To Love and to Love Again Chapter 17: Meeting of the Minds

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER AND AUTHORS NOTE: I do NOT own Naruto. The awesomeness of the Naruto Manga and World is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto. This is Purely Fanfiction. All things Medical in this entire fanfiction should not be taken as serious medical advice or facts. PLEASE CONSULT AN ACTUAL DOCTOR FOR ANY MEDICAL INFORMATION/QUESTIONS. THANK YOU AND ENJOY!

It was around 6:00 pm and Kakashi had just finished getting ready for his dinner with Sakura and Sora. He was dressed in black slacks with a dark blue shirt underneath and his signature long black trench coat. He was really looking forward to seeing Sakura again. For someone as overprotective as Kakashi, he would have to see her in order to be sure that she was okay. He would definitely know if something was wrong.

After making sure that the dogs were fed, he went to his security system and punched in the code before headed off to the Hotel. On the way over there, Kakashi thought back to the recent reports from the ANBU that he received.

"I've scouted the Uchiha estate and concluded that there are no evident dangers there sir," Agent Morino reported through the screen.

"Good. Is that all?"

"Well it could be nothing Commander, however I did notice something particularly interesting while I was scouting," Idate replied. "It appears as though the head of that household, one Sasuke Uchiha, was apparently aware of my presence."

Kakashi leaned forward in his chair. "You were seen?

"No sir. I was perfectly concealed within the surrounding trees. It's nearly impossible for the untrained eye to notice from that distance; however I doubt that it was sheer luck that he was able to notice me. His body language was highly indicative of alert. As for your other inquiry regarding his connection to…Cherry blossom, it appears they have a relationship beyond a professional level." he reported, almost forgetting about the proper code name for Sakura.

"… Interesting," Kakashi muttered with narrowed eyes. "Even if he is the younger brother of Itachi Uchiha, that's still strange. I want to know more about this man that my daughter had been spending so much time with. Find out what you can about him and don't tell Itachi."

"Right sir."

Kakashi was very intrigued by the news, not to mention very concerned. His reports showed that Sakura and Sora had been spending quite a bit of time with the Uchiha's. Sasuke Uchiha was no stranger to Kakashi. Although they had never formally met, he knew about Sasuke through Itachi when he had first entered the CIA.

The Uchiha family was more involved in crime fighting than they knew. Their history could be traced back as a clan of police officers. That tradition stuck with them through the present day, as each generation of Uchiha's had at least one member as part of the CIA. Any non-agents in the family were clueless to this tradition themselves.

Kakashi was introduced to them when he was first recruited into the department. He met a recruit named Obito Uchiha, who was enrolled at the same time he was. They quickly became friends, not to mention big time rivals while training under Minato Namikaze, who was a legendary Agent in the CIA for his natural skill and accomplishments.

Why were they rivals? Simple, they both had different views on training and teamwork, not to mention… they both had their hearts set on the same girl: Rin.

Kakashi's late wife was also a member of the CIA. She worked in the Medical Research center and was on her way towards becoming a great doctor under the wing of the Legendary Tsunade.

Obito knew that Rin's heart belonged to Kakashi, but he didn't let it get to him. He still did his missions with them and although they argued and fought most of the time, they still considered each other as friends.

Unfortunately, Obito was killed in action while Kakashi had severely injured his left eye on that same mission. Before he died, he requested that Kakashi take his eye as a sign of no hostility about Rin or anything else.

It was very interesting how much Obito was still a part of his life through his descendants.

Sighing, Kakashi checked the clock in his car radio and saw that it was almost 6:30. Sakura said that dinner would be at 7:00. Feeling slightly proud for not being late for once, Kakashi speed up and stopped at the hotel entrance.

Sakura was the one person that he would never be late for.

It was now Friday night, and Sakura was in her hotel room, busy trying to get ready for dinner with her father. She hadn't even gotten the chance to speak to him while making these plans. All messages were relayed to his secretary, who was still a mystery to Sakura.

Her father would be coming to the hotel tonight and they would be having dinner in one of the many hotel restaurants. Sakura was standing in front of the mirror and looking over her appearance. This was just dinner with her father for crying out loud, yet she was nervous about it.

But it was only because she wanted her father to know that she was okay. He was always incredibly protective of her, and it took a while before she convinced him to let her move to Tokyo. Sakura decided to wear a black silk skirt and a white top and red cardigan over it. She also wore the ballet necklace her father gave to her. This wasn't going to be as formal as the Gala tomorrow night.

"Sora are you ready to go?" Sakura called out as she combed her hair. "Grandpa's going to be here soon."

Sora would be joining them for dinner. He loved his grandfather. They had a special bond. Sakura finished brushing her hair and walked to Sora's room.

The suites were really luxurious and spacious. There were three rooms per suite. Golden yellow, white and black furniture and bedding was the theme of this suite, which was a nice contrast to the midnight blue of the sky, which could clearly be seen from the enormous balcony.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" she asked as she stepped into his room. Sora was drawing on the table, fully dressed and ready to go.

"Uh huh. Look Mommy." He finished his drawing and held it up for Sakura to see. She smiled. It was a picture of Sora and her father in ninja gear and jumping around in the air.

"Oh, is that for Grandpa?" Sora nodded his head. "It's very good. I know he'll love it, but we have to go now. I'll bet he's here already and I still have to fix your hair."

Just then, the hotel phone rang. Sakura and Sora went to the living room and picked it up.

"Hello?" she answered as she held the phone in between her shoulder and her ear. She used her free hands to straighten out the kinks in Sora's rebellious hair.

"Ms. Haruno, there's a gentleman here who claims to be your father with a dinner reservation at our restaurant," said the attendant.

"I'll be right down. Thank you," she said before she hung up. She turned to Sora and smiled again. "Ready?"

Sora nodded and took her hand. He was dressed in little jeans and a little green cotton shirt with a jacket over it. Together, they left their suite and headed towards the elevators.

Kakashi was waiting in the lobby for Sakura and Sora to come down. The entire hotel was decked for Christmas with massive decorated trees and ornaments adorned almost everywhere. He was sitting on one of the black fluffy love seats by the fireplace in the center of the grand lobby and reading and old copy of edition of Icha Icha Paradise.

Kakashi turned the page and tried to restrain a manly giggle at the contents. These books just got better and better with time. He was snapped out of the moment when he heard a voice call out to him from behind.

"Grandpa!" shouted Sora as he ran to his grandfather. Kakashi slammed the book shut and tucked it into his coat before getting up and turning to see his adorable grandson running towards him with a smile on his face.

"There's my little ninja man," Kakashi said as he bent down to pick him up. He tossed Sora into the air and caught him again, sending his grandson into a fit of giggles.

