Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I have used several lines from the manga (which I love BTW!) and don't own either.

This story is placed right after the Valley of the End fight…

Enjoy…

Chapter 1 – The Beginning

His instructions had been surprisingly simple and he had followed them exactly as he was told, but as the first night of his mission came to an end he felt uneasy. It was not unease at the mission or his current status, but at what he was forced to do to the people closest to him. "I had to," he told himself looking down at his own legs stretched before him on the uncomfortable cot that was to be his bed for the time being, "They cannot come after me." He felt an unfamiliar sense of overwhelming emotion as his eyes started to water. He shook his head angrily, 'NO!' his mind screamed. He forced himself to forget the events of past week and plan for anything that may occur in the next few days. After a while, he lay down and forced himself to rest.

As Sasuke's eyes closed for the last time that night he was no longer in Orochimaru's hideout, he was somewhere else; somewhere he did not want to be. The breeze hitting his body was not strong but enough to make the trees sway slightly, and the full moon was shining brightly over the path he walked. His body was no longer his as his motions were predetermined and could not be altered. Several moments with his eyes down on the ground could not prepared him for what he knew he was about to encounter again. 'Sakura!' He looked up at the pink haired girl trying to block his escape.

"Get out of here… and go back to bed." He tried to be mean about it; it made leaving easier. He told her how he would never be like her or Naruto and that she should not go after him. He was trying to save her with his cruelty, and she was trying save him with her love. 'The mission,' he told himself as he walked past her.

As Sakura expressed the emotions that both of them had secretly known but kept quiet over the years, Sasuke's defenses were shattered. He tried one last vain attempt to walk away, but Sakura threatened to scream. The utter desperation in her voice was the most heart-breaking thing Sasuke had heard, but he had made up his mind and knew he had no choice. In a flash, he was behind Sakura. "Thank you," were the last words he knew he would speak to her in a long time, if ever. He struck her, against every want in his body save the mission, with the gentlest blow he could and she fell to the floor. He picked up her body, it felt weightless in the moment, and placed it softly on a bench.

He looked down at her body, she looked like a someone waiting to be rescued from some terrible tradgedy. There was a sudden urge in both the real Sasuke and the Sasuke in the dream to stay, to remain with Sakura. He bent down and kissed her on her oversized forehead. He stood up to take one last look at her, to remember her face; something to get him through the mission. 'NO! One more moment! Please!' the real Sasuke screamed, but the world of his dream remained quiet as he turned and left the village.

His body shot up as he awoke. That dream had felt like hours, but the candle burning by his bed told him that only a few minutes had passed. Sasuke let his body fall back down to rest, 'I need to rest, I need all my senses for this mission.' He forced Sakura from his mind as best he could and again went to sleep.

Once again he opened his eyes to a place he did not want to be. The water underneath his feet, the red glow of the sun just about to set behind the statue of Uchiha Madara; he was in the Valley of the End in the middle of his fight with Naruto. The battle had been fierce, and Sasuke, even in his dreams, could feel the severe toll that his body had taken. He tried to tell Naruto, he tried so hard to tell him, what he was trying to do. That he was trying to save him. "You can only read inside each other's minds when your fists meet. Can you read the true mind? MY MIND!?" Naruto, bloody and tired, stood his ground, but it seemed that he had lost his will. Not his will to fight, but his will to fight back; like he was in a deep concentration that did not involve the fight. Sasuke knew that if Naruto decided to fight at full power it might ruin his mission, or at the worst, one of them might die. He had to take this chance. He picked Naruto up by his neck and pierced his right lung with his hand. Faking a laugh, he seemed disappointed, "You prevented me from hitting your heart at the last moment…" he lied. Sasuke hoped that that would be enough to stop Naruto, enough to show him that if he came after him again Naruto would surely die at his hands. But that did not turn out how Sasuke had planned. He was tossed back as Naruto's body was engulfed with red chakra. The entire valley was bathed in red and the water, which looked more like the blood spilt from a fierce battle of many men, was trembling violently. "SASUKE!" Naruto's eyes were no longer his own, they were the eyes of a monster, of something that would acheive his only objective at any costs. Blood was dripping from both their hands. "YOU WON'T GO TO OROCHIMARU!"

