Chapter 3.
Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Naruto or any characters related.
11:36 PM:
"I look like hell..."
For the umpteenth time, Sakura sighed dejectedly as she starred vacantly at the red-eyed reflection that impassively gazed back at her. Her face looked dirty and disheveled with loose strands of pink hair clingling messily to her flushed forehead. She felt like she'd just run twenty consecutive laps around the village with additional weights strapped to both of her arms and legs.
After her bout of emotional distress, Naruto had lightly suggested for her to go to the bathroom and wash up while he finished cleaning up in the kitchen. She had offered to give him a hand, but he'd merely grinned while making the familiar hand signs for his trademark 'Kage Bunshin no Jutsu'. Taking the hint, she'd left the work up to him and his clones without any further protest.
Visions of portals sucking her into the unknown danced in her head while she'd reached for the doorknob. She had been almost dreading to see exactly what kind of state his bathroom was in. Walking inside, she had been somewhat shocked to find that it was the exact opposite. The room was surprisingly clean, almost un-Naruto-like to her.
"I guess he doesn't like a dirty bathroom anymore then the next person does," Sakura commented as she reached across the counter for a face cloth. Twisting the faucets on, she held the cloth underneath the steady flow as the water grew hotter. Once the heat became too much, she pulled the cloth away and twisted the cloth, expelling the excess water and pressed it up against her brow. She groaned in relief, the irritation in her spent eyes beginning to alleviate.
After a minute, she slowly pulled the cloth away and carefully looked herself over again. Other then some mild redness, there was a definite improvement. The tearstains that had lingered on her puffy cheeks were virtually gone. Satisfied, she briefly patted her face down before wringing the cloth out in the sink, placing it back where she had initially found it.
"Face it girl, you still look like hell!" Her inner persona bluntly pointed out.
Sakura ignored the comment while she fixed her hair in an attempt to make herself look a little more presentable. Even though it was only Naruto, he was still a boy, and she didn't much like it when boys looked at her like she was a spaced out zombie.
"This is pointless. It's not like I'm pretty or anything," she grumbled. "If I was, Sasuke-kun might not have left and—"
She roughly shook her head, unwilling to walk through this maze yet again. "No, I won't do this. Not again," she firmly told herself. "It's just like Naruto said: Sasuke-kun left because he chose to do so. I won't start torturing myself like this again."
"Better not," her inner persona snarled menacingly.
Instead of responding, Sakura leaned over the sink, absently tracing her fingers over her hairline along the peak of her brow. A tight smile began to form along her lips as she began to remember several moments along her past as a child when she'd always been worrying about how the other kids perceived her. Feeling self-conscious about her forehead certainly didn't help matters either. She could remember on more then one occasion where she'd run to her mother, completely disheartened, because of some new cruel joke the kids had devised or else the teasing simply came to a point where she couldn't handle it anymore.
"How we look on the outside, honey, isn't nearly as important as how we look on the inside," her mom would always explain in an attempt to console her while wiping the tears away. It was of little to no comfort for a girl who was only seven, but now that she was older and quite a bit wiser, she could understand the point that her mom had tried to install then in her young mind then.
With the exception of Ino, she couldn't recall Naruto ever teasing her for having such an abnormal-sized forehead. It might have been because of his mischievous nature or simply because of mimicking the other villagers' behavior towards him that she'd grown up resenting him. Now, after getting the chance to understand him a bit more, she regretted a great deal of that.
Naruto never really did explain why he'd always put up with her. How he could ever befriend somebody who had seen nothing but the annoying aspects of his personality. It boggled her mind to no end, and she hated herself for it. As smart as she was, she felt too ignorant to even attempt to understand, exactly, what Naruto had claimed to see so easily within her.