He looked back towards the elevators and saw Sakura walking briskly towards them. Clearly she wasn't expecting Sora to bolt from the elevator. Kakashi sighed in relief as he saw her beautiful smiling face.

Sakura sped up her walk into a short run as she followed Sora and ran right into Kakashi's embrace.

"Hi Daddy!" she squealed as she squeezed the life out of him. Kakashi tried not to wince from her death grip. He didn't quite know how she attained her monstrous strength, but he blamed Tsunade for it.

"Sakura," he said fondly as she pulled away. He placed his hand on the side of her face and kissed her forehead like he always would when she was younger. "I missed you so much."

"I know, I missed you too." She looked up at her father with heartbroken eyes as she noticed how sad he sounded right then. "Sora missed you too, didn't you sweetie?" she said as she looked at him.

"Yeah I missed you too Grandpa!"

Kakashi just chuckled at him. "Well I missed you more. So do Pakkun and the other dogs. They can't wait to see you again." Sora looked excited about seeing the dogs again. "Have you gotten taller?" Kakashi asked as he eyed him up and down.

Sora nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yeah, I eat lots of tomatoes. So now I can be tall like you Grandpa."

Kakashi smiled. "Is that so? Well then, I guess we should go somewhere with tomatoes tonight. Shall we?" He held out his other arm for Sakura. She smiled and looped her arm with his and together the three of them walked to the hotel plaza.

Kakashi, Sakura and Sora entered one of the Japanese restaurants called Ukihashi. The interior of the place was beautiful, with black granite and marble lining the floors and walls. Soft lighting gave the place and very elegant and modern look.

Kakashi gave his name to the hostess, who blushed at the sight of him, nodded and led them to their table which was located in the center of the restaurant. After they were seated, they were handed menus. They gave Sora a small coloring book and crayons to keep him occupied.

"Sora made something for you," Sakura told him when they were settled. Sora pulled out a piece of paper and handed it over. Kakashi saw that it was a drawing of the two of them.

"Well, this is very good. Thank you Sora. You're drawings are getting better each time."

"It's in his blood," Sakura whispered, brushing Sora's hair affectionately.

Kakashi looked back at his daughter. Her smile was cheerless. It wasn't the kind of smile he knew she was capable off, which meant that she was still hurting over losing Sai.

The waiter came back and asked for their orders. Kakashi and Sakura both ordered themselves a drink from the bar and a soda for Sora. They also ordered their entrées. While they were waiting for their orders, Kakashi and Sakura began talking about life.

"How's work? I assume you're doing just as well in Tokyo than you were here in Kyoto."

"Everything's great," she answered. "I love the new hospital and Tokyo is a great place to live. Sora's doing well in school and he's even taking a karate class."

"I got a yellow belt," Sora said proudly as he sipped on his soda. "Lee Sensei said that I'm the best one in the class."

"Very good. Now you're this much closer to becoming a ninja," he said as he ruffled his hair. He turned back to Sakura. "Are you adjusting well?"

"Yes, I am. It's not like I don't know anybody there. I've got Neji and Tenten and Ino lives there too. She has twins if you can believe that. Both of them are Sora's friends. I've also met some new people since I've started working there. They're all great."

"You're not homesick at all?" he asked with mock hurt in his voice. Sakura smiled and placed her hand over his.

"The only thing I've missed since I moved is you." She smiled fondly at him. "Kyoto is where I grew up and I have so many memories here. It's not like I'll never come back you know."

"Yeah… I know."

Of course she would come back. Her mother and husband were buried here after all. And deep down, Kakashi knew that that was probably the reason why she left in the first place. She couldn't stand all the painful memories of Kyoto.

"What about you?" she asked. "How are you holding up?"

"Other than missing you, I'm fine. I'm not the only one that misses you, you know. I never hear the end of it from Tsunade and Shizune for letting you leave."

Sakura smiled thoughtfully at the mentioning of her mentors.

"I miss them too. But they should be here by now. I can't wait to see them again, but for now I'm just glad I'm with you," she said giving him one of her real smiles. Kakashi smiled as well.

Their orders arrived and the three of them began to eat their dinner. They kept small conversations going throughout the evening. Kakashi would ask more about work and how Sakura was adjusting to the changes of Tokyo. He was actually waiting for her to mention a certain someone she's been seen with recently, but she seemed to steer clear of that direction.

She kept most of the focus on Sora, who seemed excited to share everything from all his new friends and teachers to his karate matches and drawings.

After they finished their dessert, Sora claimed that he wanted to show his drawings to his grandfather. Sakura brought out his sketchpad from her purse while Kakashi placed his grandson on his lap, much like he would do to Sakura when she was younger.

"This one's a picture of my friend. His name is Akio," Sora explained as he pointed to the picture of a boy in the corner with little z's floating in the air. "He likes to sleep a lot."

Kakashi flipped the page. "Is this one of my dogs?"

"No it's Akamaru, he's my friend Jun's dog," he said as he flipped the page over. Kakashi's eyes widened a fraction at this next picture of a figure with shiny black hair and exaggerated eyebrows dressed in all green clothes with a sunset behind him.

"This is Lee Sensei."

Kakashi tried hard not to howl with laughter at the picture. It looked like an exaggerated version of Guy. The sunset in the background was a nice touch. He flipped the page again.

Sakura sat opposite of her two favorite men as they bonded. Seeing them laughing and smiling was all that it took to bring a smile onto her face. Sora loved playing with his grandfather and Kakashi loved bonding with his grandson. It was times like these when Sakura felt the most content.

"And what have we here?" Kakashi asked as he took in the picture.

It was a drawing of four people standing together in front of a house. Sakura couldn't see the picture since she was sitting in the opposite direction.

"That's me and Suki and Mommy and Sasuke," Sora said pointing to each figure. Sakura straightened when she heard him say that.

"What?"

Kakashi studied the figures closely. Sakura was obviously the figure with the pink hair, but the other two people looked very much alike.

"Suki and Sasuke? Who are they?" he asked innocently to Sora.

"This one is Suki. She's standing next to me…" he explained as he pointed to the drawing. "…and Sasuke's standing next to mommy. He's Suki's daddy," he added. Kakashi took one last glance at the picture before looking at Sakura.

"Can I see that?" she asked. Kakashi handed her the sketchpad.

Sakura looked over the drawing. Indeed, it looked like Sora drew a picture of his family standing outside their house. And what's more, Sora drew Sasuke and Sakura holding hands. "Oh no," she thought exasperatedly. She knew her father would have something to say about this later, and she wasn't looking forward to hearing it. It was why she was so careful not to mention anything about Sasuke earlier.

Kakashi studied her face. She was definitely surprised, that was for sure. Judging by that drawing itself, Kakashi had all the information he needed to confirm his suspicions about her relationship with the younger Uchiha brother.

