Story: Coming Home
Author: MizukiYukiko
Rated: T
Pairing: NarutoXSakura
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Naruto.
Summary: "But I love your feet, only because they walked upon the earth and upon the wind and upon the waters, until they found me."
Notes: 50 shinobi themes 18. Dreams. NarutoXSakura. This is a gift!fic for Mary (Tarantulaguy). She is my best friend, and July 2 is our two year friendship anniversary. I rarely condone talking with people extensively over the internet because it can be dangerous, but Mary is the exception. She is my support, my comedian, my therapist, my sister, and my best friend all rolled into one. I am so lucky to have her. So happy anniversary, darling.
Also, wish her luck. She is studying for her final exams.
Coming Home
"But I love your feet
Only because they walked
Upon the earth and upon
The wind and upon the waters,
Until they found me."
– Pablo Neruda
"Oi, teme, port side!" Naruto said, hanging off the side of the large ship. The ocean spray leapt from the cold depths beneath them and hit his face, coating it in glistening salt water. He waggled his finger towards the shore that was several kilometers away. His dark brown pants were worn and torn and dirty, and his khaki top was falling from where he had tucked his long tunic into the tattered trousers. Dark leather boots were ripping at the soles, and Naruto couldn't wait to be on hard land, despite his love for the open ocean.
"Dobe, shut up, I see it." Sasuke was standing at the helm, guiding the boat easily. The best mate of the gargantuan pirate ship, The Susanoo, stared at the tiny stretch of land hungrily as well. His large hands began to twist the wheel two clicks. The ship groaned as the masts began to shift, allowing the wind and current to take them towards the shore.
"Nar, nar, shut up both of you," Kakashi chastised, stepping out from below deck. He had the normal piece of cloth covering the bottom half of his face and an eye patch over his scarred eye.
"Ay, ay, captain!" Naruto cheered. The anticipation was difficult to miss for both him and the rest of the crew running about, tying sails and preparing to dock. Naruto's cerulean eyes glittered with excitement as the ship altered course. "It's been a year."
Kakashi came to stand next to Naruto and patted his shoulder lightly. The blonde looked up at his captain uncertainly.
"What if she's forgotten about me, captain?" he asked in a more subdued, serious tone.
"What is it that she told you last time, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, looking down at the boy he'd practically raised since he was a baby.
Naruto's eyes softened as he recited the words his wife had said to him last time he had been on land. "The sea is on our side, baka, and I will always find you."
It didn't take the large ship to dock a few kilometers out, and the excited group of renegade pirates rowed into shore where there were a multitude of excited people waiting for them. Kakashi began handing over the gold that they had pillaged from the royal ships to the poor townsfolk. It was a deal that they had – the townspeople housed, fed, and took care of the pirates in general. In return, the pirates shared their wealth.
But it there was one face that stood out from the crowd. Glittering emerald eyes sparkled with delight as she waited for the pirates to be greeted by the excited inhabitants of their rather dingy little village. She had dirty pink hair pulled into a messy bun on her head and hidden beneath a bandana, and her clothes were plain and brown. Naruto didn't think he had ever seen a sight so beautiful. The moment his bright blue eyes met hers, he was making his way over to her and pulling off his leather cap.
"I've missed you, m'lady," he said earnestly, raising her fingers to brush his lips over her knuckles. No matter how many times he did this, her cheeks dusted the lightest pink. Then, pulling her hand back, she decked him right in the sternum.
"Baka!" she yelled at him with no real malice in her voice, "You said you were going to be back six months ago."
Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly with one hand while massaging his aching collarbone with the other. Her punches still hurt as much as he remembered. "Oi, well, teme got us lost!" Naruto complained.
"I got us lost?" Sasuke appeared out of nowhere, his head popping up behind Naruto's shoulder. "You were the one who lost a bet with Orochimaru and let him take the ship. It took us two months to track him down and get Susanoo back, dobe."
Sakura scowled at Naruto. "You know, if I was still a member of your crew of idiots, that never would have happened," she chastised.
