Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. All characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 2
"This is all your fault!" Karin hissed at Sasuke, nudging him with her elbow.
"My fault? I'M not the one who decided to 'take her out!'" Sasuke whispered back, mimicking Karin's earlier enthusiasm, resulting in Karin narrowing her eyes at him and crossing her arms.
Her green eyes remained locked on the blue ones staring back at her. Neither blinking, in shock.
"Wha-" Naruto started.
"Naruto-kun!" A soft feminine voice came from behind him. She was wearing a white and violet, knee length dress. The top half of the dress was violet and had silver embroidery cast upon it. The frilly pleats that made up the bottom half consisted of white netting, giving it a summery feel. The long sleeves, which supported a single layer of white netting showed off her milky skin. Her hair was put up in an intricate fashion, adding to the elegance of her look.
Upon seeing the pink haired girl in front of Naruto she stopped next to him and joined him in staring blankly at her. With a stutter she spoke,
"S-Sa-Sakura-san?" She asked, her eyebrows raising slightly, displaying her shock.
Sakura's eyes, that were glued so intently on Naruto's flashed to Hinata's clear ones. Despite the obvious beauty the girl radiated, the only thing Sakura noticed was the huge rock occupying her finger. Trying hard not to stare at it Sakura quickly spoke,
"Hinata!" She said, excitedly.
Sasuke and Karin stood silently, their eyes flashing between Sakura and the two individuals standing in front of her. Tsunade stared at Sakura throughout with concern written all over her face.
"Wha-wh-when did you get back?" The dark haired girl asked, moving closer to Naruto.
"A few hours ago! I really did just want to go to bed, but these two dragged me out!" She replied cheerily, lightly punching Sasuke on the arm.
"Sakura-cha-" Naruto tried starting once again.
"I should probably be getting back though, haven't had any sleep yet and I still need to unpack." She said, looking down and scratching her head. She turned around about to leave, with Tsunade ready to follow. Turning to face Naruto and Hinata once again she spoke with a huge smile plastered on her face,
"Oh and Congratulations! I'm really happy for you!" She exclaimed, unconsciously looking directly in to Naruto's eyes. With that she turned around and made her way past the growing number of people and out of the restaurant, followed, hurriedly by Tsunade.
Naruto remained shocked and silent. Staring in the direction of which Sakura had just left.
Sasuke and Karin stayed quiet, looking at each other, unsure of what to say.
"Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, tugging at his arm, worry evident in her voice. It was enough to get Naruto out of his thoughts and back to reality and his engagement party. He turned to see the girls soft eyes staring up at his, her face so close to his arm.
"Father is asking for you...l...let's go back." she replied, pulling him towards the gathered group at their table.
Naruto nodded slightly and let himself be pulled back by Hinata and disappeared from Sasuke and Karin's sight.
"I'm gonna guess he didn't see us?" Karin asked. "You know with all of this...commotion." she continued waving her hands at the busy restaurant.
"No. He saw us. He just didn't expect to see her." Sasuke answered, looking over at Naruto sitting with Hinata at the table, smiling faintly.
Sakura walked hurriedly through the brightly lit streets, desperate to get back to the comfort of her home.
"Sakura! Sakura wait!" Tsunade shouted from behind her.
"Tsunade-sama its ok! I can go home myself!" She replied over her shoulder.
"Ok, but wait a second!" Tsunade yelled, demandingly.
Sakura stopped and kept her back to Tsunade, staring out at the street. Tsunade walked slowly up to Sakura and stood in front of her, blocking her view, causing Sakura to look to the floor on her right.
"Sakura." Tsunade spoke quietly and calmly.
"Tsunade-sama please. I'm really tired and I just want to go to bed." Sakura replied, hoping her master would stop.
Tsunade sighed. She didn't want to keep her waiting, knowing full well how tired she really must be. This would have to wait for tomorrow.
"Ok. I want to see you in my office tomorrow morning, 10am sharp." The Hokage replied, stepping to the side allowing Sakura through.
With a quick bow to her master, Sakura, walked off down the road, less hurriedly, knowing she wouldn't have Tsunade on her trail.
She opened the front door and didn't bother turning on the lights. The bright lights from the streets were doing a good job of keeping her house lit. Lazily taking off her shoes and leaving them where they fell she walked into her bedroom, which was bathed in pink light, radiating from the lanterns outside. She didn't bother getting dressed, instead she fell onto her bed and buried her head into her pillow.
I just need to go to bed and it'll be all fine. She thought, willing herself to believe it was all just a dream.
She was woken by the sound of a mockingbird chirping loudly by her balcony window. Her head felt heavy and her mouth dry. She got up from her laying position staring at her clock, with her legs dangling off the edge of her bed.
That was a bad dream. Weird too...It was a dream right? She thought to herself, her mind confused.
