Chapter Twenty

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Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!

Beta-read by: Lilac Queen

"Akame," Sasuke repeated himself again. His patients for the girl was slowing running thin. "What were you doing my phone?"

Under the calculating gaze of the young Uchiha, the girl began to fidget with the hem of her skirt. Akame averted her eyes so that they don't come in contact with his. Biting her lips anxiously, she let out a forceful laugh. "Oh, I was just checking my email. You know how Daisuke loves to send emails to me. That kid is too plain cute!"

Onyx orbs narrowed down to the girl. "Daisuke only emails one person in this world, Sakura. Other than her, he hates emailing, for it's easier to call or text. Not to mention, he is currently in Africa, a city where there is no internet. He's on a safari field trip with his class."

"R-Really?" The girl was stumped. If she didn't find any way to buy herself some time, she would be eaten alive by none other than Sasuke himself.

"Now tell me the truth, Akame. What were you doing with my phone?"

All of a sudden, Ino came stomping in, her face twisted with pent up anger, ready to be unleashed at any second from now. The blonde was a human time bomb at the moment. In a few short strides, Ino slammed her hand down on the table, making the contents of their drink slosh onto the table. "What is the meaning of this, Akame?" Each word came out short and hard through her gritted teeth. Ino's usual bright, baby blue eyes were a stormy ocean blue. "Why did Sakura get a text from Sasuke telling her to meet him on the rooftop? Oh, wait. Did I forget to mention that, you had someone there ready to push her to her death? And that it was the same person that attempted the rape on her? Explain yourself bitch!"

Akame stared at the girl with wide eyes, frozen in place. She tried opening her mouth to retort back that it wasn't her, but her ability to speak was useless.

Silence came over the three like a thick wool blanket. The only audible sound was the clinking of glassware coming in contact with another as waiters began cleaning up for it was closing time. If they strained their ears hard enough, they could even hear the soft whispers of the wind calling.

Sasuke let out an agitated sigh. Seeing that the conversation was going nowhere, he pushed his chair back and got up. He gave Ino a curt nod as he buttoned up his suit, and left without another glance at Akame, leaving the paid bill on the table.

Once he reached the door, Sasuke heard Ino incoherently growling at the girl.

Three knocks on her bedroom door caused her to snap out of her trance, "Come in."

Sakura opened her eyes and turned her head to the direction of the door. A small smile made its way to her face as she saw Sasuke enter. The boy had no idea what kind of effect he had on her. He could turn her any frown into a smile, and that's exactly what happened right at that moment.

The said boy leaned down and placed his hands on either side of her head. His eyes searched her own; they were looking for something within her own. "You alright?"

"Yeah."

"No, you're not."

"I'm fine Sasuke. Seriously, I'm fine."

After staring at her for a moment longer, Sasuke decided to drop the subject. "Alright, come on. We're going for a walk."

Before she could even mutter a single a word, Sasuke was already heading for the door.

"Wait! In this?" Sakura exclaimed.

Not even bothering to turn around, he muttered, "I don't see why not."

Looking down at her sweats and t-shirt, Sakura sighed. "Hey Chicken-Ass, hold up!" Sakura began stripping off her night time garments and exchanging them for a nice pair of jeans and a white v-neck underneath a navy blazer. Throwing the door open, Sakura rushed outside.

"Hurry up, Pinky," Sasuke said as he watched the pink-haired girl tear up a storm in her living room.

Hopping on one foot as she tried slipping on her shoes, Sakura managed to lose her balance, thus causing her to stumble into Sasuke. "Ugh...sorry!"

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke snatched the shoe out of her hands and bent down. After jamming the god damn shoe onto her foot, he got up and took her hand, leading her out the door.

Crisp, clean air hit Sakura in the face as the two got out into the late afternoon. The sun was just slowly descending into the horizon, leaving the sky fading from a purple hue to an intense fiery orange. It was light enough outside for them to see the white cloud streaks left behind from airplanes like shooting stars. The smell of decaying herbage was distinctive as the smooth undertone of mint and earth mingled to create a sudden warm, cozy feeling. Like those pages from expensive candles catalogs that you could scratch and sniff. As the chilling wind hit her body like a thousand needles striking at once, Sakura tugged her blazer closer to her body. Feeling the soft material against her skin sent warmth to her. But the main heat source at that moment was a certain Uchiha's arm snaked around her waist, pulling her close.

"Well, isn't someone usually quiet this evening." Sakura commented, looking at the dark-haired boy walking beside her.

