Chapter Five

Tsunade jogged down the hospital hallway, her footsteps bounced from wall to wall as she quickly ran into the nearby waiting room where she knew Naruto and the others were impatiently waiting their opportunity to slip back into Sakura's private hospital room.

"How long does it take one person to get changed?" Raiden muttered playing with the sleeve of his shirt as he slouched in this chair.

"Granny!" Naruto scrambled to stand seeing Tsunade rush through the open door, "Is Sakura ok!?"

"What?" Tsunade tilted her head, "Y-Yeah why?"

"Your running like the crazy cat lady when litter goes on sale at the store." Raiden snickered at Tsunade's annoyed face.

"Sakura is fine." Tsunade declared,

"Then why do you look constipated?" Carver questioned.

"I swear I will throw you out the window!" Tsunade growled out, not in the mood for the sarcastic comments. Carver glanced over at the window, pulling his lips into a thin line. "Stop looking out the window to see if the fall would be worth it!"

"I am just weighing my options-" Carver explained,

"Who cares about that!?" Tsunade snapped, "Sakura is asking about the Waterfall Village!"

"What?" Naruto breathed, "Why would she-"

"She wants to know why we didn't contact Dawn and let them know that Sakura has returned." Tsunade quickly summed up the reasoning she was panicked.

"Sakura literally just woke up." Carver sighed, "Why is the Waterfall Village already on her mind?"

"Does she think she is still the Commander of it?" Hinata dared to breathe the words, Carver and Raiden glanced at each other.

"No way." Raiden shook his head, "Sakura had a system set up just in case she died, Dawn took over the title."

"But does Sakura know this?" Naruto asked,

"She should." Carver sighed as the group of shinobi turned to slowly start their way back to the private room where the pinkette waited. "She knows it had been two years since she..."

"I guess we will have to ask her." Carver said,

"But-" Raiden quickly went to argue but snapped his mouth closed.

"What?" Carver asked as they turned on the hall Sakura's room was on, Raiden sighed.

"If we bring up Sakura's job then I'm afraid she will want to return to the Waterfall Village to claim her title back." Raiden muttered playing with his fingers not looking up from the floor. "I know it's selfish but..."

"No, I am sure we all agree-" Carver said looking over his shoulder at Tsunade, Naruto and Hinata who quietly followed. "-we want Sakura to stay here this time."

Carver held the door open as everyone piled their way into the sterilized room. Naruto instantly sucked in a deep breath seeing Sakura leaning against the end of the bed, her arms crossed her over chest as she gazed out the open window. She was real, she stood inside the same room and he could reach out and simply touch her.

"Took you long enough." Sakura turned her head, igniting the leaf shinobi setting them a blaze once her emerald eyes touched their images. Sakura was exhausted, the staff along with Tsunade claimed she had been locked inside a coma for the last week, so why did she feel so utterly drained off all energy? "Were you out there braiding each other's hair?" Sakura cracked a joke shifting to sit on the bed, she was ready to get the hell out of the hospital, grab some food and just crash.

"W-We-" Naruto sputtered out sound, still engulfing Sakura's foreign face with hungry eyes.

"Mm...ok?" Sakura turned to Tsunade who gulped under the tense gaze. "Why did you have to go get them in order to answer my question?"

"Because-Because..." Tsunade racked her mind as Sakura stared at her, "...Carver wanted to explain this to you!" Tsunade said. Carver flitched at the sound of his name, he turned deeply glaring into Tsunade's face before looking to Sakura, who oddly waited for answers.

"We just wanted you to rest." Carver said, rubbing the back of his neck like Naruto did when he got nervous. "Which is why-"

"So, if Jadeite went after the Waterfall Village first, and they helped free me, but they didn't contact you to let you all know I was alive...you'd be cool with that?" Sakura quizzed them.

"Well of course not!" Raiden laughed,

"You would freak out at Dawn and Diem correct?" Sakura asked setting the trap Raiden couldn't see. "You would be upset and feel that isn't fair?"

"Well duh!" Raiden smiled,

"Then why is it ok for you to do it and not them?" Sakura asked freezing Raiden's blood as he grumped itching beside Naruto to hide from Sakura's intense eyes.

