14: Long Day
"WAKE UP, PEOPLE! GET YOUR BUTTS OUT OF THAT BED. NATURE LOVERS, SWORD WIELDERS, HONEY MOONERS, WAKE UP! I MADE BREAKFAST!"
Suigetsu's footsteps echoed through the wooden hallway, his sword tapping every door save for one where he stood outside and bellowed at the top of his voice.
"OKONOMIYAKI AND I can guarantee it's good especially for those who require energy and some good old stamina for non shinobi activities-"
Without warning, a glint of gold passed through the corner of his eyes, pausing his speech with a quick snap as the chains enclosed around his throat. Fingers immediately sought to relinquish the chakra chain that had phased through the door and wrapped around his neck, lifting him slowly off the ground. Juugo, who had just emerged from his own room, brought his hands to Suigetsu's sides, relieving the pressure by supporting his weight. Arms flailing in all directions, Suigetsu desperately pointed at his neck.
"CH-CHAIN… CH-CHOOOKE!"
"Karin."
Almost immediately the chains loosened and dropped weightless on the floor. The chains withdrew with a silent crawl through the wooden door and back to their owner. Eyes seething with anger behind her rimmed glasses, Uzumaki Karin opened the door and crossed the threshold. Just behind her stood the calm, stoic Uchiha who had spoken and probably saved Suigetsu's life.
Karin walked past with a flip of her hair, chin up and lips pouted without the slightest hint of remorse. Enraged, Suigetsu could only watch as Sasuke followed suit, giving him a light pat on the shoulder.
"You woke her up," he simply stated.
"I woke her up with breakfast," he protested, glaring at the red head's back which disappeared when she turned the corner. Her voice, though, still rang loud and clear.
"Yeah, whatever, Suigetsu! We all know you're going to ask us for something in return someday. Now let's eat!"
Sakura waited by the entrance, fidgeting in her seat. The Library wasn't open yet but she preferred to be early than endure her mother's interrogation over breakfast when she pretended to have eaten six pieces of onigiri in one sitting. Fact was, she only ate one and packed the rest for the three of them, just in case Naruto and Sasuke hadn't eaten yet.
She flipped through the dusty pages of the blank notebook she brought along. It had just occurred to her that many of the things used on a daily basis hadn't been very useful as of late. The war didn't really take such a long time, and neither did the invasion of Pein, but enough time had passed since she had been away from home that some parts of her room was left in a state of abandon. She lightly dusted off the pages with her fingers, wondering to herself how and when the sense of normalcy will return.
Looking up at the pathway that led to the entrance, she found it as empty as when she came, save for the occasional squirrel picking up the fallen nuts from the surrounding trees. She held a pen in her hand and began to write the prophecy on the first page, needing a couple of strokes before the ink stained the paper. The prophecy was ever present now; Naruto's voice recited it back and forth in her mind, even when she tried to focus on something else. Starting tomorrow she'll be back in the hospital and that meant her time would be limited. It would be good to make some ground today, she thought.
"So what's the big deal with Naruto anyway?" Suigetsu quickly swallowed before shooting a questioning look at Sasuke. He was the only one left still eating.
"Mind your own business, Suigetsu!"
"Hey Karin is your name Sasuke now?"
"No but –"
"How about you follow your own advice, blood eyes?"
"Stop it. Both of you." Sasuke rose from his chair and picked up his sword, sliding it through his belt. He walked towards the door and paused before turning the knob. "Naruto is… dealing with some things. I'm helping him."
A collective murmur of understanding could be heard, leaving the three of them to watch the door close in Sasuke's wake.
He hears a muffled sound from somewhere, his eyes cracking open in the darkness. Stepping forward, he almost loses his footing on the damp surface, the scent of wet wood filling his nose. His arms reach in front with limited vision, knees shaking as a waft of cold air brings out the goose bumps in his skin. Nothing but the sound of his footsteps is heard over the buzzing in his ear. He blinks, barely making out the large double doors at the end of the dark hallway.
The air was thin and his every breath seemed to be slowly exhausting his supply. He hears the sound again and snaps his head up to the source, having second thoughts about trudging forward but unable to look back. Dragging his feet, he began to wonder what kind of ground he walked upon as his steps seemed to require his full strength. Eyes never leaving the door, he reaches the end and pants, slowly losing air. His fingers wrap around the handle and he turns the knob in a swift motion. His body is pulled inside without warning, collapsing through the open door, he falls; stomach lurching and arms reaching out into thin air; the darkness engulfs him, choking the air out of his lungs.
