A/N : Well, look at this: my first one-shot! This is what happens when a NaruSaku fan does not receive the ending she was counting on. This is in a world where the SasuSaku pairing did not happen and Sarada was not born, so please don't criticize it too much. It's just my own alternate ending you could say, and I was always curious with this idea. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and, right now, this is only intended to be a one-shot only.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
"Hokage-sama!"
The woman heard the voice loud and clear as the doors to the office sprung open- her office. Her dull, emerald orbs remained locked on the paperwork in front of her, forgetting that it was her the voice was calling for. The name still hadn't registered with the woman even after so long; she was so unfitting for the title.
"Hokage-sama," the voice called once again, obviously exhausted by the tone of her voice.
The woman slowly glanced up at the owner of the voice standing by the entrance of her office. Her duIl, emerald orbs gazed upon a young woman that she instantly recognized from her administration department a floor below. She gave the woman a soft smile, acknowledging her presence, and gave her a slight nod as a signal for her to continue on to her dire announcement.
"It's Bolt..." The woman breathed out cautiously, trying her best not to invoke the temper of the pink-haired leader. "...He's missing... again..."
The woman let out an exhausted sigh as the words reached her ears, hearing them too frequently in the past month. Her nimble fingers silently placed the pen in her hand on top of the papers directly in front of her, and she leaned back in her chair as her hands ran through her long, pink locks. She inhaled a deep breath as she pushed herself to return sitting up straight, looking upon the woman who was waiting patiently for her next move.
"Do not worry," She said with a small smile, "I'll take care of it right now."
"Hai, Hokage-sama." The woman said softly as she exited quickly right after giving her a polite bow.
Once the door was firmly shut, the pink-haired woman let out a frustrated growl and buried her face within the comfort of her own hands. Her elbows were propped sternly on the large desk in front of her, seemingly secure enough to hold the weight of her own head. Wiping her face slowly, the pinkette gradually lifted her face out of her hands and remained staring at the door adjacent from her.
She let out a frustrated growl and firmly gripped the sides of her chair. "You certainly didn't make this easy for me." She said aloud, speaking to a particular person in mind. "It's not exactly what you would call a walk in the park." She lifted herself out of the chair and began to make her way over to the large window that was placed behind her.
She roughly grabbed the side of the window and flung it open a little too roughly for its liking. It smashed violently against the holds of its frame, almost enough force to cause it to snap, but it clutched onto the hinges and remained slightly intact.
The pinkette leaned out of the window, gazing up the village that was pushed upon her to lead suddenly, as she concentrated on spotting a blur of a very familiar color of orange.
Five years before, the pink-woman would have never have thought to find herself in this position, a village looking up to her to lead with a child gazing upon her for security: a total game plan changer. Even at the time during it all, she would have never expected the blond to trust her with his beloved dream and the care of his first child- all of which was planned without her knowledge.
But, even as the years passed by, she felt wrong obtaining this level of respect and duties based on the simple fact that he said she should- he deserved this, not her. This was his childhood dream, yet she was the one living it- not him. Ironically enough, that was why she decided to take on the position; his dream could not die like he had, so she carried it on out of love and respect for him.
Besides, he believed she was the only who could do it; he had enough faith in her that it gave her the courage she needed to wear the hat after a few weeks since he was declared dead.
"...In the unfortunate situation that my wife and I should pass, first and foremost, I leave..."
There was a pause as Shikamaru's eyes widened slightly at the name written on the paper, of which had been legally approved by the past Hokage, Naruto, as well as few others, and slowly glanced up at the room of faces that were waiting for him to continue. He scanned around the room that was full of council members and the Hokage's closest friends, searching for a specific set of emerald orbs that made it very clear that she did not wish to be there in the first place.
And it was true, Sakura had been very explicit when she spoke to Shikamaru the day prior about her reluctance to hear her friend's last words. She had not spoken to the blond Hokage in almost a year, no longer meaning any type of significance to the man, so she found it unnecessary for her to hear what his parting words. She would grieve privately in her own home, not in a room full of individuals that had a far better reason to cry compared to the woman's. But, unlike her stubborn nature, the pinkette had given into the advise given by the black-haired male and made her way to the conference room, taking a seat in the furthest corner.
