Chapter 1: Beginning of Strife, End of Hardship
Beforehand, let me say that this is a NaruSaku fanfic, but I mixed my two friends who are "struggling to protect each other at all costs". I've known them for a few years, and the stuff they've been through makes me want to cry. However, this is different...I'm making a life worth living for them in this fanfic. They WILL be happy finally... Oh yeah, and I don't own Naruto. Besides, both Naruto and Sakura are 17, and this is long after Pein's death. Personally, I don't care about Sasuke, so he'll only come in when I have
Lady Tsunade just sent them on a simple escort mission...who knew the two people they are to protect will influence their lives so greatly? "COME ON BAA-CHAN, WHY DO WE GOTTA GO ON TH-", a fist soon connected to Naruto's skull...a fist he was all too familiar with. "NARUTO, SHUT IT BAKA!!!", Sakura practically screamed as she always did when disciplining the obnoxious blonde, mostly by force. "Sakura-chan, seriously though, a C-rank for a pair of Jounin like us?", said Naruto as he was slowly getting up from the room 30 feet away from his tenth indent through the right Hokage wall this week. "You really don't understand the severity of this mission, do you?", Sakura said in a matter-of-fact way. "We have to travel to another country, away from the entire continent we inhabit, take the two young clients we were assigned to, then risk our lives ten times over to bring them here for safe-haven!".
Naruto knew he was beat as soon as those words came out of Sakura's mouth, but at the same time felt like this will be a brand new adventure on his path to Hokage. "OK, sorry Sakura-chan...so how much time do we have to pack our stuff up then?", Naruto asked, knowing this mission was going to take a very long time to complete. Sakura could see in his sapphires she adored that he knew they were going to be gone for a long time. Tsunade simply heaved a big sigh, and mumbled "Two hours, and Naruto this mission will take a month just getting there". Naruto then looked at Tsunade with a confused look at first, but what he said next caught both Tsunade, and Sakura completely offguard. "Their life savings were only enough for a C-rank, wasn't it...Tsunade-sama? In that case, in order to permanently lose these gangsters, we have to hide them with us until we can escape back to Konoha so we can make them official citizens, thus protecting them from any kind of threat...am I right?"
Tsunade simply looked at him, awe-struck, while Sakura's jaw looked like it was going to fall of its hinges. "Naruto...how did you figure that out?!" Sakura said, still recovering from the sudden genious her normally dense teammate developed. Tsunade soon asked the same. Naruto meanwhile...he just stood there, silently. "Well, it kinda sounded like our Land of Waves mission, but knowing bullies & gangsters from personal experiences..." Tsunade visually cringed, but Sakura looked at him, waiting for him to continue, not realizing at first what he said last. "And from what you said about another country, I correlated it into two kids with nothing but each other, salvaging the money they could get to have us help them when no one else would, or could. This is one C-rank that I will ensure success, because we have a chance to save not one...but two pure hearts."
At those words, both Tsunade, and Sakura felt their hearts skip a beat. Naruto was about to say something when Tsunade softly said "Don't talk anymore...who are you, and what have you done to the baka I know?" Naruto knew he said something that hit home to both women in the room, but to have Tsunade say that to him...made him speechless in an instant. "...I...I-" Sakura interrupted the answer, saying "He knows when a person is of pure heart by just knowing...besides...he has a hell of a pure heart himself." Sakura slowly, and silently said just loud enough for both Naruto, and Tsunade to hear.
