Book 3: Belonging in the Naruto Shippuden World

Ch. 30: Path of Roses

Serena's POV

I heard some birds chirping outside the large window. A sliver of sun was landing on my face. My eyebrows crinkled as I groggily opened my eyes. 

KNOCK KNOCK! I heard a knock on the main door downstairs. Ugh.. who could be here so early in the morning! I complained in my mind. I was still tired, I slowly got up out of the bed. I was still naked from last night. I just picked up a large white button down shirt that was Sasuke's and put it on myself.

The shirt came down mid thighs and showed  a bit of cleavage from the top since I didn't button it up all the way. I couldn't care less right now. Whoever was knocking was disturbing our sleep.

I took a couple of steps downstairs and hissed in pain. My body was sore all over. I examined myself and saw a couple of bruises, but nothing too bad. 

KNOCK KNOCK "I'm coming, I'm coming" I whispered to myself. I shakily grabbed the door handle and opened it.

"HEY SASUKE! HAVE YOU SEEN SERENA! I DIDN'T SEE HER TODA--" Naruto yelled but froze to see me standing there. I blinked to get the sleepiness out and saw Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, and Itachi standing there all in shock and eyes wide. 

"What do you want? It's only 9 in the morning... Go away.." I slurred and walked back inside not bothering to close the door. I went to the couch and just laid down.

"S-Serena? What are you doing at the Uchiha compound?" Kakashi asked afraid to know what her answer will be by looking at what she was wearing. Just a plain shirt. No undergarments or anything. 

I just giggled and sighed in content. "Oh my god..." Sakura started. Naruto and the others snapped their head towards her. 

"What Sakura chan??" Naruto asked. 

"Serena??" she asked. 

"Hmm?" I let out sleepily.

"Did you do it with Sasuke?" Sakura hesitantly asked. The males in the room gasped in shock. All I did was giggle again and stared back at them.

"She did! You slept with Sasuke last night?? What happened? How was it? Was it good?" Sakura asked. I raised an eyebrow and sat up, now fully awake.

I grinned. "DUH!!! It was so good. Amazing." I dreamily sighed. Kakashi's eye widened as Itachi just smirked, but slightly disturbed hearing her talk about his brother like that.

Everyone heard a shuffling off feet. They glanced at the stairs as a figure came down, wearing nothing but dark sweat pants. His abs and toned upper body exposed.

Sasuke rubbed his eyes and blinked in action to see everyone here. "What are you doing here, dobe?" he sleepily asked. Sasuke merely walked over to Serena, kissed her lips, muttered a good morning, and laid down on her lap tiredly.

The others just gaped at his actions. Serena relaxed and ran her hands through his hair, playing with it softly. Sasuke gently smiled as it felt good to have Serena's hands rub through his hair.

"Ohhh no. No no no. Serena! How could you! You're just a tiny girl. Come here. What will Lady Tsunade think? And with Sasuke? What has the world come to... no this is not good." Kakashi exasperated and paced back and forth in the room.

"Serena, you're only 18. So not acceptable. Come on we're getting you home" he said. Serena shook her head. 

"No way Kakashi oniisan. You're just jealous that you haven't had sex yet." she casually stated as she kissed Sasuke's forehead. Kakashi's eyes widened at her blunt statement and became embarrassed.

"Wh-wha. N-no! What are you talking about?" he flustered. Naruto and Sakura snickered, as Itachi and Sasuke lightly smirked at the scene. 

"Calm down Kakashi. I'm quite sure Serena and Sasuke know what they were doing... Right, Sasuke?" Itachi asked as he gazed into his little brother's eyes with a warning stare. Sasuke gulped and nodded his head.

"See? Now we must get going. We'll let the kids stay here." Itachi said and pushed Kakashi outside and closed the door. Naruto and Sakura sat down beside us and just started talking.

Sakura and I thought it was a good idea to make breakfast for the four of us so we went to the kitchen. We made pancakes with eggs and bacon on the side, muffins, and juice for the drinks.

After we all chowed down, I left to go get ready. I kissed Sasuke's cheek and left the compound to head to mine.

I came to my room and felt a bit dirty and muddy so I took a shower. Once I came out I put on my new ninja clothes and weapons pouch and headed downstairs. I saw the rest of Team 7 waiting.

I smiled and we walked to the mom's office. I strolled next to Sasuke holding his hand. We soon arrived at the office. KNOCK KNOCK

"Come in." We all stepped inside. I grinned at Mom and Dad. "Good morning." They looked up and smiled at me. Then they noticed our hands and looked at it shock.

Dad kept staring at me in a weird glance as if he were calculating something, while Mom softly smiled, happy that we had got back together. I looked back at Dad and smiled. His eyes widened and choked on the water he was drinking in realization. 

"Tsunade..."he muttered. Mom looked at him. He bent down and whispered something in her ear. The rest of us looked confused. Naruto just shrugged his shoulders. 

As we waited for Dad to stop talking, Mom's eyes widened as she snapped her head towards Sasuke and I. Uh oh... 

"Serena Senju..." she started having an anger mark on her forehead. We all backed away a bit. 

Shizune sweat-dropped. "Why don't the rest of you stay outside." she explained. They nodded and left the room. Sasuke squeezed my hand a bit and nodded as if saying 'It will be alright.'

My lips twitched up a bit and I nodded back.As the room door closed, I hesitated but stared back at the three. 

I could see smoke coming out of Mom's ear while Dad was grinning while writing stuff in his little book. 

Third POV

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were standing outside of the door waiting for the talk to end. Kakashi was walking towards them.

"Hey guys. Sorry I'm late a bla--" 

"Save it." Naruto and Sakura muttered as Sasuke rolled his eyes. Kakashi sweatdropped. He blinked looking around.

"Where's Serena?" he asked. Naruto spoke up. "Granny wanted to talk to her alone... I don't know about what thou---"

"SERENA SENJU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Came a yell from inside. The yell echoed throughout the whole village vibrating the buildings. Team 7's eyes widened as the ground shook a little.

Kakashi nervously sweated. "Well I guess we know that it's not good."

*Inside*

Serena's POV

"What the hell is wrong with you!!" Mom yelled but lectured at the same time. "You already had SEX???" she exclaimed. I nervously smiled and held my hands in a defense mode. 

"So Serena? How was it? It was good huh? You should tell me so I can write it for my Icha Icha volume. *pervy giggle* My daughter's experience. Ahh just think of how many more readers I'll get..." Dad trailed off with a bloody nose.

Mom smacked her desk. "NOT THE POINT!!!! Why didn't you tell me that you will??" she asked. I blinked and glared. 

"It just happened!! The moment felt so right, Mom. Besides... I love him so much. You know that, and I'll never stop." I whispered the ending. Her eyes softened and she sighed.

Outside Sasuke was listening through the door. He felt his heart start to race as she said those words. He mentally smiled. He finally had her. He was finally happy.

Mom came around the desk and hugged me. I hugged her back and buried my face into her neck.

"I know sweetheart... I know." she said as she smoothed down my hair. "Just... My baby has grown up so much already. I don't want to let you go.." 

I smiled and looked up at her. "You will never lose me, Mom. You and Dad never will. I will always be your baby." I told her. She smiled and kissed my forehead.

Dad came around and hugged me. "If he ever does anything to you, you tell me Angel. I will kick his ass all the way out of the Land of Fire." Dad said as he used my nickname. I haven't heard it in a long time. 

I laughed and nodded. "Don't worry Dad I'll tell you." 

**Outside**

"Hey Dobe." Sasuke called. Naruto gained an anime vein. "Don't came me DOBE, YOU TEME!!" he yelled.

"Dobe."

"TEME!!"

"Naruto, knock it off!!" Sakura yelled and smacked her fist onto his head. "Ahh. That hurt Sakura-chan." he spoke.

She rolled her eyes and looked at Sasuke. "What is it Sasuke?" 

He sighed and grew a bit nervous. "I need you guys to help me with something..." he slowly said. The three of them including Kakashi, raised their eyebrows at the Uchiha.

"What?" Naruto asked. Sasuke came closer and told them.

**Time Skip**

I was now working at the hospital since I was the head. They had created a whole new floor that was at the very top of the building just for me. Once coming out of the elevator, the whole floor had my office, a room filled with heavy equipment, a room with all medical supplies known to Konoha, a small solarium filled with plants and herbs, and a lounge with a kitchen. 

It was a beautiful place, but I believed that I would be spending all my time here from now on helping with patients and doing surgeries. I was at my desk with my lab coat and glasses. I was going over a patients file who just had knee surgery an hour ago. 

I sighed as I stretched my back. KNOCK KNOCK I heard on the door. 

"Come in." I replied. I saw my familiar pink headed teammate. I smiled. "Hey Sakura, is there anything you needed?" 

She grinned at me and came over and dragged me out of my chair. My eyebrows furrowed. "H-Hey! What are you doing??" I asked as she continued to push me out of my office.

"I have told Lady Tsunade to end your shift early. Come on you need to go home." I raised an eyebrow but complied knowing how stubborn she could be. 

We had finally come home, and she was still literally pushing me all the way up the stairs and into my room. She took off my coat and glasses and chucked them on the bed. She dragged me inside the bathroom and went out and locked it.

I banged on the door. "HEY WHAT'S GOING ON???" I yelled. I heard a chuckle. "Go take a shower! When you come out you will get dressed and you'll see!" she explained and heard her footsteps go out of the room.

I sighed and rubbed my temples. I took off my clothes and took a shower. After a while, I finally came out and relaxed. The hot water felt good and relieved some stress from the hospital.

I wrapped my towel around myself and walked into my huge bedroom. I went forward and saw a whole outfit displayed out on the bed for me. I looked over and saw a note. I picked it up and read it.

