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People who are Important: Book Two	By : Morales89 Category: Naruto > General Views: 1260 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Tv tokyo. This is a purely fanwritten work, with which I make no money, and write only for the pleasure of myself and my readers.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
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Chapter 12
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It was late afternoon; both Sakura and Shia fell into opposite chairs at the side of their patient's bed. With their hard work combined, Sasuke's body would be ready for the removal process within a week. He was calmly eating an early dinner, because lately his appetite didn't allow him to eat anything past five in the evening. Both Sakura and Shia would be leaving around six to go to the rehearsal. After a few moments Shia excused herself to use the bathroom. The twins had been lying on her bladder all day and she had to go damnit! Sasuke watched the young mother rush out of the room with a hidden amusement in his eyes. Sakura giggled the sound washing over him and making his heart warm in a foreign way.
"Sakura…" he said. Her laughing green eyes turned on him, a pink brow raised in question.
The entire day he'd been having flashes of memories about his fight with Itachi. It felt like he was forgetting something really important. The information was barely eluding him, but he just couldn't reach it. Earlier, however, during his after lunch nap…he had finally grasped at something. The memory of his bloodied brother coming towards him…hand outstretched and reaching for his eyes. Blood streamed from the elder Uchiha's lips as they struggled to form words. Itachi had moved closer, and Sasuke remembered being afraid in that moment. But….his brother had surprised him. Just as his hand reached the younger Uchiha's face…instead of grabbing the eyes…he flicked his forehead.
He flicked his forehead like he used to do when they were younger. That affectionate gesture that had Sasuke's entire body frozen in shock as the blood covered hand smeared that red liquid down over his cheek when his brother's dead body hit the ground. On that face…that lifeless, calm face was the tiniest smile. The world went black after that and Sasuke vaguely remembered waking up in a dark cave with a man that wore a swirling orange mask. Uchiha Madara…there were things that man had said that Sasuke could not remember. However….every time he tried to, he got the most empty, guilty and painful feeling of sorrow he'd ever experienced including the night of the Massacre. He really wished he could remember what that man had said to him.
"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura's voice jostled him out of his thoughts and he looked over at his doctor…his friend. She looked worried, he beckoned her closer.
"Sakura…I killed him…" Sasuke said. Her green eyes stared down at him in confusion. He reached a hand out to pull her into a sitting position next to him on his bed.
"Sasuke-kun…who do you mean? Your brother?" she asked. The look in his eyes was answer enough.
"Sakura…I don't understand…why?" he said quietly. Her small hand laced into his and squeezed comfortingly.
"Why what Sasuke-kun?" she asked. Those bottomless black eyes looked up at her with such heart wrenching sorrow she could barely contain her own tears.
"It's always been my dream to kill that man…so why?" he said a little more forcefully.
"Why does it hurt so much when I think about it? Why do I feel so guilty…so wrong?" he asked.
He was shaking, trembling in his confusion. So much emotion had washed over him he was frightened. So much confusion. He wanted to know. He wanted to know what Madara had said to him that made him hurt so bad at the thought of killing his brother. Itachi had slain their clan with the help of a psychotic murderer! He'd betrayed him! He'd shown Sasuke each and every one of his family members dying in the Mangenkyo Sharingan. Sasuke saw him standing over the corpses of their parents with his bloody katana! So why in the hell did he feel the way he did? He was suddenly pulled against something very soft, warm and comforting. A lock of pink hair tickled his forehead when he looked up to see a very concerned Sakura holding him to her tightly.
"Sasuke-kun…you're body is too strained right now to remember all the details. Your memories will come back in bits and pieces that don't make any sense with one another. I don't know what happened between you and your brother in those last final moments Sasuke-kun. We just found you passed out by the Uchiha Hideout," she said quietly.
"I'm sorry Sakura…I just…"
"It's fine Sasuke-kun…you don't know how badly I've wanted you to open up to me. I want so badly to be here for you Sasuke-kun…and now that you're talking to me about things…I can finally try to understand and maybe I can help you," she said, stroking his hair soothingly.
