This is it. The very last chapter. I hope ya'll enjoyed reading th story as much as I did writing it. I thinking of posting a new story soon and I'll give a summary of it at the end of this chapter. Anyways here's the last chapter
Disclaimer: For the last time during this story. I don't own naruto.
Ch. 17: The End
For a moment Sakura didn't move. She couldn't. Her muscles had decided to freeze up on her as she stared at him. Part of her was afraid to believe that he was really there. She reached out and touched his bare chest. He was really flesh and blood. The next thought that passed through her mind was it wasn't him. It was someone else. She examined him. It was his blue black hair in it's usual style. Those onyx eyes still made her feel as if he could read her mind. He wore only his black pants and boots. Then it sank in. It was really him. Tears filled her eyes.
"Sasuke-kun," she cried as she threw herself into his arms.
Sasuke winced. He was still very sore from all the wounds he had especially on his back. However he didn't utter a sound of complaint. Instead he wrapped his arms around her and just held her. When he had woken up the first thing he noticed was her smell. It was everywhere in the room. That's when he heard the shower. It took him a moment to get up because all his muscles had been stiff. That made him wonder just how long he had been lying there. He immediately forgot that when he finally made it to the bathroom door and opened it. She was there. It relieved him to know that he had managed to save her in time. The last thing he remembered was seeing that kunai flying right for her. Even now just thinking about it made his blood run cold.
Sasuke pulled back just enough to see her face. He took her chin in one hand to make her look up at him. When he saw the silent tears he frowned, "Stop crying, Sakura. I hate it when you cry. Especially when I'm the reason for it."
She gave him a water smile, "I'm sorry. I've just so afraid that you wouldn't wake up and now that you are all I can't seem to keep them in anymore. I'm so glad you're alright." Then she frowned at him, "Speaking of which. Why in the hell did you do that? You should have just let the kunai hit me."
She stopped speaking when she felt his grip on her waist tighten. His voice was shaking slightly when he said, "Don't say that. Don't even suggest it. Hell will freeze over before I would've let Itachi take someone else that matters too me especially you."
She blinked, "Why especially me?"
He shook his head, "How long have I been asleep?"
Sakura mentally sighed. He wasn't going to answer her. "About two weeks."
"Did we win?"
She smiled, "Yes. Every member of the Akatsuki is gone for good including Itachi."
He nodded in satisfaction then backed away. Sakura noticed that Sasuke was staring at something. At first she couldn't tell what it was but then she realized it was her. She was suddenly worried that something was wrong, "What is it?"
"Nothing. I'm going to go eat."
She stood there for a moment. Then she shrugged and reached for her clothes again. For the second time her hand froze. Sakura had just realized that she had been wearing only a towel the whole time Sasuke had been in there. She felt the blush appear on her face but got dressed quickly. The medic wanted to make sure Sasuke would be alright. He needed a shower and food. Tsunade also needed to be told that he was awake not to mention all of their friends.
A few hours later Sasuke and Sakura were walking into the Hokage's office. Naruto and Kakashi were already in there along with Karin, Suigetsu, and Jugo. Tsunade looked at them with a smile, "It's nice to see you're awake Sasuke. Have a seat. We need to discuss your punishment for leaving the village. And the rest of Team Snake's time in Konoha."
The two of them sat down. Tsunade started, "First of all, your punishment. The crimes are abandoning your village and becoming a missing nin, joining Orochimaru, and nearly killing Naruto. You know what the normal punishment is right?"
"Death," Sasuke stated in an emotionless voice.
"Correct. However, you've killed two S ranked criminals and saved Sakura's life twice. You even almost sacrificed your own life for hers. Naruto also said that he would be very pissed if I charged you for the attempted murder because he didn't blame you for it. I have taken that into consideration and decided that your punishment isn't going to be death. Instead you and the rest of your team will be placed on probation for a year. No missions that rank over a C and you can't take the exams to become chunin or jonin until after the probation had been lifted. Sound fair?" Everyone in Team Snake nodded. Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi let out identical breaths of relief. Tsunade smiled pleased with herself. She continued, "The other thing is your stay in Konoha. All of you are welcomed to stay here. There will be apartments provided for you until you've earned enough money to afford one yourselves."
"I can't stay away from Sasuke because of my other personality," Jugo commented.
Tsunade grinned, "Which brings me to my other point. I've been doing research and I've found a way to suppress the enzymes that cause the personality change. We can get to work on that as soon as this meeting is complete."
