Riders on the Storm

Teaser; Rough draft

"Get it off! I can't get it off!!" the frightened voice coming from the bathroom caused Sakura to rush in heedless of propriety.

"Naruto!!" She shouted as she burst into the bathroom wincing as the blast of steam from the shower hit her in the face. As her vision cleared up she felt her cheeks heat up from more than the steam at the sight before her; a sight that sent a painful shudder through her heart.

Naruto Uzumaki one of the strongest Shinobi she knew, recently returned from the dead, was lying in a fetal position on the shower floor being scaled by water from a shower that had to be all hot water if the steam rising was any indication. He was scrubbing at his skin vigorously enough to cause abrasions. The scratches would heal almost immediately but the blood would linger for a moment causing him to scrub harder. All the while he was crying and murmuring, even occasionally shouting "Get it off! I can't get it off!"

"Oh god Naruto…" She thought; then as if her body were moving on its own she threw herself into the shower heedless of the scalding hot stream from the shower. She wrapped her arms around him and crushed him to her chest, heedless of the fact that he was naked and her clothes were soaking through in the spray from the shower.

"Sakura-chan…" he began but she cut him off by hugging him closer while simultaneously reaching back and lowering the temperature of the water to a more comfortable temperature. "Shhh" she whispered soothingly "Its ok there's no blood you got it all there's no more blood, you're clean…" but he suddenly spasmed and shouted back.

"No I'm not!! I'm not clean I killed people Sakura-chan!" he wailed "I killed them, and I watched him kill them and he laughed, and said I was doing it. And he said I was a bad person. I was weak I couldn't stop him I almost killed you…!!" he continued to rail but she cut him off.

"No Naruto you saved me remember?!" she felt horrible right now. Here he was so vulnerable and needy and helpless, and alls he could do was hug him, and whisper soothing nothings in his ear. It seemed it was all she could ever do for him just these small, tiny useless things.

"Everything's going to be ok…" she began only to feel the blood rush to her face as he was breathing heavily and his warm breath ghosted over neck shocking her.

Suddenly the fact that he was very naked and the fact that she was soaked and holding him closely to her body hit her like a ton of bricks. And her body was reacting to that closeness. She let loose a shuddering breath as his mouth ghosted up her neck to her jaw line and he whispered her name. "Sakura-chan…"

"Naruto…" Was all she was able to think before a pair of lips captured hers and oh god she couldn't help herself she kissed back, and lost all coherent thought in the process. Her hand threaded itself into his blond locks soaked down by the shower and she pulled him closer deepening what was already a deep and passionate kiss. Tongues entwined and explored and wrapped around each other, and Sakura was nearly overwhelmed by the sensations she was feeling. She had never felt like this before never been this needy, not even when Sasuke was her whole world.

"It's not a matter of big or small Sakura." Yamato explained looking her in the eye with that knowing smile on his face. "It's the strength of your feelings for Naruto that matter." She remembered his words clear as day and the shocked expression she'd had on her face as her feelings for Naruto had been so blatantly pulled up and put on display for her to see. Then Naruto had woken and she hadn't been able to really explore the thoughts and feelings she'd had.

Now though she wanted to. No even more she wanted him. She wanted him, and she wanted this. She wanted what was happening between them. She felt a steadily rising fire burning bright and hot in her belly and spreading into her chest as her lips clashed back and forth with hers. She had a flash as her inner persona made to dive into that fire with a war cry and embrace it with all she had.

But as she felt one of Naruto's hands ghost over her breast causing her to take in a deep shuddering breath. She pulled back and turned her head away from him with a supreme effort of will that left her feeling like she'd just finished one of her Shishou's sparring sessions.

"Shhhhh…" she whispered soothingly. She continued to whisper softly to him as he finally seemed to settle down and his breathing seemed to settle and grow slower and slower before he settled into a deep—thankfully dreamless—sleep.

Gently she kissed him on the forehead and she whispered to him. "I love you Naruto I won't let you go I promise."

She just sat there under the warm spray holding him close letting him rest, and letting her presence sooth him. And she prayed, she prayed that he would be able to recover from this and get back to being himself, get back to being the man she'd fallen in love with. Because she had, she knew she had and this only confirmed it. When she'd thought she'd lost him when the coffin had been put into the ground it had been as if it were she that was being buried in that grave. She'd felt empty, lost and in danger of falling into a spiral of rage, and revenge and despair.

But when he'd been found, when he'd been shown to be alive. Alive and well and safe it was like her world had lit up as if the sun had come out and the storm that threatened to drown her heart had blown away. He was alive. He was alive and he would soon know how she felt about him. Because she did love him, she truly did. And nothing would take him from her again. Not war, not pestilence, not famine. No; Not even Death itself would separate her from her heart again.

AN: My new years present to my readers. thanks for all your support over the past years or so. I really appreciate it.

the above is a teaser scene from my upcoming Riders on the Storm story. Its a rough draft of a scene that appears later in the story.

I hope you enjoy it and have a safe and happy New years