Echoes

Chapter Seven

New Territory

Patient suffers from ecchymosis of the right eye. A laceration to the forehead measuring approximately 4cm in length. Minor fracturing to the nose, accompanied by slight whiplash. Lacerated lower lip. Ecchymosis of the neck and arms, resulting from attempted strangulation and forcible restraint. A deep abrasion along the length of the right arm, potentially at risk from infection. Suspected concussion due to trauma to the back of the head.

Wounds have been treated and antibiotics prescribed.

Sasuke closed Sakura's medical notes with a snap, aware that he shouldn't have been looking through them in the first place but not really caring about that fact. His dark eyes studied the personal information that was printed on the front of the file for a moment and he made a mental note of her birthday for future use. She was twenty years old. The same age as Saburou Shin, the boy they had found dead the day before.

It could have been Sakura.

Sasuke had accompanied Sakura and her friend Ino to the hospital, though he wasn't quite sure if he was here as a police officer or as... something else.

After Shikamaru had got an initial statement from Sakura, and informed her that he would be in touch for further details in the future, Sasuke had volunteered to take Sakura to the hospital to get her checked out and get her injuries photographed for evidence. Ino had packed a small bag of clothes and necessities for her friend – it wasn't as though she would be able to stay at her apartment for a while – and Naruto had headed back to KPD assuming that Kakashi wouldn't want two of his agents MIA. Metsuki had been taken back to KPD and placed under the care of Kiba Inuzuka, whose family were prominent figures in veterinary care, and Sakura had been relieved that her faithful friend would be well looked after.

The present moment found Sasuke stood at the bottom of Sakura's hospital bed, waiting for the pink haired girl to return from her trip to the bathroom with Ino. To a passer-by, Sasuke would have looked rather vacant, his eyes fixated on a closed file, but the investigator in him was thinking a mile a minute.

The men who had attacked Sakura were obviously no novices – they had broken into her apartment so expertly that even Sasuke's trained eyes hadn't noticed anything amiss at the front door. They had not panicked when they heard the owner of the apartment arrive home but had instead waited until they were sure that they had the upper hand.

They were still out there.

This thought more than any other burned at Sasuke. The creeps that had knowingly beaten a blind girl were still walking the streets, free to harm someone else and get away with it... and the terrible thing was that they probably would get away with it. As a police officer, Sasuke had to have faith in the law and that justice would prevail, but sometimes it was a hard precept to stand by.

Quiet murmurings drew Sasuke's attention back to the entrance to the ward as Sakura and her friend made their way back to where Sasuke stood. Sakura was gripping the crook of Ino's arm, letting the blonde guide her back to bed. Once she was propped up against the pillows, Ino took a seat at her bedside while Sasuke remained standing at her feet.

"When will I be able to go back to my apartment?" Sakura was focused on where Sasuke stood, an expectant look on her face.

Before the Uchiha could reply, Ino tutted loudly and threw her two cents in. "I've told you already, Forehead, it's not safe to stay by yourself for the moment."

"Well excuse me, Ino but if I feel like being babied then I'll go move back in with my dad. I've managed on my own pretty well so far and the idiots who broke into my house are not going to change the fact that I'm a grown woman."

"You're being stubborn!"

"No, I'm just right, Pig."

Sasuke's eyes were flicking back and forth between the two women as they argued. Feeling rather out of sorts he decided to step in... which in his world meant clearing his throat. It worked however and he soon had the attention of both Sakura and Ino.

"You can't go back to your home right now, Sakura."

The pinkette's face scrunched up in displeasure. "Oh not you too! I doubt those guys are going to come back to my apartment, I mean they've already cleared out anything of value." Her last few words were tinged with bitterness.

"No," Sasuke sighed. "I mean you can't go back because it's still a crime scene for the mean time. Your friend has already packed you a bag for a few nights. I don't imagine it will take much longer than that until you can go back."

Sakura gaped at him for a moment before letting out a small sound of displeasure. "Well your sofa it is then I suppose, Ino. The doctor said I can be released soon, so we can go pick up Metsuki and I'll just have to camp out at yours for a few days."

Sasuke watched as Ino chewed her lip nervously. "Um... Sakura, I don't have any space at mine for the moment. My mom and dad have had a fight again and my dad's crashing on the sofa. I mean I'd share my bed with you but you know how allergic Dad is to dogs, so Metsuki would be a problem. You know what, I'll tell my dad to go back and sort things out with Mom, and then everything will be sorted out and you'll have somewhere to stay but I-"

"INO!"

