Legends Live Long, Idiots Die Young

Chapter 4

After ramen, the two said their goodbyes to Teuchi and Ayame, who in turn waved theirs. What surprised them most was Naruto didn't even finish the entire bowl he ordered, but he left full payment and then some next to it. Now their only wish was to see him around more often, like before.

Said blonde and the pinkette that was with him walked the streets, exchanging a few words now and then but other than that they were silent, and as much as Sakura hated the fact that he was so quiet it was almost like he wasn't there, it gave her a chance to think.

"So, what's the idea on turning his frown upside down? Huh?", asked Inner.

"I'm not so sure yet…Its almost as if he's a completely different person, like I don't even know him…", she thought, looking over at him while they walked along side by side.

"Well…There's always, THAT…", Inner grinned a bit deviously, but Sakura didn't even have to ask.

"Don't even think about it!", she thought back, looking away from him as a blush rose to her cheeks. "Besides…I-it's too soon!".

"So, have you thought of trying to win her over yet?", the fox spoke to Naruto, which would explain why he was so quiet.

"What do you mean? She hasn't said a single thing about Sasuke since I've been here, and she seems pretty attached to me already as it is. Don't you think that she'd be elsewhere and not with me if she had a boyfriend?", the blonde thought back to the demon, who only gave a half amused chuckle.

"Suppose so. But at least now you have a chance of winning her for sure, before that Uchiha does", said Kurama.

"I can guarantee you that Sasuke still wants nothing more to do with her than being her teammate, and he's in ANBU, as if he'd have much time to give paying attention to her anyway. Even if he did, the bastard just wouldn't treat her right, like-", Naruto argued, but the fox interrupted him.

"Like you would?", said the fox, making his jailer's thoughts grow as silent as he was being outside their conversation. "Idiot! You're not being logical! If he's named Hokage and you're not, he is likely to restore his clan first and foremost! And who do you think he's going to ask first to help him with that?", Kurama growled.

"Oh…Now I see your point…", Naruto thought, causing the fox to facepalm with an irritated sigh.

"We could get him drunk first?", Inner suggested to Sakura.

"I don't think he drinks", Sakura protested.

"Oh really? Then why was he at the bar last night? To sit alone?", taunted Inner.

"Well…Yeah! He didn't look buzzed even to me, so I doubt he drinks. Either he just happened to of arrived at the restaurant right as I was being humiliatingly flirted with, or he had been there the whole time and I just didn't notice him!", thought the pinkette, scowling to herself at Inner.

"Well if you say so. But you'll admit to him, sooner or later", and with that Inner was silent once more, leaving Sakura to her own thoughts.

"Well even if Sasuke were to ask such a thing of her, I'm sure she'd refuse. Least I hope, for her sake anyway", Naruto thought to the demon.

"Well if you say so. But you'll admit to her, sooner or later", said the fox, before he retreated to the blonde's subconsciousness and fell dormant, not uttering another word.

"You're quiet over there", Sakura spoke up to him.

"You're quiet yourself. What's up?", Naruto looked back at her, meeting her jade green gaze.

"Oh, nothing really. Just thinking is all", she gave him a small smile.

"Might I ask of what?", he asked. Finally they were making real conversation again.

"Just…Stuff. How even though you're different from four years ago, everything's beginning to feel like the good days. What about you? You're usually silent when you're thinking, so spill!", she told him.

"I was actually speaking with the fox about things. He seems a little concerned about me becoming Hokage over Sasuke", he answered with a shrug of his shoulders. But at the mentioning of the fox, she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Th-the fox?", she asked, sounding rather fearful, like she always had been of the demon. She never saw Naruto as the monster the village thought him to be, at least not until they were becoming a close-nit team, but before then she only thought of him as an idiot. Once she learned he was the Nine Tails jinchuuriki, she had finally been shown why everyone showed so much hate towards him, calling him names and wishing death upon him. But unlike those people, she saw the good in him and that the fox had nothing to do with who he was, only what he was. Only when Naruto was in a state of rage under the demon's influence did she show real fear around him, but it was always fear of the fox, not the boy. She loved the boy, but feared the fox.

"Yes. He and I came to an agreement and understanding a while after I left, and since then we've worked cooperatively, instead of against each other. I'm still vulnerable to his chakra, but not nearly as much as I was before I learned to hide my emotions and stow them away", explained the blonde, stopping just after her and turning to look at her. "I know how much you fear him, but don't worry. He's just a grumpy old bastard who's learned his place!", he chuckled the last part.

"I heard that!", Kurama spoke briefly.

"O-ok…", Sakura nodded hesitantly, walking up to be side by side with him again, and they continued their stroll. She trusted Naruto and his judgement, no doubt about it, but when it came to the matter of the demon she felt uneasy, but still had trust in him. She reached down slowly for his hand, and grasped it gently.

The blonde only looked at her from the corner of his eye, and gave her a half smile and a small squeeze of her fingers for reassurance. To say he wasn't blushing, and that his cheeks were red from the cold air, would be a lie.

Night fell, as did more snow, and they were still out walking together. This make Sakura wish they had done this more often sooner than now. She had brought up where he was to stay, to live in Konoha, and it bloomed into a discussion.

