Chapter 4.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any characters related.
12:25 AM:There were only a few moments in his life when Naruto could recall his heart ever beating as fast as it was right now. Of course, his heart always did tend to beat a little faster around her—but never like this. He felt as if his innermost fantasies were merging through his own scope of reality in order to create this unfathomable, pleasant situation that he was in.
Nothing else seemed to exist. The kitchen—once full of objects and appliances—had now faded into nothingness, creating instead a dark, peaceful environment that almost felt like it had been especially reserved for just the two of them. His senses seemed to block and disregard anything that was considered invalid or of little use too him, concentrating simply on the girl that stood before him like some benevolent creature that had been summoned from the very fields of paradise.
He was already persuaded that this was in no way genjutsu, or any other type of ninja tactic being applied. If her brazen touch wasn't adequate to sway him completely, the painful pressure of his own nervously, constricted hands were more then ample enough to break through any sort of illusion he might have been trapped in.
Naruto felt as if his knees were about to buckle while her hand continued to trace across his face. Like a cat batting around a helpless mouse, his growing apprehension almost seemed to bolster her attempts at making him quiver into a puddle of gooey jelly.
Sakura, on the other hand, had never imagined that it could be so simple to draw Naruto into the web that she was meticulously spinning for him. She knew that it was cruel, practically a crime to play on such a sensitive vulnerability such as this one. However, the idea had been designed specifically with the intentions of catching him off guard. Based on his look of intense surprise and the sweat pouring off his forehead, she would have to say that the plan was coming off to a successful start.
"Maybe next time, he won't be so cocky."
Deciding to switch gears, she carefully slipped her other hand against the opposite side of his face and moved in even closer, at the last moment diverting off to the right, bringing her own cheek alongside his as if she was about to reveal some wondrous secret.
He'd just started to gain some form of control over his rapid breathing when he almost choked on his own saliva. The unexpected feeling of her moist, warm breath brushing against his earlobe sent another series of electrical jolts though his body. Whatever composure he had managed to retain up to this point was nearly depleted.
Sakura was almost certain that if she had taken her hands away, he would have wilted to the floor in a dead heap. Even though it was nice that she had this kind of effect on him, this also wasn't something that couldn't be abused, either. Taken to far, she could unknowingly hurt him, and that was the last thing she ever wanted. This was even a bit of a stretch, but he was already well into it. Not much point in backing out now.
"Besides," she gleefully reminded herself. "In about a minute or so, he'll be to busy worrying about other things…."
His resolve breaking, Naruto made an attempt to snap out of the physical spell he'd fallen into, but it was just no use. The feeling of her smooth, warm hands on his face, her body heat mixed with the soft fragrance of her hair and skin in addition to her silky breath against his lobe was simply too much to handle. Add to the fact that it was Sakura of all people, and he was pretty well hooked like a fish. The only thing left to do was to quell that small buzzing within his brain that continued to insist that this was nothing but a well-designed plot, and that he was walking right into it like a hopeless fool.
He shook his head, reattempting to convince himself that this was not a lie; that all of this was very much real and alive. And it was; he could see her, hear her, feel her and smell her. Taste was the only thing that was missing, but surely that would just be a matter of time before that happened. Surprisingly, he wasn't as nervous as he thought he'd be about experiencing his actual, first kiss. After all, that peck on her cheek hadn't resulted in any harm, and now look what was happening. It just goes to show that nothing ventured, nothing gained—
And that's when it hit him.
Ever since he'd pulled that prank, the predictability he'd expected in her reaction had gone completely topsy-turvy. He could never have anticipated something like this ever happening which was probably why it had thrown him off in the first place. He'd been too surprised in the beginning to wonder if this was some elaborate gag, but now having pieced it together, Naruto began to understand what was really going on.
"And since when does she ever call me Naruto-kun?"
Still, he didn't find himself upset or at all disappointed by this new knowledge. If anything, it had only further emphasized the choice he had set for himself. Unless the sky was falling, the Sakura he knew would never do something this forward, especially with him unless it carried some form of purpose that he figured would be coming along soon enough.
And as a prankster himself, he had to admit that this was actually a pretty good joke, an effective joke, and he would have to give her credit where it was due after this was all over with. After all, he'd probably deserved it for tricking her in the first place. The only problem now, was how to let her know he'd caught on without being a dork about it. He finally decided that it would be best by simply playing along and not letting her know otherwise.
