A/N: This is a continuation of my Blue Series. You don't really need to read the Blue Series to follow the Red one as I will be referencing those events within the story.

One year post Sakura's departure:

Sakura groaned as she heard Emiko's wailing. Sleep had been wrenched from her grasp and she mourned its loss. Sakura threw back her blankets and rose to her feet. She endured that first ache in her heart that she usually felt when she woke up and realized she was back in Konoha and not in Metropolis with Clark.

Through a twist of fate, or more commonly known as the meddling of Diana a.k.a Wonder Woman, she had come to live with Clark Kent. Their relationship, initially, had been rocky at first and Sakura may or may not have antagonized him a bit, but eventually they built a friendship after she was there for him as he mourned the death of the love of his life, Lois Lane.

Eventually, though, they fell in love. It was a love unlike any other Sakura had ever experienced which said a lot since before she moved to Metropolis she had been in a steamy and oftentimes volatile relationship with Naruto and Sasuke. It was a love she missed.

Sakura loved Clark, but after a series of Lex Luthor related events (one of which being she almost killed Superman) they had parted ways. She thought they'd be able to work things out and then Kakashi discovered that Lex Luthor had somehow seen through her genjutsu and discovered who she was, so a tactical retreat became necessary. (And that was putting it nicely. When she mentioned returning to Metropolis while they were mid-flight Kakashi told her that he'd shove a Chidori up her ass if she tried. She believed him.) So she returned to Konoha and tried to start living her life anew.

Sakura walked into Emiko's room and immediately sensed something was wrong. Her eyes slowly scanned the room as she crept forward. It was mere seconds before she saw it. The shadows moved. Sakura didn't freeze, although the temptation was great to do so, but she didn't want her intruder to know she was aware of their presence. Sakura reached into the crib and picked the infant inside of it up and held it close to her bosom, kissing the child lightly on the forehead and making small soothing sounds hiding the fact that she now had a shuriken in her hand.

When the shadow moved once more Sakura didn't hesitate to throw the shuriken and jump backward. She heard a clang letting her know her blow hadn't hit what she intended and she opened her mouth to yell for Naruto and Sasuke, but the voice that called out to her stopped her from doing so.

"Sakura, I didn't come here to hurt you."

Sakura blinked several times as recognition soon dawned on her. Her mouth dropped open as an invitation to a few flies.

Batman. A blast from her not so distant past. A year ago when she left Konoha and traveled to his world, she had met several members of the Justice League. Some became good friends others, like Batman, not so much.

There was a wall around the Dark Knight. He didn't trust anyone and because she was a ninja, a woman who had taken lives, and in his eyes, perhaps a friend of Lex Luthor she was someone not to be trusted. Still, despite the fact that he didn't trust her, he did do a lot for her like help her get into medical school in his world and provide her with a place to stay. She couldn't hate him because she knew she had given him reason not to trust her.

"Batman?! How did you get here? What are you doing here?"

"How I got here is irrelevant. I came to bring you back. Although, I didn't expect you to have…complications."

Sakura and Batman both looked down at the infant in Sakura's arms. The baby gurgled and smiled and Sakura couldn't help but smile back.

"I was just about to feed her. You can come with me. There's no need for you to skulk about in the shadows."

"I beg to differ." Sakura frowned and looked over her shoulder at Batman quizzically. "Your teammates threatened me before you left."

Without missing a beat Sakura said, "Perhaps if you hadn't been listening in on our conversations it wouldn't have been necessary."

While Batman had provided her with a place to stay he had put all sorts of listening devices in her home. Kakashi, while he had been staying with her, took delight in disabling all his devices. It was an elaborate game of hide and seek for him—maybe for them both. She didn't know Batman well enough to say for certain.

Her retort was met with silence, but Sakura wasn't surprised. It wasn't like she expected him to admit he was wrong.

"Look Batman, you can both come with me and tell me why you're here in the first place or you can leave. The choice is yours."

Sakura walked out and towards the kitchen not bothering to look behind her to see if Batman was following. She knew he was.

"I can't let your presence go unmentioned." Sakura started conversationally. "You being here is a security breach."

