Well here's the next installment to this depressing little story. For things like this you really need to be in the right mood to write. It just so happened that i didn't have school today and had the chance to watch some of my favorite Cowboy Bebop episodes. I was flipping through them when i came upon one that i didn't quite remember seeing. I stuck it in my player and was quickly reminded what it was about. (Episode 24 if you're wondering) The song Call Me Call Me at the end matches perfectly with the sad tones. Fay finding her home and my favorite character, Ed, leaving really brought tears to my eyes. A wonderfully moving scene. Really reminds me why i love anime so much. So after that i just kinda coasted on in funk. I love funks every now and then. My creativity works best during those times. Anyway...i don't know this stuff. You know that.
Sakura woke with a jump. Something didn't feel quite right. Maybe it was the fact she didn't recognize the tent above her, maybe it was because she was incredibly warm for some reason, maybe it was because she felt refreshed for the first time in who knew how long, or maybe it was because the something her head was resting on was moving up and down in a slow even rhythm.
Then she remembered where she was. She pushed her self up slowly and looked at the blond haired boy next to her. He was still sleeping peacefully there, oblivious to everything, a small smile pasted on his lips. For some reason the sight of that smile brought tears back to her eyes again.
She realized then that she had never given Naruto a chance to truly be her friend. She had pushed him away time and time again yet he had continued doggedly after her. She had called him names and hit him on the head more times then she could remember yet he persisted. He had never been mean to her or insulted her in any way. He had protected her when she was in danger. He had...he had done it all. He had done everything she wished Sasuke would have done for her and got nothing but a cold shoulder in return.
The tears began to roll down her cheeks one by one. She didn't bother to wipe them away. Instead she just sat there and punished herself for being such a terrible person. She had been so cold to him, the person who had cared for her the most, and had instead given her love to a boy who had never given his back. Who had instead thrown it back in her face.
Sakura reached out a tentative hand and brushed a lock of blond hair out of the sleeping boy's face. He looked so happy lying there. For a second she wished it was Sasuke's face she was seeing below her but she clamped down on that thought. She didn't want to wake Naruto up by crying even more.
With barely a whisper she slipped out of the tent and out into the early morning sun. Kakashi was busy cooking something over a small fire next to his tent. He looked up when she appeared and gave her a reassuring smile. She wiped her face with a sleeve and somehow found the courage and emotion to smile back. A couple minutes later she joined him by the fire, dressed and ready for the day.
After an uneventful breakfast Sakura and Kakashi started taking down their tents. The noise woke Naruto up and he quickly joined in packing. No one spoke. They didn't need to. The tents were packed and the sleeping bags rolled up in a matter of minutes. The fire was put out and all traces of the camp were erased.
When all this was done they climbed aboard the cart they had been given for their return trip home. They had needed something to carry Sasuke's casket back in so a horse and cart had been quickly found for them by the grateful villagers.
Kakashi drove the horse while Naruto and Sakura rode in back. But instead of Sakura sitting next to the casket and ignoring Naruto like she had the previous day she joined him at the back end and let her legs dangle over the edge.
Naruto was a little surprised by this. Of course he was still reeling from the shock he had received last night. When he woke he was sure it had all been just a dream but upon inspection of his surroundings he found the warm spot beside him and several pink hairs strewn about. And then of course there was his wet shoulder and the kunai stuck in the ground. Months of being ignored by Sakura however had cauterized his mind. He quickly shrugged it off as the result of a particularly bad nightmare on Sakura's part. He just couldn't believe that she had needed anything more then a bit of comfort or a familiar face. Unrequited love tends to have that effect on people over long periods of time.
So when Sakura joined Naruto at the back of the cart he was a bit surprised to say the least. But when she fell asleep against him an hour into the trip he was completely dumbfounded. Instinctively he wrapped an arm around her so she wouldn't fall over and almost yanked it away when he realized what he had done.
Sakura slept for the better part of the trip back after that. Perhaps crying herself to sleep with Naruto had broken her down enough for sleep to take her or maybe her body just couldn't take it any more. Either way she sleep almost without waking for the next two days.
On the morning of the third day after her midnight appearance, the fifth day on the road, the tall gate and walls of Konoha appeared on the horizon. Naruto would have shouted and jumped for joy if Sakura hadn't been asleep next to him in the hay. So instead he got off the cart and walked along side it to work out the energy that had suddenly come at the sight of the city walls.
Kakashi watched the young blond as he paced beside the horse. The jounin noted that Naruto's walk had more life to it then it had just the other day but that life seemed to end at his waist. The boy was slumped forward, shoulders sagging, as if he carried the world on his back. The two images, lively feet and bent back, so contradicted each other that Kakashi spent the last thirty minutes to the gate pondering their significance. What was going on inside the blond's mind that could create two opposite reactions at the same time?
A hail from the gate broke the silver haired jounin out of his thoughts. A chuunin guard was approaching them from the partially open gate. Kakashi couldn't place his name but he recognized the face. The young man obviously knew Kakashi's name though. He saluted as the cart pulled to a stop beside him.
"Welcome back Kakashi-san. May I know what you have in the cart? Security procedures you know."
The young chuunin walked back along the side of the cart without waiting for a response and peered into it's bed. Kakashi's eye tracked his progress, noticed the sudden stop and intake of breath, saw the man's eyes widen in shock as he saw the plain wooden box. The chuunin stared at it for a long time before finally tearing his eyes away from it. The look in those large suddenly listless eyes as they met Kakashi's told the older man that the chuunin realized what the box contained. The man's eyes flicked over to Sakura who was still asleep in the hay then ahead to Naruto who hadn't stopped when the cart stopped but had instead continued on until he had been forcefully stopped by a second guard.
"I'll uh...open the gate for you sir," the young ninja replied in a voice barely above a mumble.
Kakashi nodded his thanks as the man walked past.
With a creak and a groan the gates opened and Kakashi nudged the horse forward. As he passed through the gate Kakashi saw that the chuunin had already told his fellow guard the news.
The second guard had been staring at Naruto with only slightly disguised hatred. He knew Naruto as a beast, a troublesome brat that was no better then dirt, not even worthy of the name ninja. He knew Naruto's behavior patterns. He was loud, annoying, and ready to bounce off the walls at the drop of a hat. So he found it annoying that Naruto was not acting like himself today. The dejected look on the boy's face robbed the guard of some of his hate for the boy, which of course only made him more mad. But when the man heard what his friend had to say and saw the cart trundle past his feelings of hate and disgust for Naruto seemed to slide out of his hands like so much sand. He saw Naruto look up as the cart passed, saw the painful expression on his face as the box and the sleeping girl came into view, saw him draw in a shuddering breath and then continue trailing after the cart.
As the cart and the blond boy disappeared from view around a corner the guard realized he had seen Naruto in a new way just then. He had seen him not as the nine-tails demon...but as a human.
Thanks for the reviews people. Sorry if some of this doesn't make much sense.(A side effect of a funk attitude i guess)
Sakura woke with a jump. Something didn't feel quite right. Maybe it was the fact she didn't recognize the tent above her, maybe it was because she was incredibly warm for some reason, maybe it was because she felt refreshed for the first time in who knew how long, or maybe it was because the something her head was resting on was moving up and down in a slow even rhythm.
Then she remembered where she was. She pushed her self up slowly and looked at the blond haired boy next to her. He was still sleeping peacefully there, oblivious to everything, a small smile pasted on his lips. For some reason the sight of that smile brought tears back to her eyes again.
She realized then that she had never given Naruto a chance to truly be her friend. She had pushed him away time and time again yet he had continued doggedly after her. She had called him names and hit him on the head more times then she could remember yet he persisted. He had never been mean to her or insulted her in any way. He had protected her when she was in danger. He had...he had done it all. He had done everything she wished Sasuke would have done for her and got nothing but a cold shoulder in return.
The tears began to roll down her cheeks one by one. She didn't bother to wipe them away. Instead she just sat there and punished herself for being such a terrible person. She had been so cold to him, the person who had cared for her the most, and had instead given her love to a boy who had never given his back. Who had instead thrown it back in her face.
Sakura reached out a tentative hand and brushed a lock of blond hair out of the sleeping boy's face. He looked so happy lying there. For a second she wished it was Sasuke's face she was seeing below her but she clamped down on that thought. She didn't want to wake Naruto up by crying even more.
With barely a whisper she slipped out of the tent and out into the early morning sun. Kakashi was busy cooking something over a small fire next to his tent. He looked up when she appeared and gave her a reassuring smile. She wiped her face with a sleeve and somehow found the courage and emotion to smile back. A couple minutes later she joined him by the fire, dressed and ready for the day.
After an uneventful breakfast Sakura and Kakashi started taking down their tents. The noise woke Naruto up and he quickly joined in packing. No one spoke. They didn't need to. The tents were packed and the sleeping bags rolled up in a matter of minutes. The fire was put out and all traces of the camp were erased.
When all this was done they climbed aboard the cart they had been given for their return trip home. They had needed something to carry Sasuke's casket back in so a horse and cart had been quickly found for them by the grateful villagers.
Kakashi drove the horse while Naruto and Sakura rode in back. But instead of Sakura sitting next to the casket and ignoring Naruto like she had the previous day she joined him at the back end and let her legs dangle over the edge.
Naruto was a little surprised by this. Of course he was still reeling from the shock he had received last night. When he woke he was sure it had all been just a dream but upon inspection of his surroundings he found the warm spot beside him and several pink hairs strewn about. And then of course there was his wet shoulder and the kunai stuck in the ground. Months of being ignored by Sakura however had cauterized his mind. He quickly shrugged it off as the result of a particularly bad nightmare on Sakura's part. He just couldn't believe that she had needed anything more then a bit of comfort or a familiar face. Unrequited love tends to have that effect on people over long periods of time.
So when Sakura joined Naruto at the back of the cart he was a bit surprised to say the least. But when she fell asleep against him an hour into the trip he was completely dumbfounded. Instinctively he wrapped an arm around her so she wouldn't fall over and almost yanked it away when he realized what he had done.
Sakura slept for the better part of the trip back after that. Perhaps crying herself to sleep with Naruto had broken her down enough for sleep to take her or maybe her body just couldn't take it any more. Either way she sleep almost without waking for the next two days.
On the morning of the third day after her midnight appearance, the fifth day on the road, the tall gate and walls of Konoha appeared on the horizon. Naruto would have shouted and jumped for joy if Sakura hadn't been asleep next to him in the hay. So instead he got off the cart and walked along side it to work out the energy that had suddenly come at the sight of the city walls.
Kakashi watched the young blond as he paced beside the horse. The jounin noted that Naruto's walk had more life to it then it had just the other day but that life seemed to end at his waist. The boy was slumped forward, shoulders sagging, as if he carried the world on his back. The two images, lively feet and bent back, so contradicted each other that Kakashi spent the last thirty minutes to the gate pondering their significance. What was going on inside the blond's mind that could create two opposite reactions at the same time?
A hail from the gate broke the silver haired jounin out of his thoughts. A chuunin guard was approaching them from the partially open gate. Kakashi couldn't place his name but he recognized the face. The young man obviously knew Kakashi's name though. He saluted as the cart pulled to a stop beside him.
"Welcome back Kakashi-san. May I know what you have in the cart? Security procedures you know."
The young chuunin walked back along the side of the cart without waiting for a response and peered into it's bed. Kakashi's eye tracked his progress, noticed the sudden stop and intake of breath, saw the man's eyes widen in shock as he saw the plain wooden box. The chuunin stared at it for a long time before finally tearing his eyes away from it. The look in those large suddenly listless eyes as they met Kakashi's told the older man that the chuunin realized what the box contained. The man's eyes flicked over to Sakura who was still asleep in the hay then ahead to Naruto who hadn't stopped when the cart stopped but had instead continued on until he had been forcefully stopped by a second guard.
"I'll uh...open the gate for you sir," the young ninja replied in a voice barely above a mumble.
Kakashi nodded his thanks as the man walked past.
With a creak and a groan the gates opened and Kakashi nudged the horse forward. As he passed through the gate Kakashi saw that the chuunin had already told his fellow guard the news.
The second guard had been staring at Naruto with only slightly disguised hatred. He knew Naruto as a beast, a troublesome brat that was no better then dirt, not even worthy of the name ninja. He knew Naruto's behavior patterns. He was loud, annoying, and ready to bounce off the walls at the drop of a hat. So he found it annoying that Naruto was not acting like himself today. The dejected look on the boy's face robbed the guard of some of his hate for the boy, which of course only made him more mad. But when the man heard what his friend had to say and saw the cart trundle past his feelings of hate and disgust for Naruto seemed to slide out of his hands like so much sand. He saw Naruto look up as the cart passed, saw the painful expression on his face as the box and the sleeping girl came into view, saw him draw in a shuddering breath and then continue trailing after the cart.
As the cart and the blond boy disappeared from view around a corner the guard realized he had seen Naruto in a new way just then. He had seen him not as the nine-tails demon...but as a human.
Thanks for the reviews people. Sorry if some of this doesn't make much sense.(A side effect of a funk attitude i guess)