"Naruto!"
He wakes up, automatically shielding his eyes from the sun streaming through his bedroom window. Three loud knocks from his door and he hears his name again, his chest heaving as he looks down at his shirt drenched in sweat.
"Naruto!"
"Yes! I'm up, I'm up!" he managed to shout while still trying to catch his breath. Pulling off the blankets tangled on his legs, he sat up on the edge of the bed, wiping his face on his shirt before unceremoniously taking it off and tossing it to the clothes hamper at the corner of his room. He took a moment to observe the now loaded pile, and wondered at the back of his mind if he still had clean underwear.
The Silver-Haired Jounin Squad Leader took a shortcut above the roof to the window on the other side. With his back turned away from him, Kakashi was far from not seeing the noticeable slump in the blond's form and it was apparent that the state of his room seemed a good enough indication of the contents of his head: it was a mess.
Without further introduction, he knocked on the glass and watched as the blond turned his head and walked towards him to open the window. There was no smile on the young man's face, and he could only assume the dark circles in his eyes had something to do with last night.
"Kakashi-sensei, what brings you here?"
"The Hokage wants to see you."
Naruto nodded, almost mechanically. "I'll take a shower first."
"Don't take too long."
Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the blond to contemplate for a little while just as the sounds of the busy street finally caught up to his senses. He turned to the clock on his nightstand; at half past eight and what he could only assume as four hours of sleep he didn't feel too excited to be up and about. Still he walked to his closet to confirm his suspicions, whispering a silent prayer after finding a couple of clean boxers haphazardly folded inside.
The Uchiha silently made his way through rows and rows of shelves before he spotted the bright pink hair of his old team mate. She was slumped forward, hair splayed on the surface of the table, arms folded and head lowered, presumably sleeping. He had to give it to her for finding the best seats in the library, though Sasuke didn't expect that they would have company soon; everyone was too busy rebuilding and it was still too soon since the end of the war.
He announced his presence by roughly pulling out a chair, making her jump.
"Oh… Hi Sasuke," she yawned, rubbing her eyes.
He sat and leaned back with arms folded. By the look in her eyes when she saw the rest of the table empty, she already knew the next words from his mouth. "Where's Naruto?"
She leaned back and stretched her arms, glancing over the large clock on the wall. "I don't know."
"I'm not late, by the way. Did he develop a habit of not being on time?"
"No," her eyes skimmed past the small bento on the table. "Have you eaten?"
"Yeah. Suigetsu made some breakfast."
He particularly liked the glint in her eye when she asked. "Who's Suigetsu again?"
Sasuke hesitated, not because he didn't want to tell her, but because he realized now that he had to properly introduce them to each other. Despite everything that happened in between, and even though it took him a while to admit it, Taka had been the closest thing to family he's ever had since he left Konoha. Being back and deciding to settle meant that he needed to make both his worlds meet, and just the thought that he was looking beyond the present was, simply put, scary.
"One of the members of my team. You'll get to meet with them soon. Naruto should be particularly interested in Karin, that's for sure."
He enjoyed watching her eyes widen at his words.
"We… we've already met Karin before," Sakura looked down, fidgeting the corners of her notebook.
"Oh I know. But you've never really talked to her, have you?"
She blinked, flashing back to the wounded read head's lavender shirt that caught the tears that fell from her eyes not so very long ago, for past hurt caused by the man who now sat in front of her. "No, I haven't."
"I think that Naruto will like her very much," he smirked, wondering how the blond will take the news.
"Oh," she averted his eyes. "So what do we do now?"
"We wait."
I could do that, she mused, suddenly remembering that the red head was rather pretty in her own right, all the while gazing at the small bento that was left untouched on the table.
No matter how nice the day was judging by the bright sun and soft wind blowing through his solitary window, Naruto would not walk down the busy streets below. The last thing he wanted was unnecessary attention, not when he had too many things on his mind. He grabbed whatever clothes his fingers got a hold on and hurriedly dressed, silently mourning the loss of his tattered orange and black jacket which now found a home beneath his pile of dirty clothes. Giving his hair a ceremonious rub that really did nothing but mess it further, he quickly clasped his hands in a succession of seals, vanishing just seconds later in a puff of smoke.