Sakura's shout cut off Ino's ramblings and she smiled at her friend. "It's fine, really. I don't want Inoichi sneezing if I bring Metsuki with me, and I definitely don't want to force him home if he's had words with your mom... she might throw a plate at his head again."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at this – was all of Ino's family crazy?

"I'll just go stay with my dad for a few days I suppose. I don't really want to impose on Hinata or Tenten."

Ino frowned. "All the way to Ame? Forehead, what is your dad going to say when you turn up looking like that? He'll probably mobilise his entire unit hunt down the sons of a – sorry, the creeps who did this to you."

Sakura shrugged and collapsed back into the pillows beneath her. "It will be nice to see him for a while... he may not let me come back though." A rather hollow laugh followed her words.

Sasuke was lost amidst the girls' conversation and suddenly realised that he and Sakura had not really had the chance to get to know one another. Their date the previous night had largely been spent in a comfortable silence, punctuated with small talk about the music they were listening to.

"I bet Sasuke has room for you." Ino's voice brought Sasuke out of his musings and he looked up in confusion.

"Ino!" Sakura hissed. "You can't just invite people to stay with someone else."

Before the girls could begin another argument, Sasuke cleared his throat. "I do have the room if you have no where else to stay, Sakura."

The pinkette fell silent and chewed on her lower lip. "No, I couldn't impose on you."

Ino gave Sasuke a pointed look and he sighed, understanding the blonde's silent command perfectly. "I'm offering Sakura, you wouldn't be imposing at all. Like I said, it's just for a few nights."

"Well that's settled then!" Ino chirped, jumping to her feet and clapping her hands together. "Sasuke and I will go and put your bag in his car and then you'll be set to leave once they discharge you."

Sakura turned her head away from the voices of the pair in her room and pointedly ignored them. Sasuke took note of this and was about to open his mouth when Ino shoved Sakura's bag into his chest and shook her head. The blond dragged him from the hospital room and shepherded him all the way to the car park.

The Uchiha wasn't used to dealing with such pushy females (at least ones that weren't in awe of him) and was quite miffed as he tugged his arm from Ino's grasp and led her over to his car.

"Sakura didn't seem happy with you forcing her to stay with me you know. Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

Ino tutted and shook her head at him. "Are all men so clueless? She's not angry, she's embarrassed. Sakura is a very proud woman and yet she's having to be babied again because a couple of jerkweeds decided to break into her apartment. And on top of all that she's probably feeling pretty nervous too."

"Nervous?" Sasuke was completely out of the loop.

"Yeah, I mean you guys have been on one date and yet Sakura is going to be sleeping at your house with just the two of you. It's enough to make any girl feel a little self-conscious."

"Then why did you volunteer me if you knew it would make her uncomfortable?"

Ino shot Sasuke a level look and sat down on the bonnet of his car. "I don't know much about you Sasuke, and I'll be honest with you, all that I do know is from gossip I've picked up about your family."

Sasuke was annoyed about the mention of his family and about the fact that Ino was sat on his precious car but let the girl continue nonetheless.

"But despite that I can tell that you care for Sakura and I think you'll be good for her to be around at the moment. All the things that Sakura has said about you lets me know that you treat her like a regular girl and not a blind person who needs looking after, and that is what she needs right now. I'll let Sakura tell you about her family but trust me when I say that her Dad would drive her nuts if she went home right now. Sakura won't stay with Hinata because she understands that the Hyuugas are a traditional family and don't like people intruding on their routines." Sasuke declined to comment that Ino had just recently used the Hyuuga complex to host a party. "Tenten is practically married to her job and her apartment is filled with weaponry... I never feel at ease when Sakura is over there." Ino hopped off the car and met Sasuke directly in the eyes. "Just be yourself around her, that's all she'll want now – to get some sense of normalcy back."

Sasuke played the conversation over in his mind on the way back to Sakura's room where they found the girl sat on her bed, a doctor taking her blood pressure and checking her injuries over once again.

The doctor looked up as they entered the room and smiled at them. "Well," he said, marking a few things on Sakura's notes. "It looks like everything is in order and you're free to leave Miss Haruno. I'll leave your prescription for antibiotics with your friends and you can leave when you're ready. If you suffer any pain then you may take paracetamol or other mild painkillers at the recommended dosage, but if you experience any pain that you find unmanageable please get in touch with your GP or come back to the hospital and we will see what we can do."

