((This fic was inspired by a picture I saw. If you want a link to the picture, it's right here:
http/img320.imageshack.us/img320/3908/narusaku76oo.md.jpg
Anyway, I hope this is as good as it is in my head. Also, to limit confusion I'm putting in things from both the Manga and the Anime.))
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day...a day where lovers met and destinies were formed...that is if you were someone other than Naruto Uzumaki. Even after the two and a half years he had been gone, he still didn't have much in the way of a love life. Naruto sighed as he tightened his headband and looked to his destination.
"Sure you wanna do this?" Sai, a new friend and current replacement member of Team Kakashi, asked looking up only briefly from his sketch book. Naruto nodded and raised his fist in front of him.
"Yeah, today's the day I'm gonna show my feelings!"
"If you can keep your balls until that time, I'm right behind you..." Sai said as he continued drawing. Naruto glared, irritated at Sai but said nothing as he walked forward and into the Yamanaka Flower Shop.
Upon entering the shop a young, sixteen year old blonde head poked up from behind the counter.
"Hello and welcome to the Yamanaka Flower..." She stopped as she realized who it was. Ino chuckled to herself and smirked, "Well, well, well, Naruto enters the flower shop silently, attempting to find the perfect gift for his one, true, love" Ino narrated in a sarcastic voice. Naruto grunted and folded his arms.
"Jealous cause it's not you?" He asked with a smirk. Ino laughed and shook her head.
"No, but I know who it is, and I must say, I think she feels the same way about you..." Naruto turned suddenly from looking at a grouping of roses when Ino said that.
"Really? You really think she likes me?" he was getting excited. Ino laughed and nodded.
"Of course she does, I mean, it's so obvious, even you should notice"
"Well, she never seemed to show me..." he said softly, looking down.
"No worries, Hinata definitely likes you" Naruto fell over as he heard this.
"Even I know that..." he said quickly, standing back up and looking to the roses again, "But...I don't like her like that..." Ino was shocked for a moment.
"What? If it's not Hinata then who...Oh..." she stopped after realizing who he must have meant. Ino smiled knowingly and sighed.
"C'mon" Ino said, grabbing Naruto's arm and pulling him from the store. She put up a sign that said "Back in Ten Minutes" and dragged Naruto away, "Walk with me, Talk with me."
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Sakura sat on a stone bench...her stone bench. It was the bench where she and Sasuke, whom she soon figured out was Naruto. Almost kissed, and also, it was the bench where Sasuke has left her after he knocked her out while leaving Konoha. She sighed deeply and looked up to the noon sky.
"Almost three years are up...Naruto and I have to hurry...if we want to get him back..." Sakura had been thinking about Sasuke a lot lately, probably because of Valentine's Day so close to coming. But now that it was here, she couldn't think of Sasuke. Even sitting here, on this bench, she couldn't think of him in a more romantic way.
"He was going to kill us...Kill Naruto..." Sakura shuddered at the thought. She had already lost Sasuke, but when she almost lost Naruto...to both Sasuke and Kabuto.
Flashback
"Ahhhh!" A 13 year old Naruto shouted as the many threads around his body began to suck the life from him. Sakura stood by, completely helpless as to what she should do. She tired to cut the threads with her Kunai, which did nothing. She fell to her knees and began to cry.
"Naruto...I'm sorry..." she said softly. There was a shout from behind her as she stood to see Sasame, a girl who has ties to Orochimaru, but asked for their help in finding her cousin, running towards her.
"Sasame-chan?" Sakura asked. Sasame quickly held out a pendent.
"Wrap that around the Kunai! Hurry!" Sakura, not wasting a second rapped the tab around the handle of the Kunai, causing it to glow. She held the Kunai high as she broght it down, cutting the ropes. Both Kabuto and Naruto screamed as the threads were cut, causing them both to fall backwards. Sakura looked on as Naruto fall backwards, not moving.
"Naruto!" she shouted, running over to him. She kneeled beside him and shook him slightly, "Naruto...Naruto?" as sudden sadness welled up inside her, one that was more fierce than when Sasuke had left. "No way...Naruto...?" she began to shake him, "Naruto!" After another minute she felt the tears began to fall.
"It can't be..." She said softly, Not Naruto too...no...Oh please no... She thought. Sakura began to cry loudly as she fell onto Naruto's chest.