Naruto smiled at her. "You know the invitations always open, Sakura-chan. You're the one who decided to retire and give up the days of sailing the open ocean, scallywags, and fighting the good fight."
"I just got tired of taking care of your lazy asses," she scoffed. Sakura gave him a wary smile before standing up on her tip toes to press a light kiss to his mouth. Sensing it was his time to leave, Sasuke tiptoed away from the recently reunited couple to greet some of the excited females who were waiting for him to come home.
X
Sasuke sped down the road, yanking the steering wheel of the car to make a sharp left turn, running over several decaying bodies that were trying to live for a second time. The hoard of zombies behind them still hadn't given up and crawled toward the speeding car that they couldn't hope to reach (unless the car decided to give up, that is).
"Take a right up here, teme," Naruto called out from the back seat. The coordinates that had been transmitted to them were in the dead-center of Los Angeles, and after four months of fighting off zombies, the trio was ready to reach some sort of safe haven. Kakashi hung out the passenger side window, trying to shoot down the living dead that were getting too close to the back of their vehicle.
Sasuke spun around another corner to be confronted with yet another large horde of zombies. Although they were driving a very large Jeep vehicle, the man knew that they would not make it through this pack. Throwing the car in reverse, Sasuke spun out and continued down the previous road. "Naruto, find another damn way!" he called to the back.
Naruto's eyes were frantically searching the old map of downtown LA, but so many things had changed since the map was printed. The formerly bursting urban city had been thoroughly bombed and destroyed when the viral outbreak had first begun, so many of the streets were barricaded or completely destroyed. The trio had been scouting as much as they could prior to making a break for what should be a safe haven, and they had marked off many of the streets with a red X.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Naruto called out. "Take another left, then a right, and then go straight."
The car veered left suddenly as Sasuke maneuvered around the wreckage of the crumbling city. Kakashi's body jerked as he tried to keep himself steady in the swerving vehicle, all while keeping an eye out for the zombies that were pursuing them at an alarmingly fast rate. Another right, and then three blocks left; they were almost there. Two blocks in, and the car began to sputter. Their alternator had been bad from the get go, and they were almost out of gas.
"NO!" Kakashi yelled. "Motherfu—"
They finally abandon the vehicle when the engine caught fire. Kakashi jumped out and ripped open the door to the back. They really shouldn't be surprised, Kakashi mused. Their luck had been this rotten the last few years on the run from the walking dead, and four months ago, they had lost Kiba and Neji, the last two surviving members of their group, to the zombies.
Naruto jumped out of the back quickly and grabbed the map and a backpack with the remainder of their supplies. The three ran through the city quickly, but they realized that the zombies were gaining on them. They were vastly outnumbered.
Turning to make a last stand, the trio began rapid firing. They could see their destination, and they were all still hopeful. The zombies were beginning to close in, and Naruto was readying to shoot himself in the leg to attract the zombies to the scent of his blood. Then, at least Kakashi and Sasuke could make a getaway.
That's when they started hearing gunfire that wasn't their own. Whipping his head around, Naruto saw a huge army tank rolling down the street. Two shooters were standing on the sides, taking out zombies left and right. Naruto turned his attention back to the walking dead and helped to clear out the street. When the last walker was down with a shot to the head, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief.
Kakashi turned around first to greet their saviors warily, but his one visible eye bugged out of his head when he saw who was standing on top of the tank. He waved to Naruto, slapping him clumsily on the shoulder. Sasuke was turned now and just pointed dumbly.
"Kakashi, Sasuke…" The voice was tired and wary, but he would recognize it anywhere. Instead of keeping an eye out for more walking dead, Naruto spun around to stare at the owner of the shocked voice. With a rifle thrown over her shoulder, Sakura was staring at them from the top of the right tank wheel in a stunned silence. Her viridian eyes were locked onto him, though.
"Naruto!" Her voice was a choked cry, and she jumped straight off the wheel of the tank, throwing her gun to the ground and ran to them. She collided into him, and he was still in shock but reciprocated her hug regardless.
"Sakura…" he whispered emotionally. "You're alive."
