Author's Notes: Once again I want to say thank you for all of your continued support of this story. It started out as an experiment and has become much bigger than I anticipated thanks to all of you. In regards to the review about the hole in the wall: I understand your concern, however I wrote it this way for a few reasons. The first of which being that I needed something pretty huge to trigger Sasuke's protective side enough to make some satisfying fireworks considering how cool headed he is. He also knows better than just about anyone that she can take care of herself so the only thing that I could think of that would really get his blood boiling was a blatant, perverted invasion on her privacy like that. In addition, Sakura up until this point has been working pretty much non-stop. My reasoning behind her not noticing the hole in the wall was related mostly to the fact that she was so exhausted when she got home that the idea to look probably never crossed her mind or she noticed it once and thought "I'll fix that out later" and then forgot about it completely in her overworked daze. Most people let their guard down in their homes and I don't think Ninja are an exception to that even if they try to be more vigilant. As an outsider Sasuke would've noticed it much faster because he had fresh eyes. (Kind of like how you can tear a room apart looking for something and can't find it to save your life but a friend comes in and points it out away in a blatantly obvious spot that leaves you questioning your own intelligence) Anyway, I hope that clears up any confusion.
Sakura walked by Sasuke's side following the dark haired Mei through the streets. She glanced at him as they walked and decided to continue their conversation that started in her apartment before she saw red.
"So you told me what you found in their apartment but you never said what happened afterwards." She said looking at the dark haired shinobi. "Did Kakashi Sensei give him a punishment or anything?"
Sasuke shrugged. "He didn't but I don't think that he'll try anything like that again."
She raised an eyebrow irritated by his evasive nature. However it was as much a part of him as the spiky black hair she loved so she decided to let it go, for the moment at least. After all, he'd just broken down in her bedroom. She never thought that she'd ever see him in that state only because she assumed his pride would never allow him to do so in front of someone. For that reason, she'd stayed behind him instead of holding him to her chest like she desperately wanted to. He was a strong, proud man in spite of everything he'd been through and she knew he was likely upset that he'd allowed her to see as much as he had. She couldn't help but be happy though. Not because of the pain that he'd been through but because he'd shared some of his weakness with her. She'd seen a side of him that she was fairly certain not even Naruto had seen which made her think that perhaps she did have a special place in his heart after all.
They walked through the halls of the Hokage's building encouraging whispers and long stares as they went. It was no surprise, the two were powerful, famous shinobi with colorful histories. A thought occurred to her and she turned towards her dark haired companion.
"Did you know that there's a shinobi author that wants to write a biography on you, Naruto and I?" she asked trying to ease the tension still visible in his shoulders as well as distract him from the dark thoughts she knew were probably brewing in his mind.
He glanced down at her. "Really?" he replied.
She nodded. "Yes. His name is Momiji and he's from the village hidden in the grass. He said he wanted to get started on it as soon as he finished the book he was writing on the original sannin."
The Uchiha nodded and then glanced down. "I think my story would taint yours and Naruto's." he mused softly.
Sakura sighed. Of course he'd think that way. He probably always would but that didn't mean she wouldn't try to change his mind. "I don't think so." She protested. "I mean, Naruto and I wouldn't have become as strong as we are if it wasn't for you."
Sasuke blinked and looked down at her and she saw just a glint of light in his eyes which encouraged her to speak more.
"We made a promise to get you home safe and sound and we managed to accomplish our goal. What could make for a better story than that?" she asked.
He simply nodded as they arrived at the Hokage's office and Sakura knocked on the door. "Come in!" Naruto's voice called out.
They walked inside and the pair were surprised to find Sai already there standing in front of the Hokage's desk.
"Are we late?" Sakura asked as Mei closed the door behind them.
"No. Sai is just early." Kakashi said as he scribbled on a scroll.
The pale faced boy smiled and then shrugged.
"What's this all about?" She asked then as she moved to stand beside the painter with Sasuke at her side.
"I've received reports of a peculiar series of events happening in the fire nation lately." The Hokage said laying his brush down. "According to the rumors villages are being attacked by terrifying creatures who seem to be similar to the tailed beasts though not as large or strong. They cause a significant amount of damage and seem to target the villagers with the largest amounts of chakra." He glanced at the Uchiha. "Have you heard or seen anything like this in your travels?" he asked.