"Maybe it's better that way. A bitch like me doesn't deserve to have a friend like him," she bitterly concluded. She'd selfishly arrived here with all the hopes of finding some kind of resolution to her tirade through Naruto, but all she'd found was more confusing questions that she felt she didn't deserve to know the answers too. She would just have to quit acting like an idiot and grow up on her own without always relying on Naruto like a security blanket to always bail her out of trouble. She promised herself, though, that if Naruto were ever in the same position, she would be there for him, just like he'd been there for her tonight. She owed him at least that much if not more.
Sakura sighed. "I should maybe just think about leaving. It's getting late, and keeping him up isn't really helping either of us," she declared, unaware of just how long she'd been standing in his bathroom. "Besides, he's going to suspect something's wrong if I stay in here any longer," she added. Giving her hair one last check, she opened the door and hurriedly walked out into the hallway.
"Hey, Naruto?" she called out, keeping her voice apologetic as she walked towards the kitchen, her quick movement causing the back of her robe to flap behind her. "Thanks for putting up with me, but I should probably get going and—"
Naruto glanced over his shoulder in mild surprise. "Hey, there, you're just in time. I found something for you to snack on," he gestured towards the table while he looked to be finishing up the last of the dishes. Glancing over at the spot he was pointing at, Sakura noticed a tall glass of chilled water next to a large, square portion of what looked to be angel food cake. "I found that in the fridge," he explained, while drying his hands. "My landlady likes to bake for me from time to time. I would have offered that to you while we were having tea, but I forgot all about it."
"You didn't have to do that," she hastily replied.
Naruto rubbed the back of his head, the towel still in his hand. "I know that eating dessert in the middle of the night isn't exactly the healthiest. It's just that…. well, I thought you might be hungry," he added sheepishly. He didn't want to seem insensitive and say something that would remind her of the fact that she'd just been crying minutes ago. He was beginning to understand the importance of thinking about what a person should say before going ahead and actually saying it.
Appreciating the gesture, she issued him a light smiled as she reclaimed her seat at the table. "You're going to have some too, right? She asked him, already knowing that she wouldn't be able to eat the entire piece.
Naruto shook his head to decline the offer. "I'm not really hungry. Eat as much or as little as you want, and I'll be right back."
Sakura gave him a curious look. "Now where are you going?"
He smiled nervously. "Well, um, I kind of drank to much tea and, uh…. you were in the bathroom for quite awhile, and…" he allowed his voice to trail off, hoping that he'd provided enough of a hint for her without actually having to go into any further detail. The look of annoyance she skewered him with indicated that she knew, exactly, what he was referring too.
"I get the drift," she growled unappreciatively, bringing a halt to any further discussion on the subject. She'd put up with enough of that in the past.
Naruto jerked his head up and down in a shaky motion, his feet instantly propelling him into a dead run. "Sorry, Sakura-chan," he hastily apologized as he rounded the corner and into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.
She rolled her eyes as she recognized the hum of a bathroom fan slowly coming to life. "That dumb ass! Why didn't he just say he was going to the bathroom instead of making a big deal out of it?" she berated harshly, glaring at the sugary cake. Grabbing the fork he'd purposely left out for her, she viciously plunged it into the dessert and took a quick bite. "Stupid dummy—hey, this is pretty good!" she suddenly exclaimed, the raw explosion of flavor taking her by surprise, the annoyance completely forgotten.
Hunger had been one of the last things on her mind, yet she attacked the cake like it was a late assignment. "This is really tasty, but I'm still going to have to work it off tomorrow," she reminded herself. The last thing she needed was to gain unnecessary weight from indulging in such a moist treat. "I'll see if Naruto wants to do some training tomorrow. He is starting to feel better, and I wouldn't mind pounding on him for the fun of it," she grinned, elated at the inspiring thought while taking a drink of water.
She was still eating when a piece of paper poking out from an old ninja manual on the table caught her eye. Feeling curious, she tugged the wrinkled sheet of paper out from it's hiding place. From the first glance, it looked like some fast attempt at a drawing. It wasn't until she took a second closer look at the sketch, when she barely held back the sudden urge to burst out into fits of laughing. Staring back at her was a poorly drawn visage of Kakashi-sensei's face. A brief labeling of notes indicating points to strike, possible counters to various holds as well as several kunai and shuriken surrounded the sides of the portrait.
