Once upon a time, in a village hidden within the leaves, there was a king. He was a high and mighty king and perhaps one of the nicest young men you could meet. His name was Minato Uzumaki. Minato was a great king, perhaps the best of the three kings before him.
But perhaps, someone even greater was the queen. Queen Kushina was a lovely, breathtaking sight. She treated everyone as kindly as possible. The queen was deeply in love with the king and wanted to spend her whole life with him. She promised this on their wedding day, which he admitted he too felt that way.
You might think, this is their story, yes? If you thought that, you thought very wrong. This story is about their beautiful baby boy. He was "a gift from the gods" and "an angel" if the housemaids didn't exclaim enough. He had a large amount of blond hair spiked on his little head and whiskers painted especially to fit the cute curves of his face. They would lift when he smiled, which was almost all the time. He smiled when you smiled at him, giggled when you touched his face, and exploded in fits of laughter if he were lucky enough to be picked up. Even when he was hurt, he never did cry. In fact, the infant was so well behaved, they showed him gladly off to the village.
But as we all know, in these kinds of stories, there is always a nice young princess whom would marry this young prince and someday take the throne as queen. That girl was born on the day March 28th to a mid-royal family known as the Haruno clan. The king and queen were very good friends with these people and were on their way to celebrating the birth of the new Haruno child.
"Yes, she is beautiful… Yes! She will be the one my son marries!" The king shouted. His son was now five months in age.
"And what is her name?" Queen Kushina asked in her normal peaceful kind voice.
"Sakura. Haruno Sakura." Mrs. Haruno replied happily.
"Perfect…" Minato sighed and picked the child up in his arms.
That is only once upon a time though. Once upon another time, Minato's son was now five. He had, as planned, taken quite the liking to the young Haruno daughter. But they were only five. Minato was playing with his son on the night of this terrible accident. The boy was a troublemaker more than a prince and very, very energetic. The two were wrestling around their rather large den because, even though they were royalty, they still loved being rowdy. Minato sat up after successfully letting his son pin him down and sighed. "Hey, daddy, guess what!" The boy bounced. Minato, and everyone for that matter, couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm.
"What, runt?" The king asked.
"Someone at school gave me brownies!" He beamed, showing a toothy grin, also revealing chunks of the chocolate dessert.
"Is that why you're so hyper then?" The king grinned at his mischievous little boy.
"You want one?" The boy asked, suddenly feeling generous.
Minato was not one that devoured chocolate, had been, but wasn't now. But he was not one to turn dessert down either. "Sure, runt." He took one bite and winced. It was not a breathtaking brownie that housemaids were known for; it was more like death by chocolate.
His son seemed to take note of the undesirable face and said, "Yeah, they were better at lunch, but now they're brownie pudding!" Minato nearly hurled, but did not worry too much. His son had eaten plenty and was taking it fine. The king was supposed to be in control of everything, including his immune system.
But sometimes there are rebellions in the kingdom. Only a few days after eating those disastrous brownies (which had later been found as poisonous), Minato and his son were very, very ill. They were so sick, not even the finest doctors could help them. Kushina, whenever she got the chance, was by her husband's bedside. The young prince, though having eaten more, was showing more hope than his father. "Daddy…" the prince whispered. "I'm sorry…" Minato turned to the boy and smiled.
"It's… okay. Just… don't eat anymore of those… brownies…" Kushina was there as well, listening. She had heard before about the incident at school and only felt another wave a sorrow come over her. But anger and rage built as she saw her husband close his eyes, and not just for sleep.
As the tears let loose, so did her rage. And the young prince was the only one in the room to let it out on. "You! You MONSTER! You did this! You killed him! You don't deserve to be prince!" She screamed at the five year old. Before he could do anything, the boy was stripped of his title and sent to the poorest part of the village, cold and ill.
Now you would think the boy died because he was sick and had no food or water, but you would be wrong yet again. Once upon the same time, there was a housemaid of the queen named Tsunade. Her husband was a farmer named Jiraiya. Tsunade was on her way home from work when she saw a little boy sleeping in the streets. Being a queensmaid as she was, she recognized the boy right away as the prince and brought him home. She healed his wounds and let him eat until he could barely move. Tsunade tucked him into the guest bedroom. "Old lady…" the boy called hoarsely. She looked at him and waited. "Thank you…"
Tsunade smiled and said, "You're welcome." She left the room after that.
It was five thirty, a normal time for the farmers to be up, but Tsunade was shocked at how much energy the ex-prince had. "Old lady!" He smiled. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I want you to be my baa-chan. You are the nicest old lady I ever met, and I want to stay here on the farm." The boy stated, trying to sound high and mighty, while at the same time begging for acceptance.
