Chapter 13: Evasion Foiled! The secret is out!

The sun shone through the shutters of Sakura's Apartment, playing a slender ray of light along the carpet. The light ended on the familiar face of the blonde, who found himself lying on a couch. Exactly who the couch belonged to, he wasn't sure. He sat up and his head immediately started swimming. Nausea almost overcame him as he had to lay back and gain his bearings. He stifled vomit threatening to revolt against his wishes of keeping it where it belonged. When his vision returned to normal and he felt that he could stand without needing to hold himself up against the back of the couch, he was finally able to take in his surroundings. Cozy, was probably the best term he could use to describe the place he was in. Everything was neat and tidy and had its own place among all the other furnishings. A soft, almost indiscernible snoring sound grabbed his attention and he immediately noticed a mop of tousled pink hair connected to a body sleeping upright in a chair nearby. His chest was itchy he noticed and only then realized that he wasn't wearing his shirt. He looked over at the table and noticed a pile of tattered rags covered in red dye. He quietly slipped around the sleeping girl looking for his shirt. When he neared the table he realized with a shock that the pile of rags was his shirt and that the dye was not dye at all. It was blood. The events of the night before slammed into him and he began to turn them over in his head. The dinner, the walk home. The man demanding his wallet, the gun, then it got hazy. He remembered something, but he was pretty sure it was just his mind playing tricks. There was no way that Sakura would be having a conversation with another sentient being inside his mind. Right? The more he replayed what he could remember, the more he was starting to decide that maybe it was a good idea if he left before Sakura woke up. She would undoubtedly have questions that he knew he simply could not answer right now. Hell, he had questions too. He noticed a clean white T-shirt draped over the back of the couch. It was too big for her, so she must have set it aside for him. He quickly put the shirt on and walked over to the pinkette. Careful not to wake her, he gently lifted her in his arms and placed her on the couch. He found a comforter folded up on a nearby chair and placed it over her to keep her warm. Her hair was matted, obviously from sweat the night before. She must have worked hard through the night to ensure that he was going to be ok. She still had blood smears on her face and shirt. His blood. He shuddered just thinking about how close he came to death the night before. He lingered near her sleeping form a minute longer, mumbled a silent 'thank you' and turned to leave her apartment.

Reaching for the doorknob he froze as a voice called out to him.

"Just going to leave without saying goodbye?"

He turned and looked back at Sakura. Naruto determined that she was a ninja, because he never heard her move.

"I… well, you see…" Naruto fumbled for words, but continually came up short.

"Don't worry about it. You don't have to hide it from me."

Naruto's mouth worked open and closed, but nothing intelligible came out.

Sakura moved toward Naruto and placed her hand on the open door, pushing it closed. She grabbed Naruto's hand and guided him back to the couch.

"Come sit with me. Lets talk."

"So what you are telling me… is that you have some kind of 'spirit' that lives in your 'mind' and gives you 'super powers?'" Sakura asked with a skeptical look, despite the previous nights events that she had witnessed.

"Yeah… pretty much sums it up. My very first encounter was just a sensation. It didn't even talk to me until the night I met you."

Sakura seemed surprised by that. "It talks to you?"

"Well not quite like a two way conversation, but it has helped me in tight situations before."

He looked at the floor and focused on the patterns in the carpet, trying his best to avoid the scrutinizing eye contact of the girl in front of him. Sakura suddenly became acutely aware of just how uncomfortable the blonde must have been talking about this subject with her. She decided since he was being so open with her that she should be open with him as well. They had, after all, saved each other's life. Sakura went on to tell Naruto about the unusual healing ability that she has and the 'miracle healings' she performed at the hospital. She was very surprised by how at ease she was around him. Even over the years that she had dated Sasuke, she had never felt this comfortable around him. Naruto gave off a warmth and comfort that completely overshadowed the cold nature of the calculating Uchiha. Before they knew it, the day had slipped away and night was fast approaching again.

"Well, it is getting late. I had better get going. I am sure the guys at the station are wondering where I am, and I am almost certain Kakashi is going to give me the 'third degree' when I get back. Besides, I need to go back by the restaurant and pick up my wallet. Wouldn't want anyone runnin' around town pretending to be me, now would I?"

Sakura smiled at his playfulness and nodded her agreement. She walked him to the door and opened it, letting him out, however, before she could close the door, he quickly turned, a serious look adorning his face.

"Thank you." He reached and pulled her into a hug. At first… she froze. The all too recent memory of her horrid night with that bastard Uchiha bubbled to the surface. She stifled a whimper and focused on the fact that this was Naruto and not the bastard that forced his way into her. She finally returned the embrace as a tear rolled down her cheek. Sensing the atmosphere of the moment, Naruto politely released the embrace, gave her a brief smile, and turned the other way, making his way toward the elevator.

He arrived at the station after retrieving his wallet from the restaurant and made his way up stairs. The lights were out in the dorm, suggesting that the on duty shift was already asleep, trying to get some rest in the event they had a fire later in the night. Naruto hurried upstairs and quickly showered and changed for bed. As he lay in bed, he thought about the conversation he had with Sakura and how easily she accepted the news of his 'unique situation.' He smiled, feeling like a weight had inevitably been lifted by sharing his secret with another person.