"This must have been drawn the night before the bell test," she determined, smiling at the nostalgic memories of that particular day. "We were all so nervous and hungry that morning. None of us could get a bell."
Giving the paper one last look, she slipped the paper back in the manual and slid it away. Picking up her fork again, she began to casually play with her half-eaten piece of cake. Her appetite had faded and the snack no longer seemed appetizing to her.
"I might as well just throw this away," she muttered, noticing the garbage can underneath his sink. Draining her glass, she stood up and hastily walked over and discarded the last piece of sweet cake into the trash. Setting the plate and fork into the sink, she turned around and leaned against the counter. The back of her robe created a simple cushion for her lower back as she casually folded her arms around her chest, wondering what she should do now.
"I really should go home," she told herself again, recalling her previous intentions. "It's starting to get pretty late, and if Okaa-san caught me…" she suppressed a shudder. The last thing she needed tonight was to have to put up with her mom's rants and raves about being out past curfew and so forth. Besides, even if she did want to leave, she wasn't going to be rude about it and just walk out while Naruto was still in the bathroom. For being such a nuisance, she needed to at least properly thank him.
She was still contemplating what to say and do when the humming noise in his bathroom began to fade. Seconds later, she heard the door open up, followed by his anxious footsteps thumping down the hallway.
"Sorry about that, Sakura-chan," he raggedly panted as he entered the kitchen. "I tried to make it as fast as I could and—"
"I really don't care to hear the details, Naruto," she curtly cut him off.
"Right, sorry again. How was the cake?" he quickly asked, thankfully changing the subject.
"Really good, thanks. I couldn't eat all of it, though. The piece was too big," she admitted.
Taking a seat, Naruto nodded, "That was actually the last of it," he explained. "I wasn't too sure how much you wanted so I just took it all out. You tossed the rest of it away?"
"That was okay, right?" Sakura asked.
Naruto nodded again as he began to lean back in his chair. "When I was younger, she would always make that cake for me," he began to reminisce. "It was mostly on bad days or else my birthday. Now, I try to tell she doesn't have to make it for me anymore, but it just goes through one ear and out the other. Still, it's nice to come home from missions to find something she made in the fridge," he added, a small smile on his face.
Sakura grew silent at that. To her, his landlady seemed like some surrogate mother that watched over him. It must have been hard for him to grow up without any real parents, yet she'd never heard him complain about it or anything. For those reasons, she would always consider him to be a stronger person then most. The pain of growing up alone, to her, would be unbearable.
"You're kind of quiet, Sakura-chan. Something on your mind?" he asked, hoping to nudge her into making conversation.
She'd almost replied with a 'no', but then changed her mind. Instead of pretending that she didn't have any questions, she could simply come out and say what was on her mind without fear of what he thought or for that matter what she thought for once. "How did you ever deal with growing up?" she asked him, mildly surprised at how blunt that came out.
Naruto gave her a curious look, then shrugged. "I had a lot of help, I suppose. Iruka-sensei was always there when I needed somebody to talk to. My landlord and his wife also helped out with a couple things here and there. Why do you ask?"
Sakura smiled tightly. "I don't think a lot of people could have handled what you grew up with and come out the way you did."
"The way I did?" he repeated, suddenly feeling nervous that Sakura might have known something about him that she shouldn't. At least, not now.
"Yes. Most people would probably be hostile or difficult to be around, but your different. You're always willing to help people, and you never back down from a challenge. You have a tremendous attitude, and it's very admirable."
Naruto scratched his head. "That's, umm, very nice of you to say, Sakura-chan." He still didn't know how to handle her generous comments, but he felt relieved that she was referring to his living arrangment, not the demon fox.
