I'm back with a new chapter! Got a sudden inspiration from this brilliant book called 'The Road Of The Dead' by Kevin Brooks. It's so freakin' awesome and action-filled! Cole is one of the characters that you'd love to have as a boyfriend, I'm telling you!
READ IT.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, loves.
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Sakura had awoken twenty minutes after lying down next to her teammate. She shifted around uncomfortably, not finding a correct position. She breathed out in irritation, flopping her upper part to the other side and finding it empty. Spacious without a body that was suppose to be there, emitting the heat she needed when the sheets weren't assisting her enough. "Naruto?" Sakura murmured alarmingly, hoping to God that her nightmares were a figment of her imagination. Hoping that it was far from true.
"Naruto!" She cried out with more willpower to move from her spot, jolting up to a point where she was seated near the bed's tail-end. Clutching the sheets from anticipation, she willed herself out of the bed. Bare, pale feet met chilling Oakwood floor paneling. Shivers shot through her rigid frame from the exposure, but she dealt with it, soon. She looked around, searching for any sign that he had went to training or left a note for his absence... But, nothing turned up.
"Damn this…" Sakura cursed silently, resisting the urges of impaling her newly painted walls with her inhumane strength. She was being ridiculous.
"Sakura-chan? What's wrong?"
"Naruto?"
Her pink head shot up from its bowed position. She allowed herself to smile brilliantly at the one person she needed to see in that moment. It was a fleeting moment of ecstatic ecstasy pounding in her heart. "Ah! You're awake! I must've slept really hard to not notice—" Yet, she found that words were useless when the intense expressions of concern washed over his boyish features, oh so evidently. Her voice drifted into silence and she frowned a little.
"I'm fine, knucklehead. Just some lack of sleep and bad nightmares. Nothing a medic can't handle." She finished with a wink and a small smirk. She wanted to lift his spirits and not be so worried over her — even though, it was she that was about to go out of her mind in a ridiculous panic.
His spirit had lifted gradually and she felt so relieved to see that foxy grin spreading across his face. Everything was normal. "You bet! Now, what's for breakfast? I'm starving!"
In that moment, she wished she never opened her mouth. Glaring at him, she scowled. "I'm not your housemaid, damn it. If you want food, get it yourself! Men and their egos are really becoming a quality I DON'T want in a guy. Sheesh! It's either you, Neji, Kiba, and hell the whole male population of rookie nine, as well as Team Gai and Suna Sibs..." Sakura's ranting continued as she disappeared into the hallway. She already knew that if Naruto were to cook, it would be ramen every morning and miso every night.
She could hear his vibrant chuckles behind her through the morning's stillness. She could practically feel and trace that wide grin. Tracing it with gentle, transparent fingers only within her mind. It was not something she thought about often. Only on those rare moments where she expected to wake up alone. Next to a medical seal with a lifeless fish lying on it from her failed attempts of reviving the creature.
Back when the simplest of healing methods drained her and Naruto was not there to watch her be so determined to keep that damn fish alive. No, he was busy becoming that boy she admired and trusted completely without hesitation.
Times have changed and passed like fireworks blasting into midair. Leaving you in awe and happiness that these times have finally ended. It had bloomed into something untamed. Sakura felt those changes and with it, her childish views have aged into something more rational, but emotionally disorderly.
Naruto seemed to notice, too, but chose to stick with some of his old childish views. He was afraid that he might become that ideal shinobi without emotions or not being beyond that of a tool or shield for their village. He was too scared to change completely, but he will. Sakura knew. She knew from experience when someone seems so attached to being their old self, suddenly transforms into this other being. Another persona, only linking to the past self by a thin thread.
Sakura tsked quietly and entered the kitchen slowly, as if the area seemed a bit foreign to her. It was in some ways, even if she entered this room everyday. But, it was fresh with grief of loss. The silence irked the kunoichi, unintentionally. She hated the silence in this house, but it wasn't its fault. She was just use to smelling the soothing, intense aroma of coffee and the steaming of riceballs being cooked to perfection.
They were descriptions of how her parents were recognized in the mornings. Yet, they were not here anymore.
No coffee. No riceballs.
No mommy. No daddy.
They were fools in love. Their foolishness led them to their demise during an A-ranked mission. Daddy tried to save mommy from ceasing to exist by the hands of a runaway missing nin. They had underestimated this nin and the attack stopped both of their hearts in one motion. One hauntingly, powerful motion.
And in slow motion, they both fell asleep eternally together. Leaving their precious flower to deal with such a loss and she lost a petal day by day. She loses one sometimes, but not as often as she used to. Not ever since Naruto returned. He showered her with concern and suffocated her with a love she never experienced.
Even if she did not love him.
Not in that form that he expressed to her often.
But, she did love him in many ways that left him satisfy. Even if part of him was still hungry for more. He was so supportive during her grieving and protected her from forcing herself to be happy in front of everyone. Even going as far as becoming pissed off. Shouting at their friends when they tried to act as though everything was alright.
Especially, when they knew it. Everything was not alright. Not at all. Besides Naruto, the only ones that didn't deny this fact was Neji and Hinata. Though, Neji has a reason to be pissed as well. Hinata was just concerned for her friend's well-being and accepted the truth of Sakura's state. But, Naruto…
"Open your eyes and see her pain! Stop ignoring it! You're all just killing her!"
