Dreams of the Past

More Planning and More Complications

It's a lucky thing to have the heart of such a talented healer.'

For some reason he couldn't name, his father's comment played on a loop through his mind as they walked back to the Haruno residence. He didn't really have her heart—not that he wanted it. That belonged to Sasuke. But Sasuke wasn't there. The grumpy brat wasn't even born yet. For better or worse, so long as they were in the past they were stuck with each other. At least until someone else caught her eye, someone younger and... definitely better than Sasuke. Someone he wouldn't have to save her from.

But then again, she wanted to raise Tenzō—together. Had she thought about what that might mean at all since making that decision? Did she realize how it could limit her? He didn't think for one second that she would ever abandon Tenzō for a relationship, but not every man would want someone with a child. Especially if that child also tied her to him in such a permanent way.

What would their relationship look like after years together? Their real relationship?

Admitting to himself that she was beautiful and accidentally picturing her naked did not mean he had changed the way he saw her. She was twelve and a half years younger than him, she used to be his student... And even if he could ever look at her differently, she deserved infinitely better than him.

No, he would never have her heart, but he did have her trust, her friendship, and yes, her impressive healing talent always on his side. He guessed that probably did make him lucky.

When they returned to their temporary home, he shelved thoughts of their relationship and of Tenzō. They needed to talk, to plan. He had made her wait long enough while he sat with his thoughts. After his indiscretion that afternoon, he felt like he owed her answers.

Unlike every other night that week, he waited up for her while she got ready for bed. Sakura gasped softly when she slipped into the room, seeing him still sitting up in the dim moonlight. "Oh. You're awake."

Letting out a tense breath, he clasped his hands around one knee. "How much do you know about the third war and everything relevant leading up to the one we left?"

She shifted her weight to her right foot and then her left, looking a little taken aback by the abrupt question and then thoughtful. "Not much, unfortunately. Well, nothing helpful anyways, definitely less than you. From what little I gathered from Obito and Madara, they seemed to have fairly different motivations. We know why Pain did what he did. In hindsight, I wonder how much he was manipulated by Obito posing as Tobi." She flopped down beside him, resting her chin on her hand. "Naruto's parents were killed when they sealed the nine-tails in him, which they only had to do because someone kidnapped his mother and freed Kurama. That was blamed on the Uchiha, but..." She bit her lip, giving him a cautious frown. "Do you think Obito could have been responsible?"

There was a knot in his chest. The possibility that he had been responsible for Minato and Kushina's death was one of the first seven things that occurred to him when he realized he was alive. It filled him with a confused mess of hatred and heartache to think about. "I believe Obito was responsible."

When she didn't have a response to that, he went on. "I've been thinking all week about what we should do. After everything that happened before we were sent back here, with Obito... I should probably tell you what happened to him and to Rin. To explain." The guilt slowly winding its way around his neck made his eyes twitch. He glanced at her, hoping she couldn't see, hoping she would and understand why this was so hard without him having to tell her. "It's important, and we'll have to change it if we want to prevent the war we left behind. But..." He swallowed around the tightness and sighed. She needed to know this story. It was the key to everything they needed to change. But she had already seen so much of him—too much—and it had barely been two weeks. Revealing so much to her made him feel naked. Which, considering his earlier imaginings, was probably fair.