Reappearing in an empty corridor inside the Hokage Tower, Naruto was stopped in his tracks, not two feet forward; the sharp end of a kunai threateningly pressed the side of his neck. He quickly raised both hands, waiting to see the face of his assailant, only to be met with the porcelain white surface of an ANBU mask.
"Wrong corridor, Uzumaki-san."
The ANBU dropped the arm holding the weapon and bowed respectfully, much to the blond's surprise.
"I apologize. I did not see your face immediately. The Hokage is expecting you."
"Oh, don't worry about it," Naruto chuckled, once again taken aback by the sound of his own laughter as he brought his hands down.
"Please take a right at the end of the corridor; that will lead you to the stairs to the main hallway and straight to her office."
Naruto bowed and thanked the ANBU while mentally berating himself about refining his new technique. Left alone again, the corridor eerily reminded him of his dream with the exception of the stairs that led up to the Hokage's Office, and not some double door that led to his doom. He shook his head and walked on, reminding himself that he was wide awake and there was no way this place could inspire his nightmares, especially when his greatest dream was to sit behind that desk beyond the double doors.
"Come in, Naruto."
Taking a deep breath, he stilled for a moment before doing as told. Tsunade's office looked just as it was when he last stepped foot in it, although there was an unmistakable difference in the view outside the windows. There were still a few buildings that were only half completed right after the Pein invasion, and the rows of newly constructed houses still lacked the usual color. He felt a sharp pang in his chest at the sight, knowing his current mind was so far away from his beloved village; if only he had a little more liberty.
Tsunade still looked the same, with the exception of the lines on her face that were less caused by age and more caused by worry. The common person would not be able to see the difference, and yet to Naruto it was so strikingly clear; simply because, to some extent, he could imagine looking the exact same way. She gestured at the seat next to Kakashi, who had turned when he came in and is now looking at him. Snapping out of his thoughts, he silently obeyed.
"Kakashi has told me what he had witnessed last night. Will you tell me what exactly is going on?"
Naruto did not expect her to be so calm about the situation, but he was thankful for it anyway. "I spoke to Kurama and the rest of the Bijuu last night. To let them in on a current… predicament of mine."
Leaning forward with her hands clasped in front of her face, she cast a sideways glance at Kakashi, as if waiting for him to say something. He did not, and so she spoke. "The situation is that the Bijuu have been revealed to reside in the forests of Konoha with the exception of Kyuubi. This is an issue because we all know that the Bijuu have long been hunted down to be used as tools for selfish purposes and also there remains the common fear of ordinary citizens against them. Despite the current situation, if word goes out about this, anyone could take advantage of our village's weakened state and try to either attack us or capture the Bijuu and who knows what else they could have planned after that. You understand this, right?"
Naruto nodded.
"Since Kakashi had told me this morning I've been gathering reports from ANBU with regards to the possible witnesses of that event. As I was told, the Bijuu were clearly seen, and I believe Kakashi had stressed that this matter should be treated in secrecy."
"I didn't know that it would cause a ruckus, Baa-chan." Naruto leaned back and slouched in his chair, shutting his eyes to the sharp pain that was steadily growing in his temples.
"Surprisingly it didn't, based on initial ANBU reports. It was rather late last night and early this morning there wasn't anyone talking about what happened." attested Kakashi. "However, there is no assurance to that fact."
"Which is why we have decided that, at least for today, we must try to control the possible damage."
"What do you mean, Baa-chan?" Leaning forward, Naruto's eyes cracked open, meeting her gaze.
"We've thought of a couple of programs that might take anyone's mind off last night. I will be coming out in a few minutes to announce these to the villagers and I will require your full participation."
"Wha… I don't understand, Baa-chan," he replied.
"You need to be visible today, Naruto." Kakashi explained with a heavy sigh that had nothing to do with Naruto's misunderstanding. "Today and maybe for the rest of the week till we're sure that there aren't people talking about last night."
"But Kakashi-sensei, I thought you said there wasn't anyone else who saw?"
"I'm sorry, Naruto. We're trying our best here."
"Kakashi is right. We're low on manpower as it is but even I can't be certain the the ANBU guards last night covered enough area in our village. There are still some Allied Forces shinobi here and as negative as it may sound coming straight after the war, we can't be too sure of ourselves. We don't know who may be hiding among the wounded and recuperating. We need to try our best to cover our bases."
