Nanny or Mommy

Chapter 14: Traffic

Disclaimer: I Don't own Naruto.

He knew that there was going to be some but not that it was going to be bumper to bumper. His whole reason for leaving so early was now pointless. So far it's been an hour, and the pace was that of a snail he seemed to be the only one who was impatient. He glanced over and saw Sakura leaning on her hand looking out the window with a bored expression.

He looked at the rearview mirror where his kids were excitedly looking at all the cars and people in those cars.

"Hey sorry that this is so boring." Sakura stopped staring off and turned to him with confusion written all over her face. She must not have heard him or was paying attention.

"You looked bored...sorry."

Sakura chuckled and waved off his apology. "What else would I be doing? Besides this allows me to get ahead in my classes." She pulled out a thick medical textbook with a wide grin on her face. He could tell she was passionate and enjoyed learning about medicine and anatomy.

"Why don't you tell me a fun fact. Something you've read in the big book of yours." Sakura looked surprised for a second before smiling fondly at him. He was acting like she didn't affect him, but that was far from the truth.

"I don't want to bore you with stuff like that." She tucked a loose strand of her pink locks behind her ear looking slightly nervous.

"Aww come on Sakura-chan just one." He saw out of the corner of his eye she bite her bottom lip thinking deeply about it.

"Ok did you know the human heart beats 30 million times a year." A thousand fun facts went through her head but decided to go with the simple and easy to remember one.

"I didn't know that thanks for telling me." He grinned at the pinkette who went back to reading her medical textbooks.

"You would get along great with Baachan." He inched closer to the car in front making sure there's enough space between them but also so no car would cross in front of him from another lane.

Sakura wracked her brain trying to figure out who Baachan was and if she's seen a picture of that person around the mansion. He saw that Sakura was quiet and deep in thought that's when he realized she didn't know who "Baachan" was.

"Baachan is Tsunade Senju." His eyes were on the road, but he could clearly hear a loud gasp come from the pinkette.

"Y-you know Senju-sama!?" He's sure that if he weren't driving she would be shaking him until he gave her an answer. He glanced over at her and saw the cutest sight possible. She was hugging her medical textbook tightly while looking at the roof of the car with star-struck eyes.

"Yeah, I do she's a family friend." He chuckled out.

"W-will she be there?" Naruto thought about it he wasn't sure actually. But when he was still living with his parents she always showed up for every special occasion. Perhaps his mother expressed to the woman how "special" this occasion would be.

Naruto shrugged, "I don't know depends on my parents." He felt terrible when the twinkle in her eyes faded slightly. Growing up and getting to know the blonde he was sure that Sakura would be disappointed after meeting the famous doctor. Especially since Tsunade had a gambling and drinking problem and her hits were something else.

"Wait you called her Baachan but said she was a family friend." Naruto was silent for a moment impressed that she caught on to what he said.

"I've called her Baachan for as long as I've known her. I only call her that to irritate her she doesn't like it because it makes her feel old. It sorta stuck after a while she still hates it of course but seems more ok with it nowadays." Sakura shook her head at how disrespectful Naruto was to the older woman. Then again she wasn't sure exactly what their relationship was like until she saw it with her own two eyes.

Sakura turned around to check on the kids who seemed to be in their own little worlds. A thought entered her mind, "have they met her?" Naruto glanced over and saw her pointing behind them.

"Yeah only once though I doubt they remember." She nodded and went back to reading her med book. He really wanted to ask her but was sort of afraid she'd reject his invitation. Imagine that Naruto one of the highest rated bachelors afraid to ask out a girl. But this wasn't just any girl this was Sakura-chan.

Naruto sighed drumming his fingers on the steering wheel anxiously. He looked over at her again noticing a strand of her shoulder-length pink hair in her face. She seemed to be concentrating on the book and ignoring that piece of hair that was clearly in her eyes.

It took all his might not to reach over and move the hair from her eyes. He clenched his fist out of frustration for how bad he had it for her and how much of a coward he felt for not just coming out and asking her. If he could smack himself and tell himself to man up, he would, but then Sakura would think he'd lost his mind. Then again hasn't he?

"Sakura..." He was speaking without even wanting to it seems his brain was controlling his mouth. He wanted control of his body back before he ruined their somewhat odd friendship. Then she'll never look at him the same.

"Yeah?" She wasn't looking at him and what he was about to say would require her full attention.

"Uh, I have a request." He cleared his throat and kept his eyes on the road. He knew exactly when her brilliant emerald orbs were on him. That made his mouth extremely parched.

