Author's Notes: Hey everyone! I want to apologize for the delay. I got so caught up with another fanfic, that I slowly worked on this one. However, I managed to get the update done ^.^. Also, I want to thank you all for following the story thus far. To those who left review, I thank you all so much, I appreciate all the support my readers have given me.
On another note, I wanted to answer a question about lemon. I'm sure multiple people have the same question. Will this fic contain lemon?
For this fic, I originally had mainly just fluff in mind. But as the ideas evolved, they became more true to the characters. I gave this fic a rating of M, because at this point the story can go anywhere. I really value this story of mine and I don't want to write smut or sexual scenes for the just the sake of it. As I continue to write this, the story can pretty much go anywhere, but I'm not going to make promises. Sorry if I dissapointed anyone. Anyways, happy reading!
Picking up speed, Naruto was running with ease behind the small boy. Catching up to the kid had been a fairly easy task and with a quick dart of his arm, he grabbed the boy from the back of his shirt. The little thief cried in protest and squirmed in his grasp.
With a scolding look on his face, Naruto yanked his wallet out of the boy's hand. "Man, catching you was cake. I let my guard down, but last time someone stole my money it took me a whole hour to get it back."
After the thief failed to kick Naruto off, he stopped squirming. His girlfriend caught up to them and was carefully watching their movements.
"Naruto, set him down. Let's see what he has to say for himself." In a serious tone, Sakura said as she placed a hand on his back.
This hadn't been the first time Naruto has played this game. He had gained a lot of experience in his years of training with Jiraiya, including how to deal with theft. "If I set him down, he'll just run off. I can sense his intention."
A heavy breath escaped her lips. "Naruto…we can't hold him prisoner, so just set him down. He's probably hungry." Then lifting a finger, she pointed at the limp boy. His brown eyes were dull and his pale face full of dirt. "Look how frail he is and look at his clothes."
Knowing there was no use arguing with his girlfriend, Naruto set the boy down. In an instant, the child ran behind Sakura and clutched onto her. He was less than half her height and looked about ten years-old. Feeling a pang of sympathy, the pinkette patted his head. Dirt crumbled off his messy black hair from her hand petting him. "See, he's just a child."
Then out of nowhere, Sakura's face turned slightly pink. "Why you-"
Before she could finish the sentence, the kid darted off again. Naruto gave a chuckle and said "Told you so." Instead of waiting for her to respond, he went after the kid and scooped him up in his arms.
"You can't get away from me." In a low tone, Naruto grumbled in his ear.
Admitting defeat, the boy went limp in his arms and dropped Sakura's wallet. His eyes were full of water and his mouth formed into a hard line. Sakura noticed this as she collected her item. "Crocodile tears won't work on us kid. Why are you going around thieving?"
After hearing Sakura's question, his face turned sour and fire burned in his eyes. Pure hatred took a hold of his face. Naruto sensed his anger and it caused him to shift uncomfortably. "What's this kid's deal?" he thought to himself.
"I do it so my friends and I can survive…I'm the fastest of us, so I do all the pickpocketing…we don't have homes or families. All of them died when they went off to support the ninjas in the war. Our town was blown up after that. It's because of ninjas like you we have to do this!" Spitting each word out in anger, the boy squirmed once more.
Naruto's heart gave a lurch. "The cycle of hatred continues" taking a deep inhale, he muttered to himself. This time he set the kid down, but kept his hand on his shoulder. Then kneeling down to a knee, he looked him straight in the eye.
"It's our fault that happened to you." Then softening his expressions into a weak smile, he continued "I know how it feels to do what it takes to survive and what it's like to lose family. I lost many people…friends, teachers and even my parents...all because of the old shinobi system."
The little boy's eyes started to water and he looked away from Naruto's blue glittering eyes. He didn't want to hear what he had to say. This didn't stop him from speaking his mind though. "You mentioned that you had friends that take care of each other. Make sure to always cherish those bonds. Don't ever feed into your hatred…it will only cause more pain. Trust me."
Noticing that he was on the verge of bawling, Naruto ruffled his dirty hair. "Don't cry kid. Tell ya what, I'll give you some of the food we have packed in our bags and some of our money. When I return home, I'll talk to someone to come out here and help all the orphans."
Moved by Naruto's generosity and kindness, Sakura knelt down beside them and added "It's the least we can do. But, you need to promise to stop stealing, okay?"
Through hiccuping sobs, the boy furiously nodded his head and said "O-o-okay."
The couple set their bags down and pulled out most of their rations. Making sure that he set out plenty of ramen cups, he watched the kid's eyes stare at the food in awe. "When was the last time he ate?" Noticing how thin he was, he asked himself. Then Sakura divided up some of her money along with Naruto's and handed it to the boy. "Here, this should help you for a couple of weeks. We'll be back home by then and we can send someone out here. Make sure to share, alright?"
In response, the child flung himself at them and wrapped his arms around their waists. Nuzzling into Naruto's jacket, he cried out "Thank you." A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he patted the child once more. A few moments passed and the kid gathered himself to his feet and hoisted the food into his arms.