9.00 AM was displayed in green on her black, cuboid clock. She groaned looking at the time and rubbed her eyes. Forcing herself up, she took a much needed shower and slipped into a black skirt and a long sleeved red shirt, similar to her usual one. After eating a quick breakfast, she put on her small blue shoes and made her way out of the apartment.
The streets looked normal, villagers walking about at their usual pace, opening up shops, buying things, taking their children, who were whining, to school. If it weren't for the decorations from the previous night still up, Sakura would've been convinced last night was a dream. Upon seeing the decorations and lights, she remembered the events of last night, but decided to keep them out of her mind and walked along smiling at the passers-by.
Gaara was walking back down the corridor, having already seen the Hokage. He was carrying a huge folder in his hands when he recognised Sakura walking slowly towards him, her head down in thought.
He spoke sternly, "Sakura."
His voice was loud and commanding, she looked up immediately as if she'd been told off. Seeing Gaara brought her a sense of calm and her mood changed quickly.
"Gaara-san!" She greeted him.
"How are you? Have you settled in good?" He inquired, stopping in front of her.
"Mm! Of course I have! This is my village you know!" She joked smiling brightly at him.
"Of course, of course. I suppose you're on your way to see The Godaime about your work then?" He said, acknowledging her answer.
"Yep! She said 10am, I just hope there's not too much to do today. I didn't get much sleep last night..." She said, looking to the floor.
"Why not?" He asked, concerned.
"A-ha ha no reason!" She replied, waving her hands in front of her. "I suppose being home and sleeping in my bed took some getting used to you know? Plus there was alot of noise on the streets too..." She continued, muttering the latter to avoid his hearing.
"Yes, I understand. Kankuro hardly slept at all, he was complaining about the weather and the beds all night, then he began feeling sick again." Gaara replied, rolling his eyes.
"If you'd like, I can come and see him? Check he's alright?" She asked, hopefully, being comfortable in the presence of the three sand siblings, having spent much time with them.
"No that won't be necessary. Tsunade came round this morning and checked him. It's nothing big, she gave him some medicine so he should be ok soon." He answered, looking down at her.
Sakura felt disappointed mixed with relief that Kankuro's sickness wasn't anything of concern.
Noting her change in mood he spoke, "Although you are from this village, it will still take you time to re-settle. If you do feel lonely, you can always come and help us rebuild some buildings, or help with some paper work?" He said, attempting to lift her spirits, gesturing at the unwelcoming folder in his hands.
"Yeah right, like that supposed to make me happy!" She laughed back, a faint smile appearing on Gaara's face.
"You should probably get going to see the Hokage, you know very well how angry she gets if you're late for a meeting." Gaara said moving past Sakura.
"Mmm, yeah you're right." She said nodding. "Have a good day Gaara-san!" She shouted over her shoulder, walking down the corridor.
Upon hearing her he smiled softly and continued walking.
Sakura raised her hand to knock on the door when it suddenly opened and Shizune walked out.
"Ahh Tsunade-sama! She's here!" She shouted back at the room.
"Good Morning Sakura!" She greeted, turning back around.
"Good Morning Shizune-san!" Sakura replied in a similar manner.
"Go on in, Tsunade-sama has been waiting for you!" She smiled, stepping aside letting Sakura in.
"Ahh Sakura! Finally, didn't I say 10am SHARP?! Its 10 past!" She said pointing at the clock.
"Oh sorry Tsunade-sama, I bumped into Gaara-san and got talking." She replied, looking ahead at the seated Hokage.
"Right. Sakura come, sit down." Tsunade commanded, calmly, gesturing to the chair positioned in front of her desk.
Sit down? She's even put a chair there! This must be something important. She thought to herself, closing the door and making her way to the chair.
Once they were both settled, Tsunade spoke,
"How are you feeling?" she asked, looking at Sakura worryingly.
Seeing the worry on her Hokage's face Sakura smiled widely,
"Great! I feel so good! I just needed some time to rest that's all!" She replied shrugging her shoulders.
"And about what happened last night...?" Tsunade questioned, staring at Sakura, warily.
Oh, so THAT'S what she wanted to talk about. Sakura thought, frowning.
"What about it?" She replied, looking out of the window to her right and crossing her arms.
"Well how do feel about it?" she asked, calmly, containing her frustration, knowing this was a sensitive subject for her apprentice.
"Fine." Sakura answered, not giving anything away.
Tsunade let out a loud sigh, "This wasn't supposed to happen. Not like this." She said, leaning back in her chair, looking up to the ceiling.
Curious to know what she meant, Sakura looked back over to Tsunade, "What do you mean?"
"I mean that it's not exactly the coming home present people expect!" She replied, maintaining her gaze at the roof.
"I suppose I can't blame Sasuke or Karin neither, no one knew. They kept this surprise from everyone, including me." She continued.
Sakura looked to the floor and didn't speak. She didn't want to continue this conversation any longer, and would much rather talk about her purpose for returning to the village.
"So, what's going on with my task?" She asked, looking up at Tsunade, cheerfully.