"Who's the kid?"

Sakura moved to the warm the baby some milk and didn't bother answering the question. It wasn't any of his business.

"Sakura—"

Naruto chose that moment to enter the kitchen, half-dressed and scrumptious. Sakura flickered her gaze to him, wondering at his impeccable timing. "Who—"

"Naruto, this is Batman. You two never had the pleasure of meeting."

"Is he—"

"No." Sakura knew exactly what he was asking and wouldn't let him get the question out any more than that. He wanted to know if he was Superman—the man she had fallen in love with a year ago. Naruto hadn't really met Clark and he certainly didn't know his secret identity. All he knew was that there had been a man in her life after him and if Sakura had her way that's all he would ever know.

Naruto visibly relaxed and smiled winsomely at Batman.

"Welcome to Konoha." Naruto walked forward and extended his hand to Batman. Surprisingly, Batman shook his hand.

"Thanks."

"So what brings you here?"

"I've actually come for Sakura."

Sakura sighed as she watched Naruto stiffen. So much for subtlety. "I haven't agreed to go back Naruto nor have you, Batman, told me why I should go back. The League pretty much accused me of attempted murder so I don't think I'll be joining any time soon, and my only other reason for going back…"

Sakura bit her bottom lip to stop herself from saying any more.

"He needs you."

A pang went through Sakura's heart at the words. Sakura knew that Batman coming all the way to Konoha and admitting that simple fact was saying something major, but she chose to ignore that fact because she couldn't deal with the implications.

"No he doesn't. Besides, I'm needed here."

"Sakura, he has a son."

Sakura paused and closed her eyes and felt Naruto take the baby out of her arms. When she composed herself she opened them once more and looked at Batman. "All the more reason not to come back. He's obviously moved on."

"Just like you did?" Sakura's eyes flashed in a warning that Batman didn't heed. "Does she belong to him or the other one?"

The baby started wailing and Sakura and Naruto locked eyes. Naruto began bouncing the baby in an effort to calm her while Sakura busied herself in getting the milk ready, but they were too late. Sasuke stalked into the kitchen and gave them both the evil eye. Sasuke plucked the baby girl out of Naruto's arms and she stopped crying instantly causing Sakura to scowl and Naruto to pout.

Eventually, Sakura chuckled and said, "The girls always were crazy about you." Sasuke ignored her and looked down at the little bundle of joy in his arms. It was something neither Sakura nor Naruto could have ever imagined, but Sasuke was great with children. Especially babies. If she had known then maybe they would have started a family a long time ago. But it was too late for such thoughts.

Sakura handed Sasuke the bottle which he took.

"Why is he here?" Sasuke's question drew her attention back to Batman, who was waiting more patiently than she had expected.

"I'm here to bring her back."

Sasuke didn't look at Batman, but instead looked at Sakura. Sakura bit her bottom lip at his probing gaze. "Do you want to go back?"

Sakura looked down. "He's moved on with his life. I have no place there."

"That wasn't my question Sakura. I asked you, did you want to go back?"

"I—"

"You don't have to make a decision now." Naruto interjected, but Sasuke shook his head. Naruto opened his mouth to try again, but Sasuke rose to his feet and moved towards Sakura. When he was close he raised her chin and tilted it up.

"Say it. You still love him. You want to go back."

"Don't put words in her mouth Sasuke!" Naruto snarled, but Sasuke turned with the baby causing him to immediately calm.

"She'll never be with us until she lets him go. We both know that. So we have to let her go back. Besides, even if she does decide to leave there's no way in hell I'm letting her go alone."

Sakura sighed, knowing Sasuke's words were true. She missed Clark every day when she woke up and every night before she went to bed and all the time in between. And her old lovers, whom she currently resided with knew that. They wanted to restart their relationship. Sakura had agreed to live with them, but she stayed in a separate bedroom. That was a truly difficult decision to make. She knew it would be so very easy to fall back into Naruto and Sasuke and let the feelings in her heart that lingered for them take over, but every time she thought about trying Clark's face flashed before her eyes, his scent invaded her nose, and a longing filled her heart.

