This story was published, but then got deleted randomly. I took it as a sign and did some editing. I present to you (again) the re-titled "In which love is misplaced". Enjoy!

It was a lavish wedding in April, when all the cherry blossoms grace the landscape. Sasuke never thought that such a salvation could be had and Sakura never thought she'd get so lucky. They spent a week in the mountains for their honeymoon and more or less became extensions of one another. It took seven months after their return home to figure out that love was something that did not exist. They cared for each other and were friends, at the very most, but it was like every month that flew by seemed to drive a wedge deeper. Their passions lay elsewhere and there was nothing to do to help the marriage. Or maybe there was, but neither seemed too keen on broaching the subject or making the first move.

Anyone who knew them could see what was happening, and the question on everyone's mind was- Why not just get out of it? Sasuke and Sakura had thought about it, but no discussion followed. It seemed to both that to even consider a divorce would be disgraceful. They were shinobi, so marriage was already a difficult concept. But the main factor was that the two had fought for the marriage. The Uchiha had been the betrayer, a rogue ninja. The council wanted him for his genetic make-up and nothing more. Consorting with one of Konoha's finest medics and top kunoichi was frowned upon. Those two issues, oddly enough, were also the pitching points. Marriage would mean procreation, right? And procreation between an Uchiha and Haruno Sakura would start quite the clan, the kind that was loyal to Konoha and excellent at everything.

Fine.

And here they were. Friendly acquaintances living together. They shared a bed and each other some nights; neither could harden their hearts enough to find comfort in someone else.

Sasuke, like always, was focused on his job. After being bent on the death of his brother for years, he needed something else to obsess over. It's funny, some people said, because everyone thought that his new obsession would be the roseate- haired medic. Some would joke and say the marriage with Sakura must be more of a challenge than killing Uchiha Itachi.

Sasuke left many mornings to go strategize with ANBU, and sometimes would be sent on missions straight from headquarters. Sakura was never really sure when he would be home and, really, she couldn't bring herself to be little more than concerned. She did care about his well-being, but… She knew he could take care of himself, and didn't bother with excess worry.

Half of the time, she didn't have room in her mind to give in to such thoughts. She had become a full-time medic with the occasional mission thrown in. Her hours varied, but she mostly took evening shifts and worked until midnight, sometimes a little after.

Most mornings, when husband and wife were present and accounted for, they would meet in the kitchen before Sasuke had to leave. He would have fruit, and she would sip on coffee. In the first few weeks of marital bliss, Sakura would gracefully move about the kitchen, cooking a meal just for him. She had gotten good at it, and it was something he looked forward to. But then, he would have to leave and grab an apple on his way out the door, or she would have worked late and be too tired to rise at early hours.

One morning, Sakura woke up and whispered to the ceiling, "What's the point?"

--------

Dear Henrietta we're just three lonely boys
Though the girls love us we're so
Into you incredibly, we'd love to see you terribly.

---------

Sakura sat down with her mug of steaming coffee and added milk to it. The warm light filtered into the kitchen. This was her favorite place to be in the morning. The kitchen was not too small, but it was not grand, either. The sun washed the light yellow walls with warmth and bathed the wooden floors and stone countertops. Sakura watched mesmerized by the dancing dust motes, and followed the lazy path they created until it crossed in front of Sasuke. She could never deny that the man was a looker. The sun's glow made him look like a god of war. This morning, her god of war was reading over a report and sipping on black coffee. She almost laughed when she realized that any couple happily in love would be doing this exact same thing.

A faint, familiar scratching noise came from the back door of the kitchen. Sasuke shot Sakura a look as she got up from the table. Sakura felt a whole new kind of warmth enter her bones when her eyes landed upon the black mutt sitting in the doorway.

"Woof!"

"Sakura, when are you going to stop tending to that dog?"

"When he stops coming to our steps."

Sasuke looked back to the documents in his hands. The dog will stopping coming when you stop tending to it, he thought irritably. Sakura scratched the dog behind his ears and smiled with child-like wonder when it played with her and licked her hand.

Behind her, she heard Sasuke's chair scrape against the floor and heard papers rifling. "I'm leaving," he said. "When do you have to go into work?"

"Later today," Sakura replied still playing with the dog.

"Hn. I might come by and see how you are doing."

Both knew it wouldn't happen. She glanced back at him and flicked a long pink strand away from her face. "I'll keep a look out for you. Be careful."