Sakura thanked the doctor and Sasuke waited outside while Ino helped her get out of her hospital gown. Ten minutes later the girls emerged, Sakura holding Ino's elbow in a gesture that was now familiar to Sasuke. They thanked the nurses on their way out of the ward, but aside from that even Ino was quiet on the walk back to Sasuke's car. Once the three of them were settled in the car, Sasuke pulled out of the hospital car park and let Ino guide him to her family's flower shop. It was a slight relief (for once) for the silence to be broken by Ino's voice but soon Sasuke pulled up outside the shop and made a note to take in his surroundings. From what he knew of Konoha, the flower shop wasn't too far from Sakura's apartment.

Ino leaned forward from the back-seat of the car and gave Sakura a kiss on the cheek and orders to call her if she needed anything. The blonde thanked Sasuke for the ride and climbed out of the car, disappearing indoors.

"I'm sorry about this."

Sakura's voice made Sasuke jump slightly and he glanced sideways at the girl. She was fiddling with her hands and had her head turned away from him.

"What?"

She sighed. "I'm sorry that you're lumbered with me, I don't mean to intrude on your life."

"You aren't." He took a silent breath and steeled himself for his next sentence. "I'll be glad to know that you're safe with me." It was such a sweet thing for a Uchiha to say that Sasuke worried momentarily that he'd gave himself a cavity.

It seemed to do the trick on Sakura however and she smiled, turning to give Sasuke a view of the dimple at the corner of her mouth. "Thanks."

And just like that, the awkwardness seemed to vanish and Sasuke listened contentedly as Sakura chatted away happily on their way to pick up Metsuki.

At the KPD complex, Sasuke had plans to avoid everyone he knew (he did not want to deal with the idiots at the moment) and led Sakura through the main lobby and back outside to cross the grounds to the kennels. Unfortunately it appeared that his team leader was taking a break from the office and he was paused by a "Yo!" from Kakashi.

Sasuke grunted in annoyance and gently guided Sakura over to his mentor who was reading a certain orange novel under the shade of a tree.

"Kakashi." He greeted shortly.

The silver-haired man's eyes creased up into a smile, apparently ignoring Sasuke's lack of enthusiasm. Kakashi stood up and dusted his trousers off, turning his attention to the small woman clinging onto Sasuke's shoulder.

"You must be Sakura. I'm glad to see that you're okay."

Sakura smiled amiably and held out a hand that Kakashi swept up to his masked lips and placed a chaste kiss against.

Sakura giggled and Sasuke fumed.

"It's nice to meet you too, though I've heard nothing about you Kakashi-san."

"Oh no formalities, please. Although I'm disappointed in you Sasuke, not telling Sakura about your friends."

Sasuke snorted. "More like large pains that I'm forced to deal with daily."

Sakura squeezed Sasuke's arm gently and smiled wider at Kakashi. "Don't worry, I plan on learning more about the enigma that is Sasuke Uchiha."

Kakashi chuckled and ruffled Sakura's hair affectionately. "I'm glad to have met you, Sakura. Good luck with Sasuke... you'll probably need it."

Kakashi wisely said farewell and left before the rather disgruntled Uchiha could kick him.

"He was nice," Sakura commented mildly and Sasuke merely grunted in response. Sakura picked up on his mood and nudged his arm with her shoulder. "You don't think so?"

"He's a old, porn-reading pervert."

Sakura's laughter rang across the vast grounds of the police complex. "How old is he?"

"Thirty-nine."

"And how old are you?"

"Twenty-five."

Sakura huffed in amusement. "He's not that much older than you, Sasuke. I don't think someone in their thirties can be considered old."

"He's older than me."

"Well you're older than I am, Sasuke... or should I say Grandpa?"

Sasuke was momentarily shocked but was glad to see that Sakura seemed to be getting back to her usual cheerful self and so let the comment slide.

Soon enough the pair made it to the canine facilities and entered from the warm sunshine into the air-conditioned building. Sasuke flashed his badge at the man sat at reception and asked to see Kiba. The officer buzzed Kiba letting him know who was waiting for him. A few minutes passed before Sasuke heard the sound of claws tapping against the hard, linoleum floor, and apparently Sakura picked up on the sound also, as she straightened up in anticipation.

Kiba emerged from a side corridor with a calm Metsuki at his side. The dog looked no worse for wear, his paws had been cleaned of blood and seemed to fine. The Labrador's mellow disposition seemed to vanish completely however, once he caught sight of Sakura, and he almost pulled Kiba over in his haste to reach her.