After several moments over searching, the Nara finally managed to spot the pinkette in her hiding spot and locked in on her emerald orbs, giving the woman some sort of warning of what was to come.
Clearing his throat, Shikarmaru broke his gaze off the woman and turned to face the rest of the waiting eyes before him. "...Haruno, Sakura as the primary caretaker for my son Uzumaki, Bolt and my successor for the position of the Hokage..."
Of course there was more to it but that was all the pinkette needed to zone everything else out. She stood rigid at the sound of her name being voiced along with a responsibility that didn't quite line up. It had to be some sick joke, that was the only reasonable answer she could find as an explanation to what was just announced.
Naruto wanted her to carry on his dream and raise his child...
She felt everyone's eyes begin to move to her hiding spot in the back of the room, beyond astonished just like she was, and her face began to warm up at an profound rate. She found herself unable to move but once her name was called again, her head snapped in the direction of the man reading the papers.
"And, Sakura..." Shikamaru said, glancing back up at the woman whose attention was now solely fixed on him. He looked back down at the paper fixed in his hand and continued to read the blond's parting message to the pinkette. "I'm sorry, for everything."
Sakura's eyes began to tear up slightly at the words reaching her ears, no longer coming from Shikamaru's voice anymore.
"I'm sorry for giving up on you.
I'm sorry for leaving you on your own.
I'm sorry for allowing you to fall.
I'm sorry I left you to fight on your own.
Sakura-chan, I'm so sorry."
The pinkette no longer tried to keep up the façade she put on for everyone, and even for herself at times. She allowed her usually well composed image to crumble right before the highest members in the village, failing to care for privacy or how they viewed her any longer. And With tears streaming down her face, Sakura gradually rose from her seat and began to walk towards the front of the room.
"Sakura-chan, you're the only the can do this. You're the only that can care for Bolt with the same amount of love and stern fist his parents had. You're the only one that can care for the village with same level-head and caring nature that I know you are capable of. You're the only that can do it, Sakura-chan. I know it's a lot to ask for, and I finally understand all of the sacrifices you've made on my behave, but please."
The pinkette stood in front of Shikamaru, staring at him wide-eyed as he continued to read the blond's last words to her. She felt weak, unable to speak nor hold her own weight. She could not cease the tears that kept on falling despite all of the stares she felt directed on her back. And she certainly could not hold back the loud sob that was growing stronger in her throat, ready to emerge at any moment.
"For I know it's too late for a lot of things, and I cannot make up all my wrongs against you... but I can promise you that you're the only capable for this job and I cannot not trust no one else to carry this responsibility."
She went to inhale a shaky breath but then the woman broke. The sob she had been trying her best to fight emerged loudly from her petite frame and it echoed along the walls that confined it in. Her whole body began to shake uncontrollably, and she dropped as she her legs found themselves unable to carry her weight any longer.
She looked pathetic. The site was pitiful and she knew it but what could she do? Everyone had always said that the Haruno had transformed into a broken woman and now her image had finally caught up to her reputation.
Allowing the woman to grieve, no one moved to stop the woman who was violently sobbing on the ground in front of Shikamaru's feet- not even the black-haired male himself. But he did not move because of a different reason, he had to finish reading on behalf of his deceased friend and for the sake of the woman, she had to hear what was left.
"You're the only one, Sakura-chan." She heard his voice whisper to her. "And if anyone dares to oppose against my last wish they will be disrespecting the seventh Hokage directly, and that is stated here for all to be a witness of. You, Sakura Haruno, are the only I know capable of this. You're the only one, Sakura-chan..."
Shikamaru paused for a slight moment as he read the last line in his head, his eyes growing immensely soft at the words. "You have always been the only one, Sakura-chan... You have always been the one... You are the one, Sakura-chan, and I'm sorry..."
The woman's sobs ceased as the Nara spoke the last words that were written on the paper, the last words that Naruto had intended for the pinkette to hear. Her tears remained falling at an exponential rate and she clutched her side with an arm as she violently pounded on the ground with the other, unable to provide a sufficient outlet to the pain the was racking through her body.
