The next chapter is here!!! ^_^ Hope you enjoy! Please let me know and Review as always! ^_~
The Next Day…
Saya arrived at the gates of Konoha after a long night's journey with her group. Kakashi touched her shoulder softly.
"He hasn't shown any sign of weird activity, but keep your guard up…just in case," he murmured to her so only she heard.
She nodded and they walked through the gates. Tsunade greeted them warmly and hugged Saya tightly.
"It's good to see you up and about!" she cried pulling away from her apprentice and ruffling her hair.
Saya grinned.
"You know, I started the trend of short hair…" said a voice that made Saya smile wide.
She turned around and Sakura threw her arms around her friend.
"I've missed you so much Sai-chan!" she yelled.
Saya smiled.
"I've missed you so much too!" she replied returning the hug.
They pulled away and Saya's eyes widened. Naruto was walking over to her with Hinata and their son, Jiro. Saya grinned when she saw Jiro and he grinned when he saw her. Jiro ran over to her yelling like a wild boy and jumped into her arms hugging her tightly.
"Jiro-kun, how are you?! Have you been causing any trouble around here like your father used to?" she asked smirking.
Jiro grinned foolishly.
"No, of course not Sai-chan…I've been awesome!" he cried and ran back to his mother.
Saya eyed Tsunade and she grinned shaking her head no. Saya laughed out loud and Jiro gave another grin. They all walked up to the tower and Sasuke was waiting outside. He stood when he saw her. He looked a little nervous and his eyes were large. She walked up to him and stopped in front of him. He looked down at her. He had gotten quite tall and he was very handsome. He spoke first.
"Sai-chan…you look well…" he said uneasily.
Saya smiled.
"I am well, thank you…how are you Sasuke-kun?" she asked and he smiled when she said his name in a friendly matter.
"I'm doing alright. I really want to apologize to you. I wasn't myself…" he muttered sadly.
Saya smiled.
"I know a lot about not being yourself sometimes. I forgive you…" she said smiling.
His head shot up and he smiled slightly. Saya moved slowly but soon hugged him tightly. His eyes widened but soon he returned the hug just as tight. Sakura smiled and Naruto grinned. They pulled away slowly and Kakashi cleared his throat. They all looked to him and he grinned.
"Why don't we all have a little training session…for old time's sake?" he grinned mischievously.
They all grinned and headed off to the training ground. Sasuke and Naruto were bickering like kids again. Saya smiled. The team was back together. It was just like old times.
Later That Day…
Tsunade groaned to herself as she continued to sign some papers that she really didn't care about. It was getting late and she just wanted to go home. She looked at the clock and smiled.
"Time for some me time…" she said grinning to herself as she opened her drawer and pulled out some sake and a cup.
She looked at the cup and then threw it away and guzzled from the bottle. It was a long day and she needed some time to reflect on her tedious life by forgetting it. She smiled to herself as she fell asleep with her head on her desk.
Meanwhile, Saya, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi walked out of the training grounds. They were all equally matched. Saya laughed when Sakura hit Naruto on the head for being a pervert like his sensei. Kakashi grinned sheepishly and scratched his head sweat dropping. Naruto laughed nervously and said his goodbyes as he rushed home to his wife and child. Gai came to pick up Kakashi sometime after for more mission reports. Kakashi sighed loudly and ran off with him waving goodbye. Sakura looked at her pager as it went off. She groaned and looked up at the sky.
"Why me?!" she muttered as she turned to her two friends.
"I have to go take care of things at the hospital. Tsunade is…incapacitated at the moment…" she seethed knowing full well why Tsunade was not at the hospital.
She ran off saying her goodbyes as she left. Saya and Sasuke walked down the road to her house. She said he didn't have to but he insisted on walking her home. They walked together in silence for some time before he turned to her.
"You're still with Gaara, right?" he asked quietly.
Saya looked up at him.
"H-Hai, I'm still with him. He's my husband…we have a child…" she murmured.
Sasuke's eyes widened.
"I didn't know you guys had a kid together…" he said stunned.
Saya smirked and nudged him.
"Why do you look so shocked?" she asked chuckling some.
He shook off his stunned expression and regained his composure.
"It's just so much has changed. Even you and Gaara are moving past everything that's happened. Everyone's so close to each other…" he said looking down.
Saya smiled sadly.
