Hey guys, so sorry for the long wait, had so much schoolwork to do. Stupid School. Hopefully, this chapter was worth the wait.
Trying to get home was useless. I can't think straight. I haven't been able to since I saw his name on Naruto's birth certificate right under Father's Name and Occupation:
I just...I don't know. I can't even walk straight. I haven't been like this since Ino and I broke up. I walked past the deserted streets leading to my house, and I looked around. Ichiraku was still open for another hour, but I didn't want to eat, I didn't want to be around people right now. I kept walking until somehow, I found myself standing in front of the gate. Izumo and Kotetsu were fast asleep, snoring quietly. I'd have to thank them for being so lazy sometime, because I felt my legs dragged me out of the gate and into the forest, picking up speed when I was out. The forest was silent and dark, but I didn't care, I just kept running along until I heard a noise that made me halt in my place. It was a boy's voice, murmuring quietly. I stopped, and peered down. The boy was wearing a black hooded cape, and was sitting down on the edge of a lake. The hell? He didn't seem like much of a threat, more like he was talking to someone I couldn't see. Maybe his partner? But then again, if he were talking to his partner that I can't see, it does sound suspicious. I slipped down, quietly, quietly so I was sure he couldn't hear me. I was soon on the ground, just a foot away from him. I took one step closer, then another and was directly behind him. I slowly, slowly bent down and tapped his shoulder.
"Ahhhhhh!" He screamed in alarm throwing a hard punch in my direction. Of course, my hand reached out to stop it, inches before my face, like an impulse. When we saw each other's faces, we stopped, froze, parlayed.
"N-Naruto?"
"Sakura?" We both muttered at the same time. I blushed and dropped his hand, wishing I hadn't come past the gates.
"What are you doing here?" We both said in unison again. He laughed lightly, which made me giggle too. Then, he turned around and gestured for me to sit.
"Shouldn't you be in the village?" He asked in a whisper. I gave him a "so what?" look to which he smiled.
"I know, I know, you could ask the same thing. But...er well I have a reason to be out here."
"Oh," I raised my eyebrow. "Do you now? And that would be...?"
"Uh, I came out here to talk to someone. That's all." He smiled and scratched the back of his neck.
"Er..I found out something I shouldn't have and couldn't fall asleep. So, before I knew it-bam- here I am." I explained, trying not to think about how much resemblance they shared and how I must have been an idiot not to know it when I first saw it. It was those whiskers that stumped me, though. The fourth didn't have any whiskers, not in any of his photos, not in my parents eyes, either. What did they mean, anyway?
"Hm," He mumbled, as if thinking. "Who was it about?"
"Uh," My brow grew hot, and I could feel myself sweating nervously. "No one, don't worry about it." I smiled, and he returned one back. God. I loved his smiles. It was then that I noticed him hiding something in his jacket.
"Naruto," I whispered, reaching for it. "What have you got there?" I pulled it out and his face darkened. Even in the dark, I could tell he was blushing feverishly. And I was glad there wasn't much light, because as soon as I saw how adorable he looked, I blushed, too. I looked at the bottle in my hands. It was one of Tsunade's sake bottle. In fact, this was the very same bottle she'd been drinking when I stole his file. Damn, I thought, he must be skilled to steal sake from Tsunade. A sinisterly smile formed on my face as I opened the bottle.
"Mind if I have some? I won't tell." I added with a sly smile. He nodded and his cheeks seemed to grow their original color back. I took a swig and he took a swig. In fact, we just kept passing it back and forth, but after around four swigs, he stopped and said he didn't want anymore. Well, like Tsunade, once I started I wouldn't stop until the bottle was empty.
"Hehe, Narutooo-kun." I slurred, having finished more than half the bottle by now. Only a couple more swigs were left until it would be empty. He smiled at me.
"What?" He asked, playing along.
I giggled girlishly. "You have..." I whispered, toughing his soft, soft hair. "Soft hair." He laughed and took my hand from his head, putting it back on my lap.
"Thanks, I do try. I guess." I found this hilarious, because when your drunk, everything's hilarious.