Shikamaru slowly moved to kneel next to the woman, his eyes full of empathy for her life of unfortunate events. As soon as she sensed his presence she moved and clutched onto him, another round of sobs uncontrollably emerging from her lips.
"I'm sorry, Sakura." Shikamaru whispered to her softly, wrapping his arms around her broken image. "You were always the one, we all knew that." His voice wasn't loud enough for the others to hear but the pinkette heard it loud and clear. His voice invading her thoughts without a pause.
"You have always been the one.."
"Oh, I'm going to kill this boy when I see him." Sakura huffed in annoyance as she continued to gaze upon the village.
Just as she was about to turn away from the view the window granted over the village she spotted a blur of yellow and orange moving quickly through the streets towards the direction of the Uzumaki compound which she now called home. Her emerald eyes squinted slightly as she watched the familiar colors began to near their home, only about two blocks away from the destination.
"I'm going to get him." Sakura grumbled as she proceeded to tie her hair into a tight ponytail. She gripped onto the sides of the window pane and hoisted herself to balance on top of the frame. She remained there for a few moments, remaining extremely quiet, until she used the frame as an extra push and darted off into the village, moving quickly from roof top to roof top.
Sakura wasn't as fast as Naruto, who was said to be faster than the fourth Hokage himself, but she was damn near close it. She had grown stronger over the years and even the villagers had to admit that her speed was unlike any other shinobi, besides the seventh and fourth Hokage of course. Even Bolt had to admit that his guardian's speed was admirable- but he would never say it to her directly. So, just as the young boy turned on the street of his compound the pinkette stood waiting for him, hands placed on her hips and a scowl on her usually pleasant features.
Failing to notice the pinkette waiting for his arrival, Bolt quickly turned on the street and ran as fast as he could towards his home. He glanced back behind him to make sure he wasn't followed, but was caught off guard as he ran into something that was blocking the passage way to his home.
"Oi-" Bolt yelled as he felt the initial contact, "What the he-" His voice quickly died out as he looked up at the pink-woman before him, her face glaring down at his smaller figure.
"S-Sakura, I was just-"
"Cutting class again?" She interrupted with a scowl. Her large emerald eyes stared at the boy sternly causing him to avoid her gaze. "How do you expect to graduate the academy when you keep doing things like this?"
Bolt couldn't help but let out a loud laugh which he then tried to cover up quickly with a series of fake coughs. "Ne, we both know I'm still going to graduate, Sakura-chan.
"That's not the point, Bolt." The woman hissed as she brought her face closer to the boy's. "You cannot keep on breaking the rules and not expect any consequnces."
"Why? Cause they're your rules?" Bolt snapped in reply, glaring back at the woman.
Sakura gritted her teeth, trying her best to restrain herself from hitting the boy in public. She roughly grabbed him by his ear and began to make her way back to the Hokage's office, ignoring his cries and pleas for her to release him.
"Ow! Sakura-chan, I was joking- ow!"
Sakura ignored the boy and continued to yank on the his ear, demanding for him to follow along. "You want to be a smart ass, huh?" She mumbled, quiet enough so only her adopted son could hear her. "Now, you'll get to spend the rest of the year with me as I boringly go through those stacks of paperwork on your father's desk."
"You're joking, right?" Bolt asked as he obeyed to the direction the pinkette pulled him in. He couldn't stand the dull routine the pinkette went through when dealing with paperwork, it drove him mad and made him very irritable. He had spent a day with her once and it was one of the top five worst experiences he has been through so far. "Sakura-chan, don't you think that is a little too far-"
"No," she gritted throught her teeth, giving the boy's ear another hard pull, "since you don't want to go to school, I won't force you but you are not going to wander the village and do whatever you please."
Bolt sent a glare in the woman's direction that went unnoticed and let out a loud huff in annoyance. Sakura could never simply hit him and let by gones be bygones like normal parents, she always made a huge lesson out of everything and found the most creative ways to punish the young boy. He was only eleven years old but he was positive that none of the other children his ages ever went through a punishment like he had; he could make a bet that they would not last an hour with a parent like his Sakura-chan.