His eyes. Those bright eyes so blue and held the truth of the world. They had darkened that day into something… raw and untamed. They glowed a scarlet red. His voice bubbled with a violent growl.
"Naruto, it's—"
He was holding her hand the entire time. She felt fine, even if he was screaming his head off and becoming something he wasn't.
"No, Sakura-chan! I'll make them see! They need to stop lying to themselves!"
"Naruto…"
"Yeah, Sakura-chan?" Those eyes were blue, again, as they stared back at her so tenderly. Sakura smiled and shook her head, murmuring a small 'nothing' and entered the kitchen quietly as a weight filled her heart. "Coffee and riceballs?"
"Hai, hai!"
"Coffee and riceballs, it is."
Moving around the wide table, she grabbed one of the stools to support her height while she got the things she needed. The cabinet wasn't too far up for her, but the stool wasn't too tall for her, either. This caused some frustration. Sakura knew Naruto was lingering by the door. She could always imagine tracing that grin of his when he was around. When he wasn't, though, she would forget the way his lips would smile at her. Just her. Right now, she felt them beneath unfeeling fingertips behind the cloud of thoughts, but she didn't ask for his help.
She could do this on her own. It was just a simple task of getting some rice in the, oddly taller, cabinet. Was she getting shorter?
"Hehe, don't stress too much." His voice alerted her much more than she knew it would, making her fumble with the items already in hand. It had gotten deeper and low since his departure and it startled her a lot. She didn't expect it to come from her Naruto. "Let me help." He was grinning, again, and when she looked back at him — she looked back at the past.
Blonde hair, shorter than it was now. Blue eyes, much wider. Much lonelier. He was half the size he was now. She could feel that image burning through her memories. Little Naruto, so lonely inside.
But, the image blurred away from the memories in a heated flash. This new person appeared. Sakura didn't know him. But, he looked familiar. Green eyes, so identical to her own. Yet, not. Same size as the little Naruto, more hollow, though. And long black hair, like a certain Akatsuki member with the Mangekyou Sharingan. It was tied in a low ponytail, like that member, but this person seemed more alive.
She didn't know him. But, she knew him. She could feel his heart beating and it wasn't dead and he wasn't crying, though he was lonely. Like little Naruto.
His lips moved, but no words existed. It was like she was watching a soundless, black and white movie. She could read his lips and they slowly formed three syllables. So damn familiar.
"Sa-ku-ra."
"SAKURA-CHAN!"
Stirring out of her stupor, Sakura fluttered her eyes open. They met those hues that had smothered with worry, once again. Because of her, once again. "What happened?" She murmured unsurely, mostly to herself, since she forgot that he was still with her. Forgot that the kitchen still reeked of fresh grief and loss. Yet, the past finally became present as she found herself in his arms. They grew bolder, now-a-days. So did his emotions.
Naruto sighed in a relief, steadying his friend after she had stumbled off the stool and into his awaiting grasp. Sakura had been so out of it. "You fell off the stool, but I caught you before you could hit the floor." His voice stirred her when her conscious threatened to fade, once again. She had to be saved, once again. Groaning, she rubbed her forehead in aggravation and slowly his arms fell away from her. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I'm not feeling myself, suddenly. I guess I'm just tired."
Even as she tried to explain her unexpected actions as best as she could, it was useless. Seeing that concern reappear made her realize, again, that words were useless. "Tell you what. How about we go to Ichiraku this morning and see what they have for breakfast, hm?" Sakura bribed with a fatigued smile, but a good heart involved. She just didn't want the worry to continue. She was alright.
A little unpredictable today, but she was alright.
Watching his face light up almost automatically, that grin widened so much that her transparent fingers couldn't reach the ends of his lips. She felt happy. He nodded ecstatically with yelps of joy and raced upstairs to change. She was left alone with a fallen stool and a hazy mind. Just who was that kid? Sighing, Sakura abandoned the stool and made her way to her room on the next floor.
"I'm losing it."
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Closing the door behind their dressed form, Sakura securely locked everything. Not that it mattered, because civilian robberies meant nothing to her. The only thing that would concern her was if a shinobi decided to drop by and take something. Other than that, locking the house was mainly out of habit. The keys jingled in her hand for a moment until the were plopped into her bag. Backpack slung over her shoulder casually, she glanced at her companion distantly, yet with a smile. "You ready?"
"As always!" Naruto boasted in a carefree tone and clasped her hand in his own, larger one. Blonde hair was spikier than from the past and blue eyes were narrower, much more experience. But, not much wisdom to share. His outfit had changed into something casual for the occasion of bonding. His black undershirt loose around his waist. Denim slacks almost stroking the ground and surrounding his usual sandals while the Leaf headband hung around his neck.
Sakura chose to dress simple, as well. Her shorter form baring a knee-length red and black hooded dress, her family's symbol on her back. She didn't wear her low-heeled sandals, but decided on matching colored ankle boots. Haruno symbols were designed on the opposite sides of the shoes. She wore a red choker, white bangles, and the red headband placed where it should be. Giggling quietly, she took off in a slow sprint and dragged him along with her toward the market areas.
"Nani?? Sakura-chan!" Naruto chuckled lightly, keeping up with her easily, though entirely not expecting it. She was alright, now. She was his Sakura-chan, so of course she was.
Right?