Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in anyway. It is a property of Masashi Kishimoto and all works written here are done solely for recreational or non-profit reasons.

That said, this work is also not meant to be abused or degraded as smut of any kind. While I might grudgingly admit to its literotic nature, I strived hard to stick this to the humor-romantic genre and I want it to be appreciated thus. Which MEANS; no half-assed reviews of the like 'Naruto neds a harem' or 'He shud totaly go kage bushin on Sakura's **s!'.

I suffer no such fools.

Anyway, feel free to go on ahead and I hope you enjoy the read.

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Prologue

The announcement

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Uzumaki Naruto was a despairing mess.

Really now, he was.

There was death and destruction everywhere, red liquid pooling around his feet, and a stench that reached the high noses of whatever deities he worshipped above. He had never seen such amount of carnage and desquamation all in one place at the same time.

The 'place', of course, was his apartment; a slightly improved version from that of his childhood, with a single bedroom, kitchen, living room and bathroom.

The 'death' were the slain rodents - great, big, household rats whom had all succumbed to poisoning, and were now littering the length of the floor. ('They really shouldn't have eaten all that leftover ramen', he nodded sagely, 'Seriously, that stuff's been lying about for months now!')

The 'destruction' - do you really need to ask? His apartment always looked like it entertained a visit from a hurricane on most days; which was just Naruto going through his morning routines, or practicing a new jutsu in his bedroom.

Then there was the 'stench' - 'Good lord! Was it the toilet?' - and the 'red liquid'; which might have seemed a bit creepy, but was simply spillage from his last attempt at making chicken soup.

Yes people, Uzumaki Naruto made RED chicken soup.

However, the problem wasn't exactly the current disarray of his living quarters. Truth be told, he revelled in it.

The problem came from the fact that impulsively; out of the blue, his pink-haired teammate had decided to come pay a visit today.

Sakura-chan.

It was close to three years since the time Naruto had last seen her, that fateful day.

Well, 'seen' wasn't the correct word; considering that although team Kakashi had disbanded years ago - what with two of its members acheiving jonin status, and a third now working amongst the elite ranks of the ANBU - the members still got together regurlarly to spar or just plain hang out. Sakura never missed any of these, but she never came as far as the blonde was concerned, because despite joking with Kakashi, beating on Sai and dotting on Sasuke (the bastard!), she had never had any words to spare for poor Naruto.

It was like he didn't exist! - and he knew for a fact that she always went out of her way to avoid being alone with him or avert his questionable gaze anytime the opportunity cropped up.

Of course, Naruto had brushed it all off initially like he was inclined to but eventually, it hurt altogether, and he soon started making excuses to avoid hanging with the team.

Much to his chagrin, they didn't really seem to mind his absence.

Nontheless, he was never a selfish person. If Sakura-chan was uncomfortable around him because of what had transpired between them then he would lessen her pain. He loved all his teammates equally (yes, even Sasuke-teme) but Sakura-chan had always held a special place in his heart.

Will always hold a special place in his heart.

He did not want her to hate him, nor regret the time they'd spent together, so he'd simply sucked it up and tried to make do with the memories of her writhing under his skin in that hot tent, long, long ago during the Fourth Shinobi War. . .

XXxxxXX

"You alright, Sakura-chan?", the Uzumaki asked, extracting his fist from where he had just slammed a rasengan into the last of the plant clones attacking the medic base.

The pinkette nodded, despite looking positively distraught herself. She shared a few, quick words with Shizune, and the blonde noted randomly that while her hair stuck irregularly to her noticeable forehead, and her pink lips were chapped with consistent nibbling, he had still never beheld a more beautiful sight. She took his hand and led him calmly into an empty tent, forcing him to a bench before making quick work of his jacket and shirt. The pieces fell to the floor.

"You're hurt", she growled in Sakura-like fashion, already healing the wounds marring his skin.

"I'm a clone", he cheekily replied.

Sakura blinked, "But I thought the kages instructed you to stay away from this battle..."

"Well, technically, 'I' am not in battle... yet. I just scattered a plethora of bunshin all across each battlefield!"

The pinkette gasped.

"What can I say? I'm awesome!"

The statement earned him a bop on the head which resulted in the formation of a rather painful lump.

"Where's the real you, then?"