"Well, unfortunately Tsunade had to give up the keys to your apartment. She couldn't keep it open much longer and folks were starting to complain", Sakura told him.

"Understandable. I don't see the point in keeping a vacant apartment locked for four years or longer just for one person, when someone else is in need of it. I didn't have much belongings there anyway", the blonde said without a hint of shock or even anger at losing his apartment.

"Well any belongings you did have are at my place, I moved out of my parent's house a year and a half ago. Tsunade helped in the search for a place, and Ino helped with furniture. I couldn't let them through any of your things away in case they might still be of same value to you, so I kept them safely", Sakura explained. "And if you need a place to stay, you can always stay with me", she blushed.

The blonde turned and faced her. "I don't know…I mean, I don't want to be a burden to you. I'm sure I can just stay at the nearby hot spring for a few days until I find my own place. Besides, I had planned on moving out of that old apartment anyway after I returned, just to have a change in scenery", he said, looking down at the ground with his hands in his pockets.

"But you're not a burden Naruto!", she told him. "If anything, you're someone to keep me company. It gets lonesome being by myself and Ino just gets too annoying sometimes. I can only tolerate that pig for so long", she said.

"I…Are you sure, Sakura? I mean it's your house, your rules, so you decide who what guests you invite", Naruto said with a sideways glance at her.

"I'm plenty sure, because if I wasn't then I wouldn't be offering. Now come on! It's freezing out here!", Sakura said almost proudly, hands on her hips and chin high. She took him by the arm and again dragged him along before he could say no or tell her otherwise.

She dragged him through the crowds, down the street, around a couple corners and another crowd, before they finally reached her front door. She dug around her pocket for her keys, hands freezing and almost numb as she figited for the right one. Finally she found it, and unlocked the door. Shivering, she went inside, beckoning for her blonde friend to follow, which he did like an obedient dog and closed the door behind him.

"I'm going to make cocoa, could you get a fire started?", she said, hanging her coat and removing her shoes, before disappearing down a short hallway to the kitchen.

Naruto did as requested and went to her fireplace, gathering wood and piling it in the center, before lighting it to burn. It took a few minutes, but he finally got a good flame going.

Sakura returned shortly after that with two mugs of cocoa, one for him and one for herself. It seemed almost too perfect.

He sat on the floor in front of the fire, and she sat happily next to him. Again they were both in the other's silence, and she stared at him for a while, before finally working up the nerve to ask him a question that had been lingering in her mind since she met him again.

"Naruto?", she began by getting his attention.

"Yes, Sakura?", he looked over at her, with that usually frowning expression of his.

"I-if you don't mind me asking…Where did you get those scars?", she asked.

The blonde was honestly a little caught off guard, and he looked at the fire wondering how to explain it to her. But those weren't the only scars he carried.

"I've been in more battles then you can count on to hands", he said. "I have plenty more…", and at that, he removed his jacket for the first time since being there, to reveal more scars along his arms and his shoulders, a couple visable on his chest, and more on his back hidden by his black tank top.

Sakura actually let out a gasp at the sight of it all. "Naruto…".

"You'd be amazed at just how easily a man can be changed, and one battle is enough to do him in, while the rest only harden his conscious", he said, staring at the dancing orange flames, while she stared at him.

Hesitantly, she slowly extended her arm to him, and gently ran her soft fingers over a few of the scars on his arm, feeling rough compared to the skin around it, which felt smooth.

He looked down at her hand and for once, had a full expression of sadness as she did so. These scars were reminders to him, reminders of all that he had been through in these last four brutal years, and none of them were good memories. The stories behind them were even more frightening, and he would only tell her when she was ready to listen to such horror.

Forgetting about her mug of cocoa she left sitting on the floor, Sakura moved closer to him, and leaned on him.

Hesitantly, the blonde put an arm around behind her, and brought her a little closer, as they both watched the warming fire.

They sat there without moving until the fire died away, and by then both of them were nodding off to sleep.

"Wait here. I'll be right back", she told him, and got up leaving him and went upstairs, returning a short while with pillows and a blanket for him.

"Sleep where you want tonight, but these are for you", she said, setting the pillows and neatly folded blanket aside.

"I think I'll stay down here and use the couch", he gave her a small smile of thanks, before standing up himself.

"Ok…See you in the morning then?", she asked, looking up at his blue eyes.

"Of course", he nodded, widening his smile when their gazes met.

She moved forward and in a swift move stood on her tip toes, pulled his head down with her hands and gave him a peck on the cheek, which actually made the blonde's eyes widen as he blushed a little.

"Good night", she chuckled at his reaction. "Sleep well", she turned and headed for the stairs.

"Good night", he waved to her. "Sweet dreams", he muttered when she was out of earshot, and he heard her bedroom door close, signaling she was in bed. He looked down at the blanket and pillows she had left for him, and set up his own bed on the couch, lying down and sighing to himself out loud. He watched the snow fall outside the window, sitting in complete darkness save for the still burning embers of the fire and the lamp post that lit up her street in the night. He felt at peace, like he belonged. But who knows, maybe he did?

"This might work out, after all…", the two of them thought at the same time just before they fell to the essence of sleep.