Chapter 11
Confession
Sakura stared at Naruto with eyes of disbelief. Her mind was racing each of the four winds, and it was proving difficult to wrap her head around what Naruto just told her. She couldn't speak, and she could hardly breathe. All she could do is stare at Naruto in wonder. After a period of time, she was able to collect her thoughts and talk to the man holding her, "You….it wasn't…all those years ago, when we were first assigned to Team Seven…it wasn't Sasuke who complimented my forehead…it was you…wasn't it?"
Naruto smiled softly at his love, but fear was starting to take over his body now. He released his hold on her and gently pushed her back, "Yes, it was me. I always hoped you would figure it out yourself, but I had my doubts it would ever happen, which is why I told you just now."
Sakura continued to stare at Naruto in awe, still trying to collect her scattered mind, but was starting to come to an understanding. Tears formed in her eyes, and she looked down at the ground in disgust with herself, "I…I see." She looked up at Naruto again as she continued, "Naruto, I…I don't even know where to begin. I always knew you cared more about me than I really wanted to admit. I knew it was more than a crush you felt towards me, but…I never imagined you…" Her eyes widened, and she threw herself at Naruto, burying her face into his shoulder as she started to cry, "I'm so sorry! The pain I must have caused you, the ways I must have made you suffer! I've used you, and taken you for granted, thinking you'd always be around. I must have taken your heart and smashed it into a million pieces a dozen times over, but you keep collecting the pieces, putting it back together, and handing it to me again, only for me to do more damage to it than I did the last time." She took a step back, stared into his eyes, and gently rubbed his check as she continued, "I am so sorry I've done this to you. The promise of a life-time you gave me when you left to retrieve Sasuke…It must have killed you on the inside." Tears started to form in her eyes again, and she pulled him close to her, hugging him tightly, refusing to let him go, "I can never fully repay you for everything you've done for me. You've been there for me through thick and thin, and even when I act like to complete bitch to you, you're still there for me. I'm so sorry!"
Naruto wrapped his arms around Sakura, giving her the comfort she needed, "I wish you wouldn't cry, Sakura." He said softly as he stroked her back, "I never cared about how harshly you treated me back then, but I will admit…you said some things that really hurt. But I was able to put it all behind me, because I knew that a new day meant another chance. I'm sorry I was always such an annoyance."
Sakura forced Naruto away, and held his shoulders firmly as she looked him in the eye, "No. You don't have to be sorry for anything. Once I learned about the Nine-Tails, everything made sense to me, and I instantly regretted everything bad I ever said about you, or agreeing with the other students when they commented on how pathetic you were. You were an "annoyance" because it's what got you attention, and it's the only way you were ever noticed. You have nothing to apologize for, and I don't want to hear you say otherwise. I'm the one that always hurt you. I'm the one that always turned you down. I'm the one that thought she was superior to you. It doesn't matter if you accept every apology I throw your way, what I did to you was and still remains unforgivable. I just….I wish I would have seen this sooner. I wish I'd have never sent you after Sasuke. Maybe you wouldn't have gotten hurt like you did, and maybe you wouldn't have felt so down about yourself when you told me you'd failed. I wish…I wish I would have accepted you sooner."
Naruto looked down at the ground after hearing the mention of Sasuke, and tried to keep the pain of his ripping heart from getting to him. He returned his attention back to Sakura, "Um…Sakura… about Sasuke and my promise…"
Sakura looked at Naruto, sealing his lips with her index finger. "Forget about him and that stupid promise you made me. It's not Sasuke I've been in love with all this time, it's you." She leaned forward, pressing her lips against his, pulling him closer and holding him tighter, doing everything she could to tell Naruto that it was really him she wanted. They both closed their eyes, letting Sakura's kiss take over, and Naruto eventually kissed back, but let Sakura remain the dominant contender. She kept her lips sealed against his for what seemed like an eternity before they had to separate, and gasp for air.
