It was dusk when Sakura left the flower shop. She didn't know if Naruto would be home yet as they hadn't specified a time. She decided to go try to see him anyway. She wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. Since she had been so emotional yesterday, she felt like she can't have been much fun to be around. She was resolved to create happier times for both of them as she made her way to the residential district.

When she arrived, she walked briskly up to the door to his apartment and knocked on it. She waited a while and knocked again. It seemed he wasn't home. She sighed languidly, wondering what she should do. She wasn't sure if she should wait for him or come back later. She settled on the latter and turned around.

She noticed an orange-clad figure in the distance. He waved at her as he approached. Sakura smiled widely and gave him a small wave back.

As Naruto got close enough to speak, he had a casual grin on his face.

"Hi, Sakura-chan. I hope you didn't have to wait for me," he said.

Sakura simply approached him and planted a kiss on his lips as a response. He smiled shyly at her as she pulled back.

"No, I just got here. I am happy to see you though, Naruto. I was worried I would have to come back later," she replied.

The blonde grinned wider.

"I'm glad I came now, then. I didn't want to miss spending time with you. So what do you want to do?"

Sakura hummed thoughtfully.

"Hmm... Why don't we do something outside? There's not much to do in your apartment, after all."

"Sure, that sounds good to me."

The pinkette held up her bag.

"First, could you let me put this inside so I don't have to carry it around?"

Naruto nodded. He deftly unlocked the door and opened it.

"There you go. Man, I'm a disgrace of an Uzumaki. I open my door with a key. I need to learn fuinjutsu someday."

The pinkette walked inside and set the bag down on the kitchen counter before going back outside to join Naruto. She checked that the door was locked before closing it.

"Isn't fuinjutsu basically just memorization as long as you have the chakra to use it? You're an Uzumaki, so I'm sure you could do it, Naruto."

She grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

"I guess I could. Thanks, Sakura-chan. You always believed in me. Where do you want to go?"

Naruto smiled hopefully at her. She grinned back.

"Let's just walk around. We'll come up with something."

They walked off hand in hand. After they had gotten a ways down the street, Sakura leaned her head on his shoulder. The blonde smiled at this affirmation of her presence.

/

The couple was walking through the commercial area. They actually hadn't said much to each other. Each was just happy to be with the other. They had gotten many looks, but no one had approached them.

They both noticed Hinata leaving a store accompanied by one of her Hyuga guards. Naruto turned to look at Sakura.

"Look, there's Hinata. We should go say hi to her," he said.

She frowned lightly. Hinata wasn't really her friend, even if she was Naruto's. She doubted that the Hyuga girl would be at all happy to see her.

"Naruto, are you sure? She might not want to see us," Sakura replied.

The blonde looked at her imploringly.

"I know, but she's still my friend. She did a lot for me, Sakura-chan. Even though I don't feel the same way about her as I do about you, I don't want to lose her friendship."

Sakura nodded reluctantly. They both walked faster to cross paths with Hinata. The bluenette turned to look at them. Her eyes grew somewhat pained, but she had a polite smile on her face.

"Naruto-kun... Sakura-san. Hello... How are you two doing?" she greeted.

Sakura smiled politely as well. Naruto grinned.

"Hello," the pinkette said.

"We're doing great. What are you up to, Hinata?" Naruto asked.

Hinata smiled a little more genuinely. Sakura watched the exchange curiously.

"I was buying some textiles for our craftsmen to use... Some of my distant relatives in the branch family are getting married soon, and I wanted to do something nice for them. It's what Neji-nii-san would have wanted."

Naruto looked down in thought.

"I see... Hinata, I promise that I'll change the Hyuga when I become Hokage. Don't think that I abandoned you or the things that you care about. You'll always be an important friend to me."

Hinata's expression grew more pained. To be reminded of the fact that she would never be more than a friend to him while seeing Sakura on his arm made her feel miserable. She couldn't stand to look at them. She was having great difficulty maintaining the smile on her face, but Naruto didn't notice.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun..."