"NARUTO!" Five minutes passed. Sakura, now dried of tears, slowly began to feel the beating of a heart. Surprised, she moved slowly off of Naruto and looked down. Naruto's face was beat red.
"My heart..." He said softly, "Is throbbing right now..." He smiled as he said this, making a joke out of the pain he had just endured. Sakura, unable to find a way to show her happiness, showed the opposite, anger.
"Naruto!" She growled as she knocked him on the head, "Stop worrying me like that!"
End Flashback
Sakura giggled to herself.
"Naruto and I have been though so much...and yet he doesn't seem fazed by it...Yet every time he does something..." an image of Gaara popped into her head. Not the Gaara of now, but the Gaara of before, the one who held the demon. He was going to kill her...if it hadn't been for Naruto she would be dead...and he had done it for her. Naruto had protected her from Kabuto's attack, the giant claw...she could still remember the sight of Naruto standing over her, the claw protruding from his back, and blood dripping down.
"Naruto has done so much for me...promised to bring Sasuke back even...everything" She sighed and stood, she was determined to thank him...she walked in the direction of his apartment.
xxxxxxxxxxxx
"Are you sure?" Naruto asked, walking out of the Yamanaka Flower Shop. He and Ino had returned after a quick trip to the store. In his hands was a small box with green wrapping and a lighter green ribbon. On it the tag read "Happy Valentine's Day Sakura, With All My Love" And it was signed by Naruto. Ino nodded and smiled as she picked up a bouquet of Roses, placing them in the rack near the front of the store.
"Trust me; she'll love it" Ino nodded and pushed him out the door, "Now if you don't mind I have a few other lover boys who need flowers!" Ino then turned as Chouji and Shikamaru walked into the store. Naruto grinned to himself and ran off, trying to find Sakura,
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Hinata walked slowly down the road. In her hands she held a red box with yellow ribbon. She smiled to herself.
Naruto-kun, I hope, I hope you like this... Kiba had helped him pick it out, though he seemed really sad when she had asked him to help. She smiled lightly as she saw Naruto walking around the street. In his hands he held a green box.
"Naruto-kun" she tried to shout out, but before she could say anything Naruto had begun running back towards his apartment. Hinata was confused as she saw him run.
"Why is he running?" She asked softly as she followed him. Behind her, Kiba ran as well, a blue box in his hands.
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Naruto grumbled to himself as he ran up the stairs towards his apartment.
"Why does it come now, of all times?" he said softly as he opened the door to his apartment and ran in, strait towards the bathroom.
"Good thing I was close to home, I was gonna need to find a bush pretty soon" Naruto said to himself as he entered the bathroom. Meanwhile, because Naruto had left his front door wide open, Hinata heard what Naruto had said and ducked away around a corner.
Only, going to the bathroom...I should have known... Hinata smiled as she closed her eyes, day-dreaming slightly. It was only just a little too late when she opened her eyes at the sound of Naruto's door closing and locking.
"O-Oh no" she said softly as she turned the corner, just in time to see Naruto turned the other corner and go down the steps.
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Naruto turned the corner to a sight he wasn't expecting. Sakura looked up to see Naruto walking down the steps holding a green package. Naruto quickly hid the package behind his back and blushed, laughing nervously.
"Sakura-chan, Wha-What are you doing here?" He asked as he moved down the stairs. Sakura blushed lightly and smiled.
"I came to see if you were busy. Ino-pig and Shikamaru-sama are getting the whole gang together tonight, and I was wondering if you wanted to go?" Sakura said with a smile, ok, so it was only a little lie. Naruto nodded and grinned.
"Of course, I'd love to go" Naruto walked up beside Sakura, his back facing the wall.
"Actually...Sakura-chan, I'm glad you're here." Naruto smiled lightly, looking down. A sad thought suddenly popped into his head as Sakura looked at him confused.
Wait...what am I thinking! It's taken this long for her to see me as a friend...why would I go and ruin it by giving her this...besides...I know what she really wants.
"Naruto? What's wrong?" She asked confused, looking up at Naruto. Naruto sighed and shook his head.
"It's nothing, forget it, I'll see you later" Naruto said as he turned to walk away. When he did Sakura got a clear view of the package, or more importantly, the tag.
