Not a Monster

Chapter 1

If the world is round, how come we feel like it's flat? If the world is spinning, how come we don't get dizzy? Questions. Questions. More and more questions. The last thing she wanted to think about was questions. She was fed up already with the possible when's, what's, where's, and why's. If she received anymore of them she would surely pull her hair out. After a long dreadfully thoughtful walk through the park, the girl sighed and made her way back home. God she couldn't take it. Where was he? Surely he was back by now. She needed to sleep, having not getting a wink in days, but still she stayed up lost in thought. Thinking of questions. She hit her head with a pillow to punish herself for not listening. Then she cried and sneaked away out her window. Disgusted with herself and anyone else she thought of. Quietly she stalked into the night. If it were a movie, she would be disappearing into the horizon. Right, left. Right, left. Trying to keep her mind off that one thing…

But she couldn't. She knew she couldn't and probably wouldn't be able to for the rest of her life. His blond hair, so spiky and wild, yet calm and moving at the same time. His soft blue eyes were filled with compassion wherever they may look. She laughed all the time, to herself of course, at his foolishness. He was one of her best friends. And always would be. She started cursing at herself for disobeying yet again. She would probably never learn to listen to her mind. Only to her heart, who at the time was competing with her mind. And winning. Then she heard it. Small footsteps. Behind her? In front of her? She couldn't tell, but she heard them… Who were they coming from? Was it safe to answer to them? The pink haired girl heard a faint, familiar voice call her name. She turned behind her and saw the image of a man. No just a tall teenager. A tall blond teenager with blue eyes filled with emotion. His black and orange jumpsuit was dirty with lack of washing. It had lost an arm and revealed a sharp spark of blood, a cut from battle. His face was smiling and just plain beautiful. She turned and gave a signature smile of relaxation. Even though she was miles from her village, tired, and hungry, she was with him. She walked slowly up to his image and touched his face. Then his hair. Then his wounded arm. He was really there. She couldn't say anything, just sit there smiling while he freaked out about why she was out here and bla bla. She put her finger to his mouth to stop him. "You're here…" she smiled. "That's all that matters." He looked confused, but she kept at him. She played with his ruffled hair, then let her hands fall down his face, then to his arm. She started treating it but he stopped her. "Don't waste your energy. I'm fine." She kept at it then ran her hand over his newly revived arm. "Never ever do that again." She practically whispered. "What?" he said. "Don't ever get hurt again. At least not unless I'm around." He watched her circle her hand around his scar. She was crying, but smiling. The tears looked real, and so did the smile. What was her point of view on the subject? Pure joy. She wanted to stay there and never live down anything else. She would end her life if to end it with him. "Naruto…" she whispered. His eyes went big as she moved closer to him and, sudden as ever kissed him. Right on the lips. Then she drew away and stared at his constantly changing eyes. Shock. Confusion. Shock. Confusion. More shock. She sighed, and then blushed. "I'm sorry…" she whispered. He smiled slightly. Still no teeth, like when he was a kid, but filled with what looked like humor. "It's okay, really." He scratched his head nervously. She smiled timidly, blushing furiously. Why did she kiss him? What was she blushing for? Those were two questions she could answer at the same time. She loved him. More thoughts filled her head. Did he like it? Would this affect their friendship? Does he have thoughts on the subject? What if she hurt his feelings? She gulped. What if he didn't feel the same way?

Chapter 2

They walked home in silence, except for occasional coughs or sneezes. She couldn't take it. Can you spell DRAMA? She wanted to scream, but not be the one to break the peaceful silence. She tried to think of ways to start a casual conversation. "So, how was your mission?" she tried. "Okay." He shrugged. Tough luck. She tried to think of stuff he might've missed while he was gone. "Umm… Gaara and Temari came to visit." "What about Kankurou?" "He couldn't come for some reason. I dun no why. But Temari was provoking 'crybaby' twenty-four seven." She smiled. He did too. There's a start. "I bet he was all 'so troublesome' all the time." "Basically! Oh yeah umm… some old dude had a birthday. He turned like one-hundred and eight." "No way. I bet he's completely deaf. They come up to him and say, 'Happy Birthday.' And he screams 'WHAT!!!!!!'" She laughed at his joke. Things were still normal. Thank god! Then it came. Out of his mouth, "What was with the whole kiss thing?" She blushed and looked at her shoes. "Just missed you, I guess." "I missed you, too. That worth a second kiss?" He smiled. She punched his uninjured shoulder jokingly. "Man, Sakura-chan, you picked a lame place to get lost in." "Well it wasn't really my intention." They kept walking, and talking until finally they reached the familiar forests surrounding the village.