"Oi, Shikamaru, what if he doesn't want to live with me? What would we do then?" The pinkette asked the dark-haired male, gazing upon him nervously as they stood before a rather large door.
"He has no other choice, Sakura." The man responded without even turning to the woman next to him.
"But, we can't force him to live with me." She interjected, a steady feeling of nervousness rising in her gut. "Wouldn't that be wrong?"
Now the man finally turned to glance at the pinkette on his right side. Her emerald eyes gazed up at him with a certain emotion behind them that he was uncertain of; fear, maybe, or even a sense of longing. Her already petite frame seemed weak, as if she was not getting enough nutrients, and there were bags under her eyes from a lack of sleep. She fiddled with her thumbs nervously like a child would, and kept avoiding Shikamaru's worried expression.
"You haven't been taking care of yourself?" Even though it was posed as a question the pinkette knew it was more intended as a statement, an observation to her disheveled appearance.
"It has been rough lately, but-"
"Sakura, if you cannot do this-"
Now it was the pinkette's turn to interrupt the man. "No," She said sternly with a new found courage, "I can handle it. I just had to grieve, Shikamaru, that is all."
The man nodded at the woman, not completely convinced by her words, and the proceeded to knock on the large wooden door in front of them. They waited several moments before a woman that resembled their deceased friend profoundly opened the door.
"Hanabi," Shikamaru addressed the woman with a slight smile, "How is he?"
The young woman gave a sad smile and shook her as a sign to let the man know that the boy was not doing so well. "He hasn't spoken to anyone," she informed the dark-haired man, not paying much mind to the pinkette, "he just sits in his room and stares at the wall. He rarely eats, someone has to force him to, and I don't think he has been sleeping either."
Sakura shook her head as she let out a light, bitter scoff that went unnoticed by those around her. The boy was grieving in a way much like her own, maybe they would get along after all.
"But, come in," Hanabi said as she made room for them to enter her home, eyeing the pinkette suspiciously, "I'll take you to him."
The pinkette could sense the cold shoulder the young Hyuuga was giving her, but she did not pay much mind to it. She knew Hanabi was there when Naruto's last words were read out loud, especially the ones intended for the pinkette, and she knew she wasn't exactly ecstatic to hear her brother-in-law confess to his true love how she was 'the one'. To be honest, the pink-haired woman had been facing a lot of hostility after the meeting whether it be in regards to her newly inherited position or her desire to raise Bolt as the seventh Hokage intended for her to; but, Sakura was not the one to give the negatives much attention, and she kept on doing what was requested of her from the deceased blond whether they agreed with it or not.
Hanabi lead them- or more like lead Shikamaru to the room where her nephew was staying as the pinkette followed them a few feet behind. After a few moments they reached a door which Hanabi enter without even bothering to knock. Shikamaru followed the woman in steadily while Sakura entered the room more timidly, instantly seeing the blond mop of hair that was facing the wall across from them with his back towards the door.
"Bolt," Hanabi whispered softly, "you have some visitors here for you."
Sakura stared at the small boy with wide eyes, he had to be only six years old but he looked so much bigger than the last time she had seen him. Subconsciously, the woman began to take small steps in the direction of the boy as a million and one thoughts spiraled in her mind.
She was scared. That's right, Sakura Haruno was terrified of this small child. This was a living reminder of all the could have been; a reminder of someone that she loved so deeply but never told; a reminder of all the wrong decisions she made in her years. Yet, as she continued to near closer, she felt compelled to protect the boy and care for him. Maybe this was her second chance to make things right. She hadn't done it right the first time with Naruto, but maybe she could make it up to him through the boy. Maybe she could love this boy unconditionally like he had loved her.
The pinkette stood right behind the blond boy and tapped his shoulder softly, causing him to look up at her with his hollow blue eyes. She held her breath for a moment, noticing the striking resemblance to his deceased father, and waited several moments before exhaling again.
Remembering her slightly from his previous years, the boy stared up at the woman as he studied her intently. He noted her hallow, emerald orbs much like his and the bags under them. He saw how disheveled she looked and how overwhelming skinny she looked in her baggy clothing, as if it was not meant for her to be that weight. And for the first time, Bolt finally believed someone was going through it as bad as he was.