"We did what we thought was best for you." Carver stepped in, "We were worried that if we called the Waterfall Village then they would try and take you back with them-"

"Why?" Sakura wondered,

"Because they are dicks." Raiden muttered to himself,

"Did you contact the River Village?" Sakura went on,

"The-" Tsunade frowned, "-why would I-"

"Well because you knew I had strong ties with the king and queen. They were also working on an antidote to the Reaper's poison so...seems like simple math to contact them?"

"Well-" Tsunade muttered, looking away...how could she tell Sakura that she hadn't contact anyone? Tsunade and the rest of the leaf village wanted Sakura all to themselves, so they kept the fact Sakura had returned on the down low to not stir up commotion gaining attention from other villages.

"Mhm." Sakura hummed,

"What?" Carver shifted from his left foot to his right, he felt like he was standing before his commander and he had majorly fucked up a mission.

"Nothing." Sakura said standing from the bed.

"Well clearly it's something." Raiden added watching her every move.

"Do you still live in the same place?" Sakura looked at Carver whose throat slammed itself closed; he quickly nodded his head.

"Oh no-!" Tsunade shook her head, "-you are not leaving the hospital this soon."

"I am fine Tsunade." Sakura said,

"I don't want to hear it; I am not comfortable with you leaving, you literally just woke up!"

"Where is Kakashi?" Raiden wondered looking at the door, he should have been back now...maybe he just fell asleep? Man was he going to be in for a surprise when he woke up from his nap!

"I am not staying inside a hospital." Sakura said turning to Carver, "You didn't even text Dawn?"

"No..." Carver licked his lips,

"Why?" Sakura didn't understand why no one she held close to her knew she was alive. "Everyone still thinks I'm still dead?"

"Yeah..."

"How could you do that to Annistyn?" Sakura breathed.

"W-Well-" Carver cleared his throat.

"I will tell you why-" Raiden huffed stepping around Naruto, "-they had their turn!"

"What?" Sakura lightly laughed; Naruto smiled as his heart stirred hearing that sweet sound.

"I am not comfortable with you even being up!" Tsunade turned the subject, "Get back into bed!"

"They have a right to know I am alive." Sakura ignored Tsunade.

"Why!?" Raiden threw his arms in the air, "They had their turn with you, you led the Waterfall Village for years! Now it's our turn to have you-"

"I am not a toy you can split custody with." Sakura stated,

"I am not ok with you-" Tsunade went to lecture Sakura being out of bed,

"Write that on a fucking greeting card-!" Sakura snapped in Tsunade's direction, "-and I'll sign it for you, but I am not getting back in the damn bed so let it go or leave."

"Sakura-" Carver stepped forward trying to hold a gentle tone, "-you did just get vertical, you should probably rest at least a few more days before-"

"This isn't the first time I have died and come back." Sakura rolled her pretty eyes, the leaf shinobi have always been overly emotional.

"But this is the first time you were held under the Reaper's control." Carver pulled his worried eyebrows together, "We don't know if you will have any delayed side effects, hell we don't even know why you have your memory!"

"Maybe if you contacted the village who dedicated their best doctors to cure poison, you would have an answer." Sakura countered,

"We didn't want five villages beating down our gates trying to get you." Hinata stepped forward, "We were just looking out for you, like you would do for us." Sakura internally groaned at Hinata's words; her large sweet eyes caused the returned soldier to huff out. Sakura was achy with a pain beating its chest and sneering its ugly head inside her skull, her chakra felt scattered...how useful could Sakura be in her condition?

"I am starving." Sakura said feeling this was the best option to take.

"You're hungry?!" Tsunade jumped, "W-We can get you-"

"I am not getting the food here." Sakura interrupted, "I just came back you really want me to die again?"

"You won't die from eating the food here." Tsunade chuckled,

"Are you sure about that?" Sakura challenged,

"H-How about you go someplace nice?"

"Yeah!" Naruto and Raiden agreed,

"Sakura-" Tsunade turned to look at the beloved pinkette who was pulling on shoes Hinata lent her. "-I would feel better if you stayed with Raiden or Carver just for a few days, you know when Hinata and everyone else returned they couldn't use their chakra right away and they were all stiff-"

"I'm not going anywhere Tsunade." Sakura stood, "Calm down, and feed me."

"Alright." Tsunade chuckled,

"Can I uh-" Sakura looked at the bathroom, she could feel layers of dried sweat on her skin making her itch, her hair felt greasy and physically hurt when she ran her hand through the strands of her long hair "-shower first?" Sakura asked, how long had it been since she showered?

