A Naruto and Sakura friendship story and implied Kakashi and Sakura romance.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, he belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

All characters over the age of 18.

Please enjoy, if you can.

And review.

Pretty Little Liar

by:

As Naruto sat next to her at Ichiraku, he wondered what sick joke Kami was playing on her. Hadn't he taken enough from her already? As he subconsciously nudged her to eat for the sixth time, he was brought back to the present as Sakura dropped her spoon onto the table very, very loudly, denting the counter top.

"S.. Sakura-chan?" he asked quietly. She turned to him, frightening him with the expression on her face. "What's wrong?" She let out a humourless laugh. What an ironic question. Like there was something in her life that wasn't wrong. Her face turned sad.

"I think," Sakura paused and collected her thoughts. "It seems my life has been one big joke."

"What do you mean?" Please Kami, not again, nothing more, she can't take it!

"Did you know what I found out?" She paused for half a minute and all the worst scenarios ran through his head. Naruto shook his head vigorously. "I'm pregnant." He froze. Shock covered his face but inside he felt like crying, but recovering quickly, for her sake as well as the rest of humanity when he felt the Kyuubi mercilessly laughing. He, following her early example, dropped his spoon, albeit more gently. As he stood up in front of her, he stretched his arms towards her.

"Come here," he whispered. She looked up at him in question. "Come on." Sakura shook her head like a reluctant child. "Sakura-chan!" He was persistent, she could tell, so she decided to humour him. Standing up, she leaned into him, planning on moving away as soon as he gave her his sympathy hug. Only when she was enveloped in his kindness, masculinity.. warmth, she knew she didn't have the strength to let go. "It will be ok," he whispered, rubbing smooth circles across her back.

"No, Naruto, it won't." She was close to crying, she knew it. She needed to get away.

"It will, Sakura-chan. I promise. I'll make it ok. You're not alone." That was all it took. The damn broke and all her supersede emotions came flooding out. It was so powerful, it left even him breathless. He set some bills down on the counter, nodded at the old man, picked the woman in his arms up and walked out of the restaurant. She burrowed her face into his neck, sobs wreaking her fragile body, scaring him.

He wasn't sure where he should go, so he just began walking, Sakura crying in his arms. As he walked, the world slowly disappeared and all he heard was whispers of the villagers they were passing by.

"That's Hatake's widow, isn't it?"

"No, didn't you hear? They never married."

"I can't even imagine what she's going through."

"Poor dear, she must be so devastated."

"Devastated? I'd be furious!"

As they got further away, Naruto was deep in thought. Furious? Why would.. That was it! He ran. He ran, with Sakura in his arms, as fast as he could.

"Where you running to, boy?" The Kyuubi. Why now of all times?

"You'll see."

"Tell me where you're taking her, boy!" he growled. Naruto sighed. He didn't want to argue with the fox today.

"To what she's really angry at."

When he arrived at his destination, he gently set Sakura's feet to the ground.

"Sakura," he whispered gently.

"What are we doing here?" She hissed. The tone frightened him, but he didn't relent. She looked away from him and they both turned to the memorial stone before them.

"Tell him, Sakura. It's all right to hate him." Sakura tries to get out of his grip but he wouldn't budge. "You should hate him." She vigorously shook her head. "When Jiraiya, Sasuke, and he died, I hated them for it. I felt alone, and I hated them. It is okay to hate him, Sakura." Sakura turned to him with an angry scowl on her face.

"How dare you!" She turned away from Naruto, to the memorial stone and hit it. "How dare you leave me! How could you go and die and leave me here all alone? Please come back. I need you." Sakura began to cry again. "Please come back."

Sakura let out a scream and sank down onto the damp ground. She sat there and continued crying as Naruto knelt down beside her.

"It's okay. It's okay, Sakura-chan."

"It's not okay. He risked his life everyday, for this village, for the thrill, but he never thought about what would happen to me if he was gone! And now it's not just me!"

"I know, Sakura-chan."

"How could he think that I could live without him? After everything we've been through, after everything I've lost!" Naruto hugged her, tears welling up in his eyes as she brushed her fingers down a set of kanji.

Hatake Kakashi.

"He, he's going to miss so much! The baby! He's going to miss the baby growing up!"

"He's got you, Sakura-chan. And he's got me! And baa-chan, and Hinata-chan, and Sai and.." Naruto trailed off.

"He's got me. And I hope its enough. But what if its not?" Sakura leant her forehead onto the memorial stone, her tears falling onto it.

"We'll make sure its enough. And when the baby grows up, he'll know that his father chose to die for his village."

"No." Naruto was taken aback.

"Sakura-chan?"

"I'm going to tell him that his father chose death over us." Sakura had stopped crying and stood up.

"But that's a lie!" He was shocked for a second, but then he began to understand. It was time for her to grieve.

"So be it." And she turned around and began walking, her pace fast, but enough for Naruto to understand that he could follow her.

"She won't do it, Kakashi-sensei. She loves you too much. And I'll do everything I can to convince her of that, I promise you. I'll take care of her and the baby and they'll know they're not alone." Naruto gave a peace sign to the memorial stone and turned around to follow Sakura.

A faint Thank You could be heard in the wind.

Please review.

5/Feb/2011