Was it even possible to get over him?

Sakura's mind chose then to zero in on Sasuke's words, "What do you mean you're not letting me go alone?"

"Kakashi can't follow you. He's the Kage now. Naruto can't go because…"

Sasuke glanced at Naruto whose brow was furrowed, and met Sakura's gaze. They both knew why Naruto couldn't go. He'd do everything possible to influence her decision and convince her to come back home. It was just his nature. While Sasuke would try to convince her to stay, his ways were a lot more subtle than Naruto and there would be no doubt that whatever decision Sakura made would be her own.

"Why can't I go? I can protect Sakura!"

"Yes, but the council would make more of a fuss if you were to come Naruto than if Sasuke came. The less they see of Sasuke the better in their opinion." Sakura interjected and Sasuke nodded imperceptibly at Sakura. It had been really difficult for Naruto to accept the change in the dynamic of their relationship. Sasuke had sort of become a buffer between the two of them. She hadn't asked him to do it, but he had. The funny thing about the whole thing was that she was slowly discovering that her relationship with Naruto had always been more than just friends who had sex with each other. She truly had loved him, but her relationship with Sasuke had always blinded her to that fact.

"But—"

"Naruto, I haven't even said I would go yet."

"You are going." Sasuke interjected and both Naruto and Sakura spun on him angrily. He paid them no mind as he softly ran a hand over the infant's head. "I want children Sakura." Sakura glanced away. She knew this better than anyone. "And our babysitting fiasco has told me that you want them too."

The 'I want children with you' went unspoken. Everyone, even Batman, knew what he meant. "So you're going. You're either going to end it completely with him or you're going to be with him. Either way I think at this point Naruto and I have the right to know what it is you decide."

"Batman…can we have a moment?" Sakura barely finished the words before the Dark Knight disappeared. Sakura let out a sigh. "My relationship with Clark didn't work out. He ended things, not me."

"That doesn't mean he doesn't regret it." Sasuke's words spoke of an experience most painful and Sakura wanted to wrap her arms around him, but didn't.

"Why do I feel like you're trying to push me back into his arms?"

"Don't be stupid."

Sasuke's words rolled off her back. She was well aware of Sasuke's harsh tongue and didn't bother her nearly as much as it used to. Instead, Sakura glanced at Naruto who was deathly silent. She could feel his pain as if it was her own.

"I'll go…if you both agree to it. Otherwise, this discussion is over. I'm going back to bed. Do you want me to put the baby back to bed?"

Sasuke shook his head negatively and Sakura strolled out the kitchen.

When she reached her bedroom, she softly closed the door behind her and sank into her bed, throwing her body backward and lying eagle spread. She was wrong for what she had just done. She hadn't wanted to make a decision and yet she foisted it off on Naruto and Sasuke knowing the two would never agree to her going back.

She didn't think she could go back to that world. She was too different. There wasn't a way to make her relationship work with Clark. They were literally from two different worlds. Was there even any way that they could combine them?

Sakura opened her eyes the next morning to find Sasuke and Naruto in the bed with her. Her initial reaction was to close her eyes and go back to sleep since this wasn't exactly an unusual scene for her. She didn't because she realized it was unusual for her. It had been roughly three years since she had shared a bed like this with them.

They were on both sides of her making her comfortably warm. Sakura shifted slightly causing Naruto to stir. His big blues opened and immediately looked at her.

"Morning." He murmured. Sakura only smiled and asked, "What's all this? Where's the baby?"

"Tenten dropped by shortly after you went to bed and picked her up."

"I sometimes wonder if she's really Tenten's daughter. She looks nothing like her." Naruto chuckled.

"Sasuke was sad to see her go. He'd never admit it, though."'

"I know." Sakura rolled over onto her side to face Naruto. "You know you shouldn't be here, in bed with me. I'm not ready for this." Naruto sighed and ran a hand across his face.