"Naruto-kun," she softly whispered, her mouth mere inches away from his ear while her slender fingertips continued to stroke alongside his face—oblivious to his awareness of the situation, "Could I…ask you something?"
"Pretending not to act confused won't be an issue here," he thought; still surprised at how easy this was for her to maintain without fumbling.
"What is it, Sa-Sakura-chan?" he replied, the nervousness still present.
Naruto suddenly gasped, having sworn that he felt the very tip of her tongue brush against his tender earlobe. If she kept this up, joke or no joke, he was literally going to keel over. Whatever it was she had in mind, he wished that she would just bop on the head already and be done with it.
As if reading his mind, she tilted her head so that the curve of her lips were almost skimming against his quivering ear and whispered in the same soft tone, "Did you really think that you could kiss me on the cheek, without my permission, and get away with it…idiot?"
Before Naruto even had a chance to register her question, she was already springing into action. Allowing the façade to drop and moving faster then he'd ever thought possible, she pulled away from him and instantly went into a sturdy combat stance, the transformation taking no more then a split second.
Shocked at the fast movement; Naruto fell backwards against the floor in a haphazard state due to the loss of her hands and a momentary lack of strength in his legs and knees. His lower back and butt throbbed in result to his hasty tumble.
"Ouch!" he grunted, his hand automatically falling towards the small of his back as he half sat/half laid there in front of her in a heap. "I did sort of deserve that," he managed to laugh, ignoring his own mild sting of embarrassment as he began to look up, "I guess that means were even now, Sakura…chan," he drew the suffix out, unsure of what he was seeing.
Naruto quickly noticed that her eyes had shifted from bright and alluring into narrow, angry slits. Her face was scrunched up in annoyance, while her breath's came out in short, heavy huffs. Tightly bunched fists quivered along her sides while she stared down at him unmercifully, her mood having taken on a frighteningly new change.
"Did you think, Naruto, that you could actually trick me, and get away with it?" she asked him again, taking a menacing step towards him. The abrupt icy edge in her question was hardly pleasant.
Naruto shook his head in total confusion as he began to slide himself backwards, hoping to Kami that he could escape from her unexplainable wrath. He'd made a brief start to get to his feet, but she was too close, and he had no way of knowing if he could make it up in time before she had a chance to maim him. Lying on the ground like this, he'd never felt such a feeling of being vulnerable like he did right now. It terrified him.
"Sa-Sakura-chan, I-I don't understand," he stuttered candidly, wishing desperately that he were somewhere else right now. Anywhere, except here, would have been fine.
"That's right, you don't understand," she replied darkly. "I've warned you before about your practical jokes, but you didn't listen, and now it's too late. All the times that I punched you before, those are nothing compared to what I'm going to do you now!" she bellowed, her voice almost rivaling that of Tsunade-baa-chan when she was in her own foul mood.
Naruto started to scurry backwards in full-blown panic, his arms and legs flailing madly, any attempt to be civil about this was quickly abandoned. As fast as he was going, it wasn't nearly enough to create any sort of distance from Sakura, her rapid footsteps easily closing in on him. Eventually, she would catch him and then the chase would ultimately be over. He just hoped that she would be kind enough to leave him in one piece.
Instead of this being some stupid prank, had he unknowingly violated some invisible boundary that she'd set up as some sort of defense? That would have made sense, especially now, but it didn't completely explain why she was overreacting like this. He'd never seen her so mad before, but he sure as hell wasn't going to stop and ask questions about it either. Someway, or somehow, he was going to have to fix this.
He was just about to make another desperate attempt at calming her down when the back of his head bumped against something hard and solid. Tilting his head back, he immediately caught the familiar side of his coffee table. Ignoring the ache in the back of his skull and urgently using the edge as a brace, Naruto was just about to haul himself to his feet when a solid pressure of weight on his lower chest prevented him from getting up.
Naruto sighed in defeat, clearly noticing the foot that was pressed firmly against his tight abdomen. Looking up, he took in the piercing looking expression that remained present on her like some ANBU mask that had seen its share of battles. It was almost a shame, he thought, to see someone so pretty make such a sour face.
"End of the line. Naruto," Sakura announced, clearly stating the obvious.