The Hyuga attending to her did notice, however, and gently touched her arm.

"Hinata-sama, we should go. Hiashi-sama is expecting you to return within the hour," he said stoically.

Hinata turned to him and nodded with some relief before turning back to Naruto.

"Sorry, but it looks like I have to go. Farewell, Naruto-kun, Sakura-san. Have a good rest of your evening."

Naruto smiled and nodded.

"That's fine. Bye, Hinata."

Sakura mumbled a goodbye as well. She would have liked to have been invisible for that exchange.

When the two Hyuga were out of sight, Sakura tugged on Naruto's arm.

"Come on, Naruto, let's go," she said hurriedly.

"Okay, Sakura-chan."

They walked off together. Sakura entertained a thought of pointing out how uncomfortable that had been for Hinata, but she felt it would do no good. All it would do is make him feel bad for the blue-haired girl. Naruto would never abandon his friends in any case.

/

They ended up on the outskirts of Konoha. They had bought some takoyaki to eat for a light meal as they walked along. Neither of them really felt like sitting down at a restaurant.

When they finished the takoyaki, they walked hand in hand to a large lake that reflected the light of the full moon. Sakura squeezed Naruto's hand.

"Look, Naruto. The moon looks so pretty," she said.

Naruto smiled softly at her.

"It does... But I don't think it's as beautiful as you are."

Sakura blushed lightly.

"You know that line wouldn't work for anyone other than you, right?"

The blonde looked at her quizzically.

"Why does it work for me, then?"

She gazed at him with a warm smile.

"Because, Naruto... You're always genuine. The thought of telling someone something just to make them like you more wouldn't even occur to you. If you say something, then you mean it. So I know you mean it, and I'm very flattered. But you don't need to win me over. I already love you."

He nodded, his brow wrinkled in thought.

"I see... But, Sakura-chan, I want you to feel like you're beautiful. You're the most beautiful person to me. You always have been."

Sakura blushed more deeply.

"Thank you, Naruto. I couldn't ask for anyone better than you to be in love with. I'm really happy."

Naruto's eyes widened a little at this.

"Sakura-chan, I'm a little curious about something."

She looked at him with curiosity.

"Sure, what is it?"

He gazed at her with wide, tentative eyes.

"If I hadn't been honest with you back then... What would have happened? What would you have done?"

The pinkette gaped a little. She knew exactly what he meant, and she wasn't sure that she even knew the answer herself. But she really didn't want him to worry about something like that.

"Well, if you said you didn't love me, I don't think I would have believed you. It was the only thing that made sense. I don't know what other reason you could've had for avoiding me. So I probably would've kept trying to get through to you until you told me the truth."

Naruto looked away in thought before meeting her eyes again.

"So... You wouldn't have let us drift apart?"

Sakura smiled warmly.

"No, I wouldn't have. You're too important to me, Naruto."

He smiled in relief.

"Okay... I'm so glad. Sometimes I think that I might've chosen to keep being an idiot. And it makes me think that I would have to be apart from you. That would make my life so miserable, Sakura-chan. You're the reason I want to get up in the morning, to become Hokage, to do any of this. I was barely scraping by without you."

She hugged his arm closer to her side.

"We'll never be apart, Naruto. I want to stay with you forever. We'll grow old together. Do you want me to use a jutsu to look young like Tsunade-shishou does?"

Naruto frowned thoughtfully.

"I dunno... I'd like to think that you would always be beautiful to me."

Sakura chuckled.

"Haha... Like I said before, I believe you. I'm sure now that I won't need it."

They both smiled. The pair left the lake to walk home. They went at a very slow pace. There was no need to rush as long as they were together.

/

At the Haruno residence, Mebuki and Kizashi were sitting down for dinner. Kizashi had a frustrated look on his face.

"You made way too much. I doubt Sakura will come back tonight," he said.

Mebuki frowned disapprovingly.

