I read a lot of stories where, as a child Sakura, she met Naruto and was standing up for him from everyone. But I thought that such thing was kind of OCC (which doesn't matter since this is fanfic - OCC personality is what makes fanfiction amazing in my opinion) to expect from Sakura. She was pretty shy and a victim of bullying, after all. Therefore, I wanted to write something that didn't have Sakura too strong willed from the start, maintaining her truly shy and insecure personality.

First Meeting

There was a pink haired girl in the playground.

The girl was not alone. She seemed to be surrounded by four other girls; four intimidating girls who were all sort of cute. The pink haired girl was the cutest, though.

Ah, so that's why they were all surrounding her; she's the cutest one so she must be the leader of the group.

'Must be nice,' Naruto thought bitterly, 'to be that popular.'

As he walked past them, however, he realized that his thought was mistaken.

The girls don't seem to be getting along with each other.

...

"Forehead girl!"

"You know, I could probably use your forehead as a target practice!"

Sakura shuddered.

"Haha, what are you talking about, Ami? It will be obviously more than a single target practice; look at the size of it!"

"Of course, what was I thinking. I guess her forehead could probably serve as a target practice for our entire class!"

Laughter. Cruel, cruel laughter.

Tears.

"You're such a crybaby, Sakura!"

"How are you going to become a ninja if you cry all the time?"

Crybaby. Forehead. Civilian. Weak.

More tears.

'I hate this.'

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HER!"

Ami and her friends turned to the source of the voice and immediately sneered when they spotted Uzumaki Naruto, the village pariah. While her friends were busy sneering at Naruto to make him go away, Ami turned to Sakura, reaching down to grab the pink hair in a harsh grip.

"You are friends with that loser now, huh, forehead? No wonder, you really can't do any better -"

Her speech was cut off when she was hit from the behind with a first. Sakura stared, wide eyed, disbelief evident in her eyes.

Someone was...saving her.

"Get your ugly purple hair out of here if you don't want to get my monster germs, you meanie!"

The girls gasped and scrambled away, throwing glares at Sakura and Naruto as they looked back.

"Are you okay?"

"Ah...uh..."

Naruto looked at the girl who still looked frightened even though her bullies were gone. She was probably scared of being in a close proximity with him. He smiled bitterly.

It doesn't matter whether you save them, or be nice to them; they all seem to hate him in the end.

"Well, if you're okay, I'm going to go now."

Sakura saw as the blonde haired boy (Uzumaki Naruto who's that kid that your mom told you not to talk to so run away run away run away) as he turned away from her.

He saved her.

No one saved her before.

(So? It's NARUTO)

Sakura didn't want to make him leave without saying thank you. It was the least she could do after all.

She gulped.

One...one step at a time...wait, no, he's going away - she reached out her right hand to catch his sleeve.

Naruto turned, surprise evident on his face.

"Ah...um...um..."

They stared at one another, both unable to decide what should be the next course of action since they were so very new to this type of situation. Sakura kept on trying to say that she was really thankful because no one helped her before from the bullies, and Naruto wanted to ask what was her name, because he did see her few times around the Academy but he didn't know her full name - and both of them thought (desired, secretly, deep inside their minds), 'would you like to be my friend?'

But Naruto was impatient and jaded from previous rejections, so he automatically assumed the worst as the awkward silence continued since the pink haired girl wasn't saying anything (Sakura, her name is Sakura). So he tried to shrug her hands off of his sleeve. While her grip loosened momentarily, before he could take advantage of his freedom, he found his hand entrapped between another pair of hands.

Maybe, he did not want to leave the play ground after all, no matter how awkward the silence was.

Thinking back, did he ever hold hands with someone?

(Never, Naruto-kun, never.)

"I...I..."

Naruto looked at the girl who looked up from looking at the ground-her green eyes glistening with future tears, lower lip trembling and bitten harshly by her front teeth-and found that she was a picture of frustration.

But wait, her eyes told something other than tears and frustration; it told him that she was grateful.

Gratitude.

When did he ever see that in someone else's eyes as they gazed at him?

