Crossed Paths

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters mentioned here.


The sun shone bright and cheerful in the village of Konoha as the villagers were busily going about their business. No one paid any mind to a slender, pink-haired kunoichi wandering the back alleys of the darker side of town. She was walking listlessly down the road, looking at her feet, not paying attention to where her feet led her. At times like these, her feet would most often take her to the place where she first established a real connection with Sasuke: the training grounds.

Sakura sighed, noticing where she was. The three wooden posts, the forestry, and the stream; it was all so familiar to her, yet so alien. As she walked over to the stream, removed her shoes, and put her feet in the water, she closed her eyes and transported herself back to the day Kakashi had told the three of them to get the bells.

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“There are two bells, and three of you. The one who doesn’t get a bell by lunchtime will be tied to the post while watching the others eat in front of him.” Kakashi smiled and attached the bells to his waist.
Several hours later, Naruto was whining after being tied to the post for cheating. ~*He deserved it*~ Sakura thought. She sneaked a look over at Sasuke. ~*Maybe, if Naruto becomes more annoying, Sasuke and I could go off into the forest and eat! Then…we’ll be ALL ALONE!*~ Inner Sakura rejoiced at the thought.
“Here. Take it.” Sasuke handed his lunch box to Naruto. ~*UHHH?!?!?!? Sasuke just offered his lunch box to Naruto!! NARUTO!!!*~ Inner Sakura wanted to smack Naruto for…for…she didn’t know for what. But she wanted to smack him anyways.
“You guys…pass!” Kakashi smiled down on them, at the first people who have ever passed his test. “A ninja must see underneath the underneath. Those who break the rules and codes of the shinobi world are called trash. But those who abandon their comrades…are worse than trash.” With that, Team 7 was established.

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Sakura smiled at the happy memory. It was the first time she’d ever seen Sasuke as a person, not a God. Of course, she couldn’t fathom why Sasuke would possibly want to share his lunch with Naruto back then, but she was happy they all passed. Looking back, she still didn’t really understand. But it was that side of Sasuke that had caused her to fall in love, to truly see Sasuke as a person rather than as the local hottie.

Around sunset, Sakura headed back to the main part of the village for dinner. Sasuke wouldn’t be home tonight, so there was no point in cooking. Ever since he came back, he had been sleeping at her apartment. She would cook dinner, he would come home, eat with her, they would have sex, and he would leave in the morning before she woke up. She decided she would dig up Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru, Naruto, Neji, and Hinata for a happy night at the bar. Whenever she suggested to Sasuke that they should get together for dinner as a group, or even just the old Team 7, Sasuke had refused. Sakura didn’t press why, figuring he was probably tired from whatever he did during the days.

“Hey, Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru, wait up!” Sakura ran to catch up with the trio, panting slightly as she drew even. “You guys busy tonight? Wanna hit the bar?”

“Hey, Sakura. We were planning to go down to the bar anyways, but we’re going to pick up Tenten first. Women…so troublesome…couldn’t she have walked there herself?” Shikamaru scowled up at Tenten’s apartment. Sakura laughed.

“Shikamaru, cut it out. You’re lucky Tenten’s even willing to date you, with you always telling her she’s so troublesome to her face,” Ino smacked Shikamaru’s head with the palm of her hand. “Honestly, I don’t know why she would date someone like you when she could do so much better.”

“Ino, I heard that!” Tenten appeared in front of them, her hair in her trademark buns on the side of her head. “You’re right, y’know, I really don’t know why I’m going out with him. Maybe it’s the fact that he’s the only one in the village that can beat me at shogi. Once I figure out a way to beat him, I will dump him and cross him off my list of conquests.” Tenten smirked, but Sakura could see she was faking it. She watched as Tenten moved next to Shikamaru and they held hands very naturally, like their hands belonged in each other’s.

“Sakura-chan!” Naruto’s voice rang out behind her.

“Naruto! Long time no see,” Sakura grinned at the blonde-haired ninja, glad to see her friend again.

“Hey, hey, Sakura, we’re going to the bar tonight, are you coming?” Naruto jogged up to them and gave everyone a huge grin.

“Yeah, let’s find Hinata and Neji as well,” Sakura suggested.

“Neji’s coming, but he’ll be a bit late. Hinata…we don’t know what’s up with her lately cuz she’s been sorta distant. Even Neji says he doesn’t know where she goes or what she does,” Naruto frowned. “Maybe she has a boyfriend?”

“Anyways, let’s just head down first. Neji’ll come when he comes,” Shikamaru led the way to the bar, and they all followed.

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The next afternoon, Sakura woke up with a bad hangover. “Man…I’ll get Naruto back for this…that stupid drinking game,” she muttered. Last night Naruto had challenged her to a drinking game, and Sakura agreed, on one condition; they all played. And so, they sat at the bar for the whole night, everyone heading tipsily home when the bar manager told them he was closing. Sakura looked at the clock. 1 o’clock. “Damn, where’s Sasuke?”

