When the Cycle Begins
"Damn it of all…!" Sakura hissed behind her teeth as the sharp stings returned.
She cursed with every colourful word she could come up of in her chaotic mind. Yes; she's counted those days very accurately, as expected from Tsunade's apprentice. However, she couldn't resist the temptations of frosty foods in the steaming summer, which Konoha's never out of stock, and chomped down watermelon from the fridge, ice-cream and iced drinks, no matter how well she knew what pain she'll be facing off. She's conscious of her body figure and weight, but out of all, she's forgotten about it.
What a great deal for her to be in this place on THIS VERY particular day to her! First off, she's supposed to have a mission with her teammates to the Land of Wave, so she could go to visit Tazuna and Inari after escorting the VIP to his departing ship. Next on the list is to go shopping with Ino for the latest summer suits for all kunoichis. Last but not least, and this meant "the GREATEST importance" to a person to her life, was to go on a date with her the-closest-at-the-moment teammate, Uzumaki Naruto.
Thinking of him, his unique features among all people surfaced in Sakura's mind. The most charming pair of azure eyes was embedded deep in his lean whiskered face. With his branded toothy wide grin like a fox below the sparkling windows-to-the-soul, whoever and whenever saw it would feel so secured. When there's a gentle breeze, his blonde spiky locks and those long tails of his Konoha headband swayed to and fro. Beneath his eye-catching long-sleeved black-and-orange jacket and long orange pants, Sakura's male friends swore it's the most gorgeous body and steely muscles-of-pride. Besides all that features, most importantly was that he's the Yondaime Hokage's son. Comparing to all other boys she's known throughout Konoha, he has better qualities.
No matter how sweet he was, this was also the part that hurt Sakura the most. For years he's claimed how much he's loved her, yet again and again, she denied him. What's worse was that she fell for the one, who betrayed all of them, Uchiha Sasuke, for no special reasons but because he's an Uchiha genius and he's just cool; that's all. Even it's always futile, she still asked to go out with him and he refused her proposals, saying oh-so-harshly that she's so troublesome. It's really heartbreaking to hear that. Right now, her heart's in a battle when it came to this sensitive topic. Total confused, she had no idea of choosing who as the trusted partner of the remaining of her life…
"Sakura…!" Sakura realized someone's at the door. She stood up from her chair, grabbed her water bag from the table and stumbled for the door in pain. It's just Ino.
"I'm so sorry, Pig." Sakura said as her best friend helped her carefully to her bed. "I think I can't go out with you for some shopping. This period's killing me to death…"
"I understand, Sakura." Ino smiled understandingly. "Don't you need some help? I've got time until six. Maybe you'd like some company for the rest of your sorry day."
"If you offer to help…" Sakura grinned. "I'd like some ginger tea to deal with it."
Ino pulled long faces, "You really know how to order people around, Forehead."
Sakura laughed until the pain returned. "Just a joke…maybe you can boil water."
"I think I'd better find some professional help…" Ino muttered with a headache.
Sakura grinned. Ino's an empty vase who knew nothing about any housework, despite her beautiful looks of knowledge in some very particular fields, such as herbs. Sometimes, she requested D-rank missions for somebody to tidy up her messy house.
"I'm back!" Ino returned in a couple of minutes with another person behind her. Blonde spiky locks, charming azure eyes in a whiskered face…that's Uzumaki Naruto!
"Hiya, Sakura-chan!" His childish baritone mature voice drummed Sakura's ears, and it made her shivered at the pleasant feeling at his voice. "I heard from Ino of you. How are you? Are you feeling better now?" He pulled a chair and sat next to her bed.
"I could have been better. Thanks." She replied with a smile. "I'm sorry about it, Naruto. We're supposed to go for our date, yet of this troublesome cycle, I can't g…"
"Nonsense," Naruto said with a slight frown. "It's your health I'm conscious of, Sakura-chan. The date can be postponed till you're lively and kicking around. For now, you'd better stay in bed and I'll handle the rest." He gave a bright grin and went away.
"Thank you…but Ino's…?" Sakura asked. She had a feeling that the blonde's left.
"Humph! She slipped out of the house when your FULL attention's just on me." Naruto said from the other room; probably the kitchen as Sakura heard the gas stove.