(Again, Naruto-kun, never)

He smiled.

"It's okay. You don't have to say it. I get it."

Sakura looked up, startled that he seemed to know what she meant to say without her words. However, as he kept on smiling, she finally broke out into a smile, and gathered up her courage to mouth the words for what she truly wanted to say. Naruto grinned back.

"Say, what's your name? My name is Uzumaki Naruto!"

"H-Haruno Sakura..."

...

As the night approached and streets became darker, Naruto and Sakura laid down on a grassy field near her house. It was time for her to take her leave, and Naruto encouraged it seeing as he could see her tomorrow, but she decided to stay with him a little longer (he looks so lonely...)

"H-Hey, Naruto-kun..."

"Yes, Sakura-chan?"

"Are...are we friends?"

Naruto's heart thumped.

Friend.

I have one now?

He grinned, and if his eyes were a little redder, and if his eyes burned a little bit, then he resolutely ignored it.

"Of course, Sakura-chan, I thought that was obvious!"

Sakura smiled shyly and Naruto's heartbeat became a little faster. She grinned. That was a yes, right?

"But...I...I never had a friend before..."

Naruto smiled.

"Me too, Sakura-chan."

Sakura twiddled with her thumb while looking above at the stars.

"S-so, then, what do friends do?"

He thought, well, I just told you that I never had a friend before so how would I know?

But then he thought a little deeper. Friend. What kind of friend did he always want to have?

Friend...

"Sakura-chan."

"H-hmm?"

"Don't ever let go of my hand."

Don't ever let go of me.

Sakura understood. She reached to her side and gathered his hand, being careful to keep her touch light. She smiled.

"You too, Naruto-kun."

"I won't. It's a promise of a lifetime."

Solidifying bond

"Haruno Sakura! Why did you bring that thing to your home?"

Naruto thought, well, he had to have seen this coming. And really, he did.

But knowing that it will happen didn't make the pain any less sharper.

Sakura looked at her mother with fearful eyes.

It has been a long time since Sakura and Naruto became friends. They've become inseparable, never letting go of each other's hands, which spread some nasty rumors flowing around them. They said that Naruto's demon fox has seduced the innocent girl, or that she was being blackmailed, or that they fell in love with one another since foxes liked big foreheads and big foreheads liked foxes (stupidity, really).

But anyways, since they've become so close, Sakura thought, why not, she will invite Naruto over to her house. After all, when she told her parents about Naruto all those months ago, they never seemed to care - "Sakura, honey, can't you see that your parents are busy? You can tell us later, whatever it is" - so what was the problem?

Apparently, there was a lot.

She looked at her mom fearfully, her eyes once again becoming teary (once a crybaby will always be a crybaby), while never letting go of Naruto's hand.

"If you do not let go of that thing right at this moment, I will have you out of this house."

Her dad; always the calm and intimidating one.

Naruto tried to let go of Sakura's hand but she held onto his, her grip becoming almost too painful.

"Sakura-chan, you have to let go-"

Sakura turned her head to gaze at Naruto. Her eyes still teary, her lips still trembling - her entire form trembling, really - but one thing that Naruto noticed was her hand. Or, the fact that her hand did not let go of his even when she was frightened and trembling in front of her parents.

The grip tightened.

"Saku-"

She shook her head, quickly and tiny enough to only be seen as a slight jerk of movement, but the message could not have been clearer to Naruto.

I'm not leaving you.

Naruto thought he might cry.

"HARUNO SAKURA!"

Her dad screamed. Sakura started sobbing and crying uncontrollably, while Naruto tried to shield her as best as he could with his equally tiny frame.

She cried, and cried, and sobbed, and sobbed.

She was scared. Terrified.

What if they abandon her because of it? What if they hate her forever?

Would she then regret her decision?

At the privacy of her mind, she proclaimed that she will never regret holding on to Naruto's hand.

Not even if she was truly kicked out from her house.

"THAT IS IT!"

Sakura's dad grabbed both of the children by their shoulders, one still crying while the other was struggling against the adult's larger frame, and dumped them outside their front door and slammed it shut.