"Itai", he whined, "I'm not really sure. Last I knew, 'he' was heading out to the woods to face Madara Uchiha."

When the pinkette didn't reply, he looked up at her to see her eyes swimming in unshed tears.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Naruto-you-idiot!", she cursed, steeling herself to avoid the influx of tears. It would not do to cry everytime her teammate got hurt or put his neck out on the line, which, now she thought of it, happened all the time, "Why are you always so pig-headed?! Why do you have to do everything by yourself?"

Naruto cringed, "What are you saying, Sakura-chan? You know I'm the only one capable of detecting those Zetsu clones. Besides, if Madara is not killed, this war will never end! Plus, he knows where Sasuke is!"

Naruto barely managed to dodge the chakra-enforced blow to his skull. Despite the enhanced durability of his new clones, such an attack would have taken out even the real one for good.

"And what about you, you idiot?! Have you ever given thought about yourself? What if you end up dying?! Facing Madara and Sasuke at the same time! You may have defeated Pein but you're no god, Naruto! Know your limits!"

The blonde brushed her words off like they meant nothing, something that angered the pinkette even more.

"Meh, you wouldn't understand, Sakura-chan. Everyone is counting on me. Everyone. Ero-sennin, Baa-chan, Raikage-jiisan, Nagato, Itachi-nii, Grandpa Onoki, Gaara, Kakashi-sensei, Uncle Bee, the Yondaime... even Sasuke-teme, and I can't let them down! I won't! I made a promise to them all and I will fulfil it even if it means dying in the process! Believe it!"

Sakura stiffened, "And what about me, Naruto? Do I count among any of these? Have you ever considered what would become of me should you end up dead? After everything we've been through, how can you be that selfish?!"

"Sakura-chan..."

The medic-nin fisted her shirt, small tears making their way down her face. 'Idiot...'

Before she even realised his movement, a warm pair of arms had grabbed hers and she was treated to the most blinding grin she had ever seen.

"Ne, it's alright, Sakura-chan. I'd never leave you. NEVER. At least, not without saying goodbye."

Sakura stared dumbly at him, and it seemed she reached an epiphany of sorts, because at that same moment, the dam broke (the waaay long overdue dam) and soon she was kissing him with a passion she never knew she possessed. There was no thought to it; it was purely instinctual, and without a moment's delay, he was kissing back, matching her intensity with the same amount of fervour she felt.

She gasped as her hands dove into his hair, drawing his mouth even deeper to hers. For the life of her, she couldn't feel anything. Not the moans of the dead or dying around her, nor the smell of the defeated Zetsu corpses burning in the backyard, nor the shouts of medic-nins scurrying about to keep up with the demands of the injured.

All she could sense was Naruto - his taste, his touch, his scent - blurring her very being.

A small part of her - the medic part - felt guilty for giving into her desires in the midst of a war, at the expense of all those wounded, but another part - the one which housed her allegiance to team seven - knew this was Naruto they were talking about. She needed this.

THEY needed this.

She gasped even more as her hands roamed the rough planes of his body. Hot. Everywhere she touched burned. In anger, she pulled off her gloves; the very thing obstructing her from the skin contact she so desired, and placed her palms over his tanned chest; rubbing, caressing, cherishing the warmth he exuded.

She caught the dazed but unsure look on his face, and he uttered a weak 'Sakura-chan', before she smashed her lips against his once more. Be he willing or not, she would take what she needed - EVERY single bit of him - and it was without thought that her tongue delved into his mouth, coaxing his to join along in the melee.

Naruto groaned as he finally lost the war raging inside of him. Kami, he'd waited so long for this. To touch her, to taste her in such manner and feel her skin writhing against his. It was probably the heat from his earlier battle getting to him but kami, he wanted this! Needed this, even. He pulled her tongue into his mouth and suckled on it, hands darting out to grip her slim waist possessively.

The next second, his palms had cupped her sizeable butt, pulling her core flush against his erection. Sakura gasped a third time - that short sound he was sure he'd not soon forget, and was hoping to hear more of before the day ran out. His long fingers went to work, kneading the smooth muscles of her butt cheeks; spreading them apart and pulling them back together - back towards his groin. Sakura moaned into his mouth.

"Naruto..."

