Dreamt

Chapter 14

AN: No new content in this chapter.

"Naruto! Sasuke! You're to report in Hokage's tower immediately!" An ANBU materialized at the training ground where they were sparring.

"What happened?"

"Sakura-san, she has returned!"

Hearing the door crack open, Sakura turned away from Godaime and Rokudaime. She was immediately caught in an embrace.

"Sakura-chan, are you alright, are you fine?"

"I'm fine." She hugged him as tightly as she could. "Are you?"

"Yeah, now I am. We were dead worried about you. He said that you will come back and then you were not coming back, and…"

"But now I am."

"Yes, you're back, you're back." Naruto unglued himself from her, held her in outstretched arms, looking at her critically. She didn't look very well, as if a bit emaciated on the face. Maybe it was because of this black kimono she was wearing or maybe because her hair was longer than usual…

Sakura noticed she was under observation. Sasuke had a scrutinizing expression on his face as well. She turned back to the Hokage. She would talk to the boys later, make up for all the lost time. Explain everything, explain herself. But now she was in the middle of a mission.

"He wishes to come back to Konoha, to re-establish the Uchiha clan in the place it has always belonged. I should draw your attention to the power he is currently governing. Konoha would benefit immensely by having access to this power. And be at a disadvantage… by not having it… But this is not a threat. It is an offer of alliance. And as a sign of his good will and pure intentions, Uchiha Madara sends his wife and heir to reside in Konoha until these negotiations are completed." Sakura bowed deeply in front of her superiors.

Tsunade jerked her head, smashed an open palm into the wall she was leaning against. "Kuso!" Kakashi stayed motionless and silent.

"He?! Sakura-chan, I didn't know Madara had a wife…"

"Oh, Naruto…" Sakura felt a grimace twisting her face. He will take it worst, she knew it beforehand. She stepped towards him, held his hand in both of hers.

He was ripped from her grasp by a pull from the back he got from Sasuke.

"Dobe. We're going."

"No, wait! Sasuke, don't!" The red fury of the Sharingan swept over her. "It's not like that…" She grabbed Sasuke's sleeve. "He never… He didn't…"

"Sakura-chan… what are you talking about…?" Naruto said very slowly. The corners of Sakura's mouth fell down.

"Naruto. I'm married. And I'm pregnant…" Tears appeared in Naruto's eyes, he shook his head in denial. "But it's ok, it's alright…" She was speaking softly as if talking to a very small child. "He didn't force me, he never did anything bad to me. Nothing happened that I didn't want myself on first place."

Naruto looked at her in disbelief.

"How could you have wanted it? How CAN you even want it?" He made a broad gesture at her form. At her black Uchiha kimono, at her waist that, he could see now, was thicker than usual.

Sakura neared and embraced him. "There is a good explanation to it all, believe me. Just believe me for the time being…"

Naruto closed his arms around her. He should have always held her like this, should have never let her go. If he had held her he would have protected her, nothing like this would have ever happened. "I don't understand, Sakura-chan. I don't understand at all…"

"Ehem… speaking of explanations…" Kakashi decided to interfere. "Sakura, I will need a full report on your interactions with your… husband. Especially prior to that battle encounter."

"You will get it. He allowed it."

Tsunade arched her eyebrow. "Where exactly does your allegiance lie now, Sakura?"

Sakura closed her eyes for a moment, took a deeper breath.

"I truly believe that, with your good will, it will remain with Konoha. As well." It didn't feel good to have all the eyes on her. But what else could have she said?

"Naruto, leave us. Wait for Sakura outside."

"But, Kakashi-sensei!"

"She will report to us. And then she will tell you everything you need to know. Everything she will want you to know. This is to respect Sakura's privacy as well…"

"And to keep you under control, brat," Tsunade added.

"O-baa-chan, how could you!"

"Naruto, guard the door. From the outside."

"Hey, that's a job for an ANBU!"

"Questioning orders from Hokage just because he happens to be your poor old sensei? Then let's just say that no ANBU is sufficient to guard the wife of Uchiha Madara… Naruto, go. Sasuke, you go as well. Make sure he stays behind this door…"

The door closed. Tsunade stepped briskly towards Sakura from under her window. Brushed her hair away from her face, held her chin up, stroked along her arm. And held her in the tightest embrace. "Child, what have you done?"

Sakura couldn't hold it anymore. "Tsunade-sama… I just…" She started crying. "I just found a man I wanted to be with…"

"Dobe. Stop this." Naruto was pacing there and forth along the corridor like a caged tiger. And Sasuke had his limits. Apparently in this case the limit was 57 corridor lengths.

"How can you just sit there? Aren't you nervous? It's all horrible; we don't even know if Sakura will be coming back for good! She is NEGOTIATING!"

"She'll manage."

"And she is married to Madara! Can you even believe it?!"