He nodded and left.

Sakura grinned at the dog when she heard the front door close. She would swear the dog grinned back. "Woof!"

The dog carefully lifted the self-imposed jutsu and slowly turned from a dark black to a grey, to a lighter gray. The thin, lean frame thickened, filled out, and grew in height. Sakura rocked back on her heels when it was done; it still amazed her. She could not grasp how such a big dog could mask itself as such a smaller dog, no matter how many times Kiba had tried to explain.

The dog bounded off after giving Sakura a whopping lick on her cheek.

She went back into the kitchen and pulled out three clean mugs from the cabinet and started the coffee machine again.

Sakura had just finished filling the last cup when from the doorway came a semi-quiet, "Psst! Sakura-chan! Is the coast clear?" Sakura spun around to see three handsome faces looking back at her.

"I don't think Akamaru would have run off to get you otherwise, Naruto."

"Meh, you know how excited he gets. He might forget what's going on and tell us to come when the Uchiha-bastard hasn't left yet.

Kiba hit Naruto in the back of the head. "Akamaru is not just any other dog, Naruto. He knows more of what's going on than you do. Although that really isn't saying much."

Lee cut through the middle of the other two ninja and strode into the kitchen. "My cherry blossom! How youthful you look today!" He took her right hand and kissed it. Sakura tried to suppress a smile. Lee had grown in many ways, and in many of those many ways, he had grown more like his sensei.

Sakura handed Lee one of the mugs. "Sorry guys, but I didn't have time to go to the market. All I have this morning is fruit and bread."

"That's alright," Lee replied accepting the coffee. "Naruto and Kiba took the long way around to your house 'accidentally' and ended up stopping by Ichiraku."

"…yeah but I only had seven bowls of ramen instead of ten, so I'm still really hungry!" Naruto injected, pausing his argument with Kiba. Naruto strolled up to the kunoichi, hunched over, and gave her a hug. "How are you, 'Kura-chan?"

Sakura wrapped her arms around him and sighed.

"That bad, huh?" he commented and tugged at one of her tresses. She smiled and stepped away from him.

Lee began searching through cabinets bringing out little plates and glasses. Sakura loved the noises of the glasses chinking together. She was content as ever and pulled out a fresh loaf of bread and cut of cheese. The guys helped her slice everything and they all joined her at the little kitchen table. It was a wedding present from her former temporary sensei, Yamato, and had been built for two people with room enough for a third. They always jostled each other when they ate.

The guys would complain about the situation and argue that they had to eat practically on top of each other whenever they visited Sakura, but no one ever suggested that they should move into the dining room where there was a table that was plenty big for the four of them.

"…What?! It threw me off guard!" Kiba exclaimed.

"Having a ninja turn out to be a guy instead of a girl should not throw you for a loop," Lee said.

"Hey, back off," Naruto muttered. "You'd be surprised how much that happens."

Sakura smiled, "Could Akamaru not tell that he was a … he?"

"That's just it! The guy smelled like perfume. Granted, we did attack when his group was in a brothel… He fucking had pink, fuzzy handcuffs around his wrists, for crying out loud."

There was a moment of silence as everyone pictured a ninja caught in that situation.

Naruto spoke up. "Yeah, okay, I can kind of see where you're coming from."

There was another pause when everyone took another bite of food or another sip of drink.

"Oh! Speaking of pink, fuzzy handcuffs, there's going to be an open air market next week. Are you going, Sakura?"

Sakura stared at Lee for a second before answering, not quite sure how that specific topic led on to the next.

Naruto cocked his head to the side. "Lee, you are so weird."

Sakura took a sip of her glass of orange juice and calmly answered. "It depends on how late I have to work. I might not have enough will-power to get out of bed."

Kiba swallowed the piece of bread and cheese he was chewing on. "I'll come in the morning to wake you up. The best food is there in the morning. By noon, the restaurant chefs have gone and taken the good stuff."

"I guess we'll all meet up for lunch, then?"

-------------

Sakura's eyes cracked open. Her senses took in the comforter wrapped tightly around her and the faint light creeping in through the open window. She saw the sheer curtains billowing shyly, reaching out to her. She thought she had closed the window before falling into bed last night. Had Sasuke opened before he'd left? Slowly, as if she were drugged, she realized there was a weight next to her.

