Waking up the next morning, Sakura found herself in an unfamiliar place. She looked down and saw that she was wearing her pink pajama top. It was fairly thick, so she felt quite warm with that and the bedsheet. She looked to her side and saw a familiar blonde head of hair. She remembered that she had stayed with Naruto last night. She smiled as she examined him. He was sleeping peacefully. One would never imagine that he was so upset the previous night. The pinkette was glad she was able to make him feel better. She hated it when he wasn't his usual cheerful self. She loved to see him smile, especially when it was because of her. Simply seeing him happy made her heart soar. And she knew Naruto felt the same way about her. They were perfect for each other because of that.
Of course, Sakura had known what the problem was. She usually did when it came to Naruto. Even before arriving back in Konoha, she knew that some people would never accept that she could let go of Sasuke so easily. So freely. But it really had been so natural to her. And she knew that no one who hadn't been there would ever understand why. Ironically, Sasuke himself was the only person that distinction would apply to. But she didn't care what the others thought. She cared what Naruto thought. And true, it did bother her a little more than she had let on that he had thought that way about her. It had been very out of character for him. That kind of pessimism was more like the way Sasuke would think. But she could never bear to let something like that continue to hurt Naruto. It really didn't affect her that much.
Because at the end of the day, she was a kunoichi named Haruno Sakura. The cherry blossom of Konoha. Known for being the student of Tsunade of the Sannin, and for two other things. One of them was her beautiful forehead. And the other one meant that she could imagine much worse things that could have happened to the man that she loved than him becoming a little bit like Sasuke. Also, he didn't think that way anymore. Naruto's faith in her was endless now. Though he had lost hope in her in the past, that hope had been regained. She would never give him a reason to doubt her. She wanted to protect his love for her always. Nothing was more important to Sakura.
Naruto started to stir. He was awakening. Sakura moved to sit up in the bed now that she knew it wouldn't disturb him.
The blonde opened his eyes as Sakura watched with a smile. He looked around drowsily. When he noticed her, his eyes widened.
"Good morning, Naruto," Sakura said.
Naruto smiled contentedly.
"Sakura-chan..." he said quietly.
She grinned toothily.
"Happy to see me?"
"Of course... I always am."
Sakura chuckled.
"Haha... I can think of a few times when you weren't. Well, I'm going to go take a shower. My bag is in your bathroom, right?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Okay. I'll be back."
Naruto smiled and nodded. She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek before getting up and walking through the bathroom door. Naruto gazed at her in admiration as she did so. Sakura turned to face him as she was standing in the doorway.
"Oh, and Naruto?"
"Yeah?"
Sakura smiled conspiratorially.
"Be good."
Naruto's brow wrinkled in confusion.
"Okay, I will be... But, why?"
"Because if you're good... I'm not going to want to wait that long."
Naruto gaped, wide-eyed. The pinkette grinned and slowly shut the door.
When she had finished getting dressed after her shower, she returned to find Naruto in the same state she had left him in.
/
They left the apartment together. Sakura had gotten time off from the hospital in hopes of doing something with Naruto today since she had spent the night there, but Naruto still had his studies to do. They decided to go talk to Kakashi about it.
They made their way to the Hokage Tower, holding hands as they went. They received a variety of looks. There were smiles, but there were at least as many disparaging glances towards the pinkette. The harpy who had ensnared their hero, who would surely crush him later on with her love for the traitorous Uchiha. Naruto was still troubled over people thinking that way about her. But the pinkette just gave him a reassuring smile. She didn't really care what they thought. So the blonde did his best to ignore them.
They finally arrived in front of the Hokage office. Shizune smiled at them.
"Hi, you two. Here to see Hokage-sama? Go on in," she said.
Sakura nodded at her.
"Okay. Thanks, Senpai."
They opened the door and entered. Kakashi was sitting behind the desk which had the hat resting on it. He was reading one of his usual books, and didn't look up at them.
"Good morning, Kakashi-sensei!" they both shouted rather loudly. It was something they had agreed to do beforehand if he was overly immersed in reading.
