Naruto 1. Chapter 1

**Hello again! Thank you to all my previous readers following this story and hello to any new readers too!**

**Once again I am stuck on a name of the story title so if you have suggestions for names – please do tell.**

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Awakening

Sakura wasn't sure just how long she had spent being depressed in this place. Maybe she was dead. This definitely wasn't any place on earth; all around her there was only white bright light which seemed to stretch on endlessly. Time she had spent training as a medic made Sakura read many books about life after death experiences. She had always been a sceptic on the matter but right now this seemed like one.

_That must be it, I'm dead. Oh well, wasn't like I had anything to live for. _

'Just how long are you going to stay here?'

_That voice… It couldn't be… _

Sakura kept herself huddled in a tight ball. Now she had sunk to the level of madness that she was imagining Itachi's voice. _Look at how far I've sunk; I should be ashamed, if I wasn't so depressed not to give a damn…_

'This isn't how I remember you.'

There was the voice again. It really did sound like Itachi…

'You are not the type of person to give in so easily.'

She raised her head a little noticing the shadow which ran across her body. It wasn't her imagination it really was Itachi! Quickly she snapped opened her eyes to look at the figure standing over her.

'Hi there.' She looked up to see Itachi smiling at her.

'Itachi!' Crying she quickly got up and clung onto his body making sure to feel every inch of him, just to double check he really was real. 'They said you were dead!'

Feeling his lips move into a small smirk on her forehead, Itachi in his usual gentle tone said 'I am.'

_Huh? I must be dead too then… _

'I missed you so much! I love you Itachi! I love you so, so much!' She rubbed her cheek into his cloak. 'Everything you said before-

'Sakura…' She knew what that tone meant. Hadn't she heard it so many times before?

'I gained your love by tricks and deceptions...' He was stroking her hair. 'You must think it through, everything which has happened. If I had not cast the genjutsu over you, would you say you could have still fallen in love with me?' His voice still held the caring tone it always did.

She didn't know the answer to that or how to answer it. 'But I know how I feel now.' She whispered against his cloak.

He sighed. As much as Itachi loved hearing her proclamations of love, it was time to move onto the real issue at hand. 'It isn't your time yet. You are not supposed to be here yet. Did you forget? What about your child?'

A ripple of realisation went through out her whole body. The last thing she could remember was the pain, the pain of childbirth. Her baby! Her child!

'Ah.' She cried out in shock taking a step back from Itachi looking at his face. 'Is it alright? Is it safe?'

'It? It's a boy Sakura.' Itachi brought his other hand down on the top of her head rubbing her hair. 'He's waiting for you.'

'If I'm not dead why am I here? I need to see my child! But…' An awful feeling of pain clawed at her chest. 'I can't lose you! Not again!'

Why was everything so difficult all the time? Why was her life so endlessly complicated?

'It is difficult to explain. But the most simple and accurate explanation is you have got stuck between the two worlds. Your spirit has given up on life but your body is still living on Earth this is why you cannot cross over.' She was trapped within his red eyes again, those eyes she could get lost in forever. 'But I am here to help you.'

'I'm afraid.' She whispered as a tear fell out of her eye. 'I know I have to protect my son but…'

Itachi placed a single finger against her lips.

'I will always be watching over you Sakura. Don't be afraid. I'll be waiting for you. So when you return to this place, you'll find me.' He still wore his beautiful smile.

She began to open her mouth-

'But don't come too soon.' She watched hypnotically as his two fingers quickly poked her forehead.

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Her eyes snapped open.

_Itachi! _She jerked upright as if she was trying to hold onto to something. _Must have been a dream…_

_Why is it so hard to move? Must have been sleeping for a couple of days at least. _Her whole body felt so stiff as if she was a kind of doll with rusty joins and her throat felt so dry not to mention the daylight being too bright for her eyes. It was as if she was a newborn baby entering the world for the first time. After a little while shapes started to form from the bright lights, looking around she could see she was in a bedroom.

She double blinked. _Huh? Where the hell is this? I don't remember this place. _

Looking around she could see she was in a large room which looked pretty luxurious. There was a door in front of her which led into rooms further into the house but the door was only slightly open so she couldn't see any further. On her right side were glass doors which she could a small garden on the other side, there was a small stream and the sound of the water running was very relaxing. Other than that the bedroom just looked like a normal large sized bedroom. She looked down to see the bed she was lying in had navy satin silk sheets. _These must of cost some money…_

Then she caught sight of the colour pink.

_This is my hair! How is it so long? I would have taken years for it to grow waist length. _

Years... That word dawned on her.

Jumping out of the bed she started to notice all different things. This wasn't her body. Her breasts had definitely grown slightly bigger and her figure was more femininely developed. Out of everything so far, the one thing which stuck out like a sore thumb to her was the black dress she was wearing, the top of her shoulder blade had an Uchiha symbol sewn onto the dress.

_Uchiha? What the fuck is this? Look at me! My hair! My body! I've been sleeping for a long time! Probably years! Where am I? _

Pain entered her head as she started to tug at her hair in frustration. _Calm down, calm down… what was the last thing you remember? _Memories of Itachi, Sasuke and her child flowed into her mind. Sasuke's last words to her seem to echo throughout her mind. '… be a happy family.' _Well, that could explain the house and the dress with an Uchiha crest on it_. Sasuke did mention something about returning to Konoha… Maybe she was back in Konoha after all…

Hearing loud thumps of footsteps coming closer to her direction, tiny little pitter patter sounds, Sakura saw a small figure running towards her from the corridor leading into the bedroom. It was a boy with tears spilling from his eyes, his facial expression looked slightly pained as if he was running with all of his might. Something about this child was strange, why did he look like a mini replica of Sasuke?

_Wait- _

_If he looks like Sasuke… _

_Could this be?_

_Is this my –_

The boy roughly threw himself into Sakura's legs. 'Mummy, mummy!' He clung onto the bottom of her as if his life depended on it, she could feel the wetness from his tears on her dress. 'I've been waiting so long mummy.'

_It really is my son._

Tears of happiness started to spring from her eyes. Sakura had truly loved the boy instantaneously. Even though she had only seen him for mere seconds there was a deep bond between them which went further than any possible words could explain. She loved him unconditionally. As she picked him up to cuddle him into her chest, she stared at his adorable face. He was absolutely gorgeous. She couldn't help but notice there was something wrong with eyes, they were… dull. Almost lifeless.

It was as if he could feel her stare at his eyes. 'I'm blind mama.'

_Oh God. Oh God no… Not my child… How could this have happened? _

She could tell the child had instinctively picked up on her feeling of sadness. 'I'm sorry.' He covered his eyes up with his hands. 'Don't you love me anymore?' He started to sob. 'Because I'm not like the other children?'

_It isn't true! Don't you dare think that! _

'Never! It doesn't matter! Not at all! I love you. I love you with all my heart.' She kissed his cheek.

'You really mean it? You really-' He was choking between his sobs. 'Love-me?'

'Of course I do! Don't say silly things like that anymore, ok?' She rubbed her cheek against his cheek.

After spending hours cuddling her son, Keizo finally remembered he needed to show his mother the house and tell her all about Konoha.

'Mama. It's so funny, it's like I'm the big person who has to teach you everything.' He was leading her around the house holding onto her hand. She was surprised; despite his blindness he didn't seem to have any problems with mobility.

'That's everything. I showed you the whole house now.' He smiled at her. It seemed he was always smiling, Sakura was so glad he was a normal happy child even though he was blind. Now she had seen the entirely of the house, it was massive and undoubtedly Sasuke's house. Keizo didn't say it but the Uchiha symbols were everywhere and he did was mention 'daddy' numerous times. Sakura didn't need to second guess who 'daddy' was. Keizo told Sakura all about himself, how he was born blind and how his daddy was the best daddy in the world who took care of him. Only when Keizo was talking about the past she realized she had been in a coma for five years. It made her feel so isolated; she was out of touch with everything.

_What had happened to everyone? To me it feels like I slept for a day. But it's been five years… five years… I've missed out on so much._

Sakura sat down on the sofa in the living room and Keizo quickly climbed on top of her lap keeping his trademark grin on his face.

'Keizo… Your happy right?' She couldn't help but ask him, the guilt of not being around him almost ate her alive.

'Yeah.' He blinked as if he was confused. 'You're here now!' His grin reappeared.

'But before mummy woke up, you were happy?' Thinking about her child in a man like Sasuke's care made her shudder. In her mind Sasuke was a psychopath and should be nowhere near children.

'Um. Things were a bit hard for daddy. But he is always trying his best! He loves us very much!'

_Us… _She doubted that word.

'He is always working and looking after us. Daddy never complains because he is super strong… But, but, those people – I heard what they were saying.' He broke off.

'Tell me about those people Keizo.'

'They said I shouldn't be his son! I wasn't good enough because of my eyes!' Sakura curled her fist up in a tight ball, if she ever found out whom those people were she would make them feel lucky to be alive.

'I tried so hard! And now I can do this!' She saw his eyes quickly flash red. _Sharingan? But even someone like Itachi didn't get Sharingan until he was eight! This child is a genius... Of course he is! He is my child after all! _She smiled at him.

