Disclaimer/Warning: I still do not own Naruto and some language

Reply to guest reader review manduderaw: If I did that then it would be a spoiler and I honestly don't think I'll have that happen. If you don't like the idea then don't read simple as that.. Yes, I agree he deserves the best but keep in mind that this is only the beginning of the story. If you would like to talk about this matter further then log on and PM me or you could continue to read and find out.

Anywho, enjoy this next chapter!

Come What May

[Halo]

Everywhere I'm looking now

I'm surrounded by your embrace

Baby I can see your halo

You know you're my saving grace
~Halo by Beyoncé

Sakura shifted as she began to wake up, the sound of her alarm clock filling the room. What is really Monday again? With a sigh she turned the alarm off and sat up, unsurprised that her husband was still asleep. A soft smile adorned her face as she stared at his sleeping form- a small trail of drool on his cheek. She loved him so much and she knew without a doubt that he loved her too. He said it every day and showed it as well. She reached a hand out and began to stroke his messy hair, wishing that she could stay in bed with him all day, but when she glanced at the clock again she knew they both had things to do that day.

"Naruto," She called, shaking his shoulders. "You need to get up now or you'll be late."

Naruto grumbled something and shifted away from her. "Five more minutes."

She sighed, knowing that there was only one way to get him up when he was this tired. "You can take a shower with me if you want."

"I'm up!" He said, lifting his tired body up.

Sakura laughed, "You perv."

About an hour and a half later the two were heading out of the door to hail a taxi. Naruto was the first to get out, giving her a goodbye kiss and a reminder that he had a training session after work. As the taxi pulled away she watched as students greeted him as he walked to the entrance; she admired him just as much as the students did.

When she arrived at the elementary school she was met by a very flustered Hinata. Though this was normal it seemed to be a serious issue.

"What's up?" Sakura asked, putting her purse away in a drawer.

"Kiba…he…he," Hinata stuttered out. Sakura waited patiently, knowing her friend would eventually spit out what was wrong. "Kiba asked me to marry him!"

"Really?" Sakura shouted. "That's great Hinata! Took him long enough!" Sakura could never forget the feeling she had when Naruto asked her to marry him- she was left in a daze and felt like she was floating. "You did say yes, right?"

"Of course!" The pale woman looked away embarrassed. "Well…after a fainted."

Sakura couldn't help but laugh, leaning on her desk to keep herself from falling over. "I'm sorry Hinata, but that's adorable." She gave her friend a hug, "I'm so happy for you." She released her and looked at her slyly. "So when's the wedding?"

"Sakura this just happened yesterday, I haven't thought about it!"

"Really? Because I had my wedding date hours after I was engaged.

"W-well-"

The playful banter was cut off when there was a knock on the door. One of the counselors, Kikyo Yamaguchi walked in with a sunny smile. "Hello ladies! I'm escorting a new student around and she needed to know where the nurses' office was so she can take her medication. Mr. Uchiha, Akane, this is Mrs. Sakura Uzuamki and Ms. Hinata Hyuuga."

Sakura was shocked when she saw Akane hobbling in on crutches with Sasuke trailing behind her. She felt like she was punched in the gut, the memories from the Friday night and further coming back. She also remembered that she still had his number in her jewelry box.

"Miss. Sakura!" Akane grinned, "You're the school nurse too?"

Sakura smiled back- still finding the child's happiness infectious. "Yep! Guess I'll be seeing you around."

"Daddy, I get to see Miss. Sakura every day!" Akane cheered.

"Just don't pester her," Sasuke replied drily. Kikyo soon ushered the two out of the office and continued on with the tour.

"Sasuke Uchiha…" Hinata muttered. "Sakura isn't he your ex?"

Sakura sighed, sitting on one of the beds. "Yes, he is."

Hinata looked at her carefully. "Didn't he move to Suna after you guys split?"

"Yeah, I never thought he'd move back here." Sakura stroked her wedding ring. "I don't understand why he's back. He hated it here."

Hinata shrugged, leaning against the wall behind her. "I'm actually curious about his daughter though. She's in kindergarten by the looks of it, meaning…" She trailed off, seeing the paling look on her friend's face. "I-I mean-!"

Sakura shook her head. "No, I wondered the same thing. The thing is…if he did have a girl while he was with me things would make more sense. He was distracted and just didn't seem all there." She sighed, standing up. "Well, anyway I don't really care anymore. His daughter is a cutie, but he's another story. I refuse to call him or have anything to do with him."

"Call him?"

Oh, she forgot she had left that part out when she was telling Hinata on Saturday afternoon about his appearance. It wasn't an intentional omission- it just slipped her mind. "He left me his number with a note telling me to call him if I wanted. I honestly thought about it, but I realized it would be stupid."

Hinata thought about what she was just told before saying, "I think you made a good choice. Why bring up bad memories?" she then let out a short chuckled. "That and you know Scarlett would kill you."