"May I sit with you?" She asked him softly, knocking him out of his train of thought.
The young blond blinked a few times as if he was registering the question asked and then slowly nodded, moving over on the bed for her to sit down.
The pinkette slowly adjusted herself to sit next to the boy and awkwardly remained like that, casting glances at the boy ever so often. He gazed sadly upon the wall, his expression was lifeless almost, and his eyes seemed as tired as the emerald ones of the pink haired woman next to him. After the several time of feeling her stare upon him, Bolt turned his head slightly to make eye contact with the woman. Their sad, tired eyes stared at one another with an understanding look of sympathy, one that neither had come across yet.
"Do you remember me, Bolt?" Sakura asked softly, earning a nod from the said child.
"Sakura-chan." He whispered quietly, his eyes still locked on her own.
Sakura gave a sad smile at the name, one that was only ever used by her favorite blond. To hear the name once again, with the same tenderness her companion used to call her with, brought tears to resonate within the corners of her eyes. The pinkette quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand and broke away from the child's holding gaze.
However, Bolt remained still with his eyes locked on the woman, watching her as she tried her best to keep herself whole in front of him. He saw how broken she was though, despite her efforts to hold back the pain she was experiencing; and, unlike any other person he came across, the pinkette's grief matched his own in ways he didn't think possible.
"Are you hurting, Sakura-chan?"
The boy's small voice caused the woman to look up at him once again with a sudden quickness. The question had caught her off guard; but, as she stared into his orbs that were full of pain, she found herself giving him a wavering smile as she nodded slowly with tears now on the brink of falling upon her face for the millionth time that week.
Bolt watched the woman slowly break down in front of him and, suddenly, he could not fight off his own tears that were suddenly falling once more. He tried to wipe them away from his face roughly but the woman grabbed his palms and enveloped him in an unexpected hug.
His body grew rigid under her warm embrace, unsure of how to react to the pinkette's sudden closeness. She gripped onto him tightly, refusing to part until he returned the action, and after several moments he did. Bolt gradually lifted his shaky arms and hesitantly wrapped them around the woman's back. Feeling his small arms around, Sakura gave Bolt another tight squeeze, her emerald eyes shut tightly.
"I'll be here for you, Bolt," the pinkette whispered to him, causing his eyes to widen at the sound of her voice, "From here on out, I'll always be here for you."
Bolt's wide, blue eyes stared at the pink locks in awe, something that seemed so extraordinary to him. And soon, without any fighting it, Bolt's vision became blurry with tears and he began crying hysterically.
The pinkette remained unfazed by the child's break down and continued to hold him tightly to her chest. "I got you, okay?" She whispered to him tenderly, her own vision becoming cluttered with tears. "I promise, Bolt, you'll have me for a long time."
"Bolt, you're in trouble again?" The Nara laughed lightly as he watched the pinkette come into view with the blond boy, grabbing him by the ear roughly.
"It's not my fault-"
"Yes it is," Sakura snapped as she rolled her emerald eyes at the boy. "Don't let him fool you, Shikamaru."
They came to a halt as they came closer to the man's desk positioned outside of the Hokage's office. He looked up at the duo with a slight smirk upon and his features, shaking his head disapprovingly at the young boy. "You managed to escape again?" He asked Bolt.
Bolt's baby blue eyes lit up mischievously as he did his best to give a nod from his position. "You know I cannot stay in there for long." He replied with a devilish smirk.
"Do not rile him up, Shikamaru," Sakura chastised with a scowl, "now he has to stay with me until he decides he wants to stay in school."
Leaning back in his chair, Shikamaru shook his head as she gazed at the boy. "What does that mean? Paperwork?"
Bolt gave a clearly unhappy frown as his eyes softened slightly. "Yes, you know I hate that stuff. The Hokage's job is so boring!"
"Well, now you have to stay with me all day until you learn to behave," Sakura snapped as she gave the boy's ear another hard tug. "We will see you later Shikamaru." The pinkette gave a slight wave to the man as she lead the boy into the office closing the door behind them but not before Bolt mouthed the words 'help me' to man who sat at his desk, watching them amusedly.