She shook her head. "No, Naruto. Like I said before, it's only the truth. I just…" her voice trailed off as she glanced down. "You're a very unselfish person, Naruto. You're always willing to help somebody in trouble without placing any regard to your own problems." She turned to gaze at him again, "But I'm selfish, Naruto. It's just a part of who I am and it's something that I can't ever change. I wish that I could but I can't."
"Sakura-chan? Are you—?" he began to say, but she waved a hand to ease his concern.
"I'm all right, Naruto. I promise that I won't bawl again. I don't want to put you, and me through that again. I just—could you answer something for me?
Naruto nodded, thankful that she wasn't going to start with the waterworks again. "Of course. Anything you want," he replied. His posture instantly straightening as he gave her his full attention.
Her lips became thin lines as she leaned forward, her hands casually laced together. "Earlier, you said you saw something in me, something about having a big heart. Well, I was kind of wondering exactly what you meant by that," she requested in the hopes of not seeming too anxious. "I promise that I won't overreact like I did earlier or hit you. I just...want to know, okay?"
He smiled apologetically, unaware that she'd taken such an interest in what he'd told her earlier. "I did kind of avoid the question, didn't I?" he gestured over to the chair on her end, indicating for her to have a seat. She hoped off the counter and walked towards the table, but instead of sitting, she picked the chair up and brought it over so that she was in front of him. Once it was in place, Sakura then sat down while brushing some loose hair away from her eyes.
Naruto pulled up his chair up a bit closer as well so that their knees were nearly touching. "You're a good person, Sakura-chan," he started to explain, "You always have been."
She immediately shook her head. "No, I'm not. Why would you even say that?"
"Because it's the truth, Sakura-chan. That's the kind of person you are," he answered sincerely, confused that she'd hadn't known that already. True, she was a little rough around the edges and she did like to express herself in a rather 'punchy' sort of way, but he'd always been able to count on her when ever he required help with something whether it was chakra control or something that he had difficulty in figuring out. She'd always been kind like that and not just with him, but with other people as well.
"Then you're seeing the wrong thing," she responded, swiftly denying the statment as she closed her eyes. Feeling that this had already been a waste of time, she was about to stand when warm, soap-scented hands tenderly grasped her by the cheeks, causing her to sit back down. Her eyes instantly opened at the bold gesture, yet she couldn't find the words necessary to get him to release her.
"You're wrong, Sakura-chan. You're one of the most caring individuals that I know," Naruto gently insisted as he continued to cup her cheeks softly, his fingers brushing along her pink hair. A light smile spread across his lips like a brush fire as he saw the confusion growing in her green orbs. "I'd notice that, just through the way Sasuke treated you. How he would always try and ignore you or else push you away like you were nothing but a waste of space. But...what I couldn't figure out was why you continued to allow yourself to be treated like that," he said, refering back to what he'd said to her a few hours ago.
Sakura sighed. "Ridiculous, isn't it?" She'd lost track of how many times she'd chased after Sasuke in the slim hopes of making him her boyfriend. Coming from Naruto made the whole thing seem even more foolish to her. How stupid she'd acted…
"Caring for somebody is never stupid, Sakura-chan. If it was, there would be no point in defending what's important to us," he explained, almost as if he'd been reading her thoughts.
She starred at him in slight disbelief. From him, that was actually a good response without being condescending. "I know that. I just…can't understand why he felt he needed to leave. Couldn't he have stayed here and grown stronger? Where we really holding him back that much?" she asked, a sense of frustration emerging in her questions.
He sighed inwardly, not really knowing how to answer her. He'd already asked himself those exact same questions and had turned up with nothing. Nobody else had been able to offer anything more. Ero-sennin had previously warned him that Sasuke was walking the same path that Orochimaru had gone down once before and that he should just accept that. Naruto of course had instantly refused to back down. He would always believe that one day, he would bring Sasuke back home where he truly belonged. Deep down, he knew that it was a selfish notion but he would always continue to hope.
"It won't do us any good to ask ourselves those questions," he finally answered. "We can split all the hairs we want, but it won't change the situation."
