Yeah, just decided to update a bit faster. You have no idea how boring Hong Kong can be sometimes...when you get past the shopping ;D

Disclaimer: This is the last straw! I challenge a duel with Masashi Kishimoto! If he wins...then Naruto is his. But, if I win...then MUAHAHAHAHA:D

Since, this is the 10th Chapter, I decided to dedicate this chapter to all the reviewers!:

Decan12, ManiMan, Kon,Alexandra Summers, Kaley Moss, Greenberet, GaaraRoxmySox, Angel of Comtemplation, Darnod, Kellie, Moving-at-the-speed-of-Allie, Cole125, Davidorr, Krymsom, SasukesGirl567, Aisha, BlackFang1983, TheUnrealInsomniac, Shintenshin noJutsu, Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain, Hpchick01, Me, Gothic Saku-chan, Potoperson, Cherryblossom1500, Narusaku romance.

Without you guys, I'd have probably discontinued this!

And a special Thank You to Alexandra Summers for being an awesome beta. Seriously, you help me more than you know, hon!

Where am I? It's all white and shiny…what happened? Am I dead…or what?

Naruto tried to open his eyes but failed. He tired to move his hands, his arms, his legs but…nothing.

"Dammit!" He shouted.

Someone chuckled. "At least he's still got his personality."

"Huh?"

Naruto gave more effort into opening his eyes. They cracked open a bit. He could see some blurry objects. They could be humans. But, he couldn't be sure.

"Who're you?" His voice rasped a bit.

"Moron! It's me, Kiba!"

"I can't see you…"

"I-It's t-the si-side effects, N-Na-Naruto." Someone whispered.

"Hinata? Is that you?"

Naruto couldn't see her all that well but he did see a face turn bright red.

The 'face' nodded and turned an even deeper shade of scarlet.

"What happened?" Naruto asked.

Kiba laughed, a happy one, and said, "Fathead! You were hanging off a fan, remember, and then you broke it?!"

Hinata glared at Kiba. "Naruto is not a fathead."

Shocked by Hinata's outburst, Kiba fell silent.

"Wait…I fell of the fan? COOL!" Naruto tried to get up and do a 'I'm-So-Effin'-Happy' dance but he still couldn't move, so he just looked as thought he was choking.

"Are you choking or something?" Kiba asked.

"…Hey, only you two came to see me? What about my mom and the rest of you guys?"

"Oh they came. Hinata just ordered them to go and do stuff. Hey, Uzumaki, Sakura came too! And here I was thinking you hated each other…!"

Naruto could just gape. "Sa-Sakura came too?"

Hinata, sensing something going on, raised her voice a bit and spoke in a sweet voice, "Naruto, do you want me to feed you some congee? The nurse, Shizune, said you couldn't move for another hour. Although, soon your eyes will."

Kiba was even more shocked. Woah. Hinata didn't even stutter and she even offered to feed him! Oh my God…

Naruto shook his head, "Nah. Don't like congee."

Hinata wasn't deterred though. "How about…ramen?" She had made some before she went into his hospital room.

"Yes, please!"

Before she could reach for the ramen bowl, the door burst open.

"Stick em' up, everyone!"

Kiba, Hinata and even Naruto raised their arms and shouted, "We surrender"

Kiba had even added, "I didn't hurt the cat! It's still in the box!"

TenTen and Lee just stared at them for a bit before bursting out laughing.

Shino, Neji and Shikamaru just shook their heads at their antics.

Naruto glared and lowered his arms, Kiba stuck his tongue out at them and muttered something about how his dog, Akamaru would get them and Hinata was almost in tears.

Shikamaru stepped inside, surveyed the room and said, "Hey, where's Sakura?"

"Hinata ordered her to go and wait for her mother and Mrs. Uzumaki." Kiba piped up.

Hinata glared at him and with a quick affectionate glance at Naruto said, "I didn't order, I told her."

"Yeah…but Mrs. Haruno and Uzumaki are outside asking questions about Naruto to Shizune." Shikamaru scratched his head.

"I'll call her." Shino raised his hand.

He reached for his mobile, pressed the number, seven, on speed dial and waited.

After a couple of minutes, he hung up and said, "No answer."

"Then, where is she?" TenTen wondered. "At school, she was one of the most worried about Blondie. It's not like her to not be by Naruto's side.

Naruto gaped and relaxed his head on the pillow, processing this. One of the most worried…?

Lee, who had been surprisingly silent, burst out, "I'll go and find my youthful love! Nothing will keep us apart!"

Shikamaru nodded while the rest of them, including Shino and Neji, laughed. "I'll go with you. Maybe she's still in the lot."

TenTen and the rest of them moved closer to Naruto while Shikamaru and Lee left the room.

They walked past Tsunade and Kushina briskly.

