"Why can't that annoying thing just keep quiet! Someone's trying to sleep here!"
Slowly getting up, a certain pink haired shinobi turned to the sound of a certain alarm clock, before blinking a few times as she tried to get the sleep out of her eyes. She noticed the time on the disgusting object as she let out a sigh. It was already morning! She shook her head slowly, before grabbing the noisy device.
A devilish smile came upon her pretty face as she was staring at the object. She knew that she shouldn't do it, but it was just irresistible. Throwing the alarm clock against the wall, Sakura sighed as she tried to fall asleep again. She knew that it was morning already and that she was supposed to get up, but today she just didn't want to. Today was the day to relax and take things easy, so sleeping in wouldn't be a problem, right?
But when the sun started shining in her face a few minutes later, she let out a grunt as she slowly got up. It just wasn't meant to be. Removing the sheets from her body, she put her feet on the ground, before stretching a few times. Six hours of sleep wasn't enough! A girl needed her beauty sleep after all. After yawning quite a few times, she finally stood up. She couldn't help but shudder now that she stood there in her room in just her pyjamas. It was still early in the year, so the mornings were still awfully cold sometimes. But she was a shinobi, so she was pretty used to cold weather. Sleeping outside during missions had become a normal thing for her to do after all.
Her usual morning routine soon followed. She took a quick shower, although she preferred a bath, before drying herself. Looking herself in the mirror, she couldn't help but smile as she saw her matured body. She had grown up quite a bit. She still lacked a bit in the breast department, but otherwise she was pretty content with her body. Looking herself over, she winked as she made a sexy pose. A soft giggle escaped her lips as she walked back to her room.
She walked past the calendar along the way and sighed as she saw the date. Of course she had known it from the moment she woke up, but seeing it made her sigh. It was her birthday and it wasn't just a normal birthday. Today was the day that she would turn sixteen.
She knew that she should have been really happy, but somehow she just wasn't. It was her first birthday since it had happened, so how could she be happy…? She entered her room and walked over to her closet. It had been quite peaceful in Konoha after everything that had happened, so she wouldn't have to worry about putting on her shinobi attire today. She took out a red shirt with white sleeves and the Haruno symbol on the back and some blue jeans. She wasn't going to get all dressed up, just because it was her birthday. She didn't even organize a party this year, so that she could just do whatever she wanted to do. She didn't hesitate one moment and quickly put on her clothes, because she was freezing. How could she get lost in thoughts in this cold? That's just weird.
Sighing, she exited the room and walked towards the kitchen. Her stomach was making funny sounds and that could only mean one thing. She needed food! Her refrigerator was pretty empty to her dismay though. She had forgotten to go to the market again. Shaking her head, the girl took out two slices of bread and some cheese. It wasn't her most favorite food in the world, but it would have to do.
The pink haired girl then walked over to the living room as she took a bite out of the sandwich. Looking around, she could remember how it usually looked on her birthday. There would be a lot of balloons and other party junk everywhere. And the big sheet with her name on the wall next to the television wasn't there as well this time. How she missed those good times. She was realistic though and knew that those wonderful times would probably never come back again. She blinked a few times, before taking another bite from her sandwich. She didn't care that there were crumbles falling everywhere around the room. There would be enough time to clean the room some other time.
Sakura stopped though as she stood before the desk with her family pictures on it. On the left one she could see her father and mother in their wedding clothes. The picture was taken right after the two of them had married. A smile came upon her pretty face as she saw the beautiful light pink wedding dress. The dress was exactly what she could see herself getting married in as well.
She couldn't help but giggle as she turned to the second picture though. Her parents were on it again, but this time they were holding a small baby. And it wasn't just any child. This picture was taken exactly sixteen years ago. That's right, this picture was taken right after she had been born. Her mother always told her that she used to resemble her father when she was young, but Sakura couldn't see the resemblance at all, not even now. In her opinion she had always looked like her mother. They were the only two people with pink hair in the whole village after all. Everyone knew they were mother and daughter. Well, at least she had her father's nose. This brought another smile to her face.
As she turned to the third and final picture, she slightly tilted her head. It was the picture of team seven. The picture that was taken right after they had become genin. Naruto and Sasuke were glaring at each other, while Kakashi and herself were both smiling widely. Well, she thought that the silver haired man was smiling. There was no way of knowing for sure with that mask on. Grinning she remembered the times that she had tried to remove the man's mask. Oh, she used to be so silly back then.
She took the picture in her hands and closed her eyes as she sighed. A lot had happened to their team after this picture was taken. Sasuke had betrayed everyone to get stronger, while Naruto had left the village to train with the legendary toad-sennin. Sakura herself had trained with the fifth hokage, Tsunade.
Many things had happened after that too, but in the end everything had turned out okay. Together with the new addictions of the team, Sai and Yamato, they managed to get Sasuke back and after much trouble they were able to defeat most of the Akatsuki as well. Things still weren't back to the way they used to be, but Sakura could say that she was content anyways. Team seven was complete once again.
Placing the picture next to the other ones again, she smiled softly before finishing her sandwich. It wasn't much, but it was enough. She had great friends and the shinobi life kept her busy and in shape. One thing bothered her very much though. It was just too quiet at home. She had tried to get used to it for so many days, but it was just no use. Things sure had changed, eh. She quickly put on her sandals and grabbed her keys, before she exited the Haruno household without looking back.
Walking towards the eastern part of the village, the pink haired looked up to see how bright the sun was shining. She quickly had to close her eyes though. How many times had her mother told her to not look straight into the sun? Too many times. This made her giggle once again. She had always been like this. Never listening to her mother and father. Always thinking that they were too overprotective. Now that she thought back, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the two of them. As Shikamaru would say, she used to be a troublesome kid.
As a little laugh escaped her mouth, she was surprised when she suddenly couldn't walk anymore. Okay, that's strange…What was going on? Blinking a few times, she was surprised to see a brick wall right in front of her. How did that came there?! It wasn't there a minute ago. Had she gotten lost in thought once again? She should become more careful, seriously."You know, you should be more careful. I don't like doing troublesome things like this."
"Come on, making a few hand signs isn't that tiring, right? Here, take some of my snacks."
"Are you okay, forehead?!"