Kakashi jumped with a start, dropping his book. He glared at them. They both laughed.
"You guys... Even as the Hokage, I still get no respect," the white-haired man complained.
"Maybe you would if you stopped reading Ero-sennin's books in your office all the time," Naruto replied.
The masked ninja smirked invisibly at him. He had been one of the first people to know that they were together. He had raised an eyebrow at their original mission request, and when they had come to report their return, he figured out what had happened without them needing to say anything. He had merely eye-smiled and wished them luck.
"You should be reading them too, Naruto. It looks like you're going to need some ideas soon."
Naruto blushed deeply. Sakura also blushed as she glared at Kakashi furiously.
"Sensei...! Do you not see that I'm standing right here?!" she shouted in embarrassment.
"You should let me lend you one as well, Sakura. It's no fun if you make him do all the work."
"I don't want one! Listen, Naruto and I wanted to do something together today. So would it be okay if I helped Naruto with his studies here so he can get them done faster?"
Kakashi nodded.
"Sure. Just be sure to give me all the details after you're done with whatever it is you end up doing. I've read all of Jiraiya-sama's works so many times, so I need something new."
Sakura's eye twitched. This was not something she wanted to discuss with Kakashi. The blonde just looked between the two of them nervously.
"You... Argh, forget it. Naruto, let's get started."
Naruto nodded at her. Kakashi looked like he was about to burst into laughter.
"You're getting started right in front of me? Wow, you guys are bold!"
They both glared at him this time.
/
The work was finished about four hours later, around noon. They decided to go out and eat lunch together. As they walked down the street towards the BBQ place, they came across a familiar bun-haired girl in a Chinese style dress. The girl froze when she saw them, before walking up to them somewhat nervously. They stopped walking and looked over at her.
"Oh, Tenten! How are you?" Sakura greeted.
"I'm fine... Uh... Could I talk to you guys about something?" Tenten replied.
"Sure," Naruto said.
"Okay... Well... I... Uh..."
The weapons mistress seemed quite flustered. They looked at her expectantly.
"Tenten, calm down. We're all friends here," Sakura said in a relaxed way.
Tenten looked at her seriously.
"That's exactly it... I... I don't want to stop being friends! I've felt so guilty... Please forgive me!"
She bowed after saying this. Naruto and Sakura both gaped at her.
"Uh... Tenten, I'm not mad at you. I'm sorry if it seemed like I was... I was more angry at myself than anything else," Naruto explained.
Tenten looked at him with shock before nodding.
"Okay. It was wrong of me, though. I shouldn't have bought into what Kiba was saying about Sakura... You were right that Neji would never have done something like that. But if you're both okay with it, I'll try to forget about it."
The pinkette smiled warmly at her.
"I can't afford to stress over what everyone thinks of me. If I did that, I would never get anything done. Hey, we're going to the BBQ place. Why don't you come eat with us? That would be okay with you, right, Naruto?" Sakura said.
Naruto nodded.
"Of course," he said.
Tenten finally smiled.
"Sure, I'm hungry. Let's go," she said eagerly.
They made their way to the restaurant together. They sat down at the same table where Kiba had started that controversial discussion. After they had ordered, Tenten looked at the two of them curiously.
"Well, you guys do seem really close. Being from the class above you, I have to confess that I never really understood what the whole deal was about Sasuke..." she said quietly.
Sakura laughed.
"I don't really understand it either, anymore. Naruto and I have always had a special bond. Something more than friendship... I feel bad that it took us so long, but I'm so happy that it worked out in the end... I really can't live without him," Sakura replied.
Naruto nodded.
"I can't live without you either, Sakura-chan... I tried, and it wasn't working... Everything I did felt so meaningless without you there," replied the blonde.
"I was sad without you too, Naruto. It's so much more fun when you're around. I felt like I was just going through the motions."
Tenten chuckled. They turned to look at her with some surprise.
"Guys, cut it out. You're making me feel like a third wheel," Tenten said.
"Oh! I'm sorry, Tenten. So do you have anything going on the romantic front yourself?"
Tenten looked down sadly.
