"What?! Naruto, that's horrible! You could've been crushed to death back there!"

In the quiet shadows of the forest, Sakura's genuine concern sounds very loud and very harsh. Naruto sighs and rubs the back of his head sheepishly; his face is flushed, corners of his mouth twitching, almost if unsure whether he's allowed to smile or not. Sasuke shifts on his branch and gives him a condescending look, scanning his appearance with a repulsed scowl. Naruto's clothes are torn and dirty - drenched in dust, spiderwebs, and white plaster, some of the latter stuck in his messy hair; his whole appearance is downright filthy, as if he'd been crawling on the ground instead of walking. Sakura doesn't look particularly impressed by Naruto's visage either. She grabs him by the sleeve of his jacket, forcing him to strip down to his undershirt - Sakura-chan, w-what are you doing?! - and starts checking his torso for injuries, Naruto wiggling under her touch. Sasuke sees him send a pleading look to Kakashi, who pretends to wallow in blissful ignorance, his legs stretched over a tree root nearby, nose buried in that questionable book of his.

"Sakura-chan, I'm okay, I swear! I'm not hurt! I told you - I was already looked over by the medical-nin back there!"

With an unsatisfied huff, Sakura lets Naruto go. He squirms under her piercing stare, and as he steps away from her, his face is still obviously red; when she hands him his jacket, he throws it over his shoulders, not bothering to stick his arms into the sleeves. He turns to Kakashi instead, vibrating with impatience, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"So," begins Kakashi pleasantly, his tone conversational, "ah, where have we been... right. You're telling me you're late, Naruto... because the roof of your apartment caved in?"

Naruto nods vigorously, jacket sleeves flapping everywhere around him like an extra pair of limbs. Even though Sakura risks getting slapped by the flying fabric, she stays nearby, arms folded on her chest, watching Naruto with a conflicting combination of annoyance and worry. Naruto is finally about to start talking when Sasuke decides he has had enough of the spectacle: he drops himself down from the branch and lands right next to Naruto, startling both him and Sakura, who now looks particularly irritated.

"I see you've finally learned something from our sensei, stupid," Sasuke says mockingly. Naruto stops mid-movement and scowls, clearly recognizing the insult, yet not comprehending its meaning. Satisfied with his deeds (and trying his best not to notice Sakura's annoyed stare), Sasuke stands up, stretches, and smirks, tucking his hands into the pockets.

"This," he continues nonchalantly, "is too dumb even for you, though." He pauses for a dramatic effect. "You should come up with a slightly less ridiculous excuse next time you sleep in."

Naruto growls, his eyes widening in realization and, subsequently, anger. "Are you implying that I'm lying, you bastard?" And just like that, both boys look like they're only moments away from lashing out and tackling each other to the ground. A brawl looks almost inevitable, but then Kakashi steps in between them, grabbing them by their shoulders.

"Stop it," he says calmly and they freeze on an instant; there is a silent command in his voice that they would never dare to disobey. Under his mask, Kakashi sighs. As he releases his hold, he gives Naruto a questioning stare, head tilted ever so slightly. "Naruto, are you telling me the truth?"

"Of course I am, sensei!" Naruto yelps, clearly offended. He bares his front teeth at Sasuke; when he sees that Kakashi is still watching him, he shows Sasuke his tongue instead, wrinkling his freckled nose and taking a small step back. "I was going to arrive right on time, even though I knew it wouldn't really matter cuz you always come la- OW, Sakura-chan, what was that for?! Jeez, okay, I'm sorry! As I was saying, I was already out the door and on my way, but then I heard this loud BAM sound coming from behind me, so I turned around, and I saw that - that the two upper floors of my apartment building collapsed! It was such a mess! I ran back and I helped with evacuating the people who were trapped under the ruins." Naruto is jumping around now, gesticulating wildly, his jacket hanging on his left shoulder by a thread. "Some were hurt, but there were no casualties. A chunin told me that while the house was old, this wasn't expected at all, that cave-ins are a very rare thing. So yeah! I used Kage Bushin and did some things, and as soon as I wasn't needed anymore, I ran back to you guys." He shrugs and gives Kakashi a little bow, clearly content with his story-telling abilities. Sakura shakes her head in sympathy.

"That sucks so bad," she says, nibbling on her lower lip, her voice genuinely worried. "But what are you going to do now?" When Naruto gives her an obtuse look, her features harden; she lets out a frustrated sigh and rolls her eyes. "Your apartment, Naruto! It's ruined! So tell me, where are you supposed to live?"