She tilted her head to the side cutely awaiting his request. It's better to just get it over with he guessed.

"This weekend I was wondering if you wanna hang out with just...me." There was an awkward pause before he quickly added, "to get to know each other better!" Still, she didn't say anything.

"Sakura...chan?" He was silently begging her to say something, anything.

Sakura, on the other hand, was thinking about her conversation with Ino just last night in the safety of her room.

Flashback

"Come on Ino pick up." She whispered angrily into her cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Ino! Thank god you picked up I'm having a crisis here." Ino sounded much more alert once she realized who was calling at 10 o'clock at night. "I...I don't know what to do."

"What's the problem?"

Sakura ran her fingers through her hair and laid down on her back. "Just promise me you won't freak out and tell everyone, I know how much you like to gossip."

"Alright alright just tell me you got me on the edge of my seat." Sakura sensed excitement coming from Ino while she was feeling agitated and her nerves were barely holding on.

"I think—no I know Naruto has feelings for me." There was a pregnant pause that may have lasted a minute or so. Sakura feared that Ino hung up, but it says she's still on.

Finally, she spoke three words. "Video chat NOW." With that, she hung up leaving a still dumbstruck Sakura holding her phone to her ear that was until a beeping noise came from her opened laptop.

Sakura slowly walked over to her desk and shakily hit enter. She didn't know what she expected when she answered the video call, but it definitely wasn't a stoned face Ino. "In—"

"Give me the details let's run down everything and make sure that you're 101 percent sure that Naruto Uzumaki has a thing for you. Now, what was sign number one?" Ino looked like a girl on a mission when she suddenly pulled out a piece of paper and a pen.

All she could do was comply and start thinking back. "Well for one he started acting differently than when we first met. We discussed this the last time we met up and assumed it was because I'm his last option as a nanny. Now the other reason seems to make me think otherwise." Ino nodded and started scribbling down on her piece of paper. Ino should definitely become a psychologist with the way things were going. Hell, she was close to graduating with a degree in it.

Sakura thought back and started thinking back to their early interactions. "Ok. Remember when I accepted the job and he "joked" that he only wanted himself and the kids to call me Sakura-chan. Maybe that wasn't just a joke." Ino looked up unsure if she herself believed that the blonde wasn't just joking. Sakura saw the look and decided to skip ahead and go to more firm proof that Naruto has feelings for her.

"And back when I was sad he hugged me and said to ask him for anything even if it's just a hug. Also when I'm around his kids, and he thinks I don't notice he gives me this look." Ino lifted her perfectly shaped brow at that.

"If you had to put a name to it what would it be."

She thought back to all the times he shot her that look. Then it clicked the exact word Hanabi used, it was, "longing—and crap how could I forget that one time he kissed me...well on the forehead but still a kiss!"

Ino looked alarmed, "Why didn't you start with that?!"

"Sorry I guess it slipped my mind. After it happened I planned on talking to Naruto about it but things just happened, and we never got around to it."

"Hmm, anything else?" Ino asked looking at Sakura closely to see if she was hiding anything from her.

"Yeah at the beach he was jealous of every guy that even took a small glance at me even the ice cream man." Sakura blushed thinking about it. Admittedly it was flattering that he did that, but she could handle herself.

Then there was what Hanabi said to her, and the Hyuga seemed to be able to read a person like a book. For now, she would keep that conversation between her and Hanabi to herself for now.

"Ok the results are in andddd he's definitely into you." Sakura sighed just as she feared. Don't get her wrong any woman would be lucky to have him but she just didn't want a relationship with him to interfere with her job. That and she had another but embarrassing reason. "That would explain why he asked me that thing." She mumbled to herself.

"So how do you feel about it? From the look on your face not happy."

"It's not that it's just if things don't work out then what relationship we already have will crash and it'll just be awkward for both of us when we're around each other every day." Ino nodded understanding her reasoning perfectly. Ino believed that there were moments in life when you have to just risk everything to be happy but she wasn't about to tell Sakura that. It was her decision, and she seemed pretty adamant about it too.

"If he asked you out what would you say?"

Sakura couldn't answer the question when Ino asked, and she couldn't answer it now. But she had to say something anything to stall for time.

"You mean a date." She stated.

"W-well you said it not me." He nervously quipped back. She glared at him, but he was making it a mission to avoid looking at her.

She crossed her arms and nervously bit her lower lip. "And what exactly would we be doing while 'hanging out'?" Just a small question wouldn't hurt, right?

