Hey, guys! Before you kill me, please let me explain!! I am so sorry this update is late, but honestly my workload was huge! I had essays, presentations, projects, the whole shabang. I literally had no time to write the chapter, and I didn't really know how to write this one until the idea hit me yesterday. So feel free to kill me if you still want to, but I am protected by the fourth wall, so... Good luck. Get ready for a roller coaster of angst this chapter because here is chapter 20!

            Sakura walked into the Hokage's office, her face as red as a tomato from holding Sasuke's hand the whole way there. It had been awkward because they hadn't spoken a word to each other, but at the same time, her hand had felt perfectly at home in his. She didn't really want to admit it, but she had loved every moment their hands had been in contact. It had been hard to let go, and though she couldn't imagine Sasuke being remotely clingy, it had seemed that he had been reluctant to let go as well. Now, however, she was snapped back to reality by a stern female voice.

            "Well, well. At least it seems that you really are a supernatural."

            Sakura's head snapped up to see a very impressive looking woman sitting in front of her at a wooden oval desk. She had long blond hair tied in loose, low pigtails, and two free locks framing her face. Her skin was fair, and her eyes were hazel, sparkling in a way that made Sakura feel that she was prey and the woman was her hunter. In the middle of her forehead was a purple diamond that seemed to be part of her skin. Not only was her whole demeanor intimidating, but even her cleavage was ten times the size of Sakura's!

            Sakura gawked at her breasts as they rested on the woman's desk, very visible because of her gray, plunging wrap top. Resting across her shoulder was a long green cardigan-like clothing, and all around her were piles of official looking papers and letters.

            The woman raised her perfect brow, and said, "I know I'm beautiful, but could you close your mouth? You're drooling."

            Sakura, suddenly very aware that that was true, snapped her mouth shut immediately, and hastily wiped her mouth.

            "M-My name is Sakura, and it's a pleasure to meet you, Hokage-sama!" Sakura yelled, and bended over, bowing.

            Silence.

            Sakura lifted her head slightly to peek at her to see the woman biting the inside of her cheek. As soon as they made eye contact, however, she burst out laughing, slapping her hand against her desk.

            "A-Ano..."

            Sakura slowly stood up, not knowing what to do, and feeling very lost.

            "Sorry, it's just... you were so sincere and terrified... it was hilarious," she said breathlessly in between laughs.

            This woman found humor in her terror? What kind of scary person was she meeting?

            "Anyway, please have a seat," she said, returning to seriousness.

            Sakura hesitated, and the woman rolled her eyes.

            "Come on, I won't bite... yet," she smirked.

            I am so going to kill you, Sasuke, she thought to herself, remembering how he had assured her of the exact opposite.

            She reluctantly stepped closer and sat down stiffly.

           "Let's introduce ourselves again. I am Tsunade Senju, Fifth Hokage of Konoha," the woman said formally.

            Sakura gulped and responded, "I'm Sakura. It's an honor to meet you, Godaime-sama."

            "Oh, call me Tsunade. For some reason, calling me Godaime-sama makes me feel old," she said, waving a hand nonchalantly in the air.

            "But, I couldn't possibly—" she started, but shut up at one look from her. "Tsunade-sama?"

            Tsunade seemed caught off guard for a moment, and her eyes flashed with something hidden before she quickly covered it up.

            "I like the ring to that," she said, her voice wavering almost imperceptibly.

            Sakura opened her mouth to apologize for whatever she had done, because she was sure she'd done something, but the Fifth Hokage moved right along.

            "So, no last name?" she asked briskly.

            "No, ma'am," she said.

            "Hmm? Well then. We'll get to that later, I suppose. Now, Naruto gave me a report of the gist of everything that happened since he went missing—though I really should have gotten Sasuke for a more detailed account—and he vouched for your character," she said, folding her hands in a business fashion.

            Sakura smiled at the thought, and could clearly imagine the blonde saying earnestly that she was trust worthy.

            "But no matter how I trust that idiot, I am leader of an entire village, and I need to confirm things for myself. I want you to tell me everything about yourself, but before you do, you should know that I know when people are lying to me." Her eyes flashed at her last words, and instead of being afraid, Sakura felt a surge of respect for this woman. Of course, this wasn't some sort of welcome to the village and possibly her birthplace. No. It was an interrogation.

            "Understood," Sakura said confidently.

            Tsunade smirked at her, and leaned forward.

            "You are interesting... Proceed."

            "I guess I should start from the beginning. When I was a baby, I was found a little ways into the forest, alone, and bleeding," she started, and even this tidbit of information seemed to pique Tsunade's interest. "And the people—Normies saved me.

            "Bleeding you say?" she said. "Was it bad?"

            "Yes, that's what I heard. Had they arrived a little later, I would have died," Sakura said gravely, wondering why she was so interested in this; she had only just started!

            "Do you have a scar?" the blonde asked, folding her hands under her chin.

            Sakura blinked.

            "Well, yes I do. Do you want to see it?" she asked tentatively.

            Sakura left the Hokage's office with her head spinning. She was a little overwhelmed by the all the information she'd gotten from her meeting with Tsunade. She leaned against the door, and took a deep breath, trying to process everything. Her first shock had been the fact that Tsunade had known Shizune. As soon as she had mentioned her name, Tsunade had had an immediate reaction. She had jumped up from her desk, her eyes sparkling with hope. When Sakura told her she died, she looked heartbroken. It was also why Tsunade had had that peculiar reaction to Sakura calling her Tsunade-sama: Shizune had been the sole person to call her that; it seemed Sakura was more like her than she thought.

            It turned out that Shizune had been Tsunade's right hand, and had left on a secret mission years ago. Tsunade wouldn't tell her what the mission was, but they had both cried a little together. At least Sakura had officially confirmed her suspicions: this was Shizune's home.

            The second shock she had received was learning what she was. When she had described when she had used then and how it had felt to use her powers, Tsunade had smashed her fist against her desk, creating a hole in it with what seemed to be exactly the same strength Sakura had had.

            "Those idiots!" she had said. "I'm their Hokage and they can't even recognize another of my kind? Sakura, you're just like me: a healer."

            Healers were a rare race among supernaturals, and dying out. Tsunade hadn't been surprised at all when she had described her monstrous strength, and that she had healed Sasuke and Naruto. What she had been surprised about, however, was the fact that she had healed them through her blood, which was probably what had thrown Sasuke and Naruto off. Apparently, healers could in fact heal people, obvious because of the name, but not through their blood. Tsunade had even shown her, taking her by surprise when she had grabbed what Sakura now knew was a kunai, and sliced her palm with it. She had then—and this part was kind of gross—drank her own blood. They had waited, and nothing had happened. Tsunade had then drank Sakura's blood (which would have made any pervert's mind explode) and the cut had healed.

            To know that Sakura was an oddity among oddities was just a little terrifying. Okay a lot terrifying.

            On top of that, the healing gene was supposed to be transmitted by heredity. So to find out the identity of her birth parents... she had to come back the next day to take a blood test. Her birth parents... She had never given much thought to them, believe it or not. Dwelling on people she'd never known just hadn't seemed important to her, and when Shizune had adopted her, any wondering about them disappeared completely. But now that she thought about it, she wondered who they were, what had happened to them, what their lives had been like... These people were a complete mystery to her, and yet she was made of them. She suddenly felt bad for ignoring their prior existence up until now. If anyone was supposed to remember them, and keep their memory alive, it should be her, their daughter, and yet she knew nothing about them, didn't even know what they looked like. Did she look like them? Who had she gotten her unique hair color from? Did she look more like her mom or her dad? Mom and dad... It was even weird to call them that in her head. For her, Shizune had always been her only parent. It was just all a bit much.

            She found herself wandering the streets, the sky now streaked with the colors of sunset. Wow, that had been a long meeting. She stopped, and looked up at the cliff that encircled the north of the village. Five carved giant stone faces stared back at her, and she recognized Tsunade's face as the last one. Those had to be the previous Hokage. She saw that all of them were men except for Tsunade, and smirked, not surprised.

            "U-Um... I'm sorry to bother you, but, you were with Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun, right?" a feminine voice said from beside her.

            Sakura started, and turned to look at the person who had spoken. She came face to face with a girl with indigo hair and pale eyes: Hinata.

            "Y-Yeah... Can I help you?" she asked uncertainly.

            "Ah! You just looked a little dazed, I just wanted to know if you were okay?" she said, fidgeting uncertainly now.

            "Yeah, sorry, just a little overwhelmed," she laughed nervously.

            They stood in an awkward silence for a moment before Hinata cleared her throat and said quickly, "I'm sorry for not greeting you at all when you first came! I was just so worried about Naruto and seeing him and Sasuke safe sort of distracted me. So, again I'm sorry for ignoring you, I'm not usually like that!"

            Sakura was caught off guard by her earnest apology, and the cute blush adorning her cheeks. She was so cute! Not to mention beautiful at the same time. Her hair was long and silky, her eyes large and mesmerizing, and her body to die for: beautiful curves and of course, an amazing chest. Naruto was one lucky guy.

            "It's fine," Sakura smiled. "I probably would have done the same in your situation. I'm Sakura by the way."

            Hinata smiled gratefully at her, and bowed slightly. "I'm Hinata Hyuga. It's nice to meet you, Sakura-san."

            "Eh? Please, no need for the –san! Just Sakura is fine," Sakura said, unused to the formality as most everyone in the village treated her as beneath them.

            "Okay, Sakura," Hinata beamed at her.

            Sakura had to resist the urge to just hug the girl. She was just too precious!

            "I-If you're not too busy... would you like to get a bite to eat?" Hinata asked shyly.

            Sakura opened her mouth to respond, but apparently her stomach decided to respond for her. A loud growl echoed in the air around them, and Sakura blushed in embarrassment as Hinata blinked in surprise. She then started laughing, and despite herself, Sakura laughed with her.

            "I'll take that as a yes," she laughed.

            "Yes please," Sakura said sheepishly.

            "Come on, I'll take you to the best ramen shop in the world," Hinata smiled.

            "Okay."

            Ichiraku Ramen really was the best ramen shop in the world. It was a quaint little place that was separated from the street by banners hanging down from the entryway. Stools lined the counter where the ramen was cooked mostly in front of you, and a door led to the back. The shop was run and owned by a kind, middle-aged man named Ichiraku and his daughter, Ayame. It gave off a very homey aura, and Sakura found herself completely relaxed around Hinata because of it.

            "The ramen here is heavenly, Hinata!" Sakura said as she slurped more noodles; she was already close to finishing her first bowl.

            "It's Naruto-kun's favorite," Hinata replied, smiling fondly.

            Sakura slowed her eating to listen.

            "Naruto-kun used to eat here all the time thanks to Ichiraku here, who was one of the only people to be nice to him back then... He told me that you're an orphan as well," Hinata said, playing with the food in her bowl.

            Sakura didn't understand.

            "As well?" she asked.

            "Ah? Did he not tell you?" Hinata asked, looking surprised.

            At her confused look, she continued.

            "Naruto-kun's an orphan," she explained. "Has been since the day he was born."

            Sakura didn't know what to say. He had never said it explicitly to her, but then again, now that Hinata had said it, it didn't surprise her that much. Maybe part of her had known from their first meeting as kids that they were the same.

            "Oh..." was all she managed to say.

            "Mm. That's partially why he didn't have any friends, but also because he's what you call a jinchuriki. Do you know what that is?" she asked.

            Sakura shook her head.

             "A jinchuriki is a race of supernatural that's become very rare. They're considered dangerous because instead of an inner, they share their body with a beast."

            At Sakura's clueless look, Hinata hastened to explain. "An inner is basically an embodiment of your instinct that you can talk to and give us advice when we need it. All supernaturals have one."

            All supernaturals have one... Did that mean Sakura had one as well? But she had never heard—wait, that wasn't true. She had heard a voice once, very clearly, when she was looking for Sasuke in the forest. Could that have been her inner?

            "Their beast can sometimes be... unpredictable," Hinata continued, pulling Sakura back to their conversation. "Which is why they're considered dangerous, but shunning them just makes it worse. That's why Naruto-kun worked really hard to get people to acknowledge him, and is aiming to become Hokage. His work paid off, and now the people who shunned him think of him as a hero..."

            Hinata was smiling absently; she seemed to be talking more to herself than to her.

            "But before that, I wasn't allowed to see him; my father forbid me from doing so."

            "What? Why?" Sakura interrupted, thinking only about the how sweet and lovable Naruto was.

            "Well, my clan, the Hyuga, is one of the most prestigious clans in Konoha, as well as the only werewolf clan that possesses visual prowess." She pointed to her pale eyes that seemed to have no pupil.

            Wow, vampires and then werewolves. She really was in the land of myths.

            "He thought he was dangerous and that I shouldn't be around him, which was painful for many years since I met him early on. When I was maybe around seven, Naruto-kun protected me from some bullies who were making fun of my eyes, and that's when I knew he was my mate."

            "Mate?" Sakura interrupted.

            Hinata's eyes widened.

            "You don't know what mates are?" she asked incredulously.

            "No..." Sakura said, though for some reason she felt that she had heard the term before...

           "All supernaturals have a mate. It designates the person you're destined to be with for the rest of your life, your other half in other words."

            Sakura got a strange feeling in her chest, and her mind started whirling. Everyone had a mate? How come she didn't have one? Had she just not found him yet? What about her feelings for Sasuke? She hadn't quite figured those out yet, but she didn't want to lose them! Did he already have a mate? But she hadn't seen anyone, and he hadn't talked about anyone. What if...

            "How do you know a person is your mate?" she asked, gripping onto the counter.

            "Um... oh my, it's been so long. Usually, your inner identifies the person immediately, but there are other signs. Usually, their clan symbol will appear on your wrist when you see them for the first time, but it goes away so you have to pay attention..." she said, seeming to think.

            "There's no other way?" Sakura asked, desperation creeping into her voice. "Is there a special way you feel with the person, or something?"

            "Well, usually when you first see him, it's like everything around you disappears for a moment. You're constantly attracted to him, and always want to be around him. It's where Normies got their saying 'love at first sight'."

            Sakura's heartbeat rang in her ears, as she recalled how she had felt around Sasuke when she had first met him. She had loved everything about him instantly. She had only been comforted by his touch. She always wanted to be around him. She was constantly attracted to him, and they had even almost kissed twice. Could he be?

            "What would it feel like if you kissed him?" she asked, her voice squeaky now.

            "You'll just know. It's a feeling like no other, and it's like you're melting into the other person... but why are you so agitated about this, Sakura?" Hinata asked worriedly.

            "I gotta go," she said, standing up quickly.

            "Wh-what?" Hinata asked in alarm. "What's wrong?"

            "I'm sorry, Hinata, I'll talk to you later!" Sakura yelled, already running out of the shop.

            "Sakura!" Hinata called after her, but Sakura didn't stop.

            The sun was setting now as she ran through the streets of Konoha, and all Sakura could think was that she needed to see Sasuke now. Wild memories of them together whirled on replay in her head as she ran, and her heart panged painfully at the thought that she might not be his mate, that all those feelings she had for him were destined to remain unreciprocated. She needed to make sure.

            There had to be an easier way to get back. Sakura looked up at the rooftops flying by above her head as she ran, and thought of how easily Sasuke and Naruto could jump up into the trees. She could do this. She ran faster, willing strength to her legs until she started to feel the same tingling feeling she had felt the last time she had used her power. Then she jumped.

            She felt like she was flying for a moment before she crashed down against the roof of a house, her legs crumpling beneath her. She hurried to get back up, ignoring the now bleeding cuts on her knees and arms, and ran faster than she had ever run before, feeling stronger than ever as she leapt from rooftop to rooftop. Soon enough, a familiar building with fan-patterned banners loomed in the distance and she willed herself to speed up, jumping dangerously high now.

            She finally landed in the street in front of the Uchiha household, adrenaline coursing through her, and wrenched the door open, ignoring Mina and Itachi calling to her from the living room as she tried to find the person she wanted to see most. She flew up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and ran down the hallway, past her room until she skidded to a stop in front of Sasuke's door. She kicked the door open with a bam to see a very shocked looking Sasuke lying on his bed with a book in his hand. He got up, and walked towards her, looking worried.

            "Sakura, you're bleeding," he said, his eyes zeroing in hungrily on the blood running down her arms.

            "Shut up," she said, stalking towards him. She then grabbed him by the collar and smashed her lips onto his. 

3324 words

KYAAAA! How's that for a cliffhanger! This was totally unplanned by the way, guys, but while I was writing her conversation with Hinata, it sort of just happened. At first I was like, whoah, what the hell is going on, and then I was like, this is pretty good, let's go with it! What do you think???

Also, I absolutely love writing for Tsunade, she cracks me up, and Hinata is just such a cinnamon roll, I love her. Look at her getting all mushy while remembering kid Naruto!

Last, but not least, predictions?? What do you think the future of Sasusaku is going to be after this? What will Sasuke's (the ice cube) reaction be? Why am I asking all these questions? I'm sorry, I'll stop now. 

So, I do have other things to do since tomorrow is Mother's day, so I will have to bid you guys goodbye. So please vote, comment, and share. I will see you guys next time! Ja ne!