This was too much for Sasuke's mind to replay. His body shot up again, but this time it was drenched in sweat. Everything seemed to happen so fast, almost in an instant, but the candle by his bed had burnt out. Sasuke leaned over his bed and reached into his bag. He knew exactly where it was, what he had to see. He pulled out the picture of Team 7, the picture that he told himself he would not look at until he returned. He could barely see the picture in the darkness of the cold, shadowy room, but he did not need to see the picture with his eyes to know what it looked like. He held it in front of him only long enough for his eyes to become adjusted to the little bit of light. As the image came into view, the pain of his dreams became real. He quickly folded the picture up and lay back in his wet bed. He would sleep no more that first night.

When Naruto awoke, he instantly wished he was back asleep again. The pain he was in was like nothing he had ever experienced, like no fight or battle he had ever been in. He was wrapped in bandages from head to toe and the only part of his body that could move without pain were his eyes, but without the ability to move his head his sight was very limited. He looked up at the ceiling wondering how long he would be in the hospital, but as he unconsciously shifted his weight in the bed a sudden shot of pain ran through his body and he moaned in agony.

This was the first sound Sakura had heard from Naruto in three days. She rose from her chair next to the bed and bent over Naruto. His line of sight had not permitted him to see her in the chair and he did not know she was there, but the sight of her seemed to lessen the pain in his body. They stared into each others eyes for a long silence until Naruto attempted to break it. Fighting through the immense pain of moving his mouth, he managed to mumble something resembling, "Sakura-chan…"

Sakura's face looked like a mix of pity and happiness. A soft smile crossed her face as she lifted one finger to her lips. "Shhh…" she quietly gestured. Naruto thought he could almost read Sakura's thoughts through her eyes, and whatever she would say he would already know. She spoke softly, "Naruto, you must be in a lot of pain, so please don't speak. I am so happy you are back." Neither broke the eye contact. After a while Sakura sat back in her chair, and neither spoke the rest of the day.

The next morning, Sakura opened Naruto's door to see him awake and sitting up in his bed, the bandages removed from his head. "Sakura-chan!" Naruto greeted her with enthusiasm. She turned around and softly closed the door as she had become accustomed to in the past few days; she remained looking at the closed door. Sakura was not expecting Naruto to be awake, and she was worried that all the things she had wanted to say to him would spill out in a flood of words. She took a deep breath and walked to the bed.

Naruto was overcome with conflicting emotions; guilt, happiness, excitement, pain. Despite all these, he had waited with extreme anticipation for Sakura and could not hide it. There was a smile on Sakura's face as she walked to him with her eyes on the bed, but Naruto noticed that this was not the same smile as the one he had seen the day before. This one looked forced, or scared, as if breaking the smile would cause both of them serious harm. "Naruto… I…" Sakura paused mid-sentence; she didn't know where to start. Her eyes moved slowly from the bed to Naruto's eyes. They seemed to be waiting, waiting to hear what she had to say, to console the pain that was hidden in her words. Sakura's face seemed to light up, and Naruto could sense that the forced smile had been replaced by a sincere one. "How do you feel Naruto?" She remained standing next to the bed.

Naruto let out a little laugh, "I'm fine Sakura-chan, doesn't hurt a bit… OWW!" A short scream of pain escaped his mouth as he tried to raise his hands into the air. He put his hands back into his lap and smiled, "Well… maybe I'll be a few more days in here."