"Hn." Sasuke merely grunted. Glancing at Sakura, he saw a slightly concerned expression marring her features. Her brows were furred together, with her lips set in a firm line. Bright emerald eyes darkened not more than a second as they returned back to their usual happy, glowing orbs. Deciding to drop the topic just for the moment, Sakura spotted a small swing set not far ahead.

Running in an elated manner, Sakura hopped down onto the swing and motioned for Sasuke to come over. With his long legs, Sasuke managed to get to the swing set at no time at all. Leaning against the metal set, he gave the girl a slight push. Sasuke watched as Sakura closed her eyes and smiled as the autumn wind brushed through her hair and whispered in her ears.

The two stayed there for quite a while. No talking, just them listening to the songs of nature and watching the sun hide its face from the world as the shy moon began peeking out.

Sakura released a long dreary sigh. "Alright, pretty boy, what's the matter?"

The odd nickname caused Sasuke to raise an eyebrow but he didn't replied or showed any signs that he was going to ask her. This caused the rosette to kick the said guy. "I'm serious, Sasuke, something happen and I want to know."

Silence greeted her. Rolling her eyes, Sakura was now determined to squeeze the answer out of him. "Sasuke—"

"Hn, Akame nearly killed you." His tone was bitter to the core. Which was surprising since Sasuke never used that toned when he spoke of the girl. Anything related to the girl was said in a light, happy tone. She was his favorite family member aside from his mom. "I can't believe it. Never in million years would I ever think of her attempting something like that. I trusted her. Do you know how I feel?"

Before Sakura can even answer, Sasuke continued on.

"It was like being stabbed in the back. I was so disappointed and taken back. Everything that happened to you was caused by her. Akame, not Ino, nor those rabid fangirls. How could she? You never did anything wrong. I just don't understand that girl, deciding to go berserk on you is insane. Girls are so difficult."

In a different situation, Sakura would have been offended, but now was not the case. "She probably felt intimidated."

"Why?"

"Sasuke, did it ever cross your mind that she could have felt that she was no longer your girl? That I, a simple nobody, had taken the place of being Uchiha Sasuke's favorite girl? It probably hit her hard, the fear of being replaced and forgotten. There has never been a competition for being your girl until now. She was just scared and acted out of instinct. Akame...she didn't want to be that favorite toy in your treasure chest that you've loved all along, only to be suddenly forgotten and tossed aside. Us girls, we get intimidated easily and jealousy is cruel thing. It makes us do things, cruel things, sometimes."

Sasuke shook his head, kneeling down in front of her, he took her hand. "Still, there was no reason she couldn't come to me and talk about it. Even so, going as far as planning your death is such a demented act."

"Well, we girls are pretty crazy when you're talking about someone we love." She gave a small smile.

"Dear Kami, let's just hope you don't get like that. Because I'm not responsible for any injuries or deaths caused by you, Pinky."

"Lucky you, jealousy isn't my thing."

"And that's why I love you."

"Oh really? That's all?" Sakura pouted. "Hmm...guess this relationship isn't going to last very long now, is it? So our relationship lasted for three months, 6 hours, 3 minutes, and 37 seconds. Alright, that's cool. Bye!"

Sakura made a move to leave but Sasuke caught her by her wrist and yanked her back with more than necessary strength. Her body slammed into his as he held her tight in an embrace. Nuzzling his nose into her pink locks, "Hn, you know what I mean Sakura."

His velvety, smooth voice sent shivers down her spine. Smiling into his chest, "Yeah I know."

Sakura began to lag behind as the interior of the mysterious mansion mesmerized her. The tiled floor was swept and polished to such perfection that she found herself reflecting back. Rich mahogany colored antiquated furniture furnished the place with paintings, decorating the natural colored walls. High up, bright chandeliers lit up every inch of the house. As they reached the living area, glass windows stretched from the floor all the way up to the ceiling—showcasing a breath taking view of the city with the mountains.

In the far corner, her emerald eyes caught sight of a grand piano. Sakura let her hands slide across the ivory and charcoal keys. Shocks of cold waves traveled through her body as her fingers touched each single, glossy key. A small frown came to her face as she realized that this exquisite piece of instrument had been left alone for quite some time, such a shame. She couldn't resist but play one of the keys; it rang gloriously out into the room. It was beautiful; the sound most definitely matched its unedifying beauty.

"Beautiful isn't it?" A soft feminine voice spoke behind her.

Sakura nodded. Taking one last glance at the keys, she turned around.

Standing in front of her was a petite woman in her late forties, but she could have been no more than twenty-six. The women had burning red locks that fell down gracefully behind her back, and a strand was tucked behind her ear. But that wasn't what caught her attention. Instead, it was the pair of bright emerald orbs that stared into her own. And the heart-shaped face, and button nose, and rosy lips.