Resting his head against the floor, Naruto nodded, already knowing that he couldn't talk himself out of this. He'd already given up in trying to figure out the complexities of this whole mess, and it was simply too late in the evening to figure anything out, period. He just hoped that she'd clobber him hard enough so that he didn't experience any pain. Sakura was also going to have to explain to baa-chan and Shizune how he'd ended up injured, again.
Busy with his thoughts, Naruto finally took note of the fact that her foot was no longer pinning him down. Instead, she had taken and shifted it over so that was on the other side of him. In a move that was as smooth and quick as her previous, she bent her waist down, crouching down against the floor and straddled Naruto's lower abdomen. Reaching out with her hands, she grabbed the collar of his shirt and forcefully lifted his head off the floor, bringing him up to her level. She then squeezed her calves and thighs around his waist, making sure that he couldn't escape or try to push her away.
More surprised then intimidated, he gulped, finding himself in the familiar proximity that this situation had been derived from. Her beautiful green eyes burned brightly, almost as if she was trying to singe a hole through him. Instead of shrinking or avoiding eye contact with her, he pushed his own gaze forward so that he found refuge deep within those pools where the soul supposedly resided. He wondered if the color of her essence was such a beautiful, invigorating shade of green. Sakura would never know it, but she'd done him a favor by allowing him this glorious opportunity to look at her this freely without having to be sneaky about it.
Another tug on his collar brought him back to the situation at hand. "It's time for your punishment, Naruto," she announced. "Is there anything you want to say before I let you have it?" That question almost made him want to chuckle, but the threat in her voice suggested that she was dead serious about the whole manner.
He'd considered apologizing, but why? It had only been a small kiss on the cheek, nothing more, certainly nothing harmful. He still wondered why he'd even gone ahead with it. Breaking the tension seemed logical at the time, but maybe it was also because he knew that he'd never get the chance again. He'd already accepted the fact that she would never see him beyond anything but a friend. Maybe in time, things would change, but he couldn't dwell on that possibility like a dog chasing after it's own tail. No, he was done with that tirade. His resolve had set him free, and he wasn't about to be shackled down by false hopes. Becoming Hokage would be difficult enough.
Pulling himself back, Naruto looked Sakura straight in the eye and put on a bright, crooked smile. "Nope. I deserve it," he answered. "Just cover me up with a blanket whenever your done beating me up."
Sakura nodded, accepting his request, though for a brief moment, Naruto could have sworn that he saw Sakura's expression soften just slightly. To him, it almost seemed like she might be having second thoughts about the whole thing but having remembered what he'd done earlier, her expression again hardened.
"Close your eyes, and I'll make it quick. Your used to it anyways," she ordered, releasing her right hand from his collar and starting to wind it back. Naruto shrugged, but did as she requested, his expression calm and serine as he prepared himself for whatever she had in store.
After making sure his eyes were closed, Sakura took the hand that she had been pretending to wind back and swept a few dangling hairs away from her eyes. Dropping the second façade, she finally allowed the smile that she'd held back for so long to finally slip into place; impressed that she'd managed to keep that charade going for as long as she had.
That first part had been surprisingly easy to execute. A little femininity along with some light physical contact had been more then enough to lower Naruto's meager defenses. It had been a bit of a cruel tactic, but it had been the only thing she could think of that would have thrown him off balance.
The second part though, that had been tricky. To project that much hostility without actually being angry had been a challenge. He hadn't made it easy either. There were several moments where she'd considered abandoning the whole thing because of how frightened he'd looked when she'd been chasing him down, not that she could blame him either. It's almost impossible to make sense of anyone who goes from one extreme to the next.
"Poor Naruto. I wonder if this'll make up for putting you through all of that?" Sakura thought to herself, the last part of this grand scheme that she'd concocted finally coming into play as she brought her head down to level with his. The tip of her tongue wetting her lips as she leaned in closer and closer…
"How long is this going to take?" Naruto thought to himself in minor agitation. "I wish she'd just punch me and get it over with so that I can—"
A brief, warm pressure on the left corner of his mouth brought a startling halt to all of his internal griping. His eyes opening swiftly, Naruto caught the tail end of Sakura pulling away, an impish smile remaining on her lips as she examined his bewildered expression.
"What did—what did you just—?" Naruto struggled to speak, his hand instantly coming up from the floor to trace along his tingling skin where her lips had been.