Once the heavy door shut completely the pinkette released the blond with a slight shove, causing him to stumble a little before rubbing his ears tenderly.
"Ya know, Sakura-chan," He said as he watched her take a seat behind her desk, "this can be defined as child abuse."
The pinkette scoffed in response and looked up at the child with an amused smirk. "I'm sure some parents do much worse."
"I guess," he sighed as he navigated around the large desk and lowered himself to sit right next to her legs, "but there has to be something seriously illegal with your punishments."
"How so?" Sakura asked with a now raised brow.
"They are too creative," He admitted as he rested his head upon her finely shaped legs. "Half the stuff you do should not be aloud."
The pink-haired woman laughed a loud. "Like what?"
"The time you made me hang outside the window for an hour." He nodded towards the large window in back of them.
"That was more training than a punishment!" She argued as she continued to go through the large stack of papers in front of her.
The blond boy let out a restrained laugh. "I could have died!" He exclaimed as he looked at the woman with a bewildered look. "What if I would've fell?"
"You wouldn't of." She stated simply. "Have I ever let you fall?"
"No," Bolt replied with a small smile on his features as he turned the gaze back onto the ground. "But still, Sakura-chan. That isn't normal."
Sakura let out a heart felt laugh as she ruffled his blond locks fondly. "I love you, Bolt, you know that?"
"I know, Sakura-chan." He said contently as he moved his head closer to her hand, with his eyes closed peacefully. "I love you too." They entered a peaceful silence, neither wanting to ruin their tranquil state.
That was what Bolt loved the most about his Sakura-chan; even when she was angry at him moments before she got over it in the matter of several seconds and made sure he knew that she still loved him. She made sure her love was never over-looked even when he did things she wasn't too happy with. She provided him with a home that he once thought was impossible after his parents death.
Dropping whatever she was doing, the pinkette made sure she was always there for the young boy and he could not remember a time when she disappointed him by failing to show up somewhere. Even when he thought she would not be able to make something, his Sakura-chan managed to work something out so she could attend whatever important event he desired for her to be at- and she was even there when he didn't want her to come.
The pinkette began to hum softly, causing the blond boy to slowly drift in and out of sleep. He rubbed his head against her leg, signaling for her to play with his hair again. She obliged to his request with a laugh and began running her fingers through his locks soothingly. A pleasant smile appeared on his face and he let out a soft 'hm' in content.
"Sakura-chan," He called her softly, earning a slight 'huh' in reply. "Can a graduate the academy early?"
Sakura looked down at the half-asleep child with her brows furrowed. "Why, Bolt? You want to leave your friends?"
Bolt remained still with his eyes closed. "I'm closer to the older kids, and I know I can pass the exam this year. You know I can too."
"I know," Sakura replied softly. The boy hade been receiving training from the top shinobi in their village at a very early age. Having Hokage's as your parents certainly did have its own perks at times. "But, are you sure you want to do this?"
The pinkette felt the boy nod against her leg. "I'm positive, Sakura-chan." He whispered.
"I'll see what I can work out for you."
"I know you can do it," Bolt replied with a tired smile, "no one would dare say no to you, Sakura-chan. You'll just brake their bones."
Sakura laughed at the sleeping boy and shook her head with an amused smirk. He was too much for her at times, too much like his father in his genin days. He was always up doing something mischievously no good, but his heart was bigger than anyone she knew. She loved the boy like he was her own, and as the years passed by since his parents' death she began to understand Naruto's parting words more clearly.
She was the only one that could have done this.
She was the only one that would have loved Bolt so deeply. She was the only one that would have made sure that Bolt was loved and always in check. She was the only one who could have managed these responsibilities so well, even better than the seventh himself at times.
And, somehow, Naruto knew that she was the only one that needed the child as much as he needed a loving guardian. Bolt had saved the pinkette from darkness and she had done the same for him as well; it was as if this child was made to belong specifically in her care.
Just like his father some time ago, Bolt needed no one but his Sakura-chan.