When Naruto awoke, he couldn't feel Sakura's weight anymore. He looked over to see that she had rolled onto her back during the night and was breathing softly. He carefully got out of bed. The daylight had just started to stream in through the window. As he reached into his drawer for a change of clothes, he heard Sakura mumble something drowsily.
"Naruto..."
His head swiveled to look at her. She was still asleep with a smile on her face. He felt bad about leaving her, but he had promised Kizashi that he would speak to him. He quietly put on his clothes and slipped out.
After making it out the front door, he took to the rooftops. He really wanted to get there quickly and make it back so that Sakura wouldn't worry. If she woke up and he wasn't there, she might think something bad had happened. He had considered leaving her a note, but her father had wanted him to be discreet, and he didn't want to lie to her about what he was doing.
He got to the Haruno house quickly and knocked on the door. After a few moments, a groggy looking Kizashi opened it. The man smiled thinly at him.
"Ah, hello. I didn't expect you to come so early," he said.
Naruto nodded.
"It seemed like the best opportunity to come here, since Sakura-chan doesn't like being alone. I hope I can get back to her before she wakes up," the blonde explained.
"I see. I'll come outside, then. I don't want to wake Mebuki, either."
Kizashi checked to verify that the front door was unlocked before walking out and shutting it.
"Follow me," he said.
He led Naruto around the house to the fairly small backyard. There were a few bushes that were growing out of control and a dusty swing set. It didn't seem like the family went back here very often anymore. He sat down on the back steps to the house and motioned Naruto to sit down as well. The blonde did so.
Kizashi silently stared out at the swing set for a few moments before speaking. Naruto watched him carefully. Finally, he spoke.
"Thanks for coming. I know you didn't have to."
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean? Of course I had to. I would never disrespect you. You're Sakura-chan's father," he said confusedly.
The older man shook his head.
"You didn't have to. If you wanted to, you could have laughed it off. Sakura cares for you so much that it wouldn't matter if we didn't accept you. I think you know that."
Naruto looked down in thought but didn't respond. It was clear to Kizashi that he did understand. The Haruno man smiled sadly to himself.
"I used to watch her play on that swing from this very step. It's hard to have a daughter, you know? Especially if she's your only child. I never thought that I would be the only man in her life, but I did think it would last longer than it did. She was incredibly precocious. She was so young when she became obsessed with that Sasuke kid. Mebuki would always tell me not to worry, but it was scary to me. That kid clearly had problems. She got it into her head that she was going to be there for him and he'd open up to her. He would be so grateful for her support that he'd marry her and she would be set for life. No one could discourage her from that, even though it was obvious he would never choose a civilian girl. But I guess it was just as unlikely that you'd pick her. Right, son of the Fourth?" he asked with some amusement.
The blonde frowned.
"Sasuke actually was going to try to be with her... He didn't love her, but he was going to try anyway, because we've been through so much as a team. But she decided to be with me. She said she wouldn't be able to live with herself if I was unhappy. I didn't really understand it back then, but I'm thankful."
Kizashi laughed.
"Haha. I guess I'm thankful too. I didn't want her to be with that kid. The family dinners being awkward would be the least of our problems if she did. I was pretty scared of him... But I'm even more scared of you."
Naruto's eyes widened.
"Why?"
Kizashi thought back to the past. Ever since she became a kunoichi, Sakura loved talking about her missions and her team. It was all she ever talked about around the dinner table.
Wearing her trademark dress, the pre-teenage Sakura hurriedly sat down in between her parents at the table. She started munching on the food much more ravenously than usual as her parents watched with wide eyes.
"I never should have listened to Ino. If I don't eat, I can't train at all. A ninja can't be on a diet," she said inbetween mouthfuls.
Her mother smiled in relief at hearing this.
"That's wonderful that you want to be useful for your team, Sakura dear. I'm sure they'll appreciate it," the older woman replied.
Sakura nodded.
"Yeah. I really need to impress Sasuke-kun soon. I can't be like all the other girls from our class. He never paid attention to any of them. I have to become a great kunoichi."