"Naruto, what's that?" She asked, grabbing the box and looking at it, "Happy Valentine's Day-Is it for Hinata?" she smiled as Naruto blushed and tried to grab it back.
"No it's for-" But Sakura stopped and read the tag further.
"Happy Valentine's Day...Sakura-chan? With all my love...Naruto..." She looked up at Naruto who blushed and looked down.
"I-I know it's not what you really want for Valentine's Day" Naruto said dejected, "But...I couldn't bring Sasuke back...". A pain filled Sakura's heat then.
Sasuke...he wanted to bring Sasuke back in order to make me happy...again...for me... Sakura felt tears begin to form in her eyes. Naruto quickly noticed this and put his hands up, his back facing the wall.
"Sakura! Sakura I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Once again Naruto didn't get to finish his sentence. Sakura leapt from where she was and put her right around Naruto's neck, pushing herself so close to Naruto it caused him to lean back against the wall. Her other hand was down as she held the gift.
"I'm sorry Naruto...I never should have made you make that promise..." She said with tears in her eyes. Naruto was confused, he kept his hands away from her, but his arms started to wrap around her slightly, "Naruto please...I'm sorry for everything you've gone through...just to save me...or for me...or anything, I'm so sorry Naruto!"
"Sakura-chan..." was all he said as he slowly pulled her to him, hugging her tightly.
"Naruto…" she looked up into his eyes, noticing the deep blush on his face. She couldn't help but smile at how cute he looked. His eyes...I've never noticed... she thought as she stared into his eyes a moment before resting her head on his chest, crying lightly.
xxxxxxxxxxxx
...And Hinata saw the whole thing. Hinata held a hurt expression as she stood by the corner, watching the whole interchange between them. She took a step back, then two. She quickly dropped the gift and ran in the opposite direction. As she was running she ran head first into another figure, causing her to fall. She quickly rubbed away the tears as best she could, though she could do nothing to hide them completely. She looked up to see the animal like face of Kiba staring down at her sadly.
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Naruto and Sakura stayed like that for a moment before Naruto looked down once more to Sakura.
"Sakura-chan?" he asked, his voice was soft and full of kindness. Sakura looked up slowly.
"Yes...Naruto-kun?" Naruto smirked at the new suffix, and nodded, liking the way it felt to have her say it.
"If we're going to that party...you and I might want to go get ready" Sakura chuckled and, reluctantly, let go. She smiled, remembering she still had the gift.
"I never opened it..." She said softly. Naruto smiled as she untied the ribbon and opened up the box. When she opened in up she gasped.
Inside the box, was a framed picture of her, Naruto, Kakashi, and Sai, their new team-mate. And underneath that, was one more picture, this one of just Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto, having Ramen a few days after they had returned to Konoha from their first B rank mission. Each of them, even the normal emotionless Sasuke, had a smile on their face.
"Naruto...I..." She blushed as she looked up at a smiling Naruto.
"Ino helped me out...she's the one who gave me the picture of you, me, and Sasuke...I thought you might like it..." Sakura quickly pulled Naruto into another hug, but his time Naruto was ready for it. Naruto hugged her back and sighed, this was what he wanted...even if nothing was to come of it yet.
"Sakura-chan?"
"Yes...?"
"I know Lee-san has already promised you this...but..." Sakura looked up to Naruto, who was smiling, "I'll make a new promise...no mater what happens...I'll always protect you...ok?" Sakura smiled and leaned in, kissing Naruto's cheek before pulling away.
"I'll protect you too, alright?" Naruto smiled and nodded. Sakura waved lightly before she turned and began to walk away. It was then she turned and said suddenly.
"Oh Naruto-kun I never got you something!" she said with surprise and hurt. Naruto smiled and touched the cheek that Sakura had kissed.
"You already did Sakura-chan...I'll see you at Ino's alright?" Sakura nodded and ran down the stairs and onto the sidewalk. Naruto smiled brightly as he walked up the stares, but stopped when he found a red gift box on the ground.
"What's this?" He asked softly. He picked it up and read the tag, gasping slightly at what it said.
"With all my heart, Naruto, Happy Valentine's Day" ...It was signed Hinata.
(Cliffhanger, or not, I'm not sure if I'm gonna make an end to this or not, you all be the judge! It's not that I hate Hinata, no not at all, I actually like the girl, it's just I don't think she works with Naruto...Now Kiba...that's another story...)