Chapter 2: Rematch

[Continues from two years in the past]

"Gaaaaaaaahhhhh?!" A sudden roar he heard outside, followed by a rampage of sounds, the stumble of the feet and—'Child's screaming laughter?'

Sasuke pulled his head from the opened curtain window. The hospital room was light up by the bright afternoon sun.

WHOOOSE! The poor door of his room was yanked open. It was a mystery how durable such scanty door could be. The hinges hardly showed any sign of coming undone.

'...' Now that his attention about the well-being of his room's door was over, his focus was targeted toward the person standing before him. Such sight made his mind wondered—Was he still in a coma?

Naruto. Naruto was carrying a baby in his arms standing at the doorway. He, the Dobe, was carrying a child who looked almost identical to him. The bright blue eyes tinted of lavender, and animated laughter coming from the little mouth filled the air. 'His child.' The little bundle in his arm caused the realization to be quite shocking. So much, it made his eye flinched—a little.

Then a feminine voice rushed toward his door. "Naru-kun. You shouldn't carry Yuu running like that. It's dangerous. And I'm not going to accept your excuse of him telling you he likes you running like a madman when he's only a mo-...Ah." She knew now, why her husband did that. Hinata stood next to the blond man she dearly loved and one of the most respected shinobi in the land. They both looked deeper inside the room to see a familiar body returning the glance--only it wasn't as enthusiastic as Naruto's face, nor was annoyed by the ruckus. His face was … blank. Clear of any expressions.

Closing his big mouth, Naruto kept that big grin on his face. Yuu cooed in his arm, tiny fingers tugged his jacket. He shifted the little body and gave Hinata an assuring smile that he wouldn't do anything reckless. Once her hand wrapped around his elbow, his steps proceeded into the room with Hinata.

"Feeling better Teme? About time you wake up." Talking leisurely as if nothing had happened, Naruto continued to rant like they were old buddies, without that distanced time gap. He took a seat on the chair by the bed and laid Yuu on his lap. Big innocent blue-lavender eyes blinked at the impassive gaze, quite a familiar visage to the young mind, but slightly different since his dark eyes were opened. "I was afraid you're turning in to a big vegg-SWAP." His wife knocked him on the head to stop his blundering mouth. It wasn't polite to tell someone who just woke up that there was a chance of them being paralyzed forever.

"Good m-morning Uchiha-san." Hinata stuttered to greet the raven, wondering if he still remembered her. A blink of an eye and his head turned slightly up to meet her, answered the question. She gave him a short bow from her stance behind Naruto. "Everyone was getting worried. Since, you were taking such a long time to wake up." She sincerely informed him.

"Yea, Tsunade-baachan threatened to do some weird experiment to wake you up." Naruto laughed as he recalled that day. "If it wasn't for Sakura-chan, you're probably her guinea pig now." Waiting to see some sort of reaction, Naruto was a bit disappointed. Unknown to him, Sasuke's fists were clenching tight under the blanket. Whether it was because Tsunade wanted to make him an experiment or her name, it was puzzling, even to Sasuke himself.

"Bwaaahhh…" Yuu fidgeted in the blonde's laps. He was getting bored from just laying there. Hinata suddenly remembered that it was his feeding time. Excusing from the room, she stepped out to prepare his bottle. Taking care of a six-weeks-er was tiring.

Naruto cheerfully swung the child up and down. Something that should not be done to a newborn but since the kid was happy and his wife was out of room, it was all good.

"A bundle of trouble isn't he?"

"…" Sasuke quietly watched the interaction. When Naruto turned his son around, the little kid drooled all over. Flustered trying to clean his face, the clumsy father did his best to wipe the watery mouth. "Bawahh…" To the blonde's dismay, the baby wouldn't stop.

Abruptly, "What's his name?" Sasuke's monotone voice coarsely asked with first words he spoke so far. A vague hint of the boy's name floated in his head.

In surprise, Naruto looked up, not caring that Yuu's saliva was drenching his tiny shirt. Cheerfully answered. "Yuu. Yuudai Uzumaki. A great hero." He shoved Yuu forward. "Don't he have such a great structure for a hero."

Sasuke leaned back a little from the drooling face. "Bleeeh…" Yuu laughed his toothless grin at the man.

"Hn."

"Yuu say hi to your God-father." Naruto pulled him back in his arm and waved the little hand.

Sasuke's eyes twitched nonstop. He narrowed it to look at the Naruto as he cuddled Yuu. Numb from all the years, he made no difference of the feeling stirring his inside. Not wanting to accept it, he pushed it away.

"Let's have a rematch." Sasuke spoke again. The friendly atmosphere was disrupted by his notion. He soullessly gazed at the astonished blue eyes.

Face washed clean of cheerful look. Naruto turned serious. Taking a moment, he replied.