They were soon a tangle of limbs and movements, Naruto's large hands melding her butt firmly against him; her needy fingers digging into his hair. They thrashed all over the room, paying no attention to anything but themselves. In the back of his mind, he registered the crash of more than a few useful medical supplies, but he couldn't bring himself to care right now. Sakura-chan was all that mattered, and as his lips met her pliant ones yet again, he hoisted the material of her short skirt; lifting her off the ground, and pressing her panty-covered (ahem) right against his crotch.

He began grinding.

Somewhere within him, the him that wasn't already clouded by his teammate's sinful moans, he felt it would be best they ended it now before they did stuff they weren't yet prepared for; or worse, would end up regretting later. However, the REAL him; the one who had his mouth firmly fused to Sakura's; the one who had her moist sex gently gyrating against his - HE whose name she moaned - knew that for the life of him, he couldn't bring this to end. This was what he'd dreamt about and more.

The kunoichi's back crashed against the beam of the tent and her legs immediately curled along his waist. Their proximity was increased beyond imagination and it was all Naruto could do to avoid giving in then and there, even as her mouth ferociously attacked his collar bone.

"Sakura-chan!"

Gasping her name, he fought a losing battle to dispose of her chunin flak jacket. It struck him as odd that something he had always desired to wear was now steadily growing to be the greatest thing he'd ever disliked. He sucked on her tongue again then nipped on her swollen lips; once, twice, three times, before bringing his teeth down to her collar in a futile attempt to tear off her jacket. He was saved the trouble by her powerful hands ripping it in two.

Her shirt followed soon after, revealing the bindings that held her small breasts in place. Before he could indulge himself, she began grinding against him much more urgently than before.

"Now... Do it now."

His pleasure-induced brain didn't understand exactly what she meant until her strong hands were gripping the waistband of his pants.

"I can't wait anymore, Naruto", she groaned, peppering butterfly kisses all over his neck, face and torso, "I need this. I need you."

Naruto didn't understand why the pinkette desired to be taken like a common whore. If he wasn't mistaken - going by their feverish movements and clumsy approach - this was going to be both their firsts. He had always wanted to make love to Sakura on a nice, warm bed in summer or in a sparkling, spring meadow; not reduced to having thoughtless, impulsive sex against the pole of a medicine-filled tent.

Though, he had to admit, this was hot. There was an flaming urgency between them that not even ethiquette or societal norms could aim to quell. Therefore, it was without wasted movements that he pulled his pants and boxers to his knees, set her moist panties aside, and speared her incredible wetness with the fierceness of a man possessed.

Their eyes both rolled to the back of their heads at the impact but only for a short moment, as Naruto began thrusting rapidly, with a force that cracked the surface of the beam behind her. Sakura barely had time to adjust to his considerable girth and the strange feeling of being invaded, before he was bottoming her out, drawing harsh pants, and mewls, and juices from her being that she never she possessed.

'This is what I need', she thought, even as her body writhed violently under the force of his lustful thrusts. 'This is what I want. Naruto, all of you. I . . .'

But she couldn't bring herself to say the four-letter word and the realization sent hot tears careening down her face.

She didn't love him, did she? She was only doing this because she needed closure, right? Needed him to be by her side. Needed him to be there, like he had always been. Only this time, deep inside of her.

Her head lolled about her neck as her senses were rendered inert from the pounding. Naruto's hot mouth found hers; oblivious to her tears, and she gave into the warm comfort his tongue provided. She kissed him, holding nothing back. She kissed him with all of her being. She cried.

"Naruto...", she moaned.

"Sakura-chan... So tight!", the blonde grunted, performing a particularly deep thrust; his (you know) smacking tightly against her wet (oh...).

Sakura convulsed; once, twice. The force of her orgasm making her see spots of black. Naruto was still ploughing on, his faithful stamina coming to his aid once again.

The carnal sounds of flesh hitting flesh rose to a crescendo and he set an even harsher pace. The pinkette bashed her head twice against the pole.

She loved it. She wasn't made of glass, after all.

Naruto was now murmuring sweet nothings into her ear and Sakura panted at the sound of his rich voice caressing the length of her neck. She moaned and called out his name, wishing within that they'd remain joined like this forever.

No Uchihas.

No wars.

No dying.

Just the two of them; Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura. She'd love that.