Sakura couldn't help but laugh as she heard those three voices. Looking down, she wasn't surprised to find a thick black shadow around her feet. That jutsu could be really handy sometimes. As the shadow retreated, she felt a bit wobbly for a second though. Regaining her balance, she slowly turned around and smiled as she saw her three friends. She walked over to the group. "Thanks a lot, Shikamaru. I don't know what I would do without you." She joked as she laughed softly.
The pony tailed guy sighed, before he walked past the girl. "Well, you would have broken your nose right now or something. Chouji, Ino, let's go. We have to leave the village soon if we want to reach the town within two days."
Sakura giggled softly, as she saw Chouji walking past her now as well. "So where are you guys going? I didn't know that you guys had a mission. Or did the hokage gave you a secret mission?" The pink haired girl asked playfully as she looked the blonde in the eyes.
Ino looked annoyed as she let out a sigh. "Tsunade-sama gave us a mission this morning. And there's nothing secret about it. We have to go to some stupid village to get a few scrolls. Bah, it looks like nothing interesting will happen as well. This will be so boring!"
"Well missions like that are quite boring yeah, but sometimes they can be relaxing as well. I mean, they are the perfect way to earn some money without fighting. And maybe there are some cute guys in the village as well." Sakura said softly as she smiled. She could use a mission like that as well.
This made the blue eyed girl smile a bit. "That's right! I can use this mission to do some guy-hunting. Thanks a lot, Sakura!" The girl exclaimed patting the girl on the shoulder. "So what are you going to do today?"
"I don't know, probably nothing interesting." Sakura replied back, looking indifferent.
"Oh ok, well, have fun! Who knows what'll happen." Ino exclaimed before running past the pink haired girl.
"What took you so long, Ino?" Chouji asked as they passed the gates to the village.
The blonde smiled, before the tree jumped into the trees. "Oh, Sakura just wanted to talk a little bit. I think she's feeling a bit down."
"That's to be expected." Shikamaru said as he got out his map. "Let's just hurry, guys. I don't want to be late. You know how Tsunade-sama can get when things don't go her way."
Both Ino and Chouji gulped before quickly nodding. "I can still remember what she did to Lee-san that time when he was too late. It wasn't pretty…" Ino exclaimed as she could remember the crying Gai.
"Let's just hurry. I'm hungry and I hear that they have the best stuff where we're going!" The big guy exclaimed as he licked his lips.
Ino sighed. "You know that we don't have enough money with us to buy extras, right?"
"Oh yeah…" Chouji exclaimed, pouting.
The blonde slowed down a little bit as she shook her head slowly. "I wished I could have told her more though, I hate keeping secrets like this…"
"Can't you two stop being so troublesome and just stay quiet for once…" Shikamaru said as he looked over his shoulder. "You know that we can't tell anyone. It's a secret mission. Let's increase our pace. I want to be there on time."
Ino giggled softly. "Whatever you say."
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Sakura watched as the three exited the village. It was nice seeing her friends, but she couldn't help but frown a little bit. None of them, not even Ino, had congratulated her. Did all of them forget? She guessed that it had to be because of their mission, but that didn't make it much better. She knew that she wasn't celebrating it this year, but it would be nice to know that people remembered it. Well, it would be best to forget this.
She brought her smile back to her face as she continued her way. It was still pretty early and it was pretty nice outside, so she decided to take a stroll around the training grounds, before heading towards her destination. Maybe she would find some of her friends to talk to, because it was a fact that Sakura loved to talk. Some people actually accused her of talking too much sometimes.
She wondered how everyone was doing. She hadn't been able to talk much to them lately. Maybe that was because it had been so hectic after the battles with Akatsuki. It must have had different effects on everyone. The pink haired girl herself was just happy that it was over for now. These times of peace were rare, so she was going to enjoy them. It wasn't long before she reached the training grounds. To her dismay though most of them were empty.
Maybe everyone was away on missions? It wouldn't surprise her too much, seeing how her own team had been given some time off. Sasuke wasn't allowed to leave the village very often and both him and Naruto had to recover from some nasty wounds. Her fist tightened when she remembered the last battle. Naruto and Sasuke had almost died, but somehow Tsunade had managed to save both of them in the end.
As she entered the training grounds for her own team, she wasn't too surprised to find scorch marks everywhere around her. It seemed like someone had been training here for quite some time already. Naruto, Sai and Yamato didn't know any fire jutsus, so it had to be one of the other two members of team seven. She was shocked though when she noticed that a fireball was coming her way with terrifying speed. Years of fighting had done her reflexes much good, and they didn't let her down this time as well. She quickly ducked and saw the blazing ball flying over her.
She sighed and stood up again. "Can't you guys watch out? I'm not ready to be bald yet, you know…" Sakura exclaimed as she noticed the two males running towards her.
The masked jounin stopped right in front of her, before scratching the back of his head. "I'm sorry, Sakura. I was so focused on our battle and I really didn't see you standing there. I didn't sense you as well though. You're getting better at hiding your presence."
"Geez, thanks a lot, sensei." Sakura replied, getting the dirt off her jeans.
The raven haired boy sighed, before shaking his head. "It's a training ground. What did you expect…"
Sakura turned to the boy and glared at him for a second. He hadn't changed at all. He was still as arrogant as always. She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Well thank you for letting me know, Sasuke-kun. I really didn't know that…" She exclaimed frowning. "And shouldn't you be resting. I'm sure that Tsunade-sama told you to rest for at least a week more."
Sasuke turned around and walked away from the girl. "I'm alright. Don't worry about me. I'm just doing some small exercises with Kakashi here. I don't want to get out of shape, just because I've got some minor injuries. Who knows when I'll have to fight again?" He said the words without any emotion in his voice.
The pink haired girl was about to object, when she felt Kakashi's hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Sakura. I'll make sure that he won't hurt himself. We're just practicing some jutsus, that's all." He said softly as he gave her a reassuring look. That same look that always seemed to calm her down. "So what brings you here?"
The girl looked up to the man and smiled softly. "Nothing really. I'm taking a stroll around the village. I don't know what I'll do for the rest of the day though."
The man grinned behind his mask. "Well have fun today, Sakura. I think it's not wise to keep our little Uchiha waiting much longer. You know how he can get." He said before he walked over to the raven haired boy once again.
Sakura sighed and turned around to leave. Both of them hadn't said anything about her birthday as well. She hadn't expected Sasuke to know, seeing how he had been gone for so long, but she had hoped that at least her old sensei would remember. This was getting kind of frustrating…She was about to exit the grounds, when she suddenly thought of something. She turned around and ran back towards the two. "Uhm, do you know where Naruto is? I expected him to be with you guys, and I didn't see him at Ichiraku as well."