Jugo looked shocked. Everyone around him smiled and patted his shoulder or hugged him in Sakura's case. He just stared at Tsunade, "You mean it. This isn't a joke."
"Do you doubt me? Of course I'm not joking. I'll have you know that I'm the best damn medical nin in the world. So of course I can really suppress the enzymes," Tsunade growled out but the effect was ruined because she was smiling.
Karin spoke now, "Tsunade, you'll only need to provide two apartments. I'll be staying with this lazy ass."
"I figured as much, Karin."
Suigetsu groaned, "Man, now I'll never get a moments peace."
Karin hit him in the head, "Just what are you trying to say you bastard. I swear I don't know why I care about you. I should let you live by yourself so you'll starve to death because you're too lazy to get up and..."
Her rant was cut short by the swordsman's mouth on hers. Everyone was surprise to see Karin melt like butter in Suigetsu's arms. When he ended the kiss he was smirking, "You were saying?"
"Umm, give me a minute. I seemed to have forgotten. Don't worry I'll get you for it later," she stated with a smirk of her own.
Sakura shook her head a the two of them. Tsunade smiled at all of them, "Well, that's all I can come up with at the moment. Now out with you. I have work to do."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Several weeks passed. Ino and Shikamaru finally got married. Sakura was the maid of honor and Choji was the best man. Everyone had a good time and congratulated the happy couple though Shikamaru kept saying the whole thing was troublesome. Sakura could tell he was really happy though because he had a small smile on his face and a soft look came into his eyes when he looked at Ino. She was positive that he would make her best friend happy for the rest of their lives.
They weren't the only ones that got married. Neji and Tenten's wedding was soon after Ino's. This time Hinata was the maid of honor and, to everyone's surprise, Naruto was the best man. Like Shikamaru, Neji didn't seem thrilled with the whole wedding thing but he put up with it for Tenten. She was thrilled. The weapon mistress was finally getting th guy she wanted. Hiashi also announced that Neji would become the next head of the Hyuga clan.
After the Hyuga's wedding Sasuke was walking Sakura home. She was chattering away about the wedding and how happy she was for her friends. Sasuke listened with an amused smile on his face. She would get to be part of another wedding soon. Naruto had recently asked Hiashi Hyuga for permission to marry Hinata. The Leader of the Hyuga clan had given his permission on the condition that Naruto promised to make Hinata happy. Naruto of course agreed emphatically. Hiashi had nodded his agreement then. He had expected this. That was why he had made Neji the next head of the family. Not only was Neji suited for the job as head of the clan but it left Hinata open to be with the man who was being prepped to become the sixth Hokage.
When they reached Sakura's house she invited Sasuke inside. The two of them ate a snack together in a comfortable silence. Sakura had just finished cleaning up the dishes when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist. She caught her breath when she felt Sasuke's warm breath against her ear. Her body suddenly felt like it was on fire and she couldn't seem to catch her breath. Her voice shook slightly when she asked, "Umm, Sasuke-kun?"
"What?" he whispered as his lips brushed against her skin leaving what felt like a trail of fire.
"A-are y-y-you alright?" she finally stuttered out. Thinking coherently was becoming more and more difficult.
"I'm fine," he stated while continuing to torture her. It had happened suddenly. He was watching her clean the dishes with a smile while she talk about the wedding. Sasuke had given the appearance of listening but his mind had been elsewhere. He couldn't get the image of her in a towel out of his head. His body remembered all to clearly what she had felt like pressed against him with only that little bit of fabric between them. Both his body and mind seemed determined to torture him with those memories until he couldn't stand it anymore. The next thing he knew he was standing behind her with his arms around her. Her scent surrounded him and he could feel her breath quicken. It thrilled him to know that he could affect her this way so easily.
"Can I ask...what you're...doing?" she managed. Sakura couldn't understand why she couldn't think. Damn it, the guy was only holding her. His hands hadn't moved an inch. It was just that mouth by her neck and ear. That shouldn't make her mind turn to mush. Sasuke had held her before too so why was this time so different. Then it hit her. There wasn't any reason for him to be holding her now. All the other times he had been trying to comfort her. She wasn't upset right now so why was he holding her.
"I don't know," Sasuke finally answered her question. He really didn't. All he knew was that he was and didn't particularly want to stop. For a moment he actually considered examining his motives for this but didn't. He didn't have to. Sasuke knew why he didn't want to let go. He also knew that unless she stopped him he wouldn't be returning to his home tonight.