A finger drew a line, feather-light, up and down the bridge of her nose. A low voice murmured in an almost melodic fashion. "…Don't try to live so wise…" Sakura's eyes opened a bit more and she caught the lower half of a whiskered face. "…Don't cry cause you're so right…" Her eyes traveled up and met clear blue eyes. A small smile attempted to cross her face, but the muscles didn't seem to want to awaken from their slumber. Sakura for one was perfectly fine with drifting back to sleep, and closed her eyes with every intention of doing so.

She was half aware that the finger that had traced the bridge of her nose was now traveling up her forehead and into her hair. A strong hand began to stroke her pink locks. Cats have it so good, she thought dreamily.

"Sakura-chaaan," Naruto's voice was low.

"Mhmmmm." Sakura forced the response from her chest.

"Kiba was called by Tsunade-baa-chan. He said he'd meet you at the market."

"…"

"He's probably on his way there now. You'll probably be late after you take a shower and get dressed…"

"…"

"I went through your underwear drawer while you were sleeping."

"Mmmmm."

Naruto sighed in exasperation and rolled off of the bed. The kunoichi heard the shower turn on, and then she felt the sheets being ripped from her.

Sakura mumbled something that sounded like "I hate you." And she reached down trying to find the sheets. Instead, her hand wrapped around a warm cup.

"It's tea. Don't spill it, Mrs. Uchiha."

Sakura opened her eyes and stared hard at Naruto. He stared back with crystal blue eyes. His tall form stood near the window, and the soft light spilled over his slightly bronzed skin and made his white t-shirt look cream-colored. After a few moments of silence, she sipped at the tea.

Naruto grabbed his black jacket from the floor and said, "I have to go do a few things before lunch. The shower is perfect, so don't wait too long to get in." He tossed her a Naruto grin and jumped back out the window.

She sipped at the drink; it was too sweet. She remembered the bold flavor from long ago when Naruto would make it so that she would feel better about their rogue teammate, the time when all Naruto had were dreams and a promise to keep. Sakura fell back against her pillow and cursed the gods for creating "mornings".

--------

"Sakura, heads up." Sakura caught a bag of onions and peppers just before it hit the back of a customer's head. The old woman promptly glared at Sakura and then at Kiba as he walked up.

"Those are the freshest vegetables I could find," he stated. "And if I'm not mistaken, the best fish will be found at the south end of the market." He said the last bit rather loudly. Sakura suppressed a smile when a few of the shoppers around her began to make their way in the southern direction; some subtly, some not so much.

"Kiba, you're just playing dirty now."

"What can I say?" He took her arm and led her in the opposite direction. "The market place is not for the faint of heart or those foolish enough to trust rivals."

"I didn't realize this was a war."

"And you call yourself a ninja."

They weaved in and out of people and temporary stands.

"So. Would you rather get stabbed in the leg or the arm?" Kiba asked and swiped an apple from an unsuspecting vendor's cart.

"Arm. I find that I can heal those wounds faster; and at the very least, I can still escape."

Sakura snatched the apple from Kiba right just as he lifted it to his mouth and tossed it back with the other apples. "Would you rather get caught in a compromising position with, Hyuuga Neji or Nara Shikamaru?"

"Why would you ask such a question?"

"Is that a refusal to answer?" Sakura challenged.

"As a lover of all women, I cannot answer that question."

"Very well," Sakura looked around trying to come up with a nice little challenge, as was the protocol for a lack of answer. She spotted a woman a little ways away who was busy looking at dumplings. Sakura smiled. "Alright, your double-dog dare for this morning, Mr. Lover of All Women, will be to ask that charming young lady for a date."

"The charming young red-head in the leather jacket?"

Sakura looked at said female and saw that the stunning woman was eyeing Kiba with a sort of hunger that could only be found at the market place. But she shook her head and replied, "I mean the brunette in the flower print dress."

"You mean the one with the ass that could rival Chouji's."

"Hey, he looks good now. He's filled out and shaped up."

"Yeah."

"I bet she has a great personality."

"…"

"Have fun." Sakura patted the dejected Inuzuka's cheek and walked toward the fish stand that had been their destination.

She was haggling prices for fish with the seller when a thud echoed through the market.

"Dammit! Lady, I was just asking you for a date!" Sakura saw Kiba yelling at the target and said target raising her purse threateningly. Sakura guessed it would have been the second time; one side of Kiba's face had indentations that matched up to the purse's pattern. She wondered mildly if Akamaru would come barging in to protect his master; she glanced to the hillside and saw the dog move. But, alas, it was simply to roll over onto his back.