'Ummm, but don't tell daddy I did that. I'm not supposed to use my Sharingan.' He smiled sheepishly.

'Well I think we can keep this secret between us.' Sakura nodded at him.

Her belly grumbled which made Keizo laugh. 'Mama is hungry! Come, come mummy.' He jumped off the sofa and pulled on her hand gesturing her to follow him.

Walking to the kitchen, Keizo ran out in front and opened the fridge door.

'Oh.' She could see there was only one meal in the fridge. 'Daddy leaves me dinner here, so I can still eat if he comes home late. He didn't know you would wake up.'

_Sasuke cooks? It looks pretty good too... _This was a definite surprise.

'But you have it mummy.' He took the bowl out offering it to her.

_He is too damn adorable! I'm so lucky to have such a cute caring son. _

'No, no. How about I cook you a fresh meal instead?'

Keizo's face beamed at her. 'My first dinner made by mummy.'

Sakura quickly whipped up a meal from the ingredients in the fridge. It was only something simple – stir fried noodles. Keizo took a few mouthfuls and stopped eating.

'Is something wrong?'

'Umm... No...' Sakura watched as he slowly took another small mouthful.

She sighed in defeat. _It's disgusting. I still cant cook. Not even easy dishes. I'll have to learn quickly now I have a child to feed._

'It's okay. I know it doesn't taste good.' She openly admitted.

'Daddy will come. He will cook us yummy dinner.'

_Daddy… _Sasuke hadn't really occurred in her thoughts until now. She was still afraid of him. How was she going to face him? Speak to him? She could feel her mouth dry up in fear. _Itachi's dead… It's been five years…_ She needed some time. Eventually she would talk to him but not now, it was too soon for her.

'You must listen to your mother, Keizo. Promise me you won't tell your father I have awoken up.'

His cute rounded face wrinkled into confusion. 'But mummy, I don't understand. Daddy would be-'

'Keizo!' She gently pinched his cheek.

He let out a cute defiant moan. 'He won't come back until tonight. Daddy always finishes work late. So stay with me more mummy?' How could she ever refuse a request like that?

'Of course!' They both grinned at each other.

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Alert as always, it took Sasuke the most part of a single second to realise somebody had been in his house. There were dishes on the worktop which he had not used in the morning. Since Keizo couldn't cook, somebody else had obviously cooked for him. But who? He had seen Naruto in the Hokage office today, so it wasn't him. Sasuke wasn't expecting any visitors. Most of all Sasuke hated the thought someone had just strolled into his house, had contact with his child unannounced and thought they could get away with it.

_I'll have to speak to Keizo about this… _

He soon found Keizo in the living room playing with toys. 'Who has been here Keizo?'

Keizo always was a happy child but right now he seemed even cheerier than his usual self. 'Oh! Hi daddy!' He took a split second to think about what he would next say. 'No one.'

Would he really have to point out the obvious? 'There are used kitchen utensils in the kitchen. Someone has used them; someone has been in this house. Do not tell me no one.'

'Umm…Me! I did daddy!' Keizo couldn't look his father straight in the face while he was lying. 'I wanted to make you some dinner for when you came home… But I, I did it wrong.'

Keizo looked more than a bit shifty.

Sasuke raised his eyebrow. 'You used your Sharingan to aid with cooking?'

'…Yes.'

'What have I told you about using your Sharingan. You are too young and it will damage-

'I'm sorry daddy. I won't do it again.' Keizo looked too cheerful to have been seriously listening.

_He doesn't usually lie to me so blatantly… _

'Good.' He kissed Keizo on top of his head.

Keizo peered into the shopping bags Sasuke was holding. 'Are those flowers for mummy?'

'Yes.'

He gave Sasuke a massive grin. 'I'm sure she'll like them.' As soon as he said that, he continued to play with his toys.

'After I put these flowers in your mother's room, I will cook you dinner.'

'Ah-hum.' Keizo was too busy playing to listen properly.

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It was normal for Sasuke to spend time with Sakura after he had finished work. When she had first entered her coma, he found it extremely difficult to be in the same room with her. But as time passed he grew accustomed to being in the same room as her sleeping body. Now he found just simply being in her presence made his worry and stress fade away. It didn't matter if she didn't listen or speak back anymore for most of the time it was enough for Sasuke that she was alive at all. But every now and then, if he had a bad day at work or a bad patch with Keizo, Sasuke would wish she would just wake up.

Sasuke stood by her side as he carefully placed flowers in the vase on the cabinet to her side. Surprisingly for a ninja like himself Sasuke failed to notice Sakura wasn't lying as still or as silent as what she had previously been.

'You know, I had to go and see Keizo's teacher again this afternoon. It's been the third time this month.'

_This is strange… _Sakura wasn't expecting that. This wasn't the Sasuke she remembered. This person even sounded kind. To be truthful, she was more than afraid when she heard his footsteps coming closer to the door. Her expectations for him were very low; she wouldn't have been surprised if he hit her or something. But to start talking about Keizo as if they were an actual family? She was completely thrown off guard.

'He got into a fight… again.' He paused for a second as she heard him pulling leaves off the flowers. 'With those Hyuuga kids.'

_You're talking to me like a normal person. Has time changed you Sasuke? _

'Those foolish teachers. They looked at me as if I should apologise for my son's behaviour. It isn't my fault if some silly Hyuuga brats got beat up by my son. They should know their place - beneath the Uchiha.'

Sakura found it difficult to hold in a laugh. _Perhaps there are certain things about you that will never change… Sasuke. I don't think you ever spoken to me as much as you have right now._

'Keizo may look like me but he undoubtedly has your personality. When I questioned him, he said those kids were picking on a weaker child and he wouldn't stand by and only watch.'

She felt the air move as Sasuke sat on the chair beside her.

'He is always putting himself in bad situations if he thinks it is the right thing to do.' Sasuke let a sigh. 'Even if it gets him into trouble. It's so wearisome. Causes me an unbelievable amount of problems. The amount of time I've had to take off missions to deal with his teachers.' She could hear the sound of him rubbing his eyes.

_You've spent these five years looking after me and Keizo… all alone. _

'Now he has the Sharingan he ranks first in his class on everything, none of the other children hold a candle to him. The teachers at the academy have spoken to me about graduating him early from the academy within the next three years. But I knew you wouldn't want it.'

A feeling of guilt washed over Sakura. _I should have been here. I should have seen Keizo as a baby. I should have seen him take his first steps. I should have heard his first word. But I… _

'Sakura, I know what you would say - just because he is physically strong enough doesn't mean he is mentally mature enough. The academy isn't just about gaining power but forming strong bonds with others.'

He sighed.

'I might not agree with you. But I will always respect your wishes.'

_After everything Sasuke… It isn't fair… I shouldn't have to feel this way about you. _

'If you could only meet him Sakura. I know you would be proud for him to be your son.'

_Why, why did he have to go and say that for… _

Sakura had held her feelings in as long as she possibly could. Now it was too late. It was impossible to stop the tears running down her face.

She heard Sasukes sharp intake of breath. He was completely shocked.

'Sakura! Can you hear me! Are you-'

His whole body had locked into a frozen state from shock while he watched her wet lashes slowly opening.

After all these years finally his onyx eyes met her emerald ones.

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**Chapter one completed! **

**Sorry it took some time to get the main skeleton of the story together. **

**What do you think about the chapter? It is a bit of a slow chapter to set the story up. **

**Review, review, review! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow. Guys! I've been completely blown away by the responses I'd had to this story. I was expecting one or two reviews at best. You really bring tears to my eyes!**

**I've had a few comments about Sakura waking up for her coma. The way how I have written the last chapter makes it seem like Sakura is healthy but she isn't. I think I became too focused on the interaction between the characters and this made Sakura look healthier than she actually was. This chapter should answer any of these concerns. Thanks for flagging it up!**

**Thanks for the tips on a title – I really like the idea of the title having the word blind in it. But for now I still need more for your help!**

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First Steps

Things were unbearably awkward for Sakura; here she was eating breakfast with Sasuke and Keizo as if they were a normal family. But that was the problem; they were not a normal family. Sasuke had been unusually nice around her since he found her crying in bed. Sakura however couldn't even look at him in the face. It was impossible for her to meet his eyes, every now and then she gained the courage to look but she could never hold the stare for more than a second. It made her feel pathetic and weak inside.

_He's probably noticed by now…_

A part of her wondered what the hell she was even doing here in Sasukes house. Keizo – he was the only reason. For the time being she would play along with this game but this definitely was not a permanent situation in her mind. She left her thoughts for a second as she looked towards the milk to pour some on her cereal but the bottle only had a small amount.

_That isn't enough for my cereal. I'll have to get up and get another bottle out of the fridge… What a drag… _

As soon as she started to move from her seat Sasuke got up. 'I'll get it.' He was always being like this, more than helpful. If there was tiny things she needed, he would go and do it and sometimes he even brought her things she didn't even realise she needed. To Sakura it was almost as if Sasuke was completely different person from the person she had spent time with at Sound. In some ways he was more like his past team seven self but he was slightly different from then, he had an air of maturity and calm around him.