Mrs. Haruno looked at their moving backs and wondered why wasn't Shikamaru with Sakura.

Lee was the first to break the silence. "So…! Let's play twenty questions while we wait for the lift!"

Shikamaru turned to stare at him disbelievingly.

Lee ignored his look and started, "Ok…do you think Sakura's the most youthful flower in Konoha? No, the world. No, the UNIVERSE!"

Blinking once or twice, Shikamaru shrugged. "She's my best friend. I dunno."

Lee wasn't convinced and continued to ask him questions about 'Youthful Sakura' even after they got out of the lift.

Shikamaru led the way with Lee behind him. "Shikamaru, does Sakura have a boyfriend?"

"No…" He stopped to look at him carefully.

"Then, why", Lee raised his finger to point at something in the distance, "is she over there with some black haired boy?"

Shikamaru pivoted to face Lee's finger direction and became numb.

Sakura was struggling near the car park, against some black haired idiot who had her pinned by her arms.

She was shouting something but the guy was saying something over her. Something he said, made her eyes become wide with shock or disbelief, and she stopped struggling.

He tried to say something else but she slapped him. His mouth opened but no words came out, as far as Shikamaru could tell, and Sakura ran into the hospital in tears. She stopped, though, when she saw Shikamaru and Lee gaping at her.

Her eyes shut and she whispered something. She then ran to Shikamaru and threw her arms around him, sobbing into his green shirt.

"Sa-Sakura?" Lee was worried. Very worried.

Shikamaru shot him a look that said, Get him.

Lee nodded and went running to yell at the black haired guy.

Shikamaru patted Sakura and disentangled himself from her. He pulled her into the lift and waited for her sobs to subside.

"He...he…said…he" Sakura was almost incoherent.

"He was Sasuke, wasn't he?" The name left a bitter taste in his mouth. Almost as thought it was poisonous to say his name.

She nodded then burst into fresh sobs. "He said he was sorry." She practically spat out the word. "That he had no idea who she was! That, he thought it was me! And how he came here to see Naruto and to apologize to me!"

She sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I'm so melodramatic…I slapped him…"

Before Shikamaru could even open his mouth, Sakura cut across him, "He asked if I could give him a second chance! Second chance?! I gave him enough chances when we...when we…when were dating...! I gave him too much!"

Shikamaru let out a puff of breath and said, "You are so melodramatic."

Seeing her almost dementedly angry look, he added quickly, "But correct! Correct! Look, don't think about him right now…Naruto and your mom's there. Don't let them see you cry."

The lift door opened and they stepped out. Sakura rubbed her eyes and gave a watery smile at Shikamaru. "Can you tell everyone to leave Naruto's room? I want to talk to him. Alone."

Shikamaru gave her a questioning look but nodded. "Fine. But how about his mother?"

"Please try…" She was almost in tears again.

Shikamaru sighed and unwillingly said, "I'll see what I can do."

--

Ten Minutes Later

--

Sakura mentally thanked Shikamaru for getting rid of everyone. She walked into Naruto's room slowly.

"Who're you?" Naruto's eyes still weren't adjusted.

"Pinky." She smiled, despite of what happened before.

"Oh." Naruto blushed. "Hey…" He lifted a hand in greeting.

"Sakura? Why did ya kick em' all out?" He curiously asked after a minute or so of silence.

"I...I needed to talk to you." Sakura bit her lip. "About Sasuke…"

Naruto sighed inwardly. So she wasn't here for him. Wait…! Why do I care! No, I don't care! Not at all! Stop thinking like this, Uzumaki!

Sakura interpreted his silence for a 'yes' and plowed on. "He's….here. Downstairs, I think."

Naruto's eyes widened and he grinned. "They, why didn't you say so?! Bring him over!"

Sakura couldn't face him and spoke to her knees, "Naruto…do you think Sasuke's…nice?"

Of all the questions Sakura could've asked Naruto about, this one made him the most surprised. "Nice? Well…yeah, he's my best friend and all that…so…shouldn't he be nice?"

"Despite what happened between…me and him?" Sakura pressed, her eyes still stubbornly lowered.

"…I dunno…when you have best friends, you tend to look over the flaws, right?"

"Right…" Sakura whispered.

She finally raised her eyes to look at him. "Naruto, remember what happened at your house? When, I was in your room and saw the pictures?"

"Yeah…" Naruto wasn't quite sure of where was she heading with this.

"Well…" Sakura took a deep breath, shifted her chair closer to his sickbed and said, "I'm gonna tell you…what happened."

Naruto could just nod. He was too worried about Sakura's sanity.

I lost the duel. Sorry. No aliens taking over Chouji's brains...no female Gaara...no Sasuke bashing... :(

You know what to do, Naruto lovers!

Read, Rave, Review!