"You're a funnyman, Naruto." I slurred again after taking another big swig. "Hey," I said, and he looked into my eyes calmly.
"Hm?"
"Wanna know something?" I asked giggling.
"Sure." He replied looking at me and running his hand through his hair.
"I know who your father is." I whispered, then burst into giggles. His eyes widened as if in shock. He didn't speak for a long moment.
"My father, huh?" His voice was quiet, like a light breeze.
"Yessir." I said, slurred, now having finished the bottle. I was totally wasted, but right then, I couldn't care less.
"Who...is my father?" He murmured into the darkness.
"Your father is..." I began, effortlessly trying to build dramatic suspense in my drunken state. He remained focused on me, his face as still as stone.
I giggled, throwing my head back and wailing out laughter. He jumped up and covered my mouth with his hand. He looked down at me, and in this angle, the moonlight hit his eyes just so, making them shine and sparkle, sending my heart into a melting frenzy. I blushed and giggled under his warm hand.
"Shh." He mumbled. "You're wasted, here, I'll take you home." He whispered, and-whoosh- I was up in his strong arms. I giggled.
"Naruto-kun. Don't. Don't take me home." I pleaded, knowing my mother would kill me if she found out I was drunk. And out of the Konoha gates at night. He looked down at me for a while, saying nothing, the after a long moment he nodded, like he understood. And like that, we were up in the trees, on our way to his house.
It was freezing outside, but I didn't care. I was sitting on training area seven's middle log, staring at Naruto's birth certificate. This time, instead of Kakashi, the fourth himself, walked up behind me.
"Sakura-chan," He murmured quietly. I spun around, falling off the log, in disbelief.
"F-Fourth? How is this possible? What are you doing here?" He smiled at me, and it reminded me of Naruto's heartbreaking smiles.
"Don't tell him." He whispered to me. I looked up at him.
"Why? Why shouldn't I tell him?" I pushed, wanting a reason.
"Naruto-kun is not like you. He's not like everyone else in Konoha, Sakura-chan. Know this." He explained, like that was obvious. I peered at him from the ground, not understanding.
"What do you mean? What do you mean 'he's not like everybody else in Konoha'"?
He raised a finger to his lips, letting out a quiet 'shhhh'.
"You know, Sakura-chan."
"No. No I don't Lord Hokage. Tell me, what makes him different." I demanded, standing up and wiping the dirt off my butt. He looked from side to side, as if he thought someone was listening. Finally, his eyes looked into mine again.
"Naruto is a-" A loud, painful scream rippled through the air, cutting off the rest of the fourth's sentence. I looked around, alarmed. It was joined by another, and another, and another. Soon there were millions of screams filling the air. I looked around, in a panic stage searching for anyone who was screaming or the reason why.
"Lord Hokage!! What? What is going on, Lord Hokage?!" I screamed at him, but he was no longer in sight.
"Lord Hokage? Lord Hokage!?" I screamed out, scared. "Where are you!?" The screams didn't let up, and as I began to travel more into the city, leaving the training grounds behind me, all I saw was thick, thick fog.
"Lord Hokage!" I screamed, and suddenly I felt hands on me. I whipped around, but no one was anywhere near me.
"Stop it! Let go of me! Lord Hokage!" I yelped, trying to shake off the feeling of hands grasping my shoulders. The feeling grew harder, more pressurized, and I was being shaken.
"Stop it, please, stop! Stop it!" I screamed, feeling tears well up in my eyes and streak down my cheeks. "Stop it!" And then, the world around me began rapidly fading.
"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan, wake up!"
"No. No... stop it." I mumbled, finally opening my eyes. I blinked and looked up in front of me.
"You scared the hell outta me, Sakura. Are you okay?" The spiky blonde asked me, his voice full of relief. I nodded, and my cheeks flushed. He had his hands on my shoulder's and he was inches from my face. He smiled and let go of me, standing up straight. My shoulders tingled where he was previously touching.
"I'm sorry." I murmured, embarrassed. He waved me off with a cute smile.
"Eh, don't worry about it. What were you dreaming about anyway? Sure hope it wasn't Old Granny." He mumbled, taking his blanket and pillow off the couch and putting them on the bed. He let me sleep in his bed? I couldn't help but smile with so much gratitude when I realized this. He was so sweet.