_Hmph. He has had five years to sort his life out. I've had none… _

The feeling of being out of place was inescapable. If life was a puzzle she was the piece which didnt fit. For the last couple of days she had spent walking around the Uchiha grounds trying to become familiar with the layout but it was much too tiring for her to walk any further than that. Spending five years in a coma definitely had done no favours for her body. Her mind thought it could do more than she could physically do. At first even walking around the whole complex had been too much for her. The first time she walked around with Keizo she must on being running on adrenalin from seeing her son for the first time. But the times when she had fallen over out of exhaustion, who was there to pick her up? Sasuke. She hated him touching her, the feeling of his skin made her skin crawl. All she could think about was those memories, when he raped her for the first time, the times after and when he had beat her senseless. At times she wondered what he was thinking. _Why was he doing all of this?_ She couldn't understand it. But she could barely speak a word to him. Let alone asking him about was just too hard. Maybe when she could eventually look him in the face properly then she would ask him those questions.

Bringing the new carton of milk with him sitting down Sasuke said 'I have taken a week's leave from work.'

_Oh shit. At least I could avoided him in the daytime when he is working. _

Keizo's face brightened. 'Daddy, daddy, what about me? Can I have the week off school? Pleaseee.'

'No.'

'But, they don't-'

'No.'

'It's not fair!' He crossed his arms in anger and creased his face up. 'Why do you get spend all the time with mummy!' His little angry pout was just too adorable.

Sakura instantly softened. 'Keizo.' Putting her arm around him she said. 'I'm not going anywhere; you'll get to spend lots of time with me. I promise.' He responded by cuddling into her smiling.

'Now eat your breakfast. I do not want you to be late for school.' Sasuke commanded.

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It had been two days since Sasuke had taken his first day off work. He said he took time off from work but all he seemed to do was continuously write on scrolls in his office. Not that she was complaining though! As long as it kept him busy and away from her, she was more than happy. Then the thought dawned on her…

_Actually, I don't even know what his job is… _

'Sakura.' The voice came from inside the room.

_Crap. He noticed I'm by the door._

'We need to talk.'

Her heart literally froze in her chest. Those were the absolute last words she wanted to hear coming from his mouth.

'Um.' The small sound was the best response she could give.

'Come in and sit down.' He was just as imposing as he always had been. But at least she didn't have to second guess his intentions; no Sasuke was always straight forward when it came to that.

Sitting on the chair behind his desk made Sakura feel a bit as if she was in school and he was the teacher just about to tell her off. It didn't help that she did feel as he had some natural authority over  
her like a teacher had over a student.

'You look healthier.' It was true, she had gained some more weight and her face looked more rosy as if she actually was alive.

'Thanks.' Sakura was still unable to meet his gaze. It was always so intruding and so invasive. Sasuke always saw through her, he always knew what she truly meant even if she told an outright lie. For her this was the scariest thing of all.

'I don't know how I supposed to-'

'Your job.' She stammered. 'I mean – what do you do?'

_I won't just let him talk all over me. I won't just be a coward who takes everything. _

For a split second a puzzled expression crept onto his face as if he was surprised, but the second it had came by the next second it had already left.

'Anbu. I'm the head of Anbu.' The shock on her face was evident.

_What the fuck? You were a missing nin. How the hell can you be head of anbu? Tsunade would never allow this…_

It seemed he already knew what was on her mind. 'Naruto is Hokage.' He paused for a second. 'He… managed to control the nine tails power and won the fourth ninja war.'

_Naruto? Hokage? Fourth ninja war?_

Her mind was in a daze. She realised five years was a long time and now she was 23. But for them to advance so much… Now she really felt as if she didn't belong here… She was just a mere Chuunin… No wait, she wasn't even a ninja at all anymore… The other words coming out of Sasuke's mouth didn't even register in her brain. Sakura was in too much in a daze.

_I don't belong here anymore… What am I supposed to do now? Everyone has moved on with their lives… Everyone has a future… But me… I have… _

She was snapped out of her daze by the nudging sensation she felt on her arm. It was Sasuke standing by her side; he was poking her arm trying to get her attention. How did he get from sitting in his chair to standing by her side? She hadn't even noticed him get up.

'I said do you need some water?'

'No' came the faint whisper of a reply.

Sasuke sighed. 'I knew it was too early. Come I'll take you to bed.'

He slowly started to wrap his arm around her shoulders until she suddenly violently smacked his arm away from her.

'Don't touch me!' She hissed at him. 'Stay away. Just stay away from me.'

Having Sasuke's presence by her was bad enough for her nerves but for him to be telling all this information in addition pushed her emotionally over the edge. Sakura knew she was becoming hysterical. Her breathing pattern was getting slower and heavier. Now she was finding it much harder to breathe. Sakura always dreaded this feeling she was now very much accustomed to - she was having a mini panic attack.

_Not again… Not now… I won't be weak… I won't show him my weakness._

But the more she was trying to get herself under control, the harder and harder it became which led to her frustration. The frustration inside her seemed to have triggered the second level of panic attack stage and now her whole body had started to slightly shake.

'Sakura'

'…Don't…' She gasped in between breaths.

But she felt him touching her anyway. When had he ever listened to her? His soft fingers trailed to her face and she felt her head being gently lifted up to meet his gaze. His face had the same emotionless expression it usually did. Sharingan was the last thing she thought until she descended into the darkness again.

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When she woke up Sakura found herself back in her bed. A few seconds later came the searing pain of a really bad headache entering her head. On the side of the bed was a cabinet which conveniently had a glass of water and two headache tablets on top of it. No surprises who put them  
there… Quickly she swallowed the tablets with the water. A little while after the pain seemed to subside. At least she felt calmer than before. Sleep made her feel better about things. It wasn't as if she could change anything was it? No, there wasn't any choice. She would just have to accept things as they were and move on…

'Sakura!' She knew that voice.

_Naruto? _

'Sakura-chan!' He cried while hugging her in a massive bear hug. 'I am so happy!'

'…I…can't…breathe…' Sakura gasped.

He let go moving back slightly so she could fully see his grinning face. He looked a little older but he was still the same old Naruto. Even after what had happened between them, Sakura was happy to see Naruto. He would always be a close friend of hers no matter what, too many things had happened for them to be anything but friends.

There would never be hatred between them. 'That Sasuke idiot! He wouldn't have even told me! I only found out you was awake because of Keizo!' He grumbled. 'I should have figured why he wanted time off work, he never takes time off you know.'

Sakura didn't care. 'So you finally made your dream come true.' The smile stuck on her face, after all she knew how much Naruto had gone through in his life and how important his dream to become Hokage was to him. From the bottom of her heart she was truly happy for him.

_He deserves it. He deserves all the happiness in the world. _

'Yeah! But it's only because of all the people who helped me get here!' He had turned slightly red and was scratching his head in an embarrassed way.

'Enough about me. I ran out of the office to see you! How are you feeling?'

'I'm okay. Things seem a little strange but I can deal with things.' She nodded.

'Keizo is amazing!' He looked down on the floor. 'I hope when I have a child he will be like him. He's definitely a kid to be proud of!'

'Yes, I'm really lucky. He is so adorable and I can tell he has a kind heart. Even though he is blind, he doesn't let anything get in his way.' Sakura smiled.

'I think it's because he's blind he feels the need to push harder than anyone else. Not that he needs to! Your boy is a genius.' Naruto chuckled. Talking to Naruto like this reminded her of the past. The past which she didn't really consider the past, it was her present. It was everyone else's past. But maybe there were something's which hadn't changed. Naruto was still very much the person she remembered from the past. Unlike Sasuke…

'Hey, Sakura…' His tone had changed to a much more serious one.

'Yes.'

'Forgive me. I'm begging you for your forgiveness.' She could see tears starting to form in his eyes.

_Huh? Where is this coming from?_

'How can I truly be a Hokage when I couldnt even safe my friend. When I left you that day it was the biggest regret in my life. It replayed in my mind over and over. I couldn't stop thinking about it all this  
time. If only I had listened to you. I should have protected you! You wouldn't have been in a coma for five years! It's my entire fault! I can never make up the wrongs I've done to you! But-' She pressed a single finger to his lips.

'It's okay. I never blamed you. Not once.' His face changed from initially being hurt to surprise and then to happiness. His arm curled around Sakura holding her in a tight embrace.

'No.' He whispered in her ear. 'It will never be okay but all I can do is thank you for not hating me.'

_Does he know about Sasuke? The things he did to me? Does this mean he believes me now? _

'I should have realised you were under some kind of genjutsu from the beginning. Why else would you say those things?'

_Wait? What?_

'Itachi put you under a genjutsu to make you believe that Sasuke raped you so he could kidnap you. I should of realised it wasn't really you saying those things. You were under an illusion. I am such an idiot.'

_Oh Naruto your much too kind hearted. I forgot how much you love Sasuke. You could never believe your precious Sasuke would be capable of doing such things._

'Did Sasuke tell you that?' Sakura needed to know if Sasuke had gone around telling lies. If he had, she would leave; she would leave today and take Keizo with her.