Sakura laughed as Metsuki jumped up against her, offering slobbery kisses that she was forced to decline. Kiba and Sakura exchanged greetings and Sasuke gathered that they had met at the party. Kiba also refused Sakura's offer to pay for Metsuki's treatment, assuring her that he was fine and had just needed a chance to calm down and rest.

Sasuke and Sakura once more made their way to the car, this time accompanied by Metsuki and they clambered in. As Sasuke opened the rear door he sent Metsuki a look that promised trouble if the dog scratched the leather upholstery.

The drive to Sasuke's house was rather quick, he lived away from the general hustle of Konoha and yet as close as possible to KPD as he could get. The result was a generously sized two floor house in a quiet neighbourhood, with a good sized garden which Sasuke generally used to practise his katas.

Parking his car in the garage, getting Sakura's bags from the boot and leading Sakura and Metsuki into he house seemed to take no time at all and, before he knew, Sasuke was stood with Sakura in his kitchen, an awkward silence once more creeping over the pair.

"So..." Sasuke trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

Sakura's lips turned up gently. "If you show me to where I'll be sleeping, Metsuki can remember the route and he'll help me back downstairs after I settle in."

Sasuke nodded and then realised what he was doing. "Right." He slipped Sakura's hand into the crook of his elbow and led the girl and the dog upstairs and to the room across from his own. He deposited Sakura's bag on the bed and she sat down next to it, smiling up at Sasuke in thanks.

"So I was thinking of ordering some food in. is there anything that you fancy?"

Sakura though for a moment before grinning at Sasuke. "I'll have anything really, just nothing too spicy."

Sasuke assured her that he'd take care of it and that he'd be in the kitchen when she was ready to come down.

Once he was back downstairs Sasuke rang the take out that he frequented and ordered a selection of milder dishes (and tomatoes for himself of course). With a while to kill before the food would arrive, Sasuke did a quick sweep of the ground floor of his house, making sure that there was nothing littered across the floor. Sasuke generally kept his house clean but living on his own allowed him the freedom to let loose a little and litter the place with his own possessions. Of course, things were a little different right now and he was suddenly feeling like his mother was going to pop up from behind the sofa and reprimand him for not cleaning the place before he brought a woman back. With that chilling thought in his mind, Sasuke briefly contemplated spraying some air freshener but then decided that it would look like he was trying to hard.

Back in the kitchen, Sasuke boiled the kettle with the intent to brew some of the mint tea that his mother had left the last time she had visited, telling him that it was a fabulous stress reliever, ("Honestly sweetie, you are going to have wrinkles by the time you reach thirty!"). Sasuke was just rinsing out his rather disused teapot when Sakura and Metsuki came back downstairs. The Uchiha watched with some fascination as the Labrador led Sakura to one of the barstools and nudged her hand to the edge of the chair, enabling her to climb up onto it safely. Once she was seated comfortably, Metsuki lay down on the floor and Sakura looked towards the noise that Sasuke was making.

"So, what's your favourite colour?"

Sasuke froze at the question. "Hn?"

"Well," Sakura began coyly. "I told Kakashi that I was going to get to know you better and I assure you that I keep my promises."

Sasuke was silence for a prolonged moment, completely sure that Sakura was a one-of-a-kind oddball, and yet knowing deep down that her peculiarities made her all the more appealing. Finally he relented and, having deposited both the hot water and lea leaves into the teapot, sat down opposite his female guest.

"Black I suppose."

"Black is a shade, not a colour," Sakura grinned.

"Blue then," Sasuke said with a minute huff of amusement. "Is it my turn to ask you a question?"

"I suppose so."

Sasuke knew what he wanted to ask, and so wasted little time. "Will you tell me about your parents? Ino piqued my curiosity at the hospital with talk of your father."

Sakura tilted her head in thought before shrugging. "Well my mom died shortly after I was born." Sasuke inwardly slapped his head – what a great question to ask her first... not.

Sakura apparently found no harm in Sasuke's question and continued without hesitation. "She had heart problems all her life and knew that pregnancy and labour would be tough on her. I never knew her but I know that she loved me enough to value my existence over her own life and I'm grateful to her for that. I have a picture of her that my Dad gave me and I got my pink hair from her."

Sakura smiled softly and Sasuke couldn't help his next question.

"You weren't born blind?"

"Well you're technically asking two questions now but no, I lost my sight as a teenager."

"So -"

"Ah ah ah." Sakura interrupted. "Wait your turn, Cheeky, I still need to finish my answer."

Sasuke conceded with a grunt and Sakura smiled at him.