The waiter came back with their check. Sakura and Sora got up to go to the bathroom while Kakashi pulled out his wallet to pay the bill. As soon as they were out of sight, their empty seats were replaced with two familiar faces.

"What's up Kakashi Sensei?" Naruto greeted as he plopped himself down with a beer in one hand and a bowl of teriyaki in the other.

"Kakashi," Neji greeted with a nod as he took a seat next to Naruto. He was also holding a beer in one hand and a brown paper bag in the other.

"Good to see you two. And Naruto, I'm no longer your Sensei. You have about two minutes to disperse until Sakura comes back," he said leaning back in his seat and pulling out his precious Icha Icha Paradise book.

Naruto snorted at the sight of the infamous book. "I see you'd take advantage of that time," he muttered.

"We could meet later in one of the lounges," Neji suggested. "I'm sure we all have things to take care of for the time being." He glanced down at the brown paper bag that suspiciously smelled like tuna mixed with some sort of Ketchup.

"I'll see you then," Kakashi confirmed. Neji and Naruto nodded and left the table. Sakura and Sora returned soon after and together they got up and walked towards the exit.

Fugaku and Mikoto had arrived at the hotel shortly after the rest of the group did. They would be sharing a suite with Sasuke and Suki, which was fine since the suites were more than big enough for all of them.

Fugaku was sitting in the living room and reading a newspaper while Suki and Mikoto were getting ready for dinner. Sasuke decided to take a seat in the living room with his father. He was already dressed and there was nothing more to do than wait for Suki. Since talking to his father wasn't an option, Sasuke grabbed the rest of the newspaper from the coffee table and began to read it.

The article he picked up immediately caught his interest.

The strange string of disappearances over the course of the last couple of months has forced police into a corner. Several citizens of all ages have been mysteriously disappearing without any hint of their whereabouts. Police are trying to find any evidence of a connection between all the missing persons for the possibility of a serial killer to be placed at the top of their list. However, due to the diversity of the missing group, and the lack of dead bodies, the chances of there being a serial killer appear to be slim.

Police are determined to find the cause of these strange occurrences and have thus far, made no real findings. A public warning had been announced as of last night to be on the lookout for any activity that might seem strange or out of the ordinary. Extreme caution is advised…

"Daddy let's go!" Suki yelled as she bounced into the living room.

Sasuke put the paper down and faced his daughter. He knew that three hour nap would give her extra energy tonight. She was wearing a cute little green dress that complimented her eyes and a white jacket over it. She was also wearing the necklace Sakura gave her. Sasuke noticed that she wore that thing everywhere she went. She was also wearing the bracelet Itachi have her too.

"Ready to go princess?" Fugaku asked as he put his paper down as well. Suki nodded and walked over to her grandfather. Fugaku patted her head and got up from his seat. "Okay then. We have reservations at the Ukihashi Restaurant. It supposed to be the finest Japanese cuisine in Kyoto. Let's see if they're right."

"Where's Itachi?" Mikoto asked as she stepped into the room. "He was supposed to be here an hour ago."

Fugaku shook his head. "Well it's too late for him now. He'll probably join us later if he shows up."

The four of them left their suite with Mikoto on Fugaku's arm and Suki holding onto Sasuke's hand. When they got to the ground floor, they made their way over to the front desk so that Sasuke could get the census for the hospitals that have already arrived.

While he was waiting he noticed that a new group of people had just arrived next to him.

"Well, if it isn't Sasuke Uchiha."

He turned and saw a woman with spiky blond hair tied into an array of ponytails. She was a strong looking woman with dark eyes and a tough personality to match. She was dressed in a designer business suite with black fishnet stockings and matching shoes. She was also carrying a matching fan with her.

"Temari," he acknowledged with a nod. He looked behind her and saw that she wasn't alone.

"Hey Uchiha," said a tall man with spiky brown hair. He was holding onto a large black trunk, probably his presentation materials. There were also a series of strange tattoos around his face.

"Kankuro," he said with another nod. Last but not least, there was the red headed man standing in between them. He was slightly shorter than Kankuro, but much more intimidating in appearance.

"Sasuke." His voice was low in tone, with power laced in every word.

"Gaara."

He had a pale complexion with aqua colored eyes surrounded by dark circles. Sasuke couldn't even be called a workaholic compared to this man. Those dark circles were signs of Insomnia. He was never known for taking a break. It was all about work for him. He was also sporting a tattoo on the top left corner of his forehead with the kanji symbol "Love" in red ink.

You would never think that these three people would be the representatives from their competing hospital. And you would never guess that the intimidating man in the dark blood red business coat would be in charge of it all.

Sabaku no Gaara, Sunagakure Medical Center's CEO.

"Your group only just arrived?" Sasuke asked as he took the census from the receptionist.

"Yeah. What's the rush when we live right here in the city? Your whole gang's here as well?" Kankuro asked. Sasuke nodded.

"Well this ought to fun," Temari mused with a smirk as she finished filling out the registry. "Your crew sure is amusing. Especially that Naruto."

"Hn."

"Where's Sakura?" Gaara asked.

Sasuke's eyes snapped towards Gaara's in an instant. Gaara was just giving him that blank look of his, silently demanding an answer. It was only then that Sasuke remembered that Sakura used to work in their hospital before moving here.

"She's having dinner with her father," he answered looking pointedly at the red headed man.

Gaara just continued to give him that blank stare. His eyes traveled downward as he heard small hurried footsteps approaching them. He saw a small girl run up to the Uchiha and grasp his leg.

"Daddy let's go!" Suki cried as she looked up at Sasuke. Fugaku and Mikoto had also joined them at the front desk. They both nodded at the Sunagakure executives in greeting.

"Good evening you three," said Fugaku. "I heard your father could not attend this year."

"Unfortunately no," Temari replied in a much more business tone. "He has other business to attend to." Her eyes caught sight of the little girl clinging onto her father's leg. "Why hello there Suki."

Suki looked up at Temari. "How did you know that's my name?" she asked innocently. Temari smirked.

"It's on your pretty bracelet," she said pointing to Suki's wrist.

Suki giggled but quickly stopped giggling when she saw Gaara. He was staring at her to the point where Suki became frightened and clung onto Sasuke's leg even tighter. She then tried to hide behind him. Kankuro snickered at the girls antics. Gaara did tend to be scary at times but he wasn't a bad guy.

Sasuke, aware of Suki's fear, cleared his throat. "If you'd excuse us, we have dinner reservations."

"Give Sakura my regards," Gaara ordered. Sasuke barely nodded before picking up Suki and walking in the opposite direction with Fugaku and Mikoto right behind them.

Gaara watched them leave. He was more focused on that little girl. Her eyes reminded him of a certain pink haired doctor that he was looking forward to seeing again very soon.