With a final cry and thrust that shattered the beam behind her, Naruto came rather undignifiedly; spilling all over her insides. Sakura convulsed for the third time that day - the sensation of his jerkful spurts overpowering her - and their intermingled juices dripped from her sheath, flowing down their union to the length of his shaft.

The two panted wildly, gazing into each other's eyes, their hips still conjoined and her legs still wrapped around him.

"Sakura-chan", Naruto growled huskily, leaning in to steal a post-coital kiss, "I love you."

The pinkette blanched and her friend immediately became wary when he noticed the tear tracks coursing the length of her face. She pulled away with a shift of her hips, his now exposed (ring a bell) glistening with their shared juices.

"Sakura-chan?", he uttered, noticing her strange body language.

She gave him a chaste peck on the cheek and smiled strangely at him, "Come back in one piece, Naruto. I'll be here waiting, I promise."

That was the last he heard before her blow forced him to dispel in a cloud of smoke. (Naruto would later forget to tell her that the sudden influx of those memories had almost caused the real him to end up swallowed by the Yonbi); that, and he had now gotten a precise estimate of just how 'durable' these new clones were...

However, unlike her promise, his Sakura-chan wasn't waiting for him at the end of the war. Sasuke; the bastard, had switched sides in mid-battle and saved Bee and Naruto from what would have been an embarassing defeat at the hands of Madara (or Obito as he had eventually revealed himself) - Naruto had still punched Sasuke's face bloody for good measure - but it was the blonde-haired ninja who eventually claimed victory, delivering the final blow with a tailed-beast rasengan that would forever certify the peace of the five great shinobi nations.

He had returned from the battlefield to face an enormous crowd; not unlike that of Pein's, who gathered from afar to meet the hero of the Fourth Shinobi war, and all he could think about through it all was the welfare of his dearest cherry blossom. A cherry blossom that was nowhere to be seen.

(It wasn't until later he understood that while he had been drinking great cups of sake and practicing punch lines with his dear Uncle Bee, Sakura had been with Sasuke; devising means wherein the dark-haired ninja will be allowed back into Konoha's forces)

The only bit he had seen of her was when she had barrelled into him at the shinobi headquarters, and all he'd gotten was an impromptu hug and thanks, before she was off once again; going to catch up on the latest of Sasuke's trial.

Being who he was, he had waited patiently for her (patiently, of course, included going on a hermit journey for close to a year) until days turned to weeks, weeks to years and years to... well, where he had gotten right now.

Therefore, for Haruno Sakura to suddenly walk up to him at the tower and inform him of her wish to visit later in the day, it was little surprise that Uzumaki Naruto would end up being oh so frantic.

XXxxxXX

Tripping over another shirt lying haphazardly on the ground, Naruto growled as he went tumbling across the living room. He chanced a look at the time - a minute to three - and cursed the still hazardous nature of his home. Sakura would be here anytime soon and he hadn't even cleaned up half his apartment yet. The horror!

He was just about gathering the strewn paraphernalia, when his spine stiffened; a rush of information flooding his brain, and a look of dread settling upon his face.

The clone he had placed strategically at the end of the street had just popped, signifying only one thing -

The pinkette was on her way.

Naruto broke into a small sweat.

That sweat was quickly replaced by a grin as he slapped a palm to his stupid face.

That was it! Kage bunshin! How could he have forgotten?! (It seemed the looming presence of his cherry blossom was impeding his brain waves more than he initially thought).

With a flourish, he joined his fingers and pronounced his signature technique, resulting in a burst of smoke and a living room crowded with figures of similar blonde hair, eyes and psychotic grins.

"Alright guys!", he called their attention, "Sakura-chan's gonna be here in two minutes! So, let's clean this dump up while we can!"

He didn't exactly get the response he was anticipating.

"Hheey", one clone called out, "Why exactly should we help you?"

"Yeah", another supported, looking around the house, "It's your mess isn't it? Why don't you clean it up yourself? Besides, I'm hungry for some ramen."

"Me too!", yet another replied, "Let's go hit Ichiraku!"

"Yay!"

"H-hold on!", the real Naruto yelled, already developing a migraine, "I'm the boss so you get to do what I say! Besides, you are ME, so if it's my mess, it's yours too! Get to work!"