"But Baa-chan, what about my task? I'm supposed to meet with Sakura –chan and Sasuke today and I only remembered now because I was too focused on trying to make it here, and now you're telling me I have to be out there today doing something other than what I am supposed to do? What's everyone expecting me to do? Yamato-taicho can do a much better job appeasing the people than I ever could!"
"Don't say that, Naruto. You'll be surprised at how many people really do want to see you and thank you personally," Kakashi stressed. "Frankly there's no better way to take anyone's mind off last night than the hero of the village making an appearance. Everyone's been looking for you."
"I will address the village and announce your return after this meeting. You will have to be there to greet the people as well; then I have arranged lunch with the daimyos because they wish to see you too. And in the afternoon Yamato will lead the rebuilding operations, I expect you could lend a helping hand." Tsunade cast a weary glance at the blond. "Just for today, Naruto. For tomorrow there won't be anything special but I do expect you to not hide away from the people. You're an important figure now, and I know this is one on top of the things you have to do but please… you have to do this."
Deep down Naruto knew there was no talking out of it, considering the looks they were both giving him. Tsunade was almost pleading, Kakashi was apologetic. His mind was reeling now, trying to seek a solution in the depths of his pathetic excuse of a brain, but there was none. They were right, and Naruto wouldn't dare endanger the village he loved more than his own life.
Taking a deep breath, Naruto stood from his chair, resigned. "Fine. I'll do it."
"You're falling asleep again."
Sakura, who was trying to read, slumped forward; her nose bumping on a page she had no memory of even glancing over. "Umpf—"
She glanced sideways while gently pulling her hair from the roots, trying to hide her embarrassment. "What's taking him so long anyway?"
Sasuke brought his fingers to rub on his chin. "At this rate, Kakashi's even better –"
A sharp, blaring sound of a horn startled them both as their heads turned to the nearest window. "It's from the Tower. There's an announcement," Sakura explained, rising from her chair.
Sasuke quickly brought a finger to his mouth, pinching a small piece of skin enough to draw blood before planting his palm on the surface of the wooden table.
"Kuchiyose No Jutsu!"
A small hawk appeared, about the height of a young dog. Its small, beady eyes locked on the summoner's deep red. Sakura had to look away the moment Sasuke activated his sharingan, the tomoe swirled within before the hawk's eyes changed to mirror Sasuke's. He extended an arm that the small hawk hopped on, and walked towards the window before releasing it into the open air.
"We could've just gone there, Sasuke," Sakura contested, crossing her arms as she watched him return to his seat.
Sasuke stared blankly. "I'm not going out there. Look since we're here anyway why don't we try to do something rather than waste our time? My hawk will be here soon. We won't be missing anything important, I'm sure."
His words did nothing to quell her curiosity and slight worry for one blond who was supposed to be with them; still she admitted he had a point. The roseate's fingers found the edges of the book in front of her, turning it around for her companion to see. "Fine, then. Read on, it's about capturing Bijuu. I think we can start there."
"So, how are you?"
Nara Shikamaru stood beside him, looking over at the queue of people gathered at the front of the Hokage Tower. Naruto didn't really understand how much a powerful figure Shikamaru was till he appeared among the crowd and effortlessly organized them in line, preventing them from flocking to the unsuspecting blond.
"I think I'll be okay," Naturo smiled, welcoming the positive sense of security that now enveloped him.
Since then he had come face to face with practically every citizen in Konoha that happened to be awake at that hour; not that he was complaining. The exchange of warm feelings, of their gratitude for his efforts in the war, and of him to them, knowing that they were safe, was surprisingly uplifting. Most of all, it was really great to see his friends, including his beloved sensei Iruka, who was one of the last people in line.
"Naruto, you look aged! Perhaps you're in need of ramen!" Iruka invited after a long and tearful hug. The blonde's eyes lit up at the sound of his favorite food and his mouth opened to accept the invitation, only to be stopped by a firm pat on his shoulder, courtesy of Shikamaru.
With a subtle turn of his head, he reminded, "You have lunch today, with the Daimyo."
Iruka stepped back hesitantly, arm still around Naruto. "Well, some other time, then." He ruffled the blond's hair affectionately before stepping back to give way to the others in line. Naruto, only slightly disappointed at the ramen, felt a sudden ache at his departure.