"Well, it's here for her if she does. She's probably just with Naruto-kun. Don't worry about it, dear."

Sakura's father put a piece of meat in his mouth and chewed it languidly before looking over at his wife.

"But we don't know when she's going to come back. Why are we not worried?"

She stared at him disbelievingly, as if he was overlooking something exceedingly obvious.

"Because Naruto-kun will take care of her."

He sighed.

"Well, I'd still like to know when she's coming back. I know she's an adult, so I can't tell her what to do. Hell, she's a million times stronger than me. But she's still my daughter, and I want to know what's going on with her."

Mebuki gave him a sharp glare.

"You're right, you can't. And it's none of our business what she does with Naruto-kun. But if it will make you feel better, I'll go look for her at his apartment tomorrow morning. Sakura once told me where it was."

Kizashi nodded tiredly.

"Okay, Mebuki. Tell her that I'll never judge her, and that this will always be her home. And find out when she's going to come back. That's all I want."

His wife only nodded.

/

Naruto and Sakura had returned to Naruto's apartment. They were resting on the couch, sitting closely enough that their sides touched. They gazed at each other with some electricity in the air.

"So, Sakura-chan... What time do you think it is?" Naruto asked.

The pinkette leaned in a little closer to him.

"I don't know... I'm guessing it's pretty late," Sakura replied.

"Well... What do you want to do tomorrow?"

She moved even closer so that their noses were almost touching.

"Naruto... I don't care about that right now."

Naruto gulped.

"Okay, Sakura-chan... You're right, it's not that important. So, what do you-"

He froze mid-sentence as Sakura wrapped both hands around the back of his head.

"Naruto... I really want you to kiss me."

His eyes moved down to her pink lips. He realized that idea sounded really good to him. He tilted his head and wrapped his hands around the back of her head gently as well.

The blonde slowly maneuvered in and kissed her, sucking intermittently on her lower lip. It made an audible pop upon being released. Sakura held his head more tightly and pressed her lips more firmly against his so that he couldn't do that. She played with his spikes of blonde hair as they continued. Their hands traveled downwards over time, but there came a point when they mutually decided that they didn't want to progress this on the couch.

When they pulled back, Naruto's hair was visibly messed up. Sakura smirked at this.

"Sakura-chan, what's so funny?"

She grinned widely.

"Nothing. Can you get my bag and meet me in your bedroom?"

He frowned at her in confusion.

"Well, okay."

Naruto went to get it. When he returned, Sakura had already gone into his room. He followed her inside and saw that she had unzipped her vest and was taking it off. His eyes widened a little.

"Uh... Are you changing into your pajamas?" he asked.

The pinkette looked up at him.

"Actually, I was thinking of something. You didn't take a shower this morning, right?"

He looked at her blankly.

"No, I guess I didn't. Why, do I not smell good?"

Sakura smiled knowingly.

"No, you smell fine. I was thinking that instead of me just changing into my pajamas, we could take a shower together. Then I could put them on afterwards. I think it would be fun. Want to take a shower with me, Naruto?"

Naruto blushed deeply thinking about it, but he didn't want to be shy around her. He loved being close to her. So he eventually settled into a serious expression.

"... Are you sure you want to, Sakura-chan?"

She only nodded. He couldn't help but picture her naked form, and he already felt like this was going to be a major issue.

"Okay... I'll... I'll go turn the water on," Naruto said.

Sakura gave him a pointed look.

"Just take your clothes off and get in. I'll meet you in there. Don't be so shy, Naruto."

She raised her right hand, opening and closing it in a coy wave. Naruto gulped and walked into the bathroom, leaving the door open.

The shower was a combination shower and bathtub. It had a modest curtain that was a pale blue. He turned the water on and adjusted the temperature to a level he thought she would find pleasing. Then he hurriedly removed his clothes, abandoning them in a hasty pile. He stepped in, facing away from the door, but he didn't close the curtain. The warm water cascaded down his chest. After a minute, he heard quiet footsteps behind him. He spun a little too hurriedly.