Itachi had just stepped into the hotel and barely caught sight of his family walking towards the plaza. He was dressed in the usual getup with a black shirt and pants along with his black leather trench coat. He was also carrying his luggage and other bags along with him.

He walked to the front desk, only to see that the executives from Sunagakure Hospital were already there.

"Oh sir, we have attendants that can see to your bags," the receptionist informed when she spotted his luggage.

"I've got it. The reservation is under Uchiha." The receptionist clicked on her computer and searched the files.

"Itachi Uchiha," said Kankuro. "I didn't know you'd be showing up, although I'm sure it's not for this conference," he added as Itachi glanced in their direction.

"I would think you'd be more informed," he replied as the receptionist gave Itachi as well as Temari their room keys.

"See you at the Gala tomorrow night Itachi," Temari said. "Looking forward to seeing you in a Tux," she added as she and her brothers headed towards the elevators. Itachi waited a while longer in the lobby for a certain someone to show up at this designated time.

The elevators chimed and out stepped a yawning Shikamaru. He caught Itachi's eyes and motioned for him to follow. Itachi headed towards the elevators, where new attendants, a.k.a undercover Agents disguised at attendants, came and took Itachi's luggage.

"About time you got here," Shikamaru said as he and Itachi headed over towards the plaza. "Just be glad my troublesome wife loves to shop."

"You've been informed of the new assignment I take it?"

He and Shikamaru walked through the busy atmosphere. The place was full of guests roaming around the Christmas atmosphere.

"Yeah, now I've got a cold case to work on among the other things I need to do." He sighed as he pulled out a cigarette. He and Itachi made a turn into a bar called the Orbite. They had quite a bit to discuss for the time being.

The Uchiha family was just about finished with their dinner. Suki was finishing off her cupcake while Sasuke and his parents discussed tomorrows conference.

"Daddy look, its Aunty Sakura," Suki announced as she pointed into the crowd. Sasuke, as well as his parents, turned their heads in that direction and sure enough there she was. She was headed toward the exit, but she would have to pass them first. She was walking with Sora and a tall, mysterious looking man in a black trench coat.

They were about to pass the Uchiha table when Suki called out to them.

"Sora, Aunty Sakura!"

The two turned their heads towards Suki's voice. Sakura's eyes widened before she smiled and waved at them hesitantly.

"Oh…hi sweetie," she said as they walked up to the table. Sasuke stood up to greet them. He was well aware that the man behind them was her father. Sasuke's parents stood up as well.

"I didn't know you'd be here," Sakura said looking a little panicked. She quickly glanced at his parents before looking at Suki and giving her a smile. Sakura noticed that Sasuke was looking at her father. "Oh, uh…" she moved so that she could pull Kakashi forward.

Sasuke stretched his hand forward. "Sasuke Uchiha… Sakura's…CEO."

The last part sounded kind of stupid, but it made him think about what he was really allowed to call himself.

Kakashi firmly took his hand. "Kakashi Hatake, Sakura's father," he introduced with an authoritative tone that could rival Sasuke's. "And Sora's grandfather," he added.

Sasuke nodded and noticed that Kakashi had increased the pressure on his hand somewhat. Sasuke held on with equal pressure to show that he was not intimidated whatsoever. They let go, but Kakashi kept his gaze on the younger Uchiha brother.

Words could not describe what was going through his mind right now. The resemblance to Sai was hard to ignore. Sure there were a few subtle differences, but overall, it was really amazing. So this is the man that Sakura and Sora have been spending so much time with?

Kakashi turned to Fugaku and Mikoto and nodded his head. He then turned his gaze to the little girl who was now standing next to Sora.

"And what's your name?" Kakashi asked as he bent his neck down. Again, he was speechless when he got a good look at the adorable little girl.

"My name is Suki," she smiled up at him. Kakashi looked into those big beautiful green eyes of hers and felt like he was blasted into the past. She looked just like Sakura when she was that age. What's more, she also looked like she could be Sora's twin sister.

"Suki, that's a beautiful name," he said making her giggle.

Fugaku and Mikoto were eyeing Kakashi strangely. He seemed fairly young to be Sakura's father. That scar going across his left eye only added to their curiosity. Kakashi sensed them staring and looked up at them.

These were Obito's family members. Obviously, the Uchiha family had some very strong physical traits of dark hair and fair skin. They looked over at Sakura.

"You must be Sakura," Mikoto said turning to her. Sakura's eyes snapped in her direction.

"Yes, I am. It's nice to meet you Mrs. Uchiha."

"Mikoto," she corrected. "No need for formalities."

Mikoto smiled and then looked down at Sora. The little boy looked so much like Sasuke that she couldn't help but smile fondly at him. He looked so adorable standing there and innocently holding onto his mother's hand. Sasuke used to hold her hand like that when he was younger.

"This is Dr. Haruno, the new head of Obstetrics," Sasuke informed. His father nodded in understanding.

"Dr. Haruno, it's nice to have a physician with a reputation like yours. Tsunade doesn't teach just anybody."

"No she doesn't," Kakashi agreed proudly.

"Thank you. Well it was nice meeting you all," Sakura said quickly. "We don't want to keep you from your dinner any longer."

She looked at Sasuke once more before turning around and walking out of the restaurant with Sora. Kakashi gave Sasuke a final look before walking out as well. Sasuke saw that it was more calculating than anything else.

Another thought invaded his head as they were leaving: Gaara.

Even though Sakura used to work for him, Sasuke still had an unsettled feeling about her association with the man. They were obviously familiar with each other otherwise Gaara wouldn't have referred to her so informally.

It was just something Sasuke would have to ask about later.

When they got back to the suite, Sora immediately went to his room to get the rest of his drawings to show his grandfather. Sakura and Kakashi went into the living room and sat down on the big cushy sofa.

"So that was your boss? Seems pretty young to me," Kakashi noted leaning back into the sofa.

"Like how you seem kind of young to be my father, let alone a grandfather" she returned, tucking her feet underneath her. Kakashi chuckled.

"Touché Dr. Sakura."

Sakura smiled when he called her that. Out of the many nicknames her father gave her, "Dr. Sakura" was always her favorite. Sora ran back into the living room with his sketch pads.

"Are you going to show him everything?" Sakura asked. Sora nodded and tossed his sketchpads onto the couch. He then climbed on top and sat in between Kakashi and Sakura. He began to flip through the drawing and explain them again.

This went on for about an hour or so. Kakashi thoroughly enjoyed spending some time with Sora. The boy was so artistically talented. Looking at him just reminded Kakashi of Sai. Sora truly was Sai's son. Thinking back to the years when Sai was "protecting" Sakura and all the conflict that occurred, Kakashi was glad that most things turned out for the better. If it wasn't for Sai, he wouldn't have his precious grandson.

