Since I originally placed this fanfic under romance and angst, let's end it that way, shall we? This chapter, which will be the last one, will take care of the angst (hopefully). Then I'll put up a short epilogue, which will take care of the romance. Don't worry, it sounds crappy, but it'll be good. Here goes… XD


Chapter 5

Naruto awoke to darkness, his eyes unable to immediately adjust. He lay, unmoving, for the first few moments, waiting for his headache to slowly fade. There was a slightly nauseous feeling about him and a dull throbbing on his lower back. But other than a few discomforts, he was feeling a lot better than he had in days.

He was well aware of the fact that he was in a hospital- the air reeked of the smell of disinfectants- but other than that, he really had no idea where he was. The last thing he could clearly remember was a fuzzy outline of the Sand Village, then the sandy floor rushing up to meet him as he fell, unconscious. So he must be in the Sand Village, then.

Despite the obviously, for lack of better word, bad condition he was in, Naruto couldn't hold back his curiosity. He'd always been like this; he just had to know what was going on. He slipped out of bed with little caution, as was his habit, and stumbled to the door. The fox's chakra had healed him quickly and he was able to keep himself standing upright as he made his way down the empty hallway.

Wasn't this supposed to be a hospital? Where was everyone? He placed a hand against one wall to steady himself. The initial burst of energy he'd had while getting out of that hospital bed had been drained and he could feel the fatigue creeping up on him.

Footsteps around the corner alerted his senses and he quickly looked around, not wanting to get caught. The footsteps grew louder, then two figures turned the corner. A nurse and a medic were conversing in hushed tones, discussing a patient that had been newly admitted to the hospital. They walked down the corridor without hesitation, neither noticing the blond ninja stacked against the ceiling in a poor, comical attempt to conceal himself.

Naruto watched as the two figures walked off, then let out a sigh of relief. He landed skillfully on the floor, a little out of breath, and continued down the hall. He didn't really have a clear idea of where he was going, but he supposed the reasonable thing to do was to find Sakura. Of course, Sakura would know what to do. She was Sakura, after all.

He smiled a little to himself and the childish light returned to his eyes as he thought about the extremely awesome girl he'd know for most of his life. He had to find her; she'd make everything well again.

Naruto walked past a door along the way and paused, slowing thinking to himself. Sakura had been pretty badly hurt, so she was probably in one of these rooms as well. How would he find her? He considered going to the front desk to ask, but realized he would just be sent back to his room.

Alright, then! I'll just check every room until I find her! He thought, pumping a determined fist in the air. He reached for the first door, pushed it open, and saw an empty room. OK, next room. The next four or five rooms he checked were occupied by sleeping patients who didn't notice his intrusion. He concluded that it was probably some time in the middle of the night, which would explain why everyone was asleep.

He opened two more doors, one that was empty, and one who had a nurse tending to a patient. The nurse turned to see who had opened the door, but Naruto took off before she could get a clear look at his face. His footsteps quickened after that; he knew there would be hospital staff members looking for him now.

Naruto tore down the hall, throwing doors open and slamming them shut. There was no need to conceal his location anymore because he could hear people running after him, footsteps echoing along the halls.

He quickly turned into a corner, then turned another one, to buy himself more time. He approached a new set of doors and decided that since he'd momentarily lost the people chasing him, it would be a smart idea to check these rooms quietly. After two unsuccessful attempts, he reached the third door and paused to take a breath.

There was sound coming from this room- quiet sniffles, then a sigh. It sounded like there were at least two people in there. Carefully, Naruto peeked through the small window on the door and saw two figures sitting on the hospital bed. It was extremely dark, but he could make out the fuzzy outlines. They looked awfully familiar.

His heartbeat sped up as his eyes strained to see in the dark. It was Sakura and Sasuke; he was sure of that. But what caught his attention was the proximity of the two. She appeared to be buried in his arms, and he, as unexpected as it was for Sasuke, seemed to go along with her actions, even responding to it.

Naruto shook his head to clear his mind. No, this couldn't be the right room. He could understand Sakura's need for comfort, but Sasuke… Uchiha Sasuke, showing … kindness? Those words just didn't go in the same sentence.

They'd noticed his presence at this point and Sakura practically leapt off the bed, awkwardly shifting away from a startled Sasuke, who had momentarily let his guard down.

"Naruto!" Sasuke sounded surprised, with a bit of annoyance tinting his voice. It was the same voice he'd used many years ago on a daily basis when looking down on Naruto.

