The next morning was a late one for the Tenchi duo. It was past 0800 hours as Sakura stirred from her sleep. She was moving around, but something was off. She lazily felt around and noticed that she was completely nude. That was odd, she didn't remember deciding to go to bed naked, but when she felt a muscular arm around her waist, her eyes shot wide open and swiftly turned to see who was next to her. There, sleeping behind her, was the whiskered face of Naruto.
'Oh...My...God...' Sakura thought to herself. She was getting ready to punch him through the bulkhead and into space when the memories from the previous night flooded her vision. 'Oh... that's right.' Sakura thought dreamily as she remembered the most amazing sex she ever had and the last moment confession between the two of them.
'Yes, everything is fine. Put down the weapon, miss.' Inner taunted.
Sakura couldn't help but laugh at herself. Here she was about to pound this poor man into gravy. A day ago she wouldn't have hesitated, but in light of recent events...
'I've gotta be more gentle around him from now on, don't I?' She asked her Inner self.
'Oh yes you do. We can't risk damaging THAT merchandise.' Inner smirked.
Sakura had a flashback to the previous evening. She could still feel the sensation of being so completely filled up even the morning after.
'No we cannot.'
Sakura sat up, slowly and gently moving Naruto's arm from around her bare waist as she looked dreamily upon her new loves sleeping face.
Sakura leaned forward to kiss Naruto on his whiskered cheeks. He subconsciously smiled to the greeting but did not wake up.
'He looks so cute.' Sakura thought.
'Yeah, like a sleeping tiger, ready to pounce, rah-ow!' Inner meowed.
Sakura inwardly giggled at that. She slowly got up, being careful not to disturb Naruto. She put on a short length robe, because why the hell not? She made her way out of her room and looked out the window briefly.
"It's still night?" Sakura said out loud to herself quietly. Then she remembered where she was. "Oh, Duh! Space... Computer, lights at 10% please. And keep quiet." Sakura whispered. The computer simply beeped in response and adjusted the lights accordingly.
Sakura walked over to the replicator and quietly gave the computer orders.
"Scrambled Katarian eggs with biscuits and sausage gravy and Melba toast. Make it a double." Sakura ordered. The replicator created two plates of the same breakfast as the smell permeated Sakura's nostrils. 'Damn that smells good.' Sakura thought as she walked over to place the plates on the coffee table when.
"Oh for fuck's sake..." Said slightly above a whisper as she laid her eyes upon Naruto's stomach contents from the previous night.
She then moved to place the plates on the dining table instead as she work on cleaning up Naruto's mess
She then noticed that the plates of food from the previous evening weren't put away either, nor were the plates from the breakfast before that either.
"Computer, doesn't this ship have some kind of automatic clean up thingy or robot or whatever?"
The computer beeped loudly to respond. "NEGATIVE."
"Shhhsshhh!" She hissed, not wanting to wake Naruto up. A part of her was trying to be considerate while another part wanted Naruto to be well rested for a possible round 2.
She heard Naruto snort for a moment. She waited a few minutes silently to see if he would come out, but then heard him snoring again.
"Whew... that was close..." Sakura whispered. "Computer, get me some rags and cleaning spray. And be quiet about it." Sakura whispered.
The replicator quietly hummed as it normally did and revealed a device that Sakura wasn't familiar with.
Sakura picked up the device and examined it. It showed some similarities to a hand phaser, but the beam end was wider.
"Computer, what is this? And respond quietly!" Sakura whispered.
"It is an auto cleanser as you requested. It projects a beam to clean up various messes." The computer said in a low volume.
Sakura aimed the device at the table and pressed a large yellow button on it. A wide blue beam shot forward and within a moment, erased the vomit from the table.
"Oh, this is awesome..." Sakura said quietly in awe.
She aimed the device at the plates still on the table and pressed the button. Within seconds the plates became spotless yet still stubbornly remained on the table.
"Well, can't hope for everything I guess..." Sakura sighed. "Computer, what do I do with the plates once I'm done with them?"
"Place the empty plates back in the food slot." The computer responded.
Sakura did just that. The replicator hummed to life and the dishes disappeared in a flash of light.
"Wow. I wish I knew that sooner..." She said to herself. She turned around and sat down at the dining table to sample the breakfast that Crusher recommended.
Back in Sakura's room, the 9 Tails Jinchuriki stirred awake from probably the best night of sleep he has had in months.
"Mmm... Man... It's been a while since I slept that good." Naruto mumbled as he moved around
He stretched his arms and cracked his back. Maybe he and Sakura-chan could check out whatever it was the ship's holodecks were- Wait, something wasn't right...
Naruto looked around and noticed something was off, but the lights were too dim to make out every detail.
"Computer, increase lighting by 30%" Naruto ordered. The lights grew brighter and then Naruto realized something that sent chills down his spine. "Oh... Shit..."
'I'm in Sakura's room. Oh damn I must have been plastered last night. I hope I didn't piss her off too bad.' He thought.
'Don't overreact Kit. Things are not always as they seem.' Kurama simply said as he nodded off back to sleep.
Naruto calmed down a bit. Surely he just had too much to drink and Sakura had dropped him off in bed to sleep it off...
In her room...
No, he was overthinking it. Maybe she got plastered too and took his bed so he had no choice but to take her bed. Yeah, that was it.
Naruto stood up to take a shower when he made another shocking discovery.
'I'm naked! Oh jeez-NO! Calm down, calm down...' Naruto thought frantically. He scanned the ground for some pants and then he saw a pile of torn clothes...with blue fabric.
'Oh no, oh no!'
Hastily he wrapped himself in the sheets and made his way to the door leading to the living room, dreading what he might find on the other side.
He smelled something amazing before he even opened the door. Something good was cooking. Eggs, toast, and sasuage gravy. His mouth watered a little as he opened the door to see none other than Sakura in the skimpiest bathrobe he had ever seen.
'Oh shit... we didn't...' He dreaded thinking.
"Oh hey you, good morning." Sakura brightly chirped. Naruto had never been so horrified to see her smile like that.
'Oh shit, we did... Oh no...' Naruto thought in fear.
Sensing the blond's discomfort, Sakura scooched closer to him in her chair.
"Naruto, what's wrong?" She said in her most gentle voice.
"I... I-I... I've gotta go!" He shouted, taking his sheet and one of the gravy drizzled biscuits and ran into the room before slamming the door.
"Naruto! Wait!" Sakura shouted after him as she approached his door. "Naruto, please open up. It's not what you think."
Naruto didn't respond as he had sat himself in the farthest corner away from the door and curled himself up into a ball in horror at what he had done.
'He doesn't remember... damn it...' Sakura thought. "Naruto... We did have a moment of intense intimacy last night, that much is true. You probably don't remember, but you told me last night that you broke up with Hinata. Everything is okay! Seriously! I'm not mad and there is nothing wrong with that happened last night."
The door furiously slid open to reveal an irate Naruto.
"Nothing wrong? Nothing wrong?!"
"No there isn't, Naruto. Honestly!" Sakura pleaded.
"Yes there is Sakura! Don't even lie to me and say you don't know what I mean!" He raised his voice, he had never raised his voice like that to Sakura. Not for as long as she could remember.
"I'm not lying! I know what you must think but you're wrong! Dead wrong, Naruto Uzumaki!"
"BULLSHIT!" He shouted. Silencing Sakura completely. He was honestly scaring her. The two of them just stood together in silence, Naruto standing over top of Sakura. Sakura looked up, fearful of his gaze bit wanting to catch his eye. While Naruto was deliberately trying to avoid looking at her.
"How could you...?" He asked.
"How could I what?" She replied with fear in her voice.
"How could you cheat on Sasuke!?"
"How can I cheat on someone I'm no longer in a relationship with? I broke up with him the day we left on this ship. I told you this last night, but its apparent that you don't remember..." Sakura said softly.
"Don't lie to me Sakura! I told you many years ago that I hate people who lie to themselves."
"I'M NOT LYING YOU IDIOT!" Sakura shouted, now backing Naruto up. "I may have lied back then so you could stop chasing Sasuke, but I'm not this time! Ever since Sasuke and I got together there hasn't been a moment where I WISHED you didn't keep your promise!" Sakura spat furiously. "Remember a few days ago when I said he has been neglecting our relationship and making me miserable?! If it wasn't for this mission, I would have broken up with him in time! SO PULL YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS AND BELIEVE THE TRUTH WHEN SOMEONE IS TELLING IT TO YOU!"
Once again, the two of them came to an abrupt pause. Neither one of them saying a word. Until Naruto took another stand forward.
"You expect me to believe that you actually broke up with Sasuke? The love of your life? That's bullshit Sakura. It's bad enough that you cheated on Sasuke after all the crap he's been through, but to drag me along with you? Make me betray my best friend like that?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" He spat. Sakura couldn't believe it; the lengths he was willing to go through before he would believe that Sakura could ever fall out of love with Sasuke.
"You forget, Sakura. Kurama filters any poisons that enter my system, that includes alcohol. You did a medical paper on it, remember? So everything I remember last night actually happened and I don't ever remember you telling me you broke up with Sasuke!"
"Well, somewhere along the line, he wasn't doing his job and you were more shitfaced than I was! UGH!" Sakura huffed as she turned and walked away from Naruto, slamming her rear down on the couch with her face in her hands. "Why do you always have to be so damn stubborn..."
Naruto didn't respond and instead retreated to his bedroom. Closing the door behind him.
"I was never lying to you and I'm not now." Sakura said as she lifted her head up. "What will it take for you to believe that I'm telling you the truth?!"
Naruto exited his room after a few moments in some loose workout clothes.
"I'm off to whatever passes for a gym around here."
"Don't ignore me!" Sakura shouted as she blocked the pathway from the front door with her still immodestly dressed self.
"Oh I don't know Sakura, get proof maybe?!" Naruto mockingly replied before elbowing her aside. He need time to think and he knew the best way to do that was to blow off steam.
Naruto stormed out of their quarters, almost knocking over a crewman as he made his way to the turbo lift.
"God Dammit!" Sakura cried as she flopped back down on the couch, not knowing that Naruto heard her cry of sadness.
'How the hell am I supposed to prove to that idiot that I'm telling the truth?' Sakura thought to herself.
'This really is a big problem.' Inner thought back.
'Yea, no shit. How the hell do I solve it?'
'I don't know. I usually just suggest something shocking. Why don't you try flashing the girls at him? That might get him horny and then the problem will sort itself out.'
'You apparently didn't see the same eyes as I did. they were full of rage and betrayal. My tits wouldn't do anything for him when he's like that.'
'Your butt then? It is our greatest asset.'
'That is his favorite part of my body, but I doubt that would even work. I think I need to call Counselor Troi.'
'I doubt a threesome will solve this situation. And I never thought I'd say that.'
'Not what I was suggesting...' Sakura growled.
'Well now that I mention it...' Inner leered.
'NO!' Sakura hissed.
'Alright, alright, I'm just messing with you. Seriously though, what do we do? I will not have us lose that good lovin'.'
Sakura grabbed the combadge that was on the table next to her and activated it.
"Ensign Haruno to Counselor Troi..." Sakura said, a fait whimper was present at the end of her sentence.
"Troi here." The counselor answered.
"I... Need you in my quarters... The sooner the better... Please..." Sakura sobbed.
"Is everything alright?" Troi asked with concern.
"No... Please get here soon..."
"I'm on my way. Troi out." Troi said as she cut the transmission.
Sakura set her combadge down on the table and cried in her hands. It wasn't long before she heard the doorbell beep melodically.
"Enter..." Sakura chocked out. The door slid open and Counselor Troi walked in to see a sobbing Sakura.
"Sakura? What's wrong?"
"(sniff) Its Naruto..." She sobbed, her knees tucked up to her face to let her better hug herself on the couch.
"What about him?" Troi asked softly as she sat down next to Sakura.
"He... H-he thinks I'm a liar..." She choked out, the rush of all these intense emotions began pouring out. She was almost hyperventilating.
Troi pulled Sakura into a warm embrace as was part of her job for emotionally distraught women. She could feel very intense emotions radiating off of Sakura that was almost overwhelming to the empath.
"Why does he think you're a liar? Did something happen last night?" Troi asked softly as she rocked Sakura to help sooth her.
"H-he thinks I cheated on Sasuke... My Ex-boyfriend... With him..." She sniffed.
"I see. And he doesn't believe you are telling the truth when you are, correct?"
"Yes! I told him that I broke up with Sasuke before we left our home planet. I told him last night before we...well..."
Troi could sense where this was going.
"So, he thinks that the intercourse you two made was not only a mistake, but he feels like you used him to commit an act of infidelity. Was he willing to listen to reason?"
At this Sakura's sadness turned to rage. "No, he's a stubborn idiot who won't listen to a thing I say!"
"Has he always been like this? Or are his emotions overwhelming his judgement?"
"(sniff) I don't know..."
Troi reached out with her empathic abilities to sense Naruto's current emotions. She was suddenly struck with a very intense wave of rage, distrust and betrayal as well as a bit of hatred.
"Oh my..." Troi gasped.
"What?" Sakura asked, wiping the snot from her nose.
"I just sensed Naruto's emotions. I was overwhelmed with an intense amount of negative emotions from him. I think it is possible his emotions are clouding his judgement."
"Chhhh, what else is new? He's always been an irrational idiot." Sakura spat.
"I can also sense... a strong, malevolent presence within him... It feels demonic."
Sakura looked like her eyes were about to pop out of their sockets at Troi's dangerously accurate choice of words.
"I ah, don't know what that could be about. Maybe its Naruto's anger mixed with his chakra creating that demonic presence you feel."
Troi eyed Sakura with a look saying, "I know you're lying."
Now Sakura was more fearful than ever. "Please don't make me say anything. Please."
"I'm not here to question what Naruto is. I'm here to resolve a problem the two of you have. However, I will need to bring this subject up again." Troi stated.
"I just keep screwing everything up with him don't I?" Sakura said as she eyed the carpet where some of the gravy from breakfast had spilled onto the carpet when Naruto stormed off.
"All I would need to know about that is if it poses a threat to the safety of the ship. I will say nothing more about it if you are not lying." Troi pointed out.
"No. Absolutely not. Naruto is no threat to this ship nor to any of its occupants. Of that you can be certain of." Sakura said with conviction.
Sensing Sakura's emotions as she spoke, Troi knew that Sakura was telling the truth and nodded. "You're telling the truth. You were also telling the truth about your current relationship status. Now what needs to be done is to convince Naruto of that."
"But how? He won't listen to a word I say!"
Troi stood up and walked over to the computer terminal located on a nearby desk. "Computer, access security footage for the last 24 hours. Authorization Troi Beta 94." Troi ordered.
"ACCESS GRANTED" the computer sounded.
"Wait a minute, we were recorded?!" Sakura exclaimed, a mixture of rage and embarrassment.
"It is alright, Sakura. No one monitors these feeds. The computer records them and only senior officers like myself and a high ranking Security officer can access them." Troi assured.
"So you could see what me and Naruto did last night at your leisure? That doesn't make me feel any better." Sakura said as she crossed her arms in a subconscious method to try to hide her breasts. Only to remember that she was still wearing that skimpy bathrobe.
"No. This footage can only be accessed in the room it was recorded in, unless overridden by the Captain." Troi clarified.
"Ok then...that slightly makes me feel better. Where exactly are these cameras?"
"The feeds are located in the black strips you see above you. You have probably seen them flash red during a red alert." Troi explained. "Anyway, you can look through this footage and use it as the proof Naruto wants when he returns. I hope this helps you both out."
"Thanks..." Sakura said as she tried to navigate the confusing menu system which was as foreign to her as it would be to an Earthling for 500 years in the past.
"Um...how do you work this thing?"
"Computer, play footage from current time index." Troi ordered and the footage started playing. There was no one in the room at the time as both Naruto and Sakura were on duty.
"What time did you return to your quarters?" Troi asked.
"Um... About 1600 hours I think." Sakura guessed.
"Computer. Play footage from 1600 hours yesterday evening." Troi commanded. The video fast forwarded to when Sakura walked into the living area of the shared crew quarters.
Sakura watched herself roam about her quarters, distraught over sharing her trying and emotional time with Sasuke to Dr. Crusher.
"Computer, transfer controls of this footage to Ensign Sakura Haruno." Troi ordered.
"AFFIRMATIVE." The computer sounded.
"I have other appointments I have to make. If this doesn't work, call me and we'll work something else out." Troi said and Sakura smiled.
"Thank you Counselor." Sakura said as Troi made her way out.
As this was happening, Naruto was on one of the holodecks, using one of Worf's training programs on a level of difficulty that even Worf Himself hasn't used. Naruto was in the middle of a small pit as alien warrior after alien warrior until he was surrounded by 20 men. A mixture of Klingons, Miraks, Lyrans and Naussicans had weapons drawn with savage looks on their faces of varying shapes.
Naruto however was in the kind of pissed off mood where he could focus on nothing but kicking all their virtual asses. Disregarding his shadow clones or even his trusty kunai, Naruto felt the need to do this by hand.
A Klingon was the first to charge at him with some kind of oddly shaped two handed blade, which Naruto was quick to dodge underneath and land a series of quick jabs into the alien's joints, staggering him from attempting anymore quick moves. It was a far cry from his Ex's style of fighting, but it got the job done with under skilled opponents.
Naruto finished the job with a backwards kick to the Klingon's lower back, knocking it down to its knees and allowing Naruto to focus on the next threat.
Down in Naruto's subconscious, Kurama stirred awake.
'Someone is in a bad mood. What's got your headband in a knot?'Kurama asked.
Naruto ignored him and began his assault on the next alien.
Next was a Lyran that looked like an orange cat had decided to grow to the height of a man and walk like one too. It attacked Naruto with a flurry of claw swipes, every single one Naruto carefully blocked, countered, or dodged out of the way. Before the cat alien could try out a new strategy, Naruto stepped into his attacks where his claws were over extended and sent his own flurry of jabs into the alien's stomach and then finished it off with a sickening uppercut to its furry chin.