He felt two weights on his chest. A naked Sakura was pushing him very lightly with both hands. He spaced out a little at the sight of her rosy pink nipples and pert breasts.

"Naruto, move a little to give me more room. You can look all you want later," she said.

He obeyed her command, retreating backwards a step. He felt heat gathering in his waist as he laid eyes on the narrow fissure below the familiar patch of pink hair between her legs. As she removed her hands from him and stepped in, she idly rubbed her stomach before haphazardly closing the curtain. Neither of them could see out of the enclosure that they were in.

"Sorry... It's just that your body is so beautiful, Sakura-chan," Naruto said with no small amount of awe as he looked up to meet her eyes.

She smiled widely at him as she picked up a bar of soap.

"I'm glad you like it, Naruto. Which part of it do you like the most?"

The pool of heat in his midsection was only growing.

"Uh... I'd have to say it's your pink hair..."

Sakura's eyes widened for a second. Then she chuckled.

"Haha. I guess you don't mean the hair on my head?"

It was all he could do to shake his head no. He couldn't resist looking down at the sight again. Sakura watched him carefully.

"Naruto, do you want to touch me? You can. I don't know why you're acting like you can't. I love you, so it's okay for you to touch me. I want you to be interested in me. Wouldn't you be okay with me touching you?" she queried.

Naruto looked up at her with some surprise. It would have been more if he wasn't so distracted. He didn't want to look down to see how much of an erection he had.

"Oh... I wasn't sure. Yeah... You can touch me if you want to, Sakura-chan."

She grinned.

"Okay, I'll wash you, then. And you can wash me. Or you can just touch me. I took a shower this morning, so it's fine either way."

The blonde felt much like a starving man being asked to choose between many dishes at a feast. Sakura began rubbing the soap over his upper body. After a few moments, she let out an exasperated sigh.

"Oh, for crying out loud, Naruto," she said.

She grasped his hand and pressed it between her legs. She watched his widening eyes with satisfaction before looking down to see his enlarged arousal. Her eyes widened as well. It looked significantly bigger in this light and angle.

Naruto tentatively stroked the delicate skin that was covered by her magenta-colored hair. His heart soared with excitement. Sakura looked up at his face with curiosity.

"Do you like that, Naruto?"

He didn't look up at her.

"Yeah... I guess I do..."

She moved the soap lower as she replied.

"I can tell. Go ahead, keep going. I want you to."

Naruto moved his hand to rub along her right hip and posterior, both of which were still dry. He marveled at the perfect curvature of her backside. No matter how subjective his appreciation of her body was, that part of it was beyond reproach. He hoped that she had never felt any envy towards Ino in that regard, because the blonde's behind didn't even merit the comparison. He couldn't feel a single mark or bump. It was like the pinkette's entire lower half had been sculpted out of marble.

Sakura only smirked rather than commenting. She didn't want to make fun of him.

She finally arrived at his crotch area with the bar of soap. She worked up a lather around his pubic hair and watched as the water cascaded down his muscled torso and washed the suds away. Then she decided to pay him back in earnest. She put the soap down and held his manhood between her fingers and thumb. He shuddered and his hand that was against her side involuntarily went slack.

She squeezed a little and felt how stiff he was. She realized how very aroused he must be. She understood that this might be quite cruel to him. She hadn't meant to tease him. She never wanted him to be uncomfortable. She only wanted to be open with him so that they could get used to being intimate. She decided that she was going about this the wrong way.

"Turn around, Naruto. I want to wash your back. You can touch me when I'm done," Sakura ordered.

Naruto slowly pivoted, giving his back to her without a word. She was happy that he didn't hesitate, that he trusted her implicitly. She reached out and quickly snaked her arms under his, wrapping them around his chest as she lightly pressed her weight against him.

"Naruto, try to calm down. Take a deep breath. Let me take care of you," Sakura whispered softly.

She reached down with her right hand and took hold of his length. The blonde tensed up.

