" " speaking; ' ' thinking
((DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters.))
- Naruto's Worries; Sakura's Plan -
' What is it that you're hiding from me...?
' I thought we were friends. I owe you my life, but you're hiding something, and it's something important. Why won't you tell me? Do you hate me that much? I only want to help you...
' Sasuke, let me help you...'
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Naruto and Sakura both finished their ramen slowly, which brought Naruto's odd behavior to Sakura's attention. He had invited her to get some ramen with him, but he had seemed a bit depressed when he had. Now, seeing him eating like a normal person and not asking for seconds, Sakura knew something was very wrong.
Putting her chopsticks down in front of her, Sakura folded her hands under her chin and watched Naruto intently. Finally, she asked, "What's wrong, Naruto-kun?"
Naruto, who had been rapt in deep thought, snapped to attention. "W-what do you mean, Sakura-chan? Nothing's wrong...!"
"Yes, something is. You're acting strangely. You can tell me, Naruto-kun. It can be a secret, I promise..."
For once, Sakura didn't seem annoyed or disgusted by him; she seemed genuinely concerned. ' Is it really that obvious that I'm so worried about him...?' Naruto wondered.
"This must stay a secret, Sakura-chan. You can't tell any one, especially not Kakashi-sensei or Sasuke-kun. Do you understand?" Naruto muttered.
Saskura nodded, leaning a bit closer so he could speak quietly.
"I think... I think Sasuke-kun has a problem that he's trying to hide..."
"A problem?" Sakura whispered curiously. "What kinda of problem?"
"I don't know, but when I went to ask him to join me for ramen, he kept his back to me and sounded very angry. He had to have been hiding something that he didn't want me to see..." Naruto told her sadly.
"Wow. What could it be though?" Sakura wondered out loud. Naruto shrugged, clueless. Sasuke had always been level headed. Anything Naruto could think of seemed impossible for his raven-haired teammate. Sakura spoke again, cutting off Naruto's train of thought: "Well Naruto-kun, you share a room with him. You should find out while he's sleeping. Look through some of his things and see if you can learn anything."
"But what if he finds out and he never trusts me again?"
"What if this problem is really serious and he needs help, Naruto-kun?"
Naruto weighed his options. Deciding that Sasuke's life was more important that his trust, Naruto nodded.
"Alright Sakura-chan. Just pray to the gods that I don't get caught."
"Be careful, Naruto-kun."
Both stood and headed back to their camp. Naruto wasn't excited to return for fear that Sasuke was still mad at him, but he had to take risks. Two words repeated in his head, over and over.
For Sasuke.
For Sasuke.
For Sasuke.
Sakura noticed Naruto walking with his head down, his brow knit in feverous thought. Slowly, she placed one hand on his shoulder, trying to reassure him, but doing little good. This was a time when Naruto actually didn't want Sakura close to him, but instead longed for Sasuke to be there, fighting with him, eating ramen with him, and proving that everything was actually fine.
But deep in the back of Naruto's mind, in the inner-most parts of his heart, he knew that everything was far from fine...
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: -sigh- Chapter two... What can I say? It doesn't feel as good as the first one, that's for sure. Naruto... What can I say that won't give away any amazing plot-twists? I kind of had to make Naruto and Sasuke share a room, or else the story wouldn't work. Sorry if it's inaccurate or anything, but it's a crucial detail to chapter three. I feel like I've changed the characters too much. They seem like they're MY characters, but with the names Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura slapped on them... Well, hope you're enjoying it.