Sakura looked back at the commotion. Totally worth it, she thought and continued to negotiate. She was in such a pleasant mood that she actually bought the fish for more than they were probably worth.

A frazzled and pissed off Kiba approached her as she was getting her purchases together.

"So, how'd it go?"

Kiba rubbed his cheek. "I think she likes me."

-----------

The pink-haired kunoichi saw a streak of green to her left and dodged a limb just in time. Her breath escaped her as she felt the wind the leg caused brush her face. She rolled over to the side and back-flipped trying to avoid the taijutsu master's attacks.

"Lee, what the hell? Are you trying to kill me?"

"You are very out of practice, my cherry blossom." Lee jumped at her again with a readied fist.

Sakura narrowed her eyes and jumped up into a tree and quickly hurled herself back toward Lee, foot first. She had the sudden urge to make him eat several layers of dirt. For a moment she felt like her old self again.

But Sakura had to admit, as she saw, or rather didn't see, Lee move, that she was indeed a bit out of her league. Before she could land, an arm shot out in front of her and wrapped around her shoulders. It seemed that while she had been working very hard at the hospital, Lee, and probably most of her friends, had been working equally hard on their training. When was the last time she had truly worked at honing her skills as a ninja and not a medic? Oh, yeah she thought, a few days before the wedding.

Her thought process immediately ceased as her back slammed into the ground. She couldn't breathe for a minute and instead focused on the black and purple spots that invaded her vision.

Eventually, she gained control over her unsettled stomach and managed to get air back into her lungs.

"I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan!" Lee kneeled next to her.

"Don't baby me, Lee," Sakura mumbled.

He helped her sit up. She looked at her opponent. "You've gotten better."

"Probably you've just gotten worse."

Sakura used a chakra infused fist to punch him in the arm. Lee slid a few feet back and settled up against a tree. "Hm. But you definitely haven't gotten weaker," he admitted.

Sakura smiled and crawled over to where he was. She sat in front of him and folded her long legs.

"You should start training with everyone again."

Green eyes shot the young man a look.

"No, I'm serious. With me, you can only work on taijutsu. That just takes time. I'm sure you've learned a few techniques as a doctor that could cause some damage in a ninjutsu battle."

She thought back on the one dealing with pressure points. She'd gotten the idea from the Hyuuga clan and by talking to Hyuuga Hinata and, occasionally, Hyugga Neji whenever he ended up in the hospital. Their eyes could locate the points that allowed the flow of chakra within a ninja's body. There wasn't any way for Sakura to really utilize that sort of weapon, but she had learned enough about the human body to know where a meticulously placed pinched nerve could completely disable a leg or limit the movement of a neck. "There are a few that I've loosely constructed. I haven't perfected them; guess I really haven't had the time."

"I have to disagree." Lee pulled her out of her musings. "We can always grab ramen to sustain us instead of having heavenly home-cooked meals that take forever to prepare. Yosh! That's the plan! I cannot stand by while your youth and beauty is fuelling something other than what you were born to do!" Lee jumped up and relaxed into his nice-guy pose. The sun happily glinted off his white grin. "I will make it a priority to help you become what you were meant to be: the best kunoichi Konoha has to offer!"

Ever the optimist, Sakura thought with a laugh.

------------

Sakura tightened her coat around her and puzzled over her list. She had gotten presents for almost everybody. She looked at Naruto holding several of the bags and glimpsed the purple bag with gold lettering. She smiled and checked Ino's name off the list. Easy as pie, she mused. Her bright green eyes roamed the list and finally made their way back to the top. Sasuke. He was the hardest person to shop for really.

He would be appreciative of gifts. He would smile politely; sometimes it would even reach his eyes. But Sakura never wanted to be on the receiving end of that smile. She wanted to see his face brighten. Which is why she used to steal kisses and caresses from him at inappropriate times, she remembered fondly. He would scold her, never letting his stoic nature falter.

"Sakura, we're in the break room, anyone could walk in."

"Sakura, there is a sleeping patient in the next bed.

"Sakura, the man I am supposed to be interrogating is staring."

The kunoichi would usually laugh and give him a loud, wet kiss, and then waltz out of wherever they were. Never looking back because she didn't need to, she could feel the suppressed delight radiating from her childhood obsession.