"Saku-"

"Shh... Just breathe deep. Relax. Don't think about anything except me. Okay, Naruto?"

She started to slowly stroke him using a light grip. The skin around his manhood was quite flexible, so she could move easily, especially given that her hand was soapy.

"Okay..."

Naruto tried to breathe in through his nose as long as he could before releasing it.

The pinkette gripped him a little tighter as she moved her hand, but not much. She knew he would be sensitive there. Her hand was much less pliable than her insides, and that part of him was so vulnerable and precious. It was a physical embodiment of what he felt for her. She could never be rough with it. She knew that she could really hurt him if she used even half of the strength that she had, and the thought of that terrified her. She felt like that part of him deserved special attention. She felt like she was the custodian of it. So she tried to be as gentle as she could.

She began to speak in a soft, soothing voice.

"It's just me here, Naruto. It's just you and me. Just keep taking deep breaths. We're the only ones here. We're perfect. And you're all I'm thinking about too, Naruto. I just want to help you relax."

She flattened her palm against his chest and felt a rapid pounding. Then she pulled herself closer to him. As she pressed her upper body against him, she gasped as her hard nipples rubbed against the unyielding muscles of his back. Naruto visibly quivered as well.

"Oh... My poor Naruto's heart is beating so fast... I'm really sorry that I got you so worked up, Naruto. I didn't mean to. I just wanted to show you how comfortable we could be together. But I'll fix it. Just breathe for me. You don't have to worry about anything else. I'll take care of everything. Does this feel good, Naruto?" Sakura asked in a friendly way.

She moved her hand faster. Naruto couldn't help but to take a shallow breath.

"Yeah... It does..."

He tried breathing through his mouth, but it was shaky.

"That's good. You'll be able to relax soon. I can feel how excited you are, Naruto. You're really hard. I know it must have been uncomfortable for you. You should always tell me whenever there's something wrong. I promise I'll always do my best to make you feel better. It's my job to take care of you no matter what. I would never get mad at you or call you a pervert. Your love for me could never be wrong. It's the most important thing in the world to me. I want everything that comes with it. Don't you dare be ashamed of any of it. I could never leave you like this. In fact, I'm glad that you're so aroused by me. I'm glad that seeing me naked makes you so hard. Do you know why, Naruto?"

The blonde moaned softly.

"Ah... No... Why...?"

Sakura unwrapped her left arm from him and moved her hand up to the top of his head, gently flattening his partially wet hair.

"Because it means that I get to comfort you. I get to take care of you. That's my favorite thing to do, Naruto. I could stay like this forever. I love having you in my arms. I love being the one to take care of you. I'm so happy that you trust me so much. I would feel so bad if you didn't, because I want to be everything for you. Thank you for trusting me. I'll always take care of you, Naruto. Always. I promise I will never, ever hurt you..."

She punctuated each word of her last remark by kissing his upper back. Some water spilled into her mouth and she swallowed it with an audible gulp.

The sound excited Naruto for some reason that he couldn't understand. But everything else she was doing and saying had a similar effect, so he didn't think for very long about it.

"I only want to be a source of happiness for you. Because that's what you are to me. You're wonderful, Naruto. I love being so close to you. You make me feel really warm. Do you feel that way too, Naruto?" the pinkette continued.

Sakura slowed down a little as she made longer strokes with loving care, like she was looking after a priceless treasure. She was starting to have a lot of fun with this. Naruto struggled to finish his intake of air.

"Guh... Yes..."

She smiled happily as she pressed closer into him, pinning his left arm with hers. In her exuberance, it was all she could do to not completely wrap herself around him as she felt how warm he was. She wanted to share everything with him.

"I knew it. You feel so warm against me, Naruto. You're doing so good. So, so good. Hey, tell me when you're getting close."

As he felt different parts of the pinkette rubbing against him and the constant motion of her hand, Naruto found it more or less impossible to continue breathing deeply. He gave up on it, hoping that she wouldn't notice either way.