"Why?"
He turned her around and tilted his head to the side, "Why what?"
"Why are you holding me? There isn't any reason for you to right now."
"Yes there is."
"Sasuke-kun..."
He didn't let her continue. His mouth covered hers. At first it was slow and gentle but the kiss quickly turned urgent and hungry. The flood gates to his emotions broke and every emotion he had been holding in concerning this pink haired girl in his arms came pouring out. Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck as her legs refused to support her anymore. The need for oxygen forced them to separate. They were both gasping for breath. Sakura looked up into his lust filled onyx eyes.
"Sasuke-kun, umm, are you thinking...what I think you're...thinking?" she managed in between pants.
Now Sasuke had always been a blunt person. Once he made up his mind about something he saw no reason to dance around it like he was embarrassed. He told it like it was whether anyone else would like it or not. This wasn't any different. So he answered her without even a hint of self consciousness or a blush. "Depends. If you think I'm about to find the closest bedroom and stay with you for the rest of the night then yes you're right."
She blinked then blushed enough for the both of them, "Well...uhh...I..."
"Unless you tell me to leave," he stated simply. Then stepped away from her. At this point the choice was hers. He knew that if he really wanted he could convince her to tell him to stay without any trouble. The thing was he didn't want her to regret this in the morning and if he pressured her into agreeing she just might. That would put a wedge in their friendship which was the last thing he wanted. This was just one of the plans Sasuke had for his little pink haired kunoichi.
Sakura looked him in the eyes. She knew all she had to say was no and he would leave without another word. The medic also knew that he wouldn't hold it against her. It didn't take her long to decide. She stepped forward and took his hand then turned and led him upstairs to her bedroom.
The next morning Sasuke woke up first as usual. He looked at the woman snuggled next to him with a smile. He had her now and he had no intention of letting her go. Sasuke raked his fingers through her hair and her eyes slowly opened up. She looked up at him with a smile, "Good morning, Sasuke-kun."
He just nodded his head and pressed his lips to hers. A few hours later the two of them were standing in the kitchen eating breakfast. Sakura was happy to discover that there wasn't an awkward feeling between them. That had been her only real concern yesterday. She had been afraid that he would back off after last night but that hadn't happened. If anything Sasuke seemed more open around her. She was watching him with a soft smile on her face. Sasuke looked up from his food and saw it, "What?"
"Nothing, Sasuke-kun. I'm just...happy."
Sasuke couldn't help the smile. It seemed he couldn't stop smiling at her now. He had been considering something all morning but he wasn't sure how she would react. Sakura could tell that he was thinking about something. She finally asked, "What's bothering you?"
He looked up at her again, "I was just thinking about something."
"What?" she asked insistently.
For a moment he almost didn't say anything but then shrugged, "About us."
She tilted her head to the side, "What do you mean?"
"Sakura...ah shit. I'm not good at this," he grumbled
"Go ahead, Sasuke-kun. I promise not to take anything the wrong way if you don't say it right," she reassured him.
"I had a goal other than to avenge my clan. Remember?"
"Yes. You wanted to revive your clan."
"I'd need help with that."
She smiled, "Of course you will unless you can have babies. I'm afraid we haven't discovered a way to make men pregnant though so you will have to find a woman to help you."
He gave her a quick smile but sobered quickly, "I think I've decided on who I want to help me."
Her smile faded a little. She stood up and began to clean the dishes. Her tone was light when she said, "Oh, really. Who?"
Sasuke got up and wrapped his arms around her, "I'll give you a hint. She's a medical nin with pink hair and eyes the color of emeralds. She loves me no matter what even when I didn't deserve it."
Her eyes widened and she turned to face him, "Sasuke-kun..."
"Have you guessed who she is yet, Sakura-chan?" he asked with a small smirk. She shook her head slowly. His smirk grew, "Her name is Sakura Haruno."
"Me?!"
"Is that so hard to believe?" he asked her.
A smile spread on her face and she threw herself into his arms. For the first time she kissed him first. When they separated she asked timidly, "Does this mean that you want to marry me?"
He nodded. She kissed him again. Sasuke decided he would have to do things to make her happy more often. He liked the result. There was a knock on the door just when Sasuke had decided that he wanted to take his girl back upstairs. A low growl escaped him. Sakura found herself chuckling at his reaction. He put her down so she could go answer the door. She couldn't stop smiling. She opened the door to Naruto and Hinata. They wanted to know if she wanted to come train with them. She agreed and dragged Sasuke with her.
