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"GiAah!" she hit hard, tumbling recklessly into the ground. Sharp, wheezing breaths strangled out past her lips as she unclenched her fists. Shuddering.
What a feeling. With the air knocked out of her, she was thankful—grateful to the moon for its privacy and comfort. Her heart dribbled. A drop of blood licked the cold dirt as she pushed herself up once more from the torn, angry earth.
Not good enough. She breathed. Long indigo hair rained down her battered face, curtaining pale blazing eyes. If I can make my chakra stronger, sharper, bigger, more intense. More. She centered herself once again, aggressively holding her arms in place. More. Her heart settled back into place.
A gentle, authoritative baritone tugged at her chest. "Good." She heard, or at least imagined him say. A small, soft smile whisked its way across her face, leaving a cool concentrated line in its wake. Entering fighting stance, she pressed her arms firmly by her sides, stretched out, daringly ahead. Again!
She charged.
"Naruto!" A familiar voice called, catching him by the arm as he was about to turn into his favorite shop.
"Oh! Ohayo, Sakura-chan!" He grinned, re-adjusting himself to better receive her cheerful expression.
The warmth of the ramen stand radiated off her cheeks, tickling the pink spots left behind from the cold. She looks so happy, Naruto thought. He couldn't remember the last time he saw her with such a smile. He felt himself grin wider, eyes crinkling at her raised brow.
"Ramen, again?" He blinked. A long pause followed as he played catch up.
"You got me!" Sakura rolled her eyes at his cheeky laugh but smiled, appreciating his familiar habits.
So quickly, so much had changed. She felt something similar to whiplash. It was wonderful. She was stupidly and incurably happy but still…it was change. She warmed at the thought of cherishing something that hadn't.
"Naruto…" The lights had dimmed as the night progressed, imitating the transformation of steady conversation into comfortable silence shared between the two. The blond shinobi looked up from his fourth bowl, gentle, eager eyes encouraging her to continue. She blew out a small puff of air, placing down her utensils. "What is your dream?"
He blinked, brows knitting together. He looked to her, confused. Had she missed something? Kami-sama forbid, had he not been clear enough? His light expression turned cautious as he squinted down at her, was she sick? Dare he admit it, he felt minimally wounded. After a suspicious pause, he turned away with a huff.
"To become Hokage, of course!" His voice barreled up with enthusiasm before flopping back down. "Geez, Sakura-chan, I had thought you would have known that by now…" He pouted, lip jutted out and ignorant to her growing ferocity. Suddenly, through the billowing steam of his ramen bowl, he felt a chill.
"MORON!" He jumped, blue eyes widening. "Of course I knew that!" Feelings of relief and fear crashed over him simultaneously as he shrunk back, arms held protectively above his chest. She twitched, fist awakened by his stupidity. "I meant AFTERWARD!" Her voice rang louder in the silence of the question.
"Afterward?"
She watched as he slowly began to deflate, almost a little sorry she had asked such a question. Lost, the blues of his eyes swam deeper. Finally, he replied with a soft murmur.
"I…I don't know."
Afterward…He hummed aloud to himself. He hadn't mulled over the thought of "afterward." It just wasn't something he had ever really wanted to do. The busy evening traffic of Konoha had long since died away. His heavy footsteps and soft breaths were the only ones to claim sound over the hushed and calmed atmosphere. Images of the conversation that followed stole his thoughts, weighing heavily down on each foot.
"Ne, Naruto." The kunoichi's gentle look brought back his attention. "Have you ever thought of building a family?"
"The village is my family." She frowned.
"I meant, a family of your own."
"Of my own…"
The bottom of his shoe dragged as he slowed to a stop. That was…That was just something that wasn't meant for him. Shaking his head, short blond spikes tousled through the air, ridding himself of such sticky thoughts, he continued onward. Besides, he thought, before you have a family, you have to have love. He wasn't sure he even knew how to have love—that kind of love.
His thoughts halted to a stop as he sensed a nearby familiar presence. What would have been a large smile broke across his face into a worried frown as he shot ahead—gaining ground to meet the petite prone figure.
"Hiashi-sama, are you sure?" The Sixth Hokage had his chin rested casually atop his knuckles, masking the heavy tension in the room. His dark eyes spoke volumes, contrasting boldly against the blinding white of the Hyuga Head. The desperate man stood taller.
"This was not a choice I had wanted to make, Kakashi-san. I had hoped you would have better understood my position." The man's brows pinched further together, his lips pressed firmly down into a hard line. These were the only signs of The Clan Head's acute vulnerability. Kakashi silently noted the out-of-place cracks in his normally formal and politely withdrawn exterior.
"Are there no other options?" The man paused, uncertainty bleeding out once again.
"I must protect my family."
That's it for now. What's to come? Please review. :)