Naturally, Tsunade was a nice kindhearted "old lady" and would help Naruto, but she couldn't afford another mouth to feed, her husband being as big a pig as he was. "I'll work really hard. I promise! In fact, if you just show me how to do stuff once, I could do everything for you guys! You can just sleep all day! I promise. Please…" Naruto had lost his high and mighty act and settled for just begging.
Tsunade thought the problem to be kind of small. If he turned out to be a real hard worker, it could be too easy to supply food. Plus it would take some stress off Jiraiya. "Alright, kid, you're on probation." She was rewarded with an unexpected tight hug.
"Thank you, baa-chan!" He had already come to using the nickname. She knew he planned on staying for a while.
Now, our plot takes its place here. It is a different time and the village of Konoha is in a peaceful situation. Kushina had retired from the throne and basically disappeared. Naruto had proven himself to Tsunade and was granted permission to stay. Nope, there was nothing wrong in their worlds. Except for fate.
"Naruto!" Jiraiya called up the stairs.
Today was Naruto's "morning off," and no matter what, Tsunade made sure he didn't do any chores. "Yeah, Ero-sennin!" Naruto jumped downstairs.
"I need you to deliver the wheat to the market." Jiraiya handed him a bag.
"Not so fast, you know perfectly well you aren't supposed to be doing work." Tsunade took the bag.
"Aww, but that kills me, baa-chan. I just want to help." Naruto begged. He had grown into a rather odd young man. Here he was complaining because he didn't have work.
"Ugh… you're a strange boy, Naruto. Fine you can deliver the wheat." Tsunade rolled her eyes. Her first child: nice, not too shabby, is hardworking, befriends everyone he sees, a success.
"Thanks, baa-chan. And I'm not going to ask for any money." Naruto smiled.
"But we're gonna give you some anyway. If you ever want to buy that house, you gotta be asking for some cash. We won't be keeping you forever." Jiraiya lectured, again.
"Fine… I just don't feel comfortable taking from family."
"Get going, or we'll give you more." Tsunade snapped.
Naruto walked through the village whistling the tune of his favorite song, bag of wheat in his hands. He halted suddenly when he ran into a girl. She was wearing a gray hoodie, short denim shorts, and sunglasses. He shouldn't have recognized her; it had been so long. "Sakura?" He asked. She clasped her hand over his mouth.
"Shhh! Yeah I'm princess Sakura, but I'm not supposed to be here. Now, unless you want to be executed, I would keep my yap shut and keep walking." She dusted herself off.
He extended his arm to help her up. "Why are you in hiding?"
She refused his hand and stood up saying, "Not so much hiding as I am running away from."
"Well, what are you running away from?" Naruto stood there watching her. She had become a mean one.
"Can you keep a secret?" She hissed, carefully putting her disguise back on.
Naruto smiled to himself, "I dunno… can the biggest blabbermouth in the kingdom of Konoha keep a secret?" That was what his mother would answer with whenever Sakura asked him that. They were five, so she probably didn't remember.
"Haha. You know that's so familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?" She twisted her head up to his direction.
He chuckled. "You can say that, but it's been awhile." She stared at him dumbstruck. He was acting completely casual… in front of the fricken princess?
"Well, you know me. What's your name?" She trotted to keep up with him.
"That doesn't matter. So what's your big secret?" He looked down at her, still walking.
"Well, I'm having problems with the heir to the throne. In fact, I'm trying to escape my engagement plans." She mumbled.
"What about him?" He asked, getting interested in talking about his replacement.
"Well, he's a jackass first off. He has no personality other than being a complete pervert. He constantly yells at his servants for no reason. The list goes on…" She sighed. "Now you have to tell me something about yourself.
Naruto laughed. "I can't really talk to you. Besides, why would a princess care anything about a low farm boy?"
"Oh, please. You have to tell me something! You know my deepest darkest secret! Not even my best friends know I hate him. What's your name?"
"I told you it didn't matter. Now I have to go. I have to deliver this before nightfall so I can raise money to buy a house. There, you have some information on me." He just kept walking, despite her constant complaints.
"I'm a royal official, goddamn it!" She shouted before groaning loudly.
Naruto entered the house. "Honey, I'm home!" He called into the living room.
"Give me the receipt." Tsunade held out her hand.
"Gosh, I didn't take too much." Naruto rolled his eyes.
"I know that. I'm afraid you took too little. That's your problem. You're too selfless."
He shrugged. "I see no reason to take money from family."
"Oh god, not that lecture again…" Tsunade rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Naruto? That you?" Jiraiya called downstairs.