"I can. It was pretty visible that they fancy each other."

"Really? Do you think she loves him?" Naruto made a face an eight-year-old would when speaking about this 'disgusting love thing'

Sasuke shrugged "Certainly she doesn't look an unhappy victim."

"And he wants to come back here, restore the clan. I mean from one side I hope they agree because then Sakura will be here, but… Shouldn't you be doing it?"

"Like I care."

"But you were always saying you want to!"

"Yeah, when I was twelve. I guess I didn't realize that restoring the clan just means making bunch of kids." Sasuke stretched out his legs. "I wouldn't stand it. If by some strange happenstance I ended up with a wife and kids I'm sure I would arrange to be away on years-long missions. Preferably in a different dimension. If Sakura… if they want to do it, fine with me. I sure won't. I don't think I will be staying much in Konoha anyway after my probation is over."

Naruto hung his head down. For a moment he thought he finally got them back. Now it seems both were running away from him again. With Sasuke it was kind of familiar pattern. But Sakura – she was always there, she could not simply disappear!

The door opened.

"How did it go, Sakura–chan? How did it go?!"

"I don't know, let's see. They now know all they need to make a decision. They said they will consult with the elders. For sure there will be conditions to meet, I will be sending messenger birds to Madara for quite some time it seems." Sakura was visibly tired. Naruto put an arm around her waist.

"Sakura-chan, sit down."

"No, I think I need to go home and lie down. Why don't we go out to eat something in the evening?"

"Sure! I have a great idea! We can go to Ichiraku!"

"Where else…" sighed Sakura, half amused, half annoyed. Naruto still had his hands wrapped around her middle.

"Hey, you sure are a bit thicker than usual around here…" He patted her experimentally.

"I'm pregnant, you moron!"

"I know, I know! I just didn't imagine it will be showing already."

"It's the fourth month, and because there are two of them.."

"Two?"

Sakura nodded.

"And do you know already what it will be?"

"A boy and a girl."

Naruto glowed. "I'm going to be an uncle!"

"Hey, what happened to your scepticism?"

Naruto rubbed back of his head. "I don't know, Sakura… I mean, you're the most important person in my life and if you say you're happy… Then I can only also be happy. And these…" He gestured at her belly. "Are yours. Meaning I'm the uncle. No matter who the father is."

Sakura laughed. That wasn't really appropriate, what he'd just said, but she knew that he meant well.

"Can I touch…?"

"Sure you can, but you won't feel much. They aren't moving yet."

Naruto gently placed his hand on her belly. It was hard, he could feel that something was inside.

Sakura saw Naruto suddenly freeze with his eyes closed.

"Naruto! What is it?"

He opened his eyes and laughed aloud.

"It's Kurama! He's also excited to meet them. He likes them, the old fox!"

"What do you mean?" Sakura didn't know if she liked the idea of Kyubi taking interest in her children. Naruto was almost rolling on the floor.

"He said they smell good!"

"… Smell good? Like… tasty good?" Sakura sounded moderately cautious. With a hint of a threat in her voice.

"He, he! No! But now he won't tell me anything more. He's offended because I embarrassed him in front of you guys. Now he won't be talking to me for a week probably."

They reached Sakura's apartment.

"When should we pick you up?"

"At seven? I'll try to sleep a bit. I'm exhausted."

"Do you hate me now?" Sakura had a very suspicious look on her face when she was sitting opposite to him at Ichiraku. Naruto conveniently disappeared a moment ago announcing his bathroom needs to all who wanted and didn't want to hear it. "You have every right to…"

"No." Why would he hate her? What a ridiculous notion…

"I promised you undying love and then ran off with another. I don't have anything in my defense. I can only ask your forgiveness…"

"There is nothing to forgive." Sasuke really didn't understand her logic. If there even was a logic behind it. The topic she was babbling about was as good as non-existent for him. Sakura hung her head low. Clearly what he said didn't solve her problem. And Naruto lectured him extensively on their way to pick her up, how he was supposed to treat Sakura extra well now. When she was back and pregnant and all… Sasuke sighed. His idiot of a comrade made it clear that being supportive meant talking.

"You told me you love me once, when we were twelve. And even if you kept thinking about it all this time, I did not. And honestly it was never important to me. Nor did I have any plans concerning you."

Sakura's eyes were getting dangerously shiny.

"You owe me nothing. I was always grateful for your presence and I will be utterly grateful if you accept me as a teammate again. After all I've done."

"Of course I will! How can you doubt it?!"

Sasuke felt a smile appearing on his face. That's what she always was for him. Boundless acceptance. Home. He reached for her hand on the table.

"I am happy you found somebody else. Someone who could give you what I never could. Sakura, I am relieved. Because that what you wanted from me – I never had it and I don't have it now. I don't have anything to give…"

Sakura squeezed his hand. Two big tears rolled down her cheeks.