His response was a dead rodent to the face.

Okay, maybe I deserved that.

"Look guys", he recited pleadingly, tears streaming down the edges of his eyes, "Sakura-chan's going to be here any minute. I haven't spoken to her in ages and I really miss her company. Would it hurt to do a guy a favor?"

His clones snorted, "Meh. We don't like pinky, we prefer Hinata-chan!"

"Wha.. Why?! You're all me! Aren't we supposed to think alike?!"

"Yeah, so what? Hina-chan's got a rack, like, THIS big and she a princess and all that."

"Ooh. I'll do anything for a night with that baby..."

"What are you talking about?!", Naruto yelled, "Sakura-chan's got an awesome butt!"

"But Hina-chan's cuter", one of his clones nodded sagely, "She's curvier, practically royalty and calls us 'Naruto-kun'. Did I mention how cute she was? Damn, imagine a face like that blowing a guy o..."

"Okay! Okay!", Naruto groaned, now red-faced and wondering if they were truly his clones or some evil chimeric version of Jiraiya's, "I'll allow you all to spend 'quality' time with Sakura-chan if anything ever comes out of this. But you have to help me clean up first! Kami, she'd be here in thirty seconds!"

His clones were quiet for a moment before screaming 'DEAL!' and blitzing through the room. Naruto smirked at thier idiocy. Sometimes, he wondered where they got it from. That smirk quickly turned into a frown when he was tossed headfirst into the bathub, his clones seeing him as an obstacle to their mission. He grumbled briefly before deciding to settle for a quick shower.

"All done, boss!", the doppelgangers enthused once he stepped out of the bath. The whole apartment was sparkling.

'Dear Kami, they'd even polished the fridge!'

The death was nowhere in sight. The destruction; reversed. The stench had been neutralized, and all carnage and bloodshed scrubbed off his rug. Naruto was just about congratulating their effort when the doorbell rang. He gasped and fainted on the spot.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Haruno Sakura wrung her hands nervously as she waited outside the door to Naruto's apartment. Her large forehead crinkled with doubt as she thought about what she was about to do.

'Naruto...'

It had been so long; to the point of being downright cruel, and the pinkette would not have been surprised if her once best friend now harbored some resentment towards her. She hated herself enough as it was.

She was just coming to the conclusion that this might have been a bad idea after all, when the door was thrown open, a grinning blonde standing in its wake.

"Heya, Sakura-chan!"

Against her better judgement, the medic-nin raised an eyebrow, "Naruto, why are your clothes all wet?"

The blonde shrugged, inwardly cursing the clones whom had thought to revive him with a gallon of water. He had made sure to have them clean it all up before they'd dispelled.

"I just got out of the bathroom", he offered genially, "Come on in."

Sakura bit her lower lip nervously but acquiesced to his request. She shuffled into the room and looked around as Naruto shut the door.

"Would you like anything, Sakura-chan?", he asked genially, "I can make us some ramen." He took note of her rather casual wear and wondered why she had ditched her ninja gear. Though, he had to admit, the short skirt and 'Tsunade' heels combo really did wonders to her figure.

"No Naruto. I won't be here long."

The blonde's smile dimmed a bit, "Well what about tea then? I should have a tin somewhere..."

"Naruto", she sighed, "I... can we just sit down a bit?" She hadn't even bothered to take off her shoes.

'Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!', one of the blonde's inner 'dobe's cried. He'd known his teammate long enough to perceive any signs of distress, and Sakura-chan was showing every single one of them.

Her brow was furrowed, gaze shaky, hands crossed afore her laps, and her right canine worrying gently on her lower lip - not to mention, she hadn't called him a baka ever since her arrival; and it was almost five minutes!

Sakura never went five minutes without calling him an idiot!

The blonde tried to grin bravely even as he led her shakily towards the worn couch. The pinkette sat at the farthest end; hands folded nervously in her lap.

Feeling a bit out of sorts, Naruto mirrored her actions. Two minutes later, he began casting around for a topic to relieve the nauseating unease in the room.

"The ANBU seem very nice today."

Even as the words left his mouth, he felt his face drop. Gawd, that was just so lame and stupid, it could probably be given a new term; stup-lame...

Sakura looked at him incredulously, the first Sakura-like reaction she'd shown since she walked in and for a moment Naruto thought there might yet be hope.