Sakura frowned as she remembered how happy she used to be; how on earth could people just fall out of love like that?

They can't, her inner romantic reasoned.

But if that were the case, then that would mean Sakura and Sasuke… had never been in love at all?

"Sakura-chan, are we finished yet?" The blonde's voice tore her away from her unsettling revelation.

"Nope, I still have to get a present for Sasuke."

Naruto mumbled a little.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." He shifted the bags around and followed Sakura down the bustling street. "Hey, Sakura, what are you going to get me for Christmas?"

Sakura stopped in front of one of the shops to admire the display of goodies nestled behind frost-covered windows. "Who said you were getting anything for Christmas?"

Naruto's eyebrows knitted. "Aw, Sakura-chan," he almost pouted and started tracing a finger along the glass of the window.

"Oh, Naruto," she poked him in the side, and entered the store. The bell chimed announcing their presence, and the wooden floors didn't creak beneath their feet. They were ninja, after all.

The walls of the store were lined with ninja gear; shuriken, blades, and katana were displayed on racks and tables. The more expensive of the weaponry were locked up in elaborate display cases. There were scrolls waiting to be infused with blood and chakra and volumes of jutsus to be absorbed. The store held the key to every ninja's dream. These were not your standard-issued weapons and clothing. The weapons came sharper and lasted longer; the mesh was lighter and fit like a second skin; the packs were water-proof and had more storage space than a walk-in closet.

To shop in this store really wasn't imaginative, Sakura had to admit, as far as unique gifts went, but a ninja would never be caught complaining about getting a present from Leaf-Nin, Inc.

Naruto, wide-eyed and, more or less, bushy-tailed, was all over the place, his hands sometimes wandering out to touch things in wonderment. Sakura rolled her eyes.

She wandered the shop as well, and noted the lack of crowds; usually around holidays, the shop was a mad-house. It was also a well-known fact that if someone owned anything from that company, it was probably given as a gift. Ninja almost never bought things for themselves from a business like this. One item off of the shelf could easily take up a pay check; those same items were also too personalized. Rarely were the instruments used, especially on missions. On everything in the store there was a small, very definite leaf etched, sewn, or branded somewhere. The tell-tale sign resulted in many of the gifts being left at home above a mantle or apart of the décor.

Some people, however, liked the equipment so much that they would pay almost double the price to get the symbol removed so the items could be used in the field. Yamanaka Ino didn't bat an eye when she shelled out the extra cash to get the stitched leaf cut out of her precious mesh shirts.

Once every corner in the shop had been scoped out, the roseate- haired woman went to the front desk and filled out an order form. She decided to buy an order of kunai with the Uchiha fan carved into the base of the blades.

The man behind the counter pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose and read the order form. His eyes shot up to Sakura and back down to the paper.

He cleared his throat. "I haven't had to carve that design in anything in quite a long time." He nodded. "We'll have this delivered tomorrow afternoon; you can pay then."

Sakura thanked him and both ninjas walked back into the snow. Naruto began muttering under his breath again. Sakura gave him a pointed look.

"Teme gets everything," Naruto said a bit louder and shifted the bags from one arm to the other.

"He does not. And quit acting like you're 10. You're just sulking cause shishou wouldn't let you go on that mission…"

"It's injustice! Kiba and Lee will get themselves killed without me. Akatsuki be damned!" Naruto kept his eyes on the sidewalk, his mouth set in a slight frown.

He was grounded again. Tsunade, being pressured by the Council, forbid Naruto from leaving Konoha for a while in attempts to appease the ancient has-beens. Though the Akatsuki hadn't been too much of a problem recently, Naruto was still in danger, as far as anyone knew.

The kunoichi took a bag from Naruto and settled it over her on arm. "But, Naruto, who would help me shop if you weren't here?" She looked over at said man and saw his focused gaze hadn't faded, but instead of being intent on the ground, it was aimed at her.

Her eyes quickly looked ahead.

"You're right." Naruto snaked an arm around Sakura's shoulders. "There's no way you could carry all these bags by yourself."

Her mouth fell open. "That had better be in reference concerning that, in my attempt to not break or crease anything, I would be unable to get everything home in one trip, and not because I couldn't handle the weight."

Naruto's mouth curved into a smirk and he leaned down to Sakura's ear. "Or what," he inquired softly.

A pink eyebrow shot up and a fist came swinging around to knock the blonde's head.

