1. Guilt

Okay, I'm going to do 10 reviews each chapter for this one and the next, and then I'll be going back to my old routine of posting a chapter a week(I still have to see what people like, what they don't like, what I need to change, all that. Then I'll just post it up every week).

I love how everyone so far loves the direction I'm going. Now, this chapter isn't going to be real "fluffy". After all, the story is just starting. This chapter will show you the setting of the story, and how things will roll on later. Ugh, and my computer STILL isn't letting me do my precious line...so now I have to do it on my dad's...Anyways, enjoy!

Note: This chapter happens BEFORE the preface. The preface section won't appear again until later.

DISCLAIMER: ...I dun wanna own it right now. They're doing a good job on NaruSaku right now...I dun wanna screw it up.

"Please...don't do this anymore…"

I sat here, just sitting, in the hospital outside one single room in the middle of the night. I couldn't go in there. I couldn't see the result of my actions. What could possibly make up for what I'd done to him? All I could do was stare at the clock high up on the wall, wishing that the day would go faster. Every second seemed like an hour. One long agonizing hour that seemed to just claw and poke at my will; the will to see Naruto.

How could I bear to look him in the eye? Today…today he risked his life for me. And the only reason was because he wanted to get Sasuke back. Sure, he did get him…but he went too far. He didn't have to ask for Kyuubi's help. He didn't have to use his senjutsu.

He didn't have to do anything.

I would've gladly just let Sasuke be. I didn't care anymore. Sure, that spot in my heart would've never been healed. But if I'd lost Naruto, that'd would hurt worse. I didn't get to know Sasuke. I didn't know about his hardships; only that one of Itachi. He never smiled, and killing his brother was all that mattered to him. But Naruto…he was different. I got to know him more than anyone else. I was the only other person in our age group who knew about Kyuubi, besides Sasuke. He trusted me more than anyone else. And I returned the favor. We'd grown so close…and it pained me to see him so hurt.

"I have to, Sakura-chan. I promised you, and I always stick by my word."

Another second, another stab. I shut my eyes, and put my head in my hands. Why did I ever make him do it? I felt the tears threatening to pour down my face, and I tried to force them back. I couldn't help but cry. Here I am, a Chuunin, a med-nin, and I'm crying over another injured Genin. God, I was pathetic. But…then again, he wasn't just another Genin. He meant something to me. Still…I couldn't say how I felt. It was impossible. The words couldn't form, and I knew they never would. There was nothing I could do.

I heard footsteps as someone approached the hospital room, and I quickly wiped my eyes and looked up. I wasn't really surprised to see Tsunade coming down the hallway. Of course she would be checking up on Naruto. I froze as I saw her catch my gaze, just staring at me with a strange glint in her eyes. "Sakura. You here to see them too?" she asked me, stopping before she entered the room. "Come on. It'd be a good idea to see him."

Whoever she meant by him, it didn't concern me. I took in a quivering breath. You can't refuse Tsunade—unless you wanted to die. I stood up shakily, hands trembling, but I kept a firm face as a poor attempt to hide my anxiety. I stepped into the room, and just stared at the ninja lying on the nearest bed.

All parts of his body were covered in bandages, and there were some needles stuck into the free parts of his arms. Obviously a chakra supply system. His eyes were closed, and there was a nasal cannula stuck in his nostrils to supply oxygen to him. His face was terribly burned, red to the darkest extent. He looked frighteningly still. With another struggled breath, I looked over to the next bed.

"But…you can't go! What if he kills you?"

There Sasuke lay, not nearly as bad as Naruto. Sure, he still looked like a mummy, but his face was perfectly clear except for a few burn marks and scratched from Kyuubi's chakra. Part of his hair was cut off; now his hair just looked like a small-chicken's ass. It almost made me sick to look at Sasuke—not because of how he looked. But because how he seemed completely unharmed compared to Naruto. It was only now that I truly saw what Kyuubi did. And then, plus his senjutsu, that must of put a toll on him.

"He really isn't as bad as he looks, Sakura." Tsunade told me, and I just turned around to look at her, giving her that 'what-do-you-mean' look. "Sure, he looks bad on the outside, but Kyuubi is still healing him despite how much chakra he used of his. He'll be fine; and up before Sasuke." She smiled, but I couldn't smile back.