Noticing her discomfort around this topic, Tsunade complied with Sakura's question.
Looking down at her she replied, "Well there's alot more paperwork than I expected. Not only here in my office, but back at the hospital too, so we're just gathering all that right now. There isn't really much for you to do right now, so I advise you to have a rest day today."
"A rest day?" Sakura questioned, trying to block out the gathering paperwork headed her way.
"Yes. Go and pamper yourself at the spa, catch up with friends, go shopping, un pack. You know settle in." She answered.
"Oh right." Sakura said. "Yeah that would be nice." She continued, having not done much the night before, except meet Sasuke and Karin.
"You can leave now." Tsunade commanded.
Sakura got up and walked over to the door, she had just got a hold of the door knob when Tsunade spoke loudly behind her,
"You should also speak to him."
Sakura froze, listening intently to her master, her back facing her.
"I'm sure you've both got plenty to talk about, and there's no point in taking part in training if your mind is elsewhere." Tsunade continued, eyes remaining at Sakura's back. After no immediate response from Sakura, she continued,
"Besides, I'm sure you've got your own news to tell him too."
The sentence confused Sakura. Her eyebrows arched downwards and her mind started racing, trying to work out what she meant.
Before she could question it, she was ordered out the door.
What did she mean by that? What news? She thought to herself, head down in thought, walking out the building.
She was walking by a jewellery shop, admiring the different coloured gems laid out in front of her when she felt a hand come up to her shoulder. She jumped by the sudden contact and turned around to see a dark haired girl standing before her.
A gasp left Sakura's lips before she spoke,
"Hi-Hinata!" Sakura replied, shocked. Last nights' events ,that she tried so hard to forget and had just managed to avoid discussing with Tsunade, came flooding back. They both stood staring at each other, not knowing what to say.
"Sakura-san." Hinata spoke. "Could we please talk?" She asked, nervously.
Sakura knew perfectly well what she wanted to talk about. She didn't want to herself. She'd much rather say no and carry on blissfully blocking out certain events, but she knew she'd have to talk to her at one point.
She looked into the milky white eyes of the Hyuga Princess, and smiled cheerfully.
"Of course Hinata!" She replied, gesturing to the bench on the opposite side of the road.
The bench was located in the shade of the buildings near it. Sakura sat down at one end and Hinata at the other, both relishing at the cool breeze encircling them.
After a few minutes of silence, Hinata spoke,
"I'm so sorry about last night." She said, looking over at Sakura, who looked to her left back at Hinata in confusion.
"Last night? Sorry? Are you apologising for your engagement party?" She inquired, unsure of what the girl meant.
"N-No no, w-well yes. I mean, it wasn't-you shouldn't have found out the way you did." She explained, "And I apologise for that!" She continued, nervously looking up at Sakura.
Sakura's eyebrows softened and a small sigh left her mouth. She turned back around facing forward, looking at the ground in front of her.
"There's no need to apologise for that Hinata!" She spoke, smiling.
Her tone of voice was so warm and inviting, it eased Hinata, who also returned to looking ahead at the street.
"H-How did this, erm, how did you two...you know...get together?" She questioned, hesitantly.
After a minute or so of silence Hinata spoke, "It was a year ago, during an attack." She said beginning to play with the ends of her jacket.
"I had completed a mission and given my report to Tsunade-sama and was on my way home when there was this loud explosion, and the ground started to shake. Villagers were all panicking and I was so scared. I didn't know what was going on, there was so much commotion and then out of nowhere three men appeared in front of me." She explained, with Sakura now turned staring at Hinata, fully invested in the story.
"Before I could do anything, I felt a strong weight hit my chest and I was on the floor. They had already begun attacking me. I had only managed to look up and I saw them all cha..charging towards me." She continued, choking on her words. Sakura knew these where troubling memories for the girl to re-live. She was about to stop her when Hinata cleared her throat and continued.
"I had shut my eyes for a second and I suddenly saw him in front of me." She said with a faint smile.
Naruto Sakura thought, her eyes lowering and faint smile also appearing on her face, as she turned back round.
"Naruto-kun saved me. He went so far to save me. He was beaten up so much by those men, but he didn't stop. Not until they surrendered. He was hurt badly, and still he asked ifI was ok." She said, smiling widely at the floor.
That idiot Sakura thought, inwardly chuckling and faintly shaking her head.
"After that we got closer as I nursed him back to health..." she continued, now more hesitant. The faint smile on Sakura's face had faded and her thoughts returned to the main reason for the story.
"A-and, I, I guess it just happened." Hinata started, "We began spending more time together, and meeting up..." She continued, burying herself further in the bench.
"It..it wasn't planned! Honest...I.." She began trying to justify her actions.
Sakura looked up at Hinata with a soft smile.
"Come on now Hinata! Why are you saying such things!" She started. "I completely understand. What he did was so courageous, and so Naruto-like. I'm glad you told me everything." She finished, standing up.
"W-Wait Sakura-san!" Hinata spoke, standing up too.