"Sakura…he was smiling…" Sasuke whispered in the most confused and sorrow filled version of his voice she'd ever heard. Her heart clenched at the knowledge that he was in pain, and in lack of any words that could possibly comfort him…she just held him tightly to her. 'Oh Sasuke-kun….what have you been through?' she wondered silently as she carded her fingers through his thick raven locks over and over.
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Nara Complex
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Shikamaru walked to the door to stop that annoying knocking sound coming from the other side. Senji-chan had finally been wrestled into his late afternoon nap and there was no way he was waking that child up anytime soon. He opened the door slowly only to be faced with a flash of bright red and a pair of sea green eyes. The Kazekage stood in his doorway waiting to be allowed entry.
"Gaara? Oh that's right….well that troublesome woman will be glad to know you're not dead…come on in," the Nara drawled as he stepped aside to make room for his future brother-in-law. As for Gaara…he really just found the lazy Chuunin extremely amusing.
"Kid just went down for a nap. I guess you could wake him up now and take him…it'd probably make it that much easier to get him in bed later if he's more tired," Shikamaru said as the redhead followed him into the living room.
When they got there Gaara almost smiled at the scene that met them, and Shikamaru did. There lie Temari, slender tanned arms wrapped securely around her sleeping nephew as they both slept. Her face was peaceful and held a tiny smile that was in one word cute. Gaara had never seen her so peaceful and decided then that he definitely had made the right decision by giving his blessing to the Nara for an engagement. If she could be happy like this all the time….the Kazekage would be happy also. He'd caused her so much pain in their younger but not so far away years that he was happy to do anything that would bring her happiness.
"As nice as this is I think you've both had enough time with my son to last you a few days. I'll be here for two weeks so you two can take a break. Right now I have to go to the hospital to watch over the Uchiha until Sakura and Shia return from the rehearsal tonight," Gaara said, moving closer to his sleeping sister and carefully disentangling her arms from his son's body.
"And the Hokage's okay with that?" Shikamaru asked in an uncaring voice. Gaara just shrugged.
"According to Shia the Hokage said I may as well be of some use if I'm staying here for a while. Daft old woman…" the last part was mumbled quietly but Shikamaru heard it nonetheless and smirked in response.
Gaara leaned down and scooped his sleeping son into his arms without waking him in a way that only parents knew how to do. Senji-chan's head lolled to the side, lying limply against his father's shoulder as drool escaped his wide open mouth. The Nara Heir smiled again as he took in the sleeping child. Would his kids be as cute? Would they be as troublesome? He hoped not for the second, but knew the first would be so. How could they be anything but cute with a mother that looked like that?
"Thanks for taking care of him Nara," Gaara said as Shikamaru led him back to the door.
"It's not too much of a problem. He's a handful but honestly Shia has enough to worry about that a pregnant woman shouldn't have to worry about. We don't mind watching him. Is it really okay to bring him to the hospital with you?" the Nara asked. Gaara just stared at him for a few seconds, seemingly contemplating the question.
"It's fine. Uchiha likes Senji-chan…Shia told me," the redhead said before he bowed shallowly and turned to walk away.
Shikamaru pondered that statement for a moment before deciding he didn't care and going back to the living room where his beautiful fiancé was still asleep. He cuddled up next to her, laying his head on her soft chest, and snaking his arms around her. It wasn't long before he fell into a light sleep.
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Konohagakure Hospital
...
"Sorry I took so long you guys I…" Shia's apology trailed off at the scene she walked in on before her face split in a knowing smile.
There on the hospital bed lie a sleeping Sasuke Uchiha, pale lids closed over his dark eyes and thick lashes kissing the angles of his smooth cheeks. His hair lay in disarray around his head and his mouth was parted as almost inaudible snores came out of it. That wasn't what made Shia smile so much as what he was laying on. Sakura was sitting in the bed with him, back against the headboard and pillows. Her legs hung off the side, but her arms were snuggly wrapped around the sleeping boy in the bed, his head resting gently on her chest. 'If only I had a camera…' Shia thought before moving quietly over to softly shake her sleeping friend's shoulder.