"Okay... I think I am..."

She sped up her efforts considerably in response. The sounds of colliding flesh grew louder.

"Okay. That's just fine. You don't have to hold back, Naruto. Don't worry about making a mess. It'll be easy to wash away. Don't worry about anything. It's only you and me here. No one else is going to see. Just let it go whenever you want. It's what I want you to do. Because I think you'll feel very good when you do, Naruto. It's going to make you feel so good. And I'm waiting for it too, because I know that you're thinking about me. I want to be the only one who can do this for you. I want to make you feel really good. Don't you want that, too?"

Naruto let out a shallow gasp, more from the anticipation this time than anything that she was doing.

"... Yeah..."

The pinkette smiled.

"I'm glad. I'm smiling just thinking about it. It makes me happy to be like this with you, Naruto. Because you're the one I trust. You're the one I love. If anyone else tried to get this close to me, I'd punch them as hard as I could. But with you, I feel like I can't get close enough. You make me so happy. So it's the most natural thing in the world for me to do this for you. Are you glad I'm the one making you feel good, Naruto?"

He made a vaguely affirmative sound. Sakura chuckled while continuing her ministrations ceaselessly.

"Hehe... Me too. I really want you to enjoy this. Because you deserve it, Naruto. You deserve everything that I can give you. I'm sorry that it's taking so long. Would you rather have been inside of me, Naruto?" she asked.

Naruto shuddered as he replied.

"Um... This is good... But I really loved being inside of you..."

She rubbed his chest in a reassuring circle.

"Don't worry, Naruto. We can do that later. Don't think I'm doing this because I don't want you. I do. I'd love to take you inside of me since it makes you so happy. Your smile means everything to me. I would never deny you something that you love, Naruto. We're just doing something different right now. It should still make you feel really good. And I really want you to feel good, Naruto. Are you still thinking about me?"

Naruto quickly spat out a reply.

"Yeah... It's always been you... But... Sakura... I'm..."

Sakura gripped him tighter and moved faster than she had dared to do before. The noises became much more rapid.

"Shh... It's okay. You must be so close. Let go. You did so good, my Naruto. You don't need to hold on any longer. It's going to feel wonderful, Naruto. Please let go for me. You're almost there. Please, Naruto. Please, do it for me."

A moment later, the blonde cried out violently. It actually sounded like he was in pain. It reminded Sakura of a time when Sasuke had accidentally hit him in the shoulder with a thrown kunai during training. She remembered it well, because it was one of a very few instances when Sasuke had apologized for something.

She felt his weight shift as his knees buckled. She urgently clamped her left arm tightly around him while supporting his weight with her own so that he wouldn't fall backwards. Thick ropes of milky liquid were splattering against the shower curtain. She listened in awe to his quick and shallow breaths.

Sakura was amazed that she could have such a powerful effect on him. He would've certainly fallen without her support. She was glad to have another opportunity to be the one to keep him on his feet. That was the role in life that had brought her the most satisfaction.

She began to slow her ministrations as more and more white fluid was expelled. When he became still, she released his member and moved her hand into the flow of water, washing away the residue. Then she gently held his shoulders with both hands and turned him around, looking him in the eyes with a kind smile.

"There... Don't you feel better now?" Sakura asked.

His eyes were glazed over but vaguely trained on her face.

"Yeah... I really do... Thank you, Sakura-chan..."

She laughed joyously and wrapped her arms around his torso and the back of his head, pulling him into a close embrace. She could feel his halfway turgid member settle against her nest of rose-colored hair.

"Haha... I'm so happy... Now I can hug you properly without that part of you getting in the way... Oh, Naruto..."

Naruto returned her embrace out of practiced habit. He was a bit disoriented still. Sakura's voice was quavering with emotion.

"This was what I wanted... It's just you and me... I love it when it's just you and me... I love you, Naruto," she said.

The water was still pouring down as hot as ever. Sakura suddenly shivered. She realized her back had grown cold. Naruto felt her shiver and gently picked her up, rotating their positions so that she would be in front of the stream.