"Are you ok...with..." She began, being cut off my Sakura's quick response,
"Hinata, I'm fine. Everything is fine. I do hope you won't feel uneasy around me. I mean it. I am happy for you." She stated, turning around and smiling at the girl. Hinata's shoulders relaxed and a smile similar to Sakura's appeared on her face too.
"Well I've got some shopping to do now!" Sakura said, walking past Hinata. "Have a nice day Hinata!" She shouted, waving at the still standing girl.
"Yes you too Sakura-san!" Hinata shouted back, mimicking a wave of her own. Hinata kept looking at the direction Sakura had walked down, when she saw a faint figure appear from the corner, turning into the street, walking towards her end of the street. Hinata immediately turned around and started walking in the opposite direction, quickly, away from the approaching figure. She lowered her head, clutching her hands together in front of her, and shutting her eyes tightly.
It's the right choice. I'm doing the right thing. She said to herself.
Sakura was still reeling from what Hinata had just told her. She decided to take a different route back home, a longer one, allowing her more time to think. It was a route that, she had hoped, wouldn't cause her to cross paths with a certain blond.
"Where Hinata?" Sasuke asked walking into Naruto's apartment.
"Oh, she said she needed to go see her sister or something!" Naruto yelled down the hall.
"Right. So, that was quite a big surprise you sprung on everyone Naruto." Sasuke said slumping down on the couch in Naruto's apartment.
Naruto emerged from his bedroom, his hand ruffling his hair. He looked as if he hadn't had much sleep as he fell on the couch next to his best friend.
"Yeah. Well if you'd had met me on time, I would've told you." He replied, staring at the ceiling.
"Yeah sorry about that. Mixed up the timings." Sasuke said, looking at the table in front of him.
Naruto maintained his gaze upwards, not responding. Sasuke broke the silence by wasting no time in questioning his friends decision,
"So marriage huh?" He asked, looking over at him. Naruto didnt move. He simply nodded.
"How did this come about then?" He inquired, trying to get a reaction out of the blond.
"What do you mean by that?" Naruto replied, eyes still fixated on the ceiling.
"Well was it your decision?" Sasuke questioned.
"Wha-of-of course it was my decision! What kind of a question is that?!" Naruto responded, angrily, getting up and walking to the kitchen.
"Oh yeah? So how comes you'd never spoken of anything like this before? Not for the year and a bit you've been with her, and then after you have lunch with her father, you're suddenly engaged." Sasuke said, also getting up and walking near the dining table.
Naruto stopped moving around pots and pans aimlessly. He bent his head down, looking at the floor. Sasuke gathered it wasn't his decision alone for the young couple to get married.
"I'm guessing Hiashi had something to do with this then?" Sasuke asked, leaning against the table.
"Hey answer me then!" He shouted, running impatient with the blonds lack of compliance.
"We had lunch and spoke about things and he made some good points..." Naruto muttered.
"Good points? You mean he convinced you to marry his daughter and you said yes!" Sasuke summed up.
"No he didnt. I'm doing the right thing Sasuke. Don't lecture me about my decision." Naruto replied sternly, facing the Uchiha.
Silence fell between the two friends. Both standing not knowing what to say. Naruto turned around, moving things around once again, with no actual aim. Sasuke stood watching him, knowing there was something troubling the boy.
Finally Naruto stopped making a racket with the dishes. Holding the counter with his arms stretched out, he spoke,
"W-why is she back?" He asked, quietly.
The Uchiha smirked, "I take it you're talking about Sakura?" He replied, walking back over to the couch.
"Hm." Was all Sasuke heard from him.
"Tsunade-sama needs someone to train new medics and she's the only one capable." He replied nonchalantly.
"Oh. So she's back for good then..?" Naruto inquired, hesitantly.
"I dunno about that." He said, looking over his shoulder at Naruto and continued, "Why...?"
"No reason. I was just asking that's all." He replied quickly moving to the fridge and getting out two bottles of drink. He walked over to Sasuke and handed him a bottle before sitting on the couch, adjacent to the one Sasuke occupied.
"I wonder what she thinks of all this." Sasuke sighed.
"I don't care." Naruto remarked, looking at the wall opposite him.
Sasuke jerked his head around to look at him. "Yes you do."
"No I don't." Naruto replied, unnerved by the Uchiha's gaze.
"Then why aren't you out celebrating your engagement? Or even boasting to me how happy you are and how you're marrying the love of your life then?" Sasuke questioned, tilting his head with a slight smirk.
"Because I-" Naruto began, only to be cut off by a quick response from Sasuke.
"I'll tell you why. It's because you didnt expect to see her again. She'd left without a word and you blocked her out completely. And now she's back and she'll be walking around the village, just like before, probably bumping into you two and you don't know what to do." He finished, drinking his drink.
"Wha-what the hell? I-I never said that!" Naruto stammered.
"You didnt need to say it. Its written all over you face." Sasuke replied.