"Well, I really believed I was in love with Neji... But I never got the chance to tell him..."
Naruto and Sakura both looked down in painful remembrance as well.
"I really wish I could have saved him... I feel so responsible. If he hadn't been protecting me..." Naruto lamented.
Tenten looked at him with some indignation.
"Naruto, you can't be like that! That was his choice. He chose to give his life to protect you and Hinata. Please don't take his free choice away from him... It was something he valued more than anything else."
Naruto looked at her apologetically.
"You're right... I'm sorry that I said that."
The server brought their food. They ate their lunch while talking of less emotional topics. When they had finished, they paid and exited the restaurant. Tenten said farewell to them and walked off feeling much more carefree than before.
Sakura turned to look at Naruto.
"Well, what should we do now?" she asked.
Naruto looked down in thought before answering.
"Hmm, I don't really know... For now, why don't we just go up on Hokage Mountain and talk for a while?"
"Sure, Naruto. Let's go."
They quickly made their way up the mountain.
/
They were sitting next to each other on top of the Yondaime's head making small talk as they looked down at the village. Sakura moved closer to Naruto and leaned on his shoulder.
"Naruto... I really am happy to be with you. So happy. I wouldn't want to be with anyone else. You know that, right?" she said.
Naruto blushed lightly.
"I think I'm finally starting to believe it... I'm really happy, too. I feel so lucky."
Sakura smiled.
"Well, we're both lucky."
He turned to look at her and unexpectedly got lost in her eyes. Sakura was also having difficulty. They gazed at each other in awkward silence.
"Naruto... I thought of-" the pinkette started to say before Naruto kissed her.
She was surprised but returned the kiss, wrapping an arm around him. After some time, they pulled back, both taking a deep breath.
"Sorry... I just remembered that I'm allowed to kiss you sometimes, and I really wanted to," Naruto explained sheepishly.
Sakura laughed in a way that Naruto found very charming.
"That's okay, Naruto. I was going to say that I thought of something we can do. You should come with me to see my parents. They know how important you are to me, but I don't think they really get that we're together."
Naruto tilted her head at her quizzically.
"Really? What did you tell them when you came to stay at my place?"
"I told them I was staying with Ino... Sorry, I really wasn't up to explaining it all right then... But I really want them to hear it from us, instead of from someone who thinks I'm going to break your heart over Sasuke-kun."
Naruto smiled at Sakura, who was grinning sheepishly.
"Oh, I see. Yeah, let's do that. I've been wanting to see them again, anyway."
"Okay, great! Want to go now?"
"Yeah, we might as well, even though I'm happy being here with you, Sakura-chan."
"There will be more opportunities like this, Naruto. I promise."
Sakura gave him a reassuring smile. They both got to their feet and made their way to Sakura's parents' house.
/
They had arrived at the street that the Haruno family home was on. Naruto turned to look at Sakura.
"Sakura-chan, I'm a bit nervous. What if they don't approve?" he asked.
Sakura gave him a deadpan look.
"Naruto, they will. Trust me. But let me be the one to tell them, since you're nervous, I guess," she replied.
"Okay, Sakura-chan."
They arrived at the modest home and Sakura knocked on the door. After a moment, Sakura's mother Mebuki answered the door. She was an older woman with the same pink hair that Sakura had.
"Oh, it's you, Sakura dear! And you're with Naruto-kun! What a pleasant surprise! Come on in," she greeted.
"Hi, mom," Sakura said.
"Hello, Haruno-san. It's nice to see you again," Naruto said with a polite nod.
"Please, just call me Mebuki," Sakura's mother replied.
The pair walked inside. They went to the living room of the house where Sakura's father Kizashi was sitting in an easy chair. The man looked surprised to see them.
"Sakura! You're here with Uzumaki-san? You should have warned us! We would've arranged something if we knew the hero of the war was coming here," Kizashi complained.
Sakura sighed, while Naruto looked sheepish.
"Dad, Naruto doesn't need anything like that. You know that to me, he's just Naruto," Sakura said.
Her father shook his head.
"You still should have told us. Well, go ahead and sit down anywhere you want. What brings you here?"
The pair sat down on the couch. Mebuki sat across from them in another easy chair. Sakura smiled tentatively at her parents.
"Well, we have something to tell you."
Her mother's eyes widened. Kizashi just watched inquisitively.
"It's about Naruto here... Well... I'm in love with him, and we're together now," Sakura continued.
Mebuki smiled. Her father just stared at her blankly. Naruto grinned sheepishly.
"But... What about that awful Sasuke kid?" Kizashi asked.
Sakura sighed tiredly.
"... There's nothing between me and Sasuke-kun anymore."
Kizashi's eyes lit up. He turned to look at Naruto with a wide smile.
"That's wonderful news! So... You're the son of the Fourth Hokage?"
Naruto gave him a blank look.
"Uh... Yes?" he said.
"And you're in love with my daughter?"
Naruto smiled.
"Yeah..."
The older man jumped out of his chair with an elated expression.
"That's amazing! This is great. I'm going to go buy some champagne to celebrate! I'll be right back. Mebuki, take care of them while I'm gone."
He ran out. Naruto gave Sakura a confused look. She smiled back embarrassedly. Sakura's mother was still gazing at the both of them happily.
"So... Naruto-kun. How did you come to fall for my dear Sakura?" she asked.
Naruto looked at her, still feeling a bit sheepish about this.
"Well, I've been in love with her as long as I can remember. I'm not really sure when exactly it happened, Mebuki-san."
"Well, then, how did you two get together?"
He glanced over at Sakura, who nodded at him.
"Hmm... We went on a trip together, and I guess everything fell into place after that."
Mebuki pouted.
"I need more details! Sakura, tell me how you fell for him, then."
Sakura frowned. It was pretty personal, but she didn't want to leave her mother in the dark, so she decided to explain as well as she could.
"Well... After the war ended, I was still thinking about Sasuke-kun a lot. At the same time, I noticed that Naruto wasn't spending as much time with me as he used to, and that really bothered me. So I asked him why he was acting that way. It was hard to get him to say it, but I finally got him to admit that it was because he was in love with me. It was hurting him to be around me since he thought he was going to lose me forever. So I decided that I wasn't going to let it continue. He was just too important to me. I had feelings for him as well, but it wasn't even about that. I just care about him so much. So we decided to go on a trip to visit Sasuke-kun and figure out what we should do. On the trip, we got really close, and by the time we made it to where Sasuke-kun was, I was very happy to be with Naruto. He's truly special to me. No one else could ever mean as much to me as he does, and I really love him."
Mebuki was gazing fondly at her daughter as she told the story, her eyes watering slightly. Sakura and Naruto smiled at each other shyly.
"Sakura... That's wonderful... I'm so proud of you. You truly are my daughter. This makes me so happy."
Sakura raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean, mom? It wasn't anything special."
Mebuki blinked and wiped her eyes.
"Yes it was... I've never been as proud of you as I am at this moment. No matter what you felt for that Sasuke boy, you knew you couldn't hurt Naruto-kun, right?"
Sakura nodded.
"Uh, yeah..."
"You see, before I was with your father, I was smitten with a man named Goro. He's dead now. He died in the Fourth War. But he was very popular among the girls of our age group back in the day. He was a ninja of the Inuzuka clan."
Sakura and Naruto glanced at each other, both wearing amused grins at the thought of Kiba as this Sasuke-like figure.
"Anyway, I always tried to get his attention, but he never paid much attention to me. He always said he didn't have time. Sometimes he'd even laugh at me. It wasn't very nice of him, actually. I'm very embarrassed thinking about it now," Mebuki continued.
Sakura nodded, understanding all too well.
"And Kizashi and I had always been friends. He'd always been so kind to me. I could tell that he liked me and that he was keeping his distance to make me happy. He understood that I was hung up on Goro, so he never even asked me out on a date. After a while, I started to get frustrated. I was sure Goro would never return my feelings. So I stopped trying to talk to him. I kept spending time with Kizashi and we got closer. One day, after we had gone out to eat, I told him that I still had feelings for Goro, but I wouldn't mind it if he asked me out on a date soon. Your father just stood there blushing as I walked away."
