This boy…this brave boy…had gone after Sasuke with no regard for his own safety. His only concern was that Sasuke be returned to the village…for her. Because, despite how coldly he treated her, despite the way he looked down on her, despite the fact that he abandoned his village to seek power with an enemy, she was in love with Uchiha Sasuke. Or at least that's what she told herself.
And Naruto…well, he was in love with her. But unlike Sakura's love for Sasuke, Naruto's love was pure. When Sakura loved, she was selfish and blind and didn't care who she hurt so long as she got what she wanted. Naruto was the exact opposite. If he had been like her, he would have refused to go after Sasuke and instead taken this opportunity to try to win her heart. But Naruto was so much better than her…so much better than anyone gave him credit for. Instead of abandoning Sasuke to his fate, Naruto nearly lost his life trying to bring him back to Konoha…because he couldn't bear to see her heart breaking. Naruto had every right to hate her for what she had pushed him to do.
When Sakura finally stopped hovering outside his door and actually stepped into the hospital room, she nearly laughed at the sight he made, her melancholy temporarily lifted. He was struggling in vain to break the thick ropes that bound him to the bed, cursing under his breath about how stupid the medics were. But as soon as he saw her, he ceased his efforts, a crestfallen look immediately darkening his face. Sakura winced, steeling herself for whatever angry diatribes he was about to throw her way, knowing that she deserved them all. But what actually came out of his mouth was the last thing she could have expected.
"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan."
Sakura's jaw dropped, a dumbfounded look on her face.
"I failed you, Sakura-chan. I couldn't bring him back like I promised. But don't you worry! I'll be all better soon, and I'm going to train and become stronger. And I will bring Sasuke back, even if I have to break both his arms and legs to do it…that is a promise of a lifetime!"
Sakura's eyes filled with tears as she looked at the cheerful smile of her friend and thought about how willing he was to throw his life away just to fulfill a promise he had made to her. She realized what a great disservice she had done to this boy. Despite all the times she had been cruel to him, screamed at him, insulted him, ignored him while she fawned over Sasuke, he was still willing to give her his unflagging devotion. She felt a tiny twinge in her heart. Maybe she had been going after the wrong boy all along.
"Naruto, you should let yourself heal," Sakura said softly. "And when you are well, we can go after Sasuke-kun together. We are a team after all, ne?"
Naruto gave her a big grin. "That's right…no matter what, we'll always be a team! Together, I'm sure we can drag that idiot back to the village and beat some sense into him!"
Sakura gave Naruto a warm smile. Then, without thinking, she leaned down and gave him a soft kiss on his forehead.
Naruto's eyes grew wide and his face turned beet red. "Oi, what was that for, Sakura-chan?"
"For being such a true friend."
Naruto turned an even darker shade of red as he stammered to find something to say. Finally, a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes.
"Hey, if we're such good friends…how about you untie me? I promise I won't tell."
Sakura laughed and tapped him on the nose playfully. "You need to let your body finish healing. I'm sure the medics will let you go as soon as you are well."
"I'm perfectly fine! I snuck out earlier and got ramen…that's all I needed to make a full recovery!"
Sakura laughed at his whole-hearted devotion to his favorite food. "I'll make a deal with you…promise me you won't try to escape again, and I'll sneak you in some ramen for dinner."
Naruto pondered this for a moment before enthusiastically bobbing his head in assent.
"Then it's all settled," Sakura said cheerfully. "But I should probably go now and let you rest," she said as she noticed Naruto trying to stifle a yawn.
Sakura opened the door to leave, but paused at the last second to say one last thing.
"I'm going to do my best from now on, Naruto. That way you can rely on me like I've been relying on you. I haven't been a very good friend…but that is going to change. That is my promise to you."
Naruto was oddly silent. When Sakura turned around to see his reaction, she saw that he had already drifted off to sleep. Quietly, she stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her. It didn't matter if he had heard her promise or not. From this day on, things were going to be different. She was going to become someone worthy of his love.