Realization hit her as she realized there could only be one person in the world that would look like that. Sakura's lips began to tremble ever so slightly, "O-Okaa-san?"

"Oh, Sakura, is that really you?" The women placed a hand on her chest, her heart was pounding at rapid pace. Could it be? The rosette standing in front of her was an exact replica of her daughter. Except, the girl standing in front of her had matured into a fine young women. There wasn't a doubt that she was it. They both shared the same exotic colored hair and those brilliant emerald orbs. Mrs. Haruno opened up her arms and waited.

Immediately, Sakura ran into the embrace of her long lost mother. Sakura clutched onto her as if her life depended on it; silent tears shook her whole body. "Okaa-san...I missed you so much."

Mrs. Haruno proceeded to run her fingers through her daughter's pink locks in a soothing manner before mumbling, "I know sweetheart. I know."

"Now alright, what happen here? Are we watching a chick flick now?" The voice was deep and was definitely masculine. "All I heard the moment I came through the doors were the sound of weeping-."

Mr. Haruno stopped short at the sight of Sakura weeping in the arms of his wife.

She peeked over the shoulder of her Okaa-san and looked him in the eyes. Realization hit him as he realized that the girl was the one that stole his heart. And she called him 'Daddy.' Walking over to the two, Mr. Haruno gathered them up into a warm hug. A Haruno man was also acknowledged to be quite emotionless, for it was the way of being in the business world. But at the moment, he had to let it slide as he couldn't help but let tears of joy blur his vision. His family was back together, after so many years, the Haruno family was complete. Their Cherry Blossom had finally returned to their tree.

Being the observant man he was known to be, looked up and found a certain Uchiha leaning by the frame of the archway of the room. The young man gave him a curt nod in response. Untangling himself from the embrace, Mr. Haruno began to work towards the young man. "And who may you be?"

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"Ahh...the heir to the Uchiha Corporation." Mr. Haruno nodded as he rubbed his chin. "And what is your relationship to our Sakura?"

"...I'm Sakura's boyfriend." Never in his life has Sasuke ever felt so...nervous. His hands inside his pockets were beginning to feel sweaty as he felt every muscle in his body tense up.

Mr. Haruno nodded understandingly. "Honey, should I get my shot gun?"

Sakura wiped her tears and sniffled a laugh. Walking over to her Chicken-Ass, Sakura linked her arms with his smiling. "That's not necessary Daddy. Sasuke's a goody two shoes and he's honest. Trust me on this."

Mr. Haurno sighed but a small smile came to his face. "Well sweetheart, you never know. Boys will always be boys. And teenage boys are full of hormones and they're perverts trying to get into your pants."

"Daddy!"

Beside her, Sasuke turned his head to the side to hide the blush that was creeping up his neck. Coughing lightly, Sasuke tried to pick up the pieces of what's left of his manhood and dignity. Boy was he in for a long night.

A/N: Well hello my dear peeps :) Pardon my quite delayed updated; the internet at our house was being crazy and I couldn't get anything typed. Not to mention it was Thanksgiving and oh, BLACK FRIDAY! But here's the chapter y'all be waiting for. Thank you Lilac Queen for betaing this again! Love her, she's quite amazing. Oh I feel so bad sending this over for her to edit...I didn't even proof-read it...yikes. And that's what I get for typing at 1am in the morning on a school night while typing an English essay. Awesome. And the last bit of the chapter was just added right after it was edited so pardon any errors...

Now review! I know you're there (those following this story that don't review). Review my loves, it's an amazing feeling to see my inbox filled with review alerts :) Well in an hour, I have to be back at school for Student Senate Lock-in and decorating for 'Knight's Fest' so I want you guys to review like mad so that my phone is practically buzzing in my pocket the whole time. If I get a well above record tonight...wait for it...I will update again on Saturday night. Now how does that sound? But don't worry I will be updating regularly as much as possible :) But if you guys want the next chapter up quick, you know what to do!

{Thanks to:} MiyatheEarthninja, InnocentBlossom, ILoveSxS, Cap'n Jackelback, x-JanoskiansBabey-x, silveroaks, uchiha. sakura. 23, DiamondDreams789FIFi, Hearts grow, Rikato Tojidofukuto, MikazukiDreams, luvu11, dark-angel-of-the-past, BlackPoppy. 0, Shadow Wolf, Sakura -Haruno- Uchiha 10, Lilac Queen, SkeleTonQueeN06, BananaphoneBob, jus4theheckofit98, OkashiiKantoku, and 7TeamSeven7.

~ MusicLover2010