Sasuke huffed as he turned her way. "How should I know. I haven't seen him since we trained together yesterday. Maybe he's asleep somewhere. I mean, after fighting against me, anyone would be tired."
"You guys trained together!?" Sakura exclaimed loudly as she clenched her fist. "Didn't you hear it when Tsunade-shishou said that you guys couldn't train. Geez, you're just as bad as Naruto, Sasuke-kun!"
Sasuke knew that he shouldn't have said that and quickly jumped away. "I'm going to practice my chakra control. I'll see you later." He knew what the girl could do when she got angry. She had never hit him before, but he didn't want to find out if today would be the first time. He didn't have a dead wish yet. Not everyone could endure as much as the whiskered blonde.
"That coward…" Sakura mumbled as she turned to the silver haired man.
Inwardly she was smiling though. She sometimes liked having this kind of effect on other people. It made her feel more powerful. But that was her little secret. One of the many secrets. She used to be an open book in the past, but she had changed a lot since then. She wasn't the little carefree girl any longer. She didn't know why, but she just didn't want people to get worried about her anymore. She's a strong girl and even more important…she's a shinobi. She should be able to take care of herself.
Getting back to the question at hand, she tilted her head slightly. "So do you know where he is, sensei?"
Kakashi had taken two steps back himself when he had seen the girl explode, but relaxed now that he saw that she was calm again. That girl was becoming just as scary as the hokage. "I just saw him this morning. I think he was on his way to see an old friend."
Sakura raised an eyebrow at first. She didn't really understand what the man was saying. But when she noticed the sad face on the man's face, realization hit in. She sighed and nodded softly, before turning around. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei. I'll see you later." She said as she headed towards the village again.
Kakashi sighed as he walked back to the raven haired boy. "She looked kind of stressed, didn't she." He said as he sat down on the rock next to a tree.
Sasuke sighed as he sat down next to the man. "Well of course. Who wouldn't be after everything that has happened." The boy smirked as he took a zip of his water. "If I wouldn't have backed off, she might have actually tried to punch me. She sure has changed, huh."
Kakashi laughed softly as he turned towards the boy. "Yeah, she's not the same twelve-year old Sakura anymore, Sasuke. She's changed a lot. She's strong now, very strong. And I think you know this as well."
The boy nodded slowly, before standing up again. "Yeah, just like Naruto, she's strong."
Kakashi stood up as well, before placing a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Let's just hope that everything will be alright. Maybe Naruto will be able to help her. I'm just not good at these things, I'm afraid."
The raven haired boy nodded. "Yeah, same here." He exclaimed before quickly shaking his head. "Bah, enough of this emotional talking. Let's train!"
"Great plan." Kakashi answered as he got into a fighting stance.
"Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei?"
Both of the males turned around and sighed. Sasuke shook his head. "Seems like training is over…"
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Sakura knew exactly where to find the boy. It was getting quite late already though. She had to go to the other side of the village and then walk up a lot of stairs as well. It had taken her more than time then she had thought, because she had to pass the market place along the way and she hated to admit it, but she just couldn't resist the urge to go inside of some of the shops. And who could have imagined that time could go so fast while one was shopping.
But now she had finally reached the stairs and started climbing them. He'd go to this place every once in a while. It was his own special spot. Only team seven knew this though. The whiskered boy had told them not too long ago. He used the place to be alone and to think. She just hoped that nothing had happened with him, because Naruto going there often meant that something was wrong. Running up the stairs, she couldn't help but sigh. Why couldn't he just choose a lower place to do his thinking? Today was supposed to be her day off and now she was tired already.
Gah, he would pay for this…
She finally reached the top and sat down on the ground as she was gasping for air. The road up here had been even longer than she had expected. She needed to do this more often if it got her this tired. It would be good for her endurance. Maybe this is one of the reasons why the whiskered boy had such a good endurance?
Standing up once again, she looked around and wasn't surprised to see her team mate. The boy was sitting on the stone faces, just as she had expected. The blonde had once told her that he had found this place when he was very young. He hadn't done a good job at explaining, but he basically told her that he was drawn to the place. He came here to think about all kinds of stuff. About the shinobi-life, about the missions, about his parents. Kind of ironic that he had been sitting on his father's face all along.
She was about to call out to him, when she heard his voice. She stopped immediately as she wondered what he was saying. "What should I do, dad? I mean, I never did this kind of thing before."
What was he talking about? And was he really talking to his father…? She wondered why. He had found out about his father not too long ago and she had expected him to be angry at the man. But somehow the boy had been happy with the information just as soon as he heard it. She could still laugh at his first words after getting the information: 'So becoming hokage is in my blood, eh. Now I'll become hokage for sure!'
She could hear him sigh. "What if I screw up? I mean Sasuke's back and all now too."
What the hell was he talking about? Had it something to do with Sasuke? She just didn't understand. She noticed that he was holding something in his hand, but she couldn't see what. When she couldn't hear him talk anymore, she decided to go to him. She didn't like being sneaky like this, although this was the way of the ninja. "Hey, Naruto."
The boy jumped up and quickly turned around, holding the object in his hands behind his back. This annoyed Sakura a bit, because she was the type who wanted to know everything. She had always been the curious girl. "..H-hey, Sakura-chan! What are you doing here?" He asked, looking quite surprised.
The girl tried to look behind his back as she answered his question. He seemed to be hiding the object. From what she could see, it was quite colorful. "I was looking for you actually. I just wanted to talk with you."
"Oh, why did you want to talk to me, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked as he raised his eyebrow.
The pink haired girl smiled as she took a few steps. "Oh, no real reason. I'm just bored, I guess." She'd go to him for these talks a lot lately. They've been growing closer and closer and she knew that he would always be there for her.
This confused the boy even more. "What do you mean, bored? Isn't today supposed to be a big day for you? You should be happy!"
Sakura's eyes widened slightly as she looked him in the eyes. Did he remember? "What do you mean?"
He shook his head and grinned. "I thought that I was the stupid one around here, Sakura-chan. It's your birthday, right?" The boy exclaimed as he got lost in thoughts. "Oh no, I didn't have it wrong, right!?"