Her father gazed at her plate miserably, while her mother had a curious look.
"But Sasuke-kun isn't the only one on your team, right? There's three genin in a squad?"
Sakura stopped eating and looked at her mother with a frown.
"Well, yeah, there's Naruto. But he's an idiot. I hate him."
Mebuki tilted her head to one side.
"Why do you hate him? Is he not a good teammate?"
"He's not as good as Sasuke-kun, but he's okay, I guess. But he's just so annoying. He always tries to talk to me and calls me Sakura-chan. No matter how many times I tell him not to, he keeps calling me Sakura-chan. I'm really sick of it."
The older pinkette laughed.
"Haha. He sounds like a nice boy. Maybe he likes you."
Sakura made a disgusted expression.
"Well, I don't like him. He's always trying to show up Sasuke-kun. He annoys him almost as much as he annoys me. He never takes anything seriously. I could never like someone like that."
/
It was the morning after the first two phases of the Chunin exam. Sakura looked exhausted still.
"So how was the exam, Sakura? You went straight to bed without talking about it," Kizashi asked.
"It went alright. I had a draw with Ino, so neither of us advanced. I really wish I had won, but I guess I just wasn't ready," she replied with a sigh.
"I'm sure you'll do better next time."
The pinkette smiled tiredly.
"Sasuke-kun won his fight easily, of course, but the amazing thing was Naruto. Hardly anyone thought he could win, but he actually humiliated Kiba. He did so great. I was really excited for him."
Mebuki looked up from her breakfast with an expression of amused curiosity.
"But I thought you didn't like Naruto?" she asked.
Sakura's tired smile didn't change.
"I guess I like him now. He never gives up. It's hard to not want him to do well. He still annoys me sometimes, but he's my precious teammate."
/
Some more time passed. Sakura had started to train under Tsunade. She looked downtrodden as she picked at her food.
"What's wrong, Sakura dear?" Mebuki asked.
Sakura frowned without looking up.
"I don't feel like I have a purpose anymore when I'm not training. Both my teammates are gone. How am I supposed to be a ninja without them?"
Kizashi frowned as well.
"Sakura... Didn't you become a ninja because you wanted to? Why do you need those two boys to be a ninja?" he asked.
She finally lifted her head with a dismal expression.
"It's not that I need them to be a ninja... I am a ninja. But... They are the reason why I stayed a ninja. I could never have survived without them. I would either have died or resigned by now if it wasn't for them. And all I ever wanted to do was help them. But I was useless. I was dead weight. I was stupid for ever looking down on Naruto. He's probably a million times stronger than I am, now... I really miss him."
/
A few years later, the older Sakura walked in the front door and sat down at the table with a beaming smile.
"Hi mom, dad. How are you? Today was great," she said.
Both parents raised an eyebrow.
"Well, someone's certainly happy about something," Mebuki said.
Sakura nodded quickly.
"Well, Naruto finally came back. And he seems really strong, now."
Her mother smiled.
"Is that all that is different about him? That he seems stronger?"
Sakura blushed lightly.
"Well, no... He's gotten pretty tall. And he's kinda handsome, too. I was really surprised."
/
Several months later, Pain had destroyed most of the village. They were eating dinner in their somewhat damaged home a few days later.
"We were so lucky... We didn't lose anything important," Kizashi said with great relief in his voice.
Mebuki nodded.
"Thank God for that. And everyone came back to life. It's a miracle," she replied.
Sakura was brooding over a bowl of soup. Her mother looked at her curiously.
"Don't you think so, Sakura dear?" Mebuki went on.
The younger pinkette didn't look up.
"No, I don't. It wasn't a miracle. It wasn't God," She lifted her head but didn't make eye contact with either of them. "It was Naruto. Naruto convinced Pain to bring back the people who died."
Mebuki's eyes widened.
"Oh. Well, I'm grateful to him that he managed that. We all are."
Sakura shook her head.