"Yeah, Ero-sennin!" Naruto called back.
"Bout time. What took you so long?" Jiraiya appeared.
"You're gonna love this. I ran into a girl." Naruto smiled.
"Oh really? What's her name? Did you get a date? Anything?" Jiraiya was in perv-mode now. There was no controlling what he said.
"Nah, it was Sakura. Heh, she didn't recognize me. Apparently she is having problems
with my replacement."
"Oh really? Well, I'll be darned. They already found someone else. Poor boy, I'd kill that man for stealing my woman."
"Jiraiya…" Tsunade warned.
"It was a compliment." He rolled his eyes.
"Don't give him any ideas. He looks up to you." Tsunade snapped.
Jiraiya grumbled. It was his morning off and he had to get up early, all because some
idiot didn't know when to go away. The stranger knocked again. "What…" He said grouchily. But he quickly straightened up once noting who it was. "Oh, my apologies, Sakura-san." He nodded.
She raised an eyebrow. "Uhmm, no, I didn't know you were sleeping. I guess I have the wrong address. Do you know where Naruto lives?" Sakura asked in her high society polite voice.
"No, this is it. I'm Jiraiya his fatherly figure. The boy should be out back doing his chores." Jiraiya nodded.
Sakura nodded. "Thank you, again, my apologies for waking you."
Jiraiya waved her off. "It's fine."
Naruto was not into surprises, especially ones that could send him to prison. "Naruto!" She ran up to him. Naruto smiled a bit while silently cursing himself for even talking to her. She was panting when she arrived. "Do you plow these fields every morning?"
"Pretty much." He shrugged. "Right now my mind is playing tricks on me because I apparently see Princess Sakura right here." Sakura rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, I'm really here. I was going to ask about… Well you know how I told you about my engagement plans? Have you told anyone?" She asked
Naruto sighed. She seemed to have to force herself to be nice. "No, I haven't. What happened to you, Sakura-chan?" He found himself asking.
"What do you mean?" She asked, a bit confused.
"Uhmm… never mind." He shook his head.
"Well, also, my father heard that I had been talking with you and he wants to meet you… like tomorrow…" Sakura said.
"Yeah, well I sort of can't come." Naruto said. "Personal reasons."
"Well, he really wouldn't care about that. He would take your land so to have his way."
Naruto could never let that happen. He sighed, "Fine…"
Sakura looked at the plow he was leaning on. "Can I help out around here?"
"What? I can't let the princess do farm work." He chuckled.
"Whatever. Give me something to do." She rolled her eyes.
"Well, lets see. You can count the eggs, or maybe you could stack the hay."
"No way! Just because I'm the princess, doesn't mean I'm afraid to get dirty." She snapped. She looked around. "I want to plow the fields."
"What?"
"You heard me."
"You can't push this thing. If it doesn't look heavy enough, it weighs more than you think. I don't want to be responsible for injuring anybody." He shook his head solemnly.
"I'll be fine. I can do it if you can do it." She moved him out of the way and situated herself with the plow. She pushed it, imitating his simple manner. It didn't budge. She pushed a little harder. Nothing happened. Sakura bit her lip and pushed as hard as she could. Again, the plow refused to move. Suddenly it began to travel, and she had to trot to keep up with it.
She looked up, and Naruto was pushing it. "Told you." He smiled. She groaned and pushed her way out from between the two forces. She plopped onto a pile of hay and crossed her arms. Soon after he sat down beside her. "You still want to help?"
Sakura scowled at him. Being stubborn never had helped her in life. "Do you have any horses in that stable?"
He nodded. "Yep. You wanna help in there?"
"Give me the hardest job you know of." She ordered.
He smirked. "I'll give you my least favorite, but you have to remember you signed up for this."
"What? Can't handle it? Bring it on."
"I'm not gonna get arrested for this am I?" He joked.
"Just tell me what it is." She smiled evilly.
He was definitely playing games with her. "You wanna quit; you can." He called. She ignored him and stuck her shovel into the pasture's dirt. When she pulled it out she cringed at the smell of horse manure.
"That little…" She became a sailor under her breath. Sakura couldn't give up, couldn't let him get the better of her. Suddenly he was there shoveling the dung up as well. "What do you think you're doing?" She shouted.
"Helping. I have to finish all my chores in order to get supper. At your speeds, I'll starve to death." And he began shoveling at least five times faster than her.
Sakura sighed and walked inside and lay down on the couch.
Naruto came in half an hour later. "Naruto," Tsunade whispered, "she fell asleep. Why don't you take her home?" Naruto looked at her sleeping.
"It's sad, baa-chan. She became a mean one." Naruto sighed.
