Dont own NARUTOOO

Phobia

by Riverhaze

Chapter Three

After the War Sakura believed everything would go back to how it was. Before shit hit the fan, she would be a team with Naruto and Sasuke again, now featuring Sai. Kakashi would be their sensei and Konoha would rebuild bigger and better than it had been before. Instead, Kakashi became the Hokage, Sasuke left to 'redeem' himself and left her behind, again.

Life with Naruto seemed so right she decided to give it a shot. Why not? He was always an amazing friend, and always went out of his way for her.

But now he hated her, and never wanted to see her again. Out of no where, she became his enemy and their budding relationship went up in flames. Just like that. Poof.

Sakura crawled out of her bedroom and downstairs to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. Her throat felt sore from crying all day and last night, she could barely open her eyes past all the swelling from digging her hands against them. Ino tried to come over and cheer her up, but she just did not feel like seeing anyone. It was tough, meaning so little to the ones you cared so much about.

Then an idea took root in her head, an idea that put a smile on her lips and filled her daydreams for months to come. What if she could just leave? Go somewhere were no one knew her name, find new people to care about and places to call home. The world was a big place, filled with endless stories and faces that accompanied them. How marvellous it would be, to just go where the wind took you.

Less than a year later, Sakura Haruno left.

Sakura liked to stick to her decisions. She always considered a indecisive mind a weak mind, during the War she had to act quickly and efficiently, and in life she liked to think she had made the right choices. She had stuck to being a ninja when everyone had told her she was a failure, she trained tedious hours to grow strong so she could bring Sasuke back, and did her best to convince Naruto she loved him and not Sasuke.

So, Sakura knew she would never abandon her exile, no matter how lonely she ever got. She was just going to travel the world over and over until she knew every rock and pebble and spec of dirt. She had learned to be content with just dying alone somewhere in a cave to decompose straight to the earth. So what if her life was miserable? It would have been a thousand times more miserable if she had stayed in Konoha.

Story of my life, Sakura grumbled to herself. So now, a huge part of Konoha was standing right before her, and what the hell did he even want? Why? How? All she knew was that she was incredibly angry, but also incredibly happy. Was that even possible?

Embarrassed that he still had such an influence on her, Sakura raised her hand out to him, then quickly balled her fist and threw a punch. Naruto surprisingly took the punch, his head whipped back an an angry red welt throbbed out from his cheek.

"Hey! Do you know who he is?" Konohamaru yelled and ran at Sakura. She easily weaved out of his reach and grabbed him by his hands, pinning him down with her foot.

"Who do you think you are?" Sakura finally found her voice.

"Alright, I deserved that." Naruto coughed and gave her a sheepish grin. Sakura felt her stomach flip. "But Sakura-chan, I'm here to ask for your help. Konoha needs you." Naruto said softly. Sakura pointed down at Konohamaru with her eyebrows raised. "Not him, the village." He coughed again.

"What's wrong? Forget to collect taxes this year?" Sakura snorted him. She had to dig in to the fact that all of his dreams had come true, while all she witnessed were nightmares.

"Can we talk somewhere in private?" Naruto asked.

"It's pretty private up here."

"Fine. We need a new Head of the Hospital, it is currently being run by a board of directors, but a new disease is spreading that no one knows what to do about." Naruto explained, trying to keep his voice low so no one could over hear them below. Sakura's eyebrows shot up to her hairline, she had vaguely heard of the plague he was talking about. Currently ravaging the populations in the Wind and Earth Country, it was starting to creep across the continent.

"Gee, I have some problems with medicine, I know! Let's go find Sakura-chan, after all, she's only good for helping me with what I want." Sakura huffed like a nine year old and crossed her arms.

"Sakura-chan, it's not like that. Ino kind of made me-"

"Oh, so now you didn't even want to find me?"

"What!?"

"Will you two grow up? Aren't adults supposed to be mature!?" Konohamaru snapped at them. There was an awkward silence that followed, and Sakura had to let it sink in that a teenager had better moral codes than her.

"Say please." Sakura sniffed and looked away. Naruto blinked several times and then cleared his throat.

"Sakura-chan, I, The Seventh Hokage Naruto Uzumaki, beg for your aid." He pleaded. Even bowed. The corner of Sakura's mouth twitched, a little over the top but it would do.

"Okay, but, I will not be reinstated as a ninja. Once this disease is taken care of, I'm going to leave again. Got it?" Sakura laid down her terms. Naruto nodded silently, it was not entirely what he wanted, but some was better than none. He wouldn't tell her about all the technicalities that would make her a ninja for Konoha again. Best she just found that out on her own... Besides, he knew he could count on Sakura's sense of self righteousness the draw her our of seclusion.

"Can you get off of me now?" Konohamaru mumbled into the dirt.

Line Break

Hinata often spent time looking at her self in the mirror. Her image mattered to her, as a respectable Hyuuga and the other half of the Hokage, she had to make sure she was giving off a dignified appearance. Her hair was almost to her waist, and she spent an hour brushing it every morning and every night. Her face had thinned considerably with womanhood, and her figure had evened out thankfully.

She turned to the side, imagining what a baby bump would look like.

Hinata thought about how funny it was that things worked out. She wished she could go back to sixteen, knowing what she knew now. She'd tell herself not to worry, that her chance would soon come, that Naruto and Sakura's relationship was doomed from the start. Doomed because of Naruto's own insecurities and Sakura's past love for Sasuke. Hinata did feel sorry for the pain both had went through during the breakup, and the pain she felt she had caused Sakura. But Sakura had decided to leave, Hinata had not made her. So, Hinata was not the least bit sorry for the pity everyone felt for the Haruno girl.

Then something agonizing came to mind, something Hinata had to convince herself meant nothing.

Naruto had been laying asleep next to her, and in the morning sunlight he was like a vision from a dream. She watched his sleeping figure, and knew this was it. This was bliss. She leaned closer to him, to catch the words he was breathing in his sleep. One delicate word slipped from his lips, and at its utterance, she felt her blood prickle.

Why? Why did he care for her? Hinata never understood, Sakura was a good person, but extremely selfish by nature. It had been Hinata who had loved Naruto unconditionally since childhood, not Sakura!

Fading this memory from sight, Hinata picked up the white stick she had laid on the corner table and stared at the small pink plus. She activated her byakugan and looked at her navel.

Forming just above her hips was a small cluster of chakra mixed with Naruto's.

Hinata Hyuuga-Uzumaki was pregnant.

revised 3/11/13

revised-revised 8/30/15