"Are you asking because you're interested?" He fired back.

"Maybe." She simply added.

There was a moment of silence with both of them thinking about their next words carefully.

"Well, first I wanted to take you out to dinner nothing fancy just a casual place I always ate at when I was growing up then to a festival 30 minutes away from my parents home that only happens on that one night." She looked at him while listening carefully to what he planned for them. Admittedly she was so tempted to say yes, but something was holding her back.

"God no but Hinata loved him to death and when she comes back...I...I want her to be able to come back to the way things were before she left."

That's right Hinata, Naruto's presumed dead wife. Sakura thought to herself after remembering Hanabi's words from last night. She didn't even know Hinata yet wanted to make sure her relationship with Naruto would stay the same and that she didn't ruin it.

"I-I'll think about it." Thinking about it now would only stress her out more.

"That usually means no. What's really the problem Sakura-chan? Maybe I can ease your worries." He grinned at her. That stupid grin damn near made her throw all caution to the wind and made her knees shake. He was a really gorgeous man that could have anyone, but he currently wanted her. She couldn't fathom why he wanted someone with pink hair and a bad temper.

"I'm serious I just need time to think I'm not rejecting anything yet Naruto. Just respect my decision." She snapped at him throwing the blonde a curveball.

"All right all right I understand just tell me your answer before tomorrow night." She nodded even though he couldn't see it but he took her silence as an affirmative.

The rest of the ride was awkward silence between them.

.x.

Elsewhere

"Ahh, Hanabi how was your visit to that son-in-law of mine." Hanabi shut the door behind her and quickly bowed in greeting.

"I have bad news oto-san." He grunted allowing her to speak further. "It seems the children don't want to come because of that pesky nanny."

"Hmm, Sakura Haruno 22 attending Konoha College. The same college as you and age." She couldn't tell what her father was thinking exactly, and that didn't bode well with her. When he requested her to check up on Naruto and the kids she wasn't sure what to expect. She certainly wasn't expecting to see her sister's husband falling for his young nanny.

"Oto-san why did you really send me there?" Hiashi always took pride in his youngest daughter which was why he originally wanted her to take over the company. That was until his eldest daughter took off and died. Tragic. He thought to himself.

"As smart as always my dear daughter. Simple I wanted your impression on the new nanny and to invite my lovely grandchildren over it's time to start introducing Bolt to the ins and outs of this company." He watched her closely scrutinizing her reaction to his words. He was lying as if a five year old could possibly remember such a thing.

She was good at controlling her emotions, but she wasn't that good especially under his watchful eyes. He could see the signs of distress since eyes were the window to a person's soul. No matter how stoic a person could be it's their eyes that gave them away and Hanabi's did. Her pupils dilated and the number of times she's blinked since he's spoken had increased.

"You're still angry my child." The tension in her shoulders left, and the mask slowly cracked. Ever since her sister disappeared, things haven't been going great for her. A week after the search for Hinata was over her father dropped her from being the heir of the company. She was pissed and distanced herself from her family for a year.

"Sorry." Why would she be? Yet she was standing there apologizing as if she did something wrong. "I believe we were discussing the nanny." She started trying to change the subject.

"Your opinion? Do you deem her a problem?" Hanabi had to be careful with what she said next because with a snap of a finger her father could have Sakura out of the picture no questions asked. He could even do that with family...

"I haven't known her long enough to answer that," was her safe answer. But that didn't seem to satisfy him. "U-Uzumaki seemed happy and told me himself that he doesn't feel lonely anymore with her around she could be a distraction for him he clearly has feelings for her. But Hinata—"

"Is gone." He interjected. He looked at his youngest daughter sternly tired of her bringing up his eldest daughter every time. A heavy silence hung over the two. Hanabi glared down at the floor waiting for her father to say something and break the silence. Another minute went by, and he spoke.

"Where do you see their relationship going?"

Hanabi thought for a moment she didn't know where Sakura's feelings lie since the woman gave nothing away when they spoke. A relationship can't be built with just one person trying and the other pulling away. So she answered honestly not that she had much relationship experience. Men were too intimidated by her status to even talk to her. She shook her head trying to get her thoughts back on track.

"Straight downhill oto-san."

End

Naruto finally asked Sakura to "hang out" with him. For some reason I really enjoyed writing that short Hanabi and Hiashi moment. Hanabi isn't a bad person that's all I'm going to say for now. Btw thanks for telling me about the mistake I made last chapter guys wayyyy too many h names in this.

Revised: 12/16/18