Obviously, Naruto's well-being is not something that Sasuke cares about, yet he still can't help but feel a little curious. Really, what's the bastard going to do now? Weren't all of his belongings inside? He was lucky he was already out the building when it fell, or the roof could have smashed him into an okonomiyaki. Not that it would be much of a shame, really. Naruto would probably be more useful and tolerable as a dish.

"Oh, right," Naruto says very slowly, the flush draining from his face. "I... well. I was in such a hurry that I kinda forgot to ask about that."

Now that is incredible. So incredible, in fact, that even Kakashi somehow manages to look mildly disappointed.

"I, uh," Naruto stutters upon feeling Sakura's desperate gaze on him, "I... I guess I'll find out later today?"

Sakura groans and hides her face in her palms. "I can't believe this," she says, voice thick with frustration. "Your home is destroyed and you don't even bother to- nevermind. Nevermind. There's no point. Naruto, you are the stupidest person I've ever seen, and that's definitely something, since I've been helping Ino to deal with customers for as long as I remember." As she turns away, Naruto guiltily dusts the filth out of his hair and sneezes twice in a row. "Kakashi-sensei, can you tell us about the mission already? I'm going to do something I'll regret if this idiot stays within my reach for one more second."

Kakashi, who is quite entertained by her little speech, doesn't even bother to hide his amusement. "Now that, Sakura," he says cheerfully, winking at her with his only visible eye, "I will do quite gladly."


The next day, Naruto is the first one to arrive at their meeting place. Sakura is second. Upon seeing him, she grills him for the yesterday - Kakashi-sensei was late for an hour, yet we still had to wait one more for you! - but takes mercy, eventually, sharing some of the fruit snacks she brought with her. Naruto looks horrible: he's obviously tired and slightly shivering, his whole appearance just as dissolved as it was the day before. When Sakura hands him an apple slice, he seems to brighten up a little, but his thank you sounds incredibly pitiful anyway - even his voice is raspy, almost as if he's coming down with something.

"Why are you still wearing this?" Sakura asks, toying with the torn hem of his sleeve. They are sitting under a tree, their backs resting against a wooden fence; the grass is still a little wet with dew, but neither of them seems to mind. "Don't you have a spare change of clothes? If not, you should get it, because these need to be washed and repaired as soon as possible. I can help you with that if you want to. And how's your new place, by the way? You look really sleepy, was the bed uncomfortable?"

Naruto doesn't answer; instead, he turns his face away from Sakura, the apple slice carefully placed in the center of his right palm. Sakura waits for a while, frowning in in confusion at the silence, and then nudges him with her elbow gently. "Naruto?"

"I, uh," he says, finally, clearly avoiding Sakura's concerned gaze, "I'm doing fine, Sakura. And thanks. You don't have to worry about me, really."

Sakura doesn't wait until he finishes his last sentence. She leans in towards him, their noses almost touching. "Naruto, are you lying to me?" He doesn't counter the accusation, so her expression turns into a frown. "You are, aren't you! Why? What's going on? Naruto, hello? Come on, talk to me!"

Naruto shakes his head silently, sulking, eyes glued to the apple slice in his hand. Sakura closes her mouth, speechless: she has never seen Naruto like this, and frankly, she never even suspected she ever will. Not only he seems deeply upset and lost in thought, her attempts to lift his mood are failing terribly; if Naruto ever got sad or angry, which wasn't often in the first place, it was always really easy to make him feel better, like the bubbly and sunny thing he is. What does this mean? Why is he acting like this? It feels so incredibly wrong, like the world she's living in suddenly took an upside-down turn. She shudders in horror at the thought. Rationally, she knows that it can't be - but if it was, what would happen next? Sasuke cracking friendly jokes left and right? Ino losing her fashion sense? Punctual, illiterate Kakashi?

Naruto sighs and her insides still at the sound; she looks at him closely, and the sight of his tired eyes makes her push all her silly thoughts away. Oh, Naruto... This is bad. What could have made you feel this way? Maybe the apartment thing really got to you, but that would be a little strange. Yesterday you didn't seem to mind that much; the only time you talked about it was when you mentioned your neighbors you helped. So why are you so upset today? Maybe you realized you left something important back there? Or perhaps it's something else?

Sakura nudges Naruto once again. When he still doesn't respond, she sighs, her chest heavy. Without fully realizing what exactly is she doing, Sakura lifts her arm and carefully rests her palm on Naruto's scarred cheek, pressing lightly.

"Look at me, Naruto," she says, her tone soft yet insistent. This is a gesture she learned from her mother: it's what she always does when Sakura is so sad that it's hard to talk without bursting into tears. Last time that happened was when Sakura had a really ugly argument with Ino, which was caused by her pent-up frustration from that day's field practice - she just couldn't wrap her head around this new jutsu Kakashi was teaching, which was an occurrence so rare it set her on the edge for the rest of the evening.

