Flashbacks

'Inner Sakura'

"Talk"

'Thoughts'

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CHAPTER 3

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"I wanna be with you forever!"

A male chuckle followed the feminine young voice.

"Only forever?"

"Forever and ever!"

"Forever is a very long time koi."

"As long as you're with me I don't care!"

A true smile made its way to the young boy's handsome lips. Her naiveté amused him, but maybe that was why he loved her.

"Go to sleep, you have a big day tomorrow."

"Will you be here when I wake up?"

"Can't, mission. I'll try to be back tomorrow night."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Sighing in defeat the girl kissed him in the cheek goodnight and

cuddled in his arms, laying her head in his chest. He had

promised. He always kept him promises. Tomorrow… She could

hardly wait!

The boy kissed her forehead gently as he felt her giving in to

sleep, lulled by his heart beat. He would keep that promise at all

cost. He always kept his promises. He always kept his promises

to HER. Everything for her. Tomorrow…

Tomorrow…

-

"Earth to Sasuke." Uzumaki Naruto waved his hand in front of his teammate's face. The Uchiha slapped the offending limb away as he glared at his blond friend.

"You have been very distracted lately." Said Hatake Kakashi as he landed in front of his students, who were currently sitting under a tree, resting from their training. "Something on your mind?"

"Hmm."

"Oh well." With a shrug the masked man resumed his reading as he moved one step to his left, just in time to avoid being hit by a blond girl.

"Sasuke-kun!!!" Yamanaka Ino said while panting. As soon as she regained her breath she put a bento box almost under his nose. "Want to share my lunch?"

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes and merely looked away.

Ino's smile faltered but never left her face.

"Come on, try it! My sister is a very good cook!"

That got his attention.

"Sister?"

"Yes! You know, the pink-haired girl you met the other day!"

The copy-nin's visible eye widened as he heard that but no one seemed to take notice of it.

"Sakura, was it?"

"Yes, that's right. So, will you try it?"

The Uchiha prodigy looked at the box doubtful. Why would it matter who had prepared the lunch?

"Sakura… that's a cute name! When can I meet her?"

Ino ignored Naruto as she continued to shove the box into Sasuke's personal space.

Naruto made a move to grab a piece of onigiri but Sasuke beat him to it.

The raven-haired shinobi was surprised at his own actions. He didn't know why, but something told him that Naruto had no right to claim that food. The excuse sounded childish, even in his mind.

Giving in he took a bite of the onigiri and munched quietly. Ino looked at him in question but his only answer was to take another bite of the onigiri.

Before he could finish Asuma called for Ino and she had to leave.

Kakashi's eyes followed her.

Naruto complained about Sasuke getting all the spotline.

Sasuke wondered why the hell he had eaten the onigiri.

-

"Are you sure about this Kakashi?"

"Yes, I am Hokage-sama."

"Very well, but you do know that I alone cannot lift the seal. I only know of Tsunade to be capable of it."

"I understand sir, but I still think it's for the best." The Sandaime Hokage sighed tiredly and nodded. "You may train her, but she is not ready for the truth yet."

"Will she ever?"

Sarutobi smiled sadly before looking through his window just as Kakashi poofed away.

The poor girl was better off not knowing anyway…

-

"Ne ne, where are we going Kakashi-sensei?"

"Akakarasou."

"What's our mission?"

Kakashi shook his head. If Naruto kept doing all that noise every enemy in the fire country would know their exact position.

"We're going to meet your new teammate."

His students stopped death in their tracks. A new member in team 7? Hadn't it be decided that it would be just the two of them?

And why were they going to a civilian village to find this person?

"I'm not waiting for you." Kakashi said in a sing song voice as he stuck his nose in his book again. His pupils sweat dropped. There was no one else who could jump from tree to tree while reading porn.

"It's adult literature!!"

Sure Kakashi…

-

Yamanaka Sakura blew a strand of hair from her face while she rested her chin in her hand. She was bored to death. There was nothing interesting to do in the flower shop but she had to be there while her mother was in the back making flower arrangements for a wedding.

Maybe her mother wouldn't notice if she made a quick trip to the house to pick a new book since she finished the one she had brought.

The pink-haired girl was about to sneak from the store when the bell announced the arrival of a client.

There, at the door, was the most bizarre man she had ever seen. He was obviously a Ninja, tall, with silver hair and 90 per cent of his face covered. Yet his countenance didn't appear threatening, on the contrary it was almost… friendly. As if he were a long lost friend who had just return.

Right after him a loud blond brat had entered the store. And after him…

…Sasuke…

Fighting to hide her surprise she greeted them with a smile as she had been instructed to do.

"Can I help you?"

"I believe so. Can I talk to Yamanaka Hana?"

Sakura looked doubtful for a moment but then she headed to a door behind the counter. She opened it standing in the threshold.

"Mom, a shinobi is here to see you."

"Coming!"

Sakura stepped away from the door and waited for a few moments before a beautiful woman with long blond hair and blue eyes appeared at the door whipping her hand in a towel.

"What did you want Saku…"

The rest of the word was forever lost as her eyes met Kakashi's sole dark eye. With widened eyes Hana murmured his name as if trying to assert it she wasn't seeing things.

"Long time no see." There was a pregnant pause. "We need to talk."

The older Yamanaka seemed to be woken from her stupor by the copy-nin's voice.

"Kids, go play outside." Sasuke glared at the woman while Naruto and Sakura protested vehemently about the entire situation. "Now!"

The emerald-eyed girl knew that tone of voice very well. It was the voice that reminded her that her mother had once been a full-fledged kunoichi.

"Come on guys, we should go."

The younger members of team 7 followed her out of the store as she headed towards the flower fields to pick some flowers.

"My name is Sakura by the way."

"I am Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage. Believe it!"

-

"What are you doing here Kakashi?"

"I should be the one doing the questions. Why didn't you tell me you had adopted Haruno Sakura?"

-

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He always kept his promises to HER… Tomorrow…

…tomorrow…

But the problem is…

…tomorrow never came…