"Sakura-chan….it's almost time to leave," she whispered as Sakura's full lashes fluttered, lids rising to reveal tired green eyes. The pinkette blinked groggily at the Akito Head before moving to sit up a little too quickly. Sasuke slipped from her chest to her lap without her even noticing.
"Oh shit! Are we late?" Sakura exclaimed in a voice too loud for the sleeping Uchiha to stay asleep through.
When the strong arm around her stomach clenched her tighter, Sakura's green eyes snapped down to the boy currently lying in her lap with his face nuzzling her flat, firm belly. She turned bright red immediately, eyes widening like two huge emeralds and filling with embarrassment. She sputtered for a few seconds, unable to form words with the love of her life's beautiful face nestled on her thighs, his mouth breathing hot puffs of air over her lower belly. He was stirring slowly, his eyelids tightening before slowly rising to reveal his sleepy onyx eyes.
The bottomless black orbs stared at her abdomen, where her shirt had ridden up just slightly, exposing the exquisitely, but femininely muscled set of abs she possessed. His gaze then slowly lifted, trailing up over her torso to finally look straight into her own wide eyed stare. Confusion swirled in the dark irises of her friend for a few seconds. She couldn't help but think he looked absolutely adorable with his sleep mussed hair and unguarded dazed eyes. She managed to find her voice during their uninterrupted, save Shia's uncontrollable giggling, staring contest.
"S…Sasuke..kun," she stuttered, cheeks rosy and green eyes large with shock.
It was then the Uchiha realized his situation. That soft, warm pillow he'd been laying on was actually Sakura's firm pale thighs, and the warm nice smelling cushion he'd been nuzzling was actually her smooth, rather impressive set of female abs. Now fully awake, he could feel the wiry muscles of her slender legs against the skin of his arm as her body tensed in its surprise. Something unfamiliar and unwelcome trickled from the neurons in his brain down to a suddenly warm pit in his lower stomach. His eyes widened just slightly and he felt his cheeks heat up. Neither of them moved. They just stared at each other in shock for another moment or so.
"Hn…maybe you were right Shia…" a deep monotone said from the doorway.
All three people in the room snapped their attention to the blank faced Kazekage with a drooling, sleeping Senji-chan resting against his hip. Well…at first glance he looked expressionless, but when Sasuke looked closer he could see the almost imperceptible quirk at the left corner of the redhead's lips. What was he smirking about? The Uchiha glowered at the other man. Shia, still giggling, moved to kiss her husband on the lips and son on the forehead. Senji just squirmed and let out a little sigh before settling back against his father's chest. Sasuke just stared at the kid, just now realizing how long it'd been since he'd seen the little ball of trouble. The kid really was cute, and he was drooling on the otherwise dignified looking Kazekage in a way that if he remembered how, Sasuke would have laughed.
"I know I am…" Shia answered, breaking the Uchiha out of his thoughts. 'What is she right about?' he wondered briefly. His doctor's navy blue eyes moved to lock with a still frozen Sakura's widened gaze.
"We should get going Sakura-chan…you know how well Tsunade-sama tolerates lateness better than I do," the Akito Head said with a small smile.
Sasuke looked back up at the girl who'd yet to release her arms from around him. Not that he was really going to complain…it felt kind of nice. He didn't remember falling asleep against her. The last thing he did remember was telling her of the recent memories he'd been having and having her embrace him comfortingly. The feeling of her gentle hand carding through his hair was fresh and made a strange bubbly feeling in his stomach. 'It must be the illness…my stomach has been acting weird for weeks,' he thought with that perfect sense of Uchiha denial that was ingrained in every Uchiha gene at birth.
"Sakura-chan?" Shia tried again.
This time the Hokage's apprentice seemed to snap out of her surprise induced haze. Her green eyes shot to him briefly before she gently pushed him off of her and pulled the sheet up over his body. She slid off the bed, smiling at him gently in a way that made it impossible for him to stop looking at her.
"You should rest Sasuke-kun…I'll be back after the rehearsal," she said, still smiling that kind smile.