"How was that for a smack, Naruto?" Sakura teasingly asked, seemingly pleased with his reaction as she released his collar, freeing him from her grasp.
Naruto didn't answer her, his thought process still too disoriented by what just happened. His weary mind working desperately to make some sense out of this whole thing. He had already known that the event of her coming onto him was all a big hoax. He might have been dense in a lot of aspects, but he understood her well enough to know that she would never have acted that way around him with out an ulterior motive.
That second part of her getting upset with him had made a lot more sense to him, though it had been the first time he'd ever seen her in such a predatory mood. He'd been certain that he was going to receive the beat-down of a lifetime from her; had practically expected it for the embarrassment that he'd inflicted on her. And in the end, instead of beating him up, she'd chosen to peck him on the corner of his mouth?
Naruto felt his cheeks flush, still unable to comprehend the fact that she had kissed him. Kissed him, of all people. Only in his deepest fantasies had he ever hoped for something like that to possibly happen. Not accidental or out of clumsiness either, but an honest, uninhibited kiss from her. This hadn't been precisely on the lips, and not entirely on the cheek either, but something in between.
From the way she was smirking, it was anything but an accidental exchange. Definitely deliberate from the way her smile grew. It wasn't helping that he was blushing like a dummy in front of her and that she seemed to be eating the whole thing up like that cake from earlier…
And then it hit him like a second load of bricks.
The use of the suffix; her mood changes; that kiss, the whole thing had simply been designed to confuse and shift his attention in every which way so that he could never figure out what was going on. She'd done all of that, just to get the same effect that he'd achieved from her earlier. His big mistake was that he had only figured out the obvious and hadn't gone any further, something that he would definitely need to improve on in the future.
"A joke. The whole thing had been nothing but a stupid joke."
Flabbergasted, Naruto flopped himself against the floor, his head coming to rest against the side of the table. "Sakura-chan…you scared the hell out of me!" he loudly protested.
She stuck her tongue at the complaint, rising smoothly to her feet. "Pounding on you would have been too easy," she explained, her arm extending downward to offer him a hand up. "I figured you fearing for your life would be a lot more effective in the long run."
Glancing at the hand uneasily, he considered the frank possibility of her letting go of him so that he fell back on the floor again for her own amusement. Reluctantly, he accepted the invitation while bracing one hand against the sturdy table, just incase she did decide to drop him. Once he was on his feet, he gently slipped his hand out from hers, clearing some space behind him so that he could sit at the very edge of the table; not really feeling like standing at the moment. His knee's were still weak from earlier and the last thing he felt like doing was embarrassing himself even further by not being able to stand on his own two feet.
"To much excitement?" Sakura asked, taking note of his weary posture.
Draping his arms over his upper thighs, Naruto shot her a tired, dirty look to express his feelings on that particular question. "You might say that. And remind me never to play a prank on you again."
Sakura chuckled, shaking her head. "You started it, Naruto. You of all people should have known what happens when you try to be sneaky. You're just lucky that I let you off as easy I did."
Naruto raised an eyebrow at her definition of 'easy', but said nothing to counter her statement. Despite his earlier apprehension, her extravagant prank filled him with a sense of relief. And it was finally nice to see some improvement in her demeanor. Even with the consequences starring right at you, there were just something's that needed to be done for the sake of change.
He suddenly bit back the difficult urge to yawn. It was way past his bedtime now, and he didn't know how much longer he could keep himself awake. Falling asleep on Sakura was the last thing he wanted to do, but it also wasn't going to help matters if he began to ramble about trivial things. He'd helped her to get over this hurdle with Sasuke, or so he hoped. He'd also helped her to find a sense of purpose and direction for her talents of chakra control. Naruto knew that if Sakura did manage to persuade Tsunade-baa-chan into apprenticing her, she would have a very difficult challenge in store—but Sakura had always thrived on challenge, the need to prove people wrong when it came to her abilities. And Naruto knew that if anyone could get the best out of Sakura, it would be the fiery Godaime.
A light tap on his head brought him back to reality. Involuntary rubbing his crown, he looked up to see Sakura starring back at him, a bemused looking expression laced on her face. He had started to zone out again, and she'd caught him in the act. "Something you wanted, Sakura-chan?" he asked, still being in the right state of mind to act like a host while attempting to shift her attention away.