Sakura reluctantly nodded. He did have a point and she was getting tired herself of all of these 'what ifs'. They couldn't do anything about it now, but she would never give up either. One day, together, they would bring him back.
"Naruto?"
He gazed at her, "Yes?"
She gouged her fingernails into the back of his hands, causing him to cry out in pain. "What the heck was that for?" he yelled, immediately releasing her cheeks.
"You're changing the subject, again," she growled. "You did that before, and I won't allow it to happen again"
"About what?" he pouted, rubbing his hands to relieve the mild stinging.
Sakura sighed. She'd always wondered if hitting him all of the time caused his brain to shorten out like it tended too. Now, she was starting to believe it. "Forget it, Naruto. It's nothing. Don't worry about it—"
"Sakura-chan...It's because I love you."
Those simple words caused her to freeze up, her brain attempting to justify what he had just said to her. Her mouth opened and closed several times but she couldn't find the words needed to reply.
Clearly noticing her confusion, he patted her on the knee to reassure her. "I mean, I love you as a friend. I'm not trying to pledge my soul or anything. I just want to let you know that I care for you and that I always will." Coming from him, those words were in some way, only half-satisfying. He wanted so much to tell her the whole truth, yet he knew that if he did that, she would only turn him down or else slap him across the head. Judging from her reaction, she was already having difficulty comprehending this new information.
"Naruto...that...that means a lot to me. It really does, but…" Her voice trailed off. Having been caught off her guard, Sakura didn't know what to say to something like that. She didn't want to break his heart by telling him something that she couldn't possibly mean; it would just be a lie.
"Sakura-chan. I already understand. Don't worry about that. I never expected anything in return. I value our friendship and would never do anything to violate that. I only...wanted to let you know how I felt about you," he said, suppressing the urge to swallow. He'd always known that Sakura's heart and soul belonged to Sasuke. He'd figured that out a long time ago when she'd first started talking about him. If he still brought her joy, then he would do nothing but continue to support that. Like he'd said before, she deserved to be content.
Noticing her empty glass, he asked if she wanted it refilled. He'd briefly heard her utter a 'please' but he hadn't really been paying attention. Right now, he needed something to keep him occupied again for the moment. Snatching her glass, he rose from his chair and walked over to sink. He almost felt like his heart wanted to shatter into thousands of pieces. Just like earlier on the bridge, feelings of both relief and anxiety passed through him like adrenaline. It was hard to just sit there and pretend to tell her that he wanted nothing more then friendship from her, when he wanted so much more. It was getting difficult to lie to her, and even more difficult to lie to himself.
Letting the water grow cold, he took a long, deep breath and slowly let it out. "Maybe…I should just concentrate on my training, and give up on her completely," Naruto considered to himself with dejection. He should have known better then to say anything when he already knew the answers, yet he'd always held on to that lingering strand of hope and now that was all but fading. It would be difficult to go through days without picturing her bright hair waving in the wind or the scents that floated around her like a divine bouquet of flowers. It was almost like denying the body's need for air.
He would always love her. That fact would never change, and even if she never returned his feelings. He would continue to be there for her in life and beyond, but her words had clearly set the parameters and now it was finally time to come to grips with himself and accept reality. He'd briefly made a start earlier, but now he was willing to follow through completely with that notion and give up for good.
Feeling better with his decision, he filled the glass up and shut the tap off. He began to say, "I hope you like your water really cold because—!"
A pair of slender arms wrapped themselves around his waist; nearly causing him to drop the glass he'd been holding in the sink. Looking back in surprise, Naruto immediately recognized the bright orange color of his bathrobe. The light pressure of Sakura's head pressed firmly against his upper back as she clutched him against her. For the second time tonight, he was rendered completely speechless. He didn't know how to respond to this startling, bold gesture or what to say.
"You're not thirsty?" the words spilled themselves out embarrassingly. He would have kicked himself for saying something so stupid if he could.