"I know. Look, the thing is Sakura…we spoke to Kakashi last night about you possibly going back to—"

Sasuke shifted and Sakura felt his arm slide around her waist and pull her closer to him. Sakura's eyes widened. Sasuke didn't…reach for her. Sasuke didn't reach for anyone. Her panicked gaze met Naruto's and he gave her a sardonic smile.

"You may not have noticed, but he's changed a lot since you left."

"I think we all changed a lot."

"…yeah, but you've changed the most."

"Is that a good or a bad thing?"

"It's not bad. Just different."

Sakura frowned suddenly uneasy. Sasuke shifted once more distracting her before groggily saying, "Why didn't the two of you wake me up?"

"Because your early morning grouchiness is contagious." Naruto replied cheekily and Sakura couldn't hold back a snicker. Sasuke pulled away from her and looked at Naruto.

"Have you told her yet?" Naruto shifted uneasily, but didn't speak. "I thought we agreed."

Sakura looked back and forth between Naruto and Sasuke and suddenly realized she needed to sit up as well. "What's going on?"

Naruto sighed. "We agreed."

"You agreed to what?"

"That we were both alright with you returning to…that world."

Color drained from Sakura's face. "You've got to be kidding me."

"We've already cleared it with Kakashi. He told me to tell you he wanted to return with you, but—"

"Wait. Stop. What if I don't want—"

"Sakura," Sasuke interrupted. "You left the decision in our hands. You know how that works."

She knew. A relationship with three people wasn't easy. Making decisions for the good of the family was often a monumental chore. To make things easier on everyone sometimes one of them would pick a person to cast their vote with in order to keep from killing each other and everyone would have to go along with that decision—no exceptions were tolerated. She was the idiot for leaving the decision in their hands.

"You'll go back and help the Bat and after, if you still want to come home…" Sasuke looked at Naruto who nodded and picked up where he left off.

"Then you'll come home and we'll actually rebuild our relationship and not just our friendship…and eventually we'll start the family that we all want."

Sakura silently slipped out of the bed and left the room.

Sasuke and Sakura hadn't said a word to each other since they had decided to send her with Batman. Sasuke returned with her since Kakashi, after she spoke with him, said she was under no circumstances to return alone. Kakashi didn't play games with her safety and she found that she couldn't argue with him.

Batman didn't remark on their silence, but he did take point on their way out of Konoha. The journey was a long one, and difficult given the way they had to travel through worlds, and Sakura found herself weary at the end of it. They arrived in Metropolis at night. For some reason she expected Batman to take them back to Gotham but he didn't.

"Why are we here? Where am I supposed to stay?"

"I made arrangements for you to continue your education in Metropolis."

"Isn't this where Luthor lives?" Sasuke asked, as blunt as ever.

"It is."

Sasuke frowned, but said nothing further. Sakura glanced at him, wondering at his restraint. Batman drew her attention to him. "I'll take your friend to your apartment. You should go to the Planet to see Clark."

"It's late. He doesn't normally—"

Batman cut her off with a look. Sakura frowned, but nodded and headed to the Daily Planet. When she was out of sight Sasuke turned to Batman.

"Did she take pains to stop Luthor from identifying her?"

"If you mean has she been sitting on her ass doing nothing this past year, then the answer to your question is no."

Walking into the Daily Planet after so long seemed odd to Sakura as she hit the button to the elevator that would take her to the floor where Clark was working she felt her heart start to race. She couldn't believe she was actually doing this. How would he take her return? Would they laugh and joke like old friends? Would he send her packing? Would he simply ignore her?

She hated the not knowing.

The doors slid open and Sakura stepped into the elevator and hit the button for the floor. Sakura took a deep breath and made sure her genjutsu was firmly in place. She had worked with Kurenai-sensei for the last year on strengthening her genjutsu and learning how to layer it in order to protect herself. Kurenai had told her she was extremely proficient in it and wondered why she hadn't specialized. It was a question she had no answer to. Actually, she did have an answer for it and the explanation included a lot about Sasuke, but she didn't want to think about that.

The elevator ride was short and all too soon Sakura found herself stepping out of the elevator. Her eyes gazed around her, noting very little had changed. It slightly eased the tension within her. But only slightly because even though some things stayed the same other things changed.