But there was still Sakura to consider. While Sora was explaining his drawings, Kakashi kept glancing at his daughter. He could clearly see how much she was hurting as her son went on about his drawings. He could only imagine what went through her mind every time Sora did something reminiscent of his father.

"Okay Sora," she announced. "It's time for you to brush your teeth and go to bed." It was almost 10:30 and Sora needed some proper rest.

"But I want to stay with Grandpa," he sulked. Kakashi ruffled his hair.

"I'll still be here before you go to bed," he promised. "Now go do what Mommy says."

Sora pouted but obeyed. He gave Kakashi a hug and climbed down the couch, pausing to let his mother kiss his forehead before he walked past her to his room.

Sakura watched him leave before turning back to her father. Kakashi patted the space on the couch next to him and she scooted closer until she was snuggling next to him. He placed his arm over her and kissed the top of her head.

"I really did miss you," she sighed. Kakashi tightened his hold around her.

"I know, but I've missed you more than that," he lamented. "You've come a long way in such a short amount of time. I'm proud of you."

She smiled. "Are you coming to the Gala tomorrow night? Cocktail hour is at six. You could even bring a guest if want. Maybe that mysterious secretary you suddenly hired?" she asked giving him a knowing look.

Kakashi blinked a few times before picturing Anko in a formal evening gown. He found that he couldn't do it. Anko? In a dress? It was just too impossible to put together. However it did sound fun to see her try it.

"A guest huh? I just might do that, but you have to promise me at least one father-daughter dance," he said, hugging her closer. Sakura chuckled.

"I can promise you more than one dance. After all…" she said looking up at him "…you kind of owe me one."

Kakashi looked into her eyes and felt that familiar pang of guilt running through his system. He knew what she was talking about.

Sakura's features suddenly became somewhat gloomy as she sat up straight on the couch. She looked down at her fingers and tried to compose herself, but she was failing. She shouldn't have brought it up. Why did she bring it up?

Kakashi placed his hand on the side of her face and pulled it up. He saw that she was near tears and was trying to hold them back, but they suddenly came rolling down her face.

"Sakura."

She quickly tried to wipe the tears away, but they wouldn't stop coming.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm crying. I didn't mean to… bring that up," she sniffled. Kakashi tried to wipe the tears away but Sakura quickly got up from the couch and strolled over to the coffee table where the tissues were.

"Sakura, I don't know what to say about that," he admitted as he got up and followed her. Sakura grabbed a few tissues and furiously dabbed her eyes.

"You don't have to say anything. I know you've come around since then but still… I just can't believe you didn't come to my wedding," she said as more tears rolled down her face. "I'm sorry. I don't know why this is coming up now of all times."

"But I was there."

Sakura wiped her tears and looked up at him. "No you weren't."

"Yes I was. You didn't see me, but I was there," he insisted. Sakura still looked like she didn't believe him. "I may not have approved of your relationship with Sai, but I wouldn't have missed your wedding for anything," he said grabbing her shoulders. Sakura dabbed her eyes again. "It was by the lake near the old cherry blossom tree. I was there. I saw you get married."

She stared into his eyes, willing herself to believe him. "I know how much you loved him," Kakashi continued. "I know that now but I have to ask: Sasuke... is he—"

"Don't," she said firmly. "Don't even go there." She pulled away from him. "I know what you're going to say."

"He looks so much—"

"Don't you think I know that?" she cried. "I know he looks like Sai, but that's not why I'm with him."

"So you are together," he confirmed, narrowing eyes. He saw her expression darken when she realized her slip.

"We're trying I guess… I don't know." She ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "But believe me when I say that I'm not confusing him as Sai. I know that's what you're assuming."

Kakashi said nothing as he watched her fold her arms across her chest. He didn't quite know what to make of Itachi's younger brother, but this turn of events wasn't helping. It was natural for an overprotective father to despise the other man in his daughter's life. Sasuke's no different, although there was just something about him that seemed strange.

"Sora obviously has a certain impression of Sasuke," he said, thinking back to Sora's drawing. "What do you think about this?" It was one thing for Sakura to be confused, but Sora was another matter altogether.

"Sora knows that Sasuke isn't his father. I made that very clear to him," she answered. "I'll never let him forget Sai."

Kakashi sighed. "It's past the point where I can tell you what to do. You may be a grown woman but you're still my daughter Sakura. I don't want to see you or Sora get hurt again," he said gently.

"I know. I'm sorry, I don't know why I just flared up like that."

"It's alright." He walked over and pulled her into a hug. "I'm just looking out for you both."

Sakura wiped her tears and gave a small smile.

"I know you are, but you've got to stop analyzing every detail of my life like I'm some sort of victim here," she pleaded. "I'm not a victim. I'm fine. And please don't get on my case about Sasuke. I need for you to just back off of him."

Kakashi opted not to anything since he wasn't planning on complying with that. What he diddo was pull her into another hug. A part of him knew that the pain of Sai's death will always be there for her. Kakashi was never fond of the idea of sharing Sakura with anyone, and the fact that she fell so hard for Sai made him realize that he couldn't keep her to himself, no matter how hard he tried.

"You should go and rest," he advised. "I'll be here tomorrow night for the Gala." Sakura nodded as she pulled away from him.

"You should say goodnight to Sora. I'm sure he's waiting for you."

He nodded and went to find his grandson. When he was gone, Sakura went to the nearest trash can and threw away her tissues. Sighing, she ran her fingers through her hair, all the while thinking about how she wanted things to turn out with Sasuke.

He was good to her, and she loved Suki as if she were her own daughter. But she had to be fair with him. No more uncertainties and no more second guessing. She was in this for real now.

It was almost midnight and Sasuke found himself standing outside on the balcony, waiting for Sakura to show up. She had called him only a few minutes ago and asked him to meet her here. Whatever she had on her mind must have been important. He looked up at the moon and leaned against the railing of the rather large balcony. He heard the doors open turned to see Sakura slowly walking up to him.

"Hi," she breathed as she approached him. "I'll make this quick." He straightened himself and waited. She looked him in the eye and said "I like you."

Sasuke raised his brow, but said nothing. Sakura continued. "I like you for you, not because of your similarities to Sai."

Sasuke continued looking at her. "Are you trying to convince me, or you?" Sakura almost glared at him for saying that.

"I don't need convincing! I need for you to tell me if that statement bothered you at all. Don't you have any uncertainties about me?" she asked desperately. "Doesn't that fact that I just asked you to come out here in the cold to tell you that, bother you at all?"

"Should it?"

Sakura sighed. Why'd he have to be so unemotional? Why couldn't he be passionate about his feelings and just tell her if it bothered him? Why did the moonlight make him look so yummy? Sakura mentally slapped herself. This was serious stuff here. Focus!