Minutes later, Naruto returned to refill the water bag with newly boiled water, and gave her a warm cup of ginger tea as well, tasting just right for her. Most instantly, it soothed her pains and she started to feel better with energy returning to her body. After checking her almost-empty fridge, he went to the market to do a few shopping. In just shortly fifteen minutes, Sakura could smell a pot of bubbling water with pasta, sweet and sour sauce made from the freshly-bought tomatoes and slightly-burnt beef. Last but not the least, the rich smell of the French Onion Soup reached to her nostrils. Her eyes were popping out of sockets when Naruto had a tray of divine meal in hand.
"I can't believe you're doing these…" Sakura never forgets Naruto's living alone, and the Ramen Devourer loves nothing besides ramen. These would change her mind: neat and quick housekeeping, properly-done housework and heavenly-made meals…
"Astonished, aren't we?" Naruto formed a crooked smile as he chuckled lightly, "I can't just live on RAMEN if I have to stand on my ground as fit as a fiddle every day. If I don't do my own housework, I'll be living in a filthy landfill and smell pretty awful! Besides, going on the years training trip with Ero-Senin really did a lot of good to me."
"Your training's awesome!" Sakura exclaimed as she took a forkful of spaghetti. Surprisingly, the tomato sauce was so appetizing and the pasta was cooked just right. It's not just beef matched great with tomato sauce, but he's chosen flank for less fat, minced them for easy digestion and this cheap cut has iron; economical and healthy. She wolfed down the food as she heard Naruto talked and ranted about the trainings.
"Thanks for the nice meal, Naruto…" Sakura hesitated and whispered, "…kun…"
"Huh…?" Naruto's started on enhancing his hearing and scent taught by Kyuubi. It's not query for him to hear her last pronunciation, but it shocked him for the suffix. There he stood by her bed, with the tray for dirty dishes and empty cup in his hands. She hung her head down with great shame for her thoughts and got nervous with it.
Sakura ushered all of her courage and force to push any unnecessary thoughts. With now a determined heart, she yanked the sleeve of his jacket, gripping it tightly. He showed neither emotion nor movement since the shock, nailed down as a statue.
"Forgive me for hurting you so much, Naruto-kun…" A lump stuck in her throat. "I know I'm a bitch, always punching and beating pulps out of you for minor reasons. What's more, I'm blinded with…that traitor's meteor that your Sun never shines out." Tears started to fall from her eyes. "It may be a bit late, but I want you to accept it…" She rubbed her eyes and looked into his widened eyes like sapphires. "I LOVE YOU!!"
He stood and said nothing for seconds, working his brain out of what she said. After that, he made a Shadow Clone to bring the dishes to the kitchen to be washed. Sakura watched him sat on the chair and in a few minutes of silence they remained, with just the running tap in the kitchen that the clone's doing the washing by himself.
"For all of my life in solitude, I've been longing for those three words from you, Sakura-chan." Naruto murmured so quietly that Sakura nearly missed most of them. "I did the best…I trained like hell…but your eyes never fall on me. I was heartbroken. When you said the words, it's like in Heaven; nevertheless, it's a great shock to me…" He chuckled lightly. Sakura swore that she saw two twinkling drops fell from his eyes.
"Naruto-kun…" Sakura voiced out, but with a swift move, he's captured her lips. Sakura's shocked indeed, yet in a second they synchronized perfectly like professors. Those lips…were nothing she's ever sensed before: soft and sweet like marshmallow, yet cracked and dry like barren land; gentle and light like a dragonfly's flapping wings, but demanding and harsh like a hungry fox pursuing its preys in its area of detection. His tongue started to lick off the sauce from her lips, as well as memorizing her taste. With his canine, he nipped and tucked her lower lip gently. She let out a silent gasp, and his accomplished his target. His wet tongue intruded in her mouth and explored, drank her quenching saliva and licked everywhere, imprinting the places in his heart.
'So,' Sakura thought with the cutest blush Naruto's ever seen on her lovely face. 'He's really in truth…my Prince of Charm…the one I'm destined to be with as whole…'
"Would you like me to stay with you for tonight?" He tugged her in her sheets.
"With pleasure…" She replied with a soft smile and made some spaces for him. In his firm grip, she snuggled in his broad warm chest, breathing in his unique scent. He took a strand of her natural-born pink hair, playfully twisting it in his long fingers. Done with it, he tucked it to the back of her ear, showing her beautiful seraphic face. Feeling his deep even undulation, Sakura soon felt worn out and curled up to sleep…