Naruto sighed loudly, "Why would I care about what she thinks!? She's got an engagement of her own to think about!" He yelled at the dark haired boy near him.
"Ahh! So that's what this is about then?" Sasuke asked, finally getting to the root of Naruto's anger.
"Makes sense too! She's engaged and suddenly you are too!" Sasuke finished sitting up straighter, eyes opened, mind working quick trying to piece things together.
Naruto shut his eyes tight, looking down in anger,
"No! That's not the reason!" He shouted back at Sasuke.
"I care about Hinata. And she loves me just the way I am. A-and I want to make her happy." He said, quietly, calming down.
"What about yourself?" Sasuke asked in a more calm, sensitive tone.
After a short silence between the two Naruto spoke,
"As long as she's happy then so am I." He declared.
"Who?" Sasuke muttered under his breath, questioning the sincerity in Naruto's declaration.
"What?" Naruto asked, not quite catching what he said.
"You should go talk to Sakura. Get this out of your system." He advised, leaning forward.
"What makes you think I WANT to talk to her?" Naruto asked looking down.
"Because that's the only thing you've been thinking about since I arrived. Plus you've been messing about with things in the kitchen for no reason and you haven't even touched your bottle, it's a sign that your mind's somewhere else." He finished nodding at the untouched bottle sitting on the table.
Naruto quirked his eyebrows up at Sasuke, looking at him suspiciously.
"Since when did you become so good at reading body language?" He asked.
"Since Karin started reading into it. She says she wants to be able to read people by looking at them so she can see how her students are feeling without actually asking them. It all sounds stupid to me, but it makes her happy, so whatever." Sasuke replied shrugging his shoulders.
Naruto chuckled getting up from his seat and walking towards the door, he turned around and looked over at his friend,
"I'm gonna go then. Get this over with and I need to go see Hiashi anyways. Make sure you lock the door before leaving. And leave soon! You scared the hell out of Hinata the last time, lounging about on the couch as if you lived here!" Naruto shouted at him, slamming the door shut behind him and making his way outside, with the intention of finding a certain pink haired girl.
It was hot summer day, the Sun was now high up in the sky, with no cloud coverage to shelter the village form its intense gaze. Sakura walked past a small shop, selling ice-creams and cold drinks. She thought of going in, but upon seeing the scores of people there with at least one companion, she decided against it. She was a few steps ahead of the shop when a voice suddenly caught her attention,
"Are you trying to avoid me?" he asked.
She stopped dead in her tracks. Eyes widening at the loud, male voice. She didn't expect this. She didn't expect him.
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath she spoke, "Why do you say that?" she replied, slowly turning around to see the tall blonds wide blue eyes staring at her.
"This isn't your normal route home." He said, slowly walking towards her.
She scoffed, "It's been 2 years, things change." She said noting his closeness. She took a step back and spoke looking him sternly, "People change." She said, emphasising her words.
Her words made him stop moving closer, keeping a foot between them. He nervously looked around and then up at the sky,
"Ah! It's such a hot day today!" He said in his usual upbeat tone, breaking the silence.
"Mmm, its nothing. Not compared to Suna at least." She replied, looking around.
"Come on, let's get something to drink!" He exclaimed looking back over his shoulder at the small shop.
"Nnn..No, I have a lot of w-" She started, nervously looking at the shop herself.
"Come on Sakura-chan. Just one drink. You're gonna get dehydralated!" He spoke matter-of-fact like, walking to the shop.
"Urgh, its dehyDRATED!" she said staying where she was with her arms crossed.
Naruto had walked over to the nearby bench and sat down. He turned to see Sakura unmoved.
"Your gonna stand there? Alright then, I'll just have to shout. So SAKURA-CHAN HOW-" he began shouting, earning annoyed looks from the surrounding customers.
"Shut up!" Sakura responded, in a hushed tone. She quickly walked towards the bench, her head down, embarrassed by the looks people where giving and sat opposite him.
"Geez Naruto, don't you care there are other people here too?" She asked looking at him through her bangs.
He was sitting smiling widely at her. "Nope!" He replied, his smile unwavering. The waiter arrived and asked for their order.
"I'll have the fizziest thing you've got! And for Sakura-chan some Iced te-" He started, remembering her favourite cool drink.
"Actually I'll have some lemon water please." She cut in, smiling at the waiter. The waiter nodded and disappeared leaving the two alone again.
"Lemon water? What about-" he began again, confused by her choice of drink.
"You shouldn't drink such unhealthy stuff Naruto. Ordering the fizziest drink they have! Lemon water is healthy and tastes much better." She declared, her head tilted upwards, with her nose in the air. Naruto smiled looking down, she had always pestered him about being unhealthy, and it didn't change even after two years.
Silence once again settled between them. It was more obvious and awkward, thanks to the loud chatter and laughter resonating around them.