"Do you think…I made a mistake way back then?" I asked her in a strained voice. "Should I really have asked Naruto to retrieve Sasuke-kun?" I couldn't help but blame myself. He wouldn't have tried so hard if not for me asking him. Sure, he still would've tried to get him back, but I made the impact. He's only here because of me. Everyone was here only because of me. I felt as if the entire world was pointing one huge finger at me, blaming me. And I was a part of that world.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Sakura, we got our best, most skilled ninja back." She said in a warm voice. "Both of them." Judging by her tone, I could tell that she wasn't just talking to me. She was glad that Naruto was alive, and Sasuke. "You can't redo what's already been done. It's in the past. Look to the future."

And so the waterworks came. "But…if I hadn't asked Naruto…he wouldn't be here like this…" I cried softly, trying to hold back my tears again. God, I sucked at this. "And Sasuke-kun…he left to go get power. He didn't care about what happened here. Not about me, or about Naruto. He was…being so selfish!" My anger finally came through, not just out loud. I finally understood also was I was so angry. Not only at myself, but at Sasuke too.

"Sasuke made mistakes in the past, sure." Tsunade continued. "He didn't make the correct choices. He can be selfish. Look at the shiny side of the tarnished coin, Sakura." Then, she smiled again. "He's back. And he's with us now."

"I'll try." I said, and wiped my eyes again. Much, much easier said than done. I knew though, I'd feel better a lot better after Naruto woke up. When they both were awake. This guilt would mostly go away…I hoped. Hey, I can dream.

"And if he does…well…you'll still have him. Don't worry."

I curled myself up next to Naruto's bed, remembering that previous conversation before he went after Sasuke. He didn't care if he died. He just wanted to make me happy…again. But…I don't think he realized that by him dying, it would make me even more depressed. Besides, who was to say that Sasuke would've still come back? He could've just left again, making Naruto's sacrifice all for nothing. I just thanked my lucky stars that he was still here…both of them, like Tsunade said. I stared at Naruto's face, and I didn't see that burned, scarred skin. I saw his tan complexion, and his shining sapphire eyes. He was smiling, like always. This was always how I saw him…no other way. It made my stomach flutter to see this image, and I felt peaceful. And, even in this predicament, I smiled. It was a warm, kind smile. I kissed my index and middle fingers on my right hand, and then laid it on Naruto's lips. "Thank you…" I whispered, and suddenly I was crying again. But this time, it wasn't out of sadness. I was happy. New warmth grew inside me, a light flickering on in my heart. But it wasn't just a bright light, nor was it too hot. It was just glowing, like a peaceful, solitary, candle. Even in that coldness, with the wind blowing around, that candle burned on, burned strong. And it would stay lit…

xXxXxXxXx

I didn't even realize I'd fallen asleep by time a nurse came by to wake me up. She said she needed to change Naruto's bandages. I merely nodded my head, and walked outside for a minute. For once, in a long time, I'd had a nice dream. No nightmares, no waking up in the middle of the night in cold sweat. It was just…peaceful. Like everything was going at the moment. Sure, there were still some bumps along the road. Nothing I couldn't conquer.

Until I came to that goddamn huge pothole.

Suddenly, that peaceful feeling vanished. The candle dimmed. What if…he really did reject me? The pothole would grow and I'd disappear to the middle of the Earth—lost forever, and burn. I couldn't help but be a pessimistic about everything. I analyzed every possible outcome, including the worst of the worst. Boy, that got me confident. I'd need to call some road-assistance pretty quick if I wanted that pothole fixed before the earthquake would hit.

The nurse stepped out, and told me I could go back in. "But you need to be quiet." She warned me. "Uchiha-sama will be waking up soon. Uzumaki-sama will be awake in about a few hours." Wait, so Sasuke would wake up before Naruto? But Tsunade said Naruto'd wake up first. The nurse walked off briskly, and I just stared at her. Someone was in a hurry to get out of there.