"You can take a hot shower at our place." Hinata offered,

"Our place?" Sakura questioned looking over at Naruto who blushed seeing Sakura looking at him.

"Y-Yeah Hinata and I live together now..." Naruto's face was bright red.

"Really?" Sakura smirked, "Congrats."

"Thank you, Sakura." Hinata smiled,

"You said-" Sakura turned to Tsunade as they began to leave the room, as Sakura moved to walk, she felt how sore her muscles and joints were. It felt like someone had been playing twister with her body. "-you want me to stay at Carver or Raiden's?"

"Yes?" Tsunade answered, "Just for a few days-"

"We don't live together." Carver stepped in understanding Sakura's confusion. "I live in the apartment you remember but Raiden moved into the apartment next to Sasuke."

"Really?" Sakura looked around the leaf village once she stepped out into the warm air, the sun was falling inside the sky giving off a soft glow.

"Yeah, it was hard sharing a one-bedroom apartment." Raiden chuckled.

"Speaking of him-" Sakura glanced around the leaf village as they walked to Naruto's apartment building. Sakura caught many eyes of the bystanders who all watch her walk by, "-where is the little sunspot?"

"Who?" Naruto wondered,

"Sasuke." Carver answered, "There could only be so many people inside your hospital room and well, you didn't like him so..."

"Good choice." Sakura nodded, "He would be the last person I would want to see waking up." Sakura smirked, but her smile quickly faded, the first person she wanted to see was no one in sight.

"That's what we figured; man was he butt hurt!" Raiden laughed; Sakura rotated her bottom jaw as the pain on the side of her head increased, what was this pain?

"That's-!" Naruto looked over his shoulder seeing Lee and Kiba gasping seeing the pink hair, Naruto smiled feeling happy he was inside Sakura's close circle of people, he was able to be here with her right now.

----

"How do you feel?" Hinata stood from the couch seeing Sakura walking out of the bathroom with damp hair.

"Better." Sakura flashed a smile as she yawned feeling tired.

"Oh no- Raiden waved his finger, "-there will be none of that, you need to eat before you even think about sleeping."

"Yes mother." Sakura muttered rolling her eyes. "Look at you coming into motherhood so nicely."

"Are You-Are You making fun of me!?" Raiden scuttered to his feet as Sakura fought back another yawn.

"Only in the ways that matters." Sakura answered watching Naruto, Carver, Raiden and Hinata get up from watching the television.

"Do you have anything you are craving?" Hinata politely wondered, "We can go anywhere you want! When I returned, I was craving barbecue chips and chocolate for days!"

"Hm nope, nothing comes to mind." Sakura shrugged as everyone began to pile out of the apartment. "We can go-" Sakura's voice froze as she watched a slender woman standing in front of Kakashi's closed door, she turned hearing voices spilling out into the hallway.

"Huh?" Naruto tilted his head having never seen this lady before, "Who are you?" Naruto questioned.

"Why are you trying to get into Kakashi's place!?" Raiden pointed his finger accusing the stranger. "Carver you were right! People will break into-" Kakashi's front door opened, Kakashi's tall frame came into view as he stepped into the hallway. Sakura's heart sang inside her chest finally seeing him, he looked how she remembered him to be...

"What is going on?" Kakashi's deep voice fluttered Sakura's nerves.

"This lady here is trying to break into your place-!" Raiden pointed, "-and where the hell have you been!? You were supposed to be back at the hospital hours ago!"

"Kakashi?" The woman turned to gaze upon the masked man, Sakura narrowed her eyes onto the woman who inched closer to her masked shinobi.

"Well uh-" Kakashi awkwardly laughed reaching behind his head. "-this isn't how I planned on you all meeting-"

"Huh?" Raiden placed his hands on his hips as Naruto scratched his chin scanning the lady up and down.

The strange woman held long dull greenish hair and plain brown eyes; Naruto didn't understand why she was here, it was getting late in the evening and normally this is the time everyone went home and ate dinner. "What are you talking about Kakashi?" Naruto wondered glancing from Sakura and then back to the masked shinobi.

"This is Hanare-" Kakashi introduced the woman who stood by his side, he placed his hand on her lower back, "-my girlfriend."