When Naruto woke up, he could see sunlight shining against his eyelids. He felt a hand on his shoulder and heard a soft voice as he opened his eyes.
"Naruto?"
He turned to look and saw Sakura standing by the side of the bed, still wearing her pajamas. She watched him with concern.
"Sorry for waking you up. It's just that there's someone at the door. I didn't think I should answer it," the pinkette explained.
As if on cue, he heard a rapping on the front door. Naruto sighed before getting out of bed and pulling on a shirt.
"Okay, I'll be back, Sakura-chan."
The visitor knocked again. Sakura smiled nervously at Naruto and sat on the side of the bed.
The blonde hurried to the door and opened it. His eyes widened when he saw that it was Haruno Mebuki. The older pinkette gave him a friendly smile.
"Hi, Naruto-kun. I was wondering if I could speak to Sakura. She's here, right?" she asked.
Naruto gulped. Sakura had never actually explained what went on with her and her parents. But lying to Mebuki was out of the question. He grinned nervously.
"Uh... Yeah. Would you like to come in, Haruno-san?"
She frowned lightly at him.
"I told you to call me Mebuki," She then smiled warmly in a similar way to how Sakura did. Naruto gaped a little at this. "But of course I would! Thank you, Naruto-kun."
The woman walked in and sat down on the couch, resting her arm on the armrest. Naruto closed the door and watched her awkwardly. She glanced over at him, her expression still pleasant.
"I'll just wait here," she said quietly.
Naruto nodded and went back into the bedroom. Sakura was in the same position on the bed, looking down in thought. She looked up at him when he entered.
"Sakura-chan, it's your mom. She wants to talk to you."
Her eyes widened.
"Oh. That's fine, I guess," Sakura replied.
The pinkette went into the bathroom and checked herself in the mirror before walking into the living room. Naruto followed her.
Mebuki stood up to greet the two of them. Sakura didn't quite meet her eyes. One of her hands gripped her elbow anxiously.
"Hi, Sakura dear. Kizashi was worried about you, so I decided to come here. I hope I didn't interrupt anything," Sakura's mother said.
Sakura looked down gloomily.
"Oh... Okay... I guess I'll come back home... But I was hoping to spend time with Naruto today... Is that alright?"
Naruto was watching the exchange with concern. Mebuki gave her daughter a sympathetic look.
"It's fine. You can spend as much time with Naruto-kun as you want. I really like him. I wasn't worried at all. But you should at least check in so that your father doesn't drive me up the wall."
Sakura looked up at her mother.
"Okay, mom. I'll come back tonight."
Mebuki walked up to her and gave her a hug which she didn't return. Naruto politely walked into the kitchen to give them privacy.
"I said it's fine. You can stay here as much as you want. He just wanted to know when you're going to come home. He's not mad at you."
"But I don't want to leave Naruto... I need him..."
Mebuki rubbed her back soothingly. Sakura finally returned the embrace.
"I know, dear. I know. Maybe you don't have to. I thought you might feel this way. We'll talk about it. I know that Kizashi does like him. He just wasn't ready for you to grow up so fast. It's a shock to him."
Sakura nodded. She still looked a little worried.
"Okay..."
Her mother pulled back and smiled at her.
"That's all. I'll see you tonight. Bye, Sakura dear."
Sakura smiled weakly back.
"Bye, mom."
As Mebuki was walking out, she caught Naruto's attention and waved at him.
"Bye, Naruto-kun. I know you'll take good care of our Sakura."
Naruto nodded sharply.
"I will. Goodbye, Mebuki-san."
Sakura's mother opened the door and walked out, closing it behind her. Naruto walked into the living room and looked at Sakura, who was staring at the carpet.
"Sakura-chan?" he prodded.
He found himself the target of a pink missile. The ordnance latched on to him tightly. He put his arms around her immediately, very used to this by now.
"Naruto... I can always stay with you, right? If I want to?" Sakura asked.
"Of course... But, Sakura-chan, your parents aren't mad at you, right? What's the problem?"
She gripped more tightly to him.
"It's not them, Naruto... I don't want to be away from you. I just don't know what to do without you. I know I said that I'd stop acting so weak... And I'm trying... But I really feel like I need to be able to see you every day."
Naruto looked down at her with concern.
"Sakura-chan, I want to see you every day too, but we're both pretty busy. We might not always be able to."
He put a hand on her pink head and started flattening her hair comfortingly. Sakura leaned into his hand.
"Well... There is one way... Ino suggested it to me."
The blonde watched her curiously as he continued his ministrations. Her eyes were wide and soft as she looked up at him.
"I could come live here with you, Naruto. What do you think?" she asked tentatively.
His hand froze. Naruto ran through a few different emotions in a few seconds.
The first was shock. He couldn't believe she wanted to live in this crappy apartment with him. Everything would be so much easier for her living with her parents. She had meals, her own bathroom, and he was sure that both of them were always around to help her. His apartment was small and all he had was ramen and a single bathroom. The only thing she didn't have at her parents' home was him.
Then he felt elation. Sakura wanted to live with him. She didn't care about the loss of amenities, she only wanted him. He would get to see her smile every morning. He could spend time with her every day. He would be able to sleep in the same bed with her every night. He'd always be able to sleep with her warm body next to his.
He finally felt a sinking feeling of dread. There was no way that he would be able to resist her if she was always there. The more nights he spent curled up to her, the greater the temptation would become. Surely her heart would shatter when she realized how twisted his once selfless love was becoming, when she understood that he would only be happy if she gave herself to him. She would end up feeling like a piece of meat as he took advantage of her need for comfort and her earnest desire to make him happy.
The sad truth was that no amount of her kindness and love would have satisfied him earlier. All he had wanted to do was penetrate her until she cried out desperately. He knew he would eventually indulge himself no matter how bad it would make him feel afterwards. He had known that she was vulnerable because of how much she needed him, but the lust burned inside him all the same.
He knew he would feel like the worst kind of scum when he took her heartfelt care and callously exploited it so that he could satisfy himself with her body. After this became clear to the pinkette, she would come to understand that he wasn't as great of a person as she thought he was. She would feel used and dirty. Nothing would be the same. She would probably still love him, but it would be a love that brought her misery, just as it had with Sasuke. She would eventually stop showing him warmth and affection. She would never look at him the same way. He'd never see her warm smile again. He would ruin everything.
Naruto felt like he had to talk her out of it. He gave her a troubled look.
"But, Sakura-chan... They're your parents. I'm always going to be here. You shouldn't rush into this."
She looked at him imploringly.
"Naruto... It's what I want to do. I would still see them. I would visit them all the time. Even if I didn't, I can live with not seeing them for a little while. I can't live without you, Naruto. You're the only one who makes me feel safe and happy. Please, Naruto?"
The blonde looked away so as to not let her see his pained expression. He wondered how long she would keep feeling safe and happy around him.
"I just... I don't think you should do this right away. I think you should think about it."
Sakura frowned. She pulled away from him and crossed her arms, looking at him inquisitively.
"Naruto... I'm surprised. I thought this would make you happy. Why don't you want me to?"
He looked at her with an awkward smile.
"I do... I think it would be great. I just don't want you to make a hasty decision. Don't you think you should take some time to think about it more?"
She raised an eyebrow.
"Naruto, I've been thinking about it a lot. It just hasn't been a good time to bring it up until now. Trust me, I've been wanting to do this for a while. So since you also want me to, what's the problem?"
He couldn't help but look at her with alarm, which she noticed.
"But..."
He trailed off. The pinkette looked down sadly.
"Naruto... Can't you just tell me what's wrong? You know how I feel about you, and I love staying here. What's the real reason you're hesitant? Are you having second thoughts about me...?"
Her lip was quivering. It had been so hard to put words to that. She really hoped that it wasn't the case. She felt like she wouldn't survive if it was.
The horrified Naruto held up both his hands in a placating gesture.
"No! I love you, Sakura-chan. I really do. Never doubt that I do. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I gave you that idea."
Sakura looked up at him with an intent gaze.
"Then I don't get it, Naruto. You said that you always wanted to live with me. So why shouldn't we live together?"
He sighed. His posture slouched as his arms fell and hung limply at his sides.
"I mean... Do you really want to live in this apartment with me? It's not that great to live in. It's not worthy of you, Sakura-chan."
She gave him a puzzled look.
"Naruto, I don't care. It's like how you said you don't really do anything here but sleep and eat. It's the same at my parents' home. I like eating dinner with them, but that's all I would miss out on. In exchange, I would get to sleep next to you..." She smiled softly. "I fall asleep so easily when you're there, Naruto. It's wonderful. And then when I wake up, I'm so happy to see you. I can hug you right away. I just want that so much, Naruto. Can't I have it?"
Naruto realized that he wasn't going to be able to convince her. He had to either tell her she couldn't, in which case she would demand to know why not, or he could simply agree. If he agreed, then she would move in with him and what he feared would likely come to pass. But it would at least be some time until he ruined everything.
He smiled sheepishly at her.
"Okay, I guess. You should talk to your parents about it first, though. I'd feel better about it if they accepted it."
Sakura grinned widely and embraced him gleefully.
"Thank you! I'm so happy, Naruto. You'll be happy too, I know it. I can't wait. It's going to be great, Naruto. You'll see."
As she kissed him on the cheek, Naruto felt the same sinking feeling in his gut.
/
They ate breakfast together before departing. Sakura noticed that Naruto seemed a little distracted, but she was so happy that she had finally asked him and that he had agreed that it didn't bother her. They went to the Hokage office together.
After greeting Shizune, they entered and Kakashi looked up at them with an eye-smile.
"Ah, it's the golden couple. How are you two?"
Sakura uncharacteristically gave Kakashi a warm smile. Naruto seemed unusually reserved.
"We're doing great. How are you, Sensei?"
"Fine... I have some news for Naruto. One of the Genin teams for the upcoming exam that we're hosting here had a member drop out. I was thinking that he could take their place. I was going to promote him anyway, but most of the council seems to think that it would be good publicity for Konoha if he participated, even though it would be no challenge for him."
Naruto frowned lightly. He couldn't care less about his rank right now.
Sakura looked over at him.
"Really? That's great, Naruto. It's ridiculous that you're still a Genin."
"Uh, yeah... I guess I'll do that, Sensei. If it's what's expected of me," Naruto said.
Kakashi nodded.
"Okay. It's in two weeks. You should meet your team before then. I'll let you know as soon as I arrange it. Make sure not to kill any of the little Genin accidentally," Kakashi warned.
The blonde nodded back.
"Sure, Sensei. Can I start studying now? Sakura-chan wants to help me."
Kakashi pointedly handed a folder full of documents across the desk, which Naruto took. Sakura accompanied him to a table in the corner and helped him study for the next few hours.
/
Team 8 had scheduled a training for today. Kiba and Shino were waiting in the training field alongside Akamaru for Hinata to arrive.
Kiba was worried that she'd still be angry with him. Even if she never returned his feelings, he didn't think he could bear her disliking him. Even if she would always care more about Naruto than him, he needed to at least be her friend. He knew he would feel even more pathetic if he ruined their friendship over his unrequited feelings that Hinata didn't ask for.
After a few minutes, the blue-haired girl finally arrived. She walked up to them with more self-assurance than usual.
"Hello, Shino," she said pleasantly. She looked over at Kiba. "Kiba."
Shino nodded.
Kiba looked downtrodden. She had greeted Shino before him. He wondered if that meant something.
"Greetings, Hinata. How do you fare?" the bug ninja asked.
Hinata smiled politely.
"I'm fine. Let's start training right away. I'm feeling motivated today."
They both gave her a strange look. The three of them began practicing their taijutsu and combinations. After a while, Kiba pulled Hinata to the side. She watched him with a raised eyebrow.
"Hinata, I've been meaning to talk to you. Are you still angry at me?" the Inuzuka asked.
Hinata looked at him confusedly before shaking her head.
"No, why would I be?"
Kiba raised an eyebrow in puzzlement.
"Because of what I told you about Naruto...?"
The Hyuga girl winced.
"No... I'm not angry at you for that, Kiba... But please don't talk about Naruto-kun."
Kiba's expression became almost as pained as hers had been. Frustration boiled under the surface. Of course she still loved that blonde bastard. He would be an idiot to expect anything different.
"Fine, Hinata. Sorry for bothering you. Let's go back to training."
Hinata nodded and did so. Kiba followed her after a moment.
/
After they finished their work in the Hokage office, Naruto and Sakura were walking around the village. It was late in the afternoon. They had been discussing the prospect of living together.
"So, I'll ask my parents what they think about it over dinner. I'll come over tomorrow and tell you how it went. Okay, Naruto?" Sakura asked.
Naruto nodded and smiled.
"Sure, Sakura-chan," he replied.
He quickly looked away. He seemed terribly distracted. The pinkette's eye twitched.
She inspected him carefully. She wondered what was eating him. He had been reluctant to agree. She thought he was just worrying about her like he always did, but there had been something off about him all day.
She finally stepped in front of Naruto with a frustrated expression. He froze in his tracks.
"Okay, Naruto, what the hell? I'm starting to feel like you don't really want me to move in with you. You've been acting weird ever since I brought it up. There's something wrong that you're not telling me. I thought we trusted each other with everything, Naruto. I'm really hurt that you don't feel like you can tell me," she said.
Naruto had been watching her with wide eyes. He sighed and looked down at his shoes.
"Sakura-chan, you're right. I should tell you. But I really don't know how to. It might change the way you feel about me."
The pinkette's expression and tone of voice softened considerably.
"Nothing could change the way I feel about you, Naruto. You could tell me anything and I'd still love you. I told you that even if you hated me, I'd still love you. But it can't be that you hate me. So I don't understand. We've been having a wonderful time together. I don't see why you wouldn't want it to continue. Please, just tell me. I promise I'll forgive you no matter what it is, Naruto."
He looked up at her seriously.
"Sakura-chan, I promise I'll tell you. Just give me time to find the right words. I'll tell you tomorrow, okay? I promise."
Sakura nodded reluctantly.
"Okay... But I'm sure you're just worrying over nothing. I can't imagine what could possibly be that bad, Naruto."
He frowned sadly.
"Maybe I am... But it doesn't have to do with you, Sakura-chan. You're always amazing. It's me. I'm the one who..."
Her face grew pained and she interrupted him.
"No, Naruto, you're wrong. I'm the one who's wretched. You're the amazing one. I did horrible things to you in the past. It doesn't matter what you're worried about. It couldn't be as bad as what I did to you, Naruto."
Naruto looked at her imploringly.
"Sakura-chan, I told you to forget about that. It doesn't bother me."
The pinkette gave him a desperate look.
"But, Naruto... How can I, when you're being hurt by whatever this is? If you're feeling bad about something and you can't let it go, I don't feel like I deserve to be happy after what I did either."
His eyes widened.
"I guess you're right... But this is different, Sakura-chan. Just give me some time. I'll tell you when I see you tomorrow."
Sakura smiled weakly.
"Okay, I guess... As long as you tell me. I don't want anything hurting you."
Naruto sighed.
"Don't worry, I will."
She wrapped her arm around him and leaned on him as they walked.
"You'd better."
/
They eventually made their way to Sakura's parents' house. The sun was setting. Sakura turned to Naruto and put her hands on his shoulders.
"Next time, you can eat with us. You should become part of the family. But for now, I think I should talk to them about it alone," she said.
The blonde nodded.
"Okay, Sakura-chan. That makes sense," he replied.
She smiled warmly at him for a few seconds while he watched her curiously. Then she pulled him into a passionate kiss which Naruto returned after a moment. When she pulled back, she was grinning.
"That felt really good, Naruto. Sorry, it's just that I know I'm going to have to be by myself tonight. I wanted to get my fill of you."
Naruto grinned sheepishly back at her.
"That's okay, Sakura-chan. You can do that whenever you want. I really like it when you do. I love you."
"I love you too, Naruto. See you tomorrow."
With a wave, she entered the house. Naruto stared at the door for a while.
He enjoyed kissing her, he always had, but it always seemed like Sakura was satisfied with as much or as little as he wanted to do, while he would inevitably want everything. He sighed deeply. It would be so much simpler if she just cared about him a little less. Enough to push him away. Then this wouldn't be a problem. He could never force himself on her. But she was too beautiful for him to resist that which was willingly offered.
A light drizzle began to fall as the sun set below the horizon. He made his way quickly towards his apartment.
/
As Naruto was hurrying to get home, he quite literally ran into Rock Lee. They both fell on the ground. Naruto got up first and shook his head. He extended a hand to help Lee to his feet. The stunned martial artist blinked a few times as he gazed at Naruto's extended hand.
"Sorry, Lee. I should've paid attention to where I was going," Naruto said apologetically.
Lee grasped his hand and quickly got into a standing position.
"That is most alright, Naruto! You have quite an impressive physique. I feel like I collided with a wall made out of iron! You should be proud of your youthful training," Lee said exuberantly.
Naruto shrugged.
"Yeah, I guess I am... Well, I've got to get home. See you later, Lee."
Lee reached out his hand to Naruto as he turned to walk away.
"Naruto, wait!"
Naruto stopped and looked at him curiously.
"I have to apologize to you. I should never have said what I did."
The blonde frowned confusedly.
"I don't have any idea what you're talking about, Lee."
Lee straightened up and stood even taller.
"About Sakura-san... I never should have said that back then! It was cowardly! I was... jealous. Please forgive me, Naruto!"
After a long pause, Naruto finally realized what Lee must be referring to. The green clad ninja was waiting eagerly for a response. Naruto sighed and spoke up.
"It's fine... I don't even remember exactly what you said. If anything, you should apologize to Sakura-chan. She was never that kind of person. She was always amazing."
Lee nodded enthusiastically.
"Very well, Naruto! I shall."
"Well, see you later, Lee."
Naruto raised a hand in an awkward wave. He turned and walked quickly away. Lee began doing stretches in the middle of the rainy street.
"Farewell, Naruto! My youth may protect me from feeling jealous, but I still believe you to be very fortunate! Naruto!"
The blonde had already disappeared behind a corner.
