A/N: Hey Guys, Hoekahgay/ Tia here. I just wanna say thank you so much for reading and loving this book as much as I enjoy writing. I'm sorry I haven't been updating as much as I should, I'm actually trying to take my time and think this through. I want their finding themselves to be something special to me. I got the idea of how I should do it from talking to a friend for ideas. Now, it's just my job to get it there. I really appreciate you all for reading and getting this book where it is now. Thank you, Thank you so much. This is a real big turning point for the story now and I just hope everything goes according to plan and I hope you guys love it. Happy Reading!

The knocking on the door started both Sasuke and Sakura out of their sleep. Both of them looking towards the door. Sakura raised up, giving Sasuke a chance to get up. He stood, slowly walking towards the door, Sakura closely on his heels. He placed his hand on the door, before pulling the door open.

Shikamaru standing on the other end. Shikamaru blinked, wondering why Sasuke was there but suddenly clicked seeing a blushing Sakura over to young man's shoulder.

Shikamaru cleared his throat.

"You two have been assigned a mission. lord Hokage will be waiting for you in his office." The lazy man says.

"Th-Thank you, Shikamaru." Sakura calls from over Sasuke's shoulder. Shikamaru nods his head shortly, before steping down the steps that lead to Sakura's apartment. Sasuke looked over his shoulder at the girl as he closed the door.

"Should we be going?" She asked as she raked her fingers through her hair. Sasuke said nothing. Instead, he walked towards the couch and grabbed his pancho and walked back towards the door to put his sandals on. Sakura watching him, began to gather her things as well. Once the two of them were ready, they headed out the door with Sakura locking it behind them.

It was early morning, had to be before noon. The sun was shinning brightly and it seemed as though the entire village were on the streets. Sakura made sure to be as close to Sasuke as she could just because.

The made it to the Hokage mansion and quickly went up the steps. The walked the long hallways just untill they reached the door. Sasuke knocked, waiting for the voice to be heard on the other side.

"Come in." The voice called to them. Sasuke opened the door, allowing Sakura to step in first. Once she did, he followed and closed the door behind him.

"You wanted to see us Lord Sixth?" Sakura asked as she approached his desk.

The elder man deadpanned. "Please drop the 'lord'." He groans. "Kakashi is fine."

"What did you call us here for?" Sasuke asked once he stepped in front of his former intructor's desk. Kakashi folded his hands on his desk and looked up towards the two before him.

"Sasuke I need your Rinnegan." Kakashi says.

The young raven raised his eyebrow as he looked at his former intructor. He knew a day would come where he had to use his Rinnegan once again, but he just didn't think it would be this soon.

"What is this about?" Sasuke asked.

"I believe that there is more of this Otsutsuki out there." Kakashi reared back in his seat. His eyes staring into Sasuke as Sasuke stared back at him. "I'm not really sure where, but I believe there is still a threat out there in the world."

Sasuke nodded, understand where the scarecrow like man was going with this.

"Understood." He answers.

"And what am I here for?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Well, you are a medic ninja." Kakashi says matter-of-factly. "It's only suitable to have a medic along just in case he injures himself. And the both of you trust one another so I don't see why not."

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at Kakashi. She knew he was full of it, but she let it slide since he was so good at lying. He'd never admit his ulterior motive.

"Understood." She mumbles. She watches the man give the both of them a close-eyed smile.

"Good." He says. He then looks at them once more. "I'm not sure how long this mission will last, but once you find some concrete evidence, or any trace of another enemey, don't hesitate to bring it back."

The two youngs before him nodded as Kakashi began breaking down his theory to the two. Once finished, they both exited the office.

"We leave at sunset." Sasuke tells the pinkette as they walk down the road heading towards Sakura's home. Sakura didn't say anything. She wondered why Kakashi put the two of them together for this mission. She knew what he said, but something about his tone of voice said otherwise. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she felt as though this was for sure one of his scheming tricks. Whatever it was, she was for sure going to carry her weight.