Sasuke shook his head. "No. I spent most of my time in the land of lightning and I heard and saw nothing of the sort there."
"I see." Kakashi said making a note in his scroll. "That's helpful information at least. The attacks seem to be moving towards the land of wind and they seem to be intensifying. I'd like to send the four of you out to investigate the matter."
Sakura nodded and took the paper detailing their mission that Naruto handed to them scanning over the village names and casualty list frowning at how small it was.
"Kakashi Sensei, if these monsters are similar to the tailed beasts, why aren't the casualties higher? I know they're not as big but weren't the tailed beasts thirsty for blood?" she asked.
Kakashi smirked under his mask. "That's the other part of this case that's intriguing. According to the witness reports, shortly after the beasts arrived and started running amok someone would appear and contain the beasts."
"What do you mean by that?" Naruto asked. "Were they sealed or something? Have more jinchiruuki been created?"
Kakashi shook his head. "That's the strange part. All of the witnesses report the same thing, a figure dressed in black wearing a mask appears out of nowhere in front of the beasts and does battle with them. The beasts are contained using strange seals during these battles. After that the figure sings and a hole opens in the sky. The beasts are then sucked in never to be seen again. Then this mystery person and a strange boy with silver hair and red eyes accompanying them attend to the wounded, leave money for the repairs and vanish before the villagers are able to thank them properly."
Sakura's eyes widened. The story was unbelievable and the red eyes… She glanced at Sasuke whose own eyes were wide.
"Red eyes?" he repeated looking at the report. "How can that be?"
Kakashi shook his head. "I don't know. The villagers who were interviewed don't know what sharringan look like so there's no way of knowing if that's what this boy has or if it's just his natural eye color."
"It's possible." Sakura mused touching her hand to her chin. "Children born with albinism have pink or red colored eyes. It would make sense given his hair color but there's no way to be certain unless we manage to catch a glimpse of him."
Kakashi nodded. "Those were my thoughts exactly. In addition, the villagers noted that the healing power the stranger possessed was unlike anything they'd ever seen. Those healed claim to have more chakra than before which isn't a bad thing but I'm curious about it, which is why I want you to go Sakura. I want you to get blood samples from some of the villagers that were healed by this mystery person."
Sakura nodded and pulled a pen from her bag marking the names of those claiming to have been healed. "Is there anything else we should know Sensei?" she asked.
Kakashi nodded and leaned against his hands that were laced together as he rested his elbows on his desk. "There was a sound ninja who witnessed one of the battles. He noted in his report that he could not sense the figure's chakra when they first initially appeared. It wasn't until the figure began to battle the beast that he could sense it. He remarked that the amount of chakra was powerful but not overly concerning until it opened the hole in the sky. The chakra he felt at that moment when the hole was opened and then closed again was stronger than anything he'd ever sensed in his life."
The four ninja studied the Hokage carefully.
"This sound ninja. Did he serve in the war?" Naruto asked.
Kakashi nodded. "He did. He even fought on the front lines."
Sakura's eyes widened. "Wait a second! That means he was able to sense and feel Sasuke's and Naruto's chakra as well as those of the former Kage's and the tailed beasts! Wouldn't that mean that this person's chakra was stronger than those?"
Kakashi nodded his expression serious. "Exactly."
Sakura took a deep breath. What Kakashi was saying was crazy. A person with more chakra than Naruto when he harnessed Kurama's power? More powerful than Sasuke when he used Susanoo? A person that powerful was dangerous.
"Did the stranger have any identifying marks? A head band or anything?" she asked.
Kakashi shook his head. "None. Just the mask that covered the lower half of their face. They were cloaked and hooded as well. The survivors couldn't even agree on the figure's gender." He sighed. "This case is troubling on many fronts. If this person indeed is as powerful as the sound ninja surmised than we need to find out who they are and what side they're on. In addition, we need to find out what or who is summoning these creatures similar to the tailed beasts." He looked at the shinobi assembled before them. "You are the strongest and most capable shinobi in the village. Sending you all away from the village at once is not something I would choose to do over a light situation. Please do your best to get to the bottom of this and quickly. You'll leave at dawn to go to the village where the last attack was recorded. Go ahead and get ready, this mission could last from anywhere to a few days to months so be prepared for anything."
