lol at that one reviewer, you mad huh?

riverhaze had confirmed with her lawyers she stands at no position to gain profit or notoriety from the nayrooto franchise

Phobia

by Riverhaze

Chapter Eleven

No one noticed the foreign ninja walking down the side of the street. Youko was humming a folksy song under her breath, tapping her fingers against the side of the buildings. This had been her fifth lap around the Village, and she was starting to get its layout down pat. It had been a long time since she had been in a village this big, the sheer number of people unnerved her a bit. She was used to the quiet, the space between buildings, and the sleaze. There just wasn't any here unless you squinted real hard. Too many stiffs and boring civilians working nine to five. She was starting to wonder why Haruno loved this place so much.

Sasuke Uchiha noticed the blue haired kunoichi down the street. He was sitting on top of one of the buildings, scoping out the area as he usually did. Sakura's friend, or one time travelling companion, seemed to be wandering the streets aimlessly. But he swore he had just seen her through this area, not even fifteen minutes ago.

So he decided to tail her.

Youko, if he remembered correctly, walked around the village several more times. Doing absolutely nothing. But Sasuke was sure she was up to something.

Back in the maternity ward of this hospital, Sakura was watching Little-Naruto. That's what everyone had taken to calling him, since technically, he hadn't been named yet. Hinata hadn't waken up yet, which was starting to worry some of the doctors. It had been two whole days since the birth, and the Hyuuga heiress was still sound asleep. Sakura checked the baby's vitals, scribbled them down on the clipboard.

Outside, rain splashed lightly in the mid spring season. It had been raining ever since Hinata had given birth. Little-Naruto was laying on his back, staring at a mobile that was spinning around in circles above his head to the tune of a lullaby. He held out his hands and seemed to be waving at them. Too bad he was separated from it by the incubator.

Sakura thought about the father of the child, how she once loved him. She still did, but there was no way she could bring herself back to what it once was. Once you are hurt it is hard to heal, Sakura had started on her path to recovery which she was taking day by day. Now she could see just how foolish she had been before, running off to travel the world because some boy had hurt her feelings.

"I HATE YOU AND NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!"

Funny thing was, whenever Sakura thought about it now, she wanted to laugh. She should have just punched Naruto in the mouth all those years ago, and tell him to grow up. Such and odd thing, the passage of time.

Sakura turned her attention back to Naruto's baby who was staring at her. It creeped her out just a little, how he could look so wise about the situation he was born into.

"Haruno-san, Hinata Hyuuga is awake! She is asking about her child." A nurse found her as she was making her way back to her office to finish up her never ending stack of paperwork.

"We can't let her child out of the incubator for another week. Let her know this, if she has enough strength, she can visit him." Sakura quipped, not in the mood to play caretaker. Why did everyone always insist on running to her first before making a decision around her? She understood when they had been dealing with the plague and any wrong move could send the disease ravaging across the Leaf. But now everything was back to normal, they could deal with out her. Maybe she should take a day off.

"Sakura, your friend Youko has been acting suspicious." Sasuke was right to business when she walked into her office.

"Hello to you, too." Sakura grumbled, stomping her way over to her desk.

"She is wanted to the Wind Country for robbing several caravans, and has a bounty on her head from the Mist Country." Sasuke informed her, as if Sakura did not already know. She helped get that bounty on Youko's head back in the Mist, accidentally of course. Long story, but it had been in the past, and she thought Youko had paid it off already.

"What do you want me to do about it?" Sakura threw her hands up.

"I want you to deal with it. She's your friend, she came here because of you." Sasuke crossed his arms, fixed her with his deadpan stare.

"That's just how she is, always up to something but half the time its harmless. She's barely a chuunin level ninja, we have nothing to fear from her." Sakura explained, taking the last sip of days old water from her cup. Sasuke did not say anything, he remained silent but one raised eyebrow practically yelled at her. "Okay, fine. I'll talk to her, chase her out of town if I need too." Sakura gave in and resisted the urge to smack her forehead against the counter top.

"Good." Sasuke smirked in triumph and moved for the window, but then did the weirdest thing. He ruffled her hair. Affectionately, some would say. Sakura just sat there perfectly still for a few minutes after his departure, her hair a mess, wondering what the hell that had been about.

Sakura felt like someone had died. The painful wretch in her stomach was all to familiar, her eyes tired from crying endlessly for hours. Naruto's words, screamed at the top of his lungs, echoed over and over again in her ears.

I HATE YOU AND NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!

Whatever budding relationship she had been cultivating with Naruto had been torched, destroyed before it even had a chance to grow. All because of one stupid, stupid, mistake on Sakura's part. She royal messed up big time too, there was no way Naruto would ever forgive her it seemed. She had never seen him that angry before, practically unleashing the Kyuubi like he had when he had been a child. That's why they were always told to never have emotions, they got the best of you. Clouded your judgement, made you blind to what was right in front of you.

And Naruto had been blinded by his fear and doubts, that she would run to Sasuke that moment he set foot within the village again. Like Sakura hadn't tried to convince him a thousand times over for months and months that she loved him, and only him.

But now Naruto hated her, and never wanted to see her again.

She felt something within her ache. She had never felt like this, not even when Sasuke abandoned her or when Naruto ran off with Jiraiya.