----5 years later---
A jonin with blue black hair and onyx eyes had walked into the Uchiha compound and was promptly tackled by two identical five year old boys. One of them began to speak with excitement, "Daddy, you're home. Momma said we can go to the park if your not to tired."
"You're not are you?" the other one demanded.
"No, Fugaku and Kikashi. I'm not too tired," he said with a hint of amusement. He wasn't a very open man. Only his family and closest friends ever saw this side of him. The two boys were quickly picking up that habit from him.
One of the boys looked at the front door of the house and said, "Hear that, Momma. Daddy says he's not tired. So can we please go meet Uncle Naruto and Aunt Hinata at the park? Uncle Naruto said that he was bringing Minato with them."
A pink haired woman with a little girl on her hip walked towards them. Her green eyes were fill with amusement as the twins gave her identical puppy dog faces in hopes that she would say yes. Sasuke smirked at her. He knew she would give in. She didn't always but he could tell that this time they would get their way. She confirmed his guess when she said, "Yes we can go to the park."
Sasuke put the boy down so that he and his brother could go get their shoes on. The woman smiled at him, "Welcome home, Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke kissed his wife and said, "I hope you didn't push yourself while I was away, Sakura. How's Ayame?"
"Of course I haven't been. You worry too much. Ayame's fine. I'll have you know though that Kikashi is definitely starting to take after his name sake."
He smirked, "What makes you say that?"
"He was late to the academy today. And do you know what he told them when they asked why?"
"What?" he said as the smirk turned into a grin.
"He told them he had to help a kitten down from a tree and that was why he was late. I'm going to have to speak to Kakashi-sensei about this. He's setting a bad example," she said in annoyance.
"I'm sure he'll get a good laugh out of it," Sasuke stated.
She smiled at him. They had named one son after Sasuke's father and the other after the person Sasuke had respected and admired most. Both boys were very happy and energetic. They were also spitting images of their father, much to their mother's annoyance. Sakura didn't think it was fair that she had to carry them around for nine months at the same time and they came out looking like Sasuke. Sasuke trained with both of his sons frequently and they look forward to that more than anything else. It was obvious that Sasuke loved both of his sons very much. Their little girl, Ayame, was only two years old and was just learning how to talk. She was her mother's child in looks except for the slight image of the Sharingan in her green eyes. To top things off his wife was pregnant again. She kept telling him that one day she would make him give birth. It wasn't fair that she was the one that had to handle all the pain and all he had to do was have a good time.
Naruto and Hinata were married and had their own son named Minato after Naruto's father. Hinata, like Sakura, was pregnant. Ino and Shikamaru also had a son and daughter. The son was just like his father and the daughter was her mother through and through. The only two things that didn't turn out the way Shikamaru had planned was he didn't marry an average girl and his son was older than his daughter. Neji and Tenten and two daughters and a son on the way. Kakashi was often seen with one of the kids from his students and everyone of Team 7's kids called him Uncle Kikashi. Suigetsu and Karin had finally gotten married a year after Sasuke and Sakura. Karin was even expecting a child and was torturing Suigetsu for it to everyone's amusement including his. He still got a kick out of pissing her off.
"Come on, Sakura. We don't want to keep the hokage waiting," Sasuke said as he led her inside.
"If you and Naruto start fighting again I swear I'll beat you both," she warned him. Sasuke and the current Hokage, Naruto, were still always fighting with each other. She didn't want them to set a bad example for the children.
"I don't doubt it," Sasuke agreed with her as he shut the door behind him.
(sniffles) i'm going to miss this story. oh well, i'm working on another one right now that I think I'll start posting soon. Speaking of which I promised you a summary. Here it is:
Title: It's a Dog's Life (I think that's what I'll call it anyways. I'm still thinking about it.)
Summary: Sakura finds a wolf half dead on the side of the road. She takes him home and names him Shadow for his blue black fur. Shadow doesn't appear to be a normal wolf. Instead he had a human intelligence and doesn't behave like a wolf should. Shadow is also extremely attached to everyone's favorite medical nin.
That's it. If you want to comment on it feel free to do so in your reviews. I should have it posted within the next few days if I decide to finish it. I've also got to finish A Suna Story so that should be enough to keep everyone busy for a little while. Anyways until my next story...