"Of course." He heard her scoff with her normal sass and attitude, despite the fact that she was emotional and probably crying. Her strong hands came to grasp his dirty cheeks, and looking up at him, pulled his mouth down to meet her own in a passionate kiss.
"I will always find you."
X
Sakura walked down the busy New York streets quickly, flipping her long pink hair over her shoulder and pulling her phone out. There were no missed calls or texts, not that she expected there to be. Pulling her knee-length red pea coat tighter around her, Sakura huddled into herself to try to fight off the impending east coast winter.
Nervous for a reason she couldn't quite pinpoint, she made her way to the high rise building and walked through the lobby quickly. Many people were already packed into the first elevator that she saw, but she managed to squeeze in a hit the button that said 13. It lit up steadily beneath her finger, and the elevator doors closed. With a jerk, they were riding upwards.
A few minutes later found her sitting in a conference room. Her purse and jacket had been deposited in her office a few minutes prior, and her lovely assistant had been waiting with coffee and a muffin, just what she had needed after the disaster that was the last few days.
Flustered, Sakura had accepted her breakfast and made her way to her morning meeting.
She shouldn't have been surprised when he walked in a few minutes later. All tall and smiling handshakes, the boisterous blonde was the most recent addition to their firm. Their company dealt in advertising, and their newest clients were a chain of karate dojos that wanted to attract a wider variety of clients up and down the east coast. Sakura had heard of Naruto from friends and family back home, so Naruto had been flown in from Japan, where he was both an expert in martial arts from his university days and advertising after. Since Sakura was the only manager at the firm who spoke Japanese, she was tasked with the project and working with Naruto.
Their friendship was quick to evolve into something more. One night, it just happened. After too many glasses of wine and with bellies full of food, she and her partner on the project had a one night stand. Except the one night stand turned into going at it like horny teenagers every time they were alone together for any extended period of time.
Sakura accepted that they were just friends with benefits, so she began seeing other people because she felt herself getting emotionally involved after several scandalous liaisons. Each time Naruto touched her, looked at her, smiled at her, she could feel her insides flip around. She needed his company, and she began seeking him out for things other than sex.
When the project had come to a conclusion, Naruto flew her out to Japan with him because she had just ended a relationship with a real jerk.
That was the first time they made love. It wasn't just sex that night, but it was something to emotionally profound that Sakura almost cried.
The next morning, she overheard Naruto talking to one of his buddies, and the blonde admitted he had no feelings for her. She was just a good lay to him. Sakura had left Japan instantly, getting on the next flight and screening the blonde's calls. Her sudden disappearance must be why he came back here. Although his part of the project was over, there were many reasons he could give for wanting to return to the US for a few weeks.
As she fiddled with her phone distractedly, she could feel his questioning eyes on her. She didn't look up. Their boss came in a few minutes later and called the meeting to order. The hour long meeting was excruciating.
For the duration of the entire meeting, Sakura could feel his blue eyes watching her closely. Five minutes before the meeting would have been adjourned, Sakura stood up and excused herself with practiced, polite professionalism. She didn't look at Naruto as she left, but she knew he was watching her. Sakura went back to her office and closed the door. Her assistant gave her a concerned look, but Sakura ignored it. She sat down at her desk with a huff and looked at her desk. Determined to get some work done, Sakura pulled up her e-mail and began typing back responses quickly.
His arrival at her office ten minutes later was no shock. He knocked at the door insistently and then entered without being greeted. Wisely, her assistant excused herself after taking one look at Naruto's serious demeanor. Refusing to look at him, Sakura continued to type away at her computer. He walked up to her desk slowly and leaned against it like he had every right in the world to be there. They were silent for a few moments; Naruto simply observed her while she pointedly ignored him.
"Why'd you leave all of a sudden and then ignore me since? I was worried about you, you know." When he finally spoke, his voice was not nearly as condescending or rude as she had imagined. It was hurt and confused, but not angry. Dammit. She had prepared a big, long, angry lecture for him, but it didn't work unless he was angry too.
Sakura quietly finished the e-mail she was working on before taking a deep breath and minimizing out her internet browser. Finally facing him, she set her face in a hard line.