The younger pinkette smiled imagining the cute scene.
"The next day, I wore a dress that I had bought that all my friends told me I looked great in, because I expected Kizashi to finally ask me out. I went to the city square and there was Kizashi... but there was also Goro. They had been having a conversation. I could tell that Kizashi was upset, but Goro was playing it cool as he usually did. I walked up to them."
At this point both Naruto and Sakura were leaning closer in anticipation.
"I said hello to both of them. Kizashi was so awestruck seeing me in that dress that he didn't even say hello to me. He just stared at me. But Goro... He finally looked at me. He smiled at me. He said hello to me. He asked how I was. We talked, and he even got to the point of asking me out. I was so happy. He finally noticed me. He finally asked me out. I was about to answer him, until I remembered Kizashi was there. So I looked over at him."
Mebuki frowned as she said this.
"He looked so miserable. He was sure I was going to say yes. He was positive that I was going to forget I had asked him to ask me out and agree to go with Goro. Even when he had just been standing up to him on my behalf. He just looked so defeated... So I realized something then. If I said yes, your father would have been so hurt. He wouldn't even have wanted to look at me anymore. Nothing would ever have been the same between us. And I didn't want that... I had grown to care so much about him. He had become my most important friend. I couldn't stand the thought of hurting him like that. So even though it was hard for me, I told Goro that I was sorry and that I had already promised to go out with Kizashi that day."
The older woman smiled.
"He just scoffed and walked away. But the look on your father's face afterwards... The admiration that he had for me... I felt something special for him then that I'd never felt for anyone else. It was an amazing feeling. I really started looking forward to that date, and the rest is history. Don't you see, Sakura dear? You really cared about how Naruto-kun felt. You had a wonderful bond of friendship with him. And you wanted to protect him and that bond, even if it meant you had to give something up. And in doing so, a flower bloomed in your heart for him. And that flower turned your friendship into something even more beautiful. That flower that was able to create so much happiness for you and Naruto-kun... It bloomed because of your caring spirit. It bloomed because you are my daughter, Sakura."
Sakura only gaped. Naruto smiled, feeling a great respect for Sakura's mother.
"Wow, mom... How come you've never told that story before?" Sakura asked.
"I don't know. But I'm glad I waited until today."
They all heard the door open. Kizashi had returned with the champagne.
"Welcome back, dear," Mebuki said.
"I got two bottles. Have you all been having a good time?" her husband replied.
"Of course. I was just telling them about what happened with us and Inuzuka Goro."
Kizashi frowned.
"I know I shouldn't talk bad about him because he died fighting for Konoha, but I really hated that guy. Even after we got engaged, he still wouldn't leave you alone. It was like he never got over the fact that you actually said no. It was his own fault that he took so long to realize how amazing you were."
Mebuki smiled warmly at him and he smiled back. Sakura and Naruto exchanged knowing grins as her parents had a moment. Then the older man set out four glasses. They all had drinks and talked for hours about various things.
/
It had gotten dark and Naruto was getting ready to leave. After saying goodbye to Sakura's parents, he was talking with the pinkette near the open front door.
"I loved spending time with your parents, Sakura-chan. But I wish I could stay with you... Today was so wonderful," Naruto said.
Sakura smiled.
"Yeah... Well, you'll keep seeing me. Hey, I have an idea. Why don't we go on a mission together? It could be like a really long date."
Naruto's eyes lit up.
"That's a great idea, Sakura-chan! I'll ask Kakashi-sensei if we can get a mission for just the two of us."
Sakura nodded.
"Sounds great, Naruto."
Naruto finally stepped outside. He turned and waved at her.
"Bye, Sakura-chan."
"Naruto... Wait."
The blonde gave her a questioning look. Sakura stepped out after him and pulled his head down to hers into a passionate kiss. Then she stepped back into her house, leaving a breathless Naruto outside.
"Bye, Naruto!" Sakura hollered cheerfully.
The pinkette shut the door. The surprised Naruto eventually found his way back home.