'He told me Itachi had taken you from him and put you under a genjutsu after he came back to Konoha. It was only when he told me that information when what you said me that day finally made sense.'

_He didn't lie. Sasuke doesn't know I saw Naruto that day… Naruto is just putting information together in his head by using what are the most logical events to him. _

'Right.'

The ache in her heart grew again. For a moment Sakura thought she wouldn't have to live a lie but it was just a mere fantasy. No, the truth would have to stay buried in her heart, all alone. But she didn't blame Naruto, he was only being Naruto. He was too innocent, trusting and kind hearted. Sakura didn't want to drag him into the mess which was her life.

_Just let him enjoy his dream. Let him be. He's hokage now and has great responsibilities on his shoulders…_

'I want to know all about your life Naruto. I've missed out on so much of it.'

'Me? Erm, let's see… Ramen is still my most favourite food in the world. Being Hokage is awesome. But…' He let out a massive smile 'the most important thing of all is I'm getting married to Hinata in two months time.'

'Married!' She let out a happy squeal. 'I'm so happy I'm awake to witness it!' Sakura had always liked the Hyuuga girl, sure at times she thought Hinata could be pretty strange but she was a genuinely nice girl. In Sakura's mind she had always hoped something would happen between the two of them but she worried Hinata's shyness and Naruto's stupidity were two large hurdles. But somehow they did it! They definitely would be Konoha's number one couple and rightly so.

'Next week was supposed to be mine and Hinata's stag and hen night. But now you're with us again, we both decided we wanted to celebrate you coming out of your coma instead-'

Sakura gasped. 'Naruto-' It's too much. I can't accept it…

He quickly cut her off. 'Dont worry about Keizo, I've got someone to look after him. Everyone wants to celebrate your return.'

_I'm really grateful for the gesture but a party? I don't feel like I can face people yet..._

Sasuke seemed to appear out of nowhere. A shiver ran down her spine as the thought came to her - had he been listening in the whole time?

'You are planning to use my house for a party without my permission? Hokage or not-'

Naruto didn't even flinch when he heard Sasuke's voice, so it seemed to Sakura Naruto had been aware of his presence the whole time. 'Baa! Don't be such a bore Sasuke. It's Sakura's decision. So what's it to be? Say party… please say party!' He had his hands in an over the top praying position.

His response instantly made up her mind. She wouldn't let Sasuke tell her what she could or couldn't do. Naruto had cancelled his own stag night and Hinata had cancelled her hen night so they could celebrate her coming out of her coma instead. How could she possibly refuse? They would have a party and she would enjoy herself - without him. She would show Sasuke he wasn't needed in her life.

She smiled at Naruto 'I would love a party.'

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The atmosphere around the house had got even heavier than before, if that was even possible. Sakura knew exactly what the problem was but she wasn't going to talk about it. If it was humanly possible she would rather not speak to Sasuke at all. That was her plan until he had cornered her in the kitchen right now.

_Shit. There is nowhere to go. _

'Tell Naruto the party is cancelled.' Sasuke got straight to the point.

'No. It will be fun to see everybody again. Do you think I'm just going to stay in this house forever? You say all this stuff about happy families, so then, don't you want me to be happy?'

Sakura could be stubborn as a mule if the situation demanded it. Right now she needed a victory, just one, even if it was a small one over Sasuke. She felt the need to validate her existence in the world.

'You aren't ready for this Sakura, it's too soon.' He sighed. 'Just take more time to recover then you can have a party.' Sasuke at least was trying to comprise with her.

Instead of seeing his offer of a comprise, instead Sakura took it as an insult. She felt patronised by him. Ever since she had awoken up from her coma he had made her feel as if she was utterly incapable of doing anything by herself. Now he had just proved it by saying it out loud.

'I said I'm fine!' It was the first time she shouted at him but she still couldn't meet him in the eye.

She felt his two arms pressed against the wall by her head so he was leaning his body over her body. The last time he had pressed himself up to her was in the cave before she gave birth all the memories started to flood back.

_Itachi… I miss you… I miss you so much… _

Sakura thought Sasuke could see the sadness in her eyes since after staring into them came words from his mouth she wasn't expecting.

'Alright then.' There was a slight hint of depression in his response. 'I won't force you.' Sasuke moved away from her and started to leave. 'It's your decision.'

_I – I won? Yes!_ She couldn't help but smile.

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Today was the big day of her party. Naruto and Hinata came earlier in the day and had helped her with sorting out food and drinks for the guests which was a nice surprise for her. It was funny situation to think a hokage was helping her sort out a party. Sasuke would come in now and again watching everything going on but he didnt get involved.

Things definitely were not good between them but they were better, now she felt slightly more comfortable around his presence. They had so many deeper issues to talk about but for the time being they were matters which should be left for later. Sakura had to get used to the present world before she could heal the pain of the past one. Now Sasuke had gone back to work, it made Sakura feel more at ease as there was no need to worry about those intense dark eyes following her around all the time. Some space was needed between them and at the very least Sakura was grateful for the quick moments she could take for herself. Also with Sasuke gone more it meant extra time she could spend bonding alone with Keizo which out of everything was what she enjoyed the most. Keizo had put up a bit of fuss today as he couldn't understand why he wasn't allowed to come to the party. Grown up peoples party Naruto had told him, Keizo responded by saying Naruto himself wasn't very grown up either so he shouldn't be allowed to go. The kid had some courage to say the least!

The best day she had so far since awakening was when Keizo took her shopping around Konoha. It was hard to get over the shock of seeing Narutos face engraved on the Hokage mountain, what didn't help was it didn't really resemble Narutos face much either. It just looked too serious and mature to be Naruto. Walking around Konoha was strange it was a blend of old and new, somethings were the same as she remembered but other things were new. Luckily if she had questions Keizo would have the answers. Sakura noticed some people staring and whispering, probably about her but she ignored them.

'Everything is ready!' Naruto broke her out of her thoughts.

'I- I hope you like it.' Hinata stammered blushing.

'Its perfect. Thanks you guys so much!' She bear hugged both of them at the same time. 'Now all we have to do is wait for everybody.'

Sasukes house got pretty full very quickly afterwards. Part of what made the party so fun for her was watching his annoyed expression, it was obvious to everyone he didnt want any of them there. Instead of talking to people, he stood in the corner alone watching everybody. Well, thats what he made it look like but in truth he was only watching over Sakura.

Sakura couldnt count the amount of hugs she was getting from everybody. She didnt realise just how much she was loved or just how much she was missed. It was definitely a nice feeling. Everyone said the same thing but with different words- its so great to have you finally with us again.

'Sakura!' Came a girly squeal. Turning around she saw Ino throw herself onto Sakura giving her a girly best friend cuddle. 'I missed you so much!'

Sakura smiled. Ino hadnt changed much, she was even more beautiful than ever. 'Thanks, I guess?'

Ino kept rubbing her cheek against Sakuras. 'You know I tried to visit you so many times before. But that jerk wouldnt let me through the front door! Can you believe it! I'm your best friend! The nerve of it! But everything is okay now! I can come and visit you as many times as I want now. Theres so much I need to tell you about, you wouldnt even believe it. You know that girl-'

Ino continued to talk to Sakura for what seemed like hours nonstop. Eventually Shikamaru pulled Ino away. 'Ino, Sakura has to say hello to everybody. Dont hog her all to yourself.'

She blushed while being dragged away by Shikamaru. 'Sorry Sakura-'

Then a big hand came down on the top of her head. 'Kakashi-sensei!'

She could see his eyes smiling through his mask. It was late already, of course Kakashi would be the last person to make it. 'I'm glad to see my favourite female student is safe and healthy.'

_Typical Kakashi..._

'I'm your only female student-'

'Whiskey? Over there?' Quickly spinning around he avoided responding to Sakuras comment. Kakashi always knew how to annoy her. But it made her happy, at least Kakashi was the same person as he was before.

Now there was no-one around her for a second she started to feel slightly dizzy, she was undoubtely tired. _I need to sit down..._ She felt Sasuke's eyes on her again. The whole night she had felt them. _Perhaps I'm going crazy..._ She let out a big yawn.

'Sakura... Are you okay?' It was Hinata. 'You look tired, um, your body probably isnt fully recovered yet.' Hinata was so sweet. Better than Sasuke forcing her to do things. If only Hinata was looking after me...

'I just need to sit down for a bit.'

'Yes. Follow me.' She softly held Sakuras hand leading her through the crowds of people to the chairs at the back of the room. As they were walking she could hear drunken cheers of her name and people touching her while she was walking past.

Hinata sat down next to her. 'Hey Hinata. I would like to thank you for everything. Keizo told me how much you and Naruto have been looking after him. It was my responsibility...' She looked at the floor.

'No, no.' Hinata gasped. 'We love having Keizo around. Your our family too.'

Hinata's natural gentleness and kindness reminded her of Itachi. In some ways the two had very similiar characteritics both were devoted to the people they loved.