"Old Granny?" I asked. It sounded oddly familiar, but I didn't know why.
He smiled and scratched his stomach. "You know, Tsunade-sama."
He called Tsunade Old Granny? No wonder taking her sake was so easy for him. Suddenly flashes of the night before filled my brain. I didn't have much, because I was so drunk, but when the image of him with his hand over my mouth and his eyes shinning and sparkling immediately sent tingles from my mouth down into my stomach. I blushed terribly and looked down to hide it. No matter, he saw and chuckled lightly to himself. Does he knows what he does to me? I sure hope not.
"Er...thanks for letting me stay here, Naruto-kun. It was very kind of you."
"Yeah, well. Where was I supposed to send you? It was obvious your Mom would kill you judging on account of how drunk you were last night. Besides," He stopped, turning around to look at me. "I was the one who let you get drunk anyway. Only fair. By the way," He paused, smiling at me. "Where did the 'kun' come from?"
I blushed for about the fifteenth time since I woke up. "Why? Does it bother you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. He shook his head a flashed a smile. "Not at all." He replied walking into the bathroom. I looked down and tossed the covers off. The shower turned on and the door whooshed open, revealing him in a plushy white bath towel, only covering him waist down. I stared at what seemed like forever at his beautiful sculpted six pack. He chuckled, bringing my attention, unfortunately, back up to his face and off his amazing abs.
"Er...I'm sorry." I mumbled, hoping maybe he thought I was looking at the floor. But it was pretty obvious I even think I was drooling. No, no that can't be right, because I wasn't. Still. I had, after all, been ogling him, not that I could help it, anyway.
"Did you need a ride home, or..." He wanted me to leave. Wonderful. I mean, who wouldn't? I was practically drooling over him when he walked out, and he knew it. He knew that I knew he knew. If that makes sense. It does to me. I tried my best not to sound hurt or disappointed when I talked.
"Oh, ah, no. I can walk. Thanks for everything, Naruto." I said in a bright, cheery voice, the opposite of what I felt, purposefully leaving off the 'kun'. I think his mouth was ajar in what looked like confusion. Oh well, he was probably just being nice. I know he didn't want me there, he'd just stated that fact when he basically asked me if I could go home. Either way, I couldn't help feeling like a total desperate bitch, crazy for attention. He probably was a nice guy and thought nothing of it, unlike me. For a while there, I actually thought he liked me. Guess not. Oh well, being single is healthier for my lifestyle anyway. I trudged along, wanting to stop by Temari's, but changing my mind at the last minute. I need to be more dependant. I ordered myself, steering back into the direction of my house.
When I got home, I found that the house was empty, except for a folded rose-scented pink note left on the kitchen table. I snatched it up and read it.
Sakura-chan,
Hey darling, Lady Tsunade just sent me on a mission that will take up to at least five days to complete. But I'm partnered with Kenji-senpai again so I'm thinking it'll take us around six or seven days. Not saying he's a bad ninja at all, but you know what I mean. I just hope we don't have to share a tent like that last mission she sent us on... Though I have to admit, I rather liked it. Anyway, I've got to leave, so odds are I won't be back until next week at the latest. I love you, and I set aside $60 for you to spend wisely while I'm gone. Don't go waste it on new shoes like you did last time, missy. I love you, behave, and I'll be home right before you know it.
Love,
Mom
I put the note on the fridge and found the $60 bucks laying on the stove. I took it and placed it in my purse in my room. So I had the house to myself for a whole entire week. Better not let Temari know, or else it'll be party week. Then again, I'd like a party. I checked the clock, I had twenty minutes before school started so headed into the bathroom, turning on the shower and stepping in, letting the warm water hit my skin.
I was finally ready and already late by ten minutes. Shit, I muttered in my head, slipping out the door, my back pack slung on my arm, frantically walking down to school.
