Watch My Back As I Move On

Chapter 62: That Time of the Year (Epilogue)

Kakashi smiled as he saw his hands slowly disappear. "Sakura. Come here." Kakashi said, removing his mask to reveal a lovely smile. He opened his arms signalling Sakura for a hug. Sakura's tears finally fell as she ran for her sensei and hugged her sensei tightly, afraid of letting go. "You made me proud Sakura. I'll continue to watch over you. Until then, live on." Kakashi patted her head. With those final words, Kakashi disappeared leaving Sakura to hug the thin air. Sakura knelt down as she continued to cry.

"Goodbye, Kakashi-sensei. I promise to live."

Sakura stayed for another hour, trying to make her eyes swell less. She returned to the hideout only to see the Akatsuki waiting for her in the living room. "Did I do something wrong?" She asked, dumbfounded. "We're sorry we didn't tell you sooner." Konan opened up. Sakura gave them a bright smile.

"I knew."  Sakura squeezed herself between Tobi and Kisame. "Wah! Sakura-chan is too fat!"  Tobi exclaimed, earning himself a bump on the head from Sakura. "I was prepared for the loss. But you know? A loss of a friend is still intolerable even if you're prepared mentally and emotionally. That's why, I have a selfish request." Sakura started. The Akatsuki waited for her to continue. "Please, continue to be by my side." Sakura grabbed Kisame and Tobi using her arms with a grin on her face.

The Akatsuki looked at her with soft eyes. "Well, you have a f**king way with your s**ty words." Hidan stated, grinning. "Finally, un!" Deidara sighed, making Sakura look at him with questioning eyes. "We were waiting for you to make a selfish request at least once, ever since we finally accepted you as one of us." Sasori said, giving her a warm smile. "Hn." Itachi followed, crossing his arms over his chest with a smirk on his face.

"Huh?" Sakura asked. "You were always so selfless to the point of even sacrificing your own life for us." Zetsu stated. "Tobi even started to think that Sakura-chan is an angel!" "Heck! You even forgot your--!!" Kisame was silenced when Itachi slammed his hand over Kisame's mouth.

"That idiot." Pein sighed, rubbing his temples. "Forgot my what?" Sakura asked. Kakuzu stood and left the room with a grumpy face. "Is Kakuzu having a bad day? Did he lose his money?" Sakura asked. "Somehow, un."

Kakuzu entered with a poorly made pink cake at hand. A cake with a missing slice. "Whose birthday is it today?" Sakura asked, looking around. "Yours, you idiot." Kakuzu grunted.

"Happy birthday, Sakura." They said at the same time. "It's already that time of the year?" Sakura asked, laughing. "Is it just me or is it missing a slice?" Kisame asked, staring at the cake. The group stared at Tobi suspiciously. "Tobi was a good boy. He was tasting the cake for poison!" He exclaimed. Deidara wrapped an arm around Tobi's neck, strangling him in the process. "What f**king poison, un?!"

"They made exactly 97 attempts for making you a cake." Pein said, sighing. "And we lost 15 000 ryo because of it." Kakuzu twitched. "Well, it was Pein's idea to make a home made cake." Konan stated. "Turns out none of us can f**king bake." Hidan stated, grunting.

"How did you manage make this...edible cake then?" Sakura asked, eyeing the cake. "Zetsu bought the ingredients along with Kakuzu. Konan measured the dry ingredients. Deidara, Hidan and Kisame made sure to keep Itachi away from the eggs. Tobi took care of the wet ingredients. Sasori made sure not to over mix the batter. Then last but not least, we made Itachi tell us when the cake is ready with Deidara, Hidan and Kisame refraining him from going over board the moment the cake went out imperfectly." Pein explained.

"Wow. You did that 97 times before you managed an edible cake?" Sakura asked. "Tobi made sure it's edible. Tobi is a good boy!" "Well, are you just going to stare? Let's eat!" Kisame excitedly said, pulling Sakura in the dining room with the others hot on their trails. "Itachi, the candle, un!" Deidara shouted. Itachi threw the candle, barely passing Hidan's face. The candle stood tall in the middle of the cake with Sakura seated at the head of the table. "Make a wish." Sasori said. Everybody sat eagerly, waiting for Sakura to make a wish.

Sakura closed her eyes. With a small smile on her face. "S**t!! The cake f**king moved!" With that, everyone, including Sakura ran towards the other room before she even got the chance to blow the candle. Deidara and Tobi peeked into a small gap they made, right before closing the door, stating that they'll warn everyone if it moves once more. Sakura looked at everyone with a smile on her face. With only one thought in mind.

'I'll continue to live on. For the sake of my promise. And for the sake of my family. The Akatsuki.'

A few hours passed by like a wind caressing ones cheek. Sakura sat on the roof, watching the night sky with a smile on her face. She watched the stars with a thankful look.

'Kakashi-sensei, are you watching me right now? I've been given a chance to live once more. I've been given a purpose. I've been given a family.

I still remember that time when Itachi and Kisame stopped me from ending my own life. For that I am thankful. I learned that to be strong is not my goal. My goal is to find true happines, to find people who will accept me. And I found that in a family, in the Akatsuki. A family that promised to always be by my side. A family that accepted me in my darkest form.

I've been given what I most treasured, what I most wanted. I'd be a force to be reckoned with if it means keeping my family safe and sound. The only thing I wish for is their happiness. I made a promise to live on.

And so I will. Thank you, everyone.'

The End
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A/N: There you have it, everyone. This is officially the last chapter of "Watch My Back as I Move On" :3 Thank you so much for coming this far, thank you so much for the continuous support! I may not reply to all comments but I still love them. It brightens up my mood whenever I read your comments! 💓💓💓

Don't worry, I'll continue to write Akatsuki X Sakura fanfics ;) I'll publish another Akatsuki X Sakura fanfics sooner or later, so stay tuned everyone! I hope you continue reading my books.

Here's the last disclaimer for this book! :3

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I only own the plot! :3

PureRandomness101 here. Peace out~! ✌