Sakura arrived at the hospital the next day rather early. She peeked an ear on Naruto's door and heard the blonde's soft snores before smiling. Turning to Sasuke's door, she knew better than to think he would be sleeping.

Knocking at the door softly, she entered with hesitance. But Sasuke was just sitting on the bed, looking at a glass vial full of small yellow pills.

"Sasuke-kun?"

His head snapped to hers before quietly motioning her inside.

She sat on the chair by his bed, hands in her lap.

"Thank you."

Her breath hitched and she stood up suddenly, slapping him in the face. His eyes actually widened a fraction and his cheek tinged pink. Her hand rested in a fist on her heart.

"You're a real jerk Sasuke."

"Aa."

"You left me. You left your family! Truth is, I can't wait for Kakashi to take you away!"

It was a big fat lie, but he didn't have to know that. Instead he bowed his head down before tossing her the bottle.

"I know what these are, they're for your anxiety."

He nodded.

"You're not going to take them are you?"

He smirked and shook his head, but it wasn't a cruel smirk, it was almost a smile.

"Promise me Sasuke, promise me you'll take them, at least when you start to feel anxious."

When he didn't meet her eye, she moved to sit on his bed and put the bottle in his face.

"Promise?"

She held out her pinky. He looked at it like it was stupid.

"Sasuke-kun!"

He reached out his own pinky and she hooked theirs before tightening the hold.

"There, you promised, even if you didn't say it."

She watched as a smirk graced his features instead, smiling herself.

"What is it?"

Their eyes connected for a second before Sasuke tugged, but not hard. Where she landed she never would've imagined.

Well she would, she just never thought he'd be the one to start.

Their lips met in a soft kiss. It made her blush as he pulled away, but he didn't look her in the eyes. He looked at her lips. She licked them gently, feeling that they were almost dry. In a second's decision, it appeared Sasuke liked to kiss her. She sighed as he put a little more force into the kiss, pulling her in closer.

Figures Sasuke would be my first kiss.

Smiling at the thought, she watched him pull away.

"You stole my first kiss Sasuke-kun."

"You stole mine."

Pink tinged her cheeks, and was startled as he pushed her back into the chair and adjusted his blankets.

"What the-"

"Sasuke-chan!"

Mikoto Uchiha walked into the room with a bright smile, unaware of the tender moment between teammates.

"Mama ordered you breakfast. After you eat you can leave. Good morning Sakura-chan!"

"Ah, good morning Mikoto-san."

Sasuke looked annoyed as his mother fussed around him but didn't lift a finger to stop her. Instead she caught him staring at her lips once and a while and it made her blush harder, which she fought off the best she could, knowing that Mikoto would notice.

But her mind couldn't get around the fact that Sasuke had kissed her. Sasuke had kissed her. It wasn't the other way around, which is how she thought their first kiss would be.

"Sakura-chan?"

Her head snapped up, embarrassed to not have been listening.

"Sorry."

"It's fine. I'm hosting a team seven dinner tonight, your family is invited. Kakashi's taking Sasuke away at dawn, the same time Jiraiya-san is taking Naruto."

Sakura nodded and smiled but inside she was sad. Her teammates were leaving without her. What was she supposed to do with herself for a year?

"Would you like to help me for dinner?"

She smiled and nodded before announcing she was going to wake up Naruto. When she opened the door, she realized it was now ten in the morning. The boy however was laying sideways on the bed, head hanging off the side, and tangled in his sheets.

"Naruto?"

His foot just twitched.

"Naruto."

A snort.

"Naruto!"

A twitch of the mouth.

"NARUTO!"

He hit his head with a thud and a whine. His rant lasted only a few minutes as he whined about his wake up call, amount of sleep, and lack of care Sakura took in waking him up.

"Are you done?"

He crossed his arms and pouted, turning away from her.

"Mikoto-san has invited us to a dinner, a sort of going away thing."

Naruto's face grew serious.

"Are you sure it's okay for Sasuke and I to be in the same place?"

"Don't be like that. You don't have to talk to each other."

"But-"

"For me?"

She pouted and he looked at her for a second before whining about how cute she was being and how he couldn't say no.

xxXXxx

Sakura looked at her reflection with a frown.

"Sakura! This isn't a date or anything!"

Her mother winked at her while sitting on her bed.

"They're my best friends mom. They'll only see me two more times before we're apart."

"I know, I know."

Her mother put her hands on Sakura's shoulders, looking at their reflections in the mirror. Take away the red hair and brown eyes, Sakura looked just like her mother. She even hoped to have the same slim yet womanly build one day.

"So does this dress look horrible?"

"No, blue looks good on you."

Sakura's pale pink hair was just grazing her shoulders now and she saw her mother finger the ends.

"I miss your long hair."

Sakura smiled.

"Me too. I'm growing it out. Hopefully by my birthday next year."

"My baby will be sixteen! Ah, I can remember when you found your father's kunai set. He's lucky you held the right end!"

She smiled wider and held her mother's hand.

"I guess so. Oh no, Sasuke and Naruto are going to miss Christmas!"

"Do you want to get them a present?"

"But it's not Christmas, not for another month and a half."

"Yes, but they don't have to open it now."

Sakura nodded and looked at her mother's hand."Mama?"

"Yes Sakura?"

"Can you tell me the story of how you and dad fell in love?"

"But you've heard it so many times!"

"I know, I just want to hear it again."

Sakura's mother grabbed her hand and led her over to the bed where they sat.

"Well, okay."

xxXXxx

Sakura laughed as Kakashi calmly whacked Naruto over the head with his perverted book in retaliation to Naruto accidentally spilling his tea onto it.

"OuchOuchOuchOuchOuch! Why me?"

Sasuke just looked away, but had an amused smirk on his face. Not even ten minutes into the dinner and something had happened. The parents were still not used to Naruto's outbursts and looked on in fascination as he talked nonstop about how Sasuke was the favorite and how Naruto was treated like dirt.

"Naruto! You're making a big deal out of nothing!"

"Says you! Kakashi-sensei never hits you!"

"Because I don't act out! Even Sasuke gets hit once and a while, don't be like that!"

Ah, Sasuke and Naruto. Yes the tension in the room could be cut with a shuriken. Sakura was worried, but knew they would spend a year apart from each other. After she helped Mikoto with dishes, team seven minus Kakashi moved to the docks around the large lake.

Sakura swung her legs on the edge and watched the ripples of the rock Sasuke just skipped. Naruto, feeling the natural challenge decided to try himself, but it only plopped. She giggled and held Naruto's hand with the next rock, instructing him how to do it. After he learned it was a silent game between the three, seeing who could skip the most and farthest.

After half an hour of the game Sakura grabbed her purse and pulled out two small square boxes.

"What's this Sakura-chan?"

"I decided to give you both Christmas presents early. But you can't open them until Christmas!"

"Aw! Why not? But you're so cute Sakura-chan."

"Because then it doesn't mean as much. Besides, I won't know where you guys are a few months from now. It's easier to do it now that to track you both down. That'd just be troublesome."

Sasuke fingered the green wrapping paper, as if trying to inch a corner into slipping, but she hit his hand.

"Don't even think about it! You guys have to promise me that you won't open them until Christmas!"

She held out both of her pinkies and watched as both boys hooked their pinkies onto hers. With a bright smile she stood up and announced they should get back to the house.

xxXXxx

The sun was rising over the horizon as four figures stood at the edge of the gates leading into the village. Tsunade was talking with the two taller figures, going over rules, medication for the boys. Naruto was given pain killers for controlling the demon chakra within.

Mikoto was fussing over the boys, making them stand shoulder to shoulder as she made sure they had everything.

"You boys have extra clothes? Shirts, pants underwear, sweaters, make sure you have pants, covered shoes?"

"Mother.."

"Ah, Uchiha-chan, I made sure!"

"Extra scrolls, shuriken, throwing stars?"

"Aa."

"Of course!"

"Are you sure you both have plenty of socks and underwear?"

"…"

"How embarrassing.."

"What about money? Did you pack enough? Don't depend on Kakashi and Jiraiya now. Especially not Jiraiya, Naruto."

The call of protest from Jiraiya was barely muted.

"Aa."

"I wouldn't dream of it!"

"Don't forget to write, you too Naruto. I want to hear at least every other week. Don't leave a mother worried."

"Aa."

"Okay!"

"Make sure to eat regularly and drink plenty of water. Naruto, not so much ramen okay?"

"Hn."

"Don't worry, no one makes ramen like Ichiraku!"

"Also stay away from women. You guys are gone for training only. Don't get mixed up with females."

"…Aa."

"Yes ma'am."

"What else? Oh stay away from alcohol! You'll both be sixteen before winter ends, so don't go celebrating like adults. Don't let Kakashi and Jiraiya drink too much either."

"Aa."

"You got it!"

Mikoto sighed and looked at the boys with a sadness that wasn't masked.

"Fugaku? Any words of advice for the boys?"

He walked up slowly and put a palm on each of their shoulders.

"Do the village proud. Become stronger. Become wiser. Be sure to come back. Your dead line is exactly a year from today. And listen to your mother."

Sakura, who had been hanging back alone, suddenly rushed forward and threw her arms around the both of them, forcing them closer, but making room for her head between the two.

She felt the tears run down her face and squeezed them tighter, not knowing how to say what she wanted to say.

"I want letters to. I won't be able to write back with you two on the move, just let me know you're okay. Don't forget about me."

Sakura pulled back to hug them individually, starting with Naruto. She laughed a little as he lifted her up in a tight squeeze before setting her down. She sighed and turned to Sasuke, hugging him tight. His hands stayed on her upper arms, but he didn't pull away. But when she pulled back she saw the one second debate on his face before his lips pressed against her.

"WHAT!"

"Oh! Hidden romance! What a great idea for a novel!"

"Please don't base a novel on my team, I won't be able to read it."

"Stop it you two!"

Tsunade scolded the two all was lost to them, all they felt was each other. Reluctantly, Sasuke pulled away first and gave a chaste kiss to the top of her head.

"Yosh! Let's all get going then."

She watched their backs as they walked away. Sakura remained rooted to the spot as their figures disappeared minutes later.

"Sakura-chan."

Her face turned bright red as she turned to Sasuke's parents.

"Good luck in your training this coming up year. If you need anything, don't hesitate to come over."

When Sakura turned around fully her blush grew. A lot of Uchiha clan members were actually there! She was beyond shocked, and beyond mortified at the idea.

"Sakura."

Tsunade walked up to her as the Uchiha's dispersed and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Godaime-sama."

"Are you ready to begin your training?"

"Training?"

"You will be my next apprentice. Come, we have lots to do."

xxXXxx

End!