Naruto is still not responding, so she tries again. "Come on. Please?" Her voice is small now, full of worry; perhaps that's why Naruto finally looks at her, his blue eyes big and sad. She sighs and moves her hand up, stroking his head a bit awkwardly, as if she's petting a wild animal. "I'm your teammate and your friend. You look down and upset and I want to know what's bothering you, so please, can you tell me? I promise I'll do my best make you feel alright again."

Naruto seems to perk up a little, something like a smile tugging at his lips. "Am I really, Sakura-chan? Am I really your friend?"

She can't help but giggle with slight relief. "Of course you are, dummy! Come on! I gave you my apple slices, Naruto, and that's something I would do only for a person I really like."

He giggles back, blushing. Suddenly he seems to realize that one of the precious Apple Slices of Sakura's Affection and Friendship is still in his possession, so he shoves it into his mouth, chewing loudly. Sakura laughs at his blissful expression, the tightness in her chest finally disappearing; as he's munching on his snack, she starts toying with the hem of his jacket again, the happy look on her face turning into a thoughtful one.

"And hardships too," she says pensively. Naruto wipes his mouth and gives Sakura a confused look. "Those are the two things you can share only with your friends," she explains, "apple slices and hardships. That's what my dad says, anyway. I mean, he only mentioned hardships - I was the one to add the apple slices to this rule." Naruto laughs, sticking his tongue out playfully. She sticks hers out at him too, but then her soft features sharpen with worry once again. "So come on, Naruto, I wanna know. Why are you so sad today? It's about the apartment, isn't it?"

Naruto sighs for what must be a millionth time this morning. "It kinda is, Sakura-chan," he admits, scowling. "They said I can get my flat back once the repairs are done, but that's going to take at least a month. All my things are ruined, so I'll have to buy everything I need again - I couldn't afford insurance, you know." He rubs his eyes and looks at the sky, thinking. "And I kept all my savings in my room, so it's all gone too. Until we get paid at the end of the month, the only money I have is what I put in Gama-chan when I ran out the door last morning."

While he's talking, he pulls out a green frog wallet and shakes it up a little; there is a faint clinking coming from the inside, but it doesn't sound promising at all. Sakura feels her insides turn cold. Is this really happening? When Naruto told them about the cave-in, she thought that Konoha will just give him another flat, but that's apparently not the case. A month without a home and with little to no money! She hangs her head low, hopeless, the weight of the whole situation dawning on her. Naruto has nowhere to sleep and nothing to eat. He is alone; there are no parents who will stand up for him, he has no family he can turn to. The whole village hates him. Really, what the hell can he do? As she thinks about the situation, she keeps falling lower and lower into despair: there is no easy way out of this. No wonder he's been so sad. Damn it! How can this be?! He is homeless because of a stupid accident!

She doesn't realize she's crying until Naruto pulls her into a hug, pressing her head into his chest. She hugs him back, his filthy jacket muffling her sobs; she's angry at herself for being this weak, but somehow she can't seem to stop - as if Naruto's pain is now her own pain too.

You're the one who's in so much trouble, she thinks, yet I'm the one who's bawling like a child. The thought breaks her heart, but she doesn't want Naruto to know, so she focuses on her lungs instead, steadying her breath, just like her mother taught her to. She closes her eyes; Naruto smells pretty bad right now and he's still very dirty, but she doesn't really mind. She loves hugging Naruto, even though they don't do it that often at all... yet when they do, Sakura can't seem to let him go. But she can't keep clutching him forever - today she has to be stronger than she usually is. As soon as she gets a hold of herself, she moves away from him and looks straight into his bright blue eyes.

"Where did you sleep tonight?" she asks him flatly, trying her best not to burst into tears again. Naruto flinches, but manages to hold her gaze. "Tell me the truth, Naruto. I'll know if you'll lie."

"I... I was okay, Sakura-chan, really. I, well," he stutters, clearly feeling very uncomfortable with Sakura's wet eyes on him, "I slept in the forest. Ouch!"

Sakura's fingers dig into his shoulders, even though her look stays carefully blank. "In the forest? On the ground?"

"No, of course not! I was on a tree branch."

"On a tree branch?!"

"Sakura-chan, that really hurts!"

She huffs and takes her hands off his shoulders, grabbing his wrists instead. "Naruto, why didn't you come to me when you found out you have nowhere to stay?! Or... or Iruka-sensei! We could have helped you! We'd let you crash at our place! Seriously, what were you thinking, you stupid?! You spend a night in the forest! You could get seriously sick! It's so cold at night, how could you even sleep?"