"Finally!" he said.

They entered the village and walked to her house. It was incredibly silent. She couldn't stand it. "I'll see you tomorrow." He smiled and walked away. She was too nervous to say anything. Her best friend walked away and she didn't even say goodnight. What kind of friend am I? She sighed and entered her house. She hated herself and cursed under her breath. As if on command she flew up the stairs and into her room. She waltzed over to her dresser and picked up the picture frame. Her team and sensei. She was smiling, happy as ever. But her friends beside her were not. The dark eyed boy in the blue shirt had the same facial expression as he always did, and the blond boy in the orange jumpsuit was glaring evilly at him. She often studied this picture and remembered the day the enraged boy left her crying in the dirt. This time she thought of something else. She thought of the blond boy. Who was probably walking home right now. Why would he be angry with Sasuke? Sure the two boys hated each other, but why? She thought of how many more times she treated him crueler, but he never was angry with her. She wondered why. They were friends, yes, but that wouldn't have stopped her from beating the stuffing out of him. He's too nice to me. She thought and sighed. Then her neon hair hit the pillow and she fell unconscious into a hazy sleep. Her dreams were blurry, but she saw some images such as the creep with the black eyes and frowning face. She hated it. Hate was a strong word, but hate was perfect. Then the blond filtered her vision. More strong feelings. Still a four-letter word. Love.

Chapter 3

When the morning came, she wasn't really looking forward to explaining where she had been. Still she put on a fake smile and headed over to that huge mansion of an office. Then, slowly she inched up the stairs. Knocked on the door… "Come in." That was it. She walked in and didn't remember what happened next. It was a blur of yells and sighs and lectures. "I'm sorry, master. It won't happen again." She finished and let her head fall for effect. "You may go." The tired old woman sighed and finished her shot. That went better than I expected… thought the neon haired girl. She heard her name called behind her. "Huh?" She heard it again. "What are you doing here?" It was the blond. "Well, if you must know, I'm here to explain why I left the village." "You didn't tell anyone?" She shook her head. "And they forgave you right? You were just helping a friend." She nodded. Her heart was stabbed by the two words. Just Friend… Smile. Act natural. "Yeah she forgave me. What are you doing here?" "I'm here to report on my mission, duh." He laughed. She smiled up to him. "Of course, I totally forgot." She slapped her forehead for effect. How could she have forgotten that? They spent hours walking back and she forgot the reason why. "Hey you want to get some lunch later?" he asked so suddenly. She looked at his face with shock. Too sudden. "Sure." She blushed. "Cool, see you later." He smiled and walked into the office. She imagined it being his office one day. That's his dream. She smiled at her vision. Then walked away. No, skipped away. She was going to get ready for her date. When he got out of that office, she was sure he'd drop by. She wanted to be prepared.