I looked at the door and stepped through. The room was silent except for the quiet beeping of the heart monitor on Naruto's side. The nurse must have turned off Sasuke's. I resumed my spot next to Naruto, and laid my head next to his unmoving hand. Nearly everything was healed now, except for his face. But that was always the last thing to heal, so I wasn't all too worried. Absent-mindedly, my left reached out to grasp Naruto's right. It felt incredibly warm; and not because of the burns. It was strange. Before, it just felt…a little more than normal. Now it was actually hot. But I wouldn't let go. Why should I?

A rustling noise broke my thoughts, and I looked up to see Sasuke's feet moving a little. Gently, I let go of Naruto's hand to get a better look. Peeking through Naruto's curtains, I saw Sasuke sitting up, staring at the blanket. Just like the last time he was in the hospital. Except, this time he didn't have the furious glare in his eyes. They were oddly gentle, soft. It wasn't hard to tell he was deep in thought.

"Sasuke-kun?" I said slowly, softly so I wouldn't startle him. Sasuke's eyes shot wide and he glared at me. I backed off just a little, holding my hands up. He blinked, as if focusing his eyes, and then they went back to their previous state. "Sasuke-kun…how're you feeling?"

Sasuke looked to the side, down to the blanket, and then to the curtains I was appearing out of. "Who's behind there?" he said in a hoarse voice, still thick from the sleep. He tried to look through the crack in the curtain that my head created, but I just kept in his way. "Come on, Sakura."

"Just Naruto…" I mumbled. I felt a slight glare form in my eyes, and I couldn't shake it off. Something about Sasuke was just pissing me off. Was it because he didn't come back willingly, putting Naruto in his condition? Or was it just the pain of finally staring him in the face again? Seeing him again in Konoha's hands, not knowing when he'd betray us again. Then I stopped myself. Look at the shiny side of the tarnished coin. But…it was hard to look at the shiny side when it wasn't all that shiny at all. It wasn't tarnished, it was just dull. I swallowed, forcing my feelings down with it, and choked out, "You still haven't told me how you're feeling." I said, trying to let a little humor out in my struggled tone.

Sasuke cut off his eye contact with me, and stared at his blanket again. "Fine, I guess." He muttered. His eyes flickered to the curtain. "How's Naruto?"

It was my turn to look away. How would I answer? He wasn't well, but he wasn't bad off either. I just tried to smile. "He'll be fine." It felt like I wasn't just telling him that; I was telling myself. I hadn't truly believed the doctors that said he'd by okay. I had to tell myself that. I had to stop lying to myself…in more ways than one. Quietly, I told myself inside my head again one more time. He'll be fine. Hey, I couldn't exactly say that he was fine, or that he wasn't. Naruto was kinda…in the middle.

"Hn." Sasuke replied. At least he was still himself. And then, for a brief moment, he smiled. And it wasn't cold either. It was a friendly smile, one that would finally let you read into him. One that made you feel closer to him. Of course, it wasn't as great as Naruto's smile. It didn't make you smile back. "He'll be up soon, right?" he asked, and looked at me again.

"Uh…the nurse said a few hours." I answered him, showing a little too much that I was unsure. I inwardly winced, hearing my tone again in my head.

I knew Sasuke heard it, and then I was sure he heard it when he looked at me funny. "Come on Sakura. She doesn't know Naruto like we do. Your estimate?" he said, an eyebrow raised.

I thought for a minute, analyzing it like a doctor. With Kyuubi's sped healing rate, his will (which was quite a strong power if you thought about it), and his own chakra rate, he'd be up…oh! "I'd say about half-an-hour. He's been hooked up longer than you were, and Kyuubi's still assisting him." I told him, smiling like a little fool. All the dark feeling disappeared again, and that glowing light burned on once again. Keeping that bright smile on my face, I turned around and stared at Naruto. His face was now completely healed. He definitely would be up soon.

"Good." Sasuke's voice entered my ears. "Sakura…I'm…sorry." My head flipped harshly, nearly cracking my neck, because I needed to get a really good look at Sasuke. He was apologizing?! "I shouldn't have left you guys. I shouldn't have knocked you out that night. And…I shouldn't have tried to kill Naruto all these times. I'm so…so sorry."