"Just being grateful isn't good enough. No one in this village treated Naruto the way that he deserved. And I was no different. He cared about me. He liked me. I don't know why, but he did. It took me a while to even be nice to him. And even after that, I always took him for granted. He saved my life years ago, and I never even thanked him for that... And when everything was being destroyed, I still cried for him, expecting him to save me yet again. And he did. He actually showed up. He came and saved me and everyone else like the true hero that he is. I only wish I deserved it."
She pushed the bowl away from her. Her parents watched her nervously.
"I'm not hungry."
The pinkette stood up and walked out of the room.
/
Later, news of the Fourth Shinobi War had spread. A preoccupied Sakura sat quietly at the table. Kizashi eyed her worriedly.
"Sakura... Are you going to have to fight?" he asked.
She looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, I'm a medic, but I'm still going to have to fight. Every ninja has to fight."
"I'm just really worried about you."
Sakura frowned.
"I'm not worried about myself. I'm worried about Naruto. This whole war is because Akatsuki wants the tailed beasts. They want the Kyuubi that is in Naruto. And he'll die if they take it out of him... I'm not going to let that happen. He didn't ask for any of this. He doesn't deserve any of it. All he ever did was try to keep everyone happy and safe. He always protected me even when I was useless. And I've never returned the favor. Now I'm going to. Even if I have to die... I'd rather die than let them have Naruto."
Both parents stared at her with wide eyes.
"But, Sakura... Surely it's not your-"
"It is!"
The younger pinkette stood up with a dire expression.
"... It is. I never helped him. I only ever made things harder for him. And that's unforgivable. I don't want to die, but I will before I'll let Naruto suffer anymore. No one deserves to be happy more than he does. So this battle is more important to me than anything. I could never run away... I won't."
/
The war was over, and the Haruno family were eating their first dinner since it had ended. Sakura had a strange expression on her face as she slowly ate her meal. Her parents watched her curiously.
"Aren't you happy now that the war is over, Sakura dear?" Mebuki asked.
Sakura looked up with an awkward smile.
"I guess... Hey, did you know that Naruto's father was the Yondaime? I can't believe no one knew about that..."
Mebuki nodded.
"I did hear about that, yes. He's very famous now. Have you thought about getting together with him? Didn't he always like you?"
Sakura chuckled morosely.
"Haha... I don't think he feels that way about me anymore... I just want him to be happy."
Kizashi frowned at this. He sighed before speaking up.
"This really isn't my area, but don't you love him? You always talk about him. He seems so important to you. You almost never talk about that Sasuke kid anymore."
Sakura gazed down at her food.
"I still feel the same way as I always did about Sasuke-kun, but with Naruto, it's different. I've never really understood it. I care so much for him... I can't even put it into words... All I know is that I need him to be happy. I could never be happy if he isn't. He's the most important person to me... So I'll always be there for him no matter what he chooses to do," She smiled sadly as her eyes grew watery. "Even if he doesn't need me anymore... He'll always be my hero... I'm just glad that I could help him and that he's safe... I'm so glad..."
Mebuki spoke up cautiously.
"But... What if he still likes you?" she asked.
Sakura shook her head slowly without looking up.
"He doesn't... He's grown up so much since back then... Everything is so much different now. I don't measure up anymore... I tried telling him that I loved him, and he told me to stop messing around. So he doesn't need to know how much I care about him, because he's not interested in me like that. I'll never be more than a friend to him, and that's fine. He just needs to be happy... And he probably wouldn't be happy with me. He deserves someone amazing... Someone perfect. Not someone like me..."
She was still smiling as she wiped her eyes.
Kizashi winced before responding.
"Sakura has always been thinking of you. She depends on you so much. I think that if you asked her to jump off a cliff, she would do it. That big brain of hers would quickly work out that it would be the best choice for her. A win-win scenario... She would jump off knowing that she would either be safe, or it would be an escape from living in a world where you hated her enough to want her to disappear."
The older man looked down and away miserably. Naruto stared at him with wide eyes.
"So please don't do anything that could hurt her. Even if it's just a joke... Sakura would never treat you lightly. She always thinks about how something might affect you. She tries so hard for you. I just want you to try to do the same for her. Can you do that for me?"
After a moment, the blonde nodded stoically.
"Of course. I don't ever want to hurt her. She's so beautiful and kind... I want to see her smiling, no matter what. That's the most important thing to me."
The older man looked up with a smile.
"It is for me too. Thank you, Naruto-kun."
/
As Sakura woke up, she immediately noticed the absence of the familiar warmth of Naruto. She looked over to see the ruffled sheets signifying that he had gotten out of bed. The pinkette sat up in the bed. She realized she had been making a habit of sleeping in since she moved in here due to the relief she felt.
A few minutes had passed and there was still no sign that Naruto was around. She dragged herself out of bed and walked into the living room.
"... Naruto?" she softly intoned.
Not receiving an answer, Sakura realized that he really wasn't here. She wondered where he went. He must have had something to do that he didn't tell her about. Maybe he had to do it alone.
She frowned. She was starting to get worried. It wasn't like him to leave without telling her. She went back to the bedroom to change into her normal clothes. When she had finished, she made her way out the front door. It was possible that he was doing something nearby, so she didn't want to go far. She opened the door and took a few steps into the street.
The pinkette saw the form of Rock Lee running by as she did. The green ninja stopped abruptly when he noticed her and regarded her with a stiff posture.
"Hello, Sakura-san."
His greeting lacked his usual exuberance, as thinking about Sakura still made him feel somewhat morose. The pink-haired girl smiled weakly.
"Hi, Lee-san. How are you?"
"I am fine... Are you here to visit Naruto-kun?"
Sakura smiled a little more genuinely and shook her head.
"I'm looking for him, but not to visit... I live here."
Lee's bushy eyebrows ascended.
"Oh... I had not heard that you moved in with him."
"It just happened. We're still moving my stuff."
The taijutsu user tilted his head as he regarded her.
"You mean like furniture...?"
Sakura frowned confusedly.
"Not really. He has furniture already. It's mostly my clothes and other personal things."
"I only ask because his apartment looks quite small from the outside..."
The pinkette sighed.
"Lee-san, if you're trying to get at whether or not we sleep in the same bed, the answer is yes. Is it really that big of a deal? It's normal for a couple to sleep like that... I don't understand why everyone makes such a big deal out of it."
Lee looked away awkwardly.
"I am sorry, Sakura-san. That was very rude of me... I should leave."
Sakura gave him a friendly smile.
"You don't have to. Why don't you come keep me company while I wait for him? I haven't talked to you in a long time."
Lee didn't really want to enter the apartment that they now shared, but he didn't know how to decline politely.
"If you wish..."
The pinkette waved him inside before entering herself and closing the door. Sakura went to sit at the kitchen table, and Lee sat down across from her stiffly, removing some of his iron weights so he could sit more comfortably.
"So how's your training been going?"
Lee's affect improved slightly.
"It has been going very well. Tenten has been kind enough to help me, so I have still been able to make progress."
Sakura grinned lightly. She had always thought that Tenten and Lee would be a good match.
"Tenten's pretty cool, isn't she?"
Lee sighed.
"I suppose..."
The pinkette looked at him confusedly.
"Well, she's helping you get stronger, right?"
Their conversation continued uneventfully for a few minutes until both heard a key being turned in the door lock. Sakura's expression changed drastically as her whole face lit up and she jumped to her feet. Lee watched her blankly as she walked quickly over to the front door. The door slowly swung open.
Standing in the doorway, Naruto regarded Sakura with wide eyes. He saw that her lip was quivering slightly as she gazed at him.
"Sakura-chan...?" he said cautiously as he entered and closed the door behind him.
"Naruto..."
The pinkette at once crashed into him and wrapped her arms around him. Seeing the scene out of the corner of his eye, Lee really wished he was somewhere else.
"I was worried... Please tell me next time you're going to go somewhere in the morning... Or wake me up so that I can go with you... I hate being alone..." Sakura said breathlessly.