****

Sakura had finished packing her things and threw her bag over her shoulder. She made sure she had everything accounted for before she grabbed her leaf headband and adjusted it to her head. She checked herself in the mirror and walked out of her room. Sasuke stood in the middle of the living room, pancho on and satchel draped over his shoulders.

Without so much words being said, the two of them left Sakura's home. Together, they headed down the road that lead to the main entrance of the village. Sakura felt her palms begin to sweat. She'd never imagined that she'd be able to go out on a mission with Sasuke. She felt as though she had to prove how worthy she was as a comerade.

"I'll try not to get in your way." She says coyly as they walk out of the main entrance.

Sasuke didn't answer, but Sakura knew he'd heard her. She looked down at her feet, watching as they shuffled against the dirt alongside Sasuke.

"If you don't watch where you're going, you're gonna walk into a tree."

Her head shoots up, looking over at Sasuke as he glanced at her from the corners of his eyes. She knew he was teasing; he wouldn't actually let her make that much of a fool of herself like that.

"You'd let me walk into a tree?" She raised her eyebrow as she looked at him.

"If that meant teaching you a lesson, yes."

She frowns watching the young raven smirk.

She huffs. "So, how is this going to work?" She asked.

"I wanted to get a good enough distance from the village to open a portal." He replies. "Just to make sure we aren't followed by anyone."

Sakura nods her head. Her gaze turning towards the path ahead of them. She felt her heart thumping loudly in her chest. She's been alone with Sasuke countless times, but something about this one felt so different. She figured it had to be that it was their first mission together since he'd been in the village, let alone been out of the confinement. She took in a deep breath.

Their journey continued. They'd been traveling for a few hours. Sakura reached in her pouch and grabbed her water before drinking a few gulps and stuffing it back inside.

When she turned, she seen Sasuke just a few steps ahead of her. She took a few big steps before stoping shortly once she seen Sasuke's outstretched arm to stop her from getting any closer. She looked up at him.

"What's wrong Sasuke?" She asked questioningly.

"I'm opening a portal." He says lowly.

Without so much as an agreement from the pinkette, Sasuke closed his eyes and concentrated his chakra to his rinnegan.

OPEN!

A gust of wind swept through the pinkette's hair and through her clothes as she watched it collectively swirl into a single focal point. Slowly, a portal opened. Sakura eyes widened. She had forgotten that Sasuke held the rinnegan. His hair always covered that eye and when it was visible to her, that's when she'd remember. She stared in awe.

Sasuke grabbed the girl's wrist, pulling her along. Sakura jerked forward, her feet shuffling beneath her as they stepped into the portal. Behind them, the portal slowly closed. They found themselves in another demension. Something like a desert. In fact, it was the exact same desert Sakura saved Saskue from during the war. Her heart thumped in her chest. She had remebered how despera she was to get him back. How she felt she failed. Her she used every last bit of what she thought was her chakra just to get him home. In that moment, in a long time she'd felt useless. Just as her knees grew weak, and legs about gave out, She fell into the arms of Sasuke. And that alone, made her very happy.

Sasuke removed his hand from the girl's wrist to hold it up against his forehead, shielding his sight from the sun. He looked around.

"I suspected we should travel through her first." He says. "On the count of this being the demension I was sent to."

Sakura swallowed before she nodded slowly. Her eyes scanning around, trying to supress the memories that tried to find their way back in. Slowly, she took in air, lifting her legs almost to her chest as she stepped through the sand. Sasuke walked slightly ahead of her, his lone hand blocking the sun from his vision. He knew this was a bad idea because of the pancho he wore, but he also thought this was a good idea. Kaguya sent him to this demension so he figured that it would may be more out there in this particular demension. He looked over his shoulder at Sakura, seeing her step through the thick sand to keep up with him.