"I'm not surprised, but you shouldn't judge her."
"You're right, as always." He smiled at his "grandma" and picked the girl up. "No wonder she nearly killed herself with that plow; she doesn't weigh an ounce." He laughed quietly.
Naruto reached the gates and gently woke her up. She fluttered her eyes open. "What the fuck!" She said and nearly jumped out of his arms. "What the hell are you doing? Who do you think you are?" She shouted.
"Shhh. You fell asleep, and I brought you home. I'll see you tomorrow." He set her down on her wobbly legs and jumped into the air. She would've been shouting after him if it weren't for the fact that she hadn't seen anyone do that before. Naruto on the other hand was just sad. She really had become mean.
"Dude, I can't believe you actually have to go to the castle. Again!" Kiba laughed.
"Who knew the kid could have a chance with the princess?" Temari lay back on the couch.
"It's troublesome…" Shikamaru sighed and lay back in his La-Z-Boy recliner.
"This is just awesome! I know someone who is friends with royalty!" Ten-Ten beamed.
"Hello?" Naruto raised an eyebrow and pointed to himself.
"Ugh, current royalty!" Ten-Ten rolled her eyes.
"Well, you don't want to be late, now." Kiba patted his back twice and grinned. "Tell that Hyuuga girl I said hi." Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I've talked with her before. I'll tell you later the whole thing."
So Naruto left. He was going to meet Sakura's new friends. He remembered she didn't have too many when she was a child. It had something to do with her forehead.
"Sakura, why are you pacing?" Ino asked. "Sit down. Tell us a little more about this guy you met."
"Well… his name is Naruto-" She was cut off.
"What? Naruto?" Ino broke in.
"N-n-Naruto-kun… is coming…"
"Oh my god he was like my best friend… until I met you Sakura… Heh, I asked him to marry me when we were little kids, but he said his dad had already chosen his wife." Ino and Hinata both looked at Sakura and giggled.
"Never fear. Naruto is here." He opened the door and struck a pose.
"No way! Oh my god that isn't!" Ino cheered. "Hinata look! It's…"
"Ino? What are you doing here? And Hinata? Sakura, you didn't tell me I knew your friends."
"I wasn't informed either…" Sakura mumbled.
"Onto different matters! Naruto, wow! How'd you get rid of that baby fat? I mean you were cute back then, but now you're just hot!" Ino rambled.
"Uh, thanks, Ino? Hinata, why aren't you talking? I know you don't talk much, but you talked more than that last time I was here." Naruto smiled. "I just can't believe you guys recognize me."
"Am I missing something?" Sakura asked, dumbfounded.
"Yeah, but I kind of can't talk about it… well, you ladies have fun. I have to drink with the king. Champaign and wine, so if I return, I could be a bit intoxicated."
"Figures." Hinata muttered softly.
"Finally, you talk to me. See you ladies later."
"Oh my god, Sakura, your dad is going to have a heart attack!"
The king was not very amused by the guardians of this strange man. Why would Sakura even bother talking to this guy? Tsunade smiled, knowing what he was thinking. "I'm sure you will love our boy. It might seem like bragging, but he is one of the most hardworking nicest young men you could find."
There was no more to be said when Naruto entered. He didn't say anything, didn't need to. "Son of a…" Queen Haruno whispered. King Haruno began choking on his drink.
"Whoa, are you okay?" Naruto asked, wide eyed with concern. "I know it's been awhile, but I didn't choke when I ran into Sakura." Naruto chuckled. "Pardon my poor manners, by the way."
The king was astonished. Here in front of him was the rightful heir to the throne and the real one that was supposed to marry his daughter. "Well, well, well, Naruto Uzumaki. I never thought I would see you again." The Queen found her voice finally.
"Lady Haruno-sama, such a pleasure to see you too. I haven't heard from you guys. I know I'm dead, but that doesn't mean you can't keep in touch." He joked.
"Does Sakura know you're here?" The king croaked.
"She knows I'm here, but she doesn't know who I really am." Naruto shrugged.
"Well, you are the legal heir… if you marry Sakura you can claim that right." The man had heard of the complaints on the newer heir and knew Sakura would just love to marry Naruto.
"Yeah… there's a problem with that. You see, I don't believe in this whole arranged marriage thing. It may sound crazy, but I believe in the whole true love thing…" Naruto laughed nervously.
"Oh, well I guess not. Sorry about that."
"No it's fi-"
"NO!" Sakura barged into the room. "NO! I want to make him fall in love with me!"
"What the…" The four elders blinked.
Sakura strolled over to Naruto and planted a long one on him. "Naruto, please. Give me a chance…" He was speechless; his mouth was hanging open unconsciously.
