Sorry I have to do this, but there's something I want everyone to be aware of before I begin. These drabbles are simultaneously stand-alone stories and parts of a story arc, alternating between Sakura and Naruto's point of view. These "chapters" will be very short, but I'm asking you to put a little faith in me. I won't let you down.
Fidelity
Sakura: Status Quo
After a hard day of work, Sakura could be found in one of two places.
The first was at her family's house. Even at the age of eighteen, she lived with her parents. She simply didn't find it practical to pay for an apartment in which she would spend only a few hours a day, if that.
The second was Uzumaki Naruto's apartment. Aside from her own home, it was the only place where she felt she could enter unannounced. A few months ago, Naruto had even given her a spare key in case she somehow managed to get locked out of her own house.
Today was one such day. Sakura left the key to her home in her locker at the hospital. Fortunately, she kept the one to Naruto's apartment on a chain around her neck. This raised a few eyebrows, but she waved away people's curiosity by explaining that it was a back-up plan, and by nature back-up plans should be pretty sure-fire.
While Sakura really wanted to trudge into her own house and drink a cup of her mother's strong tea, she was forced to crash at her best friend's place instead. When she arrived, the door was (predictably) unlocked, even though the tenant wasn't home. She entered and went straight to the refrigerator. Seeing nothing that sparked her interest, she got a glass of water and made a bee-line for the comfortable couch near the front door.
She and Naruto bought the couch about a year ago. The sight of them buying furniture together had resulted in quite a few rumors, but Sakura felt obligated to help pay for something in the apartment, since she spent so much time there. She sank into the couch and made plans not to move until it was absolutely necessary. If she fell asleep, she knew from experience that she would wake up the next morning tucked in a blanket that wasn't there before.
Sakura had finished her glass of water and had begun to doze off when Naruto returned. She curled her legs up so that he could share the couch with her, which he did gratefully.
"Tough day?" He asked tiredly, taking off his jacket. Sakura gave him a ghost of a smile.
"Looks like you had worse," she said. She rested her chin on her knees. "Tell me about it."
"It was boring. I could've used someone to talk to," he replied, eyes closed.
"Same," Sakura paused. "A training mission must have gone wrong, because we had a lot of genin in today." She stopped, thinking that Naruto had drifted off. A moment later, he spoke again.
"Anyone I know?"
Naruto asked her that question often. Fortunately, Sakura rarely had to say yes, but when she did, Naruto would be in the next day to visit. "I don't think so. I hardly recognize any of the younger ones anymore."
Naruto looked at her with one eye open and smirked. "We're getting old, huh?"
A/N: Uber-thanks go to Suzie "The Sex" Q for beta-ing and hanging out in my dorm room while I tried to tweak this little number. And you, dear reader, your comments are both welcome and appreciated.