Sakura's eyes widened completely now and a big smile was plastered on her face as she walked over to the boy and gave him a quick hug. "No, you were completely right, Naruto." She said happily as she let go off the boy again. She couldn't help but giggle softly as she saw his red face. He didn't see that one coming. That's right, most of the times he didn't get a chance to hug her because of her aggressive nature. The boy gave the pink haired girl a soft smile before turning to the grand view again.
Not that he even wanted to be hugged by her anymore. It looked like he had stopped chasing her for quite a while now. No more asking for a date, no more flirting. And even now, after hugging him, he seemed…well how to put it…normal. If she would have hugged him in the past, he would have been jumping and exclaiming words of happiness by now. But yeah, she herself wasn't the only one who had grown up. She couldn't blame him though. There were other girls interested in him who haven't been so mean to him in the past. But to be honest, she missed his reaction…she missed them very much…
Somehow her curious side took over again as she grinned. "So what are you holding behind your back, Naruto?"
She saw the boy grinning as he took a step backward. "Not telling! It's a secret!" He said in a teasing tone.
Sakura growled as she took a step forward. She needed to know or else she would think about the mysterious thing in his hand all day long. "I'll ask you on more time. What are you hiding from me? I don't want to get ugly with you now, Naruto."
The boy just laughed, before taking another step backwards. "Well, time to get ugly then, because I'm not telling!" Sakura smirked as she gathered chakra in her feet. She knew that the boy loved playing with her. But he should know by now that he would only get himself hurt. "You've asked for it!" She exclaimed loudly as she jumped towards the boy, using the chakra to increase her speed.
She was surprised though when the boy disappeared and was replaced by a log. Damn, she thought he was still weak because of his injuries, but it seemed like he was back in action already.
"Here you go, Sakura-chan." She suddenly heard coming from behind her.
The girl raised an eyebrow as she quickly turned around, wondering what he meant. Her eyes widened though when she saw a bouquet of roses in his hand. He was holding it out for her. She looked up and met his eyes. The boy was grinning and this surprised her. "Happy birthday, Sakura-chan."
Sakura's smile widened as she accepted the beautiful bouquet. She just didn't know what to say. He hadn't just remembered her birthday, but gave her this beautiful bouquet as well. It made her feel all warm inside somehow. "Naruto…thank you so much. They're lovely." She said as she sniffed the flowers.
The boy blushed slightly as he scratched the back of his head. "You're welcome, Sakura-chan. It's the least I could do. I was planning on coming to your house this evening to give them to you, but I guess this works as well, right!" The boy said as he let out a small laugh, before sitting down on the stone face once again, enjoying the view.
Sakura shook her head and approached the boy with a smile. "So what were you doing all over here then?" She asked him as she sat down next to him. She had to admit. The view was incredible. She was able to see the whole village from here.
Naruto smiled softly. "I was just thinking about how to give these flowers to you. I wasn't sure if it would have been a good idea. Now I'm glad that I gave them. Just seeing your smile just now was more than enough for me." He said as she blushed slightly.
Sakura didn't know why, but she could help but giggle when she heard that. It was just too cute."Well, I'm very glad that you gave them as well. I mean, you seem to be the only one who even remembers my birthday…" She finished looking down with a frown on her face.
Naruto turned to her with a confused look on his face. "What do you mean. I'm sure that people remembered. I mean, I heard the old hag talking about it just the other day. Maybe she's just busy with being drunk at the moment." He joked as he smiled at her. This made Sakura laugh as well. Somehow that blonde always managed to get her smiling again when she was feeling down. He just had that effect on people. That's probably one of the reasons why he was so strong and why everyone started to believe in him.
But somehow her smile died quickly again. She knew that the people were probably busy with other stuff, like missions, and had just forgotten because of their own lives for the moment. It was nothing to be worried about. But even so, she couldn't help but feeling really sad. It made her feel so lonely.
Naruto noticed the sad look on her face and looked down, before letting out a sigh. He had an idea why she was feeling so down. It was the same reason why he had been scared to go to her today. But now that they were together, maybe it would be good to talk about it. He could still remember how talking about his problems had helped him in the past. And most of the times it was none other than Sakura who was the one to help him in those hard times, so now he would try to do the same. She taught him that keeping things a secret from your friends is a bad thing to do. Because your friends will always be there to help you.
"It's okay to feel sad about it, you know…" He said without looking up.
Sakura raised an eyebrow as she turned to the boy. That comment totally caught her off guard and she didn't understand where it came from. "What…what do you mean?"
He sighed as he turned to her. He looked her in those emerald eyes which seemed very clouded at the moment. "You really miss them, eh?"
This time she knew what he was talking about and her eyes widened. Tears threatened to fall, but she quickly blinked them away as she tried to smile. "What are you talking about, Naruto? I think you've been eating too much ramen again. Let's just enjoy the view okay?" She wasn't going to let him see her weak side.
Naruto sighed. He had expected this from her. He places a hand on her shoulder to get her attention as he pierced her with his serious eyes. "I've heard you talking about them, Sakura-chan. When we were on our way to the hideout, I heard you talking in your sleep. And you've been lost in thoughts lately. You can't hide this from me, Sakura-chan…I can see right through you."
The pink haired girl bit her lower lip as she tried to look away from him, but somehow her gaze was pulled towards him. She didn't trust her voice, so she decided to stay quiet. She needed to stay strong.
Naruto shook his head as he saw the look on her face. Maybe it had been a bad idea to bring it up, but there was no turning back now. He moved, so that he was sitting right in front of her, and grabbed both of her shoulders as he looked her straight in the eyes. "Sakura-chan, do you remember what you told me when I had lost my mind after I heard that Ero-sennin had died."
Sakura got a look of realization in her eyes as tears were slowly falling out of her eyes. She closed her eyes as she tried to hide from the world.
Naruto continued in his serious and comforting tone. "Didn't you tell me that it's not good to keep everything inside? That it will slowly tear you apart if you don't let those sad feelings out. You told me that it's okay to keep things a secret if it's meant to be a surprise for someone else, but that keeping things a secret to be hiding your own sadness is a bad thing to do. Didn't you tell me that it's okay to cry when your sad, just like it's okay to laugh when you're happy? Didn't you tell me that if I had a problem, that I could come to you no matter what? And didn't I tell you that you could come to me as well? Didn't we make this promise?"
She didn't know what to say. He was completely right. She had said every word of it. And now she had ignored her own advice. She had kept everything for herself all this time. And he was right, it was slowly breaking her. It was the sole reason why she didn't want to celebrate her birthday in the first place. And it was the reason why she felt so alone when nobody remembered her birthday. It was the one reason why she felt so torn. And Naruto, her most important friend, just saw right through her.