Chapter 4

"That was just a waste of time." He murmured to himself. "She didn't even want a report on the mission. Just asked what happened when I found Sakura-chan." Then he remembered he had to pick her up for lunch. He raced out of the huge office building and over to her apartment. He knew it too well to be normal. It was like a second home, except for the fact he was never welcome there. He was used to it. He should carry an umbrella to defend himself from the trash that was thrown at him. He shivered at the thoughts in his head. He remembered a lot of pain in his childhood. Then he knocked on her door… slowly… silently. She answered almost right away. "Hey!" she smiled. Her hair was fixed up the best she could make it. Make up covered her eyes and lipstick was on her lips. It was a pale pink with a glittery gloss over it. She looked beautiful. All dolled up. Was she wearing perfume? The fumes poured into his sinuses making him dizzy. The smell of cherries, so strong. "Let's go." She beamed. He gawked at her but they started walking. "Are you going to keep staring at me like that? It's kind of creepy…" He woke up from his "high" and shook his head. "Sorry." He replied and grinned. Mission accomplished. She thought. He took her to his favorite place in the world- the ramen stand. She wasn't really surprised, but a date's a date. They ate quietly at first until guess which gossip queen came up to them. Ino. "Hey guys! Ooh, are you two on a date???" "Maybe, what of it?" neon girl with the dizzy perfume replied. She knew word of it would be spread in five minutes. She bet half her "friends" would start harassing and bullying her for hanging out with a demon like him. She didn't care. Just friend. She sighed. Whatever was going on in his mind was a mixture of shock, confusion, and happiness. She could tell by the way his eyes reacted. He was getting good at controlling his facial expressions but was a disaster when it came to his eyes. "Oh my god! No way!" Gossip girl squealed. It would be the story of the week. The month? The year? She could see it now. Blondie stuck around to ask questions before reporting her news. Extra! Extra! Hear all about it! "Gosh give it a rest will you?" neon girl finally sighed. She knew her friend too well. Blondie only needed ten or so more questions. "Okay, okay! You guys enjoy your date." She giggled at her own joke. Harassment was also a specialty of hers. She could probably tease her friends for hours on stuff they didn't even have a clue she knew. Now was the time to win her blabbermouth award. Surely the blond girl would. This story knocked the one-hundred-eight-year-old's marriage to a twenty-one year old down on the list. Would she ever learn to keep her mouth shut? Find out next time on news weekly. She went up to the first person she saw and mouthed off. Sakura rolled her eyes. Both loving and hating her friend's skill. She turned back to the blond boy. His face filled with humor. "You want me to take your jacket?" He asked. She laughed at his sarcasm. Who would've thought he could make jokes in a time like this. His face showed no more shock, but his eyes were still a bit confused. She punched his shoulder lightly. And he winced. "Oh my god, I completely forgot all about your injury. I'm sorry!" she freaked and rubbed his shoulder with two fingers gingerly. Her face filled with concern. He laughed lightly and pulled her hand down from his arm. "It's okay, really." She blushed. Holding hands. She looked away, so to hide it. Smile. Act natural. He's just a friend. Or is he??? Inner Sakura beamed. Don't get too cocky. Well you get cocky! He totally loves me!!! Whatever. The silent argument went on like that. Inner Sakura was pretty kick butt and ended up winning the dogfight. Still, Outer Sakura kept gliding. Nothing too serious. Yet!!!! She ended up eating two more bowls of the classic Japanese noodles before being walked home by the too sweet blond boy. "Thanks for walking me home. You didn't have to." She smiled up to look at his two blue pools of eyes. Then she pecked him on his cheek and went inside. She blushed furiously at herself, but smiled at her success. Then her sense of danger kicked in. The neon haired girl whipped her head towards the windows where her parents were. They had been spying on her.