Dear Serena,
Wear the clothes and accessories I have laid out for you on the bed. Get dressed, do your hair, put on makeup, etc... and go downstairs after that. You will see another note and follow it.
~Sakura

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but I shrugged it off. I looked at the things she put out. The dress was absolutely beautiful. It was a sheer red in color and the chest had a beaded design. It flowed all the way to the ground in silky ruffles. There were a set of simple, but elegant black pumps on the side and my teardrop necklace to complete the outfit. 

I lightly curled my hair at the end into perfect and bouncy ringlets. I put on light makeup for some shine, and spread some light pink lip gloss on my lips. 

Serena's outfit below! Hope you like it.^^
polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=98430693

I put everything on and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked very pretty. I ate some mints and went downstairs slowly, trying not to trip on the dress. 

I came into the living room and found a note stuck on the entrance door. I peeled it off and read it. 

Follow the path of Red. ~S

I became confused. I wonder who wrote it... Follow the path of red? I shrugged and opened the front door. It was a beautiful night out. The moon was shining high in the sky. There was a slight breeze, but it felt amazing on my skin. 

I stepped outside until I heard a crunching noise. I looked down to see a couple of rose petals. Petals?? Is this the path of red? I wondered. I saw a couple more petals ahead on the dirt road. It was a small trail. I lightly smiled and followed the petals.

After walking an unfamiliar path, I saw a light coming up ahead. As I grew near, I gasped at the sight. It was absolutely beautiful. I was walking on a path where plant vines surrounded the side and the top kind of like an arch. 

3131594431_c325fbdebc Image of the path.^^

Yellow lights hung on them giving an illuminating glow to the pathway. On the side there were a guide of pillars that led to the end. I was wondering how I've never seen this place. I followed the road leading to an end.

The clearing came to a beautiful lake. It was surrounded by scented flowers. The moon lit the water as it glistened like crystals. It was mesmerizing. 

lake_night Picture of lake!^^

I held my dress up a bit as I watched the dark sky. I heard a couple of footsteps behind me. I twirled around to see the one and only Sasuke. He looked so handsome in his black tux. I could smell his cologne all the way from here. It calmed me down a bit. 

I couldn't stop looking at him. He was staring back at me with his eyes wide and jaw dropped. I could see a slight blush coming onto his cheeks. This made me blush. I looked down and avoided his gaze. I heard him come closer. He grabbed my hands. I looked up at him and lightly smiled.

"Did you do this?" I breathed. His lips twitched up a bit and he nodded. I smiled and viewed the lake again. "It's absolutely beautiful. Where exactly are we?" I asked. 

I heard him come behind me. I felt his arms wrap around my waist from behind. His touch sent shivers down my spine. 

"This is the other side of the Uchiha compound. It's not known to many people." He said in my ears as his hot breath sent tingles in my stomach. 

"Thank you for bringing me here. It's breathtaking... but why did you bring me here..?" I turned around and asked him. His hands still lay on top of my hips. 

He smiled a bit. I could feel his heart beat fast. Was he nervous? But for what?? I tilted my head a bit waiting for Sasuke to speak. He finally exhaled and looked deeply within my eyes. 

"I have known you since we were 5. The very first time I saw you was the Dango shop. You were stuffing yourself with Dango. I thought you were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. We got to know each other when you came back to the village. You were strong. I wanted to be like you. You were elegant and graceful. We had finally gotten together. Someone had finally made me happy, after many years. I loved it when you stared at me and looked into my eyes. I loved it when you would support me with all your heart, like family. I loved it that you were able to understand me. I loved it when you ran your fingers through my hair. I loved it when you got jealous of other girls staring at me. I love it when you wrap your arms around me in a way that I want to melt...." he spoke.

My breath hitched as my heart stammered within my chest. Why is he saying all of this? I felt my eyes water a bit.

He continued. " I love it when you are confident in every way. I love it when you are vicious towards your enemies. I love it when you kiss me and send shivers down my body. I love it when you care for all of the people that are precious to you. But most of all, I love you for being you."

"Sasuke..." I muttered as I felt a tear drop down my cheek. He softly smiled and wiped my tears away. 

"I know a lot of things have happened in our life, ones that could never be forgotten. I have loved you from the beginning. I know I don't sound like myself... but you bring out my true self... I love you and always will for the rest of my life...." he paused.

My heart speed up. I felt as if it was going to burst. This wasn't like Sasuke at all. He is usually monotone and emotionless... what happened?

"What I'm trying to say is that..." he got down on one knee and pulled out a dark blue velvet box and opened it. I gasped at the sight. My hands automatically coming to hold my mouth.

"Serena Senju.." 

...

...

...

"Will you marry me?" 

Tun tun tunnnnnnn. End of chapter!!! Holy shit, Sasuke proposed!^^ Comment please!! :)