A strong hand came up and caught said fist.

Two sets of eyes struck one another. Sakura swore there were light ripples around her and her breath held captivated. The snowflakes falling seemed to melt just before touching the ninjas. The heat was radiant. Sakura's cheeks flushed. Naruto was becoming more and more foreword these days. Sakura figured a long time ago that he had gotten over her.

No you didn't; once again her inner self fought back. He only stepped aside because of Sasuke, who came back, if you recall, because Naruto promised you it would happen.

Sakura wondered why her inner voice was suddenly so chatty, and smothered it. The fire in Sakura's eyes brightened. "Naruto!" Sakura's other hand came around and nailed him in the back of the head.

Naruto's face twisted in obvious pain and he dropped to the ground. "Oooohhh. Sakura-chaaaaan."

Sakura looked at the pile of ninja and presents in front of her. "Naruto!" she shouted. "You'd better not have broken anything. I swear if one thing is chipped or cracked you're dead! Do you hear me?! Naruto, are you paying attention…."

-------------

"Sh! Everyone quiet!"

There was scattered hushes and last minute scuffling to get into the best hiding spots.

Sakura blinked in the dark of the closet. It was about a half an hour until New Year's, and likewise, a half an hour until Maito Gai's birthday. The Weapons Mistress, Tenten, had come up with the brilliant idea of combining both the birthday party as well as the New Year's Eve celebration. Lee had almost cried at the beauty of the plan.

The mass of ninjas was currently huddled under tables and behind doors in Gai's apartment. It wasn't a big place, so mostly people were on top of each other, and oxygen seemed to be running out.

Sakura wished Gai would hurry up. The closet was crammed, the jackets smelled like moth balls. It was uncomfortable and the way she was positioned in the space was awkward.

A body shifted in front of her. Oh yeah, she thought, and Naruto is about two inches away from me…

Hinata had activated her Byakugan earlier to watch for the jounin and had frantically informed them that Gai was about five minutes away. The apartment turned inside out and everyone had scrambled to find the perfect spot out of sight. It really should have been easier, and frankly, they were probably disgracing all of their former teachers, but, Sakura reasoned, more than half of them had cups with questionable liquids, so…

Sakura had been in the middle of taking cookies out of the oven when the info was passed along. She had thrown the tray on the counter and looked for Sasuke. He had been speaking with the Nara genius, probably about work, out on the deck. Sakura didn't see him or Shikamaru anywhere and was hastened along by a few encouraging words from Ino.

"Hey, Forehead, quit standing around!" She saw the sleek blonde dive under a table along with Chouji.

Sakura laughed at the craziness around her and frantically searched for an opening. Her search had landed her right in front of the coat closet attached to the living room. Before she knew what was going on, the closet doors flew open and several pairs of arms shot out and pulled her in.

Sakura squeaked as she was snatched in. "Come on, Sakura, we have room for one more!" she heard an urgent female voice say. The glimpse of hair wrapped in two buns gave the girl away.

After the doors were closed, the medic had heard another quiet voice. "I hope Gai really likes this. It really was a great idea, Tenten." The speaker's eyes began to glow with the power of her blood limit. Hinata continued, "It looks like he's stopped for something."

The glow of her eyes had cast a slight illumination, and Sakura, who had been pushed to the right side, saw that the closet was also occupied by the whiskered ninja. He turned toward her, blocking her view of everyone else and had given her a foxy grin, "Hey Sakura-chan!"

"Naruto, shut- up!" came a voice from somewhere else in the apartment.

"Hey Hyuuga, quit showing off, you'll give us away!" Sakura imagined Hinata blushing as she quickly deactivated her eyes.

Sakura bit her lip, now. They were plunged into darkness with only a bit of light breathing. Naruto shifted a bit. Then suddenly the doors were deftly pulled apart again and another figure dashed in wedging between Tenten and Naruto.

Another Byakugan was activated by the foreign presence.

"Neji?" Tenten gasped.

"Hyuuga!" a voice cried out.

Quickly, Neji turned his off, too.

Sakura was still a bit on edge, however. Both males in the closet were not small. So when Neji had entered, he had forced Naruto to move forward, closer to Sakura. She was now backed against the closet wall, cushioned by a coat or two, with Naruto pressed against her front. In his surprise he had put his hands out on either side of Sakura. Her hands rested against his chest and flexed against the black shirt he was wearing.

