What I look forward to is continued immaturity followed by death. - Dave Barry

Hello everyone!

I'll be frank, I can't finish this story for quite a few numerous and invalid reasons, so, because I think that's really not fair, I'll do the best I can.
I'm about to tell you everything that would have happened had I had the opportunity to finish the story, if you'd rather imagine it yourself, or just don't care, then don't bother reading, but this was the plan for Sorano….

Sorano, shortly before the wedding, as you all expected, would receive a letter from Sound saying that, sadly, Kimimaro had died some months ago, and that they were very sorry to bring the bad news, ect. As Sorano never really thought things out like normal people do, she immediately took the train to Sound, and marched in demanding an explanation. She comes back into contact with Kabuto, who shows her to his grave, which was dug in the school grounds, Sorano cannot comprehend the idea of her friend being two meters under her feet, and so fails to return to Suna that night as planned. She stays with Kabuto, and doesn't cry, just sits and tries to understand that she had been standing on what was left of Kimimaro

Eg.

I stood on his grave. I was standing on one of my best friend's grave. I looked at Kabuto, and he looked back, confused about why I was confused.

"This can't be right."

"It's right, Sorano."

"Kimimaro may be dead, but he's not under here. It's impossible that I can be standing in the exact spot where, if I dug down a few meters, he would be."

"You put it crudely, but you're right."

"But that's impossible." I hated it. I hated the idea of him pushing up daisies. I hated him for being buried under the ground. I was looking every other way but at the gravestone. "Impossible."

After tracing her phone calls, Gaara ends up in Sound and tries to persuade Sorano into coming back to Suna, after a while, she agrees, still unsure in her reaction over how Kimimaro could possibly be buried underground in a coffin, Sora is distraught over how easily life can go on when people die, and is surprised in how little Sasuke cares, and how easily Naruto can express his sadness and then move on. Sorano knows, somewhere, she is in shock, and just has to wait it out, she tries moving on with daily life and chores and is disgusted with how easy it is, and wishes it wasn't.

Eg.
"Sasuke, why is everything so light? I should be crying and not leaving my room and throwing things and wearing black and I should have been at the funeral and cried then and moved on by now! Why!?"
"You know why, you're in shock, okay? You knew him well and it hurts. Just wait and it'll be over eventually." Sasuke didn't have the same patronizing voice of sympathy the others did (excluding Gaara) and I liked that. I liked the fact he was willing to say things like they were regardless of my feelings. It somehow helped a lot more then coddling and pats on the back.

"It's stupid though! It's stupid! It's not like you died, if you died I'd never get over it, I've known you all my life! I knew Kimimaro for half a year! Why? It shouldn't bother me this much! He was a weak, selfless, permanently sick thing that happened to be in Naruto's room and I don't know why I care!"

"Bullshit." I liked to hear things like they were, I almost lied just to hear them again. It wasn't the same avoidance of the issue I'd always employed before to deal with pain, this time I wanted it. I wanted the pain to come and be over, and it seemed that as soon as I was able to be a mentally-healthy person and embrace the mourning period, I wasn't allowed to. "Bullshit, Sora. How long you've known somebody has nothing to do with how well you know them. You've known of my for all your life, but you haven't known me until year ten. You've known Kimimaro for six months, and you know him well enough for six years. Don't be an idiot. You know why you care."

I breathed a little easier. "And what if I never get a chance to get over this?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I know what I think, but you wouldn't like to hear it."

"I bet I would."

"No, I'm serious this time. You wouldn't want to." And he walked out.

Sasuke secretly thinks Sora needs out of Suna. He thinks she isn't going to be happy or well being trapped for another two years, and that she'll go mad and never get over Kimimaro. He tells Naruto that this place will drive her crazy. The wedding is called off for now, as Gaara senses change is about, and that a wedding isn't a good idea. The press may go crazy, but he ignores them and calls it off anyway. Kakashi and Iruka go home first, saying that they really can't stay longer, Sorano promises to visit soon, and they leave. After a week or so, Sakura and Shikamaru announce the same thing, and leave with the same promises to visit. Sasuke and Naruto promise to stay until the very last minute of the holidays.

Sora is still plagued by visions of Itachi when she looks as Sasuke, and slowly remembers the freedom she felt when she was around the Ataksuki, despite being in a cage. Slowly, she realizes when Sasuke thought she didn't want to her (and he was right), and realizes that from Kimimaro's death she has to learn that every minute counts, and dying so young is inexcusable, and people have to live like their dying to really leave the world feeling guiltless. Staying in Suna is a procrastination of living, and so she finally resolves to leave. She loves Gaara, but now she realizes that it is too high a price to pay, when they can wait to two years separate, and then live together. Not sit in rooms growing old together, she promises that when he is out of office, they can go be young idiots and travel, but until then, that won't stop her, and she needs to leave.

e.g.

I was packed by 4am. It was dark outside, and Gaara was asleep. I was going to leave, because I couldn't face him, but I think that's the cowards way out, and he will accept the decision. I can't pretend he'll throw a tantrum to avoid telling him in person. I waited for him in the office, I carried nothing else but what I came in. I'd left my Suna clothes, I'd left everything else, all I had was my bag, my Jeans and T-shirt, and three diaries. Eventually he found his way down, and stopped at the door when he saw me in the waiting chair, and not in my normal clothes, he sighed, and I knew he knew. He looked at me, but I couldn't find the true heart to feel regret. I could feel empathy, but not regret, because I was leaving honestly, and I wasn't really leaving, just going on holiday. We'd see each other in two years.

I smiled "I love you."

