Chapter VI
The events that followed his realization happened so quickly that, for a brief moment, he felt as though he were outside of his body; that this was a strange dreamland and at any minute, he would be sucked back into reality like a whirlpool pulling in a ship. It was only after it was over, when the tranquility tamed his pulse and returned it to normal, that Kakashi realized this was reality, and that reality was a beautifully terrifying thing.
Kakashi reached forward, his arm outstretched so fully that he thought it was likely to pull the muscles straight out of his shoulder, as he went to shout Naruto's name with such ferocity that he hoped it might get his attention - that he might be able to distract him, just long enough, before getting to the stranger and freeing him from his tortuous death - but as his mouth went to shout his name, he heard-
"NARUTO!" Sakura's voice was raw and harsh, her scream so loud that it continued to echo throughout the silent battlefield as though they were in a canyon that went on for hundreds of miles.
Kakashi could do nothing but watch as Sakura ran toward her comrade, her legs clumsily carrying her body weight through the muddied forest floor with strained effort. Kakashi saw the pain in Sakura's eyes as she ran, the tears falling freely down her cheeks and into the cool night air behind her, transforming into frozen fractals that pelted down to the ground, shattering upon impact.
Kakashi felt then, as his adrenaline started to slowly fade away, the intense cold that surrounded him. He noticed his breath was visible to him, that his eyelashes had begun to stick together and felt like small weights along his eyelids, that his teeth were chattering. The battlefield had turned into a frenzied, frozen prison so slowly that they hadn't noticed - like a frog that had been placed in water before it started to boil, killing it leisurely and without warning - but they, instead, had been slowly freezing alive.
Naruto had a look of horror on his face as he turned his head towards Sakura; a look so pained, so sad and terrified of what he could do to her, that Kakashi felt as though his heart had been stabbed just from witnessing it alone. Naruto's teeth were barred, his fangs sharp and deadly, and he saw his mouth move but couldn't hear any words - just the sound of a guttural growl - but from the inflection, it seemed like Naruto was trying to say "Don't."
"Water Style - Wave Shield Jutsu!" Sakura's voice was distant to Kakashi's ears as her body was encased in a protective layer of deep blue water resembling the ocean at midnight. Kakashi, finally freed from his shocked state, charged forward towards her.
"No!" Kakashi cried, "Sakura, stop!"
His vision began to spin from his hysterics just as Sakura's body collided into Naruto's back, her arms wrapping around his chest tightly as he stayed crouched to the floor, her head falling limply into his yellow hair. The water and the flames mixed together, causing black smoke to accumulate around the teens, so thick and robust that it blinded his view. Kakashi continued to run forward, the smoke forcing its way into his eyes, his lungs, and he coughed and gasped, his eyes stinging with pain, as he saw through blurred vision Naruto now standing, the flames evaporated.
His hands were crossed over his chest and Sakura's arms, his eyes returned now to a vivid blue that pierced through the smoke cloud, as he gripped onto Sakura's arms with white-knuckles, his voice muffled through the fumes as he cried, "Dammit, Sakura! Why would you do that? Why would you do that?"
Kakashi saw Sakura's lips part slowly, saying something so quietly and softly that he couldn't make it out, before her eyes shut and her body teetered backwards. Naruto quickly shuffled himself and caught her in his arms, tears falling onto her face, as he ran his hand through her rosey hair.
"Sakura!" He screamed, "Don't die, Sakura!"
Beep… Beep… Beep... Beep…
The sound hummed all around her in a melodic rhythm, coming and going like waves against the shore. Beep. Beep.
She felt no pain. It was as though her consciousness had pulled itself away from her body and she was floating along an endless black sky with no stars, no moon - just pure darkness surrounding her on all sides. Had she had a body? It was hard to remember. Beep. Beep.
Sometimes the voices came and ruined her song, but the voices were lovely and soothing, so she didn't mind. Her favorite voice belonged to a man. It was raspy and deep, and she knew the voice cared deeply about her because it was the one that visited her the most often. Beep. Beep.
Occasionally, she could make out what the voices were saying, but usually, they were just like a distant humming or buzzing in her ears, floating along around her beautiful song like drums, or like strings, aiding the beat. Beep. Beep.