"So my dad brought me up by himself, my grandparents helped out now and then but my dad moved around a lot. He was in the Ground Self-Defence Force from a young age. He was still in service when he married my mom and she fell pregnant. After she died my dad withdrew from active service and focused on rising through the ranks by more internal means. We still travelled around a lot but Dad made sure to stay on base, doing intelligence work or training the other recruits. He's currently at the rank of Major and stationed in Ame for the time being. He tried so hard to make sure I had the constant presence of at least one parent. I think he did a pretty good job in the end, I mean I didn't turn out too bad."

Sasuke could tell by the smile on Sakura's face that she and her father had a close-knit bond.

"Tell me about your family."

Sasuke honestly knew the question was coming and had his condensed family history at the ready.

"My mother stayed at home and raised me and my brother, she's your typical mom, ringing every week to check I'm taking care of myself properly. My father is a banker. He built his company up from the ground after university and made a fortune for the family. He's semi-retired now, he still runs the company for all intents and purposes but does it from Sunagakure where he and my mom live at the moment. Itachi, my brother, is the new face of the company. He does the meeting and greeting in place of my father."

Sakura leaned towards him a little. "Why didn't you join the family business then?"

"Living my life making other people rich or forcing them into bankruptcy didn't appeal to me. I did criminal psychology at university and decided that law enforcement was how I could make a difference in the world. My father has never forgiven me for disobeying his wishes."

Small hands covered Sasuke's and he trailed his eyes into Sakura's vivid green irises. "I think your wish to make a difference is very admirable."

There was silence as Sasuke contemplated what to say in return and pondered on why it had been so easy to spill his life story to Sakura without a second thought. Before he had a chance to reply however, the sound of a doorbell drew the pair apart.

Sasuke excused himself and went to collect the food from a bored looking adolescent. The boy's eyes had shifted to Sasuke's waist and he had suddenly become shifty and and anxious. It wasn't until he had paid and tipped the boy that Sasuke realised he still had his gun holstered to his belt. Smirking to himself, Sasuke returned to the kitchen and passed Sakura her food. Once the couple were happily eating, their questions resumed.

"Well," Sasuke began. "I'm going back to my other question. You weren't always blind?"

"Nope," Sakura said after a mouthful of dumpling. "I started to loose my sight at thirteen and lost my sight completely within three years. I was angry and upset of course, but I was thankful that I knew what a sunset looked like, or what colours were. I mean I can still write like I did before I lost my sight (although it often goes a little wonky on the page) and little things like that are things that I'm happy about.

"Ino and I went to the same primary school but hadn't seen each other in years but we kept in touch. When I was eighteen I decided to give university a miss and wanted to strike out on my own a little so Ino was the one I turned to to take me in. I mean Ino is loud and rash but she was exactly what I needed to get my confidence back."

The talk was muted as the pair finished their food and Sasuke mulled over Sakura's words. It must be hard to miss something like your sight. "So," he began quietly. "Aren't you going to ask me a question now?"

Sakura breathed a sigh of amusement. "Could we perhaps continue this game after I take a shower? I'd like to wash today off me."

"Of course." Sasuke began to clear the kitchen counter of take away boxes as Sakura stood.

"Do you mind showing me to the bathroom, Sasuke? I'll have to leave Metsuki outside the room though, he hates water." Sakura rubbed Metsuki's head affectionately.

Sasuke agreed and fell into the now-familiar routine of guiding Sakura around. He switched the shower on for his guest and left a fresh towel in easy reach of the girl before leaving her in peace. Metsuki had decided to rest right outside of the bathroom and Sasuke had to step over him as he shut the door. The dog's bright eyes followed Sasuke as he headed back downstairs.

There was peace in the house for a while as Sasuke continued to clear the kitchen and Sakura showered. That silence however, was completely shattered when a loud clattering came from upstairs.

Before he could think through his actions, Sasuke was bounding up the stairs where he found Metsuki sadly pawing at the bathroom door.

"Sakura?"

There was now answer from inside and Sasuke called her name a few more times with no luck. Just as he was about to barge into the bathroom regardless of the lock, the door opened and Sakura stood there, Sasuke's towel wrapped around her and tears in her eyes.

Sasuke observed the girl hesitantly for a moment before placing his hand on her damp shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Sakura pursed her lips and sniffed. "I couldn't figure out which bottle was shampoo and which was conditioner." She grimaced at herself. "I was so stupid to think that every bottle of shampoo has Braille embossed onto it... because it doesn't, you know? And then I knocked everything off the shelf and I didn't mean to but-"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Sasuke cut her off. "It's fine, I hadn't even thought that you wouldn't be able to find the shampoo. Really it's nothing to get upset about."