"Sakura-chan..." Naruto slowly said. Now it was his turn to be surprised to no end. His mind was racing, he was about to have a sweatdrop, and his voice was getting shakier by the second. The woman he loved, his Sakura Haruno, not only said that to him, but he saw a visual blush on her face before she turned away. Tsunade looked at Naruto, then Sakura...and she felt a warm smile forming. "Looks like someone is too shy to admit those oh-whatta-ya-call-them? Oh yeah...feelings" Tsunade thought as her smile was getting slowly bigger. However, she needed to get them on their way, so the only way she knew how... "NARUTO, SAKURA, snap out of it, you have a mission to pack up for, remember?" Naruto, and Sakura simultaneously turned towards Tsunade, postures straightened, and stuttered swiftly, "H-H-Hai Hokage s-sama" Tsunade was just enjoying this, but she had to go over last details with them before they headed out. "Now that I've gotten your attention...here is your instructions, and your copies of the work papers. Sakura, you'll need the map, because Naruto sucks at directions. Go to Suna, and see the Kazekage. He will hand you over to Baki, who will escort you to your destination. You are to infiltrate a cargo ship taking supplies to a large fishing company in New Jersey. That is in your clients' region, so it should be very easy to get to your destination from there. You are hearby dismissed, good luck, take care of each other, and take care of the clients through & through" Naruto, and Sakura both nodded silently, and quickly headed out to their respected apartments to get ready for one hell of a mission.
It was the first time they ever had a moment like this. Alone on the third-floor balcony just...watching the sun set on the Sunnybrook Apartments. While the kids were playing a common soccer game on the small dirt field, the parents were about to chow down on some barbeued ckicken and some of Abuelita's famous bell pepper & jalapeno rice.
She was sitting next to him, both resting their heads on the sturdy brick chimney while soaking in the beautiful sun. Her name, Veronica; his name, Chuck...both best friends since they became teenagers. She was a beautiful girl; about 5'6, 105 lbs, long and shiny brown hair, light emerald eyes, hourglass figure, and a beautiful smile. He was not handsome in the least, but made up in kindness and talent; he was about 5'10, 180 lbs, long brown hair in a ponytail, brown eyes with a hint of hazel, a small stubble forming on his big face, and a big chest & stomach.
Veronica was wearing a green tee that was tied up to show her perfect abdomen, worn-out blue skinny jeans with a white spiked belt, and her own trademark black Converse with green laces. Chuck wore an oversized black tee, baggy navy-blue jeans, his old white Nike sneakers with his own blue laces, and his trademark beige & white flannel jacket hanging freely off of him.
"Chuck", Veronica whispered, getting Chuck's attention instantly with his eyes turning towards her. "Something wrong, V?", Chuck asked, using her old nickname. "Do you think our friends will be ok after we're gone? I mean, I just feel so bad for them now", Veronica asked slowly. Chuck said to her, "Of course they will. Besides, Will is the only one I told about this so we'll be ok. You know Will right?", and she slightly chuckled as she answered "The blonde kid with glasses that...", she was holding back a laugh as she continued, "made out with just about every girl you introduced him to at Cronin's party...including me, right?". Veronica looked at Chuck with innocent eyes, but still hoped he wasn't mad at Will. Chuck soon burst out laughing, "Of course...I...I...I DARED HIM TO DO THAT!!!" The look on her face after he said that brought tears of laughter come to his face in an instant. "BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! THE LOOK ON YOUR FUCKIN FACE...PRICELESS I TELL YOU, PRICELESS!", he said as he was now clutching his sides, burning the image into his head for all eternity.
She was listening intently, about to bust out laughing...but after he finished his explanation, her face immediately transformed to wide eyes, her hands falling to her sides, and a major blush forming on her face. "COME ON, CHUCK! That's not right to dare a 15-year old to make out with random chicks older than him, you fucking pervert!", Veronica stated with the blush still there, but soon got an idea. "You know...he really was a good kisser though. I didn't want it to end, really..." It was the hard truth though, and she knew it. Will WAS a good kisser; nice and gentle, with an amazing tongue to boot. She was reaching for the camera in her purse while she was speaking, loading it to get that awkward shot she wouldn't forget. Chuck's face turned from laughing whole-heartedly, to going so wide-eyed Veronica thought his eyes were going to pop out. She quickly took out the camera and...SNAP!