"Where have you been?" Temari hissed as I sat in my seat next to her. Kakashi didn't look up from his book, instead acting as if he didn't even notice me, which was a lie. He knew when anything even came close within range to him. I shrugged and pulled out a blank piece of paper and began writing on it. Kakashi didn't care if we passed notes, he didn't even care if we did our work, as long as we kept dead silence, for him to "get a better surrounding while he read". Whatever that means. I quickly wrote "We have to talk-soon. Big news." She widened her eyes in a pervy way and smiled at me slyly.
Her reply was simply:
What is it????
I bit my lip, thinking of all that happened last night. Yeah. Definitely big.
We'll talk at lunch, just wait, okay?
She nodded and as soon as the bell rang, she pounced me.
"What is it?? You haven't had news like this since-"
"Yeah, I know." I said bitterly, cutting off the rest of her words. Don't need that brought up. She didn't looked fazed in the least bit, knowing it was a soft subject still. Instead, she just looked at me, waiting for me to tell her the big news of last night.
"Temari-chan. Last time I checked, it's not lunch time yet. Be patient, it's a lot." I said, pushing through the crowd of kids blocking the door. We were quickly out in the hallway, after being pushed out in a haste by fellow students also trying to get out. I glared at them before walking on, Temari by my side as we headed off to Kurenai's class.
"Sakura-chan! Are you going to tell me now?" Temari snapped as we reached the library. I decided I'd tell her somewhere less public and ended up not telling her at lunch, instead telling her we would talk about it when school was over. She threw a big fit, but by the end of lunch, she agreed, and went to talk about Shikamaru and how he's been avoiding her lately, or so it seems. I told her not to worry-he's always like that-and to just walk up to him and ask him to go the movies. Shikamaru always liked when girls were confident.
"Ugh, alright, fine! If you'll stop naggin' me." I mumbled, sitting down at a table near the back of the library, so no one would hear us. It helped that it was right next to the history books, where usually no one ever looks at.
"Okay, so first..." I began my story from the break in at Tsunade's and finished right down to this morning when Naruto asked me if "I needed a ride home or..." a little after an hour or so, because she kept interrupting. By the time I was done, she was staring at me, wide eyed, her mouth half cocked in a smirk.
"No. Way." She finally managed, her voice a whisper.
"Yes way. I told you it was a lot." I teased with a smile, a miserable attempt at trying to lighten the mood. It didn't work. At all.
"You seriously broke into Lady Tsunade's office? What the hell's wrong with you, Sakrua-chan!?" She screeched and the librarian glared at us, pointing to the sing above her that read: Please, NO TALKING in the Library, people are trying to read and or study. Thank you.
I smiled apologetically at her and she remained glaring at us for another half a minute before resuming her reading. I looked back to Temari and glared at her for a minute before she began whispering again.
"Are you crazy? Were you drunk or something?? Why would you do something like that?" She demanded, her eyes full of furiousness. She hated when I did something she thought was dangerous, but whenever I let her come along, she'd always give in. I shushed her again, noticing the lady glaring at us from the corner of her eyes again.
"Yes, and I know it was stupid, but I just-I had to know, okay?" I said. Her eyes softened to an unreadable expression. She lowered her head, coming closer in proximity to me, and whispered in a very frail, very low voice, "What exactly did you find on his birth certificate?" My throat felt like it was going to explode, and I shut my eyes, hoping to rid of the pain it brought. I gulped, and tried not to remember seeing his name on Naruto's birth certificate, tried to be cool about it, like it never happened, but I couldn't. I saw it.
And looking at Naruto, I could see him, undeniably the resemblance was there, nagging at me. How could she not figure it out? Well, she did grow up in Suna, so the fourth Hokage wouldn't be someone she recognized from the top of her head. Still. Was she really going to make me say it?
"Sakura-chan? Lady Tsunade needs to see you in her office right away." My eyes burst open, and Temari had her mouth open, staring at the black haired nin behind me. I sighed and turned around to face her.
"Thank you, Shizune-san." I replied, getting up, thankful she saved me from having to answer Temari's question. I shot her an apologetic smile and shrugged my shoulders, but she just waved me off, mouthing the words "We'll talk."
"Shizune-san, am I in trouble?" I asked in a quiet voice. Shizune sighed and rubbed her temples. "I believe so, Sakura-chan. Kakashi-san told Tsunade about your little visit last night. Not that she didn't know." She said, as we walked up the stairs to Tsunade's dreadful office.