"You know, what you just said – it would have killed me before. And now it makes me sad, and because of you, not because of myself. Because of how you feel. And I am so, so sorry for you." Sakura paused, stared at the table between them. Or rather through it. "Now, I can finally feel compassion, be sorry for YOUR pain. Before, I was just selfishly wanting to get you. I could only see my own desire and treated you as a goal. Now, I finally see YOU. Now, it is real love." Sakura half sobbed, half laughed. "Now I am finally able to truly love you…"

She raised both hands to cover her face. Her shoulders shook from something that was most probably a laughter. "And look – I am even helping to rebuild your clan!"

"Teme! Did you make Sakura-chan cry?!" Naruto almost pulled him from the bench.

"No, he didn't! Naruto sit down already!"

"Are you sure about it, Sakura-chan?" She nodded. "I ordered for us all already." Naruto explained as Teuchi brought the meal. "Trust me with the choice – I'm an expert!"

And Naruto threw himself at his ramen bowl. Exchanging glances, Sakura and Sasuke began to eat as well.

"Ehem… don't you want me to explain, or something…?"

"If you want, Sakura-chan." Naruto grinned from above his ramen. "Only if you want. You went through enough interrogation already today. I'm just glad that you're back and we can have this dinner together. All three of us." Sakura smiled. When it came to granting new beginnings to people, Naruto had no equal. And despite his overbearing ways, his social skills were really high. He knew exactly what she needed right now. Nevertheless, she owed them that story.

"Yes, I want to. I need to tell it finally. So… I know it will sound strange, so don't laugh… I first met him in a dream…"

Naruto's social skills met their abrupt end.

"No way, Sakura-chan! Do you have SUCH dreams!? I never suspected you're a per.."

"NARUTO!" Her blond team mate pre-emptively ducked under the table before she could reach him. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Just ignore him. As I always do."

"Teme!" Roared offended Naruto from under the table.

"Hey, I am trying to tell you something important here!" Sakura realized too late that the sheer level of decibels just attracted the undivided attention of all of Ichiraku's clientele. Not exactly the effect she was aiming for…

"Sorry, sorry Sakura-chan! I'll be as quiet as a mouse." Naruto made a comical gesture of zipping up his mouth.

"So… I dreamt about him," Sakura continued after a small pause. "I watched him fight among the crowd of others until he saw me as well. He thought I'm an enemy, a mind-entering ninja Yamanaka-style or something. So at the beginning he was hostile. It was scary… But then I kept returning to the dream even if I tried to prevent it and so did he. And it felt as if we couldn't wake up for so long. For weeks on end… So… we had to cope with each other. We got to know each other. I started to understand why he was the way he was. I started accepting him, liking him… loving him… Then I got pregnant…"

"Hey, just like that? You dreamt that you suddenly were pregnant?"

"No. First we had sex, you know?"

"HA! I KNEW IT! So you have such dreams!"

"Naruto!" He didn't manage to escape the punch this time. Sakura had the impression he wasn't even trying particularly hard, he was so elated by his new discovery.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it…"

"I noticed…"

"And then?" Sasuke tried getting his teammates on the right track again. Thankfully, he still had Sakura's ear, otherwise this idiotic brawl would continue.

"And then the final battle came. And I saw him then for the first time with my own eyes. I don't even know why I ran to him. I couldn't even be sure back then if he dreamt the same dream… But I just couldn't help it. Rest you know – he took me to the hideout and somehow… I made him change his mind… He also dreamt about me, you know…" Sakura smiled as if she still couldn't believe it. "We married the same night when he came back again."

Naruto was pushing the last boiled egg around his ramen bowl. "Does he make you happy?" He asked very seriously. Very Naruto-unlike.

"Yes. Yes he does."

"Yosh! That's all I need to know!"

"What is he like?" A preciously rare thing – a question from Sasuke.

Sakura had to think a while. He wasn't asking about his fighting profile, she supposed. "He doesn't feel like he has to prove anything to anyone. Nor answer to anyone. So he does as he pleases. He is very… independent. There is very little pride or ambition in him – he doesn't care about those. Anymore, I suppose. He is fair and will admit a mistake and give you credit when you deserve it. He likes to have fun…" Sakura smiled. "Sometimes it feels as if it is his main motivation… He can be really mean… He was never cruel to me, but… he can be so…"

Sakura paused. She looked for words to describe this elusive vibe. "He has a charisma that makes you follow him. At least makes me follow… This sort of thing, you know, that when he enters a room full of people you have to look only at him…"

"Oi, Sakura-chan, you're in love!"

Sakura went red. "And what's wrong it that?! I'm married to him, I should be in love!"

"Nothing! Nothing's wrong, don't get mad! It's just so cute when you say such things."

"Baka!"

AN: Thank you for reading, and please tell me your thoughts about this chapter!