Two Thirds

Sakura had moved out of her parents’ house when Naruto brought Sasuke back. They protested, loudly, but she bluntly informed them that she was a fully-fledged kunoichi, perfectly capable of looking after herself, and although she loved them dearly there were other people who needed her more.

Eventually, they stopped complaining, although the silence between them was sharp-edged for a long time afterwards.

~

It was no secret that the people who needed her more were Naruto and Sasuke. After Naruto had staggered back into the village with a semi-conscious Sasuke dangling from his side, he had bypassed all the official routes to lock himself and Sasuke in a room for two whole days. Sakura had sat outside and waited the entire time, listening to the voices of the two people in the world she cared most about from the other side of the door.

She was the first person to see them, when they finally came out. Both were clearly exhausted, still covered in blood and fading bruises from their fight, but . . . they were all right again. She could see it. She knew.

Naruto stopped when he saw her, then smiled hesitantly. “Sakura-chan, it’s o—”

“Sakura,” Sasuke interrupted him, then stopped. It was the one and only time Sakura saw him at a loss for words, hesitating for a long moment with his mouth open before finally settling on, “Thank you.”

Sakura’s tears threatened to blind her vision as she ran forwards, grabbing both of them to hold them tight against her. They’d both been injured badly, she could tell, and they’d yelled and screamed and fought and she hadn’t been able to do anything, but now they were both warm and hard in her arms, and right then and there Sakura vowed to herself that she would never, ever, be the one left behind again.

And that was how Sakura came to move out of her parents’ house, and in with Naruto and Sasuke. They found a tiny, three-bedroom flat with a toilet that leaked and dry rot on the walls that was willing to let to three thirteen-year-olds, and moved in there as soon as they could. Somehow, Sakura found herself with the largest room without quite knowing how it had happened, and suspected a previously unforeseen capacity for deception in both Naruto and Sasuke as the cause.

It was awkward, for a while. Naruto and Sasuke were so used to living on their own that they sometimes forgot, and did something they otherwise wouldn’t have – like Naruto wandering out of his bedroom in the morning stark naked, and Sasuke using the living room for idle shuriken practise. Sakura was sure some of the things she did annoyed them, but they never said anything, so she never mentioned it when they did something she didn’t like. (Except to tease Naruto, of course, because there was no point in anything if you couldn’t tease Naruto.)

There was one thing, however, that Sakura could not explain away or class as negligible – and that was how protective they were of her, even on the smallest things. She was used to them protecting her on missions, even if she had grown to hate it, but when their conversation halted when she entered the room and they exchanged looks she knew all too well she realised that they were protecting her from something else, too.

It didn’t matter what the something was, or which of them it concerned. What mattered was that after six months of this, Sakura had had enough.

~

Sakura shut the front door of their flat behind her, and went looking for Naruto and Sasuke. She found them in the living room together, and – once again – they stopped talking the moment she stepped into the room. It simply reinforced her determination that it had to stop, even if Naruto gave her a wide, happy grin that echoed in Sasuke’s small smile.

“I asked Tsunade-sama if she would take me on as her apprentice today,” Sakura told them, and watched the smiles vanish. “I want to become a medical ninja. Wait,” she added, holding up a hand as Naruto opened his mouth. “I’m not finished.” She paused for a moment, looking from one to the other, making sure they were listening to her.

“I want to become a medical ninja, because I’m tired of being the only one protected. I know I won’t ever be as strong a fighter as the two of you are, but I can damn well make sure that I can help you when you get hurt protecting me. Because I know that neither of you are going to stop doing it, even if I ask you to, and even if sometimes you won’t admit that that’s what you’re doing. And I know that because I feel the same way about both of you.”

Sakura held their eyes, trying to show them just how strongly she felt about this. “So I’m going to learn to be the best medical ninja I can be, so that even if I can’t stop you from getting hurt, I can heal you afterwards. Because I want to make sure that nothing happens to either of you. I want to protect you, both of you, and I’m going to show you that I’m strong enough to do so. So no more secrets. No more stopping conversations when I come into the room, no more keeping things from me because you think keeping me in the dark is the only way to keep me safe. I’m not something to be put in a box and kept away from all harm. Ah,” she said, glowering at Sasuke as he drew in breath to speak. “Don’t bother denying what you’re doing. I’m not stupid, and you know that I’m not. You also know that I have the chakra skill to become a damn good medical ninja, and . . . and I have a reason to never give up on it. You’re my reason. Both of you.”

For a moment, she thought that it wouldn’t be enough – that no matter how hard she tried, they would never look on her as an equal. In some respects, she couldn’t be – Sakura knew that she just couldn’t fight like them, throwing everything she had into battle without thought for her own life or limb. It didn’t mean she was weaker than them; just different – but she wasn’t sure that they would realise that.

Then Naruto said, “I have the Nine-Tails fox sealed inside me,” and even through her shock she knew she’d succeeded.

~

That night, Naruto and Sasuke told her everything.

How Sasuke had gone to find Orochimaru because Naruto was getting so much stronger than him, because Itachi was after Naruto and not Sasuke, because everything just came boiling to the forefront all at once and he couldn’t think straight.

How, when Naruto dragged Sasuke back, he had screamed at him that none of it mattered, because Itachi didn’t want Naruto because he was Naruto, he wanted him because Naruto had the Kyuubi.

How if Sasuke hadn’t distracted Itachi that one time, then Itachi would have won, because even if he hadn’t been able to get a solid hit in, even if he had lost in terms of a physical fight, it didn’t matter because Naruto was free, and that meant he – Sasuke – held a victory over his brother.

And how Naruto had told him, over and over, that Sasuke was his best friend, and he didn’t have to fight Itachi on his own. That Naruto wouldn’t let him fight Itachi on his own.

It was obvious to Sakura that that one still sat poorly with Sasuke, so determined that he had to be the one to get revenge because it was his family that was dead, no one else’s. Naruto growled at him that Itachi was after him, Naruto, as well – so it really wasn’t just his fight any more. Sakura added that it was her fight too, and would have been her fight even if they hadn’t had this conversation. It would be their fight, no matter what Sasuke said, because they cared about him and he had no control over that – and Sasuke ducked his head to hide the smile, saying quietly that that was what Naruto had told him. That he had no right to tell them not to, since he wanted revenge on Itachi because he had cared about his family, and Naruto and Sakura wanted to help him because they cared about him, and there really wasn’t that much difference.

For the first time, it felt like there were no secrets between them.

~

To Sakura’s faint surprise, the months following their long talk were much easier than the ones that had gone before them. It was as if this was what they had been waiting for all along – the courage to admit that they cared, and the greater courage to let others care for them. Every day, Tsunade worked her to the bone when they trained, and every evening she met her two teammates and walked home. Naruto still sometimes wandered out of his room in the morning naked, and there were deep gouges in the walls from where Sasuke threw shuriken at them, but Sakura had never been happier.

Then Naruto said that Jiraiya had asked him to leave Konoha and train with him.

Outwardly, Sakura was supportive. Sasuke was training daily with Kakashi-sensei, she was involved in her studies with Tsunade-sama, and although Naruto had been training with Jiraiya in the village, she knew that the older man hated staying in one place for too long. She was amazed that he’d stayed as long as he had. And they’d promised each other that they were going to get stronger, which meant that Naruto had to go where his teacher led.

Sasuke was more grudging in his encouragement, but he gave it anyway, along with the usual taunts that littered his exchanges with Naruto. Naruto, for his part, was hesitant at first – but once he knew they didn’t mind, he was fine again.

By the time it came for Naruto to actually leave, Sakura had herself almost completely convinced that things really would be fine without him around. She cheerfully bade him goodbye, making him promise to eat more than just ramen and to at least try to do some laundry before his clothes began rotting, and although Sasuke said nothing when it came to his turn to say goodbye, the look that passed between the two of them seemed more than enough.

So Naruto left, and life started again without him.

Of a sort.

~

For the first three months, Sakura kept up the pretence beautifully. She studied hard during the day, did the few missions she was assigned with prompt dedication, and carefully ignored how loud the silence was when she returned home at the end of every day.

In the fourth month, everything fell apart.

She was exhausted from Tsunade’s ruthless training session that day, but it was her turn to cook and so she dutifully got out the pots and pans and went through the motions. It wasn’t until Sasuke entered the kitchen and stared at the small, rickety table they ate at that she realised she had made food for three people, and dropped her bowl.

The cheap porcelain shattered as it hit the floor, splattering the linoleum with stir-fry. Sakura knelt down next to it instantly, blinking back tears that had no reason, dammit, as she began picking up the broken pieces from the floor. Maybe they could glue it back together instead of replacing it, because it wasn’t like they had that much money, and—

Sakura’s head snapped up as a hand touched her shoulder. Sasuke stared back at her, and the look on his face said a thousand things but the most important one was, I know.

Later, Sakura could never remember who had moved first, although she always suspected that it had been her. The only important thing, though, was that they kissed – trembling and desperate and searching for anything that might make it seem less like they were missing a loud, blond limb. Sasuke’s nose pressed uncomfortably into Sakura’s cheekbone, her teeth dug into her lips, and it was obvious that they had absolutely no idea what they were doing – but there was that something about it that Sakura had always imagined when she daydreamed about Sasuke’s kisses. Something unique, and wonderful, and nothing but good.

She had just never imagined that it might not be enough.

After a moment, they drew apart, and Sakura began picking up the broken bowl once more. Sasuke hesitated for a moment, then slowly stood and walked over to the table. He waited for her to join him before he started his meal, and the two ate in silence.

Sakura couldn’t quite bring herself to look at him. She felt oddly ashamed that she had been given what she had wanted for so long, and realised that it wasn’t what she wanted after all. Oh, she still loved Sasuke – loved him so deeply she didn’t think she could ever stop – and she liked their kiss, definitely, but. . . .

“I miss him, too.”

Sakura’s head shot up, eyes wide as she looked at Sasuke for the first time since they’d kissed. He stared back at her, totally calm unless you knew him well enough to note the faint white lines near his mouth where he was clenching his jaw too hard.

“I miss him, too,” Sasuke reiterated. “So you don’t have to feel guilty. Because you’re not the only one.”

Sakura stared at him for a long, long moment, trying to figure out why that didn’t make her feel happy. Sasuke looked away, glowering down at his food as if it had personally offended him. She watched as he began shovelling it into his mouth, still scowling, still not looking at her, and tried to work out what was wrong.

And then it dawned on her.

Taking a deep breath, she sat up and laid her chopsticks next to her plate. Sasuke didn’t look up, but his shoulders tensed.

“I wonder,” Sakura began slowly, “if Naruto and I would be having this conversation if you weren’t here.”

Sasuke paused with his chopsticks halfway to his mouth. The hesitation was momentary, but once it was over his hand covered the rest of the distance much more slowly than before. Sakura watched, pulse pounding in her head, as Sasuke carefully set his chopsticks down and swallowed his mouthful, sitting back in his chair.

Sakura gave him a smile that was supposed to be confident, but which she suspected came out more forced and uncertain than anything else. “I always did want more than I was allowed to have,” she said with a weak half-laugh, more because of the shock of realising exactly what it was she did want than from any real sense of amusement. She’d known she loved Sasuke, had known for years, and she’d grown to care for Naruto—

—but she hadn’t realised that she loved them both in exactly the same way.

“I guess that’s two of us,” Sasuke whispered.

~

It was a long two years before Naruto came back.

~

After that first kiss, and conversation, Sakura had a thousand questions and worries. One that they cleared up quite quickly as that as much as they loved each other, without Naruto there was undeniably something missing. If they’d never met him, maybe they would have been happy with just each other; but the fact remained that they did know him, and neither of them had his sheer exuberant, vibrant energy that changed nothing, but made everything seem more immediate, more real. Sakura knew that Sasuke was a passionate person, one who cared about things – about her – far more deeply than he would ever admit, but somehow with Naruto around it was just . . . easier to see.

Everything was easier to see.

There were many unspoken worries that lay between them, but the main white elephant in the living room over the long, long two years before Naruto returned to Konoha was the question of the blond boy’s feelings. If he didn’t feel the way they did, or if he did but only about one of them, or if he had never considered it and wasn’t willing to, then things could never go back to normal. Sasuke and Sakura wouldn’t stay together, because somehow it was easier to feel like the missing third of a whole than two parts of a whole that was missing a third. So that was the white elephant that they never talked about, never mentioned, but was constantly on their minds.

Being Sakura and Sasuke, however, they weren’t about to leave it up to chance. They planned how they were going to talk to Naruto about it down to the last detail, discussing every possible question he could ask, every objection he could raise. It would be a calm, reasoned discussion, Sakura was certain, even if they had to sit on Naruto to make it happen.

Except that it didn’t happen like that.

~

Sakura was studying medical texts in the Hokage’s office while her mentor attempted to diminish her pile of ever-present paperwork when the door slammed open and Jiraiya breezed into the room. She was on her feet in an instant, blurting out, “Is Naruto back?” just as Jiraiya began greeting Tsunade-sama.

Mouth open, Jiraiya stared at her for a moment, before grinning. “Haruno, right?” he said. “Yup, he’s back. Went to go find you and the Uchiha brat, in fact.”

Tsunade chuckled and waved her hand before Sakura could say anything. “Go on,” she said. “I need to talk business with this idiot, anyway. Go find yours.”

Sakura bowed and thanked her quickly, then ran out of the door. She collared one of the omnipresent chuunin and low-level jounin that littered the Hokage’s tower and sent him running off with a message for Uchiha Sasuke to meet her back at their flat as soon as possible. Even if Naruto wasn’t there already, he would come home to sleep that night, at least, so it was the best place to wait for him.

Even in the midst of the most dangerous missions she had been on, Sakura’s adrenaline had never been this high. She raced back to their home in record time, and when she reached out to unlock the front door, her hand was shaking. She snatched it back against her side, taking a deep breath, before reaching out confidently.

As she stepped into the tiny space that counted as their foyer, Sakura’s mind was buzzing with plans for that evening. If Naruto was already here, then she would make him wait until Sasuke came (and if he wasn’t, she’d wait for Sasuke and make him wait until Naruto arrived), and they’d sit down and tell him everything that had happened since he’d left, and make him tell them what he’d done while wandering with Jiraiya, and then once that was all done and they were relaxed, she’d lean forward and take his hand, and—

And Naruto walked backwards out of his bedroom, dragging a suitcase stuffed full to bulging with him.

Sakura stopped dead. “Naruto,” she said. “What are you doing?”

Naruto jumped and whirled to face her, dropping the suitcase. He yelped as it landed on his foot and hopped sideways, clutching the injured extremity with both hands. It was typical Naruto, but Sakura couldn’t stop staring at the suitcase. It was the one he had brought all of his things to their flat in, and had rested under his bed ever since, too big and unwieldy to fit anywhere else—

The door opened behind her, but Sakura stayed rooted to the spot as Naruto swore and Sasuke stepped up next to her.

“Naruto,” Sasuke breathed, and out of the corner of her eye Sakura saw him start to move forward – and stop, as he saw the suitcase.

Naruto finally stopped swearing and let go of his foot, before turning a brilliant grin on both of them. Sakura let out a startled gasp, because she knew that grin – knew it, and had hoped it would never be turned on her again, because it meant that she’d hurt him and he was hiding his pain. From how still Sasuke became beside her, she knew he had recognised it too.

“So, I hear you guys need congratulating, huh?” Naruto said, still wearing that painful grin. “Ino said you finally got together! Sure you don’t want to reconsider?” he added, looking at Sakura, and she knew him well enough to look past the grin and joking tone of voice to his well-hidden sincerity.

All Sakura could think through the buzzing silence in her head was that she was going to kill Ino.

Before she could say anything, though, Naruto was turning to Sasuke. “You’d better treat her right,” he said, mock-serious, “or it’s me you’ll have to answer to.” Naruto hesitated for the briefest of moments, staring up into Sasuke’s face, but the moment was over far too quickly and he turned back to his suitcase. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for Sakura to think she’d seen something that made her heart leap, because she knew that he’d been half-serious when speaking to her, and if—

“So anyways, I figured you wouldn’t want me hanging around now, so I’ll bunk with ero-sennin for a while until I can find somewhere else to stay,” Naruto was saying, but Sakura was hardly paying attention any more, staring at him as hard as she could, hoping for even the smallest sign that would mean what she saw – what she thought she saw – wasn’t just wishful thinking. She thought she could see the barest line of tension in his shoulders, but it was nothing like what the Naruto she had known would display if he – if he— She reminded herself forcefully that they were all sixteen, now, and she hadn’t seen this boy on the verge of manhood in front of her for two whole years. Of course he would be different, and if she didn’t do something now – now – she’d regret it for the rest of her life—

She wasn’t moving.

Naruto was saying something about not wanting to get in the way but calling dibs on godfather for any kids they might have, and Sakura still wasn’t moving. Naruto was picking up his suitcase and grimacing as he shouldered it, saying that maybe his old place wouldn’t have been rented out and he could move straight back in, and Sasuke was still as a statue beside her and all Sakura could think was that Naruto was going to leave her – leave them – before they’d even said a word, and she wasn’t moving—

Sakura ran forward, slamming into Naruto and knocking them both back against the wall. The strap of Naruto’s bag scraped against her arm as Sasuke grabbed hold of it and threw it away, and Naruto got as far as “Hey!”, his eyes wide and arms closing convulsively over Sakura, before Sasuke growled, “Shut up, idiot,” and kissed him.

If Sakura had had any doubts about whether this – they – were truly what she wanted, they vanished in that instant. Naruto’s hand clenched on her back, his eyes fluttering closed for the briefest of moments, and this was it, this was everything – watching them together, her two boys, and knowing she could touch them, kiss them, that they were each other’s but also hers and always would be.

She hoped.

Naruto’s eyes shot open as he jerked his head back, but Sakura was ready for that and slid her fingers into his hair, moving his face towards her so she could kiss him. In a way, it was exactly like her first kiss with Sasuke – desperate, emotionally charged, with that something that made it special, and just like her first kiss with Sasuke it wouldn’t have been enough except that just knowing that Sasuke was watching them made it enough. Because she could reach out and touch him, and he would touch back, and all the while she would still be kissing Naruto.

And that was all she needed, really.

Eventually, she pulled away. Naruto leaned against the wall, staring from her to Sasuke and back again, his mouth open. After a moment, he swallowed, and said, “What—”

“We were waiting for you to come home,” Sasuke said.

Naruto stared at him, before his gaze swung to Sakura. She nodded, biting her lip.

“We – Sasuke and I – we’re. . . .” she stopped, and took a deep breath. “We make two thirds of a whole. Nothing more.”

Sakura watched as their words sank in, as realisation and a sort of petrified hope gradually dawned on Naruto’s face. “You mean. . . .” he whispered, and Sakura nodded, praying that she hadn’t imagined what she thought she’d seen, that it wasn’t wishful thinking that made her hope that maybe – maybe – Naruto cared for them both the way they cared for him. . . .

Sasuke shifted, moving closer to the two of them and catching their attention. “Please?” he asked.

Naruto swallowed. “We’re going to need a bigger bedroom,” he said, and Sakura let out a whoop of joy.

She was sure that when the news of this got out, her parents would never speak to her again. But that was the last thing that mattered, because they were two thirds no longer.

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