Sakura looked up at Naruto, who was looking down at his hands, fidgeting. She rolled her eyes, annoyed by the fact that he'd initiated this meeting, attempting to shout down the road to have a conversation, and now that she was in front of him he'd gone mute.
"So how have you been? " She asked quietly.
"Oh yeah yeah, I've been good! What about yourself?" He replied, looking at her.
"Yeah yeah, same." She mimicked. Silence befalling once again.
"I heard you're going to be training the new medics?" Naruto finally spoke, trying to get the conversation going.
"Mm yeah! It's going to be tough, but I'm up for it!" She said grinning widely.
Naruto smiled softly upon seeing her determination not having wavered.
When their drinks arrived she took a small sip of hers and began speaking,
"I know what you want to talk about." She said, running her forefinger around the ridge of her glass.
He was shocked by her directness, but kept his glass to his mouth, chugging down the drink.
"But all I've got to say is, I meant what I said." She continued, staring at his eyes, hard.
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He put his glass down and wiped away any excess drink left on his lips.
"Wha-?" He began.
"That I'm happy for you. I bumped into Hinata earlier, and she told me everything. How you saved her and everything, as expected from you. She spoke really highly of you, obviously considering she's your fiancée!" She joked.
Naruto didn't respond to her laughter. He looked down at his drink, realising Sakura already knew of everything from Hinata.
"And what about you?" He asked, in a serious voice, still looking down. She remained silent, confused by his questioned. Noting she didn't answer, he looked up and continued,
"What about you and your fiancé?" he asked staring down, heavily at her.
Her smile dropped and her eyes widened with disbelief, unmoving from his gaze. She was shocked by his question.
"Fi-fiancé?!" She stuttered.
"Yes, your fiancé in Suna." He replied, shedding less light on the subject.
"Wha-how-" She stammered, before calming herself and clearing her throat.
"Who told you that?" She demanded, curious to know the origins of this assumption.
"Sai did." He replied, taking a sip of his drink.
SAI! Sakura growled, inwardly.
"Wha-" She began, ready to clear this up, only for Naruto to continue.
"That time when he visited Suna. He came back and told me that you where engaged and really happy." He said, keeping his eyes down and staring at her still full glass.
That was three months ago! He's thought I've been engaged for three months? She thought to herself, still confused.
"I'll admit I was really surprised when he told me. I always thought you'd get married to someone from here. From OUR village." He said, saddened by his own words.
"Naruto-I-" She began, wanting to clear this up.
"Naruto." A cold, stern voice came from behind them, startling the two. Naruto turned around and Sakura looked up to see a tall man with long dark hair cascading down.
"Hiashi-san!" Sakura spoke.
"Haruno Sakura. When did you get back?" He demanded, his gaze piercing into her.
"J-just yesterday." She replied, hesitantly. How could a man so strict and cold, who could make anyone feel uneasy around him, have a daughter like Hinata, so gentle and warm. Sakura thought this many times, when she'd had to make idle chat with the man, during major events held in Konoha.
"Indeed. So this is where you ended up Naruto? I have been waiting for half an hour now." He said, turning his sharp eyes at the blond.
"Oh right yeah. I forgot!" Naruto replied, scratching the back of his head, smiling widely at the man.
"Mmm, I can see that. Come along. We have much to discuss." He commanded walking off.
Naruto nodded and got up.
"Erm, I'll see you around then Sakura-chan?" He asked, unsure.
"Err-y-yeah. Yeah! See you around. Good Luck with...you know.." She said, nodding her head towards Hiashi's direction.
With a faint smile, Naruto left and walked down the road towards Hiashi, leaving Sakura with her glass full of Lemon Tea. She stared down at the spot in front of her where Naruto was just sitting and felt a feeling of loneliness. Her eyes wandered to her drink and she grimaced,
"Urgh, I don't even like Lemon Tea." She said pushing her glass away. She left change on the bench for the waiter to take and continued her journey towards the markets.
Damn that Sai. I'll kill him when I see him. Saying I'm engaged. Idiot. What did I do to even make him think that? Sakura thought to herself.
She sighed loudly and finally made her way to a fruit stall on the right. She was greeted by a tall, round man with a booming voice,
"Sakura-san!" He yelled walking towards her and embracing her.
"I heard you were back but I just couldn't believe it!" He exclaimed, letting her free.
"Daichi-san! It's so good to see you!" Sakura replied, smiling widely at him, glad to know she was missed.
"My most loyal customer is back! I have so many new varieties for you to buy now!" He yelled, turning around and pointing at the crates of fruit.
Oh. So that's why you missed me. She thought frowning.
After buying more fruit than she had wanted she continued roaming the streets, casually stopping to admire the variety of things put on display.
She was crouching down, admiring the colourful flowers on display, that she hadn't noticed the familiar shop to which they belonged.
"Oi, you know you're supposed to buy them right? This aint some sort of flower-gazing library." A female voice yelled from her right.
Sakura rolled her eyes and stood up, immediately recognising the voice. She straightened up and turned to see a slender looking girl, with long bleached blonde hair tied up in her usual ponytail.