Sakura was in the corner, eyes widened, her mind working furiously to comprehend what was going on. It wasn't really the situation that caught her; she was just a bit thrown off by the fact that the three of them, after all these years, were assembled in the same room.

"Na-Naruto, you feel better, right?" Sakura had found her voice again and began approaching the door, where the light from the hallway slowly light her features. In the dim lighting, Naruto could see a tentative, unsure look in her eyes. He grimaced inwardly. This was not how he wanted her to approach him.

"Sakura-chan", he nodded, glad that she'd acknowledged him.

"Well, I'm glad no one's injured too badly", Sakura tried to smile, hoping that she was lightening the mood.

"Sakura-cha-"

"C'mon, Naruto. I think we should return to our rooms. Everyone needs more rest", Sakura stressed the "return" part and Naruto, catching the hint, stepped dutifully out of the room.

"You should rest too, Sasuke-kun", Sakura said lightly as she slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her. She waited for the 'click' to signal that the door was tightly closed, then turned to Naruto in the hallway.

"Were you guys talking?" he asked in a low voice.

Sakura looked tiredly at him, not sure of how to answer. It sounded like a simple 'yes' or 'no' question, but it wasn't. Yes, they were talking. But, no, it wasn't really "talking". Not in the sense that anything important had been spoken.

"Not really", she finally answered, adding a shrug as she began leading the way down the hall. Naruto trailed after her, continuously firing questions at her. What exactly happened? How badly hurt had she been? And Sasuke? Was he badly hurt too? When did Sasuke come back? What were they going to do with-

"Naruto! I can't answer everything at once!" Sakura sounded exasperated. She sucked in a deep breath, held it, and turned to look at Naruto. Slowly, as if forcing all of the anger and frustration out of her, Sakura let the breath out.

"This is so complicated", she murmured, closing her eyes. Naruto's senses alerted almost immediately. Sakura wobbled, unsteady on her feet. Her eyes didn't open again as she fell. Naruto barely caught her before they both tumbled to the ground.


Sasuke stared numbly at the ceiling. Sasuke-kun, she had called him. Reverting back to the childhood days, huh?

Her voice played over and over in his head and he couldn't get rid of it. Didn't want to get rid of it. Already, his arms missed the feeling of her warmth, his chest missed the pressure of her body against his. He realized that no matter how much he believed he was better off alone, he really appreciated the human contact he'd been missing out on for so many years.

Now, left alone in the darkness, Sasuke had plenty of time to think about everything; plenty of time to sort things out. His mind was focused on Sakura- she was his only possible ally at the moment, but more so, she was his only companion. And even with her, he couldn't be sure where her loyalties lied.

She'd changed so much, grown so much, yet part of him felt that underneath her tough exterior, she was exactly the same. The same girl who lived on the tremendous support of people around her, who desired to be important to people, who just wanted, no, needed, to be accepted by him. Or maybe that was all wishful thinking? Maybe he was no longer of any importance to her.

Was there a way he could figure it all out? He tried to recall the way she'd acted before, hoping that he could catch a glimpse of her thought patterns, of her old habits. He searched for anything that could help him understand what she thought. But there was nothing.

Too much time had passed for him to predict any of her thoughts anymore. He had to reluctantly admit that, although she would have done anything for him when they were younger, she was now a different person. She was now her own person.

So, does that mean I'm too late? Sasuke sighed and rubbed his head. This wasn't going anywhere. He hated the feeling of insecurity and he hated the inability to do anything about it.

"Things have changed quite a bit", he muttered dryly.

A rush of footsteps outside his room had Sasuke suddenly up in his bed. He strained to listen to the frantic voices and was able to catch enough words amongst the incoherent voices to understand that Sakura had somehow fainted out in the hallways.

Where did that put him? Was he supposed to sit and wait, and let the nurses take care of it? That was obviously the reasonable thing to do, but as we all know, people aren't always reasonable. Sasuke jumped out of his bed, forgetting about his injuries. As his foot came in contact with the floor, he remembered that he wasn't exactly in tip-top shape and his body immediately hunched over. Using the wall to support himself, Sasuke made his way to the door.

The hallways were already empty by the time he was out of the room. However, there was a distinct group of voices coming from one of the rooms and he followed it eagerly. The garbled words became clearer and Sasuke listened, eyes narrowing as the words of the people inside the room reached him.

"She's worked herself- and worried herself, to the point of exhaustion", one of the medics spoke up. His voice was sympathetic.

"What was she doing out in the hallway?" another voice asked.