He swallowed the lump in his throat, remembering how helpless he was not only to get back to his own demension, but to continue to help his comerades. Just when he thought he should give up and accept his fate, he heard the scream of someone very familiar. It reminded him of how much he missed that fateful sound. The way she called his name so desperately. Just as the portal closed, he made it just in time. He watched her feel like she'd failed. He watched her as she felt as if she was truly useless. He watched her legs give out. On instinct, he opened his arms and watched her fall into them. He stared at her as she stared at him with relief. She smiled weakly. She'd done it.

Sasuke surpressed the blush forming on his face. He remember feeling her warmth of her body against his. She was always warm. She always welcomed him no matter the circumstances. He turned and looked at her again.

"Are you okay to walk?" Sasuke asked, seeing her trying to keep her balance.

She looked up at him surprised, before a smile spread on her face, making her eyes shimmer under the beaming sun.

"Sasuke, are you concerned about me?" She retorted back to him in a taunting manner.

"N-No, I-I-" Sasuke felt himself get flustered.

Sakura giggled, her eyes closing as she did. Sasuke shook himself from being so flustered.

"I'm kidding Sasuke." She hums as her giggles subsided. "I'm fine. This sand is actually a good workout."

Sasuke found himself smirking as he looked ahead of them. It seemed like this desert was never-ending. He heaved a sigh, looking at his surroundings. It seemed as if nothing could be there, but still he had to make sure.

"Are you tired?" He hears Sakura ask him. "Are you thirsty?"

A small smile landed on his face. There she was again being concerned about him when he felt it wasn't neccessary. She'd always done that. Even when they were kids. She'd ask if he needed anything or if he were tired, just so she'd be the one to tend to him. She wouldn't even batt an eyelash about Naruto at the time and now, if he were with them, he sure she'd ask about him too.

"I'm fine." He answers. "I have my own water." He turned his head towards her, seeing she finally made it to a pace equivelent to his own. "Do you need to rest?"

Sakura shook her head from side to side. "No, I'm fine." She says.

As they continued walking, Sakura finally removed her headband and gloves before she stuffed them into her pouch.

--------

It had been hours. They were in a different demension, searching for clues. They were in what looked like an office, rummaging through the desks and file cabinets as they did. Sakura slowly ran her hands across the oak desk, her eyes traveling over the scattered papers. She picked one up, seeing it was an unfinished letter. She scanned the words on the paper, and seeing nothing she placed it back down. She looked out the window of the building, seeing nothing in particular.

"Have you found anything?" Sasuke asked stepping through the door. He had been in the other room looking for anything he could find. Coming up short, he decided to check on Sakura. The girl turned, slightly startled from hearing his voice before a sense of relief washed over her. She pursed her lips together and shook her head.

"No." She answers. "Aside from old letters I haven't found a thing."

Sasuke looked around the room briefly. "I was thinking we could camp out here," He starts. "That way we wouldn't be out in the open."

Sakura nodded, feeling happy that they finally get to relax. She wasn't sure how long they've been through demensions, but she was sure it'd been a very long time. She lost count of the many demensions they'd travel through and she was for sure somewhere down the line that Sasuke was losing chakra everytime he opened a portal. She was more concerned about his well-being than her own. She knew if push came to shove she could protect the both of them, but she knew Sasuke would never let that happen. He would die trying to protect her regardless of her being able to protect herself. That was just the kind of person he was.

They found a room to set up their camp in, which was the living area. Sakura lit a candle for light and Sasuke began cooking the fish they'd found earlier that day.

"How long do you think this will be?" Sakura pulled her legs to her chest. "I mean, we haven't found anything yet. And I'm sure if they wanted to be found they wouldn't hesitate to make themselves known."

"It'd be safe to be a step ahead." Sasuke answers not bothering to look at the girl.

"Yeah I know that but I'm saying." She says with a shrug. "We're gonna be missing out on alot of things back at home. Including Naruto's wedding."

