Yo.

So, previously I had a note here stating that this wouldn't be a Sakura exclusive chapter.

Unfortunately for past me, this is a Sakura only chapter, because I ended up liking the crap out of it.

Basically, I was about to write new stuff, when I decided to go back and touch on some of the other ideas I had for this chapter, and ended up writing like 2000 words in one sitting.

Anyways, without further ado, enjoy.

Chapter 3: Admitting One's Dreams

Not for the first time that night, Sakura let out a pained whine.

Ino, her best and really only friend, decided that this was apparently hilarious, despite Sakura fixing the girl a glare that she was fairly sure would have killed anyone else.

"Honestly, Sakura," Her friend set down her bowl of ramen, her eyes dancing with barely concealed mirth. "There isn't much you can do about it now." She slurped up a few noodles, taking a moment to savor them, before she continued. "Besides, I'm not even sure what you're that worried about."

Ino, despite her constant teasing, had been doing her best to help her not think too much about what had happened with Sasuke earlier today, but…

"Ino, I actually fainted in front of him."

Her friend winced.

"Oh, yeah, right."

Sakura once again felt herself whining unconsciously, her head falling into her hands. Her ramen lay in front of her, though she had barely eaten any of it, so distressed was she.

"C'mon, Sakura," Her friend placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to ignore the groan Sakura let out. "Cheer up."

That seemed like extremely helpful advice, and immediately she knew that Ino would one day become a licensed psychiatrist.

"Is everything alright, you two?" She heard the ramen chef beyond the counter ask them.

"Oh, she's fine, just guy troubles."

Oh no, that's cool, Ino, Sakura thought, just tell everyone why don't you.

Sakura made a mental note to get back at her friend for that one later.

Sighing with the entire weight of her 9 years, she looked around the small, rickety shop they inhabited, and couldn't help but ask "Why are we here, again, exactly?"

"Because it was close," Ino began, finishing off her bowl of ramen with a small slurp. "And because I, personally, am a big fan."

"Isn't this like, Naruto's favorite spot?"

The old man in the back stiffened slightly, perhaps mildly interested in their conversation.

"I don't know, I've never asked him."

Ah, that makes sense.

"I pass by on my way home some days, and Naruto's here more often than not."

"Are you all Naruto's friends?" It was the shop owner, walking over to the counter and smiling down at them.

He looked pleased at the idea, and Sakura couldn't help but cringe slightly, knowing the news he'd receive wouldn't be what he'd hoped.

"Eheh, not exactly."

The man's cheer didn't disappear, but he did seem far more sedated than he had before. He picked up Ino's bowl, now empty, and started to wash it under one of the sinks.

"Ah, that's a shame." The man seemed genuinely disappointed but looked towards them again as he placed Ino's bowl into the sink. "He's a good kid, though, you should talk to him some time!"

"Yeah, we're not really in…" Ino seemed to struggle to find the right words, and Sakura felt some slight amusement when her friend turned towards her, with a pleading expression on her face, asking her non-verbally for assistance.

Sakura's entire world lit up, she hadn't expected her chance to come so soon, and with a slightly vicious glee, she feigned confusion.

"What's wrong, Ino? Weren't you going to say something?"

Her friend stared at her, betrayed, and then back to the proprietor, who now looked to be waiting on an answer from the blonde-haired girl.

Maybe that'll teach you not to make fun of me for 5 hours and think I'll just let it go.

Ino looked directly into her eyes, gazed into the blackest depths of her soul, mouthed 'I'll get you for this', and started talking.

"Well, Naruto's not the… nicest kid in our class," Ino seemed to shrink in on herself as she said it, likely because of the not so kind look the older shop owner now gave her. "So, no one really wants to be his friend."

The proprietor sighed wearily, and then spoke softly.

"I won't pretend to know everything there is to know, miss, but…" He looked downtrodden, and when he continued, it was with a far quieter voice than before. "I believe Naruto is overcompensating for something with his actions."

"What do you mean?"

Sakura was almost surprised to find that it was her who spoke, but upon thinking further about it, she wasn't surprised at all. It was obvious that she would want to find out more about the boy.

After all, Sakura thought, He's the reason Sasuke's been acting so weird.

Not weird, as in bad, but weird, as in 'this person has up until now never once behaved like this.'

Sasuke had actually told her that he thought she fought 'well'.

She hadn't just fainted from a compliment from her crush (OK, so it was mostly that), she'd also been shocked he'd say such a thing!

Honestly, when Ino had come over and loudly told them all about how Sasuke had been 'glad' about her fight, very few of them had actually believed her. How could they, after all, the boy had done nothing but rebuke them for nearly 4 months. For him to so suddenly be willing to hear from them, heck, not just willing, but to actively encourage them?

Clearly, the ninja world had gone mad.

"I think," The ramen chef started, breaking her out of her own head.

Oh, right, Sakura thought, I asked a question.

"That Naruto masks how he feels with shouted words and feigned aggression."

"Well, yeah," It was Ino this time, interjecting into what the man was saying. "We all know that, we're not stupid."

"But really, deep down," Whether the man had ignored Ino entirely, or just chose to continue what he'd been saying despite her, Sakura couldn't tell, but it still made her laugh when the girl beside her bristled in annoyance. "I just think he used to be really lonely."

"Used to be?"

The old man turned towards her once more, the smile on his now returning.

"He's been doing better lately; I think making friends with Mr. Sasuke has been very good for him."

Hearing one of her classmates called a Mr. briefly threw Sakura off her rhythm, but her friend Ino had no such problems.

"Yeah, what's up with that, exactly? They like, hated each other not 3 weeks ago, and now they're all buddy buddy."

"It is kind of weird." Sakura admitted with an apologetic look to the shopkeeper, trying to keep her friend's poorly chosen words from offending him. He didn't seem offended at all, and instead responded.

"Ah, Naruto actually told me the story behind that."

Now that had her curious, and she turned to see Ino feeling much the same.

"Oh, but it wouldn't do for me to tell it without his permission," The old man pulled himself away from the table, smiling wryly. "I suppose you'd just have to ask Naruto yourselves."

Ugh, and they'd come this close to solving the mystery.

She'd have to ask Naruto about it later, which didn't sound as terrible as it would've a few weeks back. He hadn't mellowed out, per se, he'd just been in a better mood.

"Ask me what?"

Or maybe, Sakura thought, as she turned around to see the young Uzumaki stood before her, I'll ask him now.

And Sasuke was here.

Oh.

Ok, don't panic. This is fine.

I'm fine.

Sasuke took a look around, turned towards her, and gave her a small nod.

Critical systems: failing. Sakura shutting down in-

"Oh, come on, Sakura," Ino pulled her mind back to reality, her hand also pulling Sakura back onto her stool. "He literally nodded at you."

How could she not understand that this was the second-best thing to ever happen to her?

"Oh, hey Sakura," Naruto waved a hand at the two of them, a residual smile still on his face from when he'd greeted the Ichiraku duo. "Hey Ino."

Sasuke now gave Ino a nod, and somehow the girl not only managed to avoid fainting, but also waved back and smiled daintily.

Life was truly unfair.

\-\

"So," Ino began, after Naruto finished recounting the start of his and Sasuke's unlikely friendship. "You fell down a hill, and then just… decided to be friends?"

Naruto put a hand on his chin, squinted, and seemed to be in deep thought, before he unwound instantly, smiling in a bit of a dumb way.

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Why did I expect anything else?"

"What?"

"Nothing." Ino sighed.

They sat in an uncomfortable silence as the two boys polished off the last of their ramen, it was a bit of an odd thing, but Sakura noticed that Sasuke seemed to have the same enthusiasm for it as Naruto.

Honestly, Sakura had no idea what to do or say about the boy. Though he'd always been crass, loud, and obnoxious, she felt she had overreacted at times when talking to him, going so far as to bully him along with some of the other students. She'd wanted to fit in, after all, and if it was what everyone else was doing?

She'd done whatever she could to make friends, even if it was pushing others down.

By the time her morals caught up to her, she was left in no position to talk to him, and with no friends other than Ino to her name.

Oh sure, they included her, let her hang out with them, but that was only because Ino made them. Sakura wasn't stupid, despite what some may say, she could read between the lines of their less than subtle glares, or their talking behind her back.

The weeks since Naruto's and Sasuke's friendship had been weird, though. Some of the girls who only really like Sasuke for his mysterious and bad-boy attitude had lost interest, and it was really only her, Ino, and 2 or 3 other girls who still held their crushes.

It had also, incidentally, helped her see a different side of Naruto. He could be just as supportive to Sasuke as Ino had been to her, often trying to bring the boy out of his shell. He challenged him to spars most days, and even volunteered him (unwillingly) to spar against others, always cheering for him when he fought, even if the boy didn't need it.

Before, she wouldn't have dared apologize to Naruto, even if she'd felt bad. She was convinced he would have just blown up in her face or played some mean prank on her.

Now though? Now she was determined to work up the courage to talk to him, to apologize, maybe even make a friend.

"So, Sasuke," It was Ino, and Sakura mentally thanked her friend for trying to start up a conversation, being more outgoing than she'd ever be. "What did you think about Sakura fainting earlier?"

I take back my thanks, Sakura thought, nearly growling, I'll have my vengeance, Ino.

"Err, Uhm…" Sasuke seemed unable to think of anything to say, instead looking towards Naruto, who gave the boy a small shrug, as if to say, 'I've got nothing.'

"It was… fine?"

Ino sighed, seemingly disappointed, and Sakura couldn't hide the vicious smirk she shot at her friend. Ino caught it, returning it with narrowed eyes and a small 'humph'.

I should apologize to Naruto.

Yes, that was all well and good, but the problem was she and Naruto were on opposite ends of the table, with Ino and Sasuke between them, which made having a heartfelt discussion about past mistakes a little difficult.

There was an empty chair beside Naruto though, it wouldn't be too hard to walk over and start talking, even if it would draw attention to her.

She sighed, working up the courage.

I owe it to him.

She stood up without warning, and though Ino asked where she was going as she passed behind them, the girl stopped altogether when she sat down next to Naruto.

"Uhm, Hey Sakura." He waved his hand awkwardly.

"Hey, Naruto."

She wasn't quite sure how to start this long-needed talk, even if she knew what she wanted to say. It was, frankly, a bit humiliating to have to come out and admit your faults, and even if she knew she'd feel better for doing it, it didn't make starting the conversation any easier.

Well, best start simple.

"I felt… like I needed to talk to you about some things." She begun, trying to keep any traces of nervousness out of her voice, though she didn't have too much success.

"Hey, Sasuke," Ino's voice shook her out of her thoughts, and she turned her head to look at her friend. "There's this really cool flower stall a few buildings down; would you come look at it with me?"

Sasuke seemed to get the hint, for he rose without any fuss and walked out next to Ino. Normally Sakura would've been upset with her for having asked her crush out on a date, and so suddenly at that!

At the moment, she could only feel grateful.

I'll hold off on my vengeance, I suppose.

"Man, she works fast." Naruto spoke up, his eyes wide.

Sakura had wanted to keep this conversation completely professional, but she couldn't quite hold in her laugh at that one, giggling quietly to herself next to the boy. She was surprised at how comfortable it felt to sit next to him, and she passed a minute or so just reorganizing her thoughts.

When she felt confident enough to come out with them, she spoke.

"Naruto, I wanted to apologize to you."

The boy looked at her, a bit stunned, and she waited as he swallowed down the noodles in his mouth so he could speak.

"I mean, thanks, but why?"

What?

"Did you… did you not notice how mean I was to you?" She was a bit surprised, she figured he wouldn't ever be able to forgive her for how she'd acted.

"Not really," His words shocked her, but he continued. "I mean, you were always kinda' mean, but no more than anyone else." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I got used to all that stuff a while back, so it's no big deal."

No more than anyone else? He got used to it?

How could someone get used to something like that? Ino's friends barely excluded her, and even then she felt like an outsider, undesirable. The only thing that held her together was Ino, but without her, Sakura wasn't sure where she would've been.

But to have no one, and to get used to not just that pain, but to have people constantly pushing you around, complaining about you, bullying you?

They made sense, suddenly, the shopkeepers' words.

'Naruto masks how he feels with shouted words and feigned aggression.'

'But really, deep down, I think he just used to be really lonely.'

It hurt to think that she'd contributed to that. That she'd done so willingly, purposefully, and maliciously.

She'd make up for it. She had to.

"I've always been very rude to you, even if you never really noticed I was." She began where she felt she should, a straightforward confession of what she felt she'd done wrong. "I found myself with no friends and wanting them. Making fun of you, joining them in that, seemed to be the easiest route to gaining them."

Once again, Naruto seemed to be a bit stunned at her words. He looked away a second later and fiddled with his hands like he didn't quite know what to do with them. In the kitchens beyond them, the two chefs of Ichiraku were making themselves as scarce as possible, and she made a mental note to tip them for it later.

"And you didn't deserve any of that. Not the ridicule, or the yelling, or the laughing."

She turned to face him fully, but he wasn't looking at her.

"And you don't deserve what the people here do to you either."

Now he turned towards her, eyes wide, and expression a bit fearful.

"How do you know about that?"

She smiled sadly, unable to meet his eyes out of shame.

"I pass by here on my way home every day, I…" She could barely get the words out, but she wouldn't run away, not when she'd come this far. "I've seen what they do to you. And everyday I'd just… let it happen."

Naruto looked distressed, his hands still fidgeting around on his lap. He opened his mouth to comment, but whatever it was died on his tongue as he tried to vocalize it.

"I used to think that you deserved it." She felt hot and disgusting, she felt like she was a mess, like she wanted to curl up into a ball and shrink until she didn't exist anymore, but she kept going. "I thought that because you were loud, or you annoyed me, or that my friends didn't like you, that you deserved to get drinks poured on you, or yelled at in the street, or smacked by shop-owners."

Her face felt hot, and she realized with some surprise that she was crying.

"I treated you like… like some monster." The tears weren't subtle, and her voice was shaking. She felt like a monster, now. Faced with the weight of what she'd done, all she could do was try not to cry.

"I'm sorry, Naruto." She wiped at her eyes, trying to keep more tears from falling. "I'm so sorry."

She couldn't see the boy in front of her, not through the tears that continued to well up, but she felt it as he reached forward and took one of her hands in his. She gasped slightly, opening her watery eyes to look towards him.

He was pointedly avoiding meeting her eyes, instead turning his head to look towards the counter as he held her hand in his.

It's warm.

"I'm… not very good at this." He spoke quietly, gentler than she had ever heard him. "I'm sorry."

Why? Why are you apologizing?

It wasn't fair that someone like him, someone so warm and nice, had been treated like trash, ground into the dirt with such extreme prejudice.

He squeezed her hand, and looked towards her, doing his best to give her that same smile she saw him wear day in and day out.

It was hollow, so very empty.

Maybe it had always been.

"Thank you, Sakura."

Something within her broke at that, and a choked sob escaped her. She had tried her best not to cry, not to embarrass herself. She'd wanted to apologize in a way that left everything settled, left her with no baggage and a new friend.

She'd failed at all of it.

Another cry wracked her small form, and she allowed the tears to flow freely, the dam inside her having burst open. She sobbed loudly, turning towards the counter, and resting her head on her left arm.

Naruto's hand never left her right, though. Even as the minutes passed them by, and the sun behind them fell from the sky…

He didn't let go.

\-\

It wasn't for a while that Sakura spoke again.

"Hey, Naruto?"

He looked back towards her, having released her hand only when she'd told him she was feeling better.

"Yeah?"

She gave him as full a smile as she could manage, but it had probably still come out a bit watery.

"Thank you. Really."

Naruto blushed, and he smiled embarrassedly.

"Don't worry about it, I was just… trying to be a good friend."

A good friend, huh?

Something about how the whole scenario had played out had her snickering slightly, and then, like a rushing torrent, she was giggling madly.

"W-what?" Naruto looked surprised, even if he was subconsciously smiling already. "What's so funny?"

She couldn't answer, even if she wished she could, she was laughing far too hard to focus on anything at all, really.

It was freeing, after she'd cried harder than she ever had in her life, now she was laughing wildly, completely out of control.

"N-nothing," she barely choked out past her fits of giggles. "Just… friends, huh?"

Naruto seemed confused.

"Well, yeah," He scratched his chin. "I mean, after all that, we've gotta be friends, right?"

And once again she found him able to crack her up at the slightest provocation.

"H-how could I argue," She brought herself back under control. "Against such infallible logic?"

Naruto seemed to think for a second.

"What's that word mean?"

"Hm? Infallible?"

"Yeah, that one."

"Uhm, it means like… unbeatable… the best?"

She didn't feel like she'd done a very good job at explaining it, she'd just heard her mother and father use that phrase whenever she would argue about something with them.

"Oh!" He nodded twice, seeming proud of himself. "So, it's like the Hokage of words!"

She felt she could be forgiven for laughing that time.

\-\

They caught up with Sasuke and Ino a while later, having talked as long as they could before Ichiraku closed for the night. It had been an oddly fulfilling experience, talking with Naruto. She'd let out her own demons, and finally felt that burden lift off of her.

And yet, on its own, talking with Naruto had been… fun.

"You should've seen him," Ino was giggling to herself, her hands holding a small bouquet of flowers. "The shop owner was all "Oh, good sir, would you like to buy anything for your girlfriend today."" She had her hands on her hips and was trying her best to give off a gruff, adult voice. "And Sasuke got all confused, so he just went along with whatever the guy was saying."

"You didn't try to stop him?" Sakura spoke accusingly, but even she couldn't hide the fact that she was a tad bit amused.

"Why would I? After all," She held up the flowers in her hands to Sakura, and to her surprise they smelled heavenly. "I got such a nice bouquet out of it!"

The boy in question was stood next to Ino with a massive blush on his face, though it was clearly not from any schoolyard crush, but more the embarrassment of not knowing how to handle a social situation.

"Oh, Naruto, that reminds me!" Her friend walked away from Sasuke, and now walked beside the boy in question, both of their smiles reminding Sakura of a sunny summer day.

She wasn't sure if Ino really was that perceptive, or if she had just gotten lucky, but she had meant to drop back and talk to the black-haired boy, anyways, and felt there wouldn't be a better opportunity than now to do so.

She walked over to Sasuke and smiled up at him, though this didn't seem to calm the boy's nerves, perhaps he thought she'd start to tease him as well.

"Thank you for letting me and Naruto talk, I appreciate it."

The boy didn't say anything, but some of the blush did disappear from his face, and he nodded towards her. Oddly, she didn't faint, or even think about fainting, which Sakura thought was a fairly large improvement for only a few hours.

"I was just trying to be a good friend." Sasuke spoke quietly, trying to keep his voice down so that Ino and Naruto, who were now conversing loudly in front of the two of them, wouldn't hear.

She laughed quietly, a small sound that escaped her involuntarily.

"Y'know, you and Naruto really are very alike." She said it absentmindedly, gazing at the back of the blonde boy's head as he went on and on about something with Ino.

"What?" Sasuke looked confused, and Sakura couldn't help but laugh at the boy's expense, watching as his face puckered up into a pout.

"Nothing, nothing."

"Like I said," It was Naruto's voice, echoing back towards the two of them. "I'm going to be the Hokage!"

She wasn't deaf, she'd heard his rambling about becoming Hokage a few thousand times already, as had everyone else in their class. The boy never ceased to shout it out after he lost, or on the rare occasion that he'd win, and it never failed to get a mean-spirited laugh out of a few of her 'friends.'

But now that she'd seen him, truly seen him, and talked with him for the first time, she felt like the boy's words weren't nearly so funny anymore.

Hokage, huh?

I could see that.

Despite herself, Sakura found herself smiling brightly, linking her hands behind her, and closing her eyes. She took in the evening air, it was chilly, refreshingly so.

The four of them were walking beside the river that snaked through Konoha, and though there was no sunlight to reflect off the water, the very beginnings of moonlight did faintly echo on it.

"Hey, Sasuke?"

The boy seemed confused that she'd address him at all, and he turned with an inquisitive look on his face.

"Yes?"

"What's your dream?"

The boy stiffened slightly, and for a moment he slowed down, letting her gain a few paces on him, before he caught back up to her, expression unreadable.

"I… Don't know." He talked slowly, methodically, thinking about every word. "I'm assuming you've heard about the Uchiha?"

Her parents had told her a few days after it happened, that Sasuke's entire family had been killed by ninja, and that was why the boy hadn't come in to school in a few days. They had also told her to try and be as kind as she could to the boy.

She'd taken that and done her best, but looking back, cheering for him in spars, constantly bothering him with her questions during class, those kinds of things probably hadn't helped him. She felt she couldn't be blamed, though, she'd been trying her best to make the boy feel better.

"Yeah, I heard."

"My dream, or… I guess my goal," He paused a moment, putting his hands in his pockets, looking a lot more like the dark and brooding Sasuke she'd seen a few weeks ago. "Is to avenge my clan… and carry on their name."

To be an avenger? That sounded about right. A lot of what Sasuke had done these past few months started to make sense, came into clearer focus.

"Or at least… that's what I thought I wanted."

Now it was her turn to be surprised, and she looked up towards him.

"Did something change your mind?"

Sasuke didn't seem to know what to say to that, for he contemplated his answer for a few seconds.

"No, it didn't change my mind, nor my goal." He looked towards the two kids walking ahead of them, both of them blonde and loud, but she had a feeling which one he was truly watching. "He just… showed me a different path."

Sakura smiled softly, letting the next few minutes carry on in silence.

That sounds like something he'd do.

"What about you?" Sasuke spoke up a few minutes later, looking towards her with a curious expression on his face.

"What? My dream?"

"Yeah," Sasuke gave her a small smile, and she felt butterfly's dance in her stomach. "Since I told you mine, after all."

She gave a small breath of laughter and thought about what she wanted to say.

"It's not quite as grand as either of yours." She admitted with a small amount of sheepishness, unable to quite meet his eyes.

"That's fine." The boy chuckled, seeming more comfortable than she'd ever seen him.

Oh, just say it, you big baby.

"I guess… I'd like to be a really strong ninja." She began, smiling softly as she gazed up at the night sky. The stars were out in full bloom, twinkling in the endless expanse. They seemed so terribly far away.

"I'd like to be respected, and to help a lot of people." She spoke honestly, trying to divulge her true feelings. "And then…"

"Yes?"

Her cheeks heated up, and she felt a bit embarrassed.

"I'd like to retire and be a mom, I guess."

It wasn't something she made known, and honestly, it didn't feel like anyone could blame her for that! It was horrifying to come out and say it!

Sasuke smiled widely, and she shrunk in on herself a bit.

"That sounds like a great dream."

It wasn't just embarrassment that had her cheeks heating up now, and she shuffled from side to side with nerves.

The boy beside her looked in front of them, to the blonde's a fair distance away from, not stopping for a moment, too lost in their own conversation.

"C'mon, we should catch up before they lose us." Sasuke nodded his head towards the two, and then made to take off running.

"Wait!"

He stopped a second later though, at her request.

"What is it?"

Sakura gazed up at the sky again, towards the stars that hung there, small lights suspended in perpetual darkness.

They didn't seem to be quite so far away, now.

She looked towards her friends, all three of them, and smiled brighter than she ever had before.

"Thank you."

End Chapter 3

Man, this chapter was super fun for me, it's definitely my favorite of the three I've written so far.

I'm not sure how people will react to this chapter, I know Sakura can be a fairly divisive character, but I'd like to think my portrayal of her will do a good enough job assuaging fears for the future.

Next chapter is the official start of the Canon of Naruto, so we'll be getting into shadow clones, teams, and bell tests. Next chapter also won't have an assigned POV like these first 3 have had, so hopefully that goes well.

I'd like to keep the weekly schedule going, but it is the end of the semester, so I may be busy.

Still, expect a chapter next Wednesday, and then flood my inbox if I don't upload one.