A.N. Put a normal disclaimer here. No ownership, bladdy bladdy blah.
"Please, Sakura-chan." he plead, his eyes lively and dancing. Something about today stuck out to him as the day, the greatest of days. Something about it made him even more giddy than when he returned from his journey with Jiraiya.
That was why he had changed his outfit today. Though he liked his new black and orange outfit, he knew that it wasn't the nicest of clothes. So today he wore a simple, decently tight long-sleeved black T-shirt and dull red pants that hung loosely on him. After all, you couldn't ever be rid of at least part of his fashion sense. Overall his new outfit was made of a slightly nicer material than the one he normally wore, and his Konoha forehead protector was wrapped around his bicep, making the flash of metal seem woven into his top.
"Fine Fine! If it'll shut you up and make you stop asking I'll go!" she shouted in response, hiding the blush she got from accepting her first date. If she had taken a step back and examined the situation she wouldn't have minded it so much, though all she could presently see was how annoying and obnoxious he was; thus she tried to appease him for some peace. When she said it she snapped her head to look at him, only to be surprised at how serene he looked. His eyes were closed and he seemed to melt, all of the tension in his muscles evaporating.
"Thank you, Sakura." He said softly, opening his calm blue eyes to look at her.
"Don't call me that!" she yelled, punching him right in the nose with about forty percent of her strength. She took a small amount of satisfaction from the audible crunch and the feeling of something wet on her knuckles as she moved toward the new crater she made.
She looked down at his bloody form, liquid pouring from his broken nose. She allowed herself to be sorry before she hopped down and moved toward his face. She gasped in surprise as she saw his eye open and tears barely restrained in them. "I-I'm sorry Naruto!" she exclaimed, instantly moving to embrace him.
Despite his urge to hug her, like she did after she healed the sword wound he received from Orochimaru earlier that week, he pressed his hand against her collarbone and sat up. After all, he wouldn't allow her to soil herself on his account. "It's nothing, Sakura-chan." he said, gripping his nose. A loud pop was heard as he pushed it into place with a grimace.
"Then why are you crying?" she asked skeptically, still worried. Seeing someone almost die in front of you could cause that, even if it was in the past.
"Oh, I always cry when I'm hit really hard in the no-ah-aah-choo!" he said, sneezing violently. Another sickening pop was heard as his nose slipped out of place.
"Aah! Naruto!" she yelled, not accustomed to having blood and snot on her forearm. She thought about hitting him again, in the chest, but decided washing herself off was much more important. So she ran off to do so.
When she got back he was pulling himself from the hole in the ground. She took note of his clothes as she walked; his black shirt had been partially dyed red in the front while his red pants had long streaks of green and brown and both of them had long rips in them. Okay, maybe she used more than forty percent.
As she walked she blushed from embarrassment. Once Sakura was a few feet from him she offered to help him heal his nose, which he refused as too much trouble. She giggled softly and said he sounded suspiciously like Shikamaru. He laughed lightly at that and she allowed herself to feel better.
After a small silence he asked a question that forced her mind back to the pre-punch situation. "So, Sakura-chan, when should I come by?" he said softly, returning to the rare serenity.
"Um...I dunno Naruto. How about eight?" she said somewhat tentatively, unsure of herself for some reason. She was relieved when she saw him smile fervently before running off.
"So, who do I have to see?" he asked himself when he got home. "Tsunade-baachan first off." he said, looking at the gem and the broken string in his hand. "Then Kakashi-sensei; he can wash my clothes and dry them too!" he said, remembering the impressive water dragon he made long ago and he figured the Jounin would have some way to dry his clothes also. H had so much work to do andso little time