He nodded, finally gathering the will to turn away from her as that obnoxious heat resurfaced over his face. He heard a deep rumble from the other side of the room which surprised him only because he knew such a low tone of voice could not possibly belong to Shia. When Sasuke turned his eyes on the Kazekage the face he met was blank, however there was a bit of amusement dancing in those teal eyes along with a certain knowing glint that made the Uchiha uncomfortable. It made him uncomfortable because that look made him think Gaara understood things about him that Sasuke himself still couldn't grasp.
"Gaara-kun?" the Kazekage's eyes left the Uchiha to rest placidly on the rose haired girl in front of him.
"Hn?"
"Make sure he sleeps," she said with a smile, Gaara nodded..smiling back at her with his eyes because he found it hard to be as open with the Uchiha in the room.
Sakura fingered some of the blood red tufts of hair on the top of Senji-chan's head before turning to wave at the Uchiha in the bed and leaving with Shia. Gaara turned his eyes onto the Uchiha across the room, who was still staring at the empty doorway with a confused look in his eyes. It wasn't long before Sasuke felt the Kazekage's gaze on him, and locked his own black orbs with bright teal. He visibly tensed when the Sand-nin got closer. Gaara just seated himself in the chair next to him, repositioning his sleeping son onto his lap so that the child drooled on his chest instead of his shoulder.
Gaara didn't talk to Sasuke and the Uchiha was happy to keep it that way. He turned towards the door again where Sakura had just been standing. She'd been so cute all flushed and embarrassed at the way they'd woken up. Of course, he'd been slightly embarrassed too, but it was harder to tell with him. Sasuke really cared about his teammate, and the more time he spent with her…the more he realized how much she meant to him. However….knowing how much someone means to you doesn't necessarily mean you know what the mean to you.
No matter how many times he wracked his brain for the answer he couldn't find it. Every time he was near her he felt a certain calmness accompanied by a strange light feeling in his mind and that funny fluttering motion in his heart whenever she smiled at him. When she was close to him, and he could smell that sweet aroma of cherry blossoms coming from her soft looking pink locks, or see the smooth texture of her creamy skin his stomach did an odd flip inside of him. He always choked it up to being sick…but somewhere deep beneath all his denial he knew there was a different reason.
Sasuke knew she was different than his other friends. He most definitely didn't feel anything weird around that idiot Naruto and Shia had this mother/sister-like quality to her that made him feel cared about. With Sakura it was so much different. She made him feel so many things he didn't understand. So many emotions he had long ago forgotten broke through his weakened barriers around her. He'd even started opening up to her, because it felt good to finally tell someone what it was like to watch your brother kill your family. Because he'd suffered with the memories for so long and she was offering him a sense of relief. But also…because it made her so happy when he did. 'Sakura…what are you to me?' he wondered.
" 'Suke!" a tiny voiced exclaimed from next to him.
Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at a smiling redheaded toddler with big crystal blue eyes. His lips twitched at the sides in a vaguely familiar way before he wiped his face blank. Senji-chan just smiled at him and thrust his little arms out in the Uchiha's direction. Said raven tucked his bangs behind his ears, and just stared at the kid with a quirked brow. As for Gaara, his green eyes traveled from his son to the sick boy on the bed in curiosity.
Shia had told him that Senji was fond of Sasuke…but not how much. With the way the little one was squirming in his grip he could tell the baby liked him an awful lot. Gaara sighed…he didn't want to trust the Uchiha with his child…but he needed to do what he promised Shia he would do. He was going to help the emotionally stunted teen figure out his feelings for Sakura, because he'd seen the way Sasuke had looked at the girl. If that wasn't the same way he looked at Shia he'd be damned.
"He wants you to hold him…" Gaara said blankly. The Uchiha's black eyes widened a fraction before narrowing at him.
"You would trust me with him?" Sasuke asked suspiciously. In truth he was completely surprised Gaara had even talked to him without threatening his life…not to mention offering to let him hold his kid.