I walked out of the curtains, and tried to look at Sasuke's face. He had it hidden to the side. I had heard his voice hitch, I knew that sound enough. Straining my neck, I leaned over the bed, and saw tell-tale tears pricking at the edges of his coal eyes. "Sasuke-kun…it's…" I sighed, and a just smiled again at him. "It's okay now. Don't worry about it." He smiled back at me, and I patted him against the back. But, I forgot that his back was a little weak so he started coughing and hunched over. My hand shot back, and I proceeded to apologize over and over.

We both were silent as we heard rustling behind the curtains, and a low groan. I shot straight up, and ran behind the curtains. Naruto was sitting up, his left hand holding his head. Apparently, he heard me come in, because he put his hand down and stared right at me; and there were those sapphire irises. My breathing immediately stopped as he smiled at me, and I knew the rest of my body was extremely pale; all my blood was in my face. "I guess I overdid it again, didn't I Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked me, and it took me awhile to clear my head. It was a deathly haze. I couldn't find my way through it, and I couldn't make my mouth move to speak to him. Again, it took a lot of work to even say hello to him. Not even a complete sentence!

I tried to swallow, and smiled poorly. "Overdid it is an understatement." I joked, and sat down next to him. "How're you feeling?"

He groaned, and flopped back down on the bed. "Like a ton of bricks just hit me on the head. Major headache." He grumbled; a smile still on his face. "Got any aspirins?"

I laughed lightly at him, and ruffled his hair. That was as much as I could do. "Sasuke-kun's awake." I mumbled to him, my smile faulting a little. Something flickered behind his eyes that I couldn't read, but I knew it wasn't anything good. "He's been asking about you."

And, almost if on cue, Sasuke came rushing through the curtains. "Naruto, are you okay?" he asked immediately. What had happened between these two? Sasuke didn't give a shit about Naruto before; and now he's…well…worried.

"I'm fine, Sasuke. You didn't hurt me too bad. It was mostly all on my end." Naruto assured him, and smiled. To my surprise again, Sasuke smiled back. "What about you? I mean…Kyuubi…"

"It's okay. All healed now." Sasuke grinned, and playfully punched Naruto on the shoulder.

My eyebrow quirked in annoyance. I needed answers, and I needed them now. Naruto's face became twisted, and he looked at me funny. He mouthed to me, "I'll explain later". I just blinked my eyes to show I understood, and then stood up, straightening out my skirt. "Alright, Sasuke-kun. Back in bed. Now." I said, a tone of finality covering my words. Sasuke immediately left the little area and jumped into his hospital bed. "And Naruto, you need to sleep more. We're supplying chakra to you dedicated just for healing; almost like Kyuubi. So, just relax." My eyes softened, and I smiled at him. "And heal soon. Kakashi-sensei and I miss you…"

Naruto just grinned at me, turning on his side in the bed. "Sure thing, Sakura-chan. And you relax too. You look like you haven't slept in days." He said to me in a mock doctor's tone. "Please."

I hadn't slept in days. I was up all night, worrying about him. But hey, what could I do? I just smiled, and shut the curtain as I walked out. "Get well, you two." I whispered quietly, before I turned off the lights in the room and walked out. I still smiled to myself as I walked down the hallway. Sure enough, that guilt of mine was gone. I felt a million times better than I had before. Naruto didn't blame me; or at least, what I knew. I'd ask him when he was fully recovered and Team 7 was complete once more. Things were going to brighten up…I hoped.

I still had my issue. I still had to admit my feelings to Naruto before someone else snatched him. Maybe I'd try at the ceremonies later this week for Sasuke's return. Not before that; I still needed to prepare myself. Half a year wasn't enough, and even now I don't think a week will make that much of a difference.

Oh well, I had to trust myself from now on. I couldn't lie to myself.

But for some reason, that little voice in my head kept telling me I couldn't do this alone. I'd need professional help soon.

And fast. But…who?

Okay; The side conversation in this chapter was before the battle. You'll see it pop up again in a later chapter.

It won't be until the later chapters when it'll be longer, because I'll have more to add. What happened to Naruto and Sasuke during their fight? And most importantly, when will I get to the good stuff? ...I don't know yet(except for the Naruto and Sasuke part). Anyways, please review!

Yamahato Yokimoko-san