My second ever fic! Please don't hate me if it's really crap.
I don't read a lot of fan fiction, but I do read a lot of Shakespeare, and Jane Austen – y type stuff…. I tried to make it not sound too much like one of those sorts of novels, especially with the whole language thing.
This is possibly a one off, depending on what sorta reaction I get from it XD.
If I do end up writing a second chapter then I will take ANY criticism to heart… Just as long as it's constructive and not all: This sucks get a life otaku.
Ya please don't send stuff like that XD
There really wasn't much different about Konoha. Well… Apart from the big carving of Tsunade-baachan's face on the side of the rocky cliff. He smiled and thought to himself "I'll be there one day. Just you wait and see." Though it may have surprised many to hear that he didn't add his usually "Believe it!" to the end of the thought. Maybe this was a sign that Naruto really had grown up.
"You ready?" said Jiraiya, the tall white haired sannin who was slightly on the big – and pervy – side.
Naruto closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Familiar scents absorbed him and he realized how long it had been, and how much he had missed his home.
Naruto jumped up onto a high roof and gazed over the village. The sannin grinned and let out a small chuckle as he watch Naruto stand there smiling like the idiot he was, or maybe use to be?
"Hey, wait a second!" Naruto called over to Jiraiya when he saw him walking away from where he was, a goofy smirk plastered on his face. Jiraiya was obviously pretty pleased with himself for some stupid reason, though Naruto didn't really care about that, neither did he even notice. He was home, for the first time in two and a half years he was finally back.
Naruto jumped down to join the sannin who was already a few meters ahead of him, but Naruto still caught up pretty quick. The sounds of the village excited him, and also made him feel a little bit anxious. He felt his stomach turn but in a manner that wasn't pain just a bit jittery and uncomfortable.
When they finally reached the big building in the center of the village, Naruto didn't even have to search his memory to remember this big structure with the symbol of fire plastered on the front so proudly. When he looked up he could barely contain his excitement.
"Tsunade-baachan!" he yelled up at the familiar face that was looking out over the village. The sound of her name surprised Tsunade as she knew of only one person who called her by that particular nickname. She looked around and finally saw a very happy looking Naruto standing on the ground in front of her. She smiled.
"Naruto!" she was glad to see that so far he had not changed as at that moment he jumped up onto the ledge where she was standing. Thought the next thing he did did surprise her. He leapt on her and hugged her so tight she could barely breathe. Well, Naruto was the number on ninja at surprising people.
When she finally shook him off Naruto was still smiling, she began to notice all the changes in his physical character. The most obvious to the eye was the dramatic change in height, and a new found maturity in his eyes.
Then Tsunade finally noticed Jiraiya who was stood there also smiling like an idiot. Maybe Naruto had rubbed of his idiocy onto him, better that then the pervert of a ninja rubbing of on him!
"So you're back then." she said to Jiraiya, making it into a rhetorical question which of course Jiraiya answered anyway.
"Yea, I've got some writing to do and Naruto wanted to come back to the village, show off his new skills" at this he winked at Tsunade who rolled her eyes then turned to Naruto.
"I hope you've improved since you were here last." she said giving him a look that only Tsunade could pull off.
Naruto smiled again and replied "I'll show you later ya? Where is eve-"
"Tsunade-sama!" Naruto was cut short by a familiar voice he knew all to well.
"Tsunade-sama I was just looking through you report and it seems the… patient…" she trailed off as she stepped out onto the porch where everyone else was. Her face lit up at the sight of an old friend.
"Naruto!" she ran over to him and hugged him tightly. She pulled away and saw Naruto's face was bright red. She gave him a look but it didn't seem to effect him, Naruto was in a sort of trance.
"Naruto you idiot snap out of it!" the pink haired girl punched Naruto so hard it sent him flying across the room.
"Ouch, sorry Sakura, I was just happy to see you."
Sakura rolled her eyes. "He hasn't changed a bit" she thought.
Tsunade sat down and shook her head.
"You two go catch up, I need to discuss something with Jiraiya" this was of course a lie, all she wanted was for them to leave so she could have some peace and quite. Well… To a certain extent at least.
Naruto and Sakura soon left the Hokage's house and walked down the now darkened streets up to a shop Naruto knew only too well.
They both sat down in complete silence and ordered a bowl of ramen each.
By the time Sakura had finished her first bowl, Naruto was already on to thirds.
It was all getting too awkward so Sakura decided to break the silence.
"So how have you been?" like she could come up with anything better, this was the first time she'd seen him in… What had it been two and a half years? Not that she'd been counting.
Naruto smiled at his friend and pondered as he finished his third bowl.
"Good thanks, though if you're thinking training with Pervy-sage, I wouldn't recommend it." he said mouth full of ramen "He worked me to the bone! Training everyday for 12 hours straight…" he trailed off into thought then realized he'd been rambling.
Sakura grinned. "Definitely the same old Naruto" she thought then giggled a little.
Naruto looked at her and blushed, Sakura could be so cute. He covered his face and looked down into his bowl.
When Naruto was finally satisfied he paid the bill and left with Sakura.
Of course Naruto was over-joyed by the fact that he and Sakura were on a sort of date. He was just thinking about it way too much until he realized it was complete and utter silence again. Why was being with her so awkward now?
Naruto looked to the floor then shifted his gaze to Sakura, his eyes scanning her, noticing her um… Differences. Naruto blushed at this.
Sakura also shifted her gaze, though she looked up at the stars.
"Hey Naruto…" she said remembering something.
Naruto looked at her again, this time though at her eyes, which seemed to carry a distant look. She turned her head to face him.
"Do you remember what it was like?"
"What what was like?" he asked, though even he wasn't that stupid, he knew what was coming next.
"Being a team… Being with Sasuke."
Naruto exhaled into the night and pondered on the thought
"To me it almost seems like it never happened, but at the same time it feels too real, you know?" he smiled at her "Why, do you?"
"I'm trying not to" she said looking to the floor.
Naruto didn't have time to reply as because of her sudden shift of gaze, and the blurriness of her vision from the tears that had begun to well up in her eyes – though she didn't let Naruto see that of course – she didn't notice a small section of uneven pavement. She stubled and braced herself to fall to the ground.
"Sakura!" Naruto called.
Instead of feeling the hard ground underneath her, she felt a strong hand around her waist. The air was knocked out of her and she went into a slight state of shock for about a second, before shakily rising to her feet.
"Thanks…" Sakura said, slightly breathless.
"No problem." Naruto replied steadying her. Thank God she hadn't notice that little bit of unnecessary contact between his hand and her breast when he had helped her up.
"You okay?" Naruto asked her a concerned look on his face.
"Ya, fine, I'm fine." She stood straight and the started walking again.
Naruto's arm burned where he had touched her and he tried to hide his nervousness.
I can't be falling for her again…
Ya please tell me what you think!
I do have an idea of what will happen. It involves various love triangles and ANGST.
You can't have a story about teenagers without angst I mean come on what did you think I was?
XD But ya, R&R!
P.S. You may have notice the sort of incompleteness of this chapter i.e. the length etc.
The next chapter will continue from this point so don't worry! (Sorta like a part numero dos?) I'm not one of those cheapos that only write really short, crappy fics (not to say all short fics bad there are really good ones out there. And don't get me wrong I REALLLLLY like those bad ones too… Not too many words and I usually understand them a lot better).