"When?"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The wind chimed slowly, the cold chilling froze of the late fall weighted the air down. Step by step, Sasuke surveyed his room. It was the same, he believed. Everything was unmoved. How long had it been? He couldn't recall. Obsidian trailed from the top of the ceiling to the bed, then toward the side window where the low bookcase was. Dragging his feet to it, he reached to touch the upside down picture frame but stopped with his fist clasped tight. Pulling his hand back, Sasuke sat back down on the bed.

'"Don't you think it's rather late?" Sasuke questioned the guest leaning against the railing of his balcony.

"Ah. This is what I get from finding the time out of being the Hokage to see you." The masked figure looked up. "I know. I know. It had been a while since you woke up, but you kno-"

"Hn." Telling him to save it.

"Sasuke."

"Don't talk to me about those craps." He turned to stare straight at the looming figure of the man once known as his sensei. Sasuke wasn't that surprise to know he had become the next Hokage while Tsunade had stepped down and pursued her medical study.

"Straight to the point then. I'm sure you still endorse the code of honor." Sasuke made no comment. "You had lost to Naruto."

"He took advantage of the situation." Snarled, never would he admit defeat.

"Ah. Then I wonder. It's strange. I've been questioning this." Kakashi brought his index finger to his chin. "I'm sure with the lack of surveillance you would have make your escape by now. But you didn't."

"Hn…"

"Perhaps there's something else keeping you back." Looking up to the crescent moon, Kakashi lingered a bit then looked at the seated figure. "Or someone?"

Calmly, he kept still. Nothing marred his visage. "After the rematch with …Uzumaki, I will leave once I beat him."

"Ah."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

'Gah…I need a shower.' Been venturing off in the deep forest to help a small village, now returned, Sakura was worn out from traveling since dawn. Glad that she was able to help nurturing the ills, emeralds smiled and regained her strength to keep on walking. A week it had been. She was cut off from all outside connections when staying at the village. Lack of advancement made them vulnerable to strange diseases. But, all was in a day work for the medic team.

It wasn't until mid-noon that she reached the gate of Konoha.

"Sakura, welcome back!" The gatekeepers greeted the young kunoichi.

"Hello, Kotetsu …Izumo." She happily returned the welcoming, waving to the two chunins as they stood from their seats.

"Do you want me to inform the Hokage while you take a short trip back home to fresh up? You looked rather tattered?" Kotetsu asked, seeing the girl paled to the bone.

She waved her hand. "It's alright I'll go see him now." Bowing before leaving them, Sakura fixed her gear to make sure that the medicine plant, Tsunade had asked her to get was still safe. 'I should hurry up or these will die.' It was vitally important, because he needed it.

[...]

As always, the market street would be busy every minute of the day. Thinking in her head, she should reward herself with something good for tonight's dinner. A list of grocery was formed.

"Waaaaah!"

"C'mon!"

"Run faster!" A group of youngsters was running wildly down the road, the opposite direction. Curious, she found some familiar genins running by. Sakura pulled one back by collar.

"Whoa!" He screamed from the sudden tug.

"Hey there, Kai. What's the rush?" She asked with inquiry.

Jumpy, the boy wanted to get away from Sakura hold as quick as possible. He fidgety answered her. "Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto-sensei are fighting. It's a challenge."

Shock, she loosely released the boy and he dashed straight to the training ground. Flabbergasted for a moment, Sakura stood like a statue, as the others, now not just the genins but their senseis flooded by. Those helpless teachers wanted to keep their students and the other stupid little minds away from danger.

'Why?' Not waiting for the answer to magically appear in the air, she made a fleeting bolt to the site.

Not caring about reporting the mission, not even bothered with the dieing plant. Sakura ran and ran, even when her chakra was depleting, damaged from the long distance traveling.

'Do you hate staying that much…'

She was afraid of the answer. But the truth probably would no longer take much affect on her. Since Sakura's mentality already had accepted the reality years ago. To her, the past few months were too good to be true. The only thing she worried the most now was the bond that kept the three of them intact somehow. Even though it was weak, it was still there. Their bond dented once. She didn't want it to severely come apart. No longer could be shaped back to place.

Halting her steps, Sakura stood before a group of spectators, all wanted to get a glimpse of the mind thrilling battle. Merging her body to the front, a group of chunins had formed a line to keep others away.

"Let me pass." She tried her best to control her tone in a well manner, not needing to pick a fight.

"By the order of the Hokage, we are not to allow anyone. Especially you Sakura." One of them, the leader, answered her in an all knowing manner.

'Damn it, Kakashi-sensei is also in this.'"Let me pass."Sakura really couldn't keep her tone down. A spark of the famously known anger flickered. Everybody that stood before her flinched. "Don't forget who had the power over your treatment when you're injured."