"Uhmm… King Haruno-sama… does this count as me telling her? I really don't want to die today…" His eyes were focused, begging, on her father.
"No Naruto, I believe it doesn't. Sakura, what the hell are you thinking?"
"Daddy, you said he was the rightful heir of the throne. Don't you want to keep your power? I'm the only way to that. We have to do whatever it takes to make him love me."
She whispered. Sakura knew her father was more than the slightest bit power-hungry, and he would do the slightest to keep himself on the top.
"Okay… well, I think we have talked enough. Dismissed." The king clapped his hands together.
Sakura began walking back up the long stairwell with Naruto. "Well, now you know about me, but why were you listening?" He sighed.
"I dunno… I was curious. But what happened? Why were you gone from the castle?" She asked.
"You know that disease that I supposedly died from?" She nodded. "Well, it came from these brownies that I brought home from school one day. It only killed my dad, and my mom… she thought it was my fault, though I knew she didn't really. She was so upset that she kicked me out. I lived on the farm from then on. When I ran into you I couldn't help but be disappointed."
"Why? Weren't we like best friends or something?"
"Yeah, but you had promised-" He got cut off.
"Hello." A deep mysterious voice said.
"Uchiha." Sakura spat.
"What's my bitch doing with an old farm boy?" He asked.
"We are having a friendly conversation. Though, I wouldn't expect you to know anything about that."
"Oh I know plenty when it comes to the bed. No words necessary."
"Jackass."
"Slut."
"Dickhead."
"Whore."
"Get out of our way, dipshit!"
"Or else what?"
"Or else, I'll knock your face in!" Sakura made a fist and slammed it into his gut. Sasuke winced and recoiled backwards.
"Hey, Sasuke, how's it going?" Naruto asked.
"Oh not bad, excepting the fact that I just got attacked by a monster."
"Hey, man up. You were always tough as nails way back when. So how's life in the royals?" Naruto helped him up.
"Pretty good. When you left Kushina set me up with your woman."
"Heh, you claimed she was too annoying for you."
"She is, but I don't have a choice. Stupid queen." Sasuke mumbled.
"What was that about my momma?" Naruto joked.
Sakura pulled him out of the conversation. "Okay, well, I think we've all gotten to know each other. We'll just be going, right Naruto?" She eyed him. He shrugged and let her drag him to her rather large room.
"This is your room?" He asked, looking around. It was probably larger than the fields he plowed.
"Yeah, onto different matters, though. Don't talk to Sasuke." Sakura demanded.
"Why?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. Sasuke was… one of his best friends right? He seemed pretty nice in the hallway, but maybe he was a mean one too.
"Because he's the one I was telling you about. He's nothing but an indecent slimy pain in the ass…" She began speaking in words that Naruto, even as a nearly twenty-year-old young man was still afraid to use. Still believing, if he said anything ruthless against anyone that the soap would slam into his mouth. And believe it when it is said that he had a lot of soap in his mouth when he was a little kid.
"Well, I'm sure he isn't that bad. I mean, maybe he's power hungry and a little bit of perv, but he might just be a pretty good person deep down." He smiled a bit.
"Yeah. Real deep down…" Sakura mumbled and crossed her arms. "So, I need a favor from you." He nodded. "Marry me." She demanded crossly.
Naruto rolled his eyes. "You know… it's sad…" He sighed watching her.
"What?" Sakura asked, feeling a little nervous under his disappointed stare.
"You became mean." He whispered. Sakura widened her eyes. That word was sacred when they were little kids. They had promised each other that they would never be mean. Not to anyone. Ever. She looked down at the floor. "I'm going back to visit Ino and Hinata. They seemed excited to see me." With that he left.
"Mean…" She whispered.
So Naruto had his first girlfriend. (He's nearly twenty :].) They dated for a while, and Sakura tried to be as appealing as possible. Nothing seemed to get through to him. It had been a while. "Guess what." He told her.
"What?" She asked.
"You're not mean anymore." He smiled and ruffled her hair.
"How do you know?" She blushed and fixed her hair again.
"Because I'm smart." He stuck out his tongue. "I've always known you were kind at heart." And he pecked her on the cheek. But that was normal. He kissed Ino and Hinata too. She sighed. "What's wrong?"
"I just want you to marry me, and I'm trying so hard to make you love me." She groaned.
He smirked. "Well, stop trying so hard." She groaned.
There was a party that night. Sakura had invited him. "It's a dance party, so be prepared." She had told him.
He responded with, "Ooh, a ball! This just might be it, Sakura-chan. You might find your prince charming."
"Charming? Not so much."