Sakura went to work packing her bag full of clothes and medical equipment. She went to her closet and swapped out her casual clothes for her mission clothes. She donned her black shorts and pulled her red and white dress over it. Her thick black belt containing emergency medical supplies just in case she lost her bag was snapped around her waist. She pulled her pink arm protectors over her elbows and then wrapped bandages around her thigh and secured her weapons pouch to it. She slipped black braces over her knees and secured her leaf headband into her short hair and nodded as she took in her appearance. She exited the room and found Sasuke already packed and ready to go sitting at her kitchen table munching on tomato slices she'd left in the refrigerator. He glanced up at her as she entered the room.
"You said I could help myself to any of the food and I didn't want it to go to waste." He explained as he picked up another slice.
She shook her head and walked over to her book shelf she grabbed a small leather bound book from the shelf and flipped through it briefly before stowing it away in her bag.
"Good idea." She said as she moved through her apartment making sure her valuables were put away. The village was relatively safe but she knew that if anyone noticed that Naruto was gone, they'd know she was gone as well and it never hurt to be too careful especially now that she knew what her neighbor had been up to.
"Shall we?" Sasuke said rising from his spot at the table.
She nodded a thrill going through her at the thought of going on a mission with Sasuke at her side again. "Yes. Let's go."
It was like something out of a dream as Sakura walked through the trees with Naruto and Sasuke by her side. She couldn't help the smile that was plastered on her face and the frequent giggles that escaped her lips as Naruto, Sai and Sasuke hurled insults are one another. Under normal circumstances she probably would've smacked all three of them and told them to knock it off but right now, she just didn't care. They stopped for the night and Sakura volunteered to take the first watch gazing up at the stars thanking them for the opportunity she had to finally have her family back together. It might seem petty, childish or even downright naïve to some, but she truly saw her team as her family. She would lay down her life for them without hesitation and she really adored all of them. Rowdy but sincere Naruto, socially awkward yet sensitive Sai, and the cool and collected Sasuke. She pulled out the leather bound book from her bag and glanced around making sure all of her companions were sleeping before she pulled out a pen and began to write. It was her private journal, one she'd begun to keep at Lady Tsunade and Kakashi Sensei's recommendation while training to help cleanse her mind. She wasn't stupid, she knew that it was because they were hoping if she got down all of her feelings on paper that she'd be able to heal and excel faster in her training. It had worked, she'd named her diary Sasuke and wrote to him every day in a form that he would never read but it still made her feel close to him. She'd cussed him out, sang his praises and threatened his life over and over in the leather bound pages. Now she was writing her feelings for him, the joy of having him back, the moments that were precious to her that they'd shared and her suspicions that he might actually have feelings for her considering his recent jealous behavior.
"I didn't expect this. What are you writing?" A low voice said near her ear. She yelped and jumped slamming the book closed and stuffed it into her bag stumbling backwards as she found herself face to face with the namesake of her journal.
"Sasuke." She squeaked. "What are you doing up?" she asked.
He shrugged and sat down beside her. "I'm not used to sleeping this close to people." He admitted. "Naruto moves so much in his sleep it's ridiculous." He muttered.
Sakura glanced over to where the rest of the group were sleeping near the campfire and chuckled. Naruto was sprawled out across his bedroll half uncovered with his arms flung out of either side muttering something about Hinata taking his ramen. She chuckled and stood up walked to his bedside and covered him up smiling warmly at him. Out of habit, she moved to Sai's side and touched his wrist, one of the few parts of his body that never stayed above the blankets and pressed her fingers lightly against the pulse point. Finding it strong and steady, she tucked the arm under the blanket, brushed his hair out of his face affectionately before returning to Sasuke's side.
"Do you do that often?" he asked gesturing to their sleeping comrades.
Sakura nodded. "Most of the time anyway. They say fools never catch colds but Naruto tempts the Gods of fate enough as it is. I just try to keep him covered up for his sake and Hinata who would probably literally worry herself sick over any illness he caught." She said smiling at the blonde. "Sai, he's so pale that I can't really tell by looking at him what his condition is unless he has a fever. He sleeps so still too, he looks dead so I have to check." She smirked at the pale shinobi. "You know, I really hated his guts at first but he's grown on me. On our first mission together I was knocked out during the battle and he took off as I fell. If Captain Yamato hadn't acted when he did, I definitely would've died. Now, I think he'd pull me out of harm's way before Naruto though I think that's probably more due to the fact that I usually get into trouble while trying to save Naruto's skin."
