Forgot to post it in time, so I changed it to reflect my own slackness.It continues from Gifts, Warmth and For Christmas.
Standard Disclaimer: Just my little Shojo touch in a Shonen manga. Enjoy my rendition of the fruits of someone else's imagination.
White Day
Stupid! Stupid!
Naruto berated himself as he tried to force more speed from his tired legs. Three days they'd been conducting a running battle with these missing nins, and today he let them get between him and Sakura-chan. Damn fog!
She'd begged Kakashi-sensei to let her take the front with Naruto, let Sasuke and Kakashi be back up this time. Kakashi-sensei had agreed, but mostly because Naruto would be her partner. And Naruto wouldn't let anything happen to Sakura while he was still breathing.
Hold on Sakura-chan, I'm coming!
There! He could hear them now, if he was really lucky Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke would already be there. Abandoning the edge of the ravine where the trees were less dense and easier to move through, Naruto plunged towards the sounds of the fight. The light fog made sound difficult to pinpoint, and Naruto only hoped he was heading in the right direction.
Ahead of him he saw the trees thin out into a clearing. His heart lept, he could see Sakura-chan, she was alright. She was fighting one of the missing nins, and ...Sasuke! Sasuke-bastard was there, Kakashi couldn't have been far away, she was alright. Naruto felt a knot of tension loosen in his chest. He reached the edge of the clearing as Sakura powered up one of her trademark land-smashing punches.
She never got the chance to use it, the missing nin was on her too fast. A strong attack and Sakura stumbled back, shaking her head.
No don't. Naruto thought desperately as Sakura made yet another basic combat mistake.
He hated agreeing with Sasuke-bastard, especially when it was a conclusion that upset Sakura. She was not made for combat. She didn't have the instincts necessary in a fight. She closed her eyes, or she looked away, or she hesitated, any one of a hundred little things which could mean the difference between life or death. She couldn't fight beside them.
Naruto lept again, desperate to reach her to stop the attack that was coming. He fell short and could only watch as the missing nin picked up the half dazed Sakura and threw her out into the fog. Even as the muscles in Naruto's legs tensed, her body fell through the air, falling until she dissapeared behind an edge that shouldn't have been there.
Naruto threw himself after her with a wild scream and hurtled after her into the fog hidden ravine.
He hurt, he hurt and Kyuubi was taking his own sweet time putting things right. Being the stubborn person he was Naruto lifted his head anyway. He was rewarded with the sight of a pink head cradled on his chest.
Shit, shit, shit, FOX! Get this shit fixed now! Naruto ordered silently as he tried to see if Sakura was still living.
It's a good thing I'm bigger than Sakura-chan now. Naruto reflected as he tried to remember how to feel for a pulse.
He almost cried when Sakura started moving of her own accord. She pushed herself up dizzily and looked at Naruto through fuzzy eyes.
"Hey what'ya doing in my bed?" She asked testily.
Naruto shrugged, not wanting to move while she was still sitting on him. Sakura looked around as her mind cleared to remember past events. Her eyes rounded as she looked up from the bottom of the ravine and saw kilometres above them the top still partially hidden by fog clinging to the walls.
Yelping she slid off of Naruto and starting scanning him automatically for wounds. Naruto loved how she did that, no matter what anyone else said about how efficient Kyuubi was at healing Naruto, she always tried to heal him too. It was a sign she cared, he knew it was, her way of taking care of him. Her way of being useful to him. She immediately started pushing healing energy into him as if she was fighting Kyuubi for the right to heal Naruto.
"Thanks Sakura-chan, the furball was dragging it out." Naruto said sitting up.
"Anytime Naruto-kun." Sakura said giving him a grin as she delt to her own small cuts and bruises.
Again Naruto was pleased he'd put so much work into controlling his chakra, it had saved both their lives forming a cocoon that had absorbed most of the impact. And Sakura-chan had come out almost unscathed which pleased him even more.
Standing up he put a hand against the ravine wall to start climbing out, he couldn't hear fighting anymore so he figured it was either over, or Sasuke and Kakashi had been forced to chase them down again. His hand slipped against the smooth side. He tried again only to have both hands slip. Taking a running leap, ignoring Sakura's annoyed 'Naruto.' Naruto made it a few feet before landing in a clumsy heap on the ground.
"If you've hurt yourself and I have to heal you again because you're an idiot I will not be happy." Sakura growled as she put a hand against a fast dissapearing scratch on his cheek.
She arrived too late, the cut already healed by the time she'd concentrated her chakra. She bit back a sigh and checked Naruto over anyway.
Naruto waited, blushing as Sakura fussed over him.
"We should probably try walking out." Sakura said, looking left and right down the ravine bottom.
"Nah it goes on for ages." Naruto said, scratching at a whisker mark.
"Great." Sakura said, flopping back on the ground. "So I get to wait for Sasuke-kun and Kakashi-sensei to come and rescue me again."
"It not like that Sakura-chan." Naruto said, embarrassed because often it was.
Sakura shot him a dirty look.
"Name one thing I'm good for." She snapped.
"You're a great medic nin!" Naruto said, hoping it would be enough.
Sakura gave a look that would've flayed skin from bone.
"Do you ever need a medic nin?" She asked acidly. "Does Sasuke-kun? Does Kakashi-sensei?"
"Well... sometimes..." Naruto said, ducking his head.
She was right, between him with Kyuubi, Kakashi-sensei being a genius and Sasuke's 'do not touch me' attitude, she didn't get alot of work for her skills within the group.