Chapter 5

Sakura got a sit down. She was forced to listen to lies of her beloved angel. "First you sneak out to do hell knows what, and now you're publicly kissing that monster." That was it for her. She stood up and planted her hands on the coffee table in front of them. "Naruto is not a monster you hear me? He is the nicest person I've ever met who only wants someone to love him. Sure as hell he deserves it, and I'm going to give it to him!" She stormed into her room and slammed the door behind. If her parents were going to talk crap, she was going to give them a fist full of truth. No one was going to talk about her angel that way. From this day forward Uzumaki Naruto was her personal property. If you so much as touched him, she would be all up in your case. That goes for everyone including her parents. She sighed and opened up her window. Looking into the night sky is another one of her common habits. When at the window she often wished on stars. She did this as usual. This time she wished that everyone would start giving Naruto the respect he deserves. Then she went into a deep sleep of mystical dreams. Dreams of her property. Everyone was cursing at him and throwing garbage at his sad, teary-eyed face. Then his eyes turn that red they did only when he was using the demon inside him. After that she went up to him and covered his perfect face from the hate and hugged him. His eyes returned to the soft cerulean they were. She smiled at him and whispered three words. "I love you." Then she woke up. What a dream. She put on some fresh clothes and headed to Hokage mansion as always. "Tsunade-sama I'm here. What's new?" Tsunade looked up from her desk and sighed. "Your parents talked to me yesterday. They said they were concerned about your being around Naruto." "What do they know? They don't know one thing about him!" she snapped. "Still, when a parental authority gets involved, we have to do something. Your parents recommended switching teams." "They can't do that. Can they?" neon girl gave her best not to believe her parents were that cruel. She looked down at the floor when Tsunade nodded. She tried to picture going to training without Naruto. She flinched, shut her eyes as tight as she could, and bit her lips. "Please, Tsunade-sama, you can't… I couldn't. My parents didn't really say that did they?" Again the Hokage nodded. Sakura raced out the door and into the bathroom. Her parents hated him so much they practically forced a restraining order over her head. Perhaps, if she could- no she wouldn't repeat that. She would never stoop as low as the dark Uchiha boy. Tears flowed down her face and her nose started running. There was something there for her parents. Hate. Why would any mother or father try to keep their daughter away from her true love? She exited the latrine and walked to the place she was supposed to live. No longer would she call it home. She locked herself in that room with that bed she slept in and refused to do anything. "Sakura, please talk to us. What's wrong?" As if they could see, the girl whipped her pink hair and crossed her arms. "I'm not talking to you! I hate you!" She crept out her window afterward and went to the park and cried until she fell asleep. She experienced no dream. Only pure terror. What happened that day crept into her sleep. The vision basically stated LIFE WITHOUT NARUTO. "Sakura-chan?" she heard someone ask. Her eyes dazed open to find the person her parents wanted her away from. "Naruto-kun…" she whispered. He smiled at her and laughed. "What are you doing here? You're going to be late for our meeting." She sat up. "Meeting?" "Granny-Tsunade said she wanted to see Team seven for something. Walk with me?" "Sure. I'd love to." She smiled and grabbed his hand stretched out to help her up. I bet five thousand dollars I know what this is about. Tsunade is such a bitch!!!! She's only doing her job. It's my parents I'm pissed with. "So why were you camping in the park?" the blond asked, concerned. "I was really tired. I guess I just passed out." Neon girl shrugged. "But I'm fine now." He looked her over gingerly then smiled. "You were studying the stars?" She sighed. "I guess you can say that." They entered that huge mansion and stepped into the Hokage's office. Suddenly Sakura screamed, "I HATE MY FUCKING PARENTS!!!!!!" then she ran out and back to that same toilet. "What's wrong with Sakura-chan?" the blond asked with that same suspicious/confused look. "Her parents are making her switch teams." "How come?" Sai asked. As if he actually cared. Tsunade looked at Naruto and sighed. "I dun no." The blonde's face shifted into sadness. Until he noticed Tsunade looking at him. He remembered that her parents didn't like him either. His face swelled with one thing. Hate. His eyes turned to that blood red it did when he was angry. Just then, neon girl walked through the door to the office, tears still drowning her eyes. When she saw her angel in his state she raced up to him and grabbed his hands. He looked at her and his eyes calmed down. "I hate this just as much as you. Maybe even more, but I'm going to prove my parents wrong. We can make it through this." She watched his face return too normal. His eyes held sorrow and pain. More tears swelled in her eyes. Then she kissed him. For five seconds at least. "I love you, Naruto." She hugged him. Unlike the black eyed Uchiha beast, he didn't tear away. He kept still and slowly wrapped his arms around her. His voice was teary and hoarse. "I- I love you too, Sakura-chan…" She kept clung to his body until guess-who walked in. "Sakura Haruno! Get away from that beast this instant!" Rage boiled in the teenage girl's mind. "No mom. I'm not going to ruin my life for you. He's not worth losing." She buried her face in his chest and cried. Her parents wouldn't approve. They would kick her out of the clan. They would lecture her day in and day out. She didn't care. "Don't you ever call him that anymore. Or anything of that nature. He doesn't deserve it, and I wont let him take it." She knew tears were forming in his eyes too. She was bringing shame to her family for him. Sacrificing it all. For him. He swallowed down the tears. He was loved… Everything he ever wanted was right there wrapped around his waist. "I'm sorry it has to end like this…" He sniffled. She looked into his blue eyes shimmering with the tears. "I'm not."

The End. By MangaLuvr1r34. This is the longest one I've written so I hope it's good (NOT ANYMORE! :D). Naruto belongs to some person that isn't me. The only characters I own are the 108-year-old man and his 21-year-old wife. Please r&r and stuff. Later. BTW cherries do have a scent