"He seems to like you enough…" was the monotonous response. 'Still as deadpanned as usual,' the raven thought.
"Hn…" he grunted, but Senji called out to him again reaching far enough to tug at the thin sheet on his bed.
"Dada…'Suke!" Senji pouted, raising his big watery eyes to lock with his father's blank stare. The Kazekage sighed again, lifting his son to sit at the edge of the Uchiha's bed.
"Go on then…" he said making brief eye contact with Sasuke before shrugging and crossing his arms.
"You shouldn't…"
"He likes you…it's fine…" Gaara interrupted before he could finish. The Uchiha simply stared at the other man for a second. He was about to say something when…
" 'Suke up!"
He looked down at the baby who was staring with wide expectant eyes and open chubby arms. Sasuke sighed…Senji smiled. With one last hesitant glance at the Kazekage he reached out his functional arm, guided the baby over to him, who immediately fell into his lap, and wrapped his arm around the kid. Senji fisted his hands in the Uchiha's shirt and cuddled into his chest, which made his eyes go wide as his heart warm in a way foreign to him. Who knew there were so many different versions of the same emotion? Senji cooed into his shirt and he found himself holding the child tighter. Two crystalline eyes turned up to look at him with the warmest happiness he'd seen directed at him in a long time. He felt the corners of his lips twitch slightly, but didn't realize they'd settled that way as he continued to stare at the baby playing with his shirt.
"Fondness…" Gaara's voice broke him out of his toddler induced self-assessment. Sasuke's black eyes snapped to him with a confused glint.
"You are feeling what is called fondness. It's something you feel towards friends and family. It's sort of like a comforting warmth that spreading through your heart," the redhead continued. Gaara's teal eyes, way too wise for his sixteen years, met black much too haunted for Sasuke's.
The raven stared wide eyed at the Sand-nin for a second. He then turned his eyes back to the child futzing with his own small hands. There it was…that warmth again. It was so different than the kind he felt for other people in his life. There were things similar and different with this 'fondness' when pertaining to certain persons he knew. With Naruto it was a really light, but at the same time excited warmth he vaguely remembered feeling with Itachi in their younger days. With Shia it was such a comforting warmth that made him feel cared about. With Kakashi it was very fatherly in nature. Sakura…he hadn't quite figured out yet but she was different than all of them. However, with all of them the warmth also sparked the urge to protect them. Looking at this tiny child in his arms…it just made him feel so…needed.
" 'Suke…" Sasuke looked down at the sound of his name. Senji smiled adorably, burying his face into the Uchiha's broad chest.
"….wuv 'Suke…" Senji murmured almost too soft to hear, but both well trained shinobi caught it.
Sasuke felt something well up within him as his onyx eyes widened, and he moved his hand to thread through short silky red hair. His heart seemed to sigh…he felt his lip tremble. If he remembered the feeling he'd know he was close to tears. When had he grown so attached to the baby? This little baby who loved without second thought. Was it really possible for someone coming from a father with such a dark, lonely past…to be so innocent and happy. He looked over at Gaara who looked about as shocked as Sasuke. The Kazekage could see the confusion swimming in the Uchiha's eyes.
"Senji-chan has always been quick to get attached," the redhead tried to explain. Sasuke looked down at the baby who looked about ready to fall asleep against him.
"But…I'm dying…he shouldn't…sigh.." the Uchiha said. Turquoise eyes widened, and Gaara sighed.
"Iie…you won't. Shia will not let you die…she likes you too much…Senji-chan likes you too much…" the Kazekage said. There was such a fond look in green eyes as Gaara spoke of his family. If Sasuke were anyone else…if he were not so similar in nature to the Kage….he would not have seen it.
"And Sakura….if you died…she'd break…" Gaara finished.
At the sound of the ever vexing cherry blossom's name, Sasuke's heart did a strange dance in his chest. His stomach lurched awkwardly. Suddenly he missed her…he wished she'd come back. Sasuke bit his lip to stop himself from groaning in frustration. He was pretty confused with the whole idea of emotions, but Sakura was the most confusing person of all. Everything he felt for her seemed to contradict each other. The very few, basic emotions he'd managed to identify happened all at the same time, and conflicted with one another. Comfort…anxiety. Contentedness…sorrow. Then the guilt….the guilt was ever present when she was around. He just didn't know what to make of it.