Sakura laughed and sat down in the chair. She leaned over and, without thinking, placed her hands on Naruto's. It was not pain but a shock that was sent thought Naruto's body. The feeling of Sakura's hands on his was like a sudden chill that blazed with a wanted, needed burn; a burn that sustained him and pained him at the same time. Naruto looked down at Sakura's hand on his own and the shock faded, replaced by the warm, soft feeling of her skin. "Oh!" Sakura quickly pulled her hand into her lap; she looked embarrassed, "I'm sorry." She didn't know what prompted her to do that.

Naruto stared for a moment at the spot where both his and Sakura's hands had rested together before moving his gaze back to Sakura, "It's ok, Sakura-chan." The thought of what had just happened left his mind as his eyes closed halfway and he thought only of what he had wanted to say to her since he woke, "I'm sorry I couldn't bring Sasuke back."

"NARUTO!" She was stunned at the sudden confession. Her initial shock came from the mention of Sasuke's name, but three days with an unconscious Naruto had given her time to partially accept that Sasuke was not coming back. As she overcame her initial shock, she was still stunned that Naruto would apologize for what had happened. Sakura's mind raced with repeated thoughts, 'The intense battle that he must have been in... lying unconscious for days… and he apologizes… NO! HE CAN'T APOLOGIZE FOR THAT!' "NO!" She screamed out. Her sudden outburst forced Naruto's eyes to widen and seemed to echo off the walls as if they were alone in a deep cave. Her hands reached out to his again and her eyes started to water, "Don't apologize…" Sakura's head fell to the floor and Naruto could hear her crying softly as she repeated her words over and over again.

Sakura could hear Naruto softly calling her name, but she could do nothing but cry; she did not want to look at him. Naruto was apologizing for the one thing that she had asked him to do, the one thing that meant so much to her and it had caused him so much pain; she couldn't bear it. A sudden anger ripped thought Sakura and she stood up. "DON'T APOLIGIZE! IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT!!!" Tears were streaming down her face but she looked mad, like she was looking at someone who had wronged her horribly. Her words seemed like they could be heard across the entire hospital, but Naruto had a strange feeling that he was the only one that could really hear them. "IT'S MY FAULT! IT'S HIS FAULT! IT'S NOT…" she paused and fell across Naruto, her arms encircled around his bandaged body, squeezing softly. There was a sharp, sudden pain, but it quickly disappeared; "It's not your fault Naruto…" she whispered into his ear, "I'm so sorry." Sakura cried softly on top of Naruto's body for a long while.

The pain of Sakura on his body started to return to Naruto after a while, but he made no attempts to force her off. He knew that this was not a desire to feel her body on his, but a desire to make her feel better, to be her shoulder to cry on, her friend. When she finally released him and stood up he let out an inaudible cry of pain. Sakura wiped away the last of her tears as she sat back down. The two looked at each other as if they were speaking, now with their words but with their thoughts. "It's ok, Sakura-chan," Naruto finally spoke.

Sakura could see those eyes again. She felt like those eyes could take a part of her that hurt, that pained her, and make it disappear forever. She looked away; she did not deserve them. "Naruto…" Sakura knew that Sasuke was right, "please don't go after Sasuke again." She was not saying this for Sasuke, but for herself; for her own need to never see Naruto in so much pain becuase of her selfish desires.

Naruto's eyes turned away from Sakura and fell down to his hands on his lap, "Sakura-chan… I went after Sasuke just as much for myself as for you." As Sakura looked at Naruto's eyes they seemed to slowly lose the quality she had seen, like he could take her pain away, but do nothing about his own. "He is…" Naruto paused, he had been afraid to admit this for the longest time. He had never been sure of this feeling and, although his fight with Sasuke had revealed it to both of them, he was now more unsure than ever. "He is my best friend…" his eyes remained on his own hands.

