Hello, hello! I decided to make a new Naruto story, since I felt the other one was becoming too rushed and wasn't getting anywhere, yet. I might decide to continue it - I just don't know. Maybe it'll be a sequel to this or something. Bleh! I'm not sure. Anywho, I was inspired and got into something and thoughts spurred into the moment. Hopefully, the ficcy will turn out the way I want it to.

Defintion Of Nyctophobia: Fear of the dark or of the night.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

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Title: The Morning's Nights, The Prologue

Blood flushed through her veins and under her flesh in a panic. She could feel her heart pulsing rapidly, ready to burst out of her ribcage. She would let it, just to lend it to person below her grasp. She was crying and she knew it, the tears flowing down her face and falling on the grimy floor with loud drips, yet reaching deaf ears. It didn't matter, since if she wiped them away, then it would only replace the wetness with blood smears.

She felt suffocated, under so much pressure and the tears kept building up behind her lashes. Tears didn't help anything, though. Only brought more despair. Fingers aglow and working urgently upon chilling skin, she allowed herself to sniffle and breathe through strangled and suppressed sobs, because she wished for this skin to be warm.

Warm like the person's smile and healthy like their undying love. But, the skin wasn't flushed and it went against her will as it tore under the pressure. She choked when her eyes caught this action — her eyes filled with agony and desperation. How could she let this happen? Why is she still so weak?

Her throat made agonizing wrenching noises as she pushed her chakra into her fingers faster, and faster, and faster.

"Stop bleeding…" She whispered under the noises of the monitor, the nurses, the doctors… her pounding heart. And like her heart's, she found herself pounding. Physically beating on the person's chest and being so… weak. "Stop bleeding!! Stop!"

"Sakura-san! Please, you must cease!"

"Haruno!"

Who the hell were they to tell her to stop? They were screaming at the wrong person! "Let me go!" She shrilled under those wretched sobs and weakly, oh so weakly, tried to escape grasping hands attempting to soothe her away from fate.

Fucking fate.

"I'm not done! Let me go!!" She screamed and screamed, her throat bleeding and her eyes pleading with rage and bittersweet sorrow. Who the hell were they to tell her to stop? She wasn't done! She could keep him alive!

"Sakura… He's not going to make it."

She snapped. Just when her heart was ceasing to burst, it shot up at full blown speed and left her gasping for air and clinging so tightly at whoever was holding her back. Not… going to make it?

"W-What?" She couldn't comprehend those words. As if her brain wasn't allowing her to and she drifted off into insanity.

Who's not going to make it?

Beeeeeeeeeeep….-

"NARUTO!!"

-

Being awoken in a cold sweat wasn't the way she wanted to start off the morning. The sheets felt sticky against her skin and she cringed when the sun's light crept through the blinds too much for her liking. She didn't feel too good to move; neither motivated nor in the right mind to do so.

Last night… was too much. She didn't bother to remember it. Her throat already felt bad enough.

Blinking owlishly, Sakura soon slowly began to shift around in her uncomfortable position — her legs tangled between sheets stickily drenched in perspiration and toes curling from being exposed to the cool air beyond her damp sheets. "Bad morning…" She whispered with a disheartened frown, clear green eyes slightly sore while her face bared dried tears.

Where the hell was she? Oh… yeah. Home. The barely-furnished household that left echoes when someone speaks loud enough. Currently, the silence was being consumed by groans and loud snores from the next room, which was the reason why Sakura wasn't crying like a baby in worry or jumping out of the bed and out of the house to see if that blonde loud ass was okay.

He was here — living with her and she felt better just knowing this. Blinking once more to clear her hazy vision, she pushed herself up where her senses awoken to the sounds of birds chirping and Naruto snoring.

Last night left her to bare a bed-head and bags under her eyes as she slowly came to find when she entered the bathroom soundlessly. "Oh god." She murmured in surprise and sighed before turning on the faucet, dipping her hands in and heightening her senses to their peak with a splash of cold water. Soon, her mood shined brighter.

With bare feet, she left the sanctuary of her room and ventured in the halls, humming softly and reaching a door brighter than the sun's horizon. Painted with black swirls and glistened in orange coating. Opening the door without askance, Sakura entered and was uplifted to see the form of him lying stretched out, the same walrus night-hat barely able to be kept on with that wilder mane of blonde. Stepping over the limitless supply of junk scattered across the floor, Sakura met his bed and smiled weakly.

She was soon tangled in his sheets and limbs, a peaceful expression blooming. Her arm lied over his nude torso and masculine arms locked around her frail body subconsciously.

She wasn't done. She would keep him alive.

"Sakura-chan…"