So she got her hopes up. He said it could be. Maybe he was right. It wasn't one of those formal gown dances, more like one at a club. "Oh my god, Sakura! That dress is gorgeous!" Ino said. "Someone wants to get naughty tonight."
"Yeah, it's from my new fashion line. You think it'll work?" Sakura spun around for Ino to see.
"He's blind if it don't." Ino shook her head and smiled.
"By the way, he's bringing some of his friends." Sakura smiled.
"Oh my god! No way! You think they'll like my dress? I hope they do; I spent like forever picking it out."
"Ladies." An arm was placed around Sakura. She looked up to see Naruto, of all people. "I'd like to introduce you to my friends. Kiba, Ten-Ten, Temari, and Shikamaru."
Ino pushed out of the way to meet the people. "Hey, I'm-"
"Ino Yamanaka! No way!" The girl named Ten-Ten squealed. "Oh my god, it's such an honor to meet you! I love your dress! Did you make it yourself?"
Ino turned to Naruto and smiled. "I like her!" And Ten-Ten and Ino began to chat.
"For some royalty, you guys can throw a good party." Kiba said before joining the conversation with Ten-Ten and Ino.
Sakura looked at Naruto, who smiled. "Care to dance, your majesty?" He asks in an accent.
"That would be lovely." Sakura replies and takes his hand. "Your friends seem nice."
"Yeah? You don't have to live with them everyday. They're great. I don't know what I would do without them. You look nice. Is that new?"
"You noticed. So what's with you? You seem happy. What's the occasion?" This could be it. It could be the wonderful day where she could quit pretending to love this guy.
"Do I need an occasion to be happy, Sakura-chan?" He smiled. She sighed. "Oh, you were expecting prince charming. Don't worry, he'll come through." He shook his head.
The next day Sakura called Ino. "It didn't work!"
"Oh no! How could it not? It was perfect!" Ino said into the phone
"I know… I actually think he might be a decent human being…"
"Not slimy at all. Pooh. But guess what! That guy Kiba, we're dating!
"No way."
"Yeah. He kisses really well. I'm serious, like amazing. Speaking of that, have you ever gotten a kiss out of that farm boy yet?"
"Yeah, but it took like forever. I don't see what the big deal is. Guys who see a girl trying to seduce them jizz themselves. He acts like I'm being normal. What's his problem?"
"Maybe he really does want the real thing, forehead. He did have it out for you when he was five. He might be comparing you to that. I mean, if you're still that nice and all. But he sees you doing this whole strip tease; it doesn't look normal." Ino sighed. There was silence on the other end of the line. "What I want to know is why you care so much."
Sakura hummed in a thoughtful way. "I dunno pig, maybe it's because I would rather marry him than Sasuke."
"That excuse is so used. You gotta think of a new one."
That was that for the day. They all went to a pub that night. "That ought to shake him a bit." Alcohol. Something that can drive anyone insane with just one sip. "Hey Naruto! I got us some drinks."
"I don't drink." "Fuck." Sakura thought.
"Well, I paid for it so you're gonna drink it." She smiled innocently.
"Sorry."
"At least take one sip." She sighed.
He rolled his eyes. "Fine. One sip. Why am I even at a bar anyway?"
"Because I told you to come. Now take your drink or I'll make you drink."
He sighed. "Okay, here it goes." He slowly lifts the cup to his lips and takes a sip. "This is all right I guess. What is it?"
"Beer." She said plain and simple. "It has the least amount of alcohol in it." Actually, it was vodka. If he kept drinking the whole bottle, he would be drunker than a monkey inhaling helium.
"Okay then… so Ino tells Kiba who tells me you think I'm a decent human being."
"Yeah. Not the least bit slimy…" She muttered, trying not to look upset.
"Well, that was one of the irks you had against Sasuke. So I guess that's good."
She wanted to mumble, "No it's not," but kept her mouth shut.
He finished his bottle of "beer." And sure enough, he was out of his mind. She decided to take him home. "Naruto, are you alright?" She asked.
"It's just… no it's stupid…" He waved dizzily.
"Come on tell me." Sakura couldn't help but think, "This is it. This is it."
"My mom… I haven't seen her and I wanna know what's up… but I can't." "Shit!" Sakura fumed mentally.
"We can take you to see her, but perhaps another day."
"Okay… ugh I'm tired…" He reclined in the chair, and before long was snoring. Sakura sighed and watched him sleep. He was so graceful and at peace. She thought it would be delightful to wake up to that every morning.
"I can't do this."
"You said you wanted to see her."
"I know what I said, but that doesn't make this mission any more possible."
"Just knock."