Naruto frowns, lowering his gaze to their joined hands. "Sakura-chan... stop it, please. You know I couldn't ask you that. I... I know what your family thinks of me." She freezes, ready to continue arguing, but he just shakes his head. "It's okay, really, you don't have to feel bad at all - I understand. It's not your fault! But I can't come to your door and force your parents to let a Jinchūriki come into their home." Sakura feels sick at his words, eyes wet again, her cheeks heating up with shame and anger. "And Iruka-sensei... he's doing so much for me already, you know? He would just get all worried and I," he gulps and closes his eyes, "I really don't wanna be a bother."

"You're not a bother! What did I just say?! You're my friend, stupid! And Iruka-sensei loves you a lot and he would never think of you like that. What are you even saying? He'll be so angry when he finds out that you had nowhere to sleep and didn't ask him for help!"

Naruto's hold tightens around her fingers, so now it's Sakura's turn to wince. Still, she doesn't look away; she keeps staring at him sternly, unwilling to lose, lips pressed into a thin line.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto says, his voice desperate, "you can't tell Iruka-sensei, okay? Please, promise me that. I don't want him to know."

"But why?"

"Just don't! Sakura-chan, please!"

Something in Naruto expression makes her stomach turn. She hesitates. The desperate look he's giving her is shattering her heart; for a few moments, she keeps wondering, why, Naruto, why, he loves you so much, he's almost like a brother to you, but all those questions are meaningless - she can feel herself giving in already. When she finally nods her head in reluctant defeat, Naruto gives her a big grateful smile. "Thank you, Sakura-chan, you really are a friend."

"You have to stay at my place then," she says. "You're right about my parents and I'm so sorry, Naruto, but I'll talk to them. They're really kind, they just-"

"No, Sakura-chan," Naruto interrupts, "if you're my friend, you won't make me do that either."

She fumes up. Does he even know what a friend is?! "Naruto, why?"

"It's humiliating," he answers simply. Sakura stares at him, caught by surprise. "I can't, Sakura-chan. I know your parents are good people, but... the way they would look at me... I wouldn't be able to take it, you know? I'm nothing but a demon to them. So please, don't do anything. I'll be okay, I promise."

"You can't," she chokes, almost crying again, "you can't stay out on the street for a month."

"Oh, it won't be a month!" Naruto says, giving her a reassuring grin. "It'll be five days only! Then I'll be assigned a temporary room I can live in until my flat is okay. It takes so long because of paperwork, I think, but I'm not really sure. The chunin I talked to just said to come back in a week or so."

"Naruto," Sakura breathes. She's about to continue arguing, even though she really knows it's pointless, when she senses a slight movement to her left. Both her and Naruto turn around, startled, ready to draw their weapons; they were so invested in their conversation they absolutely forgot to pay attention to their surroundings.

There's no need to worry, though. It's just Uchiha Sasuke, staring at them with genuine disbelief.

Sakura sees Naruto blink in confusion. "Sasuke! Hey there, bastard."

Sasuke seems to come back to his senses after that. "Am I interrupting something?" he asks. His voice is... not flat, actually? Now that is something way out of ordinary. In fact, Sasuke looks really weird in general: he appears to be feeling something, which is a sight so rare it almost makes Sakura worry. She's not sure what emotion is his face supposed to convey, though. She turns to Naruto, hoping she'll find an explanation for Sasuke's odd behavior there, but Naruto is just Naruto, perhaps only filthier than what he usually looks. Did the dirt make Sasuke freak out? She checks out his clothing, scanning for any big stains - maybe Sasuke mistook some of them for blood, who knows - and as she's looking at the bottom part of his jacket, she lowers her gaze at her hands, still holding Naruto's.

Oh.

After that, everything is very easy to figure out. She looks at Naruto's flushed face next, still heated up from their argument; at the way their knees are touching; at the distance between their bodies - or rather lack of one, actually. She glares at the empty bento container and the general mess everywhere around them. She glares at the sky, cursing everything and everyone in the whole Konoha, in the whole damn world, in the whole wide universe.

"Are you looking for something, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asks, blissfuly oblivious.

Yeah.

She won't even bother trying to explain.


NOTES:

Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savory pancake containing a variety of ingredients.
pThank you so much for reading, everyone! This one's going to be a fun one, so buckle up. I hope you guys enjoyed the Sakura POV - she won't be that prevalent in the later chapters, but I just couldn't pass on the opportunity to write Naruto/Sakura friendship.
p*whispers* Also, jealous Sasuke is a speciality of mine.