"I'm sorry... I should have left you a note or something... I'm really sorry, Sakura-chan. Please forgive m-"
He was cut off by her lips colliding with his. Before he could get his bearings, he found himself pushed into the door he had just closed. As he found himself between the door and her, he responded by snaking his hands under her top to caress her lower back. Sakura moaned softly before being startled as she remembered that Lee was still there. She raised a hand to grasp his arm.
"Naruto, wait... Lee-san came to visit. He's in the kitchen," the pinkette whispered.
"Oh... Okay."
She wrapped an arm around his side and they walked around the corner into the kitchen to see the awkward form of Lee gazing down at the wooden table.
The taijutsu user was finding this much more vexing than he had anticipated. He thought he had reached some form of acceptance when it came to this. He knew how much this could potentially damage his youth, so he had pushed those feelings of jealousy away. But he didn't expect that the two of them would be this serious already. Seeing Sakura be so intimate with the blonde set troublesome gears turning in his head. To be that way with Sakura was something that he had never even dared to think about, out of fear that she would somehow find out what he had done and beat him to a bloody pulp. And though he had always been awkward socially, he understood enough to know that if he hadn't been there, they would have had no reason to stop. He figured they probably did that kind of thing all the time. If they lived together, it was a near certainty. That moan had represented a side of her that she had only shown to Naruto, a side Lee would never get to see again after today. Technically, he hadn't even gotten to see it this time as his eyes were not as good as Neji's had been.
He eyed her arm which was around the blonde, her delicate fingers resting intimately against his midsection. He felt sick thinking about how she must have touched Naruto with that soft hand, undoubtedly in a way that would be in diametric opposition to the beating he had feared. It made no sense to Lee that Sakura suddenly loved Naruto so much that Sasuke had become just a passing interest. It was as if she had been merely acting before, and this was who she really was. But she wasn't supposed to be this way. She was supposed to keep loving Sasuke forever while he never returned to the village. That way, no one would touch her. She would have remained a beautiful dream that he could indulge in from afar. Naruto was supposed to be in the same boat. Lee had been sure that Sakura would never embrace either of them, as she had only ever been interested in Sasuke. And neither of them were similar to Sasuke.
Lee felt that he should leave before he did or said something that he would regret. He stood up and acknowledged the pair.
Naruto smiled at him. Another man might have been frustrated at being interrupted, but Naruto cared about all his friends.
"Hey, Lee. How's it going?"
"Naruto-kun... I am sorry, I have to leave. It was nice seeing you both."
They both looked at him with confusion for a moment before Naruto nodded.
"Okay... See you later, I guess."
"Take care of yourself, Lee-san," Sakura said with a smile.
Lee quickly walked around them to depart, closing the front door behind him and walking quickly down the street.
He hadn't expected that this would affect him so much. He knew he wouldn't enjoy seeing Sakura after today. It would just make him think about her giving herself to Naruto with a smile on her face. He was starting to understand the frustration that Kiba had felt. If the blonde had just stayed with Hinata, he wouldn't have to face this. Sakura would have remained untainted. He was angry thinking about how Naruto had had Hinata available to him. Naruto could have done whatever he wanted to Hinata and left Sakura alone. It was hard to imagine Hinata not being receptive, and Lee wouldn't have cared one way or the other. She had only ever wanted to be with Naruto anyway. She didn't have the pure spirit that Sakura had, as fresh and clear as the river that ran through Konoha. Naruto had wanted to darken those waters. He wanted to do that stuff to Sakura instead. He had likely wanted to all along. He had always been fascinated by her, and he was not exactly a gentleman.
And Lee was sure now that the pinkette had let him. It was frustrating for him to think about how Naruto had so quickly seduced the girl that he had admired for such a long time. The blonde hadn't even seemed perturbed to find the taijutsu user in his home for no apparent reason. He had obviously gotten so close to Sakura that the suggestion of Lee being a threat to him would have been met with uproarious laughter, laughter in which Sakura would likely join in, given that she had seen no issue with inviting him inside the apartment. Despite being taller than both of them, it was unreal how small they had made him feel.