It hadn't worked, but she also didn't feel like giving him the gears for staying up for her sake. Really, it was her own fault for still being here, when she knew that she should have left some time ago. It just seemed like every time she had tried to leave, Naruto had seemingly found some way to keep her there. Not that she been clawing her way through the walls in his bathroom, or making any desperate lunges towards the door in the past hour either. She probably would have taken her leave if he hadn't offered her something to eat.
"No, I'm good, really good, Naruto. But, I think…that maybe it's time you thought about getting to bed," she said, being considerate about his own well-being for once.
Feeling more relieved then disappointed; Naruto rested his chin atop of the loose fist he'd lifted from his leg, smiling at her. "It's that obvious?"
Sakura peered at him. "Your eyes look redder then mine do."
"Is that even possible, Sakura-chan," he asked, chuckling as she lightly socked him on the shoulder.
"Very funny, Naruto," she replied.
"I thought it was too," he added, leaning back to avoid another lazy shot to the arm; enjoying the fact that he could be this playful with her without receiving that intense burst of backlash he'd been so used too in the past. Despite coming to difficult terms with his own feelings, he was glad that she had shown up here tonight. It would have been nice if it had been under better circumstances, but he'd already decided that he was okay with everything.
"What are you smiling at?" she asked, allowing a touch of mock-seriousness to creep into her voice.
Naruto smirked, not caring if he got caught. "Nothing important," he said.
She briefly glanced at him before mentally shrugging, deciding that it wasn't necessary enough to probe into any further, "If you say so, but I'm going to use your bathroom, 'kay?"
Naruto stared up at her. "Believe me, Sakura-chan. The last thing I'd ever want to do is stop you," he teased, ignoring the dirty look she shot him with.
"I'm just being polite, you dummy," she huffed, briefly considering bopping him across the head for sounding somewhat insensitive.
Easily noticing her agitation, Naruto lightly smiled, "I was just teasing you," he explained. "You don't need to ask me for permission when you need something here, okay?"
Sakura grudgingly nodded, her hostility disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. In his own unorthodox manner, he had only been trying to state that she could make herself at home, and that she didn't have to pretend that the floor was made out of eggshells. "Sorry, I should have know better," she murmured apologetically. It wasn't quite how she'd wanted to phrase her explanation, but it was the only thing that came to mind.
Naruto waved his hand, dismissing the apology. "It's okay. Go on if you have too. I'm just going to sit here for another minute, and then I'll get up. Besides—" he paused—thinking that the easiest way to distract her would be to just rile her up. "You still need to tuck me in before you go," he grinned, knowing that that would shift her attention in an instant.
Her eyebrows lifted at that surprising request, the corners of her mouth curling slightly as she began to pivot in the direction of the bathroom. "I'll think about it," she said over her shoulder.
Naruto did a double take, surprised that she'd even taken the idea seriously as he watched her walk out of the living room and into the bathroom. Turning around, she issued him a quick smile before shutting the door.
When the door clicked shut, Naruto slowly swept his hands over his face and scalp pushing several, messy strands of blond hair up in a disorganized state. "This has definitely been one of the weirdest nights in my life," he muttered, the statement further punctuated by a long, ragged yawn that made his insides quiver with relief.
He was almost glad that this night was finally drawing to a close. The tea had perked him up in the beginning, but after that had worn its way through his system, exhaustion had started to win out again. That earlier excitement probably hadn't done him much good either.
Quickly assessing everything until now, Naruto again brought a hand over the spot where Sakura's lips had briefly left an impression on his skin. He'd almost started to wonder if there was any hidden meaning, besides nearly giving him a heart attack, but he quickly brought all of that to a quick halt, by now knowing that the only thing it would lead too was a dead end. At times, reality could really stink.
"How 'bout working on your leg's already?"
With a soft grunt, Naruto pushed himself off of the coffee table and carefully stood on his feet. Aside from a slight tingling due to a lack of circulation, his legs were easily able to support his weight again. Taking a few careful strides forward, the weird sensation in his calves began to subside with each new step taken.
"'Least I won't have to crawl to get to my bedroom," he muttered, a touch of dry humor creeping into his voice. The last thing he needed was Sakura planting boots against his back in an attempt to motivate him.
Yawning again, he began to make his way over to the kitchen, deciding that he couldn't keep himself awake any more. He'd wanted to wait until Sakura was done in the bathroom—but that little episode had sapped whatever energy he had left. Besides, he'd pretