You Are The Sun
Full summary: It is a while before she learns about the symbols given to them by the Sage of the Six Paths when Sakura realizes that he is like the sun. He burns so brightly, shedding light to open people's eyes and hearts to seek the beauty from within. He is the fire that does not hurt and ignites warmth to those around him. Like the sun, he bares his soul and conceals nothing. He is constant and stable, always giving and never asking for anything in return. He is Naruto. (NaruSaku) Shippuden AU
Hello, everyone! This is my first fic for the Naruto fandom so please cut me some slack if you notice any mistakes. I'm really trying my damnest to keep them all in character. (I am quite nervous about this). I have read many Saku/various pairing fics but this is my first contribution to the NaruSaku ship and to the fandom. I really wanted to do justice to Sakura's horrible "I love you, Naruto" confession scene. Forgive me for being many years too late! The inspiration only came to me now.
I know Naruto is a shounen manga that doesn't focus on romance, but it would've been much better if Kishimoto and SP at least portrayed a more realistic scene between the two and not a ridiculous love proclamation that came out of the blue. This is my take on that. Shippuden is such a looong series and I honestly don't remember everything that happened. Although, don't worry! I researched/rewatched/reread the important things from the anime/manga.
IMPORTANT: This is an AU so I won't follow everything in canon. This story will begin with Sai's confrontation of Sakura about Naruto's promise to her. This is chapter 458 in the manga and episode 201 in the Shippuden anime. Remember, this is my take on how I wanted things to happen.
Lastly, please, tell me what you think! I have no beta for this, so be nice :)
*The italics are either an emphasis, Sakura's inner dialogue or a flashback scene.
"Sakura," she hears Sai speak.
It is the grave tone in his voice, accompanied by the use of her given name and not a rude moniker like, 'Ugly' that makes her pause and turn to look at him.
"Why?" he asks and Sakura thinks that it is supposed to be her asking that question, and not the other way around.
She chooses not to berate him but doesn't answer his question. "Why, what?" she counters, a bit surly. She is in no mood to play mind games with this socially awkward artist, especially with everything that is happening with Sasuke and the Akatsuki.
"He's hurt." Is all he says. His mouth presses into a thin line and his brows are furrowed as though he is trying really hard to understand something.
"Sai," she stresses his name and exhales sharply. "Stop speaking in riddles! If this is your idea of proper human interaction, it's wrong. We have no time for this. Who's hurt?"
Her lips form into a stiff grimace as a muscle twitches involuntarily at the corner of her right eye. Suddenly, the faces of her absent team members flash inside her mind: Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, and Captain Yamato. She can feel the panic rising like a cluster of electrical sparks in her abdomen, while a million unpleasant scenarios start playing in her head. What is happening to them in the Land of Iron, right now?
"Naruto's in pain," he finally elaborates. It is enough to stop the cogs inside her brain from working on overdrive, however, it doesn't calm her.
"What do you mean?" Sakura demands. She is aware of the growing apprehension spreading rapidly through her body.
They are inside one of the rooms at the Hokage Tower.
Sai stays quiet and glances in all directions until his gaze lingers at the door where Shizune has left moments earlier. They both know they are alone and his actions are not lost on Sakura. She assumes that whatever he has to say to her, has to be something serious if he does not want anyone else to overhear.
"When you left the mission, the kunoichi from Kumogakure, Karui, ruthlessly assaulted Naruto. His body was a bloody mess and both of his eyes were left swollen."
Sakura's green eyes widened in shock then, morphed into anger. "She's one of Killer B's students, but why would she do that? Naruto didn't do anything wrong! Plus, Konoha and Kumogakure are allies!"
"Naruto told them to take their hatred out on him because he refused to tell them anything about Sasuke. He even went as far as to plead to the Raikage to spare Sasuke's life."
Sai's response surprises Sakura, even though she is very familiar with the blond's reckless tendencies.
"Kakashi-sensei and Captain Yamato... Are they still with him?" she inquires almost immediately. Regardless of being certain of the answer herself, she still needs his confirmation.