She chuckled. "I'm fine. Did I scare you?" she asked.
"Umm, no, I heard you," he lied unconvincingly. Even with Kyuubi's heightened senses intermingling with his own, Naruto had been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't even heard her sneak up behind him. He could practically hear the fox's mocking laughter.
"I don't think you did, Naruto. What if I had been an enemy?" Her head pulled away from him, her grasp still firm around his waist while she waited for an answer.
He laughed. "I would have given you credit for being original. Besides, how you can be sure that I'm not a clone?"
She was quiet while considering that. Naruto suddenly yelped as he felt his arm being pinched. "That's one way to tell," she grinned as he turned around to face her, his back still pushed against the side of the counter.
Looking down at her arms with with an uneasy expression, Naruto asked, "Is there something wrong, or..."
She shook her head. "No, nothing's wrong, Naruto. I just felt like giving you a hug, or did you want me to let you go?" she added sarcastically while making sure it sounded like a genuine threat.
Taking the hint, Naruto quickly shook his head, awkwardly encircling his arms around her shoulders, still not at all used to this type of gesture without receiving the customary bop on the head in reaction. It was still something he was having trouble getting accustomed to.
"That's better," she cooed as she pressed her forehead against his shoulder, her felt-covered arms pulling him against her. Unsure of what to do, he grasped her gently by the shoulders. His tension slowly began to ease away as he again grew comfortable in her embrace. He could feel the vibrations of her heart, beating against his own chest.
"This girl…just when I think she can't surprise me any further, she goes and pulls this stunt?" he thought to himself. He'd remembered Shikamaru saying something before about girls being troublesome. Might as well add confusing to the list.
"Not that I mind, but what brought this on?" he quietly asked, keeping the question as light sounding as possible.
Sakura bit her lip. She could understand why he'd ask her something that sounded so ridiculous. The very idea of hugging Naruto or showing any type of friendly affection towards him would never even have crossed her mind. She was either going exceptionally soft or else her tolerance level of the blond prankster had somewhat increased during her visit. Either way, she found him exceptionally comfortable at the moment.
"Just my way of saying thanks...for putting up with me," she finally said. "I've been such a wreck during these past couple days, and you've been such a—"
"Security blanket?" he supplied for her.
She'd used that exact same word to describe her reasons for coming her. Now, Naruto had used that very same word to justify her behavior. Even though it was meant to be teasing, it had still sent a shock right down to her very core. It instantly caused her to question the very reasons of why she'd come here in the first place. Had she really only come here because she knew she could find comfort in the form of Naruto? Had all of these aspects about finding 'answers to questions' simply been a ruse and Naruto was merely considered appropriate only during times when she was to weak to overcome the burdens of life?
The cheery sound of his laughter cut into her musings. "I was just kidding, Sakura-chan. Really, I'm just glad that you're not crying anymore. Seeing you as miserable as you have been really had me worried," he said.
Sakura lightly squeezed him in reassurance, casting her negativity aside. She'd been regreting too much as it was and it wasn't in her place to question his feelings or continue to berate herself for what she did and didn't deserve. If Naruto considered her important, then she wouldn't probe him about it any further. It was his choice and she wouldn't impede that in any way.
"You've been great tonight, Naruto. I really am feeling better and I owe it all to you," she said, pulling her head away but keeping him at arm's length. "If there's anything I can ever do for you, just say the word and I'll be there. Just nothing weird or perverted," she quickly added.
Naruto chuckled and shook his head. "You don't owe me a thing. All I did was act like a friend, pure and simple," reminding her once again of the fact that he considered her one of his best friends. She could only hope that she could be as good a friend to him, as he was to her.
"Sakura-chan, there is something that I do want you to promise me, okay?" his tone becoming serious, almost to the point of commanding.
She involuntary nodded, already having a clue to what he was going to ask of her. She was briefly glad of the fact that he didn't have a rigid personality.