Sasuke nodded and glanced at Sai. "I don't really know what to think of him." He admitted.
Sakura blinked at the Uchiha as she tried to read him. He seemed a little down though she wasn't sure why. Deciding that it was probably best not to pry, she changed the subject. "So tell me about your travels." She said bringing her knees to her chest.
He looked at her and shrugged before he cast his eyes towards the heavens. "The world is a mess." He said finally. "It seems like there's never any end to the fighting. There's always someone who wants to destroy the current world or take it over and is willing to go to whatever lengths necessary to do so." There was pain in his voice as she spoke and her heart ached for the man sitting beside him. She knew he was reflecting on his dark past. After all, he'd been one of those people drunk on power and consumed by darkness once before. Cautiously she reached out and touched his arm lightly trying to give him the comfort he needed but would never ask for.
"That's true." She agreed. "However there are also people in this world like Naruto." She said glancing at their sleeping friend. "People who never give up, who will fight tooth and nail to protect this world and the people in it. As long as Naruto is here, this world will never crumble."
He looked at her and then nodded the corners of his lips turning up a little. "That's true enough. Even if the world wanted to crumble, he'd glue it back together anyway."
"Yup. That's Naruto for you." She said with a little giggle. A yawn escaped her lips and she stretched trying to wake up her body.
"Go ahead and get some sleep." Sasuke said motioning to the fire. "I'm sure you're tired."
"I can stay up." Sakura said shaking her head. "I do this all the time. It's the normal two am slump. It's just like the two pm one." She insisted.
The Uchiha raised an eyebrow at that. "Kakashi Sensei wasn't exaggerating. You really are pushing it."
Sakura blushed and then chewed on her bottom lip as she fought the temptation to pout. Truth be told, she really was tired but she didn't want to miss a second with Sasuke. There was a part of her that was terrified that this was all a dream, that she'd wake up and he'd be gone again.
"I'm not going to go anywhere." Sasuke said and she jumped a little as she looked over at him. His eyes were his natural coal black so there was no way he had read her mind, but still. He seemed to read her hesitation and he sighed. "I'll be right back." He said standing up and moving over to where his black shoulder bag was. He returned moments later carrying a black blanket and draped it over her before sitting down again. "If you won't sleep, at least try to rest." He urged her.
Sakura sat frozen for a moment, startled by his sudden act of kindness. She nearly opened her mouth to question it but decided against it. Instead she wrapped herself in the warm wool and breathed deeply smiling at the scent that was uniquely Sasuke attached to it. She leaned back against the tree trunk once again gazing at the stars and smiled. There was a time when the only comfort she had was the knowledge that somewhere Sasuke was out there under the same stars. Now here he was at her side looking at the same stars she was. She blinked slowly as her body and mind relaxed slowly giving in to the desire to sleep. Instinctively she leaned towards the Uchiha at her side her head coming to rest against his shoulder. When he didn't push her away, she smiled and finally gave herself over to sleep.
Sasuke looked down at the woman leaning against him shook his head at how quickly she'd fallen asleep after receiving the blanket. He'd known she was exhausted, it was written all over her face and evident in her chakra signature but she'd fought it. She shifted beside him clearly trying to get more comfortable. With a sigh he slowly and smoothly shifted both of them so that she was laying down with her head resting in his lap. She sighed in her sleep and shifted closer to him hair falling over her eyes. He brushed the rose colored locks from her face and studied the planes of her face. She was very pretty with high cheek bones, a Cupid 's bow mouth, and expressive almond shaped eyes. His eyes studied the spot where the indigo diamond lay in the middle of the large forehead she was so self-conscious of and he tapped the spot gently. He'd made a point to study about the seal and had be shocked when he'd found out that she'd attained it after only three years. The amount of chakra control she had to poses was incredible and easily put his own to shame. His anger had flared however when he'd learned that the mark also shortened the wielders life span. He knew that she'd done it in an attempt to catch up to he and Naruto which only added to his guilt.
"You can be so annoying sometimes." He muttered. "You don't have to prove anything to us."
She shifted in her sleep and a frown touched her lips. Her brow furrowed and a whimper escaped her lips. He held his breath contemplating whether to wake her from her nightmare when she spoke.
"Sasuke, please don't leave me." She whimpered a single tear slipping from her lashes and sliding down her cheek.
The weakness of her tone and the tear added to the heaviness of his heart. Was she dreaming about the past, the present, or the future? It didn't really matter. What mattered was that she was hurting again because of him. He brushed the tear away and then moved his hand to cover hers. "I'm not going anywhere right now you silly girl." He muttered. "So please, don't cry anymore. You have no idea what your tears do to me." He'd never really understood why, but her tears had always affected him. Even from the time they were children if she was crying all he wanted was to get away from them or make them stop. In short, they were the most annoying thing on the planet. After becoming team seven her tears had sparked a different emotion, one of irritation not towards her but towards the source of whatever had caused them except for himself of course. During the Chunin exams, that irritation quickly turned to violent anger and then became like cold water dousing the flames of hatred and bringing him back to himself. It was then that he realized that her tears were dangerous. They had that mysterious power to pull him from the darkness so he'd left her behind. He'd worked hard during his years apart from her to create a defense against those tears. Every time he saw her cry after that, he convinced himself that she was crying over something else, anything else but him. He'd convince himself that she was only crying because of her own weakness, because of pain inflicted by someone else, even that her tears were fake, just a ploy to try to get to him. They were all lies of course, part of an elaborate illusion he'd created to protect his selfish ideals from the part of his heart that knew what he was doing was wrong. That part where his bond to both she and Naruto lived in spite of his desires to kill them. When he'd finally been defeated and dragged from the pits of Hell kicking and screaming by Naruto he'd finally let that illusion fade and saw all of her tears for what they were. Expressions of her love for him. He trembled for a moment as the weight of her tears settled in his heart. "Damn it!" he hissed as the anger towards himself rose. "What can I do? What can I do to make up for all the tears you've cried for me?" He pondered the question until his body and mind both gave up and he too fell into a deep sleep.
Naruto shivered under his dew covered blanket and sat up yawning as he did so. He scratched his stomach as he glanced around noting Sai still sleeping near the nearly dead fire and the empty spots where Sasuke and Sakura should've been. Panic spiked in his heart and he jumped to his feet scanning the nearby woods. He was about to call out when he spotted the two missing ninja up against a nearby tree. Sasuke's head was braced against a groove in the tree's trunk his hair covering most of his face. Sakura lay in front of him, her head cradled in his lap with his hand loosely covering hers. The Uzamaki smirked and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"Finally!" he murmured. "Maybe if they keep this up I won't have to lock them in room overnight like Kakashi sensei suggested. The tension between them really is annoying as Hell." He muttered before placing wood on the fire. "You know, I brought my camera and I bet Hinata would love to see this." He muttered moving towards his bag.
"I'll kill you if you touch it." The Uchiha hissed his eyes flashing red at the Uzamaki.
Naruto chuckled but complied as Sasuke glanced around clearly trying to decide what to do about the medical ninja sleeping in his lap.
"Just say there Sasuke." Naruto said as he pulled a kettle from his travel bag and poured water from his canteen into it. "She looks comfortable and you wouldn't want to risk waking her up before she needs to be up do you?" Sasuke sighed and nodded even as a blush tinged his cheeks. Naruto smirked. "Lighten up will ya? It's just Sakura. Or is that the whole problem?" he asked with a wiggle of his eyebrows.
"Naruto… I swear." Sasuke hissed.
"Ah ah! Don't wake Sakura." The Uzamaki chided. He grinned at the dark look the Uchiha gave him as he heated the water for tea. Sometimes Sasuke was just too fun to tease.
I apologize for the shortness and inferior quality of this chapter. I've got construction going on in my apartment so I haven't been able to focus as much as I'd like to. We're also about to get into the more adventurous side of the story (don't worry. I still intend to have lots of sugary sweetness mixed into the next part) so the next chapters will probably take a bit more time. Please be patient with me and let me know what you think. Thanks!