I realize that Chapter1 was incredibly short. This was done for a reason. I didn't want to invest too much time into a new story into unless I was going to have a large reader base. I have already received over 30 email notices for readers following Entrust. My phone almost literally blew up when the POP server refreshed and I got all those emails. I am glad to see that it was so well received. I will make sure to provide much more content in each of the following chapters. I have not yet decided, however, if I am going to make this a long story or a short one. I will see what inspiration permits.

Disclaimer: If you don't know that Kishimoto owns Naruto, then you are not a true Naruto fan!

All characters and places (fictional or otherwise) are his intellectual property. I just write them into my stories.

Entrust

Ch. 2

A light breeze blew across Sakura's skin as she stood at the rail of a familiar bridge somewhere in central Konoha village. Strands of hair fell across her face as the wind carried them from their prior resting place behind her ear. She stood, staring idly at her reflection in the water below. It had been three weeks since she and Naruto held their personal funeral for Sasuke. It had also been three weeks since she talked to Naruto. He seemed to be very reclusive lately, never straying far from the Namikaze compound, or if he did step out, it wasn't for very long.

Sakura had tried on several occasions to visit with him, but whenever she would ring the bell at the front gate, hoping for an invitation, she would be met only with disappointment and a constantly closed gate. She had even tried pleading to Tsunade to intervene, trying to impress that it 'wasn't healthy for him to stay bottled up like this.' Tsunade only shook her head.

"Naruto will come around when he is ready. Only he can decide when the time is right."

Sakura wasn't satisfied though. She knew that her friend was hurting, and it drove her nearly to tears every night to think that there was nothing that she could do to help him; that he wouldn't LET her help him.

She turned at the sound of feet landing softly next to her.

"How ya doin forehead?"

Sakura didn't reply. She was still lost in her thoughts and wasn't really in the mood for playful banter with her lifelong rival and friend.

"How is Naruto doing?"

"I don't know, Ino. He won't speak to anyone. He rarely comes out of the compound and when he does, no one can get near him long enough to talk with him." Sakura stifled a sob. "It's like he is shutting us out. What do I do?"

"Sakura, he just needs time. Sasuke was like a brother to him. I know when Asuma Sensei died, I didn't want to talk to, or see anyone for awhile. Not even Shika or Choji." The blonde placed a hand on the pinkette's shoulder trying to comfort her friend. "He will be back to his old self in no time. You just wait!"

Sakura knew it was more than that though. Naruto had been through hardships before. She had never known him to fold in on himself in such a manner. She wanted to cry, but that would solve nothing.

The breeze blew again and Sakura caught the faintest hint of a very familiar odor. She stood suddenly very alert looking to the trees across the stream. Without a second thought she jumped the rail and darted for the trees, channeling chakra to her legs to move faster.

"Shit."

It was all he could say. How could he have been so careless? He had been so careful going unnoticed, moving about the village without having to deal with everyone's sympathy for him. But it wasn't sympathy he was after. He wanted answers. But the answers he wanted, he knew were too painful to handle.

He shoved the thoughts aside as he prepared to use his latest jutsu in his Shinobi arsenal. He was just pulling a kunai for the Hiraishin when a hand caught his elbow. He stopped and stood still, but didn't turn to face the new arrival.

"Why?" A familiar feminine voice asked from behind.

'Why? Why what? Why did I fail in my promise to you? Why did I kill the man you love? Why didn't I try harder? Which is it Sakura?'

He mentally collapsed under his inner musings.

"I'm sorry." He simply said.

"Sorry? Sorry or what exactly?" It took a bit if measured control to keep her voice steady. She was balancing a fine line between crying and angry.

"I'm just… Sorry." His shoulders slumped, like he had been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. There were so many things that he was sorry for. Sorry that so many people had to die in a war that was fought over him, or more specifically, people like him. His eyes rose to meet other eyes that are lined with worry.

Sakura turned him to face fully toward her, placing both of her hands on either of his shoulders. Her determination to set her friend's mind at ease outweighed her need to break down emotionally.

"Naruto. That is enough. Stop it. Right now!" She set him with a steady gaze that broached no room for argument.

To say Naruto was surprised was an understatement. He had fully expected some kind of hard knock over the head some form of chastising with copious usage of 'bakka'. What he got instead was even more surprising.

Standing there in the middle of a patch of trees, Sakura, the girl whom he had been completely and hopelessly in love with, to the point that it hurt, was standing there, holding him tight, as if her life depended on it.

As his mind was starting to accept the reality of the situation, he thought back to that day after he had defeated Pein. He remembered getting this same embrace from her then too. It was more than a simple hug. It was laced with emotions that had been kept bottled for far too long.

Sakura sniffled into his shirt, stifling the sobs that threatened to make their way to the surface and betray her true emotions.

"I'm sorry." He finally said again.

"Didn't I tell you to stop-"

"I'm sorry for worrying you Sakura." He continued, not waiting. He gently pushed her to arms length so he could look her in the eyes. "I haven't been myself lately. After all I have been taught I still lack the sensibility to talk with my closest friends about what is bothering me."

Sakura felt like she could crumble right there in front of him. He was being so open now, like a switch had been flipped. Her crumbling feeling though came from her own inner admission that she knew that she couldn't do the same with her own feelings. She stared at the ground and moved a hand up to push her bangs behind an ear. She finally smiled and looked back at her long time friend and team mate, and finally managed a smile.

"It's ok Naruto. That's what I am here for. I want you to share what's bothering you. There is no reason for you to shoulder any burden by yourself anymore."

Sakura didn't know it, but those words meant more to Naruto than she could ever imagine. Thinking back, he started to analyze how he harbored his feelings, burdens, wants and desires, never sharing them with anyone for fear that he would be mocked, or worse, that speaking of them would irrevocably prevent them from ever coming to pass. It seemed that anytime something good entered his life, something or someone else was trying to take it away from him.

He pulled Sakura into another tight hug that she was not prepared for. He rested his chin on her head.

"Thank you Sakura. That means so much to me." 'More than you will ever know.'

Sakura, in probably the tightest embrace she ever shared with Naruto, blushed at the proximity and contact of their bodies. Once over the shock she allowed her arms to circle around the small of his back and she hugged him back in kind. Then leaned back and looked him in the eyes.

"Any time Naruto. I will always be there for you."

Her gaze lingered on his for more than she felt was appropriate, but she couldn't peel her eyes from his. Suddenly, as if she were jolted by electricity she pushed back.

Naruto, noticed the quick departure of body heat and her now aloof and jittery reaction, but his face betrayed no emotion that he was hurt by it.

"So," the pinkette started, "How about lunch at Ichiraku?"

Naruto's grin slit his face as he pumped a fist in the air while jumping.

"Yatta!"

Back on the bridge, Ino could only smile.

"Seems like forehead managed to get through that thick skull of his." 'I only hope that he doesn't fall back into whatever depression he found himself in to start with.'

She turned and walked off the bridge headed toward her parent's flower shop.

"Way to go Sakura." She said to no one in particular.