"I... I think you're right, Naruto."

Hope shot down. Silence reloaded.

'She keeps fiddling with her fingers', the blonde observed meekly, 'Oh kami, why didn't I pay attention to ero-sennin all those years ago when he taught me how to read women?'

He looked closely at his teammate. She was looking anywhere but at him.

'She's acting just like, like... HINATA! Is Sakura-chan shy? She has no reason to be... Nothing's happened between us ever since...'

Naruto's face colored immediately and he quickly realised why Sasuke'd never quit calling him a dobe. It had to be about that day! Sakura wanted to talk about it! Maybe that's why she'd been avoiding him all along! She didn't know what to say!

The whiskered blonde gulped and took a nose dive, the same time his teammate managed to gather her wits about her.

"Naruto..."

"Sakura-chan, I'm sorry! I had no idea you wanted to talk about the sex!"

He cringed even as he spoke, expecting his teammate to physically punish him for his misuse of words, but he was again surprised when the pinkette instead flushed heavily, eyes racing to the ground once more.

The blonde felt boldened. 'Was it possible? Could Sakura-chan still recall the feelings they'd shared that day? Did she too sleep uneasily admist lustful dreams and wet sheets?'

Suddenly, he could see her again in his mind's eye;

Half-naked, sweaty, shadowed lashes, thin kiss-swollen lips - all moans, and touches, longing and incredible wetness.

HER incredible wetness.

Naruto reached for her hand, suddenly willing to confess all he had harbored ever since that day, but a determined look had crossed her face and she stood abruptly, reaching for her left hand with the right one.

"N-Naruto, I'm sorry but I don't recall whatever you're insinuating." (His heart plummeted). Sakura cast her gaze to him defiantly and slowly lifted the gloves off her fingers, "I just wanted you to be the first to know; I didn't want you finding this out from anyone else..."

(His heart plummeted even further)

"Naruto", she finished, revealing a simple ring placed artistically on her finger, "I'm getting married to Sasuke-kun."

The blonde felt his heart crash straight into the earth's core.

XXXxxxxxXXX

Now, let's backtrack a bit.

Naruto and Sakura had always shared a VERY complicated relationship.

He loved her, that much he knew.

She loved him too, albiet in a brotherly sort of way.

She beat on him whenever she felt like.

He never touched her and really couldn't care either way, as long as she healed any bump afterward.

She had always pursured Sasuke.

He'd never glanced twice at Hinata.

But this was the final straw.

A dark shadow obscured Naruto's face as he digested the new information his teammate had just spared him.

'She was getting married to Sasuke-teme?! How could she?! After everything he'd done! After everything they'd done!... Skanky, pink-haired bitch!'

"Naruto?", Sakura asked unsurely, disliking the grave look settling on his face. She had expected the first reaction of shock and maybe even one of hurt and betrayal, but she had definitely not factored in angry. Naruto never got angry at his loved ones, right?

Right?

"Naruto?", she tried again, needing him to say something... anything... to ease her throbbing conscience.

"Congratulations, Sakura", the blonde whispered harshly - the pinkette flinched at the omission of the 'chan' from her name - "You've finally got what you've always wanted. When's the engagement?"

"A week from now", she fidgeted.

"..."

"Naruto, I'm sor..."

"Stuff it", he sneered harshly, "You've made your choice. It's the real reason you became a ninja in the first place, isn't it?... just so you can end with your precious 'Sasuke-kun'." The last words were spat with a venom that was so unlike him.

"That's not fair, Naruto! You more than anybody should know the truth by now!"

"Then why did you string me along, Sakura?", he growled, "Why did you give yourself to me and pretend to need me, only turn coat a second later? Stabbed by my brother with the chidori. Now, stabbed by the girl I considered my best-friend with ten times as bad! I don't even know which hurts worse...!"

"Naruto!", Sakura yelled, and now the tears did come, "Stop making this so hard. I would never betray you! NEVER! You are my best friend! It was just a one time thing! I thought you underst...!"

"BEST FRIEND?! Then, how do you justify leaving me hanging for nearly four years! Some best friend you are! Is that how you treat all your best friends, ne? Roll around in the sack with them then turn your back upon them for the rest of your life! Who else have you tried this formula on then? WHO ELSE?! Ino? Sai? Lee? Kakashi-sensei?"

