A/N: Someone asked me how I felt about NaruSaku. All in drabble-rabbles. 1000 word count. Hehe.
SPOILER ALERT: I think they'd be cute together.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Naruto. I do not make a profit from the writing of this story.
Spiral
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Sakura Haruno wiped her sweaty forehead with the back of her hand and tugged her collar releasing hot air. It was a hard day at the hospital following up with recovering shinobi critically injured during the war. She rolled her neck, relieving some cricks that staked a claim in the muscles there. She head through the bustling Konoha village streets towards the sweet sanctuary of her home.
She paused in her journey, attention taken by an orange blip in her peripherals. Turning toward a solitary bench bathed in lamplight, her lips parted finding her best friend sitting on it staring up into the starry night sky. Sakura changed destination and opted to offer company to her blonde teammate.
"Naruto!" She jogged over to him feeling a burst of energy seeing him respond with a sunny smile.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto grinned sitting up straight from his previous laid-back position.
She approached him, spinning in a circle and unceremoniously plopped beside him giggling at the blunt sound of her bottom hitting the bench. He joined in due to her infectious laughter bringing his hands to the back of his head leaning back facing the sky once more.
"No wonder that lazy Shikamaru cloud watches. This-is damn relaxing."
Sakura regarded him silently. Her eyes softened watching her friend. He deserved all of the relaxation the world could give him. The man beside her worked his entire life to get where he is. To the point of being breathless, he deserved every waking minute when a villager thanked him for his extraordinary heroism. Now, his entire person exuded the calmest of auras, whereas weeks ago in the heart of the battlefield he held the calamity of being Konoha's hope –no, being a shinobi's hope. His success meant the world's salvation. They wouldn't be sitting in tranquility had it not been for his unwavering faith.
"Spirals..."
Breaking Sakura out of her thoughts she searched for said pattern in the sky.
"They're endless, aren't they?"
Not finding anything, she allowed him his unconnected musings. "I guess so."
"They-they're almost as unchanging as a circle, right?"
Sakura tilted her head to the side, leaning it on her shoulder, "Never thought of it like that."
"Your family always had the circle, as the symbol right?"
"Yup, of course, we weren't a prominent family like yours or Sasuke's. We were as civilian as one could get." She tapped her chin in a short reflection. It's just odd why they didn't want to promote in the ranks. Staying genin for ages, never asked them about that. "I hope I can represent our symbol, at least. Er, I hope." She pouted.
"Sakura-chan you're doing your family good! Badass medic with badass super-strength! You'll go down in history, dattebayo!" He grinned at her with his form still facing forward.
"Thanks Naruto." I'm nothing compared to you. Any family would kill to have you represent them. Inwardly, she groaned. She was something special, she'll admit that much. But to be a hero or villain like a particular dark-haired Uchiha, that was above an ordinary level. Something she wished she could accomplish. However, time after the war humbled her. Sakura would settle for being Sasuke's and Naruto's balance. The force anchored them with her frailty. She winced at how weak she made herself out to be. It wasn't intentional to think so, plain of herself. With all things considered, she accomplished much for a kunoichi of her birthright. She didn't have the specialties as TenTen, the Kekkei Genkai of both Ino or Hinata. She didn't have the confidence and affinity as Temari did with the wind. Try as she might, she considered she was the best at trying to do her best. She'll take that over being her weak twelve-year old self any day.
"My mother represented the spiral. The whirpool. It's a pretty chaotic thing isn't it?"
"How so?"
"They're in cyclones, that pattern. Disastrous."
"I'm...not getting you, Naruto."
"Hear me out, Sakura-chan. The outer layers of a cyclone, the winds are the most cutting and dangerous." Naruto began drawing circles in the air. His index finger pressed a dot and stopping his movements. "But at the center, it's calm."
"...?"
"I'd like to think-the center-is the end of the disaster. For my mother, her center was the light found in my dad."
She smiled softly at his claim.
"For me...there's no doubt I'm like my mother through and through, dattebayo!" he rubbed the back of his head. "For me, though, I'm a spiral for sure. Just..." he faltered before continuing, his voice lost its passion, almost shyly. "For me, at the center of my spiral is a circle. You."
Sakura's face bloomed. She blinked, green eyes slipping down into the pavement under their feet. "Naruto…" Her thoughts were in disarray. She could not hide the delight blessing her pretty features.
"Sakura-chan?"
His question answered with the quiet of the evening.
The man with hair of sunlight dropped his hand between them in defeat. A grimace played on his tanned countenance. His other hand gripped his neck feeling embarrassment rush him. He poured his heart out to her the best way he could. Time and time again, Sakura had reminded him out of all the people in this village he deserved to relax. Whether it was respect from former enemies to a lifetime supply of his favorite ramen, she told him he would get meant for him. She had joked that he was the hero meant to get the girl. One breath of his heroism would have her swoon.
Hell, that girl was on the battlefield with him.
He could flex all of his muscles and like his childhood, she wouldn't even bat an eyelash.
Perhaps, the hero didn't deserve everything.
A delicate pinky curled and locked over his own.
Suddenly, Sakura didn't worry about how she compared to her powerful teammates.
Powerful currents stormed within Naruto.
And the circle fit as a perfect center to the seemingly endless spiral.
End.
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A/N: This was my first attempt at NaruSaku. I'm a little timid after looking it over, but this is as close to my feelings for them as I can get. Not too overly romantic, but just right. Well, right in my perspective. I plan to experiment with them a bit more and find my bearings. I plan to write a NaruHina & a SasuKarin. This change of ... pairings inspired me to look at other ships. Heh!
I'd love to hear your thoughts!