"Ino." Sakura acknowledged in a serious tone.
"Sakura." Ino mimicked.
After a few seconds of glaring at each other with a straight face, they both began laughing loudly.
"Sakura!" Ino greeted hugging her.
"Ino!" Sakura hugged her back.
"I heard you were back, I just couldn't believe it!" She exclaimed, releasing her.
"Well here I am!" Sakura said, gesturing to herself.
"Come on in! We've got lots to talk about!" Ino said, pulling her by the arm towards the shop.
Ino led her to the break room in the back of the shop, seating her by the circular table and making them tea.
"So Sakura! Tell me how you've been!" Ino said, getting out cups from the cupboard in front of her.
"I've been good! Suna is a beautiful place and the people are amazing too. So welcoming!" Sakura replied, playing with the mats on the table.
"And the work?" Ino asked, handing Sakura her cup and sitting near her.
"Ahh the work is intense! Long hours and lots of paperwork! I guess that's why Tsunade-sama asked me back!" Sakura joked, sipping her tea.
"Mmm, yeah I heard why you were back. Such a terrible thing that happened huh?" Ino said, drinking her tea and looking to the floor.
"Yeah it is." Sakura replied, quietening. After a few seconds of silence she attempted to change the mood,
"But, now I'm here and I'll try my best to train as many medics as I can, oh and Gaara-san, Temari-san and Kankuro-san are here too, working with the village, helping to repair the damage. And Tsunade-sama seems to be making progress with talking to the other countries, so things are looking up!" Sakura cheerfully added.
"Yeah you're right! Things are getting much better!" Ino joined in.
"So tell me. Why exactly aren't you able to help in the training then?" Sakura questioned, narrowing her eyes at her best friend.
"Huh?!" Ino asked, shocked.
"I asked Tsunade-sama and she said you had other things to attend to... So what's this mysterious thing that is keeping you?" Sakura replied, taking the girl out of her confusion.
"Ohhh. That's what you meant." Ino said, standing up walking towards the backdoor on the left, leading away from the main shop.
What the hell did she think I meant? Sakura thought, now confusing herself.
"Hey get in here for a second will you?" Ino shouted out the door.
Sakura put down her cup and leaned up to see who Ino was calling.
"Shi-Shikamaru!" Sakura exclaimed, eyes wide and mouth open, as he walked in carrying a blue bundle in his hands.
"Ahh Sakura! Ino was right, you are back!" He greeted.
Ino walked behind him smiling widely at Sakura, who was now out of her seat, eyes flashing back and forth from Ino to Shikamaru to the wound up fabric in his hands.
"Hey Sakura, say hi to little Akihiko!" Ino whispered, taking the bundle lightly from Shikamaru walking towards Sakura.
An awestruck Sakura looked at the bundle with eyes wide open, upon seeing the little baby in Ino's arms her mouth dropped.
"I-it-it's a baby!" She shouted, quickly being hushed by both Ino and Shikamaru.
Her hands shot to her mouth, both to quieten herself and indicate her shock.
"Of course it is! It's our baby!" Ino said proudly, swaying with her baby in her arms, smiling down at him.
"Your baby? But when I left you'd just got married!" Sakura said, again too loudly.
"Will you lower your voice a bit? And yeah we did, that was 2 years ago Sakura!" Ino replied, swaying with the baby more, careful not to awaken him.
"Right, right. Sorry, it's just a surprise." Sakura said, looking down at the baby.
"Here hold him." Ino insisted, coming closer to Sakura.
"M-me?" Sakura hesitated. Ino nodded and carefully handed the baby over to Sakura, positioning him in her arms to keep him comfortable.
Sakura looked down at the baby speechless, a smile forming on her face and her eyes softening.
"He's beautiful." She declared looking over at the radiating parents to her left.
"Right? He gets that from me - obviously." Ino joked, smirking, earning a nudge from Shikamaru and Sakura rolling her eyes.
When she handed the baby back to Shikamaru, who disappeared to the backroom again, Sakura and Ino returned to the table, to their empty cups.
"I'd never have guessed you just had a baby!" Sakura said, noting her slender figure.
"Mmm, I know right! My mum was saying the same thing. When I had him, all the weight just disappeared! But it's not like I put alot on anyways." She said, taking the cups to the sink.
Yeah, lucky for some. Sakura thought looking down at the table.
"I guess you really can't help out with training then!" Sakura joked as Ino continued cleaning the counter.
"Exactly!" Ino laughed back. When she'd finished cleaning she turned around and walked over to sit back down,
"So, what about yourself? What have you been getting up to?" She said, smirking.
"Err...not much...what do you mean?" Sakura replied, reclining back in her chair.
"Well, I've heard you've been quite busy!?" Ino exclaimed, raising her eyebrows, keeping the smirk on her face.
"Oh right! Yeah of course I have! Training new medics isn't easy! I mean, it took ages to train you!" Sakura replied, smirking back at the girl, knowing this would annoy her.