"I think it should on some normal level," she replied. "When I told you the first time, you took me out to lunch. That's not normal, that's suppressing your feelings. It might be why you have pre-hypertension, among other things," she added. "But that's beside the point. Do you like me?"

Sasuke sighed. Not this again. "Sakura…"

"Yes or no?" she pressed.

"Hn."

"Oh for crying out loud," she hissed, turning to the railing. Sasuke smirked. Why was it so amusing to see her get so worked up? Sasuke could see her breath from the cold night's air. It looked like it would be snowing soon. "You Hn me? What does that mean in your world?"

"It means you're annoying," he answered. "It means you're aggressive, violent, short tempered, nosy, controlling and demanding," he listed walking up behind her. He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to turn around and look him in the eye. "It means you make my daughter smile," he added gently. Sakura's features visibly softened when he said that. "And when she smiles...," he said pulling her closer "...my world is better. You make my world better."

Sakura's eyes watered.

"But what about—" warm lips forcefully covering her own stopped her from completing her sentence.

Sakura enthusiastically responded and locked her arms around his neck. Any train of thought she had before was now lost into his kiss. Her freezing body absorbed his heat as his hands roamed around her back, locking her in place against him. Sasuke broke the kiss and placed his forehead on hers.

"You talk too much."

Sakura chuckled. They were still locked in a tight embrace, their frozen breaths mingling together in the moonlight. "I've told you before, the past doesn't matter to me," he continued. "I've made my intentions clear. I want to be with you."

Sakura nodded and rested her head against his chest. Sasuke rested his chin above her head and held her close.

He'll admit that it bothered him when he found out that he looked like her husband, but it didn't matter anymore. So long as she knew that he was his own person, and that she loved Suki as much as he did, he was fine. He couldn't get enough of this woman. With each passing day he found himself more and more attracted to her. Sasuke also noticed that the bond between Suki and Sora was also growing. He knew Suki was referring to him as her brother, and that was just fine with him.

Sora's a good boy, and a protective one at that. Judging from the way he felt about his mother, Sora would also make one very protective brother for Suki.

Sasuke smirked at the thought of Suki having a brother. That ultimately meant that he would have to marry Sakura... and right now, that seemed like a really good idea. But he wouldn't say anything. Not yet at least. It was too soon and she needed more time, but he would wait for her.

"I should get back to Sora," she said, lifting her head up. She placed her hand on the side of his face. "I really do care about you, even if you do have speech issues." She smiled at his glare and stood on her toes to give him a quick kiss. As she tried to pull away, Sasuke held on tighter. He didn't want her to leave just yet.

"Sasuke... I have to... go to... Sora," she giggled in between kisses. She didn't really want to leave his addictive kisses either, but she left Sora alone in the suite and she needed to get back to him in case he woke up. Sasuke stopped kissing her but he still didn't let her out of his hold. He gazed at her face, noticing that her cheeks were pink with cold.

Sakura saw him looking at her with an expression that could almost pass for soft. This was so surreal for her, and that was why she had so many doubts before. This didn't feel like reality and that's all she had been living with for the longest time; the harsh reality of life. Working as a full time doctor while raising a son on her own was no easy task, and being with Sasuke just felt like being in a dream that she was afraid to wake up from.

But she acknowledged that the feelings she had every time she was with Sasuke was no dream. This was her reality now. She found a man that was willing to accept her and her son into his home and treat them as his own. Just look at the impression he made on Sora. Her little boy had someone to look up to now, and that made her happy.

He makes her happy.

"I'll walk you back," he offered. They left the balcony and walked back into the warmth of the halls. They reached their adjacent suites and turned to face each other.

"Well, give Suki a good night kiss for me," she said as she placed her hand on the door knob. Sasuke smirked and pulled her away from the door. He kissed her softly and pulled back, smirking again at the blush on her face.

"I will." He turned around to walk back to his suite.

Sakura couldn't help but let her gaze travel from the back of his head down to the back of his pants. She shook her head and mentally slapped herself again for getting distracted. She was just staring at his ass, which only increased the blush on her cheeks. She opened the door quickly and got inside before her whole face turned pink. She needed a shower, now.

Later that night, Sakura was sitting comfortably in her bed and reading through her conference reports for tomorrow. She felt pretty confident about her reports but just wanted to get the entire thing in her head. It was around midnight by now, and she really needed to get some sleep. She closed her reports and placed them on the nightstand.

"Mommy?"

Sakura looked and saw Sora standing in the doorway in his pajamas. "I can't sleep anymore."

She smiled and pulled the covers open. "Come here then."

Sora smiled and climbed into bed with her. She should have known that he wouldn't have been able to sleep with that gigantic nap he took today. She pulled the covers over him and held him close to her. She kissed his head as he snuggled into her embrace. She then began to run her fingers through his hair, the way she always did when he was fussy.

"Look at the stars Sora," she whispered.

You could clearly see the night's sky through the large glass doors of the balcony. Sora looked up at the sky. There was a beautiful white moon surrounded by thousands of stars against the royal blue sky.

"You know, when you were in my tummy, you used to kick me a lot whenever I tried to go to sleep," she told him.

He giggled. "Really?"

"Yes, you would," she said chuckling. "But then your daddy would hold me and we'd look at the stars together. You would stop kicking me and go to sleep. That's why we named you Sora, because it means sky."

Sora didn't say anything. He was too preoccupied with the stars. Slowly but surely, his eyes started to close from the soothing sensations of Sakura's hands. She continued to massage his head until she was sure he was asleep. She then carefully tucked him into her bed, making sure he wouldn't roll off the edge. She smiled at his adorable baby face. She didn't know how she would have moved on without Sora.

"Goodnight my baby," she whispered as she gently kissed his cheek. She turned the lamp off and settled into her bed. Tomorrow morning was going to a busy day. She was going to need all her rest.

"So Neji," said Kakashi as he and the rest of the gang sat around one of the hotel bars after dinner. "I hear you and Tenten are expecting triplets. Congratulations… and good luck."

Neji only grunted a thank you to him. Truth be told, he was completely tired out from Tenten's demands. The mystery bag from earlier was one of her favorite cravings, and it was making him sick. But who was he to deny his pregnant hormonal wife? The woman was good with sharp pointy objects, and Neji didn't want to get on her bad side.

"Yeah I can't believe I'm going to be an uncle," Naruto mused.

"You're already an uncle," Shikamaru pointed out as he slouched in his seat and puffed his cigarette. He blew it past Gaara, who was sitting opposite him. He didn't seem to mind. Kankuro was present as well.

Naruto scratched his head sheepishly. "Oh, right. Hey I thought you quit smoking."

Shikamaru said nothing as he leaned back and blew out the smoke again. "Let's get down to business. It's only a matter of time before I get a troublesome call from Ino about where I am."