_Itachi... No... It's my party... I shouldnt be depressed at my own party..._

Something inside her snapped. 'Do you mind getting me a beer, Hinata?'

'S-sure.'

_I dont even drink beer... I need to drink something... Anything to make these memories go away..._

Hinata quickly reappeared with the beer. 'Thanks.' She started to down the drink really quickly.

'S-sakura, I dont think-' Hinata stammered.

Sakura got up and left to find Ino and party with her, just like they did together in the old days. She finally spotted Ino with a group of guys dancing to the blaring music in the living room. She remembered all the faces but not all of their names. Sakura slotted herself next to her and started to dance. 'Woo! Sakura! You still got it!' Sakura and Ino spent the next couple of hours dancing and drinking until it got really late.

'I think Sasuke is staring over here.' Ino shouted in her ear, so she could hear her over the sound of the music. 'He keeps looking at you.'

Sakura however was much too drunk.'It's fine.' She shouted back.

However a split second later Sakura felt a hand coming into contact with her bottom. Quickly she turning around to see who the culprit was, she was completely shocked to see Lee who was completely wasted.

'Sakura-' He began to speak until a fist came flying into his face. Lee dropped onto the floor completely knocked out.

Sakura didnt need to look to see who had done it. But she did anyway. Sasuke looked completely furious.

_Holy shit..._

Then the music suddenly stopped creating an eerie silence in the room. Everybody was staring at them.

'Enough.' Kakashi had turned the music off. 'Party is over.'

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**Ooh. I thought it was pretty nice of Sasuke letting Sakura have a party at his house.**

**Review, review or no more chapters mwhahahaha...**


	3. Chapter 3

**A title has been decided! Thank you to everyone who suggested some titles for this story – you're all wonderful. Thank you so much to Rosee who gave me the title of 'in the embrace of the enemy' – all credit for the name goes to you. I think it's a beautiful continuation of the previous story but reflects the changes from the last story to the next one. I know someone you might question if Sasuke can be considered an enemy at this point but I think it would be fair to say in Sakura's eyes he still is. We will just have to wait and see what happens won't we guys? **

**Completely unrelated to the story but I've recently appreciated the sexiness of Shikamaru. He's quite gorgeous, ne?**

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'Daddy… mummy smells really bad.' Keizo had climbed onto Sakura's bed and was currently sniffing her face. He had got into a strange habit of checking in on her every morning, sometimes Keizo would worry she would go back to sleep for a long time again. So the first thing he would do was double check if mummy was okay. But this morning mummy didn't look so good, she didn't smell too good either.

'Hmmm.' Sakura who was half asleep, lazily flopped herself onto the opposite site of the bed. 'Not… yet…' She quickly began to snore gently with her face half buried into the pillows.

'This is what happens to adults when they drink too much alcohol.' Sasuke was standing by Sakura's bed.

'Ooh.' A look of confusion grew on Keizo's face. 'I don't understand big peoples parties… How this fun daddy?'

'It's not.' Came the blunt reply from Sasuke.

'Huh? I thought parties were supposed to be fun?'

Sasuke didn't reply but Keizo took notice of the annoyed energy which was radiating from his father.

'Daddy. I can help-'

'School. Now.'

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_I didn't expect things to be this difficult…_

Looking at all the documents sprayed across the table almost gave Sasuke a headache. Normally he would have got through twice the amount of paperwork by this time but recent events had seemed to have affected his efficiency at work. A part of him wondered if any of the other ANBU had picked up on his behaviour change, they were supposed to be capable ninja after all. Some brave ninjas had the courage on congratulate him on Sakura's recovery and wished them the best as a family. He really hated that. Other people poking their noses into his business. Work was the only place where things were going straight forwardly and smoothly in his life and he didn't want to be reminded of Sakura here of all places.

But he did think of her. He thought of her over and over again.

He wasn't expecting her to be overjoyed when she finally awoke. Yes, she would be confused as so much time had passed and she would have to find her place in the world. Itachi's death would also be something very fresh to her. Maybe... Maybe she would still think she was in love with him.

_Annoying._

Everything was annoying lately. All the issues he had spent going through alone he would have to revisit again. Itachi… The brother who sacrificed everything for him. His beloved older brother. Never would he break his promise to Itachi. But Itachi had asked of him an almost impossible task, it was so difficult to do. At first he had hated Konoha with every fibre of his being, all those people smiling, happy and living – it was all because of Itachi, but what did Itachi get in return? Nothing but shame and a disgraced name. Life wasn't fair and most certainly of all life wasn't just.

Never would he forget that day. The absolute worse point of his life. That summer day, it was so hot and sticky; he was getting closer and closer to Konoha which seemed more and more impossible by the minute, his stomach turning inside out with disgust. Eventually when he arrived at Konoha's gates with Keizo crying in his arms and Sakura comatose slung over his back, he was hot, tired and completely exhausted. Convinced he would be immediately arrested with his family taken from him, he was shocked to see Naruto running towards him with a big smile on his face.

_Naruto…_

He owed Naruto everything. Naruto his best friend, who had stuck beside him through thick and thin. At the beginning Sasuke did truly hate Konoha but things had changed when Naruto had become Hokage. The future would be different now with Naruto as its head, Konoha would change for the better. Never would he openly admit it but Sasuke believed in Naruto's vision. Never would he ever say it but he would defend Naruto's vision and ideals with his life. Naruto was the main reason why he put so much effort to rise through the ranks of ANBU until he eventually became its head. Initially though Sasuke was attracted to join ANBU because Itachi had been an ANBU member and by being part of ANBU in a way he could become closer to him and understand his brother more.

_I've kept up half of my promise now I need to keep up the rest…_

_A happy family is what you asked of me brother. _

Sasuke wasn't expecting Sakura to wake up and then act as nothing had happened between them. He expected some kind of reaction. But he was genuinely confused by her behaviour towards him. Sakura would eat meals with him and Keizo as if nothing was wrong but then she would purposely avoid him at all other times. What was he supposed to think? If she was unhappy with something unless she told him how would it be solved? But Sasuke didn't want to push her; he didn't want to trigger any panic attacks.

_No choice, I'll just have to wait._

Waiting was something Sasuke struggled with, he was a man of action, and he didn't do waiting – especially waiting on someone else. It sent him into dark places, his mind ran wild. What if she didn't want to be with him? What if she decided to leave? But even if she eventually decides that, Sasuke wasn't going to let her go so easily. He had spent these last five years literally breaking his back to restore his broken reputation and raising Keizo. All that hard work and he would just let Sakura walk away from him? Never. If it came down to it he would make things extremely difficult for her to leave.

She was _his_. Didn't she realise already?

Sakura was his mate and the mother of his child. If he had to he would break her completely. Break her until she realised he was the only person she ever needed. It wasn't as if she had anywhere else to go. Her parents were dead. The only person she had was Naruto but he was easy enough to deceive. Sasuke had already lost his family once, he would never ever lose his family again…

He groaned inside – not these thoughts again, it was these kinds of thoughts which got him into this position in the first place.

'Sasuke-sama, I have urgent news from the fourth division.' An ANBU member had quickly run into his office unannounced.

_Ah… A welcome distraction…_

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'I don't know Hinata. There is something going on. It sounds weird. But I can feel it inside. I know there is!' Naruto exclaimed.

They were cuddling each other in a sitting position across Naruto's sofa in his living room. He was snuggling his face into Hinata's beautiful navy hair. Despite his new Hokage status Naruto still lived in the same grotty small apartment. He was waiting to move into his new house after he married Hinata, then the house would be their family home.

'They don't even look at each other properly! Did you see how he hit Lee at the party? It's not normal. I know Lee touched her. But… I'm probably just too worried but I just…' He breathed deeply into Hinata's hair.

'I- I- don't – know' Hinata's whole face had lit up bright red 'how to say this. B-but I think I-I know.'

Naruto moved to lean over her body more so he had a clear view of her face; the expression on her face was a surprise to him, Hinata had gone so red too. This reminded him of the 12 year old Hinata, not the 23 year old woman he knew now. It instinctively set him on edge, was Sakura safe? What did Hinata know?

'What! You have to tell me!'

Hinata could hear the concern in Naruto's voice. It was a subject that she didn't want to ever speak about. Especially with Naruto. But if her friend was in trouble then she needed to say to it – Hinata would do anything for a friend.

'Ano- those with special bloodlines, well- ' the heat radiating from her face wanted to make her pass out.

'Go on…' Naruto could see it was difficult for her and he was trying his best to be patient, but he needed to know quickly!

'Those with special blood lines when they mate for the first time they become extremely attached to the person and can do insane things when they think their partner is threatened.' Hinata spoke the whole sentence very quickly in about a second.

'Huh? That was too fast!' Naruto groaned. But he heard the important parts and Hinata looked too embarrassed. He wouldn't make her repeat herself.

'Ano - I think Sasuke is doing his best to give Sakura space. But it's most likely very difficult for him to do since Sakura is his mate.'

_Ah. She's so adorable when her face goes red like this. _

Naruto lent back and gave her a tight cuddle. 'Thanks for telling me. Things make more sense now. I don't really want the images of Sasuke and Sakura together in my head. But I understand. Sasuke is naturally over protective of her, I guess with everything which happened who wouldn't be? I don't know what I would do if it happened to you... '

Hinata felt much better now. A feeling of foolishness washed through her, she should have known Naruto much better – of course he would understand. Naruto would listen to anything she said. Naruto would never judge her; he wasn't that type of person.

'But…' He rasped into Hinata ear. 'This makes look forward to our wedding night even more.' He chuckled.

_I'm definitely looking forward to have a lusty, overprotective Hinata watching my every move…_

'Naruto!'

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Eventually Sakura managed to tear herself from the bed. It was a hard and painful task but she managed. She groaned loudly when she looked to the side to see nothing.

_Sasuke didn't even leave me any pills or water… Great… _

Then the events of last night came into her mind. Her getting horrendously drunk with In

o and dancing with guys she didn't really know. Sasuke glaring at her the entire time. Sasuke punching Lee unconscious. Oh God. Why her? Everyone in Konoha was probably talking about it by now, she didn't want to be the centrepiece of all the gossip in Konoha. It was hard enough walking around the street as it was without people whispering about her. How she wished for just one drop of normality in her life.

_He hasn't changed; he still has the same uncontrollable rage. Look at what he did to Lee. Who knows what else he is capable of? The best thing to do is to pretend everything is okay, don't make him angry and when I get the chance, I'll run with Keizo. I'm not staying here and my son will definitely not stay here. _

It wasn't as if she dreaded bumping into Sasuke as it was already but after last night, there was no doubt in her mind he would be angry. What was she going to do now?

'Hello! Sakura… Hello? Is anyone here?' She could hear Ino's voice coming from a distance.

Sakura was so glad to hear her voice, God knew she needed some good company right now.

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'Mama?' Keizo had just come back from school; he neatly put away his shoes and backpack to the side of the room. He was much too organised for a child in Sakura's eyes.

'Yes, my sweetypie?' She loved how he would always run into her arms. He was such an affectionate child. He was her most precious thing in this world.

'I was worried about you. You looked sick this morning!' He cried into her clothes.

_I don't deserve such a sweet child. _

'There's nothing wrong Keizo.' She affectionately rubbed the back of his head. 'Mummy is fine, I promise.'

'Say, do you want to help mummy with cooking today? I'll teach you a few things!' Sakura did worry about his blindness but since Keizo managed everything else perfectly, she couldn't see why he wouldn't be able to help. Just as long as she kept sharp blades away from him, it should be fine.

'Yes!' He lifted his smiling face up from her skirt.

So they had spent a good two hours preparing and cooking dishes for dinner. Keizo was a really quick learner, initially Sakura had wanted to keep the blades away from him but soon realised he already used blades at the academy so it was a bit pointless. The precision and speed of his vegetable preparations were extremely impressive. Sakura was a bit shocked – this wasn't normal five year old behaviour but then Keizo wasn't a normal five year old was he? Let's go a bit more slowly she would say to him only to be followed by the blank expression on his face.

'It smells good!' He was sniffing the pan by the stove.

Sakura panicked seeing Keizo too near the pan, what if he burnt himself? He couldn't see where the pan was after all. 'Don't get too near the pan.'

'I know where the pan is mummy.' He answered, his voice being slightly less cheerful than usual.

'Keizo, you have to be careful-

Sakura was interrupted when she heard his foot stomp violently on the ground 'Do you think I can't do anything!' He was upset, tears were falling out of his eyes. 'I'm blind, I'm not stupid!' He ran out of the door.

'Keizo!'

_Dammit, I've upset him… _

A loud sound came from the pan and liquid started to bubble over. Sakura wanted to go and chase after Keizo but she would have to wait until the dinner was ready.

About a hour afterwards she managed to find Keizo who still was unhappy with her. Sakura was more than aware of her shortcomings; she definitely wasn't parent material yet. This just only proved it, what could she say to make him feel better? She had no idea. Keizo was her son, the only thing living for but she didn't really know him as a person yet. Guilt swallowed her whole, she should have been there and she should be a better mother than what she now. Making Keizo upset was just another mark on her already failed life chart. She would take him out somewhere tomorrow and make it up to him.

Sasuke strolled into the living room looking tired with a puzzled expression on his face.

_I didn't expect him to come back so early. Well… at least he doesn't look angry like I thought he would be. Hopefully he will appreciate all the effort me and Keizo put into making these meals… _

'You did this?' He was looking at all the cooked food prepared on the table with an unreadable expression.

'Yes, me and Keizo cooked together for dinner. Didn't we Keizo?'

'Hn.' Sakura couldn't close her mouth, she couldn't believe he just gave a grumpy hn just like Sasuke, Keizo really was his father's son.

After they all sat down by the table to eat dinner Sakura watched Sasuke take a few bites from his plate before he pushed the plate to the side. She was waiting for him to continue eating but he wasn't. Every second which went pass without him eating became more and more offensive to Sakura. After all that effort she and Keizo put in. He wasn't even going to eat it?

'Is there something wrong Sasuke?' She asked.

'It's inedible.' He didn't answer looking at her eyes.

_What a… dick_

Sakura felt so frustrated. First Keizo wasn't talking to her and then Sasuke strolled in and didn't even eat the dinner she spent close to two hours making. How could they be so ungrateful? She looked around to see two miserable faces at the dining table.

Sasuke sighed. 'If you can't cook, just wait for me to get home and I'll do it. It's common sense.'

'What! I can cook just fine. Sorry if it just isn't good enough for the almighty Sasuke Uchiha!' It was the first time she had shouted at him since her coma.

'I didn't-'

'Nothing is ever good enough for you is it! Not my food! Not my friends!' She had started to go into a rage, hitting some of the food on the floor. 'You should look at yourself! There's nothing special about you! Who do you think you are! Hitting Lee like that!'

Sasuke rolled his eyes. 'Just calm down.'

'Don't you tell me what to do!' She was shrieking at him.

'You're being overdramatic. If you can't cook then don't cook.' His voice had taken a sharper edge to it. 'If you want to do something productive then try something apart from just mopping around in the house all day.'

Slap.

A big red mark was slowly become visible on Sasuke's face.

'How dare you!' She screamed. 'How dare you! This is your entire fault!'

Sasuke quickly rose out of his chair. 'Listen -

'Mummy! Daddy!' Keizo was in tears. 'Please don't argue anymore!'

Both of them quickly turned around to see Keizo's crying face.

'I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to.' Sakura was in tears now after seeing Keizo in tears. His innocent face was racked with hurt.

_I'm a terrible person, I've even made my own son cry…_

Sakura quickly span around and ran away.

_I've got to – I've got to get away from here…_

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Knock.

Sakura was just ignoring the knocks on the door while packing any of the stuff she had left. It was depressing looking at how little she had and the things she had were things bought by Sasuke. Nearly everything had an Uchiha symbol on it; she would have to find a way to get rid of that blasted symbol. The fiasco from her party and now at dinner made it perfectly clear, she couldn't stay in this house any more. At first she wanted to wait for a bit but she was being naïve, how could she stay in the same house as Sasuke?

_It's impossible. I can't control my emotions and all I'm doing showing Keizo negativity. _

Knock, knock.

_ Just go away! I'll go and live with my parents again. After I've sorted myself out, I'll come back for Keizo. I'm not alone anymore, Naruto will support me. _

'Sakura open this door now or I'll knock it down.'

_Shit. How am I going to get out of this… Why does he always make things so hard for me? _

She knew that he was being serious. Sasuke really would knock the door down, so she slightly opened the door pressing herself against the tiny opening hoping he wouldn't see the clothes and the bags she had been packing.

'Sasuke. I'm sorry about this evening. I hope you understand, I need some time to myself.' She tried to look as innocent as possible.

Unfortunately for Sakura, Sasuke wasn't fooled by any of it. As soon as she finished speaking he pushed himself through the gap and her, forcing himself into her room. Sakura watched him looking at the floor where her stuff was.

'Look.' She covered her face with her hand to afraid to look at his face. 'Things aren't working out; I don't want to upset Keizo. So I think it's best if I leave. I'm just going to stay with my parents. I'll come over every day and visit Keizo, okay?'

Feeling like a bag of nerves, she was shocked when he didn't shout or scream at her.

'You can't. Even if that's what you want, you can't.'

_Why his is voice so calm? He should be shouting at me, I hit him and shouted at him earlier. Why is he so composed? _

'Why not?' Her voice quivered.

'You didn't think it was strange your parents haven't visited you already? Sakura I thought it was obvious.'

_He has a point. Why haven't they been to see me? I've been in a coma for five years now. The first person to see me outside of this house was Naruto. Naruto would have told them right? They must have heard the gossip from the village right? _

She kept staring at Sasuke who was calm but had slight sadness in his eyes.

'I'm sorry Sakura. But they are dead.'

_What?_

'D-dead?' It was barely a whisper.

'They fought and died bravely in the great ninja war. I'm sure they would have wanted you to be proud of them.' His eyes narrowed. 'If you want I'll take you to visit their graves.'