"Ah…you look confused. I remember back when I met Shia. I was just learning to feel again…and she was the most confusing person I'd ever encountered. Emotions all seemed to stumble over one another in her presence and I didn't recognize any of them," Gaara said. Black eyes stared at him with undisguised confusion.
'Is he….trying to relate to me?' Sasuke thought, silently going over in his mind how parallel everything the Sand-nin had said was to his own life. Those once cold, murderous green eyes turned on him with such a calm understanding in their depths he felt compelled to listen. Gaara was living proof that no matter how bad it's been…no matter what you've done…things can still change…happiness is still possible.
"I believe I owe you an apology.." the redhead started. Sasuke made eye contact to let Gaara know he was paying attention.
"All this time I've been angry and distrustful towards you because of your past actions. I of all people should know it is possible to change. I thought you would hurt my precious ones…when in fact you've been looking after Shia more than she looks after herself," Gaara said.
"It's nothing…she won't be able to heal me properly if she is making herself sick…" Sasuke said hating how this person he'd only met once could see straight through him so easily.
"Hn…denial isn't pretty Uchiha…and you should try to move past it as soon as possible lest you lose something precious because of it," the Kazekage said. Sasuke glared, but internally tried to figure out what 'something precious' was.
They were both silent for some time. Gaara allowed Sasuke to mull over his words while Sasuke tried to decode them. He could see the wheels turning in the Uchiha's head, and knew nothing would come of it yet. Sasuke was still too unfamiliar with himself to understand what he felt for Sakura yet. But…Gaara had seen it. He'd seen the way that Sasuke looked at the pinkette and he knew the Uchiha loved her. As the dark haired boy resurfaced from his thoughts, Gaara saw the confusion settle across the pale features. 'I know what will help him…' the redhead thought.
"Love is a very difficult emotion to understand. I spent most of my life confused and trying to figure out this meaning. However….the minute I knew I had fallen in love with Shia was the moment I realized that no matter how hard I tried I could not imagine my life without her. She loved me…she loved me even though she knew what I'd done. She loved me even when everyone else would rather me die…even though I was a murderer…a monster…." Gaara said. The sorrow in green eyes was unmistakable to someone who'd seen just about as much pain as the ex-Shukaku vessel.
"She still wanted me after knowing all of that, because Shia saw me…Gaara…not Shukaku, not the demon-child or the Kazekage. She saw through all that and loved me for the person that I am, and that's when I knew that I could never love anyone else but her," the Kazekage finished.
Sasuke stared at the redheaded boy as he processed everything he'd just said. Gaara was trying to help him. As a person who'd once killed his emotions in order to gain power…Gaara was trying to let him know he understood how the Uchiha was feeling. Then…as a person who'd regained those emotions little by little and learned to love…he was trying to help Sasuke figure out his own. 'This must be Shia's doing,' the raven thought. Sasuke broke out of his thoughts when the Kazekage stood to take his once again sleeping child out of the Uchiha's arms. Green met black again.
"You should sleep now Uchiha. What I've told you will make sense to you in the right situation. When the time comes…you will know the meaning of love," Gaara said.
Sasuke blinked and nodded, laying back against the bed as the Sand-nin pulled the sheet back up over him. When he was finally settled, the redhead just sat back in the chair and resumed staring at the empty doorway, awaiting his wife's return. Sasuke sighed and closed his eyes. Sabaku no Gaara giving him advice on emotions…he'd never have thought he'd see the day. But…Gaara was someone very similar to him…someone who was almost exactly the way Sasuke was now. If anyone could help him figure out his emotions it'd be the Kazekage. He closed his eyes, feeling sleep slowly claiming him as he listened to the sound of his own heartbeat. 'Sakura…I really want to know what you mean to me…' he thought before he fell asleep.
...
TBC…
...
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People who are Important: Book Two