"Starting without me? I'm hurt," came a strong deep voice from behind Naruto.

Everyone turned around and saw a big man with a huge main of white spiky hair with strange red tattoo marks on his face. He placed his hand on top of Naruto's head and ruffled up his spiky blonde hair as if he were a child. Kakashi spared a glance from his novel to direct his attention to none other than the author of his precious book.

"Jiraya, good to see you again," Kakashi greeted.

"What are you doing here you perv?" Naruto grumbled as he tried to repair the damage to his hair. His attempt failed as Jiraya saw fit to smack his head over the side.

"I told you to stop calling me that!" Jiraya took the empty seat next to Kakashi. "Anyway, what's up with you? I thought I'd have some honorary great-grandchildren by now, but it looks like Neji beat you to that too. Didn't you learn anything from my books?"

Naruto was blushing furiously while everyone else snickered in their seats. Jiraya was like a father figure to Naruto. He was the Sensei to Naruto's father Minato, who happened to be none other than Kakashi's Sensei. The world was getting smaller every day.

"Let's begin now," said Gaara. "I don't have all day," he added with his arms crossed.

Kakashi agreed. "Well said Gaara. Now before we begin, I have something to ask you all." Everyone directed their attention to Kakashi as he placed his book back into his coat pocket.

"Sasuke Uchiha...what's the deal with him?" he asked as he leaned forward on the table. He was met with several raised eyebrows and questioning stares. This was going to take a while.

It was 7:45 in the morning and Sakura had just dropped off Sora at Ino's suite. According to the schedule, breakfast will be served until 8:45 and then the conference will begin at 9:00. Sakura walked towards the elevators. She was dressed in a form fitting knee length black silk skirt with matching stilettos and a deep green silk blouse that complimented her eyes nicely. It was also required that she wear her white doctors coat with her ID on as well.

Once she got closer to the elevators, she saw a certain someone waiting there as well. Smiling, she casually walked over and stood next to him.

"Mr. Uchiha," she greeted with smile.

"Dr. Haruno," he returned. Sasuke was dressed in a stylish black suit with a blue shirt and black tie. His hair was sleek and shiny looking too. Sakura briefly wondered what kind of shampoo he used to get those results.

From the side of his eyes, Sasuke gave her a quick glance and immediately noticed the skirt, where her tempting legs were there for the world to see. He briefly thought about telling her to go back and put some pants on.

"Where's Suki?" she asked. "Did she manage to get any sleep last night?"

"She's still sleeping. That three hour nap gave her too much energy last night."

Sakura laughed. "Sora's still sleeping too, but I guess it's better for them to rest now before the Gala tonight."

The elevators opened and the two of them walked inside. Sasuke pushed the ground floor button. As the elevator began to descend, he wondered about her father.

"Will your father be attending the Gala?"

Sakura glanced at him before looking ahead of her at the wall. "Yes he'll be coming with a guest."

They didn't say more after that. Last night's conversation with her father played back into her mind. She had no idea why she brought up her wedding right then and there. It was old news and she thought she had moved on from that. Not only that, but her father had point blank asked her if she was with Sasuke because of his likeness to Sai.

Hopefully she could put all that behind her. She was committed to him now and that's all that mattered. Sasuke caught her stare and returned it.

He could see that there was something on her mind. Even though they spent a few "moments" together last night, he found that he sort of… missed her, which was a foreign feeling to Sasuke altogether. Subconsciously, his left hand moved to grasp onto her right one.

Sakura smiled at the move and looked down at their joined hands. When she looked back up, her lips were met with a warm kiss. When Sasuke pulled away, she saw that of course, he was smirking. She rolled her eyes and enjoyed the strong, comforting feeling of holding his hand. She couldn't remove the smile from her face as the elevator reached the ground floor. Once its doors opened, Sasuke and Sakura reluctantly broke apart and walked out together.

"Where's the rest of our group?" she asked as they made their way towards the meeting hall. She saw several of her fellow doctors in their white coats, running around the place. It felt like a doctor convention.

"They should be here." They reached the meeting hall and immediately spotted their friends standing around in the center of the room. After grabbing some coffee and refreshments, they made their way over.

"Hey you guys," Tenten greeted as she spotted them. Naruto, Hinata and Shikamaru were also there.

"Hey Tennie, hello babies," Sakura cooed as she patted her belly. "You feeling okay?" Tenten was now seven months pregnant. She made it past her minimum of twenty-eight weeks, but she was still a high risk case. She could go into premature labor at any time now.

"I'm fine Sakura. There's nothing to worry about yet." Neji made his way over and stood next to her. He gave her a muffin and had a coffee for himself.

"I can't believe they don't have any ramen!" Naruto complained as he pouted in the corner. Hinata smiled sympathetically at him.

"No one eats Ramen for breakfast Dobe," Sasuke muttered.

Sakura looked around the meeting hall. There were so many people here. She was going to have to give a presentation in front of all of them.

"Sakura?"

Everyone including Sakura turned around and smiled when she saw her mentor.

"Tsunade!" Sakura left the group to hug her.

She was nearly crushed in a monstrous hug from the older woman, who really didn't look old at all. Tsunade was moderately tall woman with blond hair tied into two pigtails with chestnut brown eyes. She was also sporting her famous purple diamond tattoo on her forehead, but that wasn't all she was famous for. Aside from her medical expertise, Tsunade was known for her extremely large "chest". The woman had boobs the size of basketballs that were now suffocating her.

"How are you Sakura?" she asked as she let go. "The hospital hasn't been the same now that I don't have my apprentice anymore." She was wearing blue capri pants over a grey top the showed off her incredible cleavage. She was also wearing a doctor's coat over it, although it probably wouldn't have been able to close up all the way.

"I'm doing alright. Is Shizune here?" she asked eyeing the drink in Tsunade's hand. Sakura had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't coffee. Tsunade was a very "passionate" alcoholic to say the least.

"She's around here somewhere." She looked tenderly at Sakura. "It is so good to see you again, now where's my grandson?"

That question seemed ridiculous coming from Tsunade. She looked no older than thirty-five, yet everyone knew she was definitely over fifty. Not that anyone would dare point that out in front of her.

"He's still sleeping, but I'll bring him over to see you after the conference," she promised. Tsunade nodded and took a sip of her drink. That's when Sakura noticed the shiny ring on her finger.

"Is that an engagement ring?" she asked incredulously. Tsunade put the drink down and took a look at her finger.

"You could say that."

Sakura just looked at her wide eyed. "Well, who is it? Is he here?" For as long as she's known her, Tsunade has made it known that marriage wasn't an option for her; some sort of old personal history behind it all or something. This was definitely shocking.