"What was she doing?" the first medic repeated the question.

Sasuke waited, wondering why the medic said the same thing.

"She was talking to… to me".

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he heard Naruto's voice answer. It was obviously a lie.

"Talking to you?" the medic sounded skeptical. "And what were you doing out there?"

"Talking to her?" Naruto answered hopefully,

The medic sighed loudly and Sasuke had to fight back a slight smile. Even in the most serious of times, Naruto found a way to annoy people and provide a bit of entertainment. It must have been a gift.

"She just needs rest", the first medic spoke again, "and possibly an IV drip. The glucose level in her blood is extremely low and her chakra flow is weak".

"But, she'll be ok, right?" Naruto's voice was obnoxiously louder than the medic's. Sasuke cringed.

"Yes. And what about you? You weren't given permission to leave your room, were you?" the medic's voice had become stern.

"But I'm fine!" Naruto protested.

"Tsh, fine? We have to do an examination. Come".

The door opened and Sasuke quickly stepped back just in time to miss being hit by Naruto's swinging arm.

"Oi, what are you doing out here?"

Sasuke ignored the question, earning a frustrated growl from his blond teammate.

"I asked you a question!" Naruto spoke louder.

"C'mon, we don't have time for this", the medic had stepped out behind Naruto and was ushering him along. "But, he has a point. What are you doing out here? Why can't you guys just follow rules? Everyone's out of there beds before they're supposed to be- no one's going to recover like this!"

The medic's voice echoed down the hall and Sasuke rolled his eyes. He trudged back to his room as ordered, acting reluctant all the way. But, really, he was satisfied. There was a sense of security now. He knew Sakura would recover, Naruto was almost fully healed, and he would be fine as well. In a way, things were getting better.


Gaara folded his hands on the table and looked at the three shinobi in front of them. Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, standing in that order. His first words were directed at the medic in the middle, because, really, she was the only person he was willing to trust at this time.

"And that's it?" he repeated the question he'd just asked.

"Yes, kazekage-sama".

Gaara sighed. He was roughly the same age as these shinobi and probably had the same amount of life experience, so technically, he wasn't super wise or anything, but he certainly wasn't stupid. Their story, well, it was mostly Sakura's story, had holes. He knew Sakura wouldn't lie to him, but that didn't mean she would tell him everything either. He supposed that even after all the time she'd spent living in the Sand, the girl was still loyal to fellow Leaf shinobi.

"Well, I guess that means you guys are free to go for now. Return at sundown and we'll discuss our final decisions", Gaara said finally.

"Thank you", Sakura was the first to leave the room, her two teammates closely behind her. They were silent as they walked down the long, winding corridor and no one even thought of speaking until they were a good distance away from the kazekage's tower.

"Why didn't you tell him everything?" Naruto demanded, looking angrily back and forth from Sakura to Sasuke, "and why didn't you let me speak?"

Sakura shifted her eyes to the floor. "There was no need for - "

"You were protecting him", Naruto thrust an arm towards Sasuke.

"Naruto! You have to understan- " Sakura was pleading, but Naruto ignored her and turned to the dark-haired shinobi.

"We don't even know if we can trust you. After the way you left. Even after Konoha fell, I'm sure you've heard, and you still - "

"You don't know anything about me!" Sasuke snapped, taking a step forward.

"That's why we can't trust you!" Naruto countered.

Sakura stepped instinctively between the two, but Sasuke dragged her aside, shoving her almost harshly out of the way as he took another step towards Naruto.

"Hey! You can't do that to her!" Naruto growled.

"You just accused her of protecting me, you hypocrite", Sasuke shot back.

Sakura looked on helplessly as they argued, an unsettling sense of déjà vu flooding her as she listened. This was just like before; every time the two of them got into a fight, whether it was with harsh words or weapons, she hadn't been able to do anything.

"I think Gaara has a right to know what- "

"To know what happened exactly with the chakra tails?" Sasuke interrupted, shooting a glare at Naruto. That shut him up.

"Stop it!" Sakura's arms shot out, each hand grasping the arm of one of her teammates. They paused to look at her, slightly taken back by her interference. "There's no point in arguing. No one is anyone's enemy here. We just- we just have to figure everything out".

"Figure everything out?" Naruto echoed, "What does that mean?"

"It means you guys have to know what you're going to do after this", Sakura sighed.

"I'm leaving", Sasuke replied simply. He looked like he was ready to just walk out of the village any minute.

"What?!" Sakura and Naruto had the same reaction: disbelief.