They gulped in unison.

"There are so many ways." Even the onlookers in the back were feeling the eeriness. "Painless or …"

Straightened up, they separated to let her through. "Please go on. Sakura."

Smiling her innocent yet deadly grin, Sakura dashed into the blocked perimeter.

A wash of inhumanly potent chakra hit her unexpected as she stepped into the sealed round. Sakura could hear the distance exploding, rupturing of the earth. "What on …" Harshly breath, she quickened her speed. Perfectly jumping from branch to branch, she cursed in her head.

'What in the world was Kakashi sensei thinking?'

'Naruto, when is he going to figure out that he's a dad now?'

'Sas… I'm not going to even bother.' Pumping the last ounce of reserved charka to her feet, Sakura headed directly to the clearing.

[…]

'Shit…' Dropping on one knee, Sasuke was cursing mayhem under his breath. After five days, and the past months of recovery, his body still hadn't completely healed. Tightened the band around his waist to stop the bleeding, his eyes surveyed the panting nin a field away from him. Naruto wasn't in any better shape. Behind the dusty air, in sage mode, he was also taking a short break. Naruto was enraged that Sasuke was holding back from their previous attack. But he didn't know that this time, the raven was really fighting head on with him. If only, his gut wasn't bleeding and his eyes didn't feel like it was going to drop from the sockets, Sasuke surely would have finished this match. He believed so.

'My eyes…' Not wanting to reveal his weakness, he kept on a strong stance. Sasuke withdrew his katana once more.

In matter of seconds, they took stance. Both knew that it was the last crucial hit they could make.

'I'm not going to let to you fall anymore. This is where you belong...' Naruto thought as he charged at him, full speed. 'Konoha is your home.'

'Hn.' Sasuke knew from the situation, nothing could amend, therefore he too charged directly ahead. It was too harsh on his body for Susanoo, but at this stage, they were both too depleted to engage intensely like before. 'This will do…'

"!!" Naruto noticed peculiarity as they neared. 'He's …faltering.' Sensing the disruption of Sasuke's body, Naruto wavered. 'Is this a trick?' Was Sasuke playing with his mind?

The swiftness of their feet, the fleeting of the bodies, only a flash of black and orange could be seen. Then in a blink, an instantaneous combustion erupted. Castrating, stripping the already torrent field of its top soil. From the turbulent air, a tornado of massive energy rushed through the atmosphere, finding a way to escape.

"Fuck." Overly exerted his capacity, Naruto was edging from collapsing. Back facing Sasuke's back, he wiped his mouth clean of blood. 'Believe it.' He told himself. Sasuke was staying for sure.

'H-how…' Frozen, Sasuke staggered in shock. The blade in his hand had swung a distance away.

"Stop!!" A distance scream advanced toward them. Sasuke glanced to the left and before he collapsed, a wash of pink appeared in his mind. Then at the moment he closed his eyes, emeralds soaked in tear were staring at him.

[...]

"What on earth were you thinking Kakashi-sensei?" Seeing that Kakashi had kept Naruto from impaling his body to the ground, she turned to him with Sasuke's head protectively kept from damaging. The inner gashes of his organs were healed to the most part to stop the bleeding. "Are you trying to send them off to an early grave?"

"…" About to explain, the masked Hokage was shut from speaking as the pink-haired ex-student continuous rant.

"Naruto is still phasing from his chakra change. He shouldn't exert major amount let along battling like this." She motioned him to carry Naruto to her location and exchanged dim-witted unconscious nins with her after she was done with the raven. "Sasuke had been in coma for months. When did he wake up? Where is Tsunade-shishou? Who even let him out of bed?!" Sakura wouldn't stop talking while she checked Naruto.

"Saku-"

"Did she go off on her random not-knowing-when-to-come back journey again?" A green halo of soothing aura washed over Naruto to heal up the his wounds. "What about Ino and Hin-"

THUD

"Ah…"Kakashi gave a long sigh when the pinkette fainted. Now what was he going to do? Scratching his head, he pondered while looking at the three. Which unconscious body should he move first?

CHAPTER 3: Keeping Your Promise

"After all these years … I didn't think you would still cling on to...those feelings." A sudden rush of pride spread across his chest.

"Yes." She showed no hesitancy in responding to him. As if such comment, was frivolous, no longer vital—its apparent clearly shown in her voice. Green eyes looked up, the rag twisted in her hand.

"…" Sasuke observed the girl, his eyes hidden under the shady unkempt bang.

"Pathetic right? No matter what I do, I can't shake it away. I don't think I ever really want to." A sarcastic snicker escaped her lips. Sakura looked ahead at the male, not even wanting to waste her effort trying to find any sign of reaction from him. "But don't worry, it doesn't concern you, those are my feelings and to myself."