"Definitely, sensei!" Naruto called, waving back at him with an apologetic smile. They sure did have a lot of catching up to do.
"Naruto-kun!" The soft, airy voice of the Hyuuga princess was lost in another tight hug, one that almost made him lose his balance.
Not knowing what to do, Naruto's brought his arms up, stiffly patting her back. "Oh, hi Hinata-chan…"
Her long black hair flowed around him; the faint scent of lavender filling his nose. She stepped back with a bright smile, one that Naruto could not help but return. "Where have you been?" she asked, eyes twinkling.
"Ah… I've been around, you know. Just, doing some stuff." His hand found the back of his neck as he shifted his gaze and realized that the rest of the people in line consisted of his friends, with the exception of two very, very important people.
"OI NARUTO! You're not trying to slack off and get away with the rebuilding, aren't you?" Kiba jeered behind Hinata. Ino, Chouji, and Shino gathered round, and just behind were Lee, Ten Ten and Sai. Akamaru stood on his legs; a set of paws rested for a moment on Naruto's back.
Naruto laughed, giving the large dog an affectionate pat on the head before receiving hugs from his friends, brushing away the slowly growing bitter feeling that had he woken up early he would have made it to the Library on time and would have been long gone before Kakashi sensei came over.
"This isn't helping…" Sakura propped up on her elbows, rubbing her temples. "Looks like no one's ever tried to make peace with the Bijuu before."
Sasuke stared at the growing pile of books, eyes deep in concentration for a couple of minutes, before a deep chuckle escaped his lips.
Surprised, Sakura held an arm out to brush away the books in between them, brows furrowed. "What's so funny?"
Biting his lip, Sasuke cleared his throat to compose himself, leaning forward as he did so. "Well, let's just say I'm finding it hard to imagine how far we're really going to get if Naruto was here. Books," he held one in his hand, "aren't exactly the man's specialty."
Sakura huffed in resignation. "You're right. Still, it's not like we can go ask around. I wouldn't know the first person to ask, either."
They were interrupted by the soft caw from the window as Sasuke's hawk flew in and perched itself atop the pile of books. The Uchiha held its gaze, his eyes once again glowed a deep shade of crimson. Sasuke ran a knuckle under its chin and Sakura watched as the hawk's eyes slowly began to return to normal before it disappeared in a puff of smoke.
He remained silent while she patiently waited. When he gave no indication of talking, she did not even help restrain the words tumbling out of her mouth. "So… what's up?"
"Tsunade had just announced Naruto's return, and apparently he's getting some sort of hero's welcome. He's becoming more a politician every day," Sasuke huffed.
"What do you mean?"
"According to my hawk he'll be busy; lunch with the Daimyo, an afternoon of rebuilding with the citizens of Konoha - sounds like a full schedule. I think that means we should retire for now."
Sakura bowed her head and closed the book in front of her. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
The Uchiha stood up and started collecting the books on the table. "I don't think he'll have time to drop by." He reached his hand out for the book in front of her.
Sakura hesitated, her fingers taking hold of the heavy, leather bound book. "Actually, I think I'll stay here."
"You sure?" he inquired, turning around to return the books in their proper shelves. "You could just go down there and help out, unless you're trying to–"
"I'm not trying to avoid anyone!" she snapped, hugging the book to her chest.
Sasuke reappeared moments later. "I was going to say," he smirked, "unless you're trying to get away from all the work."
"I'm not doing that, either!" she replied defensively, blood rising to her cheeks. It was apparent that Sasuke had an idea about her feelings for Naruto, and sometimes she berated herself at being unable to punch the living daylights out of him when he took minor swipes and teases about something that she couldn't even define. She wasn't entirely sure where this conversation was heading either, but she was not about to have a pep talk with someone she had prior romantic history with; no less someone who probably knew as little as her when it came to those kinds of… emotions.
"I just… I just think that I could be of better use here," she lowered her voice. "For his cause."
Sasuke shrugged, "Beats me. I'm as clueless as anyone so I'm going to trust that you have a little more ideas up in that head than I do. Anyway, you both know where to find me."
Earlier that day she was just picking out random references in the hopes that they would come across anything useful, and for the whole morning Sasuke wasn't exactly the most fun person to be with. Still, she couldn't help but feel a little sad as she watched his shadow disappear from the shelves. She heaved a deep sigh, running her hands on the cover of the book. The only signs of age were the discolored pages, and it wasn't surprising considering most shinobi sever bonds with books the moment they graduate from the academy. What kept her in her seat was a stubborn hatred for losing; that this idea of hers would not be a fruitless endeavor, and that she would come up with something that could help.
"Fuinjutsu," she whispered, reading the title. "Please be nice to me."
It was that time of night when most shops had closed, and those still up were getting ready to retire for the night. The day went swiftly but not without effort, as Uzumaki Naruto walked on, a basket of clothes rested on his hip while he made his way to the Laundromat at the end of the road. His feet propelled him forward, legs walking out of necessity; his brain working overdrive to reach his destination.
Usually he would wash the clothes himself, by hand, but since he came back without one thing about his life seemed in place, not to mention the thought of having to step out of the shower to find out he had no clean underwear was enough to break his personal rule never to spend on petty things such as laundry.
Placing the basket on the small bench provided, he separated the whites and colors, stopping for a brief moment to hang on Ero-Sennin's tattered gift. The orange and black jacket and pants, his worthy companion for days on end, was now so worn and dirty that it wouldn't even pass as a rag – not that he even considered using it as such. He felt torn about throwing it away or washing and risking it getting more damaged in the coin-operated machines.
Being the sole person in the Laundromat had its perks; for one, he could use all the available machines and cut down his time. For another, the hard, wooden benches were free to lie down on. Heaven knows he could use a nap right now. Not better than his bed, but he'd take what he can get.
He began loading his clothes on three separate machines. Closing the lids and rubbing his hands when the process was done, he fished his pocket for the small purse, inserting coins and turning knobs as he went.
"Naruto?"
He turned swiftly, losing grip on the purse in his hands, sending it, and its contents, scattering to the floor. It took him a while before this registered, his emotions conflicted between fear – because of him not showing up at the library today, and happiness, because that was sort of the most automatic reaction whenever he laid eyes upon her.
Sakura slid open the door, brows furrowed and rushing to help him when he fully realized that he was supposed to be picking up his loose change. "Sorry," he managed to mumble while they crouched on the floor, reaching beneath benches and washing machines.
She held out a hand to offer the coins she gathered and poured it in his purse, both of them standing at the same time. He noticed she had a notebook and a small bag in her other hand, and immediately he knew that the first emotion he should have felt was remorse.
Sakura tried, and failed, not to observe him. His face lit up for only a brief moment when she called his name; not that it mattered, but his eyes looked weary and his face a bit dark; he stood unlike usual, his back was slouched, as if he was carrying a heavy weight on his shoulders. Indeed he was, she thought, and if she had originally thought of being angry or not speaking to him prior to this, it was all but forgotten.
"Sakura-chan," he spoke for the first time, "I'm sorry about not making it today, I had to see Baa-chan earlier with Kakashi-sensei, and they said something about wanting me to be there for the villagers, and something about damage… so I had to go and do some stuff like…"
He rambled on about the things he did while she began to piece together the reasons with the information that Sasuke's hawk failed to supply. No wonder he looked so tired.
"It's okay, Naruto. Sasuke and I knew that you had to do some things, although I only found out now why." She turned the knob on the last machine and it sprang to motion, startling Naruto who had apparently forgotten all about laundry the moment she stepped in the room.
"So… you were there the whole day?" he asked, taking a seat. She noticed he had been eyeing her small bag and remembered the onigiri she had packed.
Sitting next to him, Sakura unpacked the bento and handed it to him. "I already ate some but I couldn't eat any more so if you're hungry…"
"Well," he took the bento and tried to open it. "I already ate. The Hyuuga Family brought dinner for the workers earlier."
"Oh," her hands latched on the lid and tried to pry it from his hands. He held on, pressing his fingers on hers.
"I think I'll keep it, if you don't mind. I get hungry all the time; it's just that I still feel full right now." He smiled genuinely, and her heart fluttered inside her chest.
She held a chin up in spite of herself, crossing her arms. "Fine. It's just onigiri. And I didn't make it. Nothing special."
"That's just okay, Sakura-chan. I'm sure it tastes good." He still opened the lid and took a peek, as if her words weren't enough. Setting it aside, he smiled and turned his attention to the notebook in her hands. "Can I see?"
She handed it to him, and he grabbed it, sliding sideways before extending his legs as he swiftly lay on his back. The bench obviously wasn't large enough for his height, and he used the opportunity to open the notebook and rest his head on her lap as if it were the most natural course of action.
"What are you— "She was on the edge of the seat and had nowhere to go; not that she was given ample time to react anyway. Her only visible protest came in the form of her hands which had risen in a form of surrender. Her heart was drumming madly inside her chest and she stiffened beneath him.
"So what happened? Did you find anything?" he curiously flipped through the pages, using the opportunity to hide a yawn from her. The bench was hard as pavement, but he'd sleep on it every day if it meant he gets Sakura chan's lap for a pillow.
He heard her let out a deep breath as he reached the first page. It made him somewhat relieved to see the last line absent from the prophecy, but only because it was the only thing that made the whole thing such a great burden and he didn't want anyone else to bear it.
Sakura slowly relaxed, though at first she knew not where to place her hands. Since she was at the edge she decided her left hand would be fine just hanging to her side, while she tucked in her right so that she was barely touching his shoulder.
"Well, I can't say I got to find out anything useful," she emphasized. "Sasuke left during lunch time because it was rather pointless without you around."
"You think so?" Naruto's blue eyes peeked behind the notebook.
Sakura shrugged. "Well, Sasuke thought—"
"What about you?"
She broke his gaze, opting to look at the tumbling of clothes in the washer. His eyes were distracting. "I stayed there because I was stubborn and I didn't want to leave there without anything."
"I don't think you answered my question, Sakura-chan."
He hid behind the notebook, only to have it smacked hard to his face and his nose almost crushed.
"OW!"
"What's the big deal anyway? You're the one who wasn't there!"
Naruto emerged from behind the notebook, clutching the bridge of his nose. "Ouch. I was just asking you know..."
It was apparent that he hurt – she made sure of it, but the next moment he was shaking in her lap in an attempt to hide his laughter.
"What is so funny?" her voice was menacing and she did not at all like how the warmth of his weight moving around her lap was doing silly things to her feelings.
"Nothing, Sakura-chan! I was just half expecting my voice to change after you flattened my nose!"
This time his laughter echoed through the room, but it came just as fast as it went when she glared down on him. He immediately grabbed the notebook and hid beneath, only to find himself staring at a blank page.
He peeked again and she had her arms crossed, blocking his view of her eyes. "Hey,"
"What now?" she snapped.
"I really am interested to know what you found out, you know."
She uncrossed her arms and he held the notebook out to her, flipping to the first page. "You researched fuinjutsu."
Taking the notebook from his hands, she reviewed her notes and relaxed her shoulders. "Well, it's not much. I just think that there might be a way to use seals to lock or unlock a certain power."
She felt him nod on his lap and she continued. "There were plenty of standard seals, the usual ones which require little chakra, to the really complicated ones but I haven't seen one that could help us yet."
He tapped a finger on the surface of the notebook to catch her attention. Her green eyes peeked at him just as he did moments ago.
"Seems like a good start, though," he smiled, holding her free hand. "Thank you, Sakura-chan."
"Don't thank me yet," she broke his stare, turning back to her notes.
He smirked, tracing small circles on the back of her hand. "I'll thank you whenever I want."
Sakura continued their discussion, hiding her face from his view and distracting herself with her words. She put the notebook down and told him about finding out that the Uzumaki Clan specialized in Fuinjutsu, and he nodded in her lap, explaining that his mother once told him of that fact. Again, she felt that indescribable warmth whenever he mentioned his mother, and soon her fingers found their way across his scalp while she talked, all prior uneasiness thrown out the window.
The minutes went by and she became more and more invested in what was only a chance encounter with the book in the library. Sealing wasn't uncommon, and the fact that it has been a widely used technique that had a variety of uses was another plus considering their needs were quite specific. If there were things that weren't told in books then perhaps some old scrolls in Tsunade's classified files had the answer. She had to admit that at the moment none of her ideas made sense but she was beginning to see sealing as a possible solution. She began to excitedly think out loud about the possibilities; her mind was reeling as she pulled out from memory the things she had read added up with the things she already knew… only to be interrupted by the sound of Naruto snoring, mouth opened and his fingers still entwined in hers.
I apologize for the three/four month break. It was a cross between me being lazy about fixing my plot and me venturing into other things as you could see from the influx of new stories published recently. I do hope that the break was for the better (especially now that I've polished my outline), and I hope you liked this chapter as much as I wrote it.