Naruto couldn't have been more satisfied. Though his mind was spinning a million miles an hour, he looked at Sakura with a pleasurable smile, gasping for air, "Do you know how long I've wanted you to do that?" He finally asked after a long period of silence.
Sakura smirked a smile at him, "Do you know how long I've wanted to do that?" She asked with a wink.
"Well, I could only hope since forever." Naruto teased.
Sakura giggled, gently kissed his cheek, and rested her chin on his shoulder as she started to run her hands up and down his back, "Well…that's a close enough estimate."
They both smiled at each other, and made their way to their hotel rooms hand in hand.
At the hotel rooms, Sakura and Naruto continued to hold hands as they ascended the stairs to their rooms, teasing, and joking with each other as they made their way.
"You know, ever since we confessed, I can't say I'm all that tired any more. I still have a lot of energy left." Naruto said.
"Hmm, come to think of it, I'm kind of in the same boat, really." Sakura said. She looked at Naruto who seemed to already have a plan brewing in his mind, "So, what are you thinking?"
Naruto's cheeks turned pink and he nervously scratched his cheek as he looked at the ground, "Well, since we're kind of…you know, boyfriend and girlfriend now, maybe we could have a movie date in my room?"
Sakura smiled kindly at Naruto and nodded in agreement, "Yeah, good idea. It'd also give us an excuse to actually eat these left overs. Any idea what time it is?"
"I don't think it's even eleven yet." Naruto said, shaking his head.
"Ah, perfect. I'll check in on Alvis, take him to my room, and I'll be there when I'm done checking on him. Okay?" Sakura asked.
Naruto nodded, and continued to lead Sakura to the rooms.
Once she'd checked in on Alvis, and tucked him in in her own room, Sakura entered Naruto's room to see he was already flipping through the channels on the TV. "So, anything good yet?" She asked as she sat on the bed next to him.
"Mmm…nothing yet." Naruto groaned in annoyance. He looked at Sakura before he continued, "What kind of show would you like to watch? I'll let you decide."
"Oh, just find anything that seems interesting. I don't really care about the movie." She said in a sassy voice that made Naruto's skin crawl.
Naruto looked at Sakura and gulped nervously, "W-what do you mean, exactly?"
Sakura gave Naruto a sassy stare with her closest eye, and gently kissed his cheek, "I have a few ideas." She whispered softly, "Nothing serious, but I want to make up some of the pain I caused you…right now."
Without warning, she pressed her hands against Naruto's chest, using her superior strength to force him down. Within the next second, she was lying on top of him with her arms wrapped around his beck, and softly kissing his lips.
Naruto, who was completely caught off guard from Sakura's movements, wrapped his arms around her waist and let Sakura lead the way. She continued to kiss and tease him by biting his lower lip, nose, and playfully tugging at both his ears.
Sakura ran her hands up and down Naruto's chest and stomach, and teased him by grabbing his waist a few times. He wasn't the most romantic partner, but he definitely had potential. After all, it wasn't like he had parents to talk to him about romance or what to expect from stuff like this, but he followed her leadership, which was enough to satisfy Sakura.
After twenty minutes, the couple ceased their kissing, and Sakura rolled over on top of Naruto, and he wrapped her arms around her stomach.
"I can't believe I wanted Sasuke over you. I never would have gotten that kind of enjoyment from him." Sakura whispered softly in Naruto's ear.
Naruto had his eyes closed with the biggest and goofiest grin Sakura had ever seen. She giggled quietly, and playfully pinched his nose, dragging his head all over the place. As she did, Naruto made a number of funny noises that made her bust out in laughter, and she felt his hands slide under her shirt.
She smirked at him and gave him an angry but playful glare, "Don't you get any funny ideas. What do you think you're doing sliding your hands under my shirt like that?"
Naruto slightly opened his eye as he started to chuckle, "I'm thinking about when you were teasing me outside Ichiraku Ramen, and how I'd pay you back for it."
Sakura smirked again, and playfully bit his lips, "Oh, yeah? And what's your big plan for your revenge?" She asked teasingly.