How could she become a ghost within her own village, though? She saw Naruto everywhere, they had the same group of friends, they hung out at the same places, they even sought out the Hokage for guidance all the time. Sakura ran her hands through her hair and practically pulled out a few locks, her hands wound so tightly around one another. The thought of seeing him everyday, at a distance and with hatred in his eyes for her, made her want to fall through the floor and disappear there. She couldn't be reminded everyday of the pain she put him through, or what her life might have been like with him.

Six months later, Sakura heard weddings bells as she put the Leaf behind her.

Sometimes, one gets so overcome with emotion they can't help but cry.

Hinata let the tears roll down her cheeks and fall off her chin as she watched her newborn son through the amber glass of the incubator. He was hooked up to so many tubes it was hard to see the baby underneath. The nurses told her he had been a stillborn, but somehow Sakura had saved him.

Sakura Haruno saved the life of her child. When Sakura Haruno had every right to despise Hinata. But she did not know, no one had a clue about the deception Hinata had done so long ago when she had not been herself. Sakura's kindness was now staring her in the face, in the form of her child. Now the guilt was beginning to eat away at Hinata like a parasite.

She would tell her, tell Sakura the next time she saw the pinkette. Make things right, settle old demons she thought she had put to rest.

"Boruto." Hinata whispered as the tips of her slim fingers brushed against the glass. On cue, her so turned his perfect little head to look at her with a big grin on his face. He raised his tiny little fist and wiggled it at her own. "You like your name, huh?" Hinata laughed, their fingers separated only by the thin layer of glass.

Line Break

Okay, so maybe Youko was up to something.

Sakura was crouched low in the bushes, invisible to the naked eye, and watched as Youko slunk out of the deserted Uchiha district. The blue haired lightning nin was whistling a tune under her breath, it bounced across the back alley in strange distorted tones. Almost sent a chill down Sakura's back.

As Youko approached Sakura's hidey hole, she caught a glimpse of something clutched in Youko's hand. Two scrolls, mouldy and dusty with time, but there as no mistaking the Uchiha crest stamped on them from a distance. Sakura repressed a sigh that seemed to emanate deep within her soul, that last thing she wanted to put up with was this. Throwing her hair back, Sakura straightened up and stepped out of the shadows, directly in Youko's path.

"Whoa! Don't scare me like that Haruno, I almost impaled you through the chest." Her old travelling companion jumped back, clutching at her heart for dramatic effect.

"Give me the scrolls, Youko." Sakura held out her hand. Youko in response, raised both of her hands, now empty.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Haruno. You've been working way to many nights at that hospital." She chuckled and had the nerve to tsk. Before Sakura could say a word, Sasuke appeared out of thin air behind Youko. He hoisted Youko off her feet by her wrists with one hand as she began to protest wildly, reached into her weapons pouch, and pulled out the two scrolls.

"You aren't a shinobi, you're a thief." Sasuke growled as he tucked the scrolls away in his cloak.

"Same difference. Can't believe you got your boyfriend to muscle me around, Haruno. You've lost your touch." Youko stuck her tongue out at them, then made a mad dash away. Anyone else she might have escaped too, but she forgot she was being chased by Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha, two of the greatest shinobi of their generation. They caught her in under three minutes.

Sasuke slammed her against the brick wall of a building and held the tip of kunai against her throat. Even Sakura was a little alarmed at his show of force. Sakura had to stop and catch her breath, wondering where this exhaustion was coming from. The world spun a little and she suppressed a cough that bubbled up from her lungs.

"Why did you steal those scrolls? What were you looking for in them?" Sasuke growled, pressing the blade against a terrified looking Youko.

"Okay! Okay, I'll tell you! I was hired by some collector named Ryou to steal some Uchiha scrolls and a Hyuuga tapestry! He paid allot of money too, just for that glorified toilet paper." Youko revealed, her face distorted by fear.

"Ryou? The painter? You're lying, that doesn't make any sense." Sasuke narrowed his eyes, his patience running thin.

"Actually, it makes a lot of sense. Some of your family heirlooms started being sold on the black market here when you defected to Orochimaru, Tsunade had to have the Anbu patrol the district for a while to stop the thieves." Sakura explained through shorter and shorter breaths. She didn't feel okay, a cold sweat had started to drip all over her body and her stomach was doing odd flips. She needed to sit down...

"These scrolls are highly dangerous and contain sensitive information about the Uchiha clan. Only a shinobi would have use for them." Sasuke released Youko, but still kept a waiting hand on the hilt of his katana.

"Well, why don't you go asking Ryou about then? I don't really care, he already paid me." Youko pulled out a fat coin purse and smiled at it like a mother would to her children.

"You guys, I think I need some...water..." Sakura wheezed from where she had been leaning against the wall. A violent coughing fit over took her then, doubled her over and left her shaking on the ground. She heard a lot of yelling and talking, but couldn't really make out the words. When Sakura pulled her hand away from her mouth, it was stained with dark red blood.

Ah, she understood. Taro's greatest punchline yet, the inside joke they shared.

All was dark again.

edit 7/31/15

i hope this isnt too choppy or headed into the uncanny zone, i had to write some it from scratch