Sakura shuttered a bit, remembering how pissed off, her college roommate and good friend, Scarlett was when she found Sakura hung-over after her break up with the Uchiha.

"Sakura the asshole wasn't worth your time anyway," Scarlett had said bluntly. "He made you clingy and weak, you weren't yourself at all. You stopped hanging out with everyone just to be with him. A boyfriend should be an addition to your life and better your overall person, not consume it and leave you a shell of yourself."

"God, I really don't want to tell Scarlett about this," Sakura said. "She would come all the way here from the south to tell him off for coming back to the country and tell me off for taking his number."

"You do know she has connections and would find out anyway."

"I know, that's why I have to tell her before someone else does."

The rest of her shift at the school went smoothly with only a few kids coming in with scrapes from the playground. It was around noon when Sakura packed up her things and said her goodbyes to everyone. As she moved through the empty hallways of the elementary school she made a mental list of the things she needed to pick up after her shift at the hospital. Paper towel, toilet paper…did Naruto eat all the instant Raman yet?

She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the door to the consoler's office open and a dark haired man walk out, until she bumped into the man. "Sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going!" She looked up and flinched at the cold eyes that met hers. Sasuke.

"Hn," He muttered, placing his hands in the pockets of his slacks. "Same as always I see."

A brand of rage that Sasuke could only bring flashed through her. Same as always? She knew for a fact that she was a changed woman. She sent him a glare and snapped out: "Apologies for not being to your standards." It felt good to snap at him and walk away, leaving him slightly stunned. However, it was a short lived victory because he was right behind her on the way out of the building. His very presence made her feel uncomfortable and self-conscious.

"You'll take good care of Akane when she comes in, correct?"

Sakura stopped, turning around to raise an eyebrow. "Of course I will. Why wouldn't I?"

"She has for some reason become attached to you," He replied with the same dull tone. "She talked about you all weekend."

Karma's a bitch ain't it? She couldn't help but think. You didn't want to talk to me at all a week before we broke up and now you have a daughter who loves to talk about me. Oh the irony. "That's adorable. Now, if you'd excuse me I have another job to get to."

"What are you doing after your shift?"

The simple question brought confusing feelings to her and a coolness came over her body. "Why?"

"I wanted to talk to you about a few things and give you something," Was his simple reply.

She searched his eyes for a motive of some kind, but found none. "No."

"It's about Akane."

"Don't use Akane as an excuse," She snapped. She refused to give into his demands like she had a few years back. She was stronger now and would not be bossed around. "If you need to talk to me about Akane then you will just have to come in when I'm on staff here. And what could you possibly have to give me?"

"You left behind your journal."

Her eyes widened at the mention of her old journal that was given to her by her late grandmother. The journal was filled with pictures that Sakura had taken and with them were quotes that she had written or short stories. It was something that she started her freshman year of college and kept it going until she misplaced it one day- breaking her heart when she realized how many precious memories were stored in that journal. She never thought that she had left it in the old apartment her and Sasuke had shared. She almost caved right then, but then Naruto's smile popped up in her head. She couldn't do that to him. "Bring it to me tomorrow when I'm in my office."

She didn't let him say another word after that- quickly going outside and hailing a taxi. She slumped down into the seat and pulled out her phone, a text from Naruto saying: "I Love You! The kids keep pestering me to bring you in one day and bring in cookies. I told them maybe if you had a day off from the hospital." She smiled down at her phone, sending him a reply saying she'd talk to him about it later. She tried to remember an instance where Sasuke texted her that he loved her and came up with none. He was too into himself and serious to do something so fluffy. Her phone vibrated in her hand; why was Naruto calling her?

"Don't you have a class to teach?" She questioned curiously.

"It's just study hall and I escaped to the teacher's lounge," He replied. She could hear the sound of the copiers and muttering of teachers in the background. "I just wanted to see how your day was."

She wanted to say confusing and irritating with the appearance of her ex, but decided that was a conversation for home when they were face to face. "It's been okay, I just pulled up to the hospital." She paid the driver with her credit card and headed into the hospital.

"Oh okay, I'll talk to you later then. I won't be home till close to ten, so you don't have to wait up if you don't want to," He replied.

She went into the changing room to put on a pair of purple scrubs. "I'll probably be up watching TV, I'll have some dinner ready for you."

"Awesome thanks!"

She finished changing and stored her clothes in her locker. "I have to get going Naruto."

"Okay, I'll see you at home then," He replied. "I Love you."

Would she ever stop smiling whenever he said that? He said it so sweetly and earnestly she could never imagine not hearing it from him. "I love you too." When she hung up all traces of Sasuke were gone from her mind and she was in nurse mode. She was ready to take on anything that came her way during her six hour shift.

[Author's Corner]

~I hope everyone enjoyed and reviews are much appreciated to tell me your opinion on this story.

~Scarlett Hayes is an OC that will be properly introduced soon

~Yes, one of the pairings in here is KibaXHinata simply because I like that pairing