Her barriers finally broke down as the tears didn't stop falling anymore. She didn't struggle as Naruto pulled her to his chest, letting her cry all she wanted. "Naruto…I miss them so much! When dad left me long ago, I was sad, but I still had mom to take care of me. But when she died too, I just didn't know what to do anymore. I just felt so sad and alone. And I can't stop thinking about them!"
He said nothing, he just caressed her back as he listened to her words. The words that had been locked inside of her soul for so long. The girl had stayed strong for the rest of the village the whole time, going through all of this by herself. She might have fooled many people, but she couldn't fool this blonde any longer. "This is my first birthday without them, Naruto. It's so hard! It's so damn hard without them! I loved them so much. I don't know if I'm ready to be alone…" She exclaimed between the tears and cries.
Naruto could understand her feelings more than anyone. He had been alone for a long time, but he managed to find important people in the end. He had to work hard for it, but in the end he managed to find his friends. But when Jiraiya died in the fight against Akatsuki, he just didn't know how to handle it. It felt like his hard work was being taken from him. Like he was going to be all alone again. And he told nobody about this back then. He kept his feelings a secret from the rest of the village and put a lock on his heart. But Sakura had noticed that something was wrong with him and confronted him about it. If it hadn't been for Sakura's words, he wouldn't be here right now. He was sure of it. That's why he was going to be here for her now as well.
"Sakura-chan…I want you to know that it might be hard without them…and it might take a while to accept that they are gone." He said as he pulled her even closer. "But I want you to know that you're not alone. You've got your friends, the people from the village…and you've got me as well."
The girl slowly pulled back as she looked the blonde in the eyes. She couldn't believe his words. They were so strong and somehow managed to feel her completely safe and comfortable. Like everything would be alright in the end. "Naruto…thank you!" She almost screamed before pulling him close to her. She just wanted to be close to him now. She vowed to herself that there would be no more secrets. She was going to tell him everything…
The two of them stayed like that for a long time.
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Tsunade sighed as she signed the last document in front of her. Throwing the pen away, she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. This was one of the reasons why she didn't like being a hokage that much. It meant reading and signing documents every day and just like Naruto she hated this with a passion. She frowned as she grabbed her bottle with sake. "Maybe I shouldn't have returned to this damn village in the first place. Damn documents…" She muttered softly, pouring some of the sake into a small cup.
"Tsunade-sama!" She heard coming from behind the door.
She recognized that voice. It was Shizune. She quickly downed the cup in her throat, before stashing the cup and the bottle in the secret area of her desk. Even Shizune didn't know about that place. Sometimes it felt so good to be evil. She put the serious look on her face, before sitting straight in her chair. There was no way that she was going to find out about her secret sake. "Enter!"
The door opened and revealed the black haired woman. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, Tsunade-sama?" She said as she walked to the desk.
"You're not, Shizune. So what can I help you with?" The blonde asked with a serious look on her face.
The onyx eyed woman sighed. "Well, I'm waiting for you, Tsunade-sama. Aren't you forgetting that we have to go in a few minutes?" Somehow Shizune knew that it would come down to this.
Tsunade's eyes widened as realization hit her. "Damn, what time is it!?" She asked, rounding up her stuff quickly.
"It's almost four o'clock, Tsunade-sama." Shizune answered coldly as she walked back to the door. "We have to go in a few minutes. Please hurry. I don't want to be late."
Tsunade sighed. "What do you think I'm doing, Shizune? Why don't you go ahead without me. I'll be right there!"
The black haired woman nodded and turned around to leave. The blonde smiled as her plan worked. She was just going to take one more zip before leaving.
"I know about that sake in your desk, Tsunade-sama. I'll be sure to check up on you more often in the future. I'll see you downstairs." Shizune exclaimed before she left, leaving behind a shocked hokage.
"How did she know…?"
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After sitting together like that for quite some time, Sakura finally decided to pull back. She didn't want to leave his safe and warm embrace, but she didn't want to fall asleep against him either. Naruto gave her a worried look as he slightly tilted his head. "Are you alright now, Sakura-chan?"
She wiped away the last of her tears as she gave him the first real smile since the incident. "Yeah, I'm alright, thanks to you. It felt really good, you know, letting everything out like that. I feel much stronger for some reason." She said as she grabbed Naruto's hand softly.
Naruto blushed slightly as he smiled. "Well, that's good to hear. And don't thank me. Thank yourself. I just used the same advice you gave me. And it seems like it works on you too. So it has to be good advice, right?" He said as he let out a little laugh.
This made the pink haired girl giggle as well as she tightened the hold on his hand. "You're foolish, you know that…" She exclaimed as she shook her head.
"Well, baka is my middle name, right?" The blonde replied back, smiling.
They stayed like that until Sakura shuddered a bit because of the cold. It was getting late already and that meant that it was going to get even colder. Naruto turned to the girl and smiled softly. "I think it's time for me to bring you home, eh? It's getting too cold for my tastes."
Sakura chuckled and nodded quickly as she got up, pulling the boy up with her. She turned to watch the view one more time. She hadn't realized, but it was slowly getting dark already. Time really was flying today. And she could see that the lights in the village were going on as well. This gave the view an extra effect.
"It's great, isn't it?" Naruto said as he stood next to her. "I've been coming here for a long time and this place just makes me feel at peace somehow, especially at night. It's like I can see everyone I care about from here and it makes me feel safe. And yeah, sitting on my old man's head gives a special effect as well." He added, laughing softly.
"Yeah, it's certainly very pretty." She said smiling as she tightened the hold on his hand. "Maybe we could come back here again sometime?" She asked, looking him in the eyes.
The whiskered boy grinned. "Of course we can, Sakura-chan!"
"That's good…" She almost whispered as she turned around. She didn't want him to see her slightly red face. She didn't know why, but he gave her this confident and warm feeling and she didn't want to lose it. Quickly trying to change the subject, she pointed to the stairs. "I certainly don't enjoy walking those stairs though. Isn't there any other way to come here?"
Naruto grinned and turned to the stairs as well. "Well, I know one way, but I don't know if you'll like it."
This got Sakura's attention and she quickly turned to the boy. "Really? Well show it to me then! I don't want to walk all of those stairs again. I'm tired enough as it is!" She exclaimed waving around with her free arm. She was a little surprised though when she saw the red tinge on his face. "Uhm…Naruto, what's wrong?"
