There was...sand.
Lots of sand.
Everywhere. It was a giant sea of yellow, stretching off into the horizon.
Naruto shook his head, groaning in aggravation when a few grains of the stuff fell out. "How do people live here?" he asked, scrunching up his face. They were only a little ways away from Suna now, with only three miles to go. Taking a rest had been Naruto's idea, since the sand was irritating everyone else as well.
Of course it was Sakura who replied. "You're just not used to it, silly," she giggled, rifling through her small bag. Hinata was scanning the area with the Byakugan, and Sasuke was checking their water supply.
Naruto flinched at the sound. She had never giggled at him before. At least, not unless he had said something stupid or mildly funny. Weird thing was, for years he had wanted Sakura to giggle at him in a friendly way. Years. He had dreamed about this very moment, wanting to hear that sweet sound -
And suddenly he found it a bit annoying. Now he could see what Sasuke meant when he described Sakura; she was mildly irritating.
Hinata...now, Hinata was something different altogether. She actually giggled with him, not in mockery. She did not think he was a baka, or a screwup. She did not think he was...a danger.
She was different from other people. Things that he normally would not like in anyone else, he found endearing in her. Her stutter was beginning to grow on him; he thought it was kind of sweet. And he had never really been sexually attracted to Sakura, but Hinata...whoa, boy - was she ever hot. Scorching hot. Sometimes, he just wanted to pin her to the ground and -
"Naruto." came the voice of the last Uchiha, breaking Naruto out of his naughty thoughts.
The blonde nearly jumped out of his skin. "GAH!" he threw the supplies he was carrying up in the air.
Sasuke proceeded to catch the items as they fell with an air of boredom, while Sakura and Hinata looked on in admiration and interest, respectively. "Jumpy, Naruto?" Sasuke drawled, his face expressionless and his eyes smirking. Naruto snarled, balling his fists. "Being a bitch, Sasuke?"
And what transpired next was something Naruto would later call, 'The Mother of All Shitfests'.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Naruto didn't really mean to start a fight. He was just so tired, and so sick of Sasuke and his stupid attitude. What the boy really needed was a good punch in the face. Naruto could just imagine it - he would challenge Sasuke to a fight, and there would be about two minutes of battling before Sasuke fell to the ground, defeated by Naruto's awesomeness. And Sakura would finally have some damn respect for him, and Hinata would run up to him, concerned for his well-being (Naruto-kun, a-are you okay? Let me see y-your wounds...and your muscles...) and Naruto would become Hokage and the entire village would love him and Hinata and Sakura would be the heads of his harem -
Whoops.
Bad thoughts.
He cleared his mind and focused on Sasuke, who was now glaring at him. He and Naruto stood facing each other, only about fifteen feet apart, with Sakura and Hinata looking on from the sidelines. The air was crackling with tension. "N-Naruto-kun..." Hinata called out softly, albeit helplessly, not wanting a fight to erupt in the middle of a mission.
Naruto, hearing his name come so sweetly from her lips - turned his head towards Hinata for one split second, his eyes sparking.
It was enough.
Sasuke's eyes widened just a fraction of an inch before settling back to normal. His face stayed void of any feeling.
"Naruto," he said, and his teammate's head abruptly snapped back to him. He cocked his head to one side, his deep voice betraying nothing. "If you're sexually frustrated, you could just ask Sakura."
"...!"
Naruto Uzumaki wasn't stupid, despite practically everyone who knew him claiming that that was exactly what he was. Dense, yes. A bit ignorant, yes. But not stupid.
Naruto's cerulean eyes widened in shock. He stared back at the Uchiha, his mouth agape in horrible realization. He knows. He knows.
Foggily, he heard Sakura's rather harsh gasp coupled with Hinata's gentler one. "N-Naruto?" this came from the pink-haired girl. Sakura put her hands on her hips, her eyes full of confusion, and disbelief, and maybe even a little disgust.
Naruto looked at her, panic creeping into his system. His gaze shot back and forth from Sasuke, looking so convincingly bored, Sakura, looking so shocked, and Hinata, sweet Hinata, looking very confused.
His voice came out in a shaky way. "T-That's not true, Sakura-chan! I-I swear!" He stared at her, pleadingly, silently begging her not to pummel him. To everyone's abashment, her gaze softened. "Naruto..." she walked to him, slowly, and he stood paralyzed with surprise. She stopped, right in front of him, the girl he had always dreamed about, had spent his whole life pining after...and smiled up at him.