"I believe so. Kakashi-sama has faith in Naruto. Although, I presume that the outcome of his attempts is probably futile," Sai replies, providing her with the details she missed. "He told me to keep all these things from you because he didn't want you to worry."
"Naruto, you idiot," Sakura whispers sadly as her whole body starts to tremble and her face contorts in pain.
"I know I only became a member of Team 7 recently, as Sasuke's replacement and there's still a lot of things I don't understand about people. But Sakura, don't you care about Naruto, at all?" The admonishment is clear under his blank expression.
"Of course, I do!" She shouts, livid at him for even doubting her concern about Naruto. How dare Sai accuse her of such a thing?!
It is she who stood in between Naruto and Sasuke as they were about to finish each other off in the hospital rooftop when they were children. She is the one who threw herself in harm's way to save her team members from death, without thinking about the consequences, before Kakashi-sensei interfered. And it is she, who tried everything she could in her power to stop Sasuke from leaving them when he decided to join Orochimaru.
"You don't know what you're talking about, Sai," she grits her teeth. She clenches her fists tightly, itching to punch him to the afterlife. And she is just about to hit him, when the next thing he says to her, instantly stops her knuckles from clashing with his jaw.
"You're right. I don't know everything that's going on and I don't even know what promises he made to you. But, even I can tell how much he loves you!"
If Sakura takes a moment to contemplate about it, this is the first time she witnessed Sai create an outburst. Though, it is his words that leave an impact on her and render her speechless.
She stutters for a moment and every cell in her body goes on hold, while her thoughts try to catch up with everything he said. She is not sure what to make out of this. Suddenly, her mind and heart are in conflict, desperately scrambling to make sense of it all and what to process first.
The memory of a much younger Naruto and Sakura makes the decision for her.
"Naruto... Please, please bring Sasuke back!" She begs with all the force her twelve-year-old self can muster, thinking that this is the only thing she is capable of doing, at that moment. The tears continue to burst forth like water from a dam, spilling down her face and she feels the muscles of her chin tremble as she remembers Sasuke's back fade away in the distance. "I-I couldn't do it! I couldn't stop him. And right now, the only person who could probably save Sasuke-kun is you!"
There is a hint of disappointment in Naruto's features that rapidly transforms into hurt. As swiftly as it appears, it is gone in a flash, and his face resigns into acceptance. The young Sakura pays no attention to any of this. Though, her older self cannot disregard it anymore.
"Sakura-chan... You really like Sasuke, don't you?" The sadness is evident in his voice if only she has noticed it before. "I know you're hurting a lot, right now. I feel the same way, too, but I'll bring Sasuke back! I swear I'll bring him home!" He quickly masks his real emotions with a huge toothy grin and a big thumbs up. "I never go back on my word, that's my ninja way! Believe it!"
••
It is then Sakura realizes that he is like the sun. He burns so brightly, shedding light to open people's eyes and hearts to seek the beauty from within. He is the fire that does not hurt and ignites warmth to those around him. Like the sun, he bares his soul and conceals nothing. He is constant and stable, always giving and never asking for anything in return. He is Naruto.
Tears begin to stream down her cheeks, falling to the ground like raindrops. Regret washes over her like the long, slow waves on a shallow beach. Each wave is icy cold, stabbing her in the chest, and sends brutal shivers down her spine. She has become blinded by her own selfish desires and she has never been so ashamed of herself. Her hands ball into fists and her nails painfully dig into the skin of her palms, until she is drawing blood. Though, she barely recognizes it. The only thing she is really aware of is the sound of her heart throbbing against her chest. She can feel her heart breaking like glass. Its pieces can be placed back together. However, she is certain that the cracks will never disappear.
It is Sai who brings her back to the present. For the concluding words, he utters, hits the final nail in the proverbial coffin. "Naruto's been shouldering that promise for a long time and I suppose he intends to do so, for the rest of his life. Sasuke causes Naruto pain, but I think, you do too."
And before Sakura can even reply to that, she sees him perform hand seals until he disappears in a cloud of smoke, leaving her all alone, like the insensitive bastard he is.