Sakura, her favorite voice would say, I've been training really hard. You should see what I can do now! I have a wind nature, isn't that cool? Kakashi-sensei says it's really rare… Beep. Beep.
Sakura… was that her name? She couldn't remember. Did she have a name? She must have one, for that is how the voices addressed her, but a name to her seemed silly. Why should someone without a body need a name? Beep. Beep.
Naruto, the main woman's voice said, It's past visiting hours. You need to go home, I'm sorry. I'll let you know if something changes, okay? The woman's voice was here a lot too; it was strong yet caring. She heard this voice every day, so she thought that maybe this voice took care of her somehow, in a way the man's voice could not. Beep. Beep.
"But-" The Naruto-voice protested, "Okay." She felt a squeezing sensation on her hand that made a vibration ripple throughout her blackened space. Naruto, she thought, It sounds so… familiar.
And then there he was, Naruto, looking down at her hand as he gave it another light squeeze before his eyes connected to her own. She saw his face twist from sadness, to confusion, to joy, and his smile was so huge she thought it might eat his face off.
He was talking to her - or maybe he was shouting at her? - but she couldn't hear him. She could only see his mouth moving, feel his warm touch on her cheek, smell his sandalwood cologne as he kept his face close to hers. The song she had grown accustomed to slowly faded away, replaced by cheers from Naruto and the woman, who she now could see was Tsunade, as they huddled over her.
"Sakura," Tsunande said, "Can you hear me?" Sakura nodded. A tear fell from Tsunade's eye. "Great, Sakura," She cooed, "Stay with us, alright? Stay with us."
"Granny Tsunade," Naruto whined, "Let me talk to her!" Sakura felt something puncture her arm as she looked around frantically for Naruto, the pressure alarming her, making the heart monitor beep haphazardly.
"Naruto, you need to leave." Tsunade's voice was quavering, "Get Shizune in here, now!"
No, M'Lady, Sakura thought, I need to see Naruto, please, I- But then there he was again, next to her, his strong smile hovering over her like that of a savior on the battlefield. The heart monitor slowed back down to the rhythm she had grown accustomed to and Sakura felt her lips form into a small smile.
Naruto started crying - no, sobbing - a deep, ugly sob that made his body ripple uncontrollably as he wrapped himself around Sakura. She heard Tsunade's protests but didn't feel him being yanked off her. Sakura was afraid to move her arms, so she instead stroked his hand in hers with her thumb as hot tears welled in her eyes.
"Sakura," Naruto wept, "You're here."
"N-Naruto," Her voice was soft, a barely there secret that only he could hear, "Don't cry, Naruto."
Tsunade and Shizune left them in the room that night. Sakura heard Shizune arrive shortly after, "But, M'Lady!" she had protested while Tsunade had told her that it was fine, that she would be safe with Naruto - and she was.
"Naruto?" Sakura asked after what felt like hours of silence, although her sense of time was so warped that she couldn't be sure.
"Yeah?" He was lazily stroking his thumb over her hand, the sensation sending continuous shock waves throughout Sakura's body, allowing her to know that she wasn't paralyzed.
"Can you…" She hesitated, feeling embarrassed. "Would you mind laying with me?"
She looked over at Naruto when his thumb strokes stalled. He was staring at her hand in his, but his expression was hard to read. Her mouth felt dry - drier than it had a second ago - and she scooted over on the bed slightly, trying to signal to him that she meant it.
"Are you sure it's okay?" Naruto asked, slowly getting into the bed. "Are you sure it doesn't hurt?" His feet were hanging off the end of the bed as he turned his body to the side to face her, trying to keep his distance, though the bed was so small that they were only inches apart.
It's okay, she said. She's sure, she said. Over and over they repeated this, all throughout the night; between talks of what happened after the battle (they had to be rescued and the ice enemies was imprisoned), talks of what Naruto had been up to (training on some kind of new jutsu that Kakashi was insistent only Naruto could learn), and talks of how long she had been asleep (To this, Naruto would only tell her "Awhile").