As if on cue, someone started hammering on her door. “What in the name of hell…” Sakura cursed whoever it was on the other side as she dragged herself out of bed and snagged her bathrobe. She shouted at the insensitive lout still hammering on her door, “I’m COMING, dammit, so just shut the fuck up for a second!” She immediately regretted her outburst as fireworks exploded inside her head, and she groaned again. She made her way to the door, braced herself for the sunlight, and opened it.

It was Naruto.

“Naruto, what the-“

“Sakura-chan! You haven’t heard?? Oh, man, you’re gonna flip. I figured you should be the first to know, since…But…well, everyone sorta already knows, since you were sleeping. Oh, man, that bastard! I’m really sorry about this, Sakura-chan, really, I am. Nobody thought he would do this, it was just totally out of the blue…” Naruto kept on chattering at a hundred miles a minute and Sakura felt her headache increase by several degrees.

“Naruto, shut up for a second and tell me what this is about. CALMLY,” she added with a steely tone.

Naruto swallowed. Hard. “Well…it’s Sasuke. He…he just announced to the village of Konoha…he’s going to be marrying Hinata.”

Sakura blinked at him. “What? Naruto, what are you talking about? Sasuke’s marrying Hinata? What?” Her sleep-befuddled mind couldn’t process the information, or maybe it was just because she didn’t want to.

“That’s it! Sakura, wake up, listen to me! Sasuke is marrying Hyuuga Hinata,” Naruto looked into her eyes, distress clearly showing in his crystal-blue ones.

Sakura’s brain finally began working. And along with it, her emotions. “Sasuke…is marrying Hinata?” she whispered. “But…but…why?”

“Well…you’ll have to ask him yourself. Please, Sakura, get dressed, come on!” Naruto’s urgency penetrated the mist that clouded Sakura’s brain, and Sakura dashed back into her apartment.

“Hang on, I’ll be right there!”

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Uchiha Sasuke looked over at his blushing bride-to-be, and smirked to himself. ~*Finally, the Uchiha clan will be resurrected.Who knows, perhaps the Byakugan of hers will be inherited as well.*~ Sasuke put his arm around Hinata and led her inside her house. “Come, Hinata, there is lots to do before our wedding,” Sasuke spoke in a soft, gentle tone.
The villagers of Konoha were outside, tripping over themselves in order to be first to spread the news. Sasuke looked out the window as he passed, picking out a bright blonde head making its way towards Sakura’s apartment.


“Sasuke! What gives you the right to marry Hinata?” Naruto stormed into the main house, yelling for Sasuke, scattering servants and children alike. “You bastard, get your ass out here! What made you marry Hinata?”

“Naruto, there is no need to shout,” Sasuke stepped out from behind a closed door. “My fiancé is resting right now, so shut up before I make you.”

Sakura walked up to Sasuke with trembling legs. “Why?” she whispered. “What made you do this? I thought…you loved me…”

Sasuke eyed the pink-haired figure before him. “Sakura, there is no need to get upset, it wasn’t like our nights together was a very big deal. If you want to know the truth, the only reason I had sex with you was because my final duty is to resurrect the Uchiha clan. Hinata has proven she can do this, which is why I chose her as my bride.”

Sakura felt her heart crumbling bit by bit. “Then...do you mean…”

“Yes, Sakura, Hinata is pregnant with my child,” Sasuke’s voice held a hint of pride Sakura had never heard before, not even when he told her he had killed Itachi.

Shock was written all over Sakura's face, she refused to believe it was true. “I love you, Sasuke, why did you…” She sank silently on the floor, comforted only by Naruto’s arm around her shoulders. She looked up at the man that had stolen her heart, only to abuse it and hand it back to her in tatters. “So…this is where you go during the day, isn’t it,” she smiled bitterly, despite the tears cascading like crystal down her cheeks. “All this time, since you’ve returned to Konoha, you were fucking both me and her to see who would get pregnant faster? So you could RESURRECT YOUR GODDAMN CLAN?” Sakura’s words poured out of her mouth, hoping to hurt Sasuke as much as he hurt her, but she knew, deep in her heart, it was useless.

She stood up, leaning on Naruto for support. “I never thought you would do this, Sasuke. Is that all I was to you, a vessel that you needed to impregnate? Was it a sort of unspoken contest between Hinata and me, seeing who would bear your children first?” Sakura’s voice rose until she was almost hysterical.

“You were never in a contest, Sakura. And I was never the prize to be won,” Sasuke looked at her with those dark, unreadable eyes. “Truly, I feel regret for my actions, but they were necessary. My final duty is the resurrection of my clan, and I must fulfill it, whatever the costs.”

With that, Sasuke turned and walked down the hall, leaving Sakura in the arms of Naruto, tears still sliding down her cheeks, her battered heart finally crumbling to dust.


**A big thanks goes out to my reviewers (I know the first chapter wasn’t terribly interesting, it was more of a prologue, so I hope this will make it up) Please, please, PLEASE review after reading, you can just say if it sucks or not, I really want to see what people think. Sorry for making Sasuke into a bastard, but I needed someone for the role, so please don't kill me...=P

Once again, THANKS! ~^-^~

~dark_Angel~