The blonde laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his head. "Well, for it to work, you'll have to hold me…" Oh man, he was so dead…
Sakura's eyes widened as she quickly let go of his hand. "Why do you have to ruin the moment with you perverted mind, Naruto!?" She said pointing to the boy with a scolding look on her face. Oh, she should hit him for this!
Waving his hands in front of him, he quickly shook his head. "I'm not being perverted! But for this jutsu to work, we'll have to be very close to each other. I don't want to lose you along the way, right?" He exclaimed nervously. Hopefully she would understand now.
Sakura was still suspicious, but gave in. Naruto wouldn't do anything like that. She knew him better than that. He might be perverted, but he wouldn't destroy their friendship for something that stupid. "Okay, I'll give you one chance. But if I find out that you're just being perverted, then I'll break your skull, you hear me!"
Naruto frantically nodded as he was grinning. "Sure thing, Sakura-chan!"
The girl sighed as she walked over to him. "So where do you want me to hold on, Naruto?" A small blush was apparent on her face as she asked him the question. She looked away from him though when asking it and tried to look annoyed, while she was actually quite nervous.
Naruto looked down as he slowly pulled her towards her. He placed her arms around his waist, before getting as close to her as possible. This made both of the shinobi blush hard, but both of them didn't dare to look each other in the eyes. "Now hold on tight, Sakura-chan." He made some seals and they were off.
Sakura didn't know what was going on. Everything was moving so fast and she was getting dizzy. She closed her eyes as she buried her face in his chest. This made her blush even more, but she didn't care. It made her feel safe somehow. She was broken out of her thoughts though, when she felt someone nudge her shoulder softly. She opened her eyes slowly and saw that it was Naruto. "Sakura-chan, we're here."
"Huh?" Sakura slightly pulled away and looked around. Her eyes widened when she noticed that she was in front of her front door. How could they have gotten there is less than a minute? That's impossible, right?! She turned to the blond boy and gave him an incredulous look. "How did we get her so fast?!"
Naruto grinned as he looked towards the sky. "It's my new jutsu. I've been practicing on it a lot. It's the last move my sensei taught me, so I wanted to make good use of it. And I'm sure that he would have been a happy man if he knew that I used it to bring a lady back home." He exclaimed smiling softly, before looking her into her eyes.
Sakura smiled back at him. "So now I'm a lady, eh?" She said jokingly.
"Of course you are!" Naruto exclaimed grinning.
This made the girl smile, before she looked down to the ground. Naruto wondered if this was the time to give her his secret present. He pulled back one of his hands in order to get the present form his pocket, but he was surprised when she grabbed his hand and placed it around her waist again. "…Sakura-chan?"
She just didn't want to let go of him…not yet. And she had vowed that there wouldn't be any more secrets, right? She had to be honest with herself and him too. "Uhm…I want to thank you for the great day, Naruto. And uh, well it's very cold and I can make some hot cocoa inside. So, do you want to come inside?" She asked him, looking into his sapphire eyes. They always made her feel at ease, and she wouldn't have it any other way.
Naruto blushed slightly as he smiled nervously. He couldn't believe that she actually asked him that! "W-well, if you don't mind…I would like that very much." He answered her as he got lost in her pretty eyes as well.
"Good." Sakura exclaimed softly as she moved closer towards his face. It went almost automatically and she couldn't stop herself. And somehow she didn't even want to stop herself. It felt just right. It was the same for the whiskered blonde as he started to move closer to her face as well. What were they doing? They were friends and team mates, right? But she didn't care. All that mattered was the boy in front of her. Their lips came closer and closer until they almost touched. They could already feel each other's breaths in their faces….
"Well, look what we have here!"
Their eyes widened as they quickly backed off and let go. They turned to the voice and were shocked to find the Tsunade and Shizune standing right next to them. Sakura quickly turned to the powerful hokage and bowed. "G-good evening, Tsunade-shishou. What can I help you with?" She was blushing hard and she knew it. What in the world were she and Naruto about to do?!
So something was blossoming between those two after all, eh. Tsunade couldn't believe it. She had expected something like this to happen, but she hadn't even hoped that it would happen so soon after everything that had happened. As she saw the two of them blushing, she couldn't help but giggle softly. She wouldn't torture them by asking them about it. That would be for some other time.
The hokage smiled as she looked around. "So where is that party going on!?"
Sakura raised an eyebrow. The old woman wasn't making much sense. Was she drunk again? "Uh, what party, Tsunade-shishou?" Sakura asked confused. She was sure that she had told the hokage that she hadn't organised a party this year.
"Well, the party that is supposed to be taking place here. Shizune told me to come here." She said as she walked towards the door of the Haruno household. Shizune sighed as she walked over to the hokage. She tried to stop the woman, but before she was able to, the busty blonde had opened the door already.
"Surprise!!!!"
Sakura's eyes widened as she heard that sound. What was going on?! She looked over to Naruto and saw that he was just as surprised as she was. The pink haired girl then quickly walked over to Shizune. "What's going on, Shizune-san?" She whispered into the woman's ear.
Shizune raised an eyebrow. "They're throwing you a surprise-party. Isn't it obvious?"
Tsunade shook her head and walked into the room. "No, wrong person, go back to hiding everyone!" This made everyone sweat drop, including the house. The old woman turned around and grinned. "What? It was worth a try, right?" She exclaimed smiling, before grabbing Sakura and moving her into the room. "Here's the real birthday girl!"
Sakura was surprised when the lights turned on. All of her friends were there. All the rookie nine and their teachers, team Gai was there as well. There were balloons everywhere as well. And in the middle of the big table in the room, she could see a big cake. She didn't believe it. Her friends had really organized a birthday party for her.
"So, do you like it, forehead?" Ino asked as she slung an arm around her shoulder.
Sakura gave the girl a confused look. "Didn't you leave the village today?! Why are you here? Don't tell me that it was part of the plan…?" Sakura muttered softly as she started to understand what was going on.
"Wow, so there are brains in that giant forehead after all. I'm impressed, Sakura." Ino said jokingly as she placed her finger on Sakura's forehead. "We had to get that cake out of some village far away. We couldn't tell you about our secret mission of course. That would have ruined the surprise!"
"It was so damn troublesome…" Shikamaru added, before walking towards the window.
Sakura then turned towards her own team mates. "What about you guys, you were in this as well?"
"Of course." Sasuke said as he smirked. He had missed some training because of all this, but he was happy to see his team mate like this. After everything he had put her through, this was the least he could do. "Me and Kakashi needed to get this place ready…" He said pointing towards his silver haired sensei, who was lost in his book once again.
The raven haired boy sighed as he continued. "We used the remaining people…" He exclaimed as he pointed towards team eight and ten. "To spy on you, so that we knew when you would come back. Everything went kind of wrong when Naruto decided to bring you back with his flashy jutsu though. Thank god for you guys being so slow with coming in…"
This made both Naruto and Sakura blush again. So they were watching!?
Sakura was still amazed by everything though. She couldn't believe it. So everyone had remembered and they even organised a party for her. "So who was the one who organised all this?" She couldn't wait to hear it. It was probably her own shishou. She was the only person who could do something at this scale.
Sasuke smirked as he closed his eyes. "Look behind you."
Sakura raised an eyebrow as she turned around. So it wasn't Tsunade. Who could it be? She became confused though as she could see only Naruto standing there. Where was this mystery person then? But when she saw that the boy starting grinning, she couldn't help but be shocked. "No way…you did all this?!" She exclaimed, walking over to the boy.
Naruto blushed slightly as he scratched the back of his head. "Well, kind of. I mean, I told everyone what to do and where to get the cake and such, but Ino was the one who did everything else. We all know how I always blabber too much, so we decided to keep the time and place for the party a secret for me as well. Kind of ironic, eh. We were talking about secrets just now, while I was trying to keep all this a secret as well. But yeah, I figured that you'd like this one, so no hard feelings right?" He exclaimed grinning. "When you found me on top of the stone faces, I had no idea what to expect though. I had a feeling that it would be something like this, but I couldn't know for sure, of course."
He was cut off when the pink haired girl suddenly hugged him with all her might. "Sakura-chan?"
"You're the best, Naruto!" She said as she pulled him extremely close.
Naruto did the same as she placed his arms around her waist. He couldn't help but blush when he realized what they were doing. They were in a room full of people! Both of them quickly let go and looked down to the ground. Oh, they were never going to hear enough of this…
"Nice going there, Naruto!" Kiba exclaimed loudly as he sat next to his humongous dog on the ground.
"Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered softly as she looked down. She was surprised though when she felt her hand being taken. When she looked up, she was surprised that it was Kiba. When she saw him nod with a soft smile on his face, she just had to smile herself. The boy always managed to cheer her up, just by being there for her.
Lee got fire in his eyes as he raised a fist in the air. "The power of youth conquers all!"
"Isn't it beautiful, Lee!" Gai shouted out loud with tears in his eyes.
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee!"
Both of the green clad men were knocked out by none other than Sasuke and Kakashi, before they could go any further. Most of the people in the room were shocked and thankful at the same time. Sasuke smirked, before sitting down next to Neji on the couch. "Man, how do you survive with those two weirdoes in your team…?"
Neji let out a huge sigh. "You get used to it after a while…"
Everyone had to laugh after this, except the knocked out people and Sasuke and Shino of course, before Tsunade suddenly jumped onto the table, raising her hand in the air. "Okay enough child's play. Bring me the sake, right now!" She then pointed towards Sasuke, Neji and Kakashi. "Drinking contest, you three versus me! The loser has to clean up the whole village tomorrow!"
Sasuke and Neji looked each other in the eyes, before they both disappeared in a cloud of dust. They were surprised though when the hokage caught on to them and blocked their way. Both boys flinched as they activated their bloodline limits. She looked both of them in the eyes with a devious look in her own. "Going somewhere guys?"
"Please, Tsunade-sama! They're just kids! Have mercy!" Shizune exclaimed as she tried to calm the hokage down.
Kakashi just shrugged while he closed his book in a cool manner. "I've known her longer than you two have and I'm experienced when it comes to this."
Neji sighed in relief. So they had a chance after all.
Kakashi shook his head as he continued. "It's no use trying to escape when she's like this, guys. Just accept the challenge and go down with honor."
Sasuke and Neji gulped, before falling back to the couch with a thud. They were doomed…
Naruto couldn't help but laugh as he saw Sasuke's frightened look. He had to admit that Tsunade had her way with people alright. He himself still wasn't done though. There was still one more thing he had to do. He turned to the pink haired girl and softly grabbed her hand. "Sakura-chan, can I talk to you in private for a minute?" He asked her, looking her in the eyes.
The seriousness in his voice surprised Sakura as she nodded. "Sure thing, Naruto. Follow me." She tightened the hold on his hand and walked towards the stairway. It would be best if nobody saw them going up. She knew that there were certain types here, who would go start thinking crazy things. Sakura stopped moving, when she accidentally stepped on a crack though. "Oh, darn.."
Kiba sensed something behind him and was about to look over to the stairway, when he suddenly felt something in his pants. His eyes widened and he suddenly started laughing. It was itching so much. "There's something in my pants! Get it out!" The dog boy exclaimed while Hinata was trying to found out what was bothering Kiba.
Sai walked over to the couch and gave Kiba a funny look as he was acting so weird. The wild boy was moving his hands around a certain area of his pants. Sai tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing, Kiba-kun? I've read something like this in a book called 'icha icha paradise' not too long ago. Doing things like this in front of a girl isn't very nice, you know…"
Yamato quickly placed a hand on Sai's shoulder and gave him the scary face. "Please, don't do this, Sai…Just eat some cake or something…"
Naruto didn't understand what was going on until he saw Shino giving him a thumbs-up. A big smile came upon his face as he quickly made his way up together with Sakura. Who would've guessed that Shino would do something like that to his own team mate. Poor Kiba…
He was about to walk towards her room, but he was surprised when Sakura pulled him away from the room and opened the door to her balcony as she pulled him outside. It was pretty cold, but somehow the wind felt really good on his skin. It had been so hot inside there with all those crazy people that he didn't mind this at all. Sakura released his hand and made her way over to the railing. "So what did you want to talk about, Naruto?" She asked as she looked up to the dark sky.
Naruto couldn't help but smile as he saw his dream girl in the moonlight. It made her even more beautiful. He grabbed the small box out of his pocket and gulped. It was now or never. "Well, I didn't really come here to talk to you, but I came here to give you something." He stopped right next to her and smiled, before handing her the small box. "Your birthday present. I hope that you'll like it."