"Don't you dare try and return without getting rid of it."

...

As the pair walked aimlessly down the streets, Sakura kept on crying while never letting go of Naruto's hand. She cried because really, she was a student at the Ninja Academy for goodness sake. But because she is a stupid and a coward, she couldn't even stand up to her parents to tell them that Naruto was the most wonderful, the most kind person that she has ever met. That she would have been in a state of misery if not for him. That he was quickly becoming one of the most important person in her life.

But she couldn't say any of it and because of it, now she was out in the freezing cold with no roof over her head and no way of making an income, because she could not speak up against her parents to change their minds and help them realize true Naruto.

Maybe she shouldn't become a ninja after all.

"You should have let go of my hands, Sakura-chan."

Even with tears still streaming down her face, Sakura turned to face Naruto, who stopped walking and was looking at the ground while his lips were bleeding from how hard he bit them. He looked up at her and she flinched because she has never seen Naruto-kun angry at her, and he looked very scary.

"Are you an idiot? You should have just let go of my hand! Now you don't even have a house!"

Sakura flinched once more.

"If all you can do is cry, you should go back home!"

Naruto tried to tug his hand out of her grip but even as she flinched, she did not let go of his hand. If anything, her grip became tighter.

This situation, Naruto thought, seems a little too familiar.

"Let go, Sakura-chan."

"N-hiccup-no."

Naruto furrowed his brows.

"I told you, you have to let go of my hands and go home-"

Sakura glared at him.

"I am not letting go of your hand."

"But why the hell not!"

"Because you told me that's what friends do!"

Silence.

"What...?"

A fresh batch of tears made towards her eyes (seriously, can she ever stop crying).

"Because, because, you told me that's what friends do. They never let go of each others' hands. They're always there for one another. They don't let go of one another. Well - hiccup - you are my friend, my first friend, my best friend, so I'm not letting go of you. I will never let go of you."

Naruto looked angry again.

"What if I don't want to become friends with a crybaby?"

Sakura looked up, betrayed and hurt that he brought up her weakness. Naruto looked at the hurt and wanted to punch himself for it, but decided that if this is what it takes to make her leave, then he will beat himself up thoroughly later.

"Yeah, I don't wanna be friends with a crybaby like you anymore! Always crying, whether you lose or win, and you're so weak, and I'm sick of it! I can't be a Hokage with such a weak friend! So let go of my hand and leave -"

"Don't lie."

He clenched his fist.

"I'm not lying!"

Sakura looked at him sadly, with understanding in her eyes.

"Naruto-kun, you're crying."

He blinked and felt that yes, there were water in his eyes and no, it was not raining tonight. So now he's a crybaby too. Fantastic.

"If you really wanted to stop being friends with me, I would leave. But if you are saying that because you want me to go back to my parents' house, I won't do it."

Naruto looked up and met his eyes with Sakura's determined ones.

"I'm not letting go of you."

Watery smiles exchanged, tears stopped, bonds stronger more than ever, they decided to choose their next course of action.

"Sa-sakura-chan...uh...do...do you wanna stay at my place?"

Future

"Naruto-kun, you should wake up-"

An arm grabbed her waist and she yelped as it dragged her on the bed. She giggled, putting up the pretense that she wanted to escape from his warm hold.

"I don't need to go to the office today."

Sakura giggled.

"Don't lie; I know that there's a council meeting today."

Naruto pouted even as a smile spread on his face.

"But, Sakura-chan..."

"No, Hokage-sama. You have to go to the office."

He hugged her while she wrapped her arms around his body. Drinking in her scent, he replied.

"Will you hold my hand while I get to the office?"

She smacked him in the head lightly.

"Really, you aren't 5 anymore, Naruto-kun! You really should start going to the office by yourself!"

He grinned.

Later, a pair of hands could be seen - one larger, tanned and calloused, while the other was petite, pale and soft - joined and making their way to the direction of the Hokage Tower.

People of Konoha smiled at the familiar sight.

It was just their Hokage and his lovely wife, holding hands again.