"I'm sure he knows how important this mission is." Was the Uchiha's reply. His eyes finally travel over to the girl, seeing a sad look in her eyes as she watched Sasuke turn the fish. "He knows if we could, we'd be there."

Sakura slowly nodded. She hated that she would be missing such an important milestone in her friend's life, but this was something she couldn't help. She was called for this mission and she couldn't turn it down. She knew Sasuke could take care of himself and figured this had to be one of Kakashi's way of meddling in their business, but then again she knew Sasuke could only do so much with his handicap. She looked at Sasuke. She couldn't get over how much he was really starting to grow into his looks. He'd always been handsome, but now that he was maturing, Sakura saw every detail of his features in a better light. His jawline was more defined, his lips were full. His eyebrows were thick and perfectly arched. His beautiful full eyelashes. Those slanted almond shaped onyx orbs for eyes he had. His newly found rinnegan was becoming a big part of his features. Sakura blinked. Becoming englufed in all that was Sasuke. She reached over and touched him, her fingers entangling in his hair.

Sasuke paused. His eyes widened feeling Sakura touch him. He turns his head to look at her, their eyes locking.

She isn't that helpless little girl anymore Sasuke...

You may have won the war Sasuke, but the battle is still in progress...

Why do you hate me so much?

I'm not a child, I can handle myself!

Sasuke!

"Are you okay?" She asked him. She was starting to worry about his mental state at this point. She knew he would lie to her if something was really wrong with him, but she hoped that this wasn't the case.

He nodded though, turning his gaze away from her. It was becoming unbearable for him for to continue to hide these feelings for the girl before him. He was for sure that she would reject him as he did her so long ago. He knew eventually his demons would catch up to him. That one day he would wake up still in the confinement, Sakura hating his very exsistance. He was for sure that she would find someone else, and according to Naruto, she almost did.

Sakura pursed her lips together, siding to leave it alone. They ate, and Sakura laid down on her makeshift cot. She turned on her side, away from Sasuke, refusing to look his way. She took in a deep breath.

Sasuke pressed his back up against the wall. He decided he would stand guard while Sakura slept. Or at least that's his intention. Within a few hours sleep started setting in and before he knew it, he was being awakened by Sakura's movement. He jumped, his eyes landing on her as she stopped gathering her things to look at him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." She says with a small smile as she continued to pack her things into her traveling bag.

"It wasn't my intention to fall asleep." He speaks, moving to stand and stretch himself. He yawned, still feeing a bit tired, but knowing there is more work to be done.

"It's okay if you fall asleep Sasuke," Sakura smirks. "You don't have to stay up through the night."

Sasuke said nothing. After a short while, they were soon in another demension.

*******

"Hey Kakashi-Sensei, have you seen Sakura and Sasuke?" Naruto asked his former instructor. "I haven't seen them in a few days."

Kakashi looked up from his scrolls. He forgot that he hadn't told Naruto he'd sent them off, on the count of Naruto was on a mission of his own.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I sent them on a mission." He answers his former pupil with furrowed eyebrows. Naruto pursed his lips together.

"Really? Where?"

"I believe there could possibly be a bigger threat out there in the world." Kakashi rubbed his chin. "I want to believe that there isn't, but we can never be too sure. We thought there wasn't anything but the villiages between us; and then there was Kaguya."

Naruto nods, his eyes turning down to the floorboards. "H-How long will they be gone?" He asks.

Kakashi rubs his chin. "For however long this mission takes." He says. "They might miss your wedding."

Naruto nods slowly. "I understand." He looks up at Kakashi and smiled warmly. "I know they're gonna be fine; they'll protect eachother."

Kakashi nodded, seeing Naruto be optimistic made him do the same. He knew both Sasuke and Sakura were both strong individuals, but it took the entire nation to not only stop Madara, but help bring down Kaguya. Although Naruto and Sasuke did most of the work, it couldn't have been done without one or the other.

"I believe they will."