What the hell is taking Gai so long, Sakura thought vehemently.

Naruto shifted again. His head now bent down a bit. He breathed in. His mouth was brought right next to the roseate's ear. "You smell like vanilla," he said softly, so softly. It's from the cookies, she wanted to reply, but the breath against her ear sent a wave of heat straight to her toes. Her hands fisted into his shirt.

Hushed voices.

"I can't sense him anymore." Tenten.

"Where is he?" Neji.

"You think he knows we're here?" Hinata.

"Who cares?" Naruto spoke quieter than the rest.

It was Sakura's turn to move and it got her right where she didn't need to be. Naruto's thigh was now right between her legs. The hem of her white dress slipped up revealing an inappropriate amount skin, she was quite sure. Sakura felt vibrations from Naruto's chest and a low, very subtle sound. Naruto was growling.

Oh dear Kami. I'm a married woman. I'm a married woman. I'm a…

She felt Naruto's hand move and grip her waist.

She opened her mouth in a silent gasp.

Then there was a creak above her.

Then a click.

Then all hell broke loose.

Naruto yelped and Sakura looked up to see a crouched Yamato hanging upside down with a flashlight illuminating his features. The others in the closet saw the same vision and, for lack of better words, freaked out. They pushed and shoved and toppled out of the closet in a wave of panic, then fought to get away.

Sakura, being very aware of what just happened, promptly fell over in a bout of laughter. It's not everyday Hyuuga Neji was seen crawling on the floor.

"Guys! What the hell!" someone yelled.

At that moment, a cloud of smoke appeared in the middle of the living room, and in all his youthful glory appeared Gai on the back of a turtle in a very Gai-like pose. The flashlight Yamato had in his possession pointed toward the green-clad ninja and the light glinted off of his teeth.

A few of the ninja shrieked in shock and others simply rolled their eyes.

"Haha! And you thought you could hide from me, the Master of Secrecy?!"

Lee jumped out of wherever and ran up to him. "I told them! I told them that you, Gai- sensei, could never be surprised!" The turtle disappeared. Lee continued, "But you could've acted surprised, sensei."

"Nonsense, Lee, this was a test. And I passed! Thank you everyone for being here!" he exclaimed.

There were a few grumbles as everyone crawled out of they're hiding places.

Eventually, the party became lively again. Drinks were drunk in minutes, food left plates in a hurry. And right before midnight, champagne glasses were filled to the brim.

The kunoichi finished helping Tenten with the desserts. Most of everyone else stood around Gai and Kakashi. It had taken all of two seconds for the rivals to find each other. Or, rather, for Gai to sniff out his opponent who still hadn't come out of his hiding place.

Groups started to gather in the living room a minute before midnight. Sakura stood with Ino and Kiba when the count down from 10 began. The ninjas grinned and chanted with the rest of them.

"Three!"

Sakura's hand was grabbed, and she turned in surprise.

"Two!"

Sasuke looked at her with playful onyx eyes.

"One!"

Sakura's heart swelled when he smiled. And he bent his head to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around her husband. She wasn't sure why he was being affectionate, and she was ready to blame the alcohol, the fervor of the event, or even how beautiful she felt she looked. But she went along with it; her emotions had been raging and being held was magical. She laughed against his mouth. The couple left soon after, when the party was at its peak.

---------

The Windmill was a restaurant built a few miles away from Konoha's gates in the middle of forest. It was grand and had just the right amount of charm; the food was beyond anyone's expectations. People swore that if you ate there once, any food consumed for the next week would seem bland. And if you didn't know where the place was, be prepared to work for your meal.

No one really knew where it was. Some knew the general direction, and eventually would stumble upon it, which was really quite a shame because the dress code was a bit upscale. Loads of people would traipse in with leaves in their hair and muddy shoes.

Sakura thought it was absolutely ridiculous; so did Sasuke it seemed by the grimace on his face. He dusted himself off and hopped down from the tree limb he'd been occupying. Sakura landed softly next to him and straightened out her black dress. Sasuke ran his hand across one of the straps of her dress to untwist it, and then tried to fix his hair. Green eyes sparkled with laughter, as the attempt was futile. Once their appearances were settled, they walked through the wrought iron gates into a courtyard lit by torches.

They were greeted at the door and immediately seated in a dimly lit corner. Sakura had been here twice before, both times with Sasuke, and had always loved the atmosphere. The intimidation level was low and rarely did one ever run into somebody familiar. It was a get away without leaving Fire's borders. Sakura thought the restaurant was akin to a secret place where lovers would rendezvous, especially since Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha were always seated in that dark corner.

