but he insisted on being there. Shizune, Chouji, and Neji will also be present for the procedure."

Sakura's heart sank even farther. "Neji? But why…" she didn't finish her thought. The look on Tsunade's face made the reasons quite clear. He was sent as a representative of the Hyuuga Clan to make sure that she didn't try anything, like using her seal. And very likely, he would kill her if it came to it. She knew he would do it, without hesitation. Just as many other hidden leaves would. "Understood."

"Kiba will accompany you to Kakashi's. Good luck, Sakura." But that was all. No goodbye or don't die. Tsunade didn't even tell her that she was proud of what Sakura was doing or she would forgive her in time. Just good luck, and see you in the next life.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama." Sakura nodded, obediently.

"Dismissed." She could just make out the sound of Tsunade's voice past the roar of blood in her ears. But she was already turned, and marching on through the door to meet her fate, whatever that may be. She wasn't afraid, not really. She was just tired, and ready. She was ready to sleep and rest. She was ready to pay the price of the life she took and face the consequences she ran from all those years ago. She was ready to die.

Or so she thought.