She walked on, hoping not to be seen by anyone. After climbing out the window, who would want to be caught! This weakling was making her way out of the village gracefully and silently. Tomorrow, all three men would be looking for her, when she was nowhere to be found. Well, maybe not all three, but definitely two. The little desperate blonde—and best friend—Naruto, and the silver headed perverted sensei, Kakashi. But what about the raven headed Uchiha? No, he could care less.
The pinkette pulled the sack over her back and concentrated all her chakra to her feet as to not make noise. In minutes she was at the Kohonagakure gate, hesitating. Did she really want to do this? Give up her best friend? Her father-like figure? The love of her life? Yes. The answer was yes. She didn't want to be the thing that held the team back. She didn't want to be the one that made Naruto worry all the time; she didn't want to be the one that made Kakashi kill himself; and she didn't want to be the one that made Sasuke risk his life for someone. She didn't want to. She just didn't. She just wanted what was best for the team, and her leaving was it.
"Where you going, Sakura?" a familiarly husky voice called from the bench that held oh so many memories. He had recently graduated from 'hn…' to small sentences.
"O-out, Sasuke, out…," Sakura stuttered. She held the brown strap so tight it gave her rope burn. What would he do if he found out she was trying to leave the village—again!
"Come here, Sakura," his voice melted the words.
"Sasuke, I have to go," Sakura said as her short cherry blowing to cover her green eyes. She never turned to look at the seventeen year old.
"Sakura," Sasuke repeated, enunciating the name so slowly it melted like all the other words he said. "Come here. I know where you're going; I need to talk to you first."
Sakura swallowed, pressing her lips together so hard they paled from light pink to pure creamy white. She took a deep breath, sighing it out, and turned to him. Her eyes were icy; their shade changed from emerald to mint—something she learned from Sasuke himself. Whenever he got mad, his eyes went from molten onyx to pure black stone.
"Sasuke, what do you want?" she asked.
"Sakura, I don't like to repeat myself," he sighed. Sakura came closer, and sat on the cool stone bench. It brought so much back. "Why are you leaving?"
Sakura sighed, tears coming to her eyes as she got ready to list the reasons. "Sasuke-kun"—she forgot to keep out the suffix, something she had been doing for the past year—"think about it. I might have gotten stronger, but I'm still the weakest. I still make Naruto wonder off; I still make Kakashi ponder the possibilities of… life…; and I still make you want to rip your head off and save my ass every mission. Sasuke, I'm not helping anyone on Team Kakashi. I'm making the team life harder."
"You know what?" Sasuke sighed. "You do make team life harder. But—"
"See—"
"But not for what you said. There's a reason you're the weakest. It's because we don't let you take care of yourself. We're overprotective, we don't want to see you get hurt. You're the blossom. There's a reason Naruto-dobe wonders off—you're his little sister. There's a reason Kakashi wonders about life—you're his little baby girl, his daughter in a way…." Sasuke interrupted.
"Sasuke-kun," Sakura sighed, intent on leaving, "there isn't a reason I annoy you anymore. When you came back, I behaved. I pretended to be over you; it didn't work, okay, Sasuke. I tried to make your life as easy as possible—even when Naruto, and Kakashi, and everyone just wanted to shun for a few years—and I failed. I still love you. I know you hate those three words; and, not only is it best for the team if I leave, its best for me. I cannot stay here another day and look into your eyes—and train with you, eat with you, go to your house and cook for you—and pretend I don't. It's not healthy. Don't you get it?"
The night fell still as an expressionless shock overtook the young Uchiha. Still…? Still…? All this time, still…? The first time she cooked for him, still…? Every night he dreamt of her, she dreamt of him, still…? She volunteered to clean for him when he couldn't, she volunteered to cook for him when he couldn't because… still? Sasuke looked into the green eyes of his secret love. He could see it in her tear-drenched eyes. Yes, she still loved him, with her life.
"There is a reason you annoy the hell out of me. There's a reason, Sakura," Sasuke sighed, ready to give himself up. He felt as embarrassed as a little kid telling his mom who he liked—but this was worse, this was Sakura herself.
"No there's not," Sakura stated. Her lips were pressed together in such a way they were dark red, no longer pink. They made Sasuke really, really want to—
Sasuke crushed their lips together. Sakura's response was immediate. Her lips moved with his. They were in perfect harmony. Tree leaves rushed behind them, the wind blew their hair to the right, but that didn't bother Sakura. And it didn't bother Sasuke.
Sasuke pulled away, his lungs begging for air. He didn't really want the air, but he needed it. His dark onyx eyes bore deep into the closed green ones of his no-longer-secret secret love. "Don't leave. I—we—need you." His tone was dark and sad—thinking of the possibility of Sakura's leaving—but his words were needy and honest.
"Sasuke-kun…," Sakura sighed, opening her eyes. They were back to their nice, warm emerald green. "I'll stay—on one condition. We'll have to do that often. Otherwise…" she trailed off, knowing her threat was just a game.
Sasuke smiled—not smirked! smiled!—and caressed Sakura's porcelain cheek. She hadn't been getting much sun. What with the hospital and training medical students, she just couldn't find the time. "Sure," he answered as the night sky watered the plants around them, "but let's get you home—I don't want you sick."
Sakura smiled at him; the rain matted her hair down. Sasuke stood up, and helped Sakura up. "Let's go to my place, I'm sure yours is a mess."
"HEY! Sasuke, be nice, it's not my fault Lady Hokage won't leave me any time to clean up!" Sakura shouted playfully.
"So? We are still going to my house," Sasuke said with the authority of a husband.
"Alright," Sakura sighed, hating to be bossed around, "but I get to make whatever I want."
"Whatever…"