The sparse decorations and accessories had been changed in accordance with the holiday. But, Sakura thought, it was done tastefully. Some places went wild with pink and red balloons and streamers along with ungodly amounts of Cupids and hearts.

The waiter came by soon after they were seated to take their order and pour aged wine. Sasuke immediately began talking about how the treaty between country A and country B were going and how it would affect Konoha's trade routes and income. Though it wasn't really appropriate conversation for a Valentine's Day dinner, the roseate woman listened intently.

She would swirl her wine around and take a few sips, adding her two cents in at intervals. The conversation gradually shifted her way, and she described a few of the cases she treated at the hospital the past few days. The meals didn't disappoint, and neither did the wine. Sakura smirked; the wine was getting better by the glass. The evening, all in all, was wonderful.

While the couple waited on the dessert, Sasuke got a bit quiet. Sakura fiddled around with her napkin, unsure what he was thinking. Damn his beautiful, absolutely unreadable, expressions.

The sight was really quite breath-taking. The candle-light cast shadows on the planes of his face, making harsher lines. His eyes were expressionless, but not shallow. His whole demeanor was, well, determined.

The cheesecake was served with strawberries atop of it. The kunoichi, always in control, grabbed the nearest fork lopped off a piece and stuffed it in her mouth before the waiter could ask if they needed anything else.

"No, I think we're going to be just fine," Sasuke answered as Sakura sighed in content.

"Whoever invented cheesecake ought to get a medal." Sakura quickly got another fork full and shoved it into Sasuke's smirking mouth.

When most of the dessert was eaten, Sasuke cleared his throat and shifted in his seat- an unusual move for the Uchiha.

Sakura sipped some more wine; she was beginning to feel light- headed and was relaxed, the exact opposite, it seemed from her other half. "Sasuke, what's wro…"

"Sakura. I need to speak with you."

The alcohol wanted to reply, But you have been talking to me, silly. Instead, the medic sat up and bit straighter and called her eyes to focus.

"Sakura, I…" he trailed off.

She almost didn't believe the sight in front her. Uchiha Sasuke was speechless.

"Sakura you are so beautiful." The words sounded foreign coming out of his mouth, but sincere. Sasuke reached inside his coat and pulled out a red, rectangular box. He stared at it for a second. "When you hugged me the first time after I came back to Konoha, I realized that there was still hope for me. And I just wanted you to know that you have helped me more than most."

He held out the box to her. Sakura's mouth was parted and her brows were slightly furrowed. The flame flickered next to his steady hand.

She took the box and opened it.

Confusion graced her features. There were folded sheets of paper tucked within the box. Sakura pulled them out and unfolded them.

Her eyes grew and her jaw dropped; she didn't know where to even begin.

"Sakura, I love you, so I'm filing for a divorce."

And it was like a weight disappeared from her chest. And she started to laugh. At the situation, at themselves, at what he had just said.

"Sasuke, I love you too, so I'm not going to fight you on this."

And then he smiled, just like he used to. They raised their glasses like old friends do, and raced back to Konoha with swift feet and light hearts.

--------------

Naruto leaned against the railing of the bridge. Konoha was quiet now; everyone had celebrated and was snuggled together in their beds. Those unlucky would be found at bars looking for love in almost any form. Naruto figured he should probably join them.

The wind started to pick up and he moved to get his jacket from the railing and put it on when he sensed her. Vanilla on the air. He looked up and clear sapphire eyes darted from one side to the other, and then he saw her unmistakable figure.

She looked like a creature from another place, another time, when things were wild and untamed. Her black dress reached just beneath her knees and rippled in the wind. Her hair looked as if it had been up, but it was coming down.

Sakura walked hesitantly toward him. She was barefoot, he noticed somewhere in the back of his mind.

Naruto's breathing slowed as a graceful foot stepped onto the bridge, and he was calm. Because he saw her eyes, God, they would be the death of him. They were brilliant and devoured him where he stood.

She stopped right in front of him.

He licked his lips. And he tried. His left hand tucked a strand of pink hair behind her ear. She didn't move away. He traced her jaw with his thumb, and she leaned into it. His hand moved to the nape of her neck and the other moved to her back. And then Naruto and Sakura kissed.