"Mmm…given your current position, I think this would be appropriate."
Before Sakura could say something, she felt Naruto wiggling his finger in her navel, making her erupt into a fit of laughter. She started rolling and twirling, trying to escape from his fingers, but he had her exactly where he wanted her. A second later, she felt him start squeezing and lightly sliding his fingernails down her sides, making her go insane.
"Ahahahaha, Naruto! Hahahaha! Stop it!" Sakura screamed in laughter, but with a certain amount of pleasure in her voice.
Naruto chuckled, and gently bit her neck as he continued to tickle her stomach, making her moan, but laugh at the same time. A few seconds later, he released Sakura from his hold, and she rolled off the bed, trying to get some distance.
Naruto laughed, and looked over the edge of his bed to see Sakura lying on her back, still laughing from the torture. "Was that revenge enough?" Naruto asked, still laughing.
Sakura's laughter lessoned, and she glared up at Naruto while covering her stomach, "That was an evil thing to do you wicked, wicked man." She joked, "You're brave for doing that to me, I'll give you that. Ah man, that was absolutely evil!"
"And you teasing me outside Ichiraku wasn't?" Naruto asked.
Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but she stopped, "Hmm…come to think of it, you have a point."
Naruto continued to laugh for a little bit, but he started to get a little worried, and Sakura noticed the change in his attitude, "Naruto? What's wrong?"
Naruto looked away from Sakura as he tried to think about what he was going to say, then looked at her again, "Listen, what I just did…that didn't make you angry or anything did it? As in you don't want to be around me anymore?"
Sakura laughed a little, and gave Naruto a reassuring wink, "What, you think I'm going to leave you over some revenge tickling? It's going to take more than that to get me to stop being interested in you, Naruto. Tickling is something that happens in every relationship, and to be honest…I kind of had it coming. Just don't overdo it, and you have nothing to worry about. Besides, it was actually kind of fun."
"You found it fun?" Naruto asked, a little shocked by Sakura's words.
"Sure. But like I said, too much can become really annoying and it can become a serious turn off. But little instances like that are perfectly fine." Sakura said in a reassuring tone.
Naruto smiled softly, and returned to his previous position, "I'll keep that in mind. I guess Alvis can really call us his parents now, then, huh?"
Sakura laughed, and rose from the floor, brushing herself off when she was fully up, "Yeah, come to think of it, that's actually true more or less. I'm not sure if I want to break the news yet, though."
"You know, speaking of Alvis, it seems that ever since we picked him up, we've grown closer and closer, and it seems like you've been closer to me than the opposite way around. Why is that?" Naruto asked.
Sakura laid down next to Naruto again, and playfully punched pinched his nose before he started forcing him around, "Because, knucklehead, you impressed me by showing what kind of father figure you'd be. It didn't take much for you to develop a father-like relationship with Alvis, which is something women consider to be a major attraction in men. If you treat young ones with respect, and you're someone they enjoy being around, it's a major attraction for us. Ever since I found him in that dresser, Alvis has been like a son to me, and I always told myself I'd adopt at least one kid as well as raise my own. And seeing how you treat Alvis, I think you'd make an excellent father."
Naruto's eyes widened, and he stared at Sakura, unable to say anything.
Sakura only smiled back at him, but pressed her lips against his before she stood from the bed, "Well, I hate to cut this short, but it'd probably be best if we turned in. We have a big, big day ahead of us tomorrow. Let's make sure we're at the docks by the time Night Hawk appointed us."
Naruto nodded in agreement, "Okay, but can I get one more kiss before you go?"
Sakura tapped her finger against her chin, teasing Naruto, and eventually leaned in, "Oh, all right, you talked me into it." She gave Naruto one last long kiss before separating, and making her way to her room on the opposite side of Naruto's far wall.
Naruto waited until Sakura was gone, covered his mouth with a pillow, and yelled as loud as he could into it, releasing as much joy as he could.