That night, she had fallen asleep in Naruto's arms, allowing him to cradle her like a baby, her forehead resting against his chest. She was so close to him that she could hear his heartbeat. Later, she would reflect on the moment and think it was so funny how, while she was listening to his heartbeat through his chest, he was listening to hers through the heart monitor. How fitting, she would remember, To think that is how our love story began.
The weeks that followed were a blur. Naruto came to visit her every night, usually bringing along some ramen with him, and they would sit together and eat until Tsunade eventually kicked him out (always well past when he should have been there). Other friends visited her too: Ino and Sai, Shikamaru and Chouji, Lee and Gai-sensei, Kakashi, Iruka, and even Kiba had all come to see her at least once. When Neji and TenTen came to visit her, that is when the reality of the situation truly hit her of how badly she must have been injured.
By the time she was finally discharged, it was late November. The air was cold, nipping through her layers of clothes, and the village was fully arranged with twinkle lights along the trees that lined the curved cobblestone pathways. Sakura had been taking a sunset walk, something she had started doing after her stint in the hospital as a way to be alone and away from everything, just for a little. After Asuma's death, the village had been quiet. She could tell that everyone knew something was coming - what that was, even she couldn't say - but she could feel it as well, a haunting feeling in the back of her mind; a disgusting monster that lurked deep within her, whispering "Run. Run while you can, Sakura."
The monster was louder around Naruto, and as badly as it made her feel, she had been avoiding him because of it. Every time she saw him, she felt an intense dread creep over her, making her feel nauseous. She didn't know how to describe the feeling to Naruto, especially since she had worked so hard to get him to talk to her again after Tenchi Bridge, so she instead opted to avoid him outright. It's better this way, she told herself. It's better than causing him more pain - I have hurt him enough. He wouldn't understand, he couldn't-
"HEY, SAKURA-CHAN!" Sakura spun around to see Naruto running full-force straight towards her. Damn. "Could you not hear me or something, Sakura?" He asked.
Sakura folded her arms over her chest. "I was thinking, Naruto," She said, "You should try it sometime!"
Naruto ignored her remark and turned to Jiraiya, who Sakura only just noticed trailing behind Naruto and walking towards them. When he reached them, he stopped and smiled at Sakura, rustling her hair with one hand.
"Hey, kid," Jiraiya said, his voice cheerful as always. "We were just going to Ichiraku's. You want to come? My treat!"
Sakura was speechless. She and Jiraiya had shared some time together when he was in town occasionally: sometimes coming along to get food with her, Naruto, and Kakashi-sensei, or talking to her at the hospital while waiting on Lady Tsunade, but he had never invited her to something on his own, and especially had never invited her to do something with only him and Naruto.
Sakura felt her face grow hot, realizing it would be quite rude to say no to a Legendary Sanin. "Sure!" She replied, "Thank you, Sir Jiraiya."
Jiraiya gave a booming laugh before correcting her. "Sakura, please," He said, "Just Jiraiya is fine."
The surprise dinner invitation had turned out to be a delightful experience. The three enjoyed a pleasant conversation filled with laughter, realizations, and confessions.
"Oh yeah," Jiraiya had said between sips of his sake, "Naruto never shuts up, not even while he's sleeping! In fact, he's probably said your name in his sleep more times than he has said his own name throughout his whole life, Sakura!" He let out a hearty laugh as Naruto yelled and started waving his hands frantically in Jiraiya's face.
"What the hell, Pervy Sage? That's not true at all, Sakura-chan, don't listen to him!"
As the night grew colder and the sake grew warmer, the three of them sat at the table in a satisfied silence while Jiraiya finished paying off the tab. There was a tonal shift over the table now as he leaned forward, one hand resting on his cheek, the other strumming his fingers onto the wood of the table, as he glanced between Sakura and Naruto.
He sighed. "You know, the interrogation of the man that ambushed you has turned out to be very lucrative."
"Really?" Sakura asked. "Did we learn what they were after?"
Jiraiya nodded. "Sort of. It appears they might have been working for the Akatsuki."
The teens both gasped. Sakura felt Naruto's shoulder tense up and she realized she had been leaning into him slightly, shuffling away quickly.
"What does the Akatsuki want with Akira?" Naruto was furious.