'Dead… dead… but…' Sakura almost dropped to the floor if Sasuke didn't quickly grab her as soon as he saw her falling and held her against his body stopping her from falling to the ground. He could feel Sakura's tears on his top.

'I know. I know.' He was trying to comfort her cradling her against his body. He thought she knew, everyone had knowledge of her parent's death so he thought one of her friends would have said to something to her. But perhaps they had forgotten, Sasuke was just waiting for the right time to break the news to her. However the right time hadn't come yet and now it was too late. He understood the pain of losing family and he wanted to make it as easier as possible for her.

In those moments Sakura had completely forgotten Sasuke was Sasuke. Sasuke the person who had done so many bad things to her, the person who made her skin crawl. Right now, in the moment of her deepest grief she was being comforted by his presence. Just feeling the warmth of his body against hers was a source of comfort. He was like her rock in the storm.

'Sasuke.' She cried into his chest. 'Sasuke.'


	4. Chapter 4

**I've had a few comments about the slowness of my updates. I know for a lot of you it's a pain waiting longer but I really appreciate you sticking by the story! I work full time and I'm studying part-time so it's a nightmare for me to find the free time to write chapters. But I completely understand those who are a bit annoyed. I would love to get the chapters out faster but I just don't have the time. I'm trying my best to get the chapters out as quickly as possible. **

**From the bottom of my heart I'm really grateful to those of you still supporting me and reading my work! Its your reviews and support which keeps me going!**

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Keizo couldn't really sleep last night, all he could think about was his mummy screaming like a crazy person. It frightened him; daddy never lost control of himself, not even if he was really naughty. No. Daddy had never shouted or hit him once. He wasn't used to people showing extreme displays of emotion - was it normal for people to act like that? Maybe his mother was a bad person after all, maybe the person who he imagined in his mind never existed at all. His mummy wouldn't have hit daddy or hit the food on the floor like this person had. The sadness in the pit of his stomach wouldn't fade away. Did mummy and daddy not love each other any more?

Like his father Keizo had a natural schedule for things, he did everything precisely at the best time and in the most efficient way. His mornings were usually the same Daddy would wake him up, he would eat breakfast then he would check on mummy and after he would get ready for school and leave. Daddy had taught him the importance of keeping a strict schedule and Keizo had learnt his lesson well.

_Without discipline and order I never would have gotten my Sharingan! Daddy is a super powerful ninja! I'll just be strong like him!_

But the natural order of the house was disrupted today; daddy hadn't come to wake him up. Strange... It was 7am, right? He even activated his Sharingan to check the clock. It definitely was 7am. Daddy was never late for anything. What was going on?

Daddy wasn't downstairs making breakfast for him. Daddy wasn't sleeping in his bedroom either. Keizo had looked everywhere. Inwardly he smiled; maybe he could get out of going to school today. Daddy probably had to go to work really early today, sometimes it happened, daddy was the head of ANBU after all. If his dad had left for work then Keizo would just stay at home rather than going to school. Rubbing his little hands with glee Keizo went to check on his mummy, she had run off crying last night and even if she did bad things to daddy Keizo didn't like to see her upset.

_Huh? Why is daddy in mummy's bed?_

He could hear the sound of two people breathing. Most people he spoke to didn't realise the way they breathed was very distinctive. Keizo knew who those breathing patterns belonged to, his parents. It was a deep breathing, so clearly they were both sleeping.

He crept closer and closer to get a better view... He was sure daddy wouldn't mind if he used his Sharingan this once...

Thud!

_Oops. I stepped too loud..._

Sasuke's eyes suddenly snapped open and he instinctively jolted upright to see where the noise was coming from. His onyx sharp eyes softened when he saw Keizo, he brought a finger up to his lips as a be quiet sign to Keizo. Unlike Sakura, Sasuke knew Keizo would be able to hear the sound of his finger being raised to his lips. Gently and quietly he moved out of the bed and pulled Keizo softly by the arm leading him out of the room and gently closing the door behind them.

After walking into the living room he squatted down so he was face to face level with Keizo. 'Your mother had bad news, you need to be nice to her. Understand?'

Keizo nodded.

'Good.' He could hear his dad groan when he realised what the time was.

'I'll make some breakfast for you and your mother. You take it to her room and keep her company today.'

Keizo face broke into a massive smile. 'I don't have to go to school?' He felt as if he had struck gold.

'No. But only for today.'

_Maybe mummy and daddy should have fights more often..._

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'Good morning mummy!' Sakura slowly opened her eyes after hearing a voice to see Keizo standing by the side of a bed holding a tray with breakfast on it. 'I have breakfast for us!' She looked at the tray to see toast, cereal, pancakes and orange juice. It looked like a deluxe luxury breakfast rather than the ordinary coffee she would make for herself.

_He looks happy this morning. I'm surprised, he was upset with me yesterday..._

Her thoughts soon turned to last night.

_Sasuke... He was here with me... In my bed...Oh God… _

'Umm… mummy?' Sakura was snapped out of her thoughts by Keizo's calling.

'It looks delicious. The breakfast…' She flashed her biggest smile at him wanting to keep the happy mood up. 'Did you do this?'

'No. Daddy did. But he's gone to work now.'

'I see.' Moving into a sitting position she took the tray off Keizo and placed the tray on her lap. Keizo jumped onto the bed sitting next to her getting in the covers, he had a concerned expression on his face.

'Daddy told you me you found out about grandpa and grandma. I'm sorry. But mummy don't be upset. We are your family now.'

After the argument which happened last night, Sakura didn't want to make him anymore upset. Her heart was aching after finding out about her parents death but she understood what it meant to be a parent. She wouldn't let Keizo see her upset, she was his mother and she was the one who was meant to protect him.

Playing with his silky black hair with one hand she kept up her fake smile.

'Of course. You're my precious family.'

Keizo moved on to his second important topic of the day. 'So why was daddy in your bed this morning?'

Sakura almost spat out the cereal she was chewing out. Quickly she gulped it down to avoid choking. How was she supposed to answer a question like that? Why did kids ask the most difficult questions?

'Shouldn't you be at school today?'

That did the trick. Keizo mental attention immediately shifted. 'No! Daddy said I could have the day off.' He pulled the most adorable pout. 'Please don't make me go!'

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Needing some time to herself, she sent Keizo out to buy some food. Of course none of the food was really needed but she wanted alone some time to process things in her mind. Her parents were gone. And she…

_I asked Sasuke to stay with me… _

Naturally her mind focused on the events of last night. Sasuke told Sakura about the tragic death of her parents and she had clung onto him as if he was the last person in the world. Unlike ordinary people, he didn't stroke her hair or whisper kind words in her ear like most would have done in the situation. But Sakura didn't expect that, she understood Sasuke much more than most. He wasn't being cold, if he meant to be cold then he would have just left her alone. No. His presence alone was a huge sign, he did care about her and in his own way he was trying to comfort her. When she felt his arms come around her in an embrace she was truly shocked.

_A person like Sasuke doesn't do hugs…_

How long did he gently hold her? Sakura was too busy crying to keep track of time. But one thing which stood out more than any of the others, she wasn't shaking around him anymore. Now she thought about it, she wasn't afraid of Sasuke anymore. It was more of an uncomfortable feeling rather than a frightened one.

_This whole time… He hasn't done anything to me… _

Everything was a mess. Her whole life was a complete screw up. Her parents were dead and she didn't need get to say goodbye to them. It was so painful. Was this how Sasuke felt? No. His parents were murdered by his brother; his pain must have been so much more heartbreaking. A small part of her could relate to him and why he eventually chose the path he did. If she was face to face with the person who killed her parents then there could be no doubt she would want revenge too.

Sakura could feel the warmth pulling away from her… She blinked to see Sasuke move away. Naturally she clung back to the warmth of his chest. It felt so cold and lonely without him by her side.

'Sasuke…' She whispered in his chest.

'Hn.'

'Don't leave me alone.'

_I'm so pathetic… _

If she was waiting for a reaction, Sasuke didn't give one but just gave another simple 'Hn.'

She remembered him carrying her bridal style and laying her gently in the bed. The faint look of concern in his eyes which made him look like a completely different person. His raven bangs sprayed around her face as if he was going to kiss her. Her surprise when he moved away without touching her. Memories of being trapped at Sound had flooded her mind at the time when she felt his weight press down onto the bed as he lay down. Her mind thinking it probably wasn't the best idea to ask him to stay…

Smash!

Sakura blinked to see a shattered jar of sauce on the floor; bits of glass and the sauce had spread all cross the kitchen. She had gotten so lost in the memories of last night that she had forgotten completely about the jar she had been holding onto. Letting out a big groan realising how much mess needing cleaning up, she looked through various cupboards to find cleaning products. Then she stumbled across a bunch of gin bottles.

_Sasuke drinks? No wait, Sasuke drinks gin?_

It seemed odd. Sasuke wasn't the type of person to drink but yet here the evidence was. Well, she ought to give it a try too. Gin was well a strong type of drink and wouldn't normally appeal to her more delicate tastes but there was no reason to not give it a try. So she quickly sipped some, her face creasing when the strong scent hit her nose. The drink set her throat and chest on fire, the burning felt so good. It felt like her bitter feelings were finally being recognised. The burning pain in her chest felt like the burning pain in her heart. So she drank some more and again more of the burning sensation filled her chest.