Her smile stopped his breath short. It was full of...LOVE. Adoration. Things that Sakura had never given to anyone but a certain Uchiha.
Her actions after that smile just continued to astound him. Sakura reached up and caressed his tan face with her gloved hand. She sighed pleasantly. "Oh, Naruto..." she patted his cheek affectionately. "If you wanted to take the next step, you should've talked to me!" Her voice was full of gentle reproach. "Is this why you've been so agitated?" she tilted her head and continued smiling kindly.
"..."
Naruto should've been enthralled. He should have been jumping for joy. Instead, he was frozen here, with his childhood crush cradling his face, his best friend watching them with a triumphant look in his eyes, and his love...yes, love, staring, startled. He loved Hinata. He loved her. This was not some ridiculous little episode of lust, which he had experienced a few times, or a fleeting crush. He was not a little boy anymore - he was not that stupid kid who pined after his pretty teammate while she fawned over a bastard that could care less about her. He was a man - and he knew what he wanted.
This time, when he spoke, his voice came out strong. "Sakura...I don't want that from you." he said camly, quietly. Sakura didn't seem to take him seriously, only laughed fondly. "It's okay to admit it, Naruto. It's completely normal for a man in a relationship to want to take things further." These words confused him. "I'm not in a relationship," he said, not understanding her. Sakura stopped laughing and looked at him frankly. "Uh...yes you are," she said, looking at him like he was the biggest idiot on the planet. Still staring into her eyes, those eyes he fell in love with, he slowly shook his head. "No...no, I'm not. I'm not in a relationship, Sakura. What are you talking about?" She was now frowning, and she retracted her hand from his cheek, instead crossing her arms. "Don't be stupid, Naruto. You're in a relationship with me." She was now looking slightly annoyed at his apparent ignorance. The blonde shook his head again. "Sakura, we are not in a relationship. We aren't dating! I don't have any idea what you're talking about!" His voice had a frenzied edge to it. What was she saying? There was nothing between them, she didn't like him!
His eyes softened as reasonable explanation started to cross his mind. She's sick, or something. She caught some illness, and now she's delirious. Satisfied with the answer to his own question, he looked down at her concernedly. "Sakura, do you feel alright?" He made to put his palm to her forehead.
Angrily, she swatted his hand away. "Naruto, stop messing around! It isn't funny!" she said, raising her voice. Naruto peered into her eyes, looking for signs of fatigue, or delirium. "Sakura, you should rest - you're not making any sense," he suggested gently, reaching for her again. "NO!" She shouted, and stomped her foot so hard it it blew the surrounding sand up into the air. Hinata, eyes wide, called out, "Sakura - !" The rose-haired woman snarled. Naruto backed up, looking a little frightened again. "Okay, okay, I -"
"NO!" She shrieked, advancing on him. "YOU LOVE ME, NARUTO! YOU SAID SO!" Her eyes were now more desperate than furious, and she looked on the verge of tears. Still, she kept stalking towards him. Naruto was looking more and more uneasy. He did not want to fight her...not when she was this unstable. "Sakura, just listen - " he tried, but she was sobbing now, tears streaming down her cheeks, still storming towards him. "YOU PROMISED! YOU SAID YOU LOVED ME, I HEARD YOU, I SAWYOU!"
A voice from behind her stopped her in her tracks. "Sakura." She slowly turned. "S-sasuke..." she whispered, staring into his dark eyes. He was right behind her now, leaning over her. Relief washed over her. Sasuke would tell the truth. He would make Naruto see sense. "Sasuke - "
The Uchiha's eyes shifted to something behind Sakura and he nodded ever-so-slightly. "Go."
Sakura felt a light tap on her neck. Her seafoam eyes widened as she felt her vision get fuzzy. She vaguely heard, "I-I'm sorry, Sakura-chan..." before her world went black.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Me: Ooooooooo! Sakura's secret is out in the open now! *holds flashlight up to face* The plot thickens!
Sasu: *laughs evilly* Now Hinata will be mine!
Naru: ...I'm still here, you know...
Sasu: Damn. *shrugs* Well, I'll fix that soon enough.
Me: I'll update eventually, within the month. (Hopefully.)
Naru: *cautiously* ...what do you mean, 'fix that'?
Hina: *bows* P-Please review! It will make Monster-chan h-happy!
Saku: *unconcious*
Naru: Sasuke? What do you mean, 'fix that'? *panicking* SASUKE?