"You missed a lot Sasuke-kun, but you'll learn…you'll adapt…" she smiled softly.
Sasuke nodded.
"Alright so let's start now…" he said smirking.
Saya raised an eyebrow.
"Alright…go on…" she said slowly smirking.
Sasuke grinned.
"Okay…but it's no holds bar…" he said grinning.
Saya nodded.
"I get it…you want to ask personal questions. I'm up for it, we have quite a walk…" she said smirking.
"Okay first question…how did you know you could save Gaara?" he asked quietly.
Saya was taken back a little by the question.
"Well…I didn't…I just had hope. I believed he wanted to change and he did too so we made it happen together…with Naruto's help of course," she said smiling.
Sasuke nodded accepting her answer.
"Well what about—" he was cut off by Saya.
"—hey, hey it's my turn!" she grinned.
He smiled and nodded. Saya's face became serious.
"When you left Konoha to join Orochimaru, did you think about any one of us?" she asked looking down at the floor.
Sasuke thought about it for a moment.
"Honestly I thought about you the most…" he said making her stop walking.
She stared at him and he turned to her.
"W-What did you say?" she stuttered nervously.
Sasuke smiled softly.
"I knew how much you hated Orochimaru and we got along the best out of the group. I knew you'd take it hard…" he finished, meeting her eyes.
Saya took a deep sigh of relief and continued walking with him. It was Sasuke's turn now and he thought about it.
"If you and Gaara had never become so close could you see yourself starting a life with someone else?" he asked calmly.
Saya bit her lip. These were hard questions that she really didn't want to think about.
"I don't know…life without Gaara doesn't really seem like much of a life to me…" she said sincerely.
Sasuke nodded slowly.
"I see…" he murmured slowly nodding.
Saya thought about the next question she was going to ask. She wanted to change the subject of Gaara. She just didn't feel comfortable talking about Gaara with him yet.
"Have you and Sakura spoken alone yet?" she said grinning.
Sasuke smirked.
"No…actually I haven't really had the chance to speak with anyone alone yet. You're the first," he said smiling softly to himself.
Saya nodded. Sasuke thought about his question.
"Are you trying to imply that I should talk with Sakura-chan alone?" he asked smirking.
Saya nodded.
"She's missed you so much these past years. We all have but…she's Sakura…" she finished smiling.
Sasuke nodded.
"I know, but I'll have to make it clear to her that I just consider her a friend."
Saya looked up at him.
"You don't see yourself even trying with her?" she asked curiously.
Sasuke chuckled.
"A lot has changed these past few years…Sakura doesn't see me like she did…and I see clearly now…" he said and Saya furrowed her eyebrows.
"You see clearly now?" she asked as they neared her house.
He turned to her then looking her straight in the eye.
"Yes…I see what I want in life now and I'm going to go for it with everything that I am…" he said nodding like he had made the decision right then and there.
Saya nodded happily.
"Good for you Sasuke-kun! You deserve to be happy even if it's not with Sakura. If you have another interest, go for it!" she said smiling wide.
Sasuke smirked.
"I'm glad you agree with me. So, I'll see you tomorrow then right?" he asked unsurely.
Saya nodded quickly.
"Of course, hell yeah!" she said happily walking up to her door and opening it.
"See you tomorrow Sasuke-kun!" she said before heading in.
She walked to her room and lay in her bed. She was actually excited for tomorrow to come. She closed her eyes and drifted off into a deep slumber.
The Next Day…
Saya woke up to a loud knock on her door. She crawled out of bed and opened the door. She smiled wide when she saw the sight before her. Naruto had a whole bag of food and Sakura was carrying a bag with a beach ball. Sasuke was carrying towels and they were all in their bathing suits. Saya chuckled and looked them all up and down.
"Get dressed Sai-chan! We're all going to the beach!" Naruto cheered like he was a kid again.
Saya smiled brightly and ran to get dressed. About 10 minutes later she came out and they headed to the beach where everyone was jumping in the water and having a blast. She took off her shirt revealing a red bikini. Lee ran up to her in his green boxers looking nervous.
"Sorry Sai-chan but Naruto said I must do this to maintain the power of youth!" he yelled and picked her up running into the water.
Saya came up from the water pushing her hair out of her face.
"Naruto, you are so dead!" she yelled smiling as she ran past Lee and to Naruto.
Naruto almost drowned then. Hinata giggled by the sand as Jiro ran into the water and threw sand down Lee's shorts and then bolted. Saya laughed loudly with Sakura and Ino. They were all having a great time. Kakashi and Gai were having a swimming competition and Tsunade was trying to obtain a tan. Sasuke was attempting to drown Naruto, who was attempting to drown him in return. Saya lay back in the water floating for a while. She sighed softly as she looked up at the clouds. She was having so much fun here in Konoha but she did miss her family back home in Suna. She wondered what they were all doing. She was startled out of her thoughts when she saw Kakashi look down at her. She smiled softly and he eyed her suspiciously.
"What are you thinking about? Could it be a certain Kazekage and boy back in Suna?" he asked knowing her too well.
Saya grinned guiltily and got up from the water.
"Hai, I do miss them, but I love it here. I'm torn!" she yelled dramatically falling back and was caught by him.
Kakashi chuckled and dropped her into the water with a hard splash. That earned him a glare and quite the chase before he was tackled into the water playfully. The day dragged on and the large group of shinobi stood at the beach for so long. One by one some left to go home throughout the day. By the end of the night, it was down to Saya, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura. The group conversed for a while about the old times and laughed some. Hinata walked down to the water and smiled.
"Naruto, Jiro is asking for you," she called.
Naruto nodded slowly.
"I'll see you guys tomorrow! Got dad duties!" he yelled happily and flew out of the water towards his wife, who screamed when he ran after her all wet.
Sakura sighed and was about to say something when Tsunade met her at the water.
"Sakura, get your ass to the tower! Those reports aren't going to file themselves!" she yelled and Sakura mumbled something under her breath before leaving grumpily.
Saya chuckled and went to get out only to be stopped by Sasuke.
"Where are you going?" he asked softly.
Saya smiled.
"Everyone's left to go home. I should go to…" she said quietly.
Sasuke huffed.
"I'm not going home. Stay for a while…please…" he asked kindly.
Saya smiled and nodded.
"Alright, I guess I could stay a while," she shrugged and got back in the water with Sasuke.
They both talked for a while and then enjoyed a comfortable silence. She lifted her hand up and caught a glimpse of something that should be there that wasn't. Her eyes widened and she started to panic. Sasuke became concerned.
"What's wrong Sai-chan?" he asked worriedly.
She threw her hand into the water feeling the muddy floor.
"M-My wedding ring…my w-wedding ring, I-I can't find it! I-It s-slipped off my finger!" she said panicking.
Sasuke stood up, the water dripping off his water shorts. He got back down and started to search for it with her. Saya was freaking out and shaking as she searched. Her finger felt something hard and she yelped out in pain and pulled her hand out of the water quickly. Sasuke grabbed her hand quickly and looked at it. Her finger was bleeding and she tried to pull it back.
"It's just a scratch…" she mumbled.
He held onto her hand and stared at it.
"Yes…but it's bleeding…" he said.
Saya shrugged and tried to continue to look for her ring. Sasuke held her above the water and held up his finger. He bent down in the water and came up with the ring. Saya smiled brightly.
"Oh you found it! Thank you so much Sasuke-kun!" she cried hugging him tightly.
She slipped the ring on happily and looked at her finger.
"It burns…" she muttered.
Sasuke smiled softly.
"It's the salt water…" he said and then did something that shocked her.
He put her finger in his mouth. Her eyes grew large as she stared at him.
"Sasuke-kun…w-what are you d-doing?" she asked nervously.
Sasuke pulled her finger out of his mouth.
"Saliva stops the salt from burning you…does it still burn?" he asked softly.
Saya shook her head and her eyes stood wide.
"Thank you…" she said quietly feeling a little awkward.
He nodded and stood up.
"We should head home…it's getting late…" he whispered slowly.
Saya nodded and stood up but stumbled off balance. Sasuke grabbed her by the waist holding her up and she turned around tensing up. He smiled letting her go and staring at her.
"Sai-chan, you haven't changed much after all. You're still clumsy on your feet…" he said smirking.
She glared at him playfully and hit his bare shoulder. He pretended to be hurt and followed her out of the water chuckling. They collected their stuff and he walked her to her house. She opened her door and turned around smiling about to speak when lips came crashing into hers. Saya was taken back and tried to push him off but he had her pinned against the wall.
He pressed against her roughly and pushed her into the house closing the door with his foot behind him. Inside, he continued to kiss her roughly and finally she broke away smacking him hard across the face in shock.
"S-Sasuke, what are you d-doing?!" she yelled still stunned by his actions.
He looked at her then.
"Saya, I am not with Sakura because I realized I am falling for you…and I want you to return the feelings I have for you…" he said walking towards her.
Saya was scared. They were different in personality but equal in power.
"Sasuke-kun, please…think about this…" she said quickly.
He flung her onto the bed and pinned her against the mattress roughly pressing against her. He ripped her shirt some and started unbuckling her pants.
"I have, Sai-chan…I have been thinking of this for a long time…" he said lustfully.
He started kissing down her neck and she started thinking of a plan.
"Sasuke-kun, wait you're right…" she said quickly.
He stopped and looked at her. She mustered up a smile.
"You're so right I am being so foolish…how could I not see you before…" she said staring at him.
He hesitated and she smiled numbly. He released his grip on her some and that was all she needed. She summoned some of her chakra and hit him in the shoulder throwing him to the floor gasping in pain. She threw herself off her bed and ran out of her apartment in a flash. She ran to the Hokage tower and through the doors up to Tsunade's office. She busted through the doors and closed it behind her hurriedly. Tsunade looked up and her eyes widened.
"Sai-chan what's happened?!" she asked getting up and hurrying over to her apprentice, who was near tears.
"S-Sasuke…he…he…" she started crying and sunk down to the floor with her teacher.
Tsunade's eyes widened as she guessed what happened.
"Saya did he—" she was cut off by Saya.
"—no I hit him with a large amount of chakra…and then ran…" she choked out through tears.
Tsunade nodded softly and held her apprentice in her arms.
"I-I want to go home…please just ask them to send someone for me…" she said tiredly trying to fix her shirt.
Tsunade nodded slowly.
"Alright Saya, should we inform him of what happened?" she asked cautiously.
"No, not until we are back in Suna. I don't want him to get in trouble because he killed someone…" she muttered.
Tsunade nodded and began writing but then stopped.
"You will tell him though…won't you Saya?" she asked curiously.
Saya looked down.
"I don't want to…but if I must then yes I will…" she said quietly.
Tsunade sighed.
"You know whether he is here or in Suna won't matter once he knows. He'll come after Sasuke either way…" she said cautiously.
Saya looked up at Tsunade.
"Not if he doesn't know. We could stay quiet…" she suggested.
Tsunade shook her head.
"You know how he reacts when you lie to him Saya…just be honest…it'll be better in the end…" she said softly.
Saya nodded weakly.
"It was my fault too…" she mumbled and Tsunade looked at her as Saya continued.
"I let him believe he could continue…I didn't stop him when I first noticed it…I thought he'd get over it. I thought I was reading it wrong…but…he didn't get over it. I wasn't reading it wrong."
She buried her head in her hands. Tsunade finished the letter and sent out the carrier bird to Suna. She walked over to her apprentice and sat her on the couch.
"Saya…this isn't your fault…you didn't want this—" she was cut off by Saya.
"—you don't understand! Gaara said that he wouldn't change! He said that he would be the same and something bad would happen! And it almost did!" she cried.
Tsunade hugged the shaking girl.
"It's alright Saya…you'll be with him soon…" she said soothingly.
If Gaara ever found out about this it would be hell between the two villages…he wouldn't care that his village and Konoha were allies. He'd come for Sasuke and he'd get him…even if he had to take down Konoha to do it. He would have help…Kakashi would help for sure…hell she wanted to help. She sighed loudly.
"You'll stay here the night…I'll send for your stuff in the morning…" she said and Saya nodded.
In Suna Some Hours Later…
Gaara sat at his desk signing some papers. He ruffled his hair and his eyes snapped up as he heard something on the balcony. He walked to the doors and opened them seeing the Konoha carrier bird. He took the bird inside and read the paper carefully. He furrowed his eyes and walked out of his office to his sister's room. She looked at him curiously.
"Pack some things…we're heading to Konoha…Kankuro is watching the children…" he said calmly and left to pack.
I hope you liked it!!! I will update again soon! Please review if you can! I love your feedback! ^_~