"I'm going to go share this! Thanks again and bye!" He called over his shoulder as he darted into an alley way.
Sakura's face held a sad expression as he left their view. "He was awfully young. I'm not sure how old he is, but he looked younger than us back in our old team seven days." Her voice was heavy with depression.
Naruto dipped his head and put his arm around her. "Yeah…the screwed up things the system has done always affects the kids…" a heavy breath escaped from him once more as he led Sakura to the nearest inn. Instead of taking her to the nice one with the hot springs, all he could afford now was the simple one. He felt like it was well worth it in the end.
Like the restaurant they had eaten at, the inn looked in need of repairs. However, Sakura didn't feel like complaining and knew they were short on cash. As they stepped inside they met a short old man and purchased a room for the night. Naruto would have liked to converse with the innkeeper, but he felt drained and wanted to be alone with his girlfriend.
The news he received weight heavy on his mind and the tension caused Kurama to stir within him.
"What's wrong brat?"
"Nothin' really. Just tired."
"Hmmm, it's the town that's bothering you is it not?"
"Yeah…who know the war would hurt so many?"
"Hatred causes a lot of pain kid. You don't need to put the whole weight of the world on your shoulders."
"I just wanna make the world a better place, buddy. I don't want anyone to go through what we did."
"Alright…do what ya want kid."
Sakura waved her hand in front of his face. He had sat there in the small room staring off into space. She was used to random occurrences like that, as she learned he often communicates with the beast inside him. His face lit up in response and he gave her a slight grin.
Noticing her green eyes were gazing at him, he leaned in closer. "Whatcha' thinking, Sakura?" he whispered in her ear.
A slight laugh escaped from her throat and she lightly stroked his cheek. "I was thinking about how kind and sweet you are. You handled that kid very well. I'm proud of how mature you've become."
Pressing his bandaged hand against hers as it brushed his cheek, he leaned in even closer and kissed her forehead. "Thanks, Sakura-chan."
Her face became slightly pink in response, but she pressed up against his chest. The sounds of his powerful heartbeat filled her ears as she listened closely. His warmth moved into her, causing her face to heat up. They sat there in the silence for a few moments before she leaned away.
"Let's roll out the mats and get ready for bed." In a hushed voice, she said.
They gathered to their feet and rolled out their mats. Then Sakura left for the restroom to change, leaving Naruto alone. With each step, she replayed the sounds of his heart beating in her mind. Her feet stepped in sync with the tempo she recalled. Once she entered the restroom, she washed her face and changed into a nightgown.
Feeling satisfied, she strolled back to their assigned room. As she eased the door open, Sakura saw that Naruto had stripped himself into a pair of boxers and was putting on a tee. Her eyes trailed along his skin as she saw the slight glow from the candles bounce off it.
Naruto noticed her presence and turned around to face her, with the shirt in hand. "Were you planning on peeping again?" He teased her coyly with a mischievous smile.
In an instant, her face became quickly red. "No, baka!" then she stormed up to him and glared into his eyes.
He stood in front of her shirtless and she craned her neck to meet his eyes from their height difference. "This definitely isn't the brat I knew when I was little." she thought to herself.
"Well, then why were ya just standin' there at the door?"
His voice broke her train of thought and she shook her head violently. "I had no intentions of peeping, besides you're covered." Pointing down at his black boxers, she commented.
Throwing down his shirt, he folded his arms across his bare chest. The candles illuminated her skin and bright pink hair. He noticed the way her dress clung to her, reminding him of earlier events. Memories of her soaked clothing and then her bare skin flashed in his mind, causing him to want to see more. Inching closer to her, he lifted his bandaged arm and stroked her hair.
Instead of backing away from his touch, she pressed into in and drew herself close to him. She wanted to feel his warmth once more. Soon, she had her arms around his waist, feeling his warm skin to her touch. His heart pounded from the contact and she could feel it as she pressed her cheek against his naked chest.
They stood in the embrace for a short time. Naruto couldn't contain his urge to kiss her any longer and he cupped her face to bring it close to his. Her eyes grew wide in shock at his determination and in response, she placed her lips against his. As she pulled away slightly, she could feel his hot breath stroking her cheek, making her face feel heated. Then nibbling slightly on his lips, she teased him ever so slightly. He reacted by grabbing her hands and stroking her fingers with his. An idea came to mind and then he lead her over to the mats; setting her down along side him.
Instead of feeding into his primal desires, he held her gently as he kissed her ever so slightly. His heart felt like it was about to burst from his chest when she nuzzled him and stared into his blue eyes. "I love you, Naruto."
"I love you too, Sakura-chan."
The world seemed to fall away as he felt absorbed in the vast green ocean of her eyes.
Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. This was a slightly different pace, but it was great learning experience for me. One of the main things that made me agitated about the canon ending of the series, was the aftermath of the war. Suddenly Naruto achieves peace and we have no idea how? I feel that fanfics give us writers a chance to expand on that and show that.
I can't thank you all enough for the support. I'll get the next update out as soon as I can!