"Dattebayo, Konoha! It's good to be back!" said the young man clad in black and orange, who stood on the tower, over his village. He jumped, unzipped jacket snapping the air as he fell. It was like he had no care in the world, as he fell through the cool wind, eyes held shut to protect them from any stray dirt that may wander the airways in his village. He always knew it as his village. Ever since he made the promise that he would one day become Hokage, to rule over and protect the Land of Fire.
That day had to wait. For the first thing he wished to do, was to greet his friends once more, after almost three long years apart. He smiled, as he landed on his feet, with one hand on the ground. He looked on, as villagers walked past, doing their everyday tasks. A few people stopped to stare. After all, the knuckle-head ninja had returned to his hometown, looking far more mature -grown up- which would be a big surprise to many, if not all, who lived in Konohagakure.
He was happy to see everyone, but he wanted to visit his closest friends the most: Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Tenten, Kiba, Neji, Choji, Shino, Rock Lee, Hinata. As well as Kakashi: his first true sensei. The man who taught him to love his friends more than anything. Teamwork. Everything. So he rose to his feet, and set on his way to find them. Those he loved. He wanted to tell them everything he'd accomplished in the past two and a half years!
And sure enough, on his travels he saw a young kunoichi, sat beside a tree. She was beautiful, and she always had been in Naruto's eyes, even if she did feel love for another. Well, she did a long time ago, before the...incident. She'd never really been the same since then. Though, she shone through above the rest, and made jounin before any other pupil her age. That was a definite achievement, in anyone's books, considering the ability and strength of her fellow pupils. In Naruto's eyes, she was all a girl could be: the beauty of an angel, the strength of a warrior, the intelligence of a genius, and just the right amount of flaws. In Naruto's eyes, she was perfect.
But perfect was not how Sakura felt when Naruto walked up to her. Her mascara had run from both eyes, down her cheeks, and staining her crimson shirt.
"S..Sakura...what's wrong?"
The woman wiped her eyes with her forearms, and gave a forced smile, "...Welcome home, Naruto. It's good to see you, again."
Naruto dropped to his knees, shuffling closer to his friend, "Sakura, what's wrong? You can tell me, y'know."
She looked at Naruto, her eyes tearing up once more, as she grabbed for his jacket and pulled her head towards his shoulder, "They're gone, Naruto! They're dead, and it's my fault!" she wept, tears streaming onto her friend's clothes. He wrapped his arms around her, cradling her slightly. He knew pain, all too well, and he did not wish it on any of his friends. Especially not her.
"Sakura, don't cry. Talk to me. Let me in." He said, stroking the crying being's soft pink hair, while still cradling her shaking body. And so she cried less, trying to form words through the tears that still remained, "M..Mom and...Dad...they're gone. I le..let them d..DIE!"
Another burst of pure emotion through the tears. Naruto didn't know what to say, but he knew he had to help her get cleaned up, "Do you still...live at..home, Sakura?"
"Y..yes." she replied, quietly, still bawling over his shoulder. Naruto shifted his friend's body slightly, so he could stand properly, with her still in his arms. She clenched around his neck with both arms, a little calmer than she had previously been. Naruto knew her house was a good walk away, but he didn't care. He would carry her across the world, had he the chance.
On the journey, he felt her grip weaken and her head slip slightly, so he moved his arm to support her neck. The saddened kunoichi had fallen asleep, likely caused by the floods of tears. Naruto also assumed that she had been losing sleep over the matter of which she had informed him. Which was perfectly understandable, given what had happened in her life, in the space of a just a few years.
Upon arrival, Naruto placed her limp body on the bench that sat on a patch of dead or dying grass, alongside a bed of wilted roses and other such flowering plants, which obviously hadn't been tended to for many days, or weeks, looking at the state of some of them. That was to be predicted. One does not think about their garden when a loved one passes away. Naruto reached onto the woman's loose pocket to search for the key for the front door. Nothing would awaken Sakura at that moment in time. He found the key, so unlocked the door and turned the light on, before retreating back outside to carry his companion into her own home.
He stopped in the entrance, where he would normally remove his footwear. Though, just this once, the respect was not necessary, given the circumstances. So the man walked on, through to the bedroom, where he placed Sakura on the couch, so he could make the bed more comfy for her. He knew his way around Sakura's house, thankfully, as he had been there on a few occasions previously, as it would be where he may go for a treat or bun from Sakura's mother. Sakura and Naruto were better friends than other people made them out to be. And so the bed was prepared for the young woman, but Naruto thought it would be best to have Sakura at her best, so she could sleep properly...which meant she needed to be out of her unnaturally filthy clothes. Naruto didn't get any kick out of the prospect of doing such a task. He was mature. He had changed a great deal over the past two and a half years. So he picked Sakura up again, and took her to the bathroom, where he placed her in the woven-framed chair. He took out a soft nightgown from the drawer in her bedroom, which had a chibi fox and the phrase: "Rawr!" embellished on the front. Naruto chuckled, as he light-heartedly thought of the Kyuubi that he possessed.
He proceeded to take off Sakura's shoes, shirt and skirt, which left her slumped in the chair, only wearing her underwear, which was a delightful shade of violet- but Naruto was no pervert, unlike his sensei Jiraiya, or even Kakashi Sensei, with his Icha Icha series that he loved so dearly. Naruto had become much more of a gentleman, which is why he shut his eyes as he removed her bra, and quickly dressed her in the nightgown. He dampened a cloth and wiped her face clean from the streaked mixture of tears and mascara. Her pale complexion was revealed once more, as the dirt was removed from her beautiful face.
He picked her up for the final time, carrying her still limp body back into the bedroom, where he laid her on the bed sheet, making sure that her head was in a good resting position. He pulled the quilt up to her bust, flattened it down slightly, then headed for the kitchen. He searched the many cupboards for a glass, as he didn't know every nook and cranny of Sakura's house. Upon finding a medium-sized glass, he filled it with cold water from the fridge. On the walk back to the bedroom, Naruto noticed Sakura's parents' room, which was closed, and blocked by a table, "Guess Sakura can't deal with going in there anymore...I get that." He said aloud, to himself, before entering Sakura's room. He placed the cold glass of water on the bedside table. He then leant forward, where he touched her pink hair once again, whispering, "Get better soon, Sakurasan."
But, as he began to walk away from the bed, her hand grabbed his wrist, "Don't go, Naruto. I need you..."
Naruto stopped instantly. He thought he was hearing things..feeling things. But no. No sooner had he turned around, he found Sakura had thrown the quilt from her body, beckoning the stunned man into her bed. Was she serious? Did she really want Naruto to slip into bed with her? Or was this due to her lack of sleep? She must be feeling strange things after what she had been through.
"Naruto, I don't want to be alone. Not anymore. I can't stand the loneliness." she persisted.
"S...Sakura, are you...sure? I mean, I shouldn't. You're...ill, aren't you?"
"I hate being alone. I have nobody to be with anymore. Help me, Naruto..."
The young man couldn't find words to express what he felt. He was overjoyed that Sakura finally felt for him-yet, he knew it would be wrong, as she was his friend, and she was upset; unstable.
"There could be repercussions." Naruto thought, hands shaking slightly. Sakura slumped slightly, closing her eyes and letting out a heavy sigh, "It doesn't matter, Naruto. I guess I was being stu-!"
Her words were interrupted by the sweetest of things, with the young man placing his hand on top of her own, as his knee slid onto the bed. Naruto began softly stroking Sakura's hair with his free hand, as she grasped his jacket and pulled him further towards her body.
Their friendship had blossomed that night, as they held each other in the perfect kiss.