_I… I love this feeling… _

'Mummy!'

Quickly she put the bottle back in the cupboard shutting the door as soon as she heard Keizo calling her.

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That fateful day started the beginning of Sakura's drinking problem. It had been around a month since the first drop of gin had touched her lips. Her mind had found ways to justify it but deep down the truth of it all was undeniable. She was addicted.

It was always the same kind of thoughts she would use as an excuse.

_If I have just one before they get back from home. No one will know. It's only one after all._  
_  
I need this drink. Just one... It calms my nerves._

But it never was just one drink, more like one bottle or sometimes more than one bottle. With each passing day Sakura had become increasingly sneaky about hiding what she was doing. Only on the weekdays when Keizo was at school was when she drunk, never ever on weekends and the evenings. The weekday daytimes were the perfect time, Keizo was at school and Sasuke was so busy with ANBU work he barely was in the house. The weekends were the worse for her, how she wanted to feel the burn of gin and escape into a drunken haze but was denied the pleasure.

There was just no way she could be an alcoholic. Not her. Weren't alcoholics people who drunk all the time? She didn't drink constantly. No, she could control it. So all those people who talked about drink dependency were clearly wrong, she didn't depend on the drink. No, no, she just liked to drink.

Anyway did a little drink hurt anybody? Her and Keizo were forming a strong mother and son bond together and well, as for Sasuke, their relationship had been at its best since she was kidnapped from Sound. No the drink wasn't hurting anybody. All it had to be was her little secret.

When Kakashi had suddenly appeared at her house one day all her well thought out excuses had seemed to have deserted her entirely.

'Didn't anyone tell you to knock before coming into someone's house!' She screamed at her former sensei. Sakura was absolutely furious at him.

Fortunately for her, Kakashi was much to wise to bring up what he was witnessing with his own eyes. His saw the empty bottles randomly scattered around the living room floor and the drunk flush on her face. Obviously she had been drinking for the whole day and by the looks of it, this wasn't the first time either. Directly confronting an addict when they were aggressive was a pointless thing to do. Genma was once a drug addict and alcoholic, those were traumatic days Kakashi would never forget but it had taught him valuable lessons about the psychology behind a substance abuser. He wouldn't drop the subject completely; no this was far from over. He was her sensei even if team seven had been long disbanded; it would always be his responsibility to watch over all of his former students, even if they were adults. But for now he completely avoided the subject.

'Sorry. I did knock. You must not have heard.'

'Whatever. Just don't do it again.' She snapped at him. Sakura walked out of the living room waiting for Kakashi to follow her, she felt ashamed being in the room with those bottles. Kakashi's knowing gaze felt as if it was slowly tearing her apart.

She stopped walking when they had reached a corridor down the opposite end of the house. 'Those bottles you saw... I needed something to help me relax. It's not like I do it every day or anything like that.'

_Sakura you've always been an appalling bad liar… _

'It's none of my business what you do in your free time.' Kakashi non-chantey shrugged his shoulders at her. 'I came to bring you this. It's your and Sasuke's official invitation to Naruto's wedding.' Taking out a silver coloured envelope out of his green Jonin jacket he handed the letter over to Sakura.

'Right. Thanks. Well I have it now. If you excuse me I was in the middle of doing something important.' Kakashi had to leave right this moment. She wouldn't let him spent a minute longer here.

'I haven't had the chance to speak to you properly ever since your coma.' He watched her frightened face. 'But since you're busy it can wait for another time. You don't have to walk me out, I already know the way.' Walking away he stretched out one of his arms and hand in a lazy goodbye wave.

Only at the last minute did he turn around and face her from the other side on the corridor 'Oh and Sakura.' He smiled the typical goofy smirk he always wore but his voice had a serious tone underlying it. 'I'll be watching you.'

How ominous those words sounded to her ears…

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It had been two days since Kakashi's surprise entrance. Since then she hadn't drunk a touch of alcohol, too scared of finding Kakashi there as soon as she touched a bottle. It wasn't just an over the top thought in Sakuras mind either; Kakashi was one of the best ninjas in the world known for spying. Without being to use chakra Sakura was only a sitting duck for someone with his talents. Living in fear of your former teacher definitely wasn't much fun.

Having just finished brushing her teeth and getting ready to get into bed, she walked into her bedroom.

_Was that a spider? _

Sakura froze in horror as she watched something which very much resembled a spider walk up from the floor to the wall of her bedroom.

She moved a tiny step closer to look at the black mass. There was no doubt it was a spider, a huge hairy spider. It was so big you could see the individual hairs on its legs. This spider was truly a monstrosity. It suddenly started to move…

'Kyaa!' Funnily enough Sakura didn't even realise she had screamed until five seconds later when she heard the loud bang of her bedroom door being swung open.

It was Sasuke. A wet, half naked Sasuke.

_He's only wearing a towel to cover his behind and front… _

Gulp.

For some reason she couldn't take her eyes away from his muscular frame.

_He's so hot… I had completely forgotten how visually appealing Sasuke is… _

Why was she acting this way? She didn't think that way about Sasuke anymore did she?

'What is it!' Sasuke looked ready to attack.

_This is so humiliating… _

All Sakura could do was simply point at the direction of the spider. She noticed the annoyed expression which grew on his face as soon as realised the scream was for nothing more than a spider.

_Didn't she realise I thought she could be hurt? Screaming over something stupid like a spider… _

'Tch. Sakura.' It was a lame kind of telling off.

Sakura on the other hand just kept staring at Sasuke grab the spider and throw it out into her mini garden. She couldn't help but notice the nice smell which had come into her room with him and the thought that shower gel he uses must be really good. Only then did it click that she was acting very much like the 12 year old Sakura who completely fawned over Sasuke's every move. Those old feelings, even after everything, had never really disappeared completely.

When she loved him, it was an extreme kind of love. When she hated him, it was an extreme kind of hate. Never any neutrality. Everything Sasuke ever did affected her emotionally.

Eventually turning around to look at her, Sakura was solidly frozen on the spot. Her eyes didn't know where to look, looking at his body made her look like a pervert but there was no way she could look him in the eyes either, his gaze was just so intense. So she stared at the floor instead refusing to look at Sasuke completely.

_He can probably see the redness in my cheeks… He probably knows… Why is this happening to me? _

'Sakura…' He stopped talking when he noticed her staring at the floor. Her left foot was moving, rubbing the floor, in a nervous motion.

_Why is she acting like that? Does she… Does she think of me in that way? _

He knew her. He knew her inside and out. Her every little behaviour and even every word she said, he always knew what she really meant. A mischievous grin grew on Sasukes face, he was going to enjoy this moment. He had been waiting a very long time for this.

'Sakura.' It was a dangerously low, deep and sensual voice he was using.

The sexual tension in the air was becoming unbearable for Sakura.

He was stepping closer and closer to her quivering body. 'It is considered rude not to look at someone when they are talking to you.'

'Umm… Yes.' Sakura felt as if she had turned into Hinata right now.

'Your red.' A mock look of concern appeared on his face. He raised his left hand to cup her face tilting it towards his face. Sakura was trapped staring into his beautiful onyx eyes. 'Do you feel unwell?'

Everything single word he said sounded so lustful. Sasuke really was the devil incarnate.

_Is he – is he playing with me?_

'No.' She barely panted.

'Ah. I wonder why your cheeks are so red then.' He slowly rubbed his thumb in circle motions around her cheek.

She could feel her cheeks getting redder and redder in response. Her whole body was betraying her. His touches, her body loved them and it wanted more. So much more than a simple touch of the cheek.

Those beautiful onyx eyes, she could get lost in them forever. But no, it was too much for her. Why was he such a powerfully magnetic person? Compared to his beauty and power she felt so small and worthless. She was only here because of Keizo, if she hadn't given birth to his son, he wouldn't have even given her a second glance.

Slowly she pulled her head away from his hand. 'So...' The silence was unbearable. 'The spider is gone now.'

Looking at the flicker in his eyes, she thought she briefly glimpsed the feeling of disappointment. All the emotion seemed to drain out of his face and his usual cold and stoic expression had returned.

'Important things are happening at ANBU. I won't be home for the next couple of days. Three at most.'

'Okay. Thank you for telling me. Good night Sasuke.' Why did her heart ache all of a sudden as she saw him leaving? Why did she want to grab him and make him stay?

But it was no good, those words would never leave her mouth.

'Goodnight Sakura.'

How was she meant to sleep with the loud thuds of her heartbeat?

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**Cute SasxSak moment right? **

**Seems like the only way Sakura is dealing with her problem is by drinking! This spells trouble, I wonder what Sasuke will do when he finds out?**

**Please, please leave me some reviews! It really does keep the motivation going.**

**If you have any ideas and opinions I would love to hear them!**

**Thanks for reading! **


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Naruto, Romance