Over the next two weeks, Sakura would spend the entire day at Naruto's bedside. They would talk of random things: past missions, hospital food, future plans, but the topic of Sasuke was never brought up. Naruto's body had healed quite rapidly and soon he was able to move around quite easily. The two would take leisure walks around the hospital as Sakura would explain what was going on around the village. One day while walking Sakura asked, "Did I tell you that Shikamaru is going to the Village hidden in the Sand?" Naruto looked at her and raised his eyebrows, "No? Oh there's no mission, he's just going there for a week or so. I think he's going to see that Temari girl."

"That mean ass girl from the Sand Village?" Naruto spoke without taking his eyes off of Sakura; the two had walked the path so many times he did not need to look ahead. "Figures Shikamaru would like a girl like that. Someone to tell him what to do all the time and make him say 'What a pain." He tried in vain to sound like Shikamaru.

The two laughed loudly. Sakura's eyes were still closed from laughing as she asked, "Hey Naruto, who do you like?" She had not meant to ask this and for some strange reason her laughter seemed to fade quickly.

"Huh?" Naruto asked as his own laughter faded, "Oh well, I guess I've never thought about it. I mean…" he looked awkwardly at Sakura, who luckily wasn't looking back at him, and then back at the path, "I don't know."

Sakura did not seem to notice Naruto's awkwardness at the matter and continued on, "Hmm… what about Tenten…" she looked at Naruto. His eyes remained on the floor. "No, that just wouldn't work out for you, would it? Well, there's Ino-pig…" she smiled, "No, you're too cute for a pig like her, huh? Ooooh, what about Hinata? She cute…" there was a pause as she looked for the right words, "… in her own quiet, um, shy sort of way."

Naruto had never really thought about any other girl in the village except Sakura. He had spent most of the last few years with her and Sasuke. Of all the female ninja in the village, the only other one he had a connection with was Hinata; and their connection was not something that he considered romantic. His eyes still on the floor he finally spoke, "There are other girls in the village, right?" His words seemed reaching.

"Well yeah…" she did not take the hint in Naruto's question, "there are other girls, but would you be happy with someone who's not a ninja? Someone who doesn't share the excitement that you do? I mean, the only other young female ninja in the village…" she stopped walking. Naruto did not notice until he was several step in front of her, he turned back to see a smile on her face, "is me…" He knew that she had understood what he had meant and he looked back at her expecting to be turned down, to be told that there was no chance, to be hurt. The smile on Sakura's face seemed to grow, "Naruto… very funny." Naruto smiled against his will; she didn't get it.

It took only a short time for Naruto and Sakura to become almost inseparable. After leaving the hospital, the two spent almost all thier time together and their relationship grew from friendship to near dependence on each other. The day soon came, however, when Naruto was to leave with Jiraya to train. Saying good bye without crying was the best Sakura could hope for when she knocked on his door in the early morning of his departure. As Naruto opened the door Sakura jumped and wrapped her arms around him, "Naruto… good bye…" was all she could muster as she released him and ran out the door. As he watched her run from him he understood; it made it easier for both of them. As her body finally faded from view Naruto thought to himself that he was glad that nothing romantic had sprung from his relationship with Sakura as it may have stopped him from leaving. He couldn't help but wonder though, 'What could have happened..." He walked back inside.

Naruto finished packing his bag and quickly looked around his room. "I'm ready," he spoke outloud to no one. He turned and opened his door to leave. Standing outside his door, to his surprise, was Hinata with her hands outstretched holding a small container. Naruto paused as Hinata stood there, not like a human, but as a statue presenting a victor of some great struggle with a grand prize. "Hin….Hinata?" He closed the door behind him.

Hinata's arms shook violently, but they remained outstretched. "For…for…your injuries…" were the only words that Naruto would hear from her. He took the container from her hands and looked at it carefully. Before he had a chance to thank her, she had already run from sight. 'How strange,' Naruto thought.

As Naruto returned to the village Hidden in the Leaves he was overwhelmed. After three years of training he was finally home. Every step he took inside the village gates was special and every person he saw was like a brother he had not seen in a long time. As he walked the streets he couldn't help but notice the people around him. He didn't know these people too well, but he could tell how their once familiar faces had changed over the years. He walked through the village for a while before he heard a familiar voice behind him, "Welcome back, Naruto…" it was the voice he had be waiting to hear.