"I'm in love with you, you idiot," she replied sternly. The serious look slid right from Naruto's face and was quickly replaced with a confused one. "I'm in love with you. That last night together, Naruto, wasn't just sex to me. I feel like we made love."
"Sak—" Sakura held up her hand. She didn't want to hear him talk yet.
"I fell in love with you, and then I wake up the next morning and come downstairs. You were talking to your friend and told him that you didn't have feelings for me. You told him I was just a good lay, and that's why you kept me around. Here I am, in love with you, like an idiot, and you just see me as a good lay. I couldn't handle it, so I left," Sakura declared with finality. She turned back to her computer screen and began typing the next e-mail on her list. She didn't want him to see the unwanted tears forming in her eyes.
"Sakura," Naruto said seriously. He leaned over her desk and clicked her computer monitor off. "Look at me."
Trying to fight back the tears, Sakura turned to him. His expressive blue eyes were alit with concern. "I was talking to Sasuke about my feelings for you, that's true. But I was trying to decide what I felt. If you had listened to anything besides a snippet of the conversation, you would have known that I felt the same way. I thought it was you who didn't have feelings for me."
Sakura stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. "No…I heard –"
"You heard wrong," he simply replied. Grasping her shoulders in a gentle but firm grip, he pulled her to stand up. When they were finally on level ground (sort of because Naruto was several inches taller than her, but her heels made up for some of it), he leaned into her and kissed her gently. "I love you too, baka. I'm glad you found me in Japan and made me come out here so I could meet you. Thank you for coming back to me, even when you thought I didn't love you."
"I think," Sakura said, feeling giddy and so heavy all at the same time, "I will always find you. No matter what."
X
The steady beep was the first thing she registered when the vestiges of consciousness returned to her. Eyes opening slightly to assess her setting, the world was blurry as she tried to adjust to the light. She let her heavy eyelids fall closed again and squeezed them together. When she finally peeled them back open, her world was a little clearer. That's when she heard a chair in the distance scraping against the familiar linoleum and the sound of heavy footsteps making their way hurriedly towards her.
"Sakura," he called out with relief. She felt his heavy hand on her head, petting her sweat soaked hair. He leaned down so she could see his pale face and bright blue eyes.
"Naruto," she sighed out. He was okay. Memories of the mission began filtering back to her. They had been attacked by a group of Suna missing-nin when they were in Snow Country on a diplomatic mission, of all places and times. "What happened?"
"You took a poisoned senbon straight to your heart, Sakura-chan. You collapsed right there. I had to use sage mode to get you back here so baa-chan could fix you up," he explained. His large hand was still massaging her aching head steadily, and it felt so nice and comfortable. Her heavy eyelids began to flutter closed under his soft ministrations. She felt his warm lips on hers for a long moment, and her own chapped lips curved into whatever weak version of a smile she could muster when he pulled back. "It was touch and go for a while. Baa-chan said we might lose you."
She felt herself finding some of her strength, so Naruto helped her to sit up in her bed. Chattering about the mission and other random nonsense excitedly now that she was awake, Sakura smiled as her worried boyfriend brought her water and watched her like a mother hen as she drank it down.
"I don't know what drugs shishou has me on, but I had the craziest dreams while I was under," Sakura mentioned lightly. His shoulders were still tense, and she knew instinctually that he hadn't left her side since she had arrived at the hospital. Just wanting him to relax, she tried to change the subject.
His face turned somber. "There weren't any bright white lights in these dreams, were there, Sakura-chan? I didn't think you were coming back to us."
Sakura's weak hand raised up to swat his shoulder lightly because she couldn't manage a good punch in her current state.
"Baka, I will always find you. I will always come back to you. My feet will always lead me to you. I thought you knew that by now."
Author's Note: Alright, I wrote this in one go, so I'm sorry if there are a whole bunch of mistakes. I'm sure I'll hate this tomorrow, so I may go through and edit it. Please, tell me what you think.
Thank you for all of your support.
Send some love to Mary, who is working on studying for final exams in Australia!