He slowly walked up to the door and… slowly… knocked…
An old lady with grayish red hair opened the door. "Hello?" She asked him.
"Hi…" He waved a little.
"I'm not interested."
"No I'm not selling anything… I came to see what you've been up to."
"And who are you exactly?" He looked like her husband.
"It's me, Mom… Naruto." The boy gave her a weak smile.
Kushina looked over the young man in front of her. "Are you for real?"
"Yes… so… uhm, what's up?" He smiled nervously.
"Come here, boy." She wrapped her arms around him. "I was so wrong back then… you know… I'm so sorry…"
"Heh, I'm sort of glad you sent me away. I met some of the nicest people in the world."
"You living with anyone?"
"For now some farmers, but I'm saving up for a house of my own. And isn't it irony that I'm dating her?" He pointed at Sakura.
Sakura curtsied. "Queen Uzumaki."
"Princess Sakura. That is ironic. You gonna marry her?"
"I wish…" Sakura rolled her eyes.
"So come in, have some hot chocolate." In the middle of summer! But they entered anyway.
"I think it was really great you talked to your mom after all that time." She smiled.
"Yeah, she's great. And I'm actually glad I tasted that beer."
"You found out about that…" She muttered. "I'm sorry… It didn't really have the intention I wanted."
"Well, I guess I'm not a slimy creep." He shrugged.
"I'm glad you aren't." That was basically the first time she ever told the direct truth. He smiled. His job was taking place.
She fluttered her eyes open and nearly screamed at what she saw. Something was definitely not normal in her book for starters, but when she didn't scream and pull out a gun and shoot herself, she something was wrong with her. Those sad blue eyes stared back at her emerald. Nothing was said, and there was a long dreadfully painful silence. Just to pass the time, Sakura absentmindedly studied his body. It was well formed with real manual labor. Not the stuff you can get by just working out. Sakura knew what had happened, even though she couldn't recall how or why. "I have to go." He finally spoke. Then he sat up, and she watched through the darkness him put on his clothes. He left without a sound, leaving a tearful mood.
Naruto ran into Sasuke in the hall. "Uzumaki…" He mumbled.
"Sasuke, thank god I ran into you. I have to go for a while, and I won't get to talk with Sakura again about it. So could you tell her I have a lot of work to do?"
"Why so sudden?" Sasuke hummed. He received a small smile, and Naruto whispered something in the dark Uchiha's ear. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, plotting to only tell lies to that princess of his. "By the way, why are you here so late anyway?"
"I was leaving." The blond shrugged, not planning to speak anymore on the subject.
Sakura sighed. Four hours had passed now. She sighed and decided that six would be a good time to get up. Her phone rang as she put on a dress for the day. "Ino! I am so glad you called. There is something really weird I want to clear up."
"What is it, forehead?" Ino sounded still a little sleepy.
"Last night, I invited Naruto over, but I wasn't planning on trying anything you know? We just hanged out and talked and ate dinner. But… something did happen…"
"Oh-oh, what happened?" Sakura could tell Ino was smiling through a bit lip.
Sakura sighed. "We had sex… yes. And I don't even know why! It just… happened. I don't remember who suggested it, what time it was, all that… It just happened."
"It just happened? No real reason?"
"Yeah…" Sakura bit her lip, not wanting to hear what she knew Ino would say.
"You know what, Sakura? I think you love him. A lot more than you want to say."
"That's obviously not a lot then." She muttered.
"I know you do. I see you staring at him whenever he goofs off with his friends. You hang out with him nearly all the time. And that whole marriage excuse is getting really used in my book."
Sakura felt her face flush. "I have to go, Ino. I want to talk to him."
"Okay. I'll see you later."
Sakura sighed and looked into her vanity mirror. Could Ino be right? Was she really falling for him? It was likely, but was it really worth risking it all? "Rise and shine, sleepyhead. I hope you had a pleasant night."
Sakura sighed and swallowed back tears as Sasuke entered her room. "Go away, Sasuke."
"Sasuke? No jackass? Or dickhead? Just Sasuke? Is something the matter?" Sakura remained silent, but headed to her door. "Does this have anything to do with last night? I heard about that." Sasuke blocked her trail.
"Sasuke, please. I need to talk to Naruto." Sakura bit her lip through tears.
"Speaking of him, he told me some news that might not be so glad for you. He said he had some stuff to do, and that he couldn't talk to you for a while." Sakura went back to her vanity and brushed her hair in silence. "He said he had a lot of work to do. Seemed kind of irritated. You know why?" She felt a tear rolling down her angry little cheek.
"Get out…" She cried.
"But Sakura, we haven't even fucked and made up yet."