"I love you too, Sakura-chan... I really do. Not because of anything like this. I just love who you are. You're the most beautiful and caring person in the world."

The pinkette arched her back to cover it in the warm water. Then she began to plant light kisses on the side of his face intermittently as she spoke.

"I'm glad, Naruto. So glad. Always stay with me. I never want you to go away. You're all mine... You're my Naruto... My Naruto..."

She rested her head against his and softly swayed, quietly enjoying the warmth that was covering her from all sides.

/

They eventually parted, each taking up a bar of soap and washing each other with gusto. When they had finished, they both felt very relaxed as they walked into the bedroom. Sakura retrieved her pajamas from her bag and put them on, putting her previous outfit and undergarments back inside. Naruto just pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms that was similar to those he had worn in the past. The pinkette dropped her bag at the foot of the bed and looked up at him.

"Let's go to bed, Naruto. I'm tired," Sakura said.

Naruto nodded and smiled. He waited for her to lie down before laying down next to her and pulling the sheet over both of them. Sakura turned over on her side and gazed at him lovingly.

"Naruto, will you hold me until I fall asleep?" she asked tentatively.

The blonde's eyes widened for a moment. He smiled dreamily at her.

"Of course, Sakura-chan. I love holding you. You're so soft," Naruto replied.

Sakura quickly scooted closer to him and wrapped both arms around him. He put an arm around her and pulled her to him reassuringly.

"Thanks, Naruto..."

She closed her eyes and quickly drifted off, breathing slowly and rhythmically. Naruto gazed up at the ceiling. He thought about how lucky he was to have her care for him so much. He really felt like she treated him far better than he deserved. She always thought about him no matter what the situation was. He sighed and closed his eyes. He felt himself drifting off to sleep.

/

Naruto found himself awake a few hours later. He opened his eyes to see that it was still pitch black outside. He could hear a light rainfall. He realized that the weather must have woken him up. He had been a light sleeper since his time training with the toads. He remembered Sakura's presence as he felt her weight resting on him. He turned his head to look at her. She had a peaceful smile on her face and her breathing was very quiet, almost inaudible. The curves of her sleeping form were apparent even under the sheet. Naruto thought back to what they had shared earlier as he watched her chest rise and fall under the thin covering. A dark craving grew within him and he felt himself harden.

He knew he could ask for more from her. She had told him she wouldn't refuse him. His heart beat faster as he imagined how easy it would be to get what he wanted. He would only have to reach out to her and kiss her soft lips. Then her pretty emerald eyes would flutter open. She would give him a loving smile and whisper his name as she wrapped her arms more tightly around him. Then she would pull herself closer to him so that she could kiss him tenderly in return. As a result, she would inevitably feel his arousal poking her. This would cause her to react in her usual way. She would want to soothe him. She would come to feel an inexorable need to take him into her warmth. So she would shyly strip off her pajamas that adorably matched her hair. And then, with encouraging whispers and touches so that he wouldn't feel guilty, she would quickly spread open her core and guide him inside of it. Her welcoming heat would wrap around him tightly. He would feel waves of pleasure as he thrust into her willing body. She would quiver and jolt around his length almost helplessly. He could run his hands over the supple flesh of her toned backside, her pleasantly wide hips, and the soft, pale peaks of her bosom. He would get to enjoy her to his heart's content. He would hear her forceful cries which had made him feel so good about himself. They had validated him. They meant that her heart belonged to him alone. They meant that she only wanted him. He desperately wanted to hear them again. They had made every hardship that he had experienced feel distant and insignificant.

Because she cared for him so deeply, she would accept him. Gently, violently, it didn't matter. That was up to him. She never dictated anything to him. She hadn't asked him to treat her a certain way. She trusted him, and she wanted him to do what felt natural to him. She wasn't concerned with herself. She never had been. Her consent would be based on her need for him to be happy, and this was a directive that was absolute. So she would never deny him access to the warm cavity adorned by her roseate strands, not when it could bring him so much comfort. She was willing to writhe on the end of his arousal for the sake of his happiness. Now that he understood that, he found himself tempted.

Even though he would be taking advantage of her care for him, Sakura would never see it that way. She would never think badly of him for it. That was simply the way she was with him. Anything he needed, or even merely wanted, was so very important to her. He didn't know if she had the same lust for him that he did for her, but he sincerely doubted it. That aspect had always seemed secondary to her. He knew she would be very content simply holding him as they had done. But she was observant, and she knew when he wanted her. And she would no sooner ignore his desires than she would ignore him being injured. It wasn't hard to see how this dynamic worked in his favor.

The way she felt about him was entirely unique. There was a time when she had strong feelings for both him and Sasuke. Then they had gone on that journey together, and the result was that he became the recipient of what she had felt for Sasuke on top of the significant feelings that she already had for him. As she had said, he was everything to her. And this was later compounded by her feelings of guilt. His needs became more important than any other desire or dream that she had. To say that she loved him was actually an understatement. So she wouldn't voice a word of complaint even in the rare case that she had one.

The pinkette stirred in her sleep and snuggled closer to him, causing the bedsheet to fall down past her shoulders. As she hadn't bothered to put her bra back on, most of her left breast was visible. She looked so exposed and vulnerable. Naruto thought about how angry he would be if someone else saw her like this. He would fly into a rage, and the bastard who thought he could perv on her would find himself quickly regretting his actions. But he wanted to take much more than a look. He sighed and pulled the sheet up over her. He had already seen it all. Not that he didn't want to see it again, but it only illustrated how much she dropped her guard around him. He had become her weakness, which would have been fine if he didn't want so badly to exploit it.

He knew she was ready to offer up her body as a source of relief for him. She had said she enjoyed it too, but he was sure that wasn't her motivation. It was all about him. And she was certainly not the type to be that way normally. She was a proud and intelligent woman much like his mother had been. And as a kunoichi, she could defeat almost any male ninja in an even fight as Tsunade could. She had no reason to yield to a man. So she would have established boundaries which would only be taken down when she wanted to go further for her own desires, not those of whoever she was with. But for him, she gave of everything that she had to give, asking for nothing in return.

It seemed wrong that someone as amazing as Sakura would offer him so freely something that was that intimate and personal. He wanted to say that he had lowered her, that he had shamed or disgraced her somehow. But she would be deeply hurt if he ever said such a thing, because his happiness was more important to her than her own life. She wanted so badly to secure that happiness for him. So to deny a simple physical act, one that wouldn't even hurt her, would feel like a massive betrayal of him and of herself.

This all meant that he could get what he wanted and the pinkette would never hold it against him. He needed only to rouse her and his euphoria would in fact be inevitable. She would insist on it, leaving his conscience technically clear. She would encourage him to pound into her over and over again until he found blissful release. He would be in ecstasy listening to her throaty cries. It would be so unbelievably pleasing for him. He would be fully satisfied and validated in every way. He would want for nothing.

But she had been so happy to spend time with him. She had freed herself from the stress that had been plaguing her. And now, she was sleeping peacefully. She had made it clear how badly she wanted to simply be held by him. She had taken care of his arousal because it interfered with that, not because of any desire that she may have had. So he didn't think he could disturb her contented sleep. That would be incredibly selfish. Naruto had never been able to be selfish when it came to her before. He knew that if he chose to wake her, there would be no going back. It would forever change him.

Because it ran counter to everything that was fundamental to who he was. It scared him how much he wanted to. He had always protected her because he treasured her. She was so soft and gentle. To use such a person to serve his base desires would be beyond the pale. She meant much more to him than a warm body that felt pleasing against his own. So he would always look out for her needs even if she wouldn't. He would always make sure that she could be happy.

The blonde finally closed his eyes.

He knew he didn't have to worry about his own happiness. Sakura would do that for him.