"Lady Tsunade-san? She's here." Shiznue announced, letting me into the office and shutting the door behind her. Tsunade wasn't looking at me, instead she had her eyes focused on her tea as she sipped from it gracefully. Finally, she looked up, and smiled at me.
Oh shit, I thought. She's going to kill me. At least I won't have to see Naruto anymore. Wait. Why does my chest hurt when I think about that? I don't even know him that well. Plus, after this morning, shouldn't I be hating him now?
"Sakura-chan." She said in a bemused voice, still smiling at her from behind her cup of hot tea. I looked up at her, nervous. If you think she wouldn't jump over her desk and kill me right then and there, you're wrong. So, so wrong.
"Yes, sensei?" I mumbled.
"So I've heard you paid my office a little visit last night. Is that true?"
"Yes, ma'am." I said. She hated it when I stuttered around her. She said it made me look weak and pathetic.
"Why?"
"So I could steal...Naruto's file." I grumbled the last few words.
"Ah, so I've heard. Kakashi also said he saw you peeping at his birth certificate. So," She paused, looking me in the eye for the first time since I cam into her office. "You know."
I nodded hesitantly, then caught myself.
"Yes, ma'am. I do." I murmured, almost too low for her to hear me. But, since she was the Hokage, of course, she did.
"And Kakashi told you to keep quiet about it? It's important you do, Sakura-chan. Not many people know this, you know." She explained, finished up her tea and asking Shizune to grab her another one. Shizune nodded and brushed past me, shutting the door when she left. Tsunade motioned me to come forward, closer to her desk. I slowly walked up to her desk, and looked up at her.
It was quiet for a moment, while Tsunade got up and locked the door. She came back, and slowly sat back in her chair, looking at me with a tight frown on her delicate face.
"Sakura-chan," She began in a low whisper. "I have a mission for you."
I stood still, waiting for her to explain my mission, but she remained quiet, her eyes focused deep into mine. "Do you except?" My eyes squinted together in confusion. She never asked me that until after explaining the mission to me. I guess this must be dangerous. I nodded, unsure of what I just accepted to. "Yes, Lady Tsunade-sensei. I do."
"Good, now here's what the mission complies of: I need you to keep an eye on Naruto."
"W-what? But Lady Tsunade, why?" I asked, puzzled. Keep an eye on him? In case of what?
"Just do it, Sakura-chan."
"Bu-"
"You are dismissed." With that, Sakura bowed quietly, and walked out of Tsunade's office. Of course, as soon as she was back outside, there was Temari, just waiting to pounce her.
"Sakura-chan!!! What happened?" She squealed. She's always loved excitement. Feeling tired, I simply shook my head, and started on my way home, not even bothering to go back to school. Temari followed.
"What? Was it that bad? Are you being banished from the village?" She was too dramatic. I turned around and spit my tongue out at her. She got the message and giggled.
"I was just kidding, Sakura-chan. So, where are we headed?" I shrugged, decided I'd walk until my feet decided to stop. Lord knows when that'll happen. Temari was silent, as we walked around for a little while, going nowhere in specific. Finally, I stopped, and looked around myself, taking in the trees and the edge of the lake that I'd ran away to last night. How in the hell did I get here?
"Sakura-chan.," Temari whispered, tapping my shoulder. I didn't turn around, didn't even answer her, as memories of last night flooded my mind. Most of them were blurred horribly, probably do to my drunken state. The only one that was clear, was of Naruto flashing me brilliant smile after brilliant smile. And then, the rest were blurry, like one of those shower glass doors. Then my mind went back to earlier, back to when I sat in my old training area, reading the secret that blows my mind. Then further back, to the conversation that Temari had eavesdropped on, between Shizune and Iruka-sensei. Who was he, really? Where did he come from? And more importantly, why did he come back?
"I thought I'd find you out here, Sakura." I spun around, my eyes resting on the blonde that stood on the exact same tree branch she had been standing on last night. He jumped down, and Temari flashed a look towards her.
