Sorry for not updating for such a long time! I've finished writing the rest of this story out on paper and I'll be finishing it on this site really soon!(I've got like another 3 chapters to update after this one and then I'm done! WOOT!) I hope you enjoy this chapter! I had a great time writing it, please review and tell me if you liked or hated it (or anything in between is good 2).

Peace out,

MelanieStar

P.S. 'thoughts'

'20 minutes 'till the dance. I guess we better get going!' Naruto thought.

They had been at the Ramen Restaurant for the last hour and Naruto, after about 12 bowls of ramen, was finally full! Sakura had had one bowl as soon as they had gotten to the restaurant and another one after about 40 minutes of watching Naruto stuff his face.

Needless to say, she was slightly bored.

'If only I had known what I was getting myself into when I said yes to his ramen offer...' Sakura thought as she leaned on her elbows which were standing securely on the table, her chin placed in one open palm.

-"Sakura-chan?" Naruto said, making her lift her chin and swivel her chair so she could look at her blond companion.

-"Hm?"

-"Are you ready to go?" he asked, glancing once again at the clock that was stationed on the wall behind the counter.

"Am I ready to go? Am I ready to go! I was 'ready to go' a long time ago! I've been waiting for you to stop hoggin' down noodles for the last hour! So yeah, I AM ready to freaken go!" Inner Sakura fumed.

-"Yeah." Sakura said calmly and got up.

-"Okay." Naruto said and stood up, following her out of the restaurant.

They started walking down the street. It took awhile before Naruto decided to bring up the subject of the dance.

-"Sakura-chan, remember how I told you that I had a surprise for you?" Naruto asked, looking up at the sky. Sakura turned and gazed at him with a puzzled look.

-"Yeah, but I thought the movie was the surprise." she said. Naruto smiled and shook his head.

-"Nope, that wasn't the surprise," he said looking straight in front of them. "That is."

Sakura stared at him for another moment before hesitantly turning her head to look straight ahead.

She gasped.

-"This is-..." she whispered softly.

-"Yep! It's the Valentine's Day Dance!" Naruto finished for her, looking at her facial expression turn from shock, to excitement.

There, in front of the two, was a colorful sign that read: Happy Valentine's Day! With pink and red writing. Behind it was a huge stage with 5 Djs stationed on it. All around the stage were giant speakers and flashing lights. Sakura could hear Avril Lavigne playing in the distance and could see many people standing in front of the stage, dancing.

She slowly turned to Naruto with a joyful face, to say the least. Naruto, still smiling uncontrollably, grabbed her hand.

-"Let's go! He said and started running towards the party, dragging Sakura along behind him. Sakura regained her composure after a few wobbly steps and caught up to run along side Naruto.

-"Naruto-kun, this is awesome! Thanks so much for bringing me here!" she exclaimed happily and leaned in, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. Naruto turned a bright shade of red and turned towards her, smiling brightly.

-"Anything for you, Sakura-chan." he said in what Sakura thought was the sweetest voice she'd ever heard.

They passed under the colorful sign and continued to steadily run towards the party. They ran straight into the dancing crowd and blended in as they broke out into some hardcore (or in Naruto's case, scary) dance moves.

After about an hour and a half worth of Avril Lavigne, Ciara, Linkin Park (which featured a very impressive demonstration of breakdancing from some little kids who could really break it down), and Jay-Z (who kept insisting that everybody had 'dirt on their shoulders' and that they needed to 'get it off'), they played the first slow song of the evening, We Belong Together by Mariah Carey.

Sakura hesitantly turned and looked at Naruto questionably after seeing the various couples in the crowd join together for the dance. Naruto gave her a nervous smile and drew nearer so he could whisper in her ear.

-"I don't know how to slow dance, Sakura-chan." he said shyly and drew away, only to have Sakura reach out and grab both his hands in hers, pulling him back.

-"Then I'll teach you." she said softly and placed his hands on her waist, moving her own so that they were loosely wrapped around his neck, earning a light blush from the blond. "Now just relax and follow my lead." Sakura said softly and started swaying from side to side with the rhythm of the song, all the while watching Naruto's face as he looked down at her feet, mimicking her ever move.

After awhile, Naruto became more comfortable with the whole situation and got the hang of slow dancing. He looked up and locked eyes with Sakura, giving her a smile. Sakura smiled back and leaned in, resting her head on his shoulder and tightening her grip around his neck.

-"I really enjoyed spending my day with you, Naruto-kun." she whispered in his ear. Naruto breathed in deep, enjoying the sweet scent of strawberries that radiated off her hair.

'I've never been close enough to smell it before...' he thought as his hold on her waist tightened slightly, turning their position into more of a hug then before. "I'm glad you enjoyed it..." Naruto said softly.

They swayed back and forth slowly, savoring the time when they could be in each other's arms without the awkward silence or interruptions.

-"And Naruto-kun..." Sakura said softly, but Naruto could hear some hesitation in her voice. He gently nudged her neck with his nose, urging her to continue. "Thank you for helping me feel better about Sasuke...whether you realize it or not, you really helped me feel better about what he said the other day...and to feel better about myself..." she said as the song finished playing and all the couples around them parted from each other, getting ready for the next quick paced song.

Naruto felt Sakura gently pull away from the embrace and he reluctantly released his hold on her. She smiled at him and took his hand, leading him over to the side of the stage.

-"I'll be right back, I just need to go to the lady's room." she said and released his hand, turned, and walked over to the Tea House, the only place for blocks that was offering their bathrooms for the dance's public to use. (You know how most places won't let you use their bathrooms unless you buy something from them, right? Well, that's not the case here.)

Naruto sat down against the stage, trying to get as far away as possible from an oversized speaker that was now blaring some Missy Elliot.

He thought about Sakura. About how her pink hair slows in the wind, or how she blushes lightly when she gets embarrassed,...and how she sends shivers down his spine every time she holds his hand or whispers in his ear...

That's when a certain thought that had been torturing him for awhile surfaced again.

'Dammit...How the hell am I gonna tell her about Kyubi!...And how will she react? Will she hate me like everybody else does...or worse?' Naruto let out a frustrated grumble and messed up his hair with both hands. 'It's useless! I'm on a direct course for failure! I can't win!'

-"ARG!" he exclaimed and smacked his head against the back of the stage, earning some weird looks from a passing couple.

(With Sakura)

After using the 'bathroom' and washing her hands, Sakura took a quick glance in the mirror on the way out. After fixing her hair, she gave herself a satisfied smile before exiting the lay's room and out the Tea House door.

Looking ahead of her, she couldn't see Naruto. 'I guess he moved away from those speakers. Not that I blame him, those things are enough to give anybody a headache!' she thought and looked to the side, seeing if she could spot him.

Not seeing Naruto, she was about to turn her head back when she bumped into something soft. Almost falling over backwards, she looked ahead of her to see what she bumped into. Seeing nothing but a dark blue shirt, she looked up to see-...

Lol, CLIFFY! I'll update soon! R&R MelanieStar