"Probably off doing some more "research". I don't even know why I'm marrying that fool," she mumbled as she took another sip of her drink. "But I'm looking forward to hearing your presentation. It'll be good to see my teachings at work and see some competence again."

"Have you seen Gaara, Temari and Kankuro?" Sakura asked. Sasuke visibly stiffened at the mention of Gaara.

"Knowing Gaara, he's probably already here and we don't even know it. But no doubt he'll come looking for you. He's been noticeably moody since you left."

Sasuke glared at nothing in particular.

Neji, who was watching from the side, noticed the jealousy and possessiveness from Sasuke's posture alone. He smirked. This should be fun.

"I see you're adjusting nicely with these people," Tsunade said indicating the group behind her. "All of whom I'm quite familiar with," she added as she joined them. They all talked briefly about the hospitals and other things. It was soon time for the conference to start.

Sasuke and the rest of the Konoha Medical group sat in the right hand side of the conference hall. The meeting had been going on for over two hours already. Most of the other hospitals had already given their presentations. Right now, Sakura was on stage.

He watched as she spoke with confidence and knowledge. She was in control of that stage. She easily had everyone's attention the moment she was announced to come up. She was the apprentice to the legendary Dr. Tsunade Senju after all, not to mention she was just beautiful.

Sasuke found his attention shifting from her presentation, to just her.

The way her hair would move with her as she turned her head, the intensity of her eyes at each major point she discussed, or the way she would put her hand on her hip, emphasizing the shape underneath. He absorbed every detail about her.

Since he wasn't a physician, there was really no need to pay attention to the medical jargon, but he didn't hate that he could just sit there and stare at her.

She was going on about some neonatal respiratory topic. Whatever it was had all the occupants in the room enthralled. Sasuke spotted the Sunagakure Medical Group sitting on the other end of the room. Gaara had his eyes glued to her the entire time. Sasuke never cared much for Gaara, mainly because they hardly ever conversed about anything. But Naruto knew him. They were apparently good friends from back in the day. Then again, Naruto was everyone's friend.

It was now time for questions from the audience. Several people raised their hands. Sakura answered each one with a smile.

Sitting there and watching Sakura be the great doctor that she's turned out to be made Tsunade a very proud woman. Sakura was precise and diligent in her presentation and she didn't miss a thing with the questions and answers. Regardless of how proud Tsunade was at the moment, there was also that tremendous sense of guilt that also ran through her veins.

Looking around the room, Tsunade spotted several of the CIA Undercover Agents stationed here at the hotel. Most of them came from the KMC group. Even though they looked aloof, they were still on high alert, even that knucklehead Naruto.

Tsunade smirked as she thought about how she was going to break her special news to the unsuspecting blonde ramen lover, but that was for later.

Right now, all she could think about was Sakura, and all the lies she's had to live with. The biggest one was what Sai really did for a living. She would never forget the day Sai died. It was Sakura's darkest hour and if it wasn't for Sora, she probably would have lost it.

Looking back at her apprentice and "daughter", Tsunade thought about how much she's grown over the past seven or so years. She was now a successful medic and a great mother, and that's all that Tsunade could have asked for right now. But she hoped that one day, she might be able to move on and marry again. She deserved that much.

However, Tsunade knew that one day the truth will also come out, and everyone close to Sakura was going to have a lot of explaining to do… including herself.

"Glad that's over," Tenten groaned as the group made their way out of the conference hall. "To the bathroom!" she announced as she waddled her way there with Hinata by her side. When you're as pregnant as Tenten was, you needed a bathroom close by at all times.

"We could go to the lounges for lunch," Neji suggested to the remaining group.

"I should get Sora from Ino. Tsunade hasn't seen him yet," Sakura said.

"Don't bother," Shikamaru replied. "They're here." The group turned their head and saw a worn out Ino walking over with Sora, Akio, Akira and Suki.

"Hey Ino pig. You look great," Sakura grinned.

"I have no idea how Tenten will be able to handle three kids. She's in for it," Ino said before something else caught her attention. "Who's that guy staring at you over there?" she asked as she looked behind Sakura. She turned around and smiled.

"Gaara!"

Gaara was standing a few feet away from them. Sakura wasted no time in sprinting over launching herself at him in a hug. Sasuke could have sworn he saw something like a smile appear on Gaara's face as he wrapped both arms around her.

Sasuke didn't like that. He didn't like it at all.

"How are you?" Sakura asked.

"I'm more concerned about you," Gaara replied, looking at her face. She sighed, but smiled none the less at his concern for her.

"Well I'm fine. Sora too," she added as she motioned for Sora to join her. Sora walked over and stood next to Sakura. "Sora, do you remember Uncle Gaara?"

Sora nodded and smiled up at the red haired man.

Gaara placed his hand on top of Sora's head and ruffled his hair a bit. This was one child that didn't fear him. Gaara had known this boy since before he was born, back when Sakura used to work for them. She was one of the only true friends he had.

"Sakura!" Temari shouted from behind them. "There you are. We've been looking for you," she said as she and Kankuro walked up to them. She gave Sakura a hug and then immediately tackled Sora in a hug as well.

"Hey short stuff," Kankuro said ruffling Sora's hair. Sora just stuck his tongue out at him and hid behind Sakura for protection. Temari laughed while Gaara was looking ahead. He was staring at something, or rather, fiercely looking at someone: Sasuke.

"Your presentation was great," Temari praised. "Now if only you'd have stayed with us, we could brag about you."

The rest of the KMC group watched the interaction between Sakura and the Sunagakure group. After a brief chat, Sakura invited them to lunch with the rest of them. As everyone made their way to the lounges, Sasuke and Sakura held back from the rest of the group.

"Sasuke." He looked down at her as they walked towards the lounges. "What wrong? Why are you glaring?" Sasuke only looked forward and glared some more at the back of Gaara's head. He didn't miss the guys glare earlier. "Sasuke!" She didn't like being ignored.

"Nothing," he replied. Sakura would have argued had it not been for Suki running towards them.

"Daddy, Aunty Sakura come on," she shouted as she grabbed both their hands and pulled them along.

They both smiled and began to walk faster with Suki in between them. She happily swung their joined hands back and forth, enjoying the feeling of guiding the two adults. Sakura smiled at Suki's antics. The entire group made their way to the restaurants, getting in a little more down time until the Gala tonight.

Little did they know that someone else was watching them, or rather… watching a certain pink haired doctor and the man by her side.

As the group went out of sight, the figure left his spot in the lobby and began to walk to the elevators, trying to contain his emotions. He needed to get her face out of his head, otherwise he might do something stupid.

Damn her and this spell she had over him. She didn't even know he existed, yet there she was, carefree and happy as ever with another man.

"I'll get you. Just you wait." he growled as the doors to the elevator closed.