Naruto briefly cleared his throat before continuing, "I want you to promise me, the next time that something's bothering you or your having trouble dealing with something. I want you to come and see me about it. It doesn't even have to be me, but I want you to come out and say what's on your mind instead of bottling up inside of you, alright?"
Sakura nodded as she pulled him against her one last time, squeezing him and then letting him go entirely. "I will, Naruto. I'm also starting to realize that maybe in the end, this was all for the best. I need to just move on with myself and let go of Sasuke-kun."
"Move on?" he slowly repeated.
"Yeah. I've been acting like a kid for too long now, maybe it's time to finally grow up, accept the facts and move on. I'll still always love him, but I won't mope about his leaving like a pouting child, either," she regarded firmly.
"I—I understand," he responded, pleased with the fact that she had finally taken her first steps into full acceptance. Year's ago he had had to do the exact same thing. Finding the strength, necessary, to forge forward despite the words and cruel actions of the villagers. With the help of his important people, he had broken free of all shackles and was now on the path to one day becoming the Hokage. Now, she too had risen from her own personal abyss and was on the road to recovery.
"So, what will you do now?" he asked her.
Sakura pondered that for a few brief seconds. "I was thinking of asking Tsunade-sama if she'd be willing to take me on as her apprentice. It would probably do me quite a bit of good to learn how to fight properly and the ability to heal would also be beneficial on missions."
He was about to nod at that when a horrifying image of Sakura, lifting and shattering rocks, sprang to mind. "You mean, you'd actually want to have super strength?" he tentatively asked.
She shot him a grin to reaffirm her plans. "You bet! I think it'd be great to learn how to do that," smacking her fist against her open palm to emphasize the point.
Naruto cringed at her enthusiasm. She would definitely get much stronger, but he'd have to really watch what he said around her in the future or else he'd receive more then just a simple belt across the head. Life altering injuries were slowly coming to mind. "She'd be a good teacher for you," Naruto finally managed to say, somehow managing to hide his nervousness at her decision knowing that it was for the best after all.
She patted him on the shoulder in thanks for his support. "I'll go and ask her tomorrow, then," she said.
He quickly made a vow that he would not allow himself to be used as a practice dummy for any of her new techniques. If Tsunade-baa-chan was willing to teach her, then by all means fine. He just wasn't going to get his brains bashed in during the process, although that healing aspect did sound like a good idea. Sasuke would definitely be in for quite a shock the next time.
"Something wrong, Naruto?" she asked, having noticed the tight expression on his face.
He was about to say that he was fine when the unexpected desire to tease her peeked his interest. After all, the tension had basically diminished and she had insisted that she was feeling better. She would never expect it, and the trick itself was completely harmless. Faking a look of surprise, he appeared to examine her closely. "Not really. I just didn't know you were...such a messy eater, Sakura-chan," he said, gazing at her in amusement.
She issued him a dirty look. "What do you mean?
"You have some icing on your cheek," he replied, pointing towards her face.
Making a sound between annoyance and disgust, she proceeded to swipe a hand along the indicated area, feeling embarrassed that she'd been talking this whole time without even realizing it. "Is it gone?"
Naruto shook his head, "Nope, it's still there."
Sakura made another quick swipe across her face, checking her hand to see if she'd succeeded in wiping the sugary substance away. "Is it gone now?" she asked again.
Again, Naruto shook his head. "No, still there. Did you want me to get it?" he offered to help.
Without even thinking, she nodded impatiently. She couldn't feel anything on her cheek, yet Naruto continued to insist that there was still a small blotch of icing on her face. She was starting to get annoyed at how long it was taking for Naruto to find the icing. It's not like it was trying to hide or anything. It was either there or it wasn't. "Well?" she grumbled.
"Yep, there it is. Want me to get it off?" he asked, his tone painfully innocent.
"Yes, already!" she growled irritably.
Leaning forward, he went to lift his hand like he was preparing to wipe it away but as he did so; his face slowly crept forward as if intending to get a closer look at it. Sakura was just about to berate him again, when she felt the warm touch of his lips press against her lower cheek.