"You're Sakura-chan...that's enough." Naruto said trying to put into words her place in their twisted little team.
She hugged her knees and turned away from him. Listening to her sniffle Naruto wished he had Chôuji's talent of putting a smile on people's faces. Reaching into his ninja pouch for a handkerchief or something similar his hand brushed a cardboard corner. His heart sank. Drawing it out he swallowed a groan.
Three days ago it'd been White Day, the day when presents from St Valentine's Day were reciprocated with more presents. He hadn't been able to buy or make a gift that was as special as the one she'd given him and Sasuke, but he'd brought a little box of candy and he figured that if he bullied Sasuke into going out with them to eat it would almost be an adequate thank you. Three days ago they'd caught up with their targets and he'd forgotten all about giving her the little box.
And now it was more of a pancake than box. He couldn't give her it now. Rocking back in forth he wondering she'd feel better after pounding him a little. He was saved from deciding by the arrival of Sasuke. The less than graceful arrival of Sasuke.
For a moment both Sakura and Naruto blinkingly stared at the sight of Sasuke sprawled on the ground. Then Sakura lept to her feet and rushed to his side. Grumpily Sasuke tried to push her hands away until she gave him her medic nin stare and he subsided grudgingly. As Sakura stepped to the side, Naruto gave Sasuke one of his patented 'haha you're an idiot' grins, guaranteed to piss Sasuke off everytime.
Naruto didn't even have time to blink before Sasuke was on him trying to beat him black and blue. With a growl Sakura waded in handing out hits to both young men.
Grumbling Sakura rechecked them and took care of any small bruises.
Snarling Sasuke glared at the ravine wall.
"We fell, what's your excuse?" Naruto asked.
Naruto flinched as Sasuke lifted a fist, but an especially loud growl from Sakura had Sasuke putting his fist back down.
"Damn thing's fine till half way down." Sasuke ground out giving the wall a kick as if it was personally responsible for his humiliation.
A snicker from Naruto was turned into a cough with one glare from Sakura.
"Yeah," Naruto agreed. "It aint much better from down here."
Sasuke whistled loudly and from the top of the ravine they heard another whistle.
"Kakashi-sensei's going to look for some rope." Sasuke said, leaning against the wall.
For the first time Sakura noticed the flattened box in Naruto's hands. Noticing her look of curiousity Naruto suddenly tried to hide the smashed present. Sasuke snorted as he saw the box and Naruto blushed hotly. Goaded by Sasuke's disdain Naruto thrust the crushed thing towards Sakura.
"Happy White Day." He said staring at the ground.
It was a long time before Sakura tugged the present out of his hands. Naruto gave a sigh of relief when she didn't do anything violent to him.
"Sorry it's late, I kinda got caught up in the whole tracking thing and then we fell and I crushed it, but I can buy you another one, and this one's just to say thank you for everything you do for me, for us, for the team, cause... cause we don't say it enough." Naruto stammered.
A grunt from Sasuke drew two sets of eyes to him. Sasuke stood looking firmly off to one side and dangling from his out stretched hand, held only by two finger tips was a twin to the smashed box in Sakura's hands. Equally flattened.
"I fell." Sasuke said shortly.
Sakura gave a nod and sidled up to the present taking it carefully from Sasuke's tenuous grip.
Smiling Sakura thanked the boys and hugged the gifts to her chest.
"They're really good candy." Naruto said, as the silence threatened to stretch until the arrival of Kakashi-sensei.
"Oh!" Sakura said, sitting down beside Naruto.
Fighting the crushed cardboard she pryed open one of the boxes and offered Naruto a piece. He cheerfully took one and popped it into his mouth. She took one herself, then cast a shy look at Sasuke. Sasuke looked away but he still came to sit beside them. He refused the candy and instead started to plan their training schedule once they'd gotten back to Konoha.
"You need more speed Sakura." Sasuke said gruffly. "You're still not focused enough on the fight."
"I'm a medic nin." Sakura said a tiny bit of heat in her voice. "I'm not supposed to be in combat."
"Then why do you keep putting yourself there?" Sasuke snapped back.
Sakura's head dropped and Sasuke sighed. Naruto watched the exchange carefully, Sakura needed to learn to give as good as she got in an argument with Sasuke.
"I just want to be useful." Sakura mumbled.
"You are useful, you're a medic nin." Sasuke growled.
"A medic nin noone needs." She said, self pityingly.
"Then make yourself needed!" Sasuke snarled feeling worse and worse about how the conversation was turning.
Naruto snatched a box of candy out of Sakura's hands and thrust it into Sasuke's hands.
"Hey!" Sakura said, giving Naruto a look that was between surprised and angry.
"Give her a candy." Naruto ordered.
Sasuke stared at him, his lip curling.
"It's a promise." Naruto explained. "When you do something bone headed and upset her you have to give her a candy. Then when she needs to heal you but you don't want her to she can give you back the candy and it'll mean you have to let her help you. As a way of saying sorry."
Sasuke and Sakura stared at Naruto.
"Give her a candy." Naruto insisted. "Unless you meant to make her cry."
Scowling, Sasuke held out a piece of candy. Gulping, Sakura took the piece and nodded her thankyou.
"There he said he's sorry for being an idiot." Naruto said happily.
Sasuke lept onto Naruto rather than look at Sakura. Sakura watched for a while until the fight started getting serious before she stepped in to stop it.
And she had her first chance to redeem her candy-coupon.