In the past two years he had begun to notice more and more of the female sex and had begun to appreciate the image of Sakura he had kept in his mind. "Sakura-chan…" he spoke as he turned and looked at her, two years older and even more stunning than he had remembered. He could tell that she was taller now, but still just a little shorter than he was. Her pink hair was longer than before, falling just below the back of her neck, and her bangs were pulled back under her ears. The green eyes that he had not seen in three years were sharper, and they looked as if they could predict not only his next actions, but his next words as well. Her suit too had changed, but not much. Her red dress was more form fitting over her slender body, and the zipper was pulled down just far enough to provide a teasing glimpse of her well developed breasts. The bottom of her dress fell to well above her knees and had been cropped so that the front and side of her right leg were fully exposed, revealing her short black shorts and her legs in all their glory. Naruto stood with his eyes wide.

He wanted so badly to wrap his arms around her body, but before he could move her arms were wrapped around him, "I've really missed you, Naruto." He did not expect to hear these words from her, but as he looked into her smiling face he knew the words were sincere. The two walked around the city until the sun had set. Naruto told Sakura about his training and Sakura informed Naruto of the things he had missed while he was gone and about her training under Tsunade. When the moon had risen and the village was dark the two were still walking. Sakura had finally seemed to notice the change, "Naruto, it's dark. I should get home." He had been listening to her speak for over an hour and simply nodded, "I'm glad your back. Good night." She quickly leaned in and kissed Naruto on the cheek before turning and walking away.

Naruto hoped that this kiss meant something. But as he continued walking, he couldn't help but think that it was nothing more then a show of affection between very good friends. He walked home holding his cheek and unlocked his door. "Naruto-kun……" An unfamiliar, yet very familiar voice spoke out from the shadows.

The voice had startled him and he turned around quickly, ready to attack. "Who is that? Hinata?" he dropped his arms as she stepped shyly into the moonlight. He had not seen her in two years, and this was not the same girl he had remembered. "Hin….Hinata…" he looked up and down her body. He was at a sudden loss for words. As little as he had noticed Hinata, he could tell she had changed greatly. The moonlight shined off her long dark hair that reached the small of her back as her bang fell to her shoulders. She was wearing a tight black shirt and black pants, both of which seemed to cling to her, not like clothing but skin. The light of the moon accentuated every curve of her body as she stood before him, a dark silhouette of something he could never even dream of. He could see her eyes looking down; they were as wide as he remembered, but it struck him that he had never looked Hinata in the eyes before. There was a sudden urge in his body, to touch her, to feel her body on his. This was not what he felt when he wanted to hold Sakura, this was a desire that he so desperately needed to fulfill. He tried to reach out but his arms refused to move. He remained still, hoping this image could remain in his mind forever.

"I just… um…" Hinata's eyes were on the floor. Her body shook as her eyes made their way up Naruto's body. As they reached his eyes staring back at her she let out a gasp, "I'm glad you're back…" she spoke the words in quick succession before turning and running off. Naruto remained planted where he stood watching Hinata run from him. With each step Hinata took, Naruto's urge grew stronger. As she disappeared, his body seemed free to move again; the urge was gone.

Naruto pushed open his door and placed his bag on the dirty floor. He wanted nothing more than to sleep in his own bed for the first time in a long time. Sitting on his bed he reached into his bag and removed a picture that he had looked at every night for the past two years. He put the picture of Team 7 on the table next to his bed. He took a long look at the younger versions of his friends and sensei. Finally, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Next Chapter: Chapter 2: The End of the Mission

In case anyone is wondering, Sasuke's two dream scenes are pulled directly from manga chapters 181 and 226 respectively, so if you need any insight to what was mentioned you should check them out.

Read... review... enjoy...