"Got it!" he exclaimed as he quickly pulled back, a gloating smile on his face while he pretended to lick the icing off of his lips.
Sakura couldn't hold back the bright blush that was quickly enveloping her cheeks like a raging fire. The gesture had been so sudden and out of place that she couldn't even began to get upset with him. Even though it had been a simple kiss on the cheek, she'd always expected it to be from her first crush, not from the grinning blonde dummy that sat across from her. She'd managed to hide it from him earlier, but from this close proximity, Naruto could clearly make out the notable twinge of redness on her face.
He began to howl in laughter and at her expense no less. It wasn't helping matters that her face continued to burn in embarrassment. "Gosh, Sakura-chan! I didn't know your face turned those kind of colors," he managed to gasp before stumbling out of his chair, his insides beginning to ache from all of the commotion he was making.
He was so busy trying to control himself that he failed to catch the light cracking noises of Sakura tightly clenching her fists together. If looks could have killed, Naruto and the entire area in front of him would have been instantly vaporized into atomic particles. Quietly rising from her chair, her bare feet didn't make a sound as she slowly walked up behind him like a lion stalking its oblivious prey. In her mind, the puzzle of rationality had been broken apart; now those pieces began to shape together to form a picture of Naruto lying haphazardly on the floor in a broken heap. She was just about to extend her arms out in a strangle-like motion, when a sudden moment of inspiration brought a change to her murderous ambitions. Her look of fiery rage slowly shifted into a cool, calculating smile while she began to conjure something that was a little more 'appropriate' in mind. She'd warned him before about trying to trick her. He'd succeeded this time, but now, he would pay dearly for those actions.
"That's right! Show that little bastard just what happens when he goes too far!" inner Sakura shouted gleefully, issuing her approval.
Naruto was just beginning to recover, wiping the last few tears that he had shed in the aftermaths of the joke he'd played on her. "I'm sorry for tricking you like that, Sakura-chan. I just figured it was a nice change of pace and you were pretty worried about that icing being on your face, so I just figured—"
"Oh, Naruto-kun?" an unfamiliar sultry voice cut him off. The tone itself seemed to be lathered in rich, sweet honey.
The sudden use of the honorific-suffix sent a chilling sensation down the base of Naruto's spine as he slowly turned around, Sakura's pleasant looking face gradually coming back into focus. "Y-yes, Sakura-chan?" he stuttered, his sense of hearing still shocked by the affectionate use of his name while butterfly's began to bounce wildly in the pit of his stomach. Instead of replying, she sauntered up to him in an alluring fashion. The back of his orange robe responded to the subtle swaying of her hips as she crossed the distance between them. Catching his gaping reaction, the corners of her mouth began to curl into a sly smile while her emerald green eyes sparkled with secret knowledge.
Naruto tried to move backwards, but his feet felt like they'd been glued to the floor. As hard as he tried, body and brain weren't able to work together. He could only watch in stunned silence while she made her way closer and closer towards him. Beads of nervous sweat began to roll down his back and forehead as the realization that he was trapped, slowly began to sink in.
"This can't be…it isn't—" Naruto's mentally stumbled in a desperate attempt to make sense of this situation. It wasn't until he felt the cool, uncommon touch of her hand trace along the side of his cheek when he realized that this was by no means a simple dream. For him, it could only be described as the very epitome of heaven, his earlier intentions to give up on her were disappearing like dry leaves on a warm breeze.
He was beyond perplexed.
He was beyond relieved.
He was beyond happy.
He was beyond foolish.
Naruto had absolutely no comprehension to what Haruno Sakura had in store for him...
To be continued…
Author Note: Sorry about the late update.For some reason, this chapter took quite awhile to write up. I must have redone it about three times before it came out the right way. Still working the bugs out. Anyways, thanks for reading or skimming through it so far and i'll try to get the next chapter out a little quicker next time.