Itsumo
Disclaimer: Although I wish Sakura...err...Naruto was mine, it isn't... Otherwise, I would be writing REAL Naruto right now...
Note: Sorry! Thrre straight chapters of Sakura's POV! I'll change next chap, I promise!
~~~~~~
Chapter Eight: Visitors
March 23nd
By the time my parents left, Kakashi-sensei had beem waiting for ten minutes. He was let in, and he sat down straight away.
"Hello Sakura," he said. "I hope your feeling good."
"I'm doing okay, Kakashi-sensei. I can't leave bed until tomorrow, though. Anyways, is there a specific reason, or just a friendly visit?" I asked innocently.
"Well, they're treating Ino's disappearance as having a good chance of being taken by the same person as Lee, so we're investigating them together. Now, Sakura, what happened?"
I described everything that had happened since I left the house. Kakashi listened intently, only nodding every-so-often.
Once I finished, he uttered one word, "Why?"
"Why... what, Kakashi-sensei?" I asked him, dreading what he would ask.
"Why... How did you know Ino was in danger?" he asked, staring at me as intently as ever.
"I-I had a dream, that I can't quite remember. I just remembered that Ino was in danger. I- I can't remember aynthing else, sensei... except, I know that I heard your voice...but that's all. No definate words, or anything like that," I said.
Kakashi-sensei looked surprised. "I- was in your dream? Does that mean..." he said, looking hopeful.
"Kakashi-sensei, you better be on your guard. Who knows who or what is taking them, and more may be in danger. Please, find Lee for me, and stay safe," I pleaded.
"I'll try, Sakura-chan. I better go now, okay?" he asked, heading for the door.
I nodded, and he left.
~~~
Later, Naruto came with flowers. "Sakura chan, are you-?" he asked, interrupted by my interjection about being fine, and telling him about my legs. "That's too bad, but the guy might have broken your neck, so... It's good that there's no permanent damage. Anyways, I brought these for you!" He shoved the vase onto the table, getting my hair wet.
"Sorry, Sakura!" He waved his hands around. Everyday Naruto was back. I smiled.
"Don't worry about it, Naruto-kun. Now tell me, has anything happened since, well..." I trailed off, not wanting to say it.
"Well, Iruka-sensei hasstopped taking me for ramen, and is lookijng into the Lee/Ino thing... Oops! Sorry!" Naruto looked awkward waving his hand around. Could this be the guy that had carried me home last night, without any awkwardness or mistakes, the guy I had liked so much?
His eyes didn't hold the worry or care they had that night, but the fire of anger wasn't dominating them. He was just a regular kid, mistreated byt the whole village for something he probably didn't do. Had I despised him for his awkwardness, or his pranks? His crazy dream? Everyone had that to some degree. No, what had really done it was my parents. Instead of reaching out to him, I shunned, and eventually hated, him. That added to the fact that he seemed to hate Sasuke, my obsession, had magnified it to an extreme that it had reached with no-one else, not even Ino (whom I had recently re-befriended).
Me and Naruto spoke for a few hours, laughing over jokes and stuff, like I might have done with anyone else. The thing that topped it off, though was how he had picked up at the end.
"Bye, Sakura-chan! I'll be back later probably!" his smile was genuine and happy, without much of the underlying sadness I had almost noticed but ignored.
~~~
I had another visitor that afternoon. Hinata Hyuga had come to visit me. I was a bit confused at first, because we hadn't really ever talked, but then I realised: This was one of thefirst times she'd done something like this, in spite of all her shyness. So I greeted her cordially. "Good afternoon, Hinata!" I exclaimed, smiling.
"Good afternoon, Sakura-san. I hope you get better soon," she said, eyes looking to the ground as she spoke, as if she wanted it to swallow her.
"Thanks, Hinata. I'll be up and running around as usual by this time tomorrow. Come on, sit down, play some Go with me! They left a thing for it here,but no-one who can play Go has visited me yet. I know you like to, it's one of the few things I do know about you..." I said, dropping a subtle hint.
"Okay, I will," Hinata said strongly, smiling slightly. I puled out the Go board, and we had a thrilling time.
"Wow, this is fun!"m I exvclaimed, "I haven't played Go for almost a year now, because I've been busy training, and having missions, you know, Hinata?" I said to her, about halfway into the second game. "You're really good! How'd you get so good?" I asked.
"My... my father taught me whan I was little. Sakura-san, will you... will you be friends with me?" She asked, a friendship-starved look in her eyes. I couldn't refuse that! I knew what the answer would have to be.
"Of course, Hinata, I'd like to be. You're alway so shy, I never thought..." Of course, I was being stupid. "I'm sorry, Hinata, for not appraoching you sooner. I'd love to be, your so cute sometimes!" I said, smiling brightly. If I managed to help her, Hinata and I could have some fun together. I had a feeling she'd be a nice friend to have.
"Thank you, Sakura. Now, how about finishing the game, ne?" she smiled, like a blossom, it grew into the healthy smile I has been waiting for. This was a private Hinata, not shown to everyone, just those ewho managed to get past the awkwards shyness that kept Hinata from making many friends. If she could be helped, pushed a bit into the sun, the blossom in Hinata Hyuga would ripen and flower into a beuaty.
As she left, I made a mental note: Help Hinata.
I also noted something else: Kakashi-sensei's goodbye. Sakura...-chan? there was a -chan there? Hmm....
~~~
Good? I've written three chapters in two days! Go me!
I'd now like to thank silky-keno, who came in and reviews all my chap.s instead of just the last one, and that was nice of them. Thank you!
Disclaimer: Although I wish Sakura...err...Naruto was mine, it isn't... Otherwise, I would be writing REAL Naruto right now...
Note: Sorry! Thrre straight chapters of Sakura's POV! I'll change next chap, I promise!
~~~~~~
Chapter Eight: Visitors
March 23nd
By the time my parents left, Kakashi-sensei had beem waiting for ten minutes. He was let in, and he sat down straight away.
"Hello Sakura," he said. "I hope your feeling good."
"I'm doing okay, Kakashi-sensei. I can't leave bed until tomorrow, though. Anyways, is there a specific reason, or just a friendly visit?" I asked innocently.
"Well, they're treating Ino's disappearance as having a good chance of being taken by the same person as Lee, so we're investigating them together. Now, Sakura, what happened?"
I described everything that had happened since I left the house. Kakashi listened intently, only nodding every-so-often.
Once I finished, he uttered one word, "Why?"
"Why... what, Kakashi-sensei?" I asked him, dreading what he would ask.
"Why... How did you know Ino was in danger?" he asked, staring at me as intently as ever.
"I-I had a dream, that I can't quite remember. I just remembered that Ino was in danger. I- I can't remember aynthing else, sensei... except, I know that I heard your voice...but that's all. No definate words, or anything like that," I said.
Kakashi-sensei looked surprised. "I- was in your dream? Does that mean..." he said, looking hopeful.
"Kakashi-sensei, you better be on your guard. Who knows who or what is taking them, and more may be in danger. Please, find Lee for me, and stay safe," I pleaded.
"I'll try, Sakura-chan. I better go now, okay?" he asked, heading for the door.
I nodded, and he left.
~~~
Later, Naruto came with flowers. "Sakura chan, are you-?" he asked, interrupted by my interjection about being fine, and telling him about my legs. "That's too bad, but the guy might have broken your neck, so... It's good that there's no permanent damage. Anyways, I brought these for you!" He shoved the vase onto the table, getting my hair wet.
"Sorry, Sakura!" He waved his hands around. Everyday Naruto was back. I smiled.
"Don't worry about it, Naruto-kun. Now tell me, has anything happened since, well..." I trailed off, not wanting to say it.
"Well, Iruka-sensei hasstopped taking me for ramen, and is lookijng into the Lee/Ino thing... Oops! Sorry!" Naruto looked awkward waving his hand around. Could this be the guy that had carried me home last night, without any awkwardness or mistakes, the guy I had liked so much?
His eyes didn't hold the worry or care they had that night, but the fire of anger wasn't dominating them. He was just a regular kid, mistreated byt the whole village for something he probably didn't do. Had I despised him for his awkwardness, or his pranks? His crazy dream? Everyone had that to some degree. No, what had really done it was my parents. Instead of reaching out to him, I shunned, and eventually hated, him. That added to the fact that he seemed to hate Sasuke, my obsession, had magnified it to an extreme that it had reached with no-one else, not even Ino (whom I had recently re-befriended).
Me and Naruto spoke for a few hours, laughing over jokes and stuff, like I might have done with anyone else. The thing that topped it off, though was how he had picked up at the end.
"Bye, Sakura-chan! I'll be back later probably!" his smile was genuine and happy, without much of the underlying sadness I had almost noticed but ignored.
~~~
I had another visitor that afternoon. Hinata Hyuga had come to visit me. I was a bit confused at first, because we hadn't really ever talked, but then I realised: This was one of thefirst times she'd done something like this, in spite of all her shyness. So I greeted her cordially. "Good afternoon, Hinata!" I exclaimed, smiling.
"Good afternoon, Sakura-san. I hope you get better soon," she said, eyes looking to the ground as she spoke, as if she wanted it to swallow her.
"Thanks, Hinata. I'll be up and running around as usual by this time tomorrow. Come on, sit down, play some Go with me! They left a thing for it here,but no-one who can play Go has visited me yet. I know you like to, it's one of the few things I do know about you..." I said, dropping a subtle hint.
"Okay, I will," Hinata said strongly, smiling slightly. I puled out the Go board, and we had a thrilling time.
"Wow, this is fun!"m I exvclaimed, "I haven't played Go for almost a year now, because I've been busy training, and having missions, you know, Hinata?" I said to her, about halfway into the second game. "You're really good! How'd you get so good?" I asked.
"My... my father taught me whan I was little. Sakura-san, will you... will you be friends with me?" She asked, a friendship-starved look in her eyes. I couldn't refuse that! I knew what the answer would have to be.
"Of course, Hinata, I'd like to be. You're alway so shy, I never thought..." Of course, I was being stupid. "I'm sorry, Hinata, for not appraoching you sooner. I'd love to be, your so cute sometimes!" I said, smiling brightly. If I managed to help her, Hinata and I could have some fun together. I had a feeling she'd be a nice friend to have.
"Thank you, Sakura. Now, how about finishing the game, ne?" she smiled, like a blossom, it grew into the healthy smile I has been waiting for. This was a private Hinata, not shown to everyone, just those ewho managed to get past the awkwards shyness that kept Hinata from making many friends. If she could be helped, pushed a bit into the sun, the blossom in Hinata Hyuga would ripen and flower into a beuaty.
As she left, I made a mental note: Help Hinata.
I also noted something else: Kakashi-sensei's goodbye. Sakura...-chan? there was a -chan there? Hmm....
~~~
Good? I've written three chapters in two days! Go me!
I'd now like to thank silky-keno, who came in and reviews all my chap.s instead of just the last one, and that was nice of them. Thank you!