He caught the palm before it could make contact with his face. There was a turbulent moment of silence, in which they locked gazes with each other; angry red eyes (for he had activated a chakra transformation in his rage) glaring deeply into sad, green ones.

The kunoichi eventually heaved a sigh and dropped her hand. Rising on her tiptoes, she pecked her teammate chastely on the cheek, like she'd done all those years ago,

"I knew it was a mistake coming here. Everything - everything I did. Everything we did. They where all mistakes. Maybe I should have handled it better. Maybe we should have handled it better. But there's no turning back now."

Her green eyes took on a sad hue, "I'm sorry it had to be this way, Naruto, but I've made a decision." She stole a look at the ring.

"I-I d-didn't mean to u-use you in such callous manner a-and I apologize for it", she stuttered, "However, I'll understand if you can't accept it."

Naruto simply kept silent, eyes focused on her; easing the weight he felt in his chest with deep, steady breaths.

"B-but I'd like to move on - I want you to move on - so, I think it'll be in both our interests if we kept away from each other henceforth. Forget about whatever happened, Naruto, I'm moving forward. You should too. You can't accomplish every thing you set your mind to do - not this time", she paused, "This is goodbye."

And like that, she was gone. Naruto barely caught whiff of her trademark cherry-blossom scent as she left his home.

Gone.

Gone for good.

Gone to live the rest of her life with the one man he had sacrificed everything for - his life, his blood, his dreams and now, the woman he loved.

Sakura had already pulled the door open and was halfway through the hallway when a blinding force smacked into her, pinning her flush with incredible strength against a nearby wall. She didn't need the harsh intake of breath that followed to tell who it was.

"You said you wanted to move on, right? Wanted us to move on?", the voice was dangerous and deliciously close to her ear all at the same time.

"N-naruto. What are you doing?", she tried to ask calmly.

"What am I doing you say?", a dry chuckle, "Well, my dear Sakura-chan, I noticed that throughout the entirety of your rubbish ramble earlier on, you managed to skip and avoid all topics that involved revealing whether you've held any feelings for me or not."

"And even if I do, what does it matter?", she stated, despite her current position stirring all sorts of buried memories in her head, "It won't change anything, Naruto. Let me go. NOW."

The blonde snapped his hips forward in reply, forcing his throbbing erection into the crack separating her cheeks, now easily accessible due to the flimsy material of her skirt.

"No, Naruto! Please. Don't do this to me... not now. I'm engaged. Please!"

The blonde paused, eyes returning to their original sapphire, obviously conflicted with all the emotions running through him. On one hand, he respected Sakura-chan (despite all she'd done to him) and cherished their friendship above all else. On the other; he really needed to determine what exactly she felt for him, and her position beneath him now wasn't really helping matters in any way.

He battled with himself for a few minutes, and just when it seemed he might actually pull away, the pink-haired medic made the final decision for him.

"Naruto, think about Sasuke" she pleaded, "He's your brother. What do you think he would say should he see us like this?"

Sasuke.

That lone thought snapped a rage unlike any other in Naruto and soon his eyes had retaken the surreal red hue of earlier before. He snapped his hips forward again; mimicking a thrusting motion, with greater force this time, drawing a long, sensuous moan from the kunoichi.

"You see, Sakura-chan. I don't give a shit what Sasuke might think, because I'm gonna fuck you right here, right now - in this very corridor - skirts, panties, ring and all. I'm gonna fuck you repeatedly till you can't even sleep without moaning in pain (Sakura gasped at this) and when I'm done with you... whenever I'm done with you... it'll only be because you agreed to change that mind of yours; engagement and all, and it won't be because of the mind blowing sex, Sakura-chan! Believe it!"

And 'cos he was Uzumaki Naruto, who was also rather notoriously popular for never going back on his word, he went ahead to do exactly just that.

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a/n: If you're a reader of my other story and are probably wondering what the hell would happen to it... relax. This won't take over for UN in anyway. I'm simply posting this because I needed a bit of a break and well, this turned out incredibly fun to write!

So, what do you think? Likeable or not? I haven't really planned past this one-shot but I guess a few readers' opinions could probably change that. What say you? Should I go on then? Review!