Ino's mischievous expression was gone and was now glaring at Sakura,
"Shut the hell up! It didnt take long at all! I was trained and ready in practically a day!" She yelled, exaggerating her words, causing Sakura to start laughing.
"Anyways, I wasn't talking about that kind of busy! I heard you' re engaged!" She shrieked, clapping her hands together.
"Oh that again." Sakura replied, leaning against the table with her left arm.
"What do you mean again? Come on! Tell me everything! Who is he? Is he here with you? How tall is he? What's his name?" Ino interrogated.
"Whoa whoa whoa! Stop! There nothing to tell, because I'm not engaged! I'm not even with anyone!" Sakura replied, sighing.
"What!? No, no Sai said-" Ino began, confused.
"Urgh, Sai! Who else has that idiot been telling this to?!" Sakura shouted banging the table.
"Wha- so you're NOT engaged?" Ino asked, saddened, earning a shake of the head from Sakura.
"And you're NOT with anyone either?"
"Nope."
"Oh. Well, this is...disappointing." Ino sighed, frowning.
"Disappointing?" Sakura asked.
"Yeah! I was so excited to know you were engaged! I mean, it took me a while to get my head around the fact that it was YOU who was engaged, but still, I was so looking forward to seeing the guy who decided to take you on!" Ino answered, unaware of the annoyed look forming on Sakura's face.
She's justifying her answer by insulting me. She thought to herself, getting fed up of Sai's lies.
"Yeah well, it seems that Naruto thinks I'm engaged too." Sakura sighed, after calming her anger.
"Naruto!?" Ino gasped. "You've seen him?"
"Yeah. About an hour ago-ish. Well, technically I saw him yesterday..." Sakura said, rubbing her chin.
"Oh right. So...you know about him and Hinata then?" Ino questioned, nervously looking at Sakura.
"Yeah." Sakura answered, looking out the door to the shop floor.
"And? You're ok with it?" Ino continued, looking at Sakura worryingly.
"Why does everyone keep asking me that!? Of course I'm ok with it! Why shouldn't I be!?" Sakura shouted looking back at her best friend.
"Alright alright! Calm down! Just asking! Geez didnt know you were that ok with them dating!" Ino replied, waving her arms in front of her.
"Wait what? No Ino, they're engaged." Sakura stated, looking at her friend in confusion.
"ENGAGED?!" Ino yelled back, shocked.
"Wha-when?!" She demanded.
"Yesterday. Actually that's when I saw them first. Kinda walked into their engagement party." Sakura answered, shaking her head, not wanting to relive the memories.
"Wow! I did not see that coming!" Ino replied, looking out the window in disbelief.
"Yeah..."
"Hm, now I really should ask you if you're ok with it!" Ino joked looking over at Sakura, her smirk returning.
"Mmm, you could ask...if you'd like your shop destroyed." Sakura replied, grinning at her friend, threateningly.
Ino scoffed, looking to the floor, shaking her head, "Same old Sakura!" she said, earning laughter from Sakura.
When she left the shop and promised to visit again, Sakura noticed most of the shops beginning to pack up. Not realising it, she had spent most of the day with Ino and it was now close to sunset.
Damn, all I've brought is fruit. I haven't got anything else to eat! She thought, looking down at the bag in her hand, annoyed at herself.
Oh well, just have to make do I suppose. She sighed, now taking a detour and continuing her journey home. When she turned the corner to her road, she was greeted by many villagers busily working around the street. They had returned to the previous nights work of putting up lights and decorations.
She's walked up to her front door, "What's going on now?!" She said out loudly, to herself.
"It's for the celebration." An old man nearby replied, startling Sakura, who hadn't noticed she'd spoken openly, nor did she expect a reply.
She turned around to see her neighbour standing at the foot of his front door, hands in his pockets, also looking at the busy villagers.
"Mitsuo-san!" Sakura said, surprised by the fact that her neighbour had never spoken to her before, and now suddenly answered her.
With no greeting from him she attempted to continue their conversation, "You mean the engagement celebration?" she questioned, earning a nod from the old man.
"But wasn't that yesterday?" She asked, confused.
"No. They were preparing yesterday, as they are today. The celebration isn't until a week." He answered, his annoyance at the villagers visible.
"Oh. I see. Geez, couldn't they do it down another road, what's so special about this one?" She muttered the latter, thinking he'd not heard.
"This road is the widest. More space for a celebration I suppose. Plus it's in direct view of the Hokage tower, so that probably played a big part." He explained nodding at the tower before turning around, walking back into his home and closing the door behind him.
Sakura remained standing at her doorstep, looking around at the busy villagers.
Upon seeing the orange lanterns being put up, her thoughts wandered to Naruto.
She sighed a heavy sigh. She knew this wasn't something she could escape. Not now that the whole village would be celebrating his engagement, right on her doorstep.
Here's another, longer chapter!
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