"They won't fess up," Jiraiya took another sip of his sake, although Sakura was certain that there was nothing left in his cup by now. "But I do have my own theory."
Sakura and Naruto learned in, desperate for any kind of intel.
"Well," Jiraiya said, "When Akira got to her destination and The Water Temple learned of the ambush, The Hidden Leaf received a message explaining the escort." He leaned in closer.
"Akira isn't a shinobi. She was born without the kekkei genkai of her family, but after her brother died years ago, she is the last of her bloodline. She was being escorted away for an arranged marriage, something that should have been a standard mission."
"But Akira's bloodline is of the last shinobi to have left Amegakure. Her family broke off generations ago and created what The Water Temple is today. I'm thinking that for some reason, The Akatsuki don't want any living heirs to that clan."
"What about her grandfather?" Naruto's fist slammed onto the table, causing the waitress to gasp from behind the bar. "Is anyone watching over him? He is part of the bloodline too!"
"Calm down, Naruto," Jiraiya's voice was stern. He waved his hand at the waitress apologetically. "He's from her mother's side and non-shinobi as well, but yes, he has people protecting him just in case. As does Akira."
Naruto's breaths were raspy and agitated but he unclentched his fist and gave a stern nod.
"I don't get it," Sakura stated, "Amegakure is nothing but a battleground and its population is mostly refugees. Their defenses are nearly impossible to infiltrate, and their isolationist style means their people don't have access to any information from the outside world. Even if she had wanted to, Akira wouldn't have been able to return there."
Jiraiya's face was grim after Sakura's reply. His eyes darkened and the room around them grew painfully silent. They sat for a moment lost in their own heads until Jiraiya finally snapped the tension by sliding out of the booth.
"It's getting late," He said, "Naruto, you should walk Sakura home." He smiled when the teens began protesting, asking him to explain his theory to them in more detail. They can help him figure it out, they pleaded, but he simply shook his head.
"Another time, maybe." Was his final reply before he yawned deeply. Sakura could tell that he wasn't actually tired but she wasn't in the mood to try and fight him about it. It wasn't her place to question a Sanin, after all.
They all said their goodbyes before Naruto turned towards Sakura and awkwardly rubbed his hand behind his head, grinning at her.
"Uh," He said, "I guess I should walk you home now, Sakura-chan! It's dangerous at nighttime."
Sakura chuckled. "I can take care of myself, you know."
"I didn't mean-"
"But actually," Sakura began walking, "I don't want to go home yet."
It was one of those autumn nights that made you wish you could pause time and soak in the moment for an eternity. There was a full moon in the sky, illuminating the cobblestones and acting like a spotlight directly onto Sakura's skin. Naruto could feel his hands begin to sweat as he followed her; her beauty was always striking to him, but seeing her within the white light of the moon made his stomach turn upside down and his cheeks grow warm. She looked radiant, like she was born from the moon itself, with the way it highlighted her pink lips and hair and made her soft skin shine.
They didn't say anything as they walked. Naruto couldn't say anything due to how nervous he was, his tongue feeling as though it were made out of sandpaper didn't help, but he wasn't sure what was going through Sakura's head.
I wish you'd tell me stuff, He thought. Like before.
"Honestly, Naruto," Sakura had whispered, "I'm afraid of Sasuke." It was August and they were at the playground. The night air was sticky, making it feel as though he had a thin film of plastic over his entire skin.
Sakura was on the swing next to him, her feet lightly tapping their way up through the sand, before she took them off the ground and gently swung. Back and forth, back and forth.
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.
Sakura was still swaying lightly. "The way he looked at you," She said, "It was like… he was going to kill you." Sakura turned her head away from him.
Naruto got up from the swing to stand in front of her. He leaned down to be level with her face and took her chin in his hand. "Hey," he said, "That won't happen. Don't worry, Sakura. We'll get him back."
She smiled up at him, but Naruto could tell it was, as Sai would have called it, a "fake smile". He felt his heart drop in his chest as he tightened his grip on her chin and gently shook her head, making her laugh. She was so beautiful. He wanted to tell her then, right there, how he felt. But he was a coward. So instead he had reached his hand to her, suggesting she let him walk her home.