Lee wished that Neji was still alive. His friend would have been able to tell him how he was supposed to feel about this. All he knew was that Sakura couldn't be his hopeless dream anymore. She belonged to Naruto now, so from now on he would view her as being merely a very pretty girl. Naruto would continue to enjoy her while Lee would find a new target for his affections. Looking at it that way, he couldn't understand why he still felt so miserable.
As he found himself about a hundred feet away from the apartment door, he finally realized that he had left his weights behind. He turned around and walked back. As he neared the door with the intent to knock, he heard giddy conversation coming from inside.
"Oh, Naruto, that's wonderful! Don't worry. I'm sure my dad is going to love you just as much as I do."
Gai's student changed his mind. He could come back for them later.
/
After listening to Naruto explain what had happened with Kizashi, Sakura noticed the weights lying on the floor out of the corner of her eye.
"... That's strange. Lee-san left his weights here," she commented.
Naruto looked down at them as well.
"Oh... Should I grab them and go look for him?"
Sakura shook her head after a moment.
"No, you shouldn't. He's always training, so he'll notice that they're gone any minute now. Then he's probably going to come back here. So if you leave with them, you'll miss each other."
Naruto nodded and smiled softly at her.
"You're right, of course. You're so smart, Sakura-chan. You always make the best decisions."
She laughed.
"Haha... I've made some pretty terrible ones... Naruto, don't tell me that you want me to be your advisor now. Shikamaru has his heart set on that."
Naruto grinned.
"Well, I can't say I didn't consider it..."
They continued along these conversational lines for a while until Sakura frowned.
"He still hasn't returned. Why did he leave in such a hurry, anyway?"
The blonde shrugged in reply.
"I don't know... What was he doing here to begin with?"
She met his eyes with a neutral expression while she explained.
"I went outside to look for you, and he was there. I decided to catch up with him while I was waiting for you."
Naruto looked puzzled.
"I figured it was something like that, but it was just really strange. He left so quickly, and he hardly even looked at me. It was strange for him. He's usually the last one to leave."
Sakura seemed lost in thought for a few moments.
"Hmm... He left when the two of us..." Her eyes widened. "Wait! Do you think he likes me? That would explain it..."
The blonde gave her a deadpan look.
"Sakura-chan..." She raised a curious eyebrow, signalling him to continue. Naruto sighed. "Of course he likes you. You didn't know that?"
The pink-haired girl frowned.
"No... How long has he liked me?"
Naruto's eyes shifted down and to the side.
"I'm not sure. Definitely not as long as I have, but a pretty long time. Most people know about it."
She looked downtrodden at this.
"Oh... Wow... He must have been uncomfortable... If I had known, I would have handled that differently."
He looked at her with mock sadness.
"You mean you wouldn't have kissed me?"
Sakura chuckled.
"Haha... No, I still would have. But I probably wouldn't have invited him into the apartment at all... It's obvious that he didn't really want to be here..."
She had a thoughtful expression on her face. Naruto sighed in resignation.
"Yeah, you're probably right."
Sakura looked up at him with soft eyes.
"Naruto..."
"Yeah?"
"I feel pretty bad. He's a really nice guy, and I did that to him just because I didn't want to be alone while I waited for you... Am I just a terrible person? It seems like all I ever do is hurt people by acting selfishly."
The blonde's eyes widened for a moment. He looked at her seriously.
"It's not your fault, Sakura-chan. If you didn't know, then you didn't know. You really didn't do anything wrong. Look, I'll go find him so that I can give him his weights back and apologize."
Now she was the one giving the deadpan look.
"What? No, don't apologize. What on earth would you be apologizing for?"
Naruto shrugged.
"I don't know. Kissing you, I guess."
Sakura groaned exasperatedly.
"Don't you dare apologize for that! Just go find him and give him his weights, then come back so that we can go get something to eat together. I'm hungry."
The blonde nodded.
"Okay."
He walked over and picked up the weights, carrying them in his left hand.
"I'll be back soon, Sakura-chan," he said with his trademark grin.
The pinkette smiled at him before he departed.