A Mirak and Klingon duo tried double team Naruto, but had foolishly stepped into his field of reach while Naruto was still benefiting for the momentum of his last scuffle. He stepped into the Klingon's path and sent blow after blow of bone crunching punches at the Klingon's various weak points. Sakura wasn't the only one who could channel chakra into her limbs enhancing her strength. Before the Klingon could even fall flat on its back, Naruto had flipped the lion like Mirak over using a kind of ninja jujitsu. He then finished with a devastating blow to the head right into the hard ground. Knocking the alien out instantly.
At that point the first Klingon tried his luck again but was met with a backwards leg sweep that knocked it off its feet and was met with the same fate as the Mirak.
'Kit, you're starting to worry me.'Kurama said.
At that point the remaining Alien, a Nausicaan, looked like it had taken a step backwards, as if computer program could feel fear. Naruto didn't give it a chance as he sprinted towards the startled hologram with a newly formed Rasengan at the ready. It tried to throw a punch at the blond, but given his extremely higher level of training, the ninja caught it and twisted the alien's arm back. The alien program cried out in pain as if to convey begging for mercy but Naruto was having none of it. He drove the spiraling ball of chakra into the alien's back, dead center to were the spine would be and held on to its arm as the power of the chakra ball exploded throughout the alien hologram's chest cavity. Leaving a virtual mess all over the Klingon that was still rolling on the ground in pain.
"Wave 18 completed. Simulation terminated." the computer sounded. Worf had only programmed this simulation to go up to 18 levels and Naruto surpassed them all with ease.
"Computer, restart wave 18 with twice the number of enemy units." Naruto said impatiently.
"Unable to comply. That request would overload the holo emitters." The computer denied.
'And here I'd thought you'd have a hangover from last night.'Kurama said, hoping that would gain Naruto's attention.
"Guess I'm just lucky, no thanks to you." Naruto said aloud. "Computer, how many enemy units can the halo emitter generate without overloading?"
"30." The computer responded. Then what Kurama said finally registered in Naruto's mind.
"Wait a minute... I thought I couldn't get drunk because of you!" Naruto hollered.
'Oops. Guess that's what happens when I sleep.'Kurama said sarcastically.
"You damn Fox, I slept with Sakura-chan because of you! Do you know what this means?!"
'That you're overreacting like usual. Didn't I say not everything is as it seems?'
"Yeah and you were wrong as usual! I slept with Sakura, whose dating Sasuke, my best friend. What kind of asshole does that?!"
'You do know she broke up with him the day we left, right? She explained that to your dunk ass last night. I heard that much at least. it's not my fault you're too stupid to remember shit.' Kurama said plainly.
"Oh don't you start too."
'Hey, I was the sober one while you two drunk fucked each other. I think after being in your body for 20 years I can remember shit a lot better than you can. Don't you remember 3 months ago, you saw her crying at that park bench and she said it was because she missed that mopey bastard? I felt a shift in her chakra, she was lying. She wasn't lonely, she was miserable. Even I could see that.'
Naruto shook his head, trying to drown out Kurama's voice in his head.
"Computer, render 30 level 18 enemies, fully armed." Naruto said. He had to take his mind off what Kurama was saying. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't.
'It is. Or do I need to revive your memories for you? I'm more than certain she is trying to find a way to prove to you that she isn't lying. And she isn't. Her chakra didn't shift and she was pouring her heart out to you. But what did you do? You did the one thing you said you would never do; you hurt her.'
Naruto grabbed his head and shook violently.
"NO! You're wrong! There is no way that's true!" Naruto screamed. "It's not true, dammit! You're lying to me! You have to be!"
'Sage of Six Paths, Kit, pull yourself together! Why would I lie to you? Huh? This isn't like your childhood when I was trying to trick you into releasing the seal and freeing me. We're partners now, or did I misunderstand you?'Kurama lectured, to which Naruto felt guilty.
'So when I tell you that you are making a mistake it is because you are about to cost the both of us very dearly. I will not stand idly by while you ruin the most interesting relationship you've ever had with a potential mate. Granted she's not as fit for breeding as the last one, but at least this one has some spunk to her.'
Naruto was speechless. How could he argue with that? What was there to argue about after that? But he still couldn't accept it as the truth. He needed to have Sakura look him in the eye and tell him that it was true. It was the only way this was ever going to make him believe. Not wasting a moment, he dashed out of the holodeck and made his way back to their quarters.
A few hours had gone by and Sakura had found what she was looking for; the section of the video that would prove her validity to Naruto undeniably.
"I just hope he believes this. This is about as hard of evidence as he's ever gonna get." Sakura said to herself.
Because life is just funny like that, at that exact moment the front door to Sakura's quarters opened to none other than the exact blond she wanted to see.
Standing there, half in and half out of the door frame, Sakura couldn't help but notice how attractive Naruto looked. All sweaty, out of breath, and looking completely serious. It was the rare air of maturity that surrounded him that made it all the more special when Sakura finally saw it. He looked so commanding just standing there, like he just got back from a harrowing battle and had returned to his lover's bedside.
Then Sakura remembered that she had a fight with this jerk for always jumping to conclusions and snapped out of her daydream.
Without missing a beat, Naruto grabbed Sakura by her shoulders and looked her directly in her eyes.
"Tell me the truth, Sakura! Did you really break up with Sasuke?!" Naruto demanded. He continued to look her in the eyes to see if she was lying. This was the moment of truth.
"I told you before that I broke up with him before we left. What part of that just isn't sinking in?!" Sakura spat.
Naruto's facial features softened. He saw no lies in Sakura's eyes and he immediately released her. He slowly walked over to the couch and sat down, completely stunned beyond belief.
"I'm sorry. It's just... You and Me and Sasuke... Our history is so muddled and dramatic, I guess I was hoping it wasn't going to take another wild turn like it did. I mean I woke up and everything was fuzzy. I don't normally get hangovers; I usually remember everything that happens the night before. So when all I could remember was that I slept with you, and last I checked you were still with Sasuke... Sasuke is like a brother to me, you know that. I could never hurt him like that. And I especially would never want to risk screwing up your relationship with Sasuke. I always thought it was the one thing that would guarantee your happiness, Sakura-chan."
"Naruto... You've gotta stop this, this coddling of me. My happiness is not your responsibility..." She said softly. Naruto could only look down is resigned sadness. "At least it wasn't, it is now." She smirked.
"Sakura-chan?"
"What? Do you think I'm gonna just let you hit it and quit it? Nah uh, Mr. Stud. Your ass is mine now."
"But, Sakura-ch-"
"Naruto, I have spent the better part of my life thinking that love was just giving my everything to a single person. Well these last three years have taught me that all that devotion is pretty empty when the other guy isn't willing to give much of anything back. You on the other hand, have always been willing to give more than you take, do you get my meaning? I want to be with you Naruto. I want to see how far the two of us can go together. So if you'll have me..." Sakura said, summoning up all the courage she possessed. "I'd like to be your girlfriend."
Naruto shot up from the couch and made is way over to Sakura.
"Are you serious right now? You want to go out with me?" Naruto said in amazement.
The Pink Firecracker looked off to the side to avoid meeting his gaze out of embarrassment. "Of course I do, Baka. You've always been sweet on me. You're my best friend. I can't remember having so much fun with anyone else but you. So why not? We're stuck here on this damn ship for 5 years so let's give it a shot and see where it takes us."
'That and we gotta keep breaking off a piece of that Naruto ass.' Inner said.
'Hush.'
That was the final push as Naruto's dam broke. Without warning, Sakura felt herself be enveloped buy a pair of strong arms and felt a warm liquid run down the side of her face.
"Y-you have... No idea how long I've waited to hear you say that... I'm so sorry for acting like such an asshat... I'm sorry, Sakura-chan..." Naruto sobbed softly on Sakura's shoulder.
She took him into her own embrace.
"It's alright Naruto, we've both made mistakes to get to where we are now. What matters is that we give this an honest shot." She said as she rubbed circles on his back in a smooth and comforting manner.
Naruto started to calm down as he slowly opened his eyes. He looked up and saw that the terminal screen on the desk had an image of him and Sakura from last night.
"What's that?" Naruto chocked out and cleared his throat.
Sakura pulled away from Naruto slowly and turned to look at the computer screen.
"Oh, that. That is the proof you wanted. Computer, play from current time index." Sakura said.
The video started playing from the place Sakura selected.
"Naruto, our dinner is getting cold. Save the booze for after dinner, eh?" Sakura said.
"Can do Sakura- HIC! -chan!" Naruto giggled. Seriously, what a lightweight.
"You're drunk already? Wow... Hinata wasn't kidding." Sakura said in shock.
"Ah what does she know... She never wants to have any fun with me... HIC!" Naruto slurred.
"Naruto, you're drunk. You don't know what you're talking about." Sakura said.
"Shhshshshshhh.." Naruto drunkingly shushed. "Our relationship is almost like yours with Sasuke...Hic!" Naruto slurred. "It's like I do everything for her so long as its what I want, never what she wants. She's too submissive and timid and it gets annoying."
"Oh Naruto-kun, let's do whatever you want to do. Oh Naruto-kun, anything you suggest is fine. Oh Naruto-kun...bah!" Naruto did his best mimic of Hinata's voice.
Naruto slammed down a glass of Romulan ale and dropped the empty glass on the floor. "Ugh! Damn that shit's strong!" Naruto slurred as he wobbled over to the couch.
"4 months ago, I pushed to do something she wanted to do and she got mad at me, causing a big argument over nothing... HIC" Naruto said as he flopped down on the couch. "I'm surprised I stayed with her as long as I did. I said I was tired of always pulling her along with whatever I wanted to do and said I didn't want a life like that. So she left. I say good riddance." Naruto slurred as his body swayed on the couch.
"She always seemed weird to me anyway... HIC!"
"We got back together after that though...She promised to be more assertive though, so that's nice...Hic..."
"The problem is, I have yet to see a change in her... I think she'll always be like that...HIC!"
"OH YA KNOW WHAT!? She was more assertive at first...but cha know what the real kicker is? Turns out we don't have a damn thing in common... She doesn't like ramen, or pulling pranks... what the Hell is with bird watching anyway?"
"...We broke up agaiiin... Thiiis time for gooood...HIC!" Naruto slurred. "III Don't think she ever really loved me..."
"Personalllly... I think you should dump Sasuke... That Teme is making you miserable so just drop him like a hot potato... Focus on what you want... HIC!"
"That's... What Dr Crusher told me." Sakura said as she slammed down her third glass of wine and poured herself a glass of Romulan ale.
"Aaand... Shees right..." Naruto slurred as he pointed his finger at Sakura. "You... Yooouuu better listen to her."
"You are absolutely cocked." Sakura snickered.
"And yoooooooouuuuuuuu look sexy as fuck..." He slurred with a grin.
"Ahah... I don't think so, Baka." Sakura said sternly. "Not on your life."
Naruto looked down rejected. "Typical..."
Sakura looked at Naruto quizzically as she took a gulp of her ale. "What do you mean by that?"
"You're a really big bitch, sometimes, you know that?" Naruto said suddenly, shocking Sakura.
"I have loved you for sooooooo long. And I've done sooooooo much for you... And you never even look my way, but you always look at the freaking Teme, and I'm still dumb enough to just settle for your friendship..."
"I think that's just the alcohol talking, Naruto." Sakura said quietly.
"No its not...I'm sober...I'm always sober... always make sure of that, healing my HIC alcohol like poison or somethin..." Naruto swayed in his seat back and forth.
"Mr. Fluffles?" Sakura said in confusion. "You are drunk, Naruto." Sakura chuckled. But her smile quickly went away. "But... You're right... I have been too much of a bitch towards you, taking your kindness for granted." Sakura just looked away from Naruto. "And what have I done to deserve it? nothing compared to what you've done for me."
Sakura slammed down the rest of her ale and poured herself another glass and downed that too. Already she was starting to feel the effects of this new alcohol.
"Yer damn...BLUGH!" Naruto puked all over the counter top. He then righted himself and stared at it for a second.
"That should be inside of me..." He pointed out. "Kurama-adama, what're ya doin' in there ya foxy beast?!"
"Naruto..." Sakura said, her voice starting to slur. "I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am... I never even realized it until now and it hurts to know that I've taken your kindness for granted as much as I have." Sakura said sadly.
Even in his inebriated state, Naruto could still recognize that he had hurt Sakura and his old instincts kicked in.
"No, no, Sakura don't be sad. I didn't mean what I said... I was out of line. I can't expect you to return your feelings to me if you don't have them. The last thing I want to do is force you into anything. That's not...it would be you then..."
"But it's true!" Sakura said as she looked at Naruto, tears running down her face. "I have taken advantage of you since the beginning and never gave it a second thought! You have been in love with me for as long as I can remember and How did I return your love? By running off with that bastard that doesn't give two shits about me... At first I thought breaking up with him just because I was going to be gone so long was selfish on my part. But considering our relationship up till now, I'm glad I did."
"Y-you did? You broke up with Sasu-kay?" Naruto slurred in disbelief. It didn't make any sense. Sakura loved Sasuke, she always did.
"Yes I did! I don't know what I ever saw in that man... No, scratch that. He isn't a man! He's a fucking JOKE! Makes me do everything and doesn't even give me the attention I deserve and then treats me like I'm just some piece of ass by trying to get me knocked up to revive his clan. Well, little did that asshole know that I had been using a contraceptive jutsu this whole time. Like Hell i'm going to mother a child whose father is never around..." Sakura slurred angrily.
"Computer pause recording." Sakura said. The recording paused and she looked upon a stunned Naruto that couldn't believe that he just saw and heard.
"Oh my God... I can hardly believe it..." Naruto said in a hushed tone.
"Imagine my shock when you told me about Hinata. Or were you just drunk and that wasn't true?" Sakura asked, afraid of the answer.
"Oh no, all of that is true. She's too timid, clingy, and she never wants to do anything she wants to do. Always about what I want." Naruto confirmed firmly.
"At first it was nice, ya know. Have someone completely dedicated to me, someone I didn't have to try with. But before I knew it she quickly became boring. I kind of wanted her to be more like you."
"Awe..." Sakura gushed as she blushed. But then shifted for a minute. "Wait, like me in what way?"
"Oh you know, stern, authoritative, not letting me get away with anything, scolding me when I screwed up or went too far." He admitted.
'Someone wants to be dominated.' Inner thought.
'Fine by me. At least he'll let me.' Sakura responded back.
"So she was too soft for ya, huh? Well you know me, you ain't gonna have it easy with me like you did her." Sakura smirked.
"Same with me Sakura-chan. I'm gonna freaking smother you with affection like you deserve." He smirked, his hands rubbing up and down her lower back.
Sakura smiled as she was getting ready to jump him right then and there.
"I should've accepted you a long time ago." Sakura said as she practically smashed her lips against his.
"And I should have punched Sasuke's fucking lights out when he first asked you out." He returned the kiss with gusto.
Sakura laughed against Naruto's lips as the kiss grew more passionate and heated. Naruto's hands were exploring over Sakrua's back as she ran her fingers through his long blond hair. Eventually, Naruto's hands found their way to the font of Sakura as he cupped one hand on her cheek and another on her left breast and fondled it without even thinking. Sakura's pleasure filled moan snapped him back to reality as he realized what he had done. Quickly, he snapped his hand back and pulled away.
"Sorry!" Naruto said frantically.
Sakura then cupped his left butt cheek and gave it a firm squeeze. "Don't be." She said before resuming their make-out session. Her other hand trailing up his front learning the highs and lows of his pecs that only a lifetime of training could give him.
Naruto was shocked at Sakura's sudden action, but then the memory of last night played through his mind courtesy of Kurama.
'You're welcome...'Kurama said with a bored tone.
"I have an idea." Sakura said suddenly, enlisting a protest from Naruto who wanted to keep going.
"You know how the computer has video of us talking, right?"
Naruto's eyes widened. "What are you suggesting...?"
"Well, the computer recorded a lot more than that. A LOT more. So I'm thinking the two of us snuggle up together on the couch and watch it." Sakura smiled her most devious smile.
'Kinky.'Kurama said.
"Woah!" Naruto exclaimed in shock. "Um... Okay. Sure. Gotta say, didn't expect that from you."
"There's a lot about me you wouldn't expect." Sakura said as she ever so slowly leaned back on her side, inviting Naruto to lay down behind her. "Now are you going to sit there all day or are you going to cuddle up with me?"
'Ensign Uzumaki, photon torpedo is ready to fire.'Kurama snickered.
'Ha ha.. Laugh it up... Mr. Fluffles!' Naruto snickered back.
Kurama growled. 'I'ma hurt you, boy. I'ma hurt you real bad.'
Naruto laughed out loud at Kurama's actions as he snuggled up to Sakura.
"What's so funny?" Sakura asked.
"Nothing. Just picking on Kurama."
"Kurama huh? How is he doing?"
That one threw both Naruto and Kurama for a loop. It was common knowledge in the Leaf now that Naruto was the jinchuriki to Kurama the 9 Tailed Fox. Most still loathed Kurama for attacking the village 20 years ago and made a point to not even acknowledge him being a part of Naruto. As far as anyone was concerned he was like one of Naruto's summoning animals. A living tool at his beck and command. To acknowledge him as a sentient being that lived side by side (or inside) of Naruto was one thing. To ask about how his day was going was another.
"Um, I can bring him out for you if you want. I can just have him control a shadow clone." Naruto suggested.
'The Hell are you doing Kit? Don't bring me out, focus on laying with her.'
'Hey, she asked how you were. so how are you?'
'I'm trapped in a dense 20-year-old who is about to kill the mood. I'm doing fine!'
Naruto just rolled his eyes and returned to his new girlfriend. "Never mind. He's being a stick in the mud. He says he's fine, by the way."
"Oh that's good. You should bring him out more often. It's gotta be boring stuck inside you all the time." Sakura said.
'Not like it is with us. BOOM!' Inner Sakura said, dropping a mental mic.
'Wait, what?'Kurama said in shock
"Wait, what?" Naruto repeated.
"Seriously. You should give him a release from time to time." Sakura confirmed.
"I uh, I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Naruto said. This was not the reaction he was expecting. When Hinata finally came to realize that Kurama was a constant presence in Naruto's life, she was skeptical. The thought that there was another entity inside Naruto seeing everything he did (or everyone) was discomforting. Hinata had even suggested them both try to find ways of removing Kurama. That was not a pleasant discussion at all. Yet here was Sakura, being completely accepting of Kurama. Or perhaps it hadn't yet dawned on her what it meant to be sleeping with a jinchuriki.
"Where... exactly are you going with this anyway?" Naruto asked.
"No particular reason... at the moment. Let's just say, I have an idea I've always wanted to try but Sasuke was never willing to give me that pleasure. I'm pretty sure he already knows about last night." Sakura said.
Inside Naruto's subconscious the host and the demon looked at one another.
'No.' 'No.'They both said at the same time.
"No." Naruto said aloud.
'Damn.' Sakura and her Inner self thought at the same time.
Sakura sighed. She was disappointed, but she'd try again at a later time. This is a new relationship and they want to work out all of the kinks before trying anything new in bed.
"Alright. Thought I'd ask." Sakura said a little disappointed. "Well, anyway. Let's enjoy the show. Computer, resume playback."
Naruto smoothed his way into the couch behind Sakura. Snaking his arm underneath her and wrapping them around her protectively. She fit into his arms like a long missing puzzle piece. She wrapped her own arms around his securely. Their legs intertwined with one another. Naruto breathed deeply into Sakura's short hair, she smelled like strawberries and sex from last night, it was intoxicating.
They watched their first night together, although they couldn't remember most of it. They laughed at the part when Naruto fell on the floor and when Sakura ripped apart her robe.
"So that's what happened to my robe." Sakura laughed.
"Oh man. For a second I thought I... ya know... forced myself on you." Naruto sighed in relief.
Sakura smirked. "As if I'd let you, please." Naruto couldn't help but chuckle in agreement. One side effect of having monster strength was that no one could touch Sakura if she didn't want them too. And if they did, they quickly regretted it.
They then started watching the part where Sakura was getting ready to plop down on Naruto when he stopped her.
"Why the hell did I do that?" Naruto asked.
"That's what I'd like to-oooooohhh..." Sakura said as she saw Naruto on the screen eat her out. "Damn, I wish I could remember that. I never had that happen to me before."
"Yeah, sucks that we can't remember most of this. I guess we'll just have to make new memories." Naruto offhandedly suggested.
"Yes we will, you can count on that. Probably after this. Not gonna lie, I'm getting horny. And you're poking me." Sakura said in a sultry tone.
"It's not my fault you've got such a great ass."
"That explains why I always caught you staring."
"Guilty." He smiled into her hair.
"It's yours now anyway, so stare all you want." Sakura said softly. Naruto was about to do just that when they both heard Sakura on the screen scream. they looked over to see Sakura drenching Naruto's face.
"Oh my god... I have never done that before..." Sakura said in shock.
"Really? That happens to me all the time."
"Wait, you mean Hinata is a squirter?" Sakura asked in shock. "I never would have pegged her for that."
"Oh yea, she squirts like a damn fire hose. But you on the other hand, squirt like a broken dam. I think that's a large improvement." Naruto said happily.
"Oh, Naruto..." Sakura said in a happy tone.
They kept watching until Naruto spoke up again.
"Did Sasuke seriously never make you cum?"
"No, he never did. Once he was satisfied, that was it and didn't want to do anymore. I would masturbate to finish off what he never finished. He was only trying to impregnate me to rebuild his clan..."
"Wow that is just... inexcusable. It's a man's duty to leave his partner satisfied. At least that's what Pervy Sage always taught me."
"For once, he was right on the money. Like I said, I would have broken up with Sasuke eventually. the love was just one sided and he never once showed me any affection. So, fuck him. He lost out."
Naruto took a once over glance at the young woman laying before him. "Damn right he did."
"And Hinata missed out on probably the greatest man in the Galaxy. Even if he is a bit of a dunce." Sakura said with a giggle.
"I wouldn't say she missed out. She got her fair share. It's just you get the whole pot now."
"True. Her loss, my gain."
On the holographic projection, the two love birds could see Sakura gearing up to give Naruto his payback from earlier.
"Where did you learn to do that with your hands?"
"I'm a doctor, remember? I know what makes your dick tick."
"Mmhmm... I suspect other methods of learning." Naruto said with a smirk.
"That's for me to know." Sakura teased. "Even now I'm still surprised by your size. Probably why I'm still a little sore. Something I never had with Sasuke the pencil dick."
'You ever gonna stop mentioning Sas-gay? He's old news. Let's enjoy our newest Boy Toy.' Inner commented.
'I will. But maybe he would like to know where he truly stacks up to that asshole, and I'm not talking about power. Naruto has him beat right where it counts.'
'Or he'll think you're trying to cover up something.'
"Oh man, I remembered that one." Naruto said, jogging Sakura back to reality. He was pointing out the moment of release.
"Yea I do too. Man I never knew any man could pump out that much."
"Well I've gotta keep up my reputation as the most unpredictable ninja somehow." He joked, earning a playful slap from Sakura.
"Well, I think I may be stepping on your title. How many times have I surprised you just within the last few days?"
"You're right. This just won't do." Naruto said in an overly dramatic, sarcastic voice. "I was prepared to give you the pants in the relationship, but my title of maverick ninja is too much damn it."
Sakura laughed. "You're too much, you know that?"
"Only for you, cause you make it so fun." Naruto smirked as he kissed the back of Sakura's head again.
Now came the part they were both waiting for and the part they both remember fondly; their intimacy in Sakura's bed.
"Oh, this is the part where you really lived up to your title." Sakura pointed out as the Sakura on the screen screamed when Naruto shoved his member into Sakura. "That was a major surprise and I thought it wouldn't all fit at first."
"Aren't you a doctor? I thought woman could expand or something?" Naruto teased.