He nodded, and I gave him that one. I wouldn't make him confess love just because I wanted it now.

"I'll see you, I promise."

"I know."

"Good."

And he kissed me, I smiled. I felt a sense of freedom that I hadn't felt in a very long time, it was a healthy, open sense of acceptance in life. It was mum leaving, it was Sasuke leaving, it was Gaara leaving, it was Naruto betraying me, it was Kimimaro dying, and it was me looking at all these things and thinking I was glad they happened, because otherwise I'd never end up here. The feeling was wild and ferocious and I wanted to run from the building, and as always, the only thing keeping me there was Gaara, and he still had his lips pressed to mine. He pulled away and then kissed me again quickly, and stepped back.

"I love you." I said again. "I will see you in two years, I love you." And I walked out, there was a sense of sadness, I would miss Gaara like nothing else, but still, it had nothing on the overpowering sense of glee that made me smile. I knew why I couldn't grieve Kimimaro, and maybe if I believed in ghosts I'd say he wasn't going to let me be until I saw I needed more than the Kazekage's Offices in Suna could give me. The sun was rising. It was the same kind of sunrise I saw when I let Itachi and his merry band of friends out of the air-vent and I nearly left with them. I kept walking until I found the Train Station, I knew where I'd go first, I would go to Sound, I had to finally let out everything I'd been holding, I had unfinished business in Sound. I stepped out of the staircase and into the station, there was only one other person in the building, I smiled.

"Sasuke, what are you doing here?"

"Coming to remind you that you can never really leave without me knowing."

"This is revenge for last time, isn't it?" I laughed.

"Yeah, it is." He half smiled. "Naruto will kill you."

"No he won't, and he won't know you let me go."

"He won't." Sasuke nodded and smiled. "I'll come get you, okay?"

"How will you find me?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, but I'll find you. Same way you found me, I guess."

I smiled again. "Deal, I'll see you then."

"Two years."

"I know." I kissed his cheek. "Tell Naruto I love him, and I know it's not fair, but this is the way things happen when you sleep in all the time."

The train pulled up, and opened its doors, a few sleepy passengers stepped out groggily. I sighed, "Well, this is my train."

"Two years."

"I'll see you then." I blew a kiss and stepped off the platform onto the train. Sasuke stuck his hands in his pockets and walked out. I watched him leave, for once in my life, I watched him leave. I ignored the one piece of advice I'd ever give anyone. And now I know it was wrong. You can't ignore everything like I did, and maybe it's better to watch them leave. Sasuke walked up the stairs, and it make me feel sad, but in that melancholy, happy-sad. The sad you feel when you watch a child grow up and leave the house, and you don't know how to feel really.

I would go to Sound. And as the platform became a blur of concrete and small amounts of fabric and people, I laughed, and then I cried. And I cried, and I didn't really stop crying until we arrived at Sound. Because now everything was worth it. And nobody could take anything away from me, ever. I was my own person, and I wasn't invisible, and I wasn't a person made of other people, dependant and needy, and I wasn't somebody who was needed by others. I was a person who wanted others, and was wanted by others.

Sorano then goes to Kimimaro's grave, and pays her respects like anyone else. She also (when nobody is looking) buries her diaries under the gravestone, saying 'because I know you wanted to read them, and you'd probably enjoy them more than me.' And it ends. I presume Sora doesn't then return to Konoha, she, in my mind travels the world and becomes a person in her own right. Sasuke never does find out the truth about his brother from her, and the secret is kept well. Gaara doesn't find out either, Shikamaru never realizes Sakura was pregnant, and it was taken care of silently. Sakura becomes a teacher, and then goes into medicine.

Somethings may need explaining, I think. Maybe I wrote this ending just for my own peace of mind, because for me to the story wasn't finished until it was all down on, er, imaginary paper.

I wanted something terrible and sinful, like Sorano cheating on Gaara to happen, and I wanted it to be completely her fault, and for her to do it anyway. Because that never happens, it's always the other spouse that that happens too, I wanted Sora to be the stupid mistake-making one, and what's more, I wanted Gaara to never know. I wanted Shikamaru to figure it out, and I think Sasuke would have if he wanted to, but I think somewhere inside he knew he didn't want to know. Just like he knew Sorano didn't want to hear that Suna wasn't a good place for her, until she was ready.

In my wildest dreams I see her meeting Itachi again, and maybe robbing some banks just for the hell of it, but at the end, Sasuke does find her in two years time, and she does return to Konoha, marries Gaara and….. (Wait for it) LIVES HAPPILY EVER AFTER. Because I am that type of person that thinks every story needs a happy ending, even if some things, like the real world, remain unsolved and unresolved. She grows old, has children, ect.

Also, I imagine her finding her mother again. I see her also being slightly disappointing in seeing she doesn't care nearly as much for her mother (despite her being her mother) then she does for Sasuke, Naruto, ect.

I am very sorry I couldn't really do this justice. But I think I did the best for the circumstances, which'd take a long waste of time to explain when it wouldn't change anything.

And, for the very very very last time EVER,

THANKYOU SOOSOSOSOSOSOO EVRY ERVY MUCH AND I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU! (yes, YOUUUU!) SO VERY VERYMUCH!!!!!

I would dedicate this to many people, I really would, but I don't have the time, but I think you know who you are (you've probby been mentioned before) so THANKS EXTRA TO YOU.

LOOOOOOVE, LOVE LOVE LOVE, LOVE for the last time, LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVOOOOVOOEOVOVOEOEE,

To-love-is-to-lie. Who loves you ALLLLL!!!! Xxxoooooxoxoxox.

Experience teaches only the teachable -. Aldous Huxley