Now, they were walking up towards the same playground as that night. The air around them was light and breathable, making the tension less palpable in the air. Sakura sat on the swing and began gently pushing herself with her feet.
"Here, let me push you." Naruto suggested.
He walked behind her on the swing and took the chains in both his hands, dragging her backwards, before releasing her. She flew forward smoothly, the scent of her coconut perfume wafting towards him as she swung back towards him. She was intoxicating to him. He continued to push her lightly for a while, allowing her to work through whatever it was she was thinking about.
"Your silence is weirding me out," Sakura blurted out.
"S-Sorry, Sakura," Naruto said. "I guess I'm lost in thought." He echoed her words to him from a few months ago, making her chuckle. Naruto felt his hands get sweaty again, blaming it on the chains, and wiped them over his pants lazily.
"I can push you higher, if you want," Naruto felt his face grow hot. He was certain that he was beet red and he was thankful Sakura was at his mercy on the swing or else he would surely get pummeled to the ground.
"Sure," She giggled. Naruto felt a lump form in his throat and he started coughing profusely.
"What?! Are you serious?" He sputtered out between his chaotic choking.
"Yes, you idiot!" She replied. "Shoot me to the moon." His coughing made it impossible to push her, so she glanced back at him and gave a warm smile. This cannot be happening, he thought.
"O-okay," He managed to get the word out shakily as he gripped the sides of the swing in his hands, doing everything in his power to not brush them against her hips. "But I'm not putting my whole strength into it or you might really go to the moon!"
With that, he released her and she shot forward, a few inches higher than his lazy pushes before but not high enough for his tastes. He pushed against the swing aggressively as she came back, his hands making contact over her butt in the swing and he nearly passed out. His heart was beating so loudly in his chest he was almost certain she'd be able to hear it through her laughter, but she just kept encouraging him to push her higher.
Naruto overzealously pushed against the swing again, causing Sakura to fly forward haphazardly, the swing swaying violently to the side as she flew towards the night sky. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as he watched Sakura's body soar out of the swing before she gracefully landed into the sand, turning to face him with her hands in the air.
"Ta-da!" She announced.
All Naruto could do was stare at her. Her brilliant green eyes were sparkling with delight, resembling the color of pears in springtime; her smile was genuine and kind, a smile that he didn't feel worthy of after he had hurt her not just once, but now twice. Really three times, if he counted the first failed attempt at bringing Sasuke back. He tugged on his shirt collar and looked down at his feet, nervously. He wanted, so desperately, to let her know how stunning she was - how irrevocably in love with her that he was - but Naruto instead cleared his throat and tried to put on his best sheepish smile.
"Sorry, Sakura," He said, "I didn't mean to push you all crazy like that, I swear!"
Sakura placed her hands behind her back and lightly tilted her head to the side, continuing to smile at him. Naruto felt the butterflies in his stomach burst to life again, his spine tingling as his breath caught in his throat. He turned around, hoping that Sakura wouldn't notice how weird he was being, and began slowly walking to stand next to her.
"Are you ready to go home now, Sakura-chan?" He asked. He peeked over out of the corner of his eye and noticed that her eyes were twinkling at him in the moonlight. She took hold of his hand and he felt his heart skip a beat as she intertwined her fingers in his. Her hands were soft and cold to the touch, but he didn't mind.
"Sure, Naruto," She said. "Walk me home?"
Naruto squeezed her hand and grinned down at her. "Always. C'mon, let's get out of here. Your hands are freezing!"
Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you're still enjoying the story so far. I know this story is a slow burn, but hopefully the NaruSaku moments in this chapter were enjoyable - let me know what you guys thought!
Reviewer Notes: Hnbutt, Hi again! You were my first ever review, so seeing your name brought a smile to my face. So glad you're still enjoying it! I apologize for the gruesome violence and I hope it wasn't too off-putting for you. I have since added a warning to that chapter. Hopefully the tender moments in this one made all that violence worth it! Cashcrop, Thank you for the kind words! I still can't believe you're a fan of my work (your OneShot is one of my faves on here!) and I am so glad you enjoyed the battle. Thank you all so much for all the favorites and follows, it really means a lot. Thank you, thank you, thank you!