"What?" My tone was impatient, hard. Naruto just stared at me with his big beautiful blue eyes. Finally, he spoke. "Temari. May I speak with Sakura for a moment?" Temari looked to me again, her face holding none of the happiness it had before. My tone must have frightened her. I nodded at her, and she was off, but still close enough to come back in a second if something happened.
With us alone, Naruto didn't move any closer, didn't speak any louder, his gaze still tightly on me.
"What, Naruto?" I asked, my tone again hard.
"You said something last night," He whispered, his face becoming serious. "Something important." Sakura's mind flashed back to last night, but still, her memories were blurry, all except the few of Naruto smiling at her in the darkness. What had she said?
"You don't remember, do you?" I kept my eyes on the ground, not wanting to look into his eyes. It still hurt to see the Fourth in him. "I don't know, Naruto. I was drunk."
He sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "I thought as much. Mind if we talk...I don't know, somewhere more private?"
I looked up at him, into his eyes, trying my best to ignore the Fourth that came with the view. "Why? I don't remember, Naruto."
"I know, but maybe-"
"Fine. Whatever, let's go. Where do you have in mind?" I snapped, remembering Tsunade's mysterious mission.
"Just follow me." He said, and I followed him, passing by Temari. I gave her a nod, and she smiled at me, then went back towards the village.
"Sakura-chan,"
"What, Naruto? Can't you just ask me here?"
"You said you knew..." His voice drifted off, with his eyes, wandering around the wilderness around us. Suddenly, he stopped, and I had to turn back around and stand next to him. "You said you knew who my..."
"Who your...?" I pressed.
"Who my father was." His voice cracked at 'father'. I stared at him, my eyes searching his face for a sign-any sign- that this was a joke. I did not say that to him last night. I couldn't have.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Naruto. I don't know who your father is, you just moved here!" I snapped, turning around back for the village. A moment later, I felt his warm hand grip around my wrist. He spun me around, his face completely serious again.
"Really, Sakura? Do you really think that's true? Doesn't it feel like...like we've met before?"
"Met before? I've never met you in my life, Naruto!"
"But what about Iruka-sensei and Team 7?"
"...What?" I breathed. Team 7? How did he know about Team 7? He'd never been assigned a team, according to him. In fact, isn't that where Jiraiya-sama interrupted us and dragged him away? His eyes were wide, like he couldn't believe what he just said.
"Naruto how did you know...?"
He looked as if he wanted to run, make a break for it, but I snatched a hold of his arm. "Naruto, wait. How did you know...about Team 7?" He paused, looking at me like he himself didn't even know.
"I...I don't know, Sakura. It just...I've gotta go." He yanked out of my grip, too fast for me to stop him, and disappeared into the forest. I stood there, frozen for what seemed like hours. My brain searched through my memories from back when I was in the academy. But never was there a blonde with whiskers, sitting in the back of the room...
"Sakura-chan? Sakura-chan!"
I woke up, my vision blurred and dark. In the distance, I could hear someone calling my name, someone that sounded familiar, but I couldn't remember exactly who. I sat up, realizing that I had fallen asleep on the ground. I sighed and ran my dirty fingers through my tangled hair. It was late, the moon told me it was just a little over midnight. Suddenly I was furious. Why hadn't Naruto told me? Why had he just left?
"Sakura-chan?!" The voice became frantic.
"I've got her scent, follow me!" Another familiar scent rang through the air.
That voice sounded familiar, too. But who was it?
"She's down here, I found her!" All their yelling was giving me a headache.
"Kiba-kun? Temari-chan?" I found their faces, and instantly called out their names. They smiled, obviously relieved, and wrapped me in a tight hug.
"What's going on?" I asked, still dazed from waking up.
"Well, you'd been gone for a while with Naruto, and I didn't know..." Temari murmured quietly in the dark. I waved her off, and hugged her again. "It's alright, thanks."
Kiba flashed a smile and patted Akamaru on the head. Akamaru wagged his tail happily at the touch of his beloved owner.
"Hey, uh, what happened?" Temari asked. I shook my head, and we started back to the village.
"So, Kiba, how's Hinata?"