"Get out!" She dared to show him her face. Damp with tears that she hated to say weren't just from anger.
Sasuke saw what had happened, how much emotional pain he had put her through. And he felt bad for what he did. Sasuke left silently, thoughtfully.
"Ino… I'm a little worried… I haven't seen Naruto in two weeks…" Sakura said, in a cotton nightgown. Not the fancy threads she usually wore, just plain old cheap inexpensive cotton. Because that's how she felt, cheap and inexpensive.
"Don't worry about it, Sakura." Ino comforted into the phone.
"You tell me that every night… Does anyone know where he is?" Sakura twirled her hair nervously. What if she had lost him for good?
"I'm not sure where he is, but I know why he's working so hard."
"Tell me! Please!" Sakura's eyes shot open.
"I can't, but you'd love it, I swear." Ino sounded admiring. "Actually I do wish I was you, and there was a decent guy out there for me."
"What about Kiba?" She asked.
"He broke up with me. Said it had something to do with Hinata. I wasn't paying attention; I was in the middle of my "yes! single again!" mental celebration." Sakura smiled through the phone. "Seriously, don't you worry your little head off about this. He'll show up soon."
And Sakura heard the line buzz as the call ended. "Not soon enough…" She whispered. Okay, so maybe she had a crush on him… okay maybe more… but she couldn't admit it to be love. That would be proving herself wrong, and she was right. Always.
"Uhm… Sakura…" Familiar jackass voice entered her ear. "This note is for you. I think you really need to check it out."
"Sasuke, please, I don't have any time for your stupid jokes." Waiting in her room for Prince Charming gave her little if any spare time.
"This isn't a joke. It's from yours truly."
"Then I don't care for something you wrote." She stared out her window.
"Not from me! Just read the goddamn note!" Sasuke pushed it into her hands.
She quickly scanned the signature and greedily read every word.
Sakura,
Guess what? It's been exactly 2 weeks since you last saw or heard from me. And I've heard you are really, really depressed by what happened. Just to let you know, I'm still alive and well (enough). I have a very important mission that I'm really close to completing, so I have a ton of work that I had to do. If at all you wish to see me again (I know — why would anyone want that?), you can meet me by the lake where the cherry blossom festival is held. Say… tonight at midnight? I know I didn't give you too much time to prepare. Anyway, perhaps I'll see you there.
Yours Truly,
Naruto Uzumaki
Sakura bit her lip, but couldn't contain how happy she was to receive his note! She glanced at her clock… eleven forty-two… she raced out the door and into the night. Not even caring if anyone knew where she was going.
Tonight was to be a very special night for Naruto. His mission was almost complete, and he had successfully saved the money for his new house. Just in case he'd need it. Naruto looked out at the lake sparkling with the stars, then he heard heavy panting. "I came as fast as I could… am I late…"
"Hello, my lady." He nodded and smiled. She jumped him and hugged him as tight as she could. "Whoa, you're killing me."
"Good. Then you won't be able to leave me like that again." She was smiling so big, her white teeth were probably serving as a lighthouse. "What was that important mission anyway?"
"Hmm? Oh the mission. It was a lot of work. I only have one tiny step left." He smiled at her gullibility and innocence, automatically believing what he said.
"So you're going to have to leave again?" She whispered.
"No, the last part involves you." He said ruffling her hair. Truthfully, he did not rehearse this part enough. "Close, but no cigar…" He thought to himself.
"So what do I have to do?" She asked, still beautifully smiling.
"You just have to answer one question." She nodded up at him, eyes sparkling with happiness, almost childlike and perfectly angelic. "Now… I'm a little nervous about this…" He muttered through clinched teeth. "Okay, here goes…" Sakura watched him slowly kneel down onto his knee, pulled out a black velvet box. She bit her lip as she opened it, and revealed a marvelously crafted ring. "That probably cost a fortune…" She thought, wide eyed with curiosity. "Sakura…" She waited impatiently, anticipating the question she was so sure he'd asked… or at least hoped he would. "Will you marry me-"
"YES!" She squealed before he could even finish. "A MILLION TIMES YES!" She wouldn't even wait for the ring, she just grabbed it and pulled it on her finger, not even caring if it fit or not. "YOU'RE SUCH A BAKA!" She screamed in the biggest bear hug she had ever had. "You can't leave me for that long for something as stupid as a ring. I would've married you anyway." She closed her eyes and imagined what the day would be like.
"Hey, it looks bad when you don't have the ring." He rolled his eyes. "I love you…" He whispered into her ear.
She smiled at how much joy she got out of those three words. "I love you too…" She finally admitted.
And they both lived happily ever after. The end.