"I'm not upset." Sakura mumbled.

"Then why are you crying?"

"I'm angry!" Sakura spat. "I'm angry at those bastards for doing this to me, making me feel helpless when I know I'm not! I'm so stressed that I'm crying over shampoo! I keep remembering them and it's driving me nuts. I can remember the big one, at least a foot taller than me from the angle he grabbed my wrists; he reeked of cigarettes and his hands were so rough. And their voices! I can't forget them! The smaller man, he had such a collected voice, as though he wasn't doing any harm! And with his cheap cologne splashed all over him as if he was doing a business deal and not messing up someone's life.

"I haven't felt so pathetic in my life. Sasuke, I've learned how to deal with my lack of sight, but for people to take advantage of that... it makes me feel like less of a person. It makes me realise that I am lacking in some way, and perhaps I'm too naive but I never expected someone to do this to me."

"You aren't lacking in any way, Sakura." Sasuke said softly. "Those men that did this to you, we will find them and they will pay for this."

Both of Sasuke's hands were on Sakura's shoulders by this point and Sakura shifted her eyes up to Sasuke's face. Her tears had made the green of her eyes even more vibrant but Sasuke's gaze was fixed on a droplet of water which trailed from her throat and downwards...

"Sasuke?"

His eyes jumped back up to Sakura's face and he saw hesitance in her expression.

"Hm?"

"Could I... could I see you?"

Sasuke was completely thrown. "What? Sakura I-"

"Shh..." the pinkette whispered. "Like this."

And she lifted her hands to Sasuke's face. The usually stoic man was knocked for six as Sakura's delicate fingers trailed across his face.

His brows, across closed lids and the straight lines of his nose. Her fingers skimmed downwards and across lips (slightly open in shallow breath) and further still down across his sharp jaw and to his strong neck where his Adam's apple bobbed under her fingers as he swallowed. Her fingers slid back up and around and wove into his hair.

Sasuke gazed down at the amazingly unique creature before him as her hands explored his hair.

"Sakura..." He tilted his head down.

Don't hate me! I'm a tease I know. The end wasn't going to be like that but a rush of romantic songs came on my iTunes as I typed and I couldn't help myself!

I know you liked it anyway =P

There is a very long A/N below that gives a bit of background info and some motivation into why I started this story. Totally optional to read but it does answer some questions that I've been receiving.

Yay for longer chapters! Be warned, a long A/N follows:

I've based my imaginary (in part) on Japan, as you've probably realised, and that's why the army that Sakura's dad serves in is called the Ground Self-Defence Force. I have a feeling that I may be confusing people with the geography of this story but basically Konoha and Suna etc. are in a country (based somewhat on Japan) and Konohagakure (and all the other Lands from the manga) are basically constituents of that country. In the same way that there are many counties that make up the UK and many states that make up the US, there are different areas of my imaginary country (which I probably will not invent a name for as I doubt there will be a reason to). Hope I have not confused you even more!

I also have thank everyone for their lovely reviews. No one hated me for putting poor Sakura in harms way (and thankfully hated the burglars instead). I also have to make special reference to Nameless Blossom because they recognised that a blind person is not helpless in this type of crime. Like Sakura they have the ability to pick up on things the rest of us may take for advantage, and it made me happy to know that my readers still recognise Sakura's potential strength even though she is blind.

Okay, confession time:

I have spent time with people in the past who are blind or partially sighted and that is what I am basing some things off – for example, how to correctly guide someone or the fact that even if a person cannot see you, they probably still have a picture of you in their mind.

However, Sakura's reactions to her sensory impairment are rather closer to home and based on my own. I am not blind, and fortunately I am blessed with 20/20 vision. 2 years ago shortly before I turned 18 however, I received the upsetting news that one of my other senses had deteriorated to less than 50% efficiency and would likely continue to get worse as time passed. I therefore know how upsetting it can be (and how angry you can become) to suddenly find out that something that you took for granted is no longer something that you cannot rely on. Like Sakura however, I am lucky enough to have a supportive network of friends.

I know that some people thought Sakura was very light-hearted the first time that she met Sasuke but honestly I find it so much easier to find the funnies in my impairment rather than brood about it, and you tend to get easy laughs from people too!

So thank-you to all the readers and reviewers who are finding this a well-written story and who take the time to leave me reviews letting me know that. I really appreciate all your kind words.

Ridiculously long A/N over...