"Horrible! All she can talk about is 'Naruto this and Naruto that.' She didn't even noticed when I told her she looked really pretty today!" He snapped angrily. Poor Kiba, Hinata is falling for Naruto, and he's just left in the dust.
"It's okay, we'll talk to her." Temari assured him. He rolled his eyes and waved hello to Kotetsu and Izumo as we walked back in the gates of Konoha. After we said our goodbyes, I headed off for home, knowing I wouldn't get any sleep at all tonight.
The morning sun was bright and the coffee in my hands was bitter. My head throbbed with a dull ache, and my eyes wanted so badly to shut. I shook it off, gulping down another sip of the hot, bitter coffee. My eyes opened again, as the hot sip scorched my throat. I got up, poured out my coffee and was out the door in less that a minute. I had to wake up, I kept telling myself. Wake up? When the hell did I go to sleep? Never, is the answer. The outside air was chilly, even though the sun was out, burning my eyes. Maybe a trip to Ichiraku Ramen would cheer me up a bit. Besides, I had nowhere to be today. It was a Saturday.
Ichiraku Ramen gave off its usual mouth-watering smell as I grew closer, like it was already up, making food for customers. That's strange, Ichiraku Ramen is usually empty in the mornings. I pulled back the curtain, and was surprised by who sat down, gulping down a bowl of Ramen hungrily, in front of me.
"Naruto?" I asked, and realized even I could barely hear myself. I cleared my throat, and he turned around, his eyes wide. When he saw it was me, they grew wider, and he hurriedly finished his bowl, slapping down his payment and pushing past me. I stood there, staring after his retreating form, until a voice came from in front of me.
"Sakura-chan? Hey!" The old perv said, opening his big arms for a hug. I snapped out of it and gave him a hug, smelling his cologne. I smiled and looked up at him.
"Hey, Jiraiya-sama! What're you doing here?" I asked, surprised at his appearance, which were usually rare. They seemed to be a lot more occurring these days. He smiled, and patted me on my back.
"Nothing, really. Was that Naruto-kun that I just saw running off like his pants were on fire?" I giggled. That was, what he looked like.
"Yup."
"Why was he running away that fast?" Jiraiya questioned.
"Eh, I don't know. We just...something weird happened yesterday. That's all." Jiraiya's eyes widened in a perv-ish way.
"Oh," He said, in a 'get it' kind of voice. I slapped his chest, laughing along with him.
"No, you big old perv, just, I don't know. He said something strange yesterday and when I tried to ask him about it, he just ran off. Guess he's still avoiding me." I explained, and noticed how serious Jiraiya's face had gotten. Crap. Did I say too much?
"Well, Sakura-chan, I'd better go. Things to do, you know." He smiled, and walked off, or rather, poofed off. He was always doing that, too. By now, my stomach wasn't growling anymore, so I passed by Ichiraku, wanting to just go somewhere to think-alone. I know the perfect place...
The city's gates were guarded as usual, by Kotetsu and Izumo, and, as usual, they were asleep. Good thing we don't have any trespassers sneaking in, huh, Kotetsu and Izumo? I decided that on my way back, if they were still sleeping, I'd hit them both upside the head.
I was there, just like that. Not like it wasn't very far away, just that I was started to get the route down, and was able to travel faster, knowing exactly where it was. I sat down, in the exact spot Naruto did, right at the lake's edge. As I sat there, just looking out at the water in front of me, I felt weird. Like something powerful was just out there, right in front of me. It was a great feeling. The water was a deep blue, hard to even see the bottom of, even from where I was sitting. Must be a pretty deep lake. Just looking out into the water, I could feel like something was trying to break through. But not from the water, no. But from inside me. Like something from deep, deep in the back of my brain, something was trying to bust open free, to reveal itself. The more I looked into the water, the more powerful the feeling got, until the point when my head start the throb. I clutched either side of my head, ordering it to stop. It didn't, just grew more and more powerful. I reached a finger out and dipped it into the dark blue lake's icy waters. Everything burst,and I was thrust into a deep, suppressed memory.
Yeah, this chapter was pretty long. Thought it would be okay, since I made you guys wait so long. Please review!!!