Sakura's eyes widened as she saw the box in her hands. "Naruto, you didn't have to get me anything else. You already gave me the flowers and you already did all of this."
The boy shook his head and smiled softly. "Just open it, okay?" He just hoped that she would like it.
The pink haired girl was taken aback by his seriousness and nodded slowly, before she started to open the box. Her eyes widened when she saw what was inside. "Naruto…" She said as she got the object out of the box. It was a golden necklace with a locket attached to it. But this wasn't what grabbed her attention the most. "Naruto…is that?"
The boy nodded, smiling softly. "It's the Haruno symbol."
"But how? I never saw anything like this…" Sakura exclaimed as if she was being hypnotized by the necklace.
Naruto grinned as he looked up towards the beautiful starry sky. "Well, I looked everywhere for something to give you, but I just couldn't find it. Tenten then told me that her father runs the weapon shop around here, and that he might have been able to help me. So I went to Tenten's father the next day and he told me that I could make my own necklace and locket with his help. I gladly accepted of course." He exclaimed smiling softly.
"Naruto, it's beautiful! I love it!" She exclaimed, giving the boy a short hug.
Naruto smiled gently at her. He was glad that she liked it. He just hoped that she liked the final part as well. "Well, as you can see, it's a locket. So why don't you open it?" He muttered, looking her into those beautiful emerald eyes once again.
Sakura gulped as she looked the boy into his eyes. He seemed really serious and nervous at the same time. She wondered what was inside to do this to the most unpredictable ninja. She slowly opened the locket and looked inside. Her eyes widened in shock and Naruto was sure that he could see tears forming into her eyes. She wiped away the tears with her free hand, but somehow they continued to fall. "…Mom…dad…" Inside of the locket were two pictures, one of her father and one of her mother. She couldn't believe it. This way she could have the two of them with her forever.
Sakura smiled softly at the boy as she put the necklace around her neck. Holding the locket in her hand, she looked at the Haruno symbol one more time, before letting the locket go. The necklace seemed the perfect fit for her too. She then burst out into tears as she practically jumped into Naruto's arms, burying her face into his chest. "Naruto…you don't know how much this means to me! You're really the best!" She said as she pulled him as close as possible.
Naruto just smiled, because he was happy that she liked it. "I'm happy that you like it, Sakura-chan. I just hope that you'll be able to find some peace now. I know how hard it must be without them. I just hope that you'll be able to continue your life now with a smile on your face…the smile I love, Sakura-chan…"
So she had been wrong about his feelings after all, eh. Well, now she was glad that she was wrong before. The emerald eyed girl released the boy and walked over to the railing again. She let out a huge sigh. "It's been a while since I lost my parents. And it's been very hard...living without them. They were always there for me and I felt happy and safe when they were there with me. But…you have made me realise that it won't do me or anyone any good by living in the past like that." She exclaimed in a serious tone, before looking up to the stars once again.
"I know now that I'm not longer alone." She raised her hand and brought it to the locket. "My parents will always be watching over me and I feel happy knowing that."
She tightened the hold on the locket as a smile appeared on her face. Time to come clean completely. She had made a vow, right? She had been lying to herself for a long time. Maybe because she didn't want to believe it herself, maybe because she was scared, or maybe because she never wanted to have that feeling of losing someone precious ever again. But after today…she had realized that she had been stupid by thinking that. Time to be completely honest with herself. No more secrets…
Letting go of the locket, she let out a breath before continuing. "And I think that my parents will be very happy to know that I've found someone who can take care of me now that they are gone…"
Sakura then slowly turned around, before taking his hands in her own. She could feel that he was trembling softly and this made her tremble a bit as well. She just knew that she had to say it now. This was the time. She looked him in his eyes and smiled softly. "...That someone is you, Naruto."
She then lunged forward and caught his lips with her own. Naruto's eyes widened and he didn't know what to do at first, but when realization hit him, he closed his eyes as he started to kiss back. This gave Sakura the push she needed as she deepened this kiss, holding the blonde close to her. Both of them were in complete bliss as they continued kissing for at least a few minutes, but to them if felt like an eternity. So this was what true happiness felt like.
Sakura finally pulled back in need for air. Breathing hard, she looked the boy in his eyes. She could see the blush on his face and she guessed that she had to be blushing as well. Wow, she hadn't expected something like this to happen when she woke up this morning. And seeing his shocked face, she guessed that he didn't either. She giggled softly and noticed that the boy was still in some kind of trance. This made her happy and proud at the same time. Now she knew for sure that her heart hadn't been lying to her. She moved one of her hands to his face and placed it on his cheek. "No more secrets…"
"What?" The blonde exclaimed, not really understanding her words.
She pulled him close for another quick kiss on the lips, before she looked him deep into his eyes. "I love you, Naruto."
Naruto's eyes widened for a second. Did she really say that? He couldn't believe it. He gave her an incredulous look to find out if this was some kind of sick joke. But when he noticed the serious look in her eyes, he knew that she was telling the truth. His dream girl really loved him! He didn't hesitate and quickly pulled her into a tight hug as he kissed her forehead. "I love you too, Sakura-chan!"
That was what she wanted to hear as she placed her head against his shoulder. This made Naruto's heartbeat increase and the pink haired girl could hear it, making her feel extremely good. Having this effect on the boy she wanted to spend her life with was everything she had always wanted.
The blonde looked down and smiled when he noticed the gentle and content look on Sakura's pretty face. "I promise that I'll be there for you, forever."
Sakura grinned as she relaxed in his arms. "Good. Because I'm never letting you go again."
This made Naruto really happy and he pulled her against him even tighter. It seemed like a dream come true. "I guess you want to keep this a secret from the rest, eh. At least for tonight. This is your day after all." He muttered softly, while he closed his eyes smiling.
"Didn't you hear me just now…?" The pink haired beauty exclaimed without moving an inch.
The blonde looked down to her pink hair, confused. "Huh?"
Sakura sighed and raised her head from his shoulder to look him in his eyes. "I already told you…no more secrets." She then smiled and closed the gap to give the boy a chaste kiss on the lips. "You're mine now and I'm going to tell the whole world about us."
The whiskered boy blushed and nodded. "Whatever you say, Sakura-chan."
Both of them held each other for a long time, enjoying each other's company as the party went on without them.
"Uhm, Sakura-chan, do you think they have some ramen downstairs?"
"Don't ruin the moment, baka!"