"Ha ha... Well we can both tell Sai later that he can't call you Dickless anymore." Sakura giggled.
"Oh yeah, that'll be a welcome back greeting. 'Hey Sai, turns out I do have a penis. A real seal clubber too. Suck on that.'" Naruto said in a deep voice.
"BAHAHAHAAA! Oh my God I would PAY to see that!" Sakura hysterically laughed.
"Hahaha, me too. Damn, I wish we had a phone or something to talk to the guys back home."
"Yea I hear ya. I asked Crusher about it and we can't talk to them simply because they don't have the technology to receive our message."
"Ah Shit!" Naruto suddenly shouted, startling Sakura.
"What?"
"Sai. Damn it all, I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to him before we left."
"Oh shit! I didn't either! Fuck!" Sakura cursed as she realized her mistake. "Oh he's gonna hate us when we get back..."
"No you don't understand Sakura. Before we got this mission. He told me that he was gonna propose to Ino. He wanted me to be his best man..."
Sakura jumped off the couch in shock and landed on the floor in a position where Naruto could see up her robe.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?! GOD DAMMIT!"
Sakura got up and shook her head sadly. "Oh man, this royally sucks... I never knew... aw man... And we can't even tell them where we are and what we're doing..."
"Shit, I mean...he'll probably learn it through Ino or someone else, but damn it all. I helped him pick out the ring and everything..."
Sakura took in a deep breath and sighed loudly. "Well... Kinda too late to do anything about it now. Shit... Boy, doesn't this ruin the mood..." Sakura said sadly.
"Yeah, sorry about that Sakura-chan."
"Don't worry about... No wait, actually do worry about it and come over here to comfort me." She said, a small tear threatening to fall. Naruto immediately sat up and concealed her in a hug, they both rocked back and forth while their video selves continued fucking on screen.
"It's gonna be a long five years isn't it?" Naruto asked over Sakura's quiet sobs.
"Maybe not with you here..." Sakura said softly. Her mind was going back to when Sai and first joined their team. At the time, Naruto hadn't learned how to use his golden Kyuubi mode. The moment he first laid eyes on Sai, he wanted to summon Gamabunta and-
"THAT'S IT!" Sakura shouted in realization.
"What's it?"
"Naruto, summon a toad if you can. That toad can tell Lady Tsunade and our friends everything we want them to know! Why didn't I think of it before?!"
"You're a genius, Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried as he kissed her right on the forehead.
"It's what I do!" Sakura said with a smile.
Naruto wasted no time flashing through the hand signs to summon one of his Toad companions. Slamming his hand down on the ground, the room was filled with smoke for an instant before revealing a small toad with a goatee.
"Naruto-boy it's been far too long."
"Hey ya, Fukasaku ya Old Toad, how are you?" Naruto replied.
"Oh my back is killing me and Ma's been yapping in my ear day in and day out. Other than that I'm doing great. What can I do for ya?"
"We need you to send a message to Lady Tsunade and our friends. We're on a top secret SS-ranked mission right now and can't tell you where exactly we are." Sakura explained. But the old toad was wise to her as he looked out the window from the back of the couch.
"You're with Star fleet I presume?" He asked as soon as he noticed they were out in space.
"What?!" Both ninja's exclaimed. "How-"
"Let's just say this isn't the first time those space explorers contracted the help of the Leaf's ninjas. And I happen to be old enough to remember."
"You're kidding... Wow..." Sakura gasped out.
"Right so. If you're anything like your predecessors, you probably want me to deliver a message am I right?" The Toad Sage deduced. Age might have caught up with his body, but not his mind.
The old toad looked up and the holographic projection that was still playing. "I hope that isn't the message."
Sakura looked up to what the Toad was talking about and her entire face went beet red.
"Oh god! Computer discontinue playback!" Sakura shouted and the image disappeared.
"Grandpa Toad, I can explain-" Naruto began, but Fukasaku held up his hand to silence the flustered boy.
"It's none of my business. Youth will be young only once." He said lowering his hand. "Now what was the message?"
"It's a private message for our friend Sai actually." Naruto began.
"You want to finally tell him that you actually do have a seal clubber?"
"NO!" Both Naruto and Sakura shouted, both red faced as hell.
"We both didn't get the chance to say goodbye to Sai before we left on the Enterprise." Sakura started.
"The Enterprise? That old bucket is still around? Kirk must be almost as old as I am now." The old toad croaked.
"Kirk? Whose Kirk?" Naruto inquired.
"He's the captain of the Enterprise. Surely you've met him if you're here."
"Um, no. The captain of this ship is Jean Luc Picard." Sakura informed.
The old toad looked at Sakura in bewilderment. Then something came to his mind.
"What's the registry number of this ship?" He inquired.
Naruto shrugged but Sakura pointed it out on the screensaver on the terminal screen.
"NCC-1701-D." Sakura read off.
"Ah, that's why. Different Enterprise." The old toad said. "So, what am I telling this Sai boy?"
"Just tell him that me and Sakura-chan are on a 5-year SS-class mission. He'll understand, but we won't be able to attend his and Ino's wedding..." As Naruto said this a new wave of sadness hit Sakura, as it did Naruto. "Tell him, we're sorry..."
"And tell him to tell Ino-pig when he does get around to proposing to her that... That I said congratulations." Sakura choked out.
"Ah, young love... Alright. I shall return when I have told him. And..." The old toad started. "It's about damn time you two got together." He croaked before turning into a puff of smoke and disappearing.
Naruto pulled Sakura into a comforting hug as she started sobbing a little harder, to which she returned.
Author's Notes: samuraipanda85; Update for the fans of Legacy of Heroes. I apologize for the wait, because for this part in the story I have decided to write the majority of it entirely on my own. And the past month was just a haze of holiday parties, too many sweets, and wisdom teeth removal surgery. God willing, I'll get it up this weekend but that is what I told cmartinHFD last weekend.
It IS coming…
Inner: That's what he said. BOOM! Drops mic
Kurama: Is this going to be a new thing with her?
Samuraipanda85: Probably. Cmartin, thoughts?
Cmartin: We'll see.