"There's nothing for me here", Sasuke looked at them and Sakura detected a hint of sadness in his eyes. She could understand what was going through his mind. He was right; there really was nothing here for him. This wasn't his home. He wasn't exactly welcome here. And there wasn't much he could do to contribute to the village.

"Where will you go?" she asked softly.

"You're letting him go?!" Naruto's voice grew louder.

Sakura didn't reply and Sasuke ignored the protest.

"I've been traveling before all this happened. It wouldn't be any more or less different", he stated.

"Well, I'm leaving too, then", Naruto hmphed. Sasuke nodded nonchalantly and Sakura gave him a sad smile.

"So, is this it, then?" She asked, "Even though Gaara-sama says he will speak to the council about our future, he ultimately has the power to make the choice. And I know he'll let us decide on our own. So, is this really it?"

"Sorry, Sakura-chan", Naruto murmured. He looked longingly at the distance. Since the destruction of Konoha, he'd been a wanderer as well. Although, his journeys were considerably more difficult than those of Sasuke, since the kyuubi would constantly be a burden for him. But when it came down to it, he didn't know any other lifestyle anymore. Anything he'd learned from Konoha- loyalty to the Hokage, teamwork, completing missions- had faded away during his travels. He was different now.

"Then, let's make this last moment enjoyable, ok?" Sakura tried her hardest to smile, "Before we have to go see Gaara-sama again, let's spend time together as Team 7".

"Ok!" Naruto grinned. He was up for this, of course.

Sasuke studied the hidden, pained expression on Sakura's face, then agreed as well. He would comply with this, just for her. They strolled down the streets of the Sand Village with Sakura leading the way. She was the only one in the group who knew her way around. The first few places they came upon were all restaurants. They were hungry, but the food just wasn't tempting enough.

Until… Naruto saw a ramen stand.

"RAMEN!!" all the genuine, childlike joy suddenly radiated from him and he galloped forward, leaving a startled Sakura and amused Sasuke behind. They caught up in time and each took a seat beside Naruto, who'd already gotten halfway through his bowl.

"Aren't you eating a bit fast?" Sakura scrunched up her eyebrows as she picked at her noodles.

Naruto's reply came in the form of garbled words, which no one could comprehend.

"Uh… ok", Sakura said sheepishly.

The reply was more garbled words, which sent Sakura into a fit of laughter and even managed to crack a smile on Sasuke's usually emotionless features.

Even after the empty ramen bowls had stacked up, the three shinobi remained seated. They'd lost themselves to a world of memories, bringing up every mission they'd completed together, all the times Kakashi-sensei had been late, and all the inside jokes they'd managed to compile over the years.

It wasn't until the store owner "politely" reminded them (for the 3rd time) that they were closing soon, that the three decided they finally had to leave. They ambled along the main roads of the village, heading in the general direction that led them towards the kazekage's office. They walked slowly, so slowly, that by the time they finally reached the office, it was time to go in.


Gaara was looking at the same three people he'd seen earlier that day. And they were standing in the exact same places.

"You said I could leave your surveillance if the mission was a success. Does that also include leaving the village completely?" Sasuke asked.

"And where would you go?"

"Anywhere. I've been doing this before you guys captured me. I can continue to do the same". The confidence in Sasuke's voice worked like magic. Gaara nodded almost without hesitation and Sakura smiled a smile that was mixed with both happiness and sadness. She was happy for Sasuke, happy that he could do what he wanted. But at the same time, she was incredibly sad. Despite all the conflict, the past few days had been the most interesting in a long time. She realized how much she missed having her teammates around, especially Sasuke.

"And you, Naruto?" Gaara turned his head.

"I'll…" Naruto looked at the wall for a moment, as if thinking hard, then snapped his head back towards the kazekage, "I'm leaving too".

"If that's your choice. We have no control over your decisions", Gaara stated.


It was the last night they would be in the same village. Both Sasuke and Naruto were set to leave early the next morning. Sakura was heartbroken.

That night, she tossed and turned in her bed, unable to rest or even lay still. Her heart was pounding and she had no idea why. Well, she supposed it was because her fleeting moments with her two teammates would end in a few hours, but it had to be more than that. She was happy with her life, wasn't she? Before all of this, she'd lived every day comfortably. Sure, she often thought of the two, and she missed them a lot, but she'd never felt anything like this.

Why did both Sasuke and Naruto have to leave her? Why couldn't they just all live happily together?

You're making this into a fairytale, a voice in her mind scolded her. She knew happy endings weren't possible. Not in real life, anyways. She knew both Sasuke and Naruto well enough to know that there really wasn't anything she could do or say to make them stay.

"Just for a little longer", she squeezed her eyes shut as a tear slid down her cheek.

Her fists clenched the bed sheets, wringing the material tightly. It felt like her heart was being wrung. "Can't they stay just a little longer?" she repeated, half whispering, half sobbing.

Her mind was shifting through all the good memories she'd managed to hold on to, playing through each one until she abruptly stopped at that one night. The night Sasuke first left Konoha.

Her heart felt like it was squeezed painfully and she choked back a sob. She could still see it all clearly. It was a memory that wouldn't ever fade. The twelve-year-old Sakura, the twelve-year-old Sasuke, standing a good distance apart on the road that led out of the village.

She'd pleaded him with everything she had that night. Everything. She'd cried all her tears, said everything she had on her mind, done everything she could. And he'd still left. Then what hope was there for her to convince him this time? He was stronger now, more resolute. Surely, he wouldn't even pay attention to her pleads.

"He's leaving tomorrow", Sakura whispered aloud, looking at the ceiling. Her eyes flashed open and she blinked rapidly until the tears left her eyes. "Sasuke… don't leave".

She heard a thump, followed by the door of her room creaking open. Immediately, Sakura sat up, completely alert. She momentarily turned off her emotions slipped her hand under her pillow, grabbing the kunai she kept there.

"Sakura?" the voice was soothing. Sakura relaxed her grip on the weapon and turned her head towards the door.

"Wha -"

"Were you talking in your sleep?" the voice was slightly teasing. Sakura felt a chill come over her.

"I was awake", she replied softly, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. Had he heard what she'd said?

"You don't want me to leave, huh?" his voice grew nearer as he approached her bed.

"No", she admitted. So he had heard her.

"You know I won't listen to you that easily", he was right next to her bed now.

"I know. What are you doing here?" her voice only grew quieter as he seated himself on the bed.

"I came to talk to you", he stated.

"Oh".

"I'm leaving tomorrow".

"I know".

"Come with me".

"What?" Sakura turned. She could see his face, with peaceful, serene features that were lit partially by the moonlight. There was a certain intensity in his eyes, but everything else looked calm.

"Come with me", he repeated.

"Me?"

"No, the freaking bed", he rolled his eyes, a smirk playing on his lips. Sakura watched him, her heart thundering in her chest.

"I -"

"Sakura. If you come with me, we could do anything. Any kind of life... any opportunity would be open. A skilled shinobi and a talented medic? We could really do anything".

"So I'm just useful then, is that it, Sasuke? Is that why you want me to come with you?" Even as Sakura spoke these defying words, she felt herself give away.

"Yes. But, there are a lot of medics out there. I'm asking you because I want you to go with me", Sasuke spoke as if he were stating the obvious. There was no embarrassment, no bashfulness in his voice. He had no reason to hide the truth.

"I can't just leave here", Sakura protested. But even as she said these words, she knew she wanted to go with him. She had to admit this was possibly the most tempting opportunity she'd been opened up to. Traveling with Sasuke, the one person she'd admired and idolized as a girl. She was more mature now, of course, but she still had the same fascination with him. The way he thought, the way he acted, the way he held himself in any situation.

She sighed.

"What about Naruto?"

"What about him?"

"I mean", Sakura sighed again, "where's he going to go?"

"He can do whatever he wants", Sasuke replied. "I've said before, we're no longer a team. There's no more Konoha, no more anything. If you come with me, we make a new team. There is no more Team 7".

"There's no… oh", Sakura's voice broke. No Team 7, huh?

"The decision is yours. I leave tomorrow no matter what". Sasuke slipped off the bed and turned to leave. He was halfway out the room when he paused, thought for a moment, then turned back around.

Before Sakura's mind could register it, she found herself swept up, roughly kissed, then unceremoniously dumped back onto the bed.

"Sasu-"

The door was closed. He was gone. Sakura sunk back under the covers and buried her head in the pillow. Her lips tingled and her heartbeat sped up, if that was even possible. She remained awake for the rest of the night, thinking long and hard about the possible future ahead of her.

Before the sun brightened her room, she'd made her decision.


WOWOWOWOW… what's her decision?! Technically, the story ends here and the ending is supposed to be like, self-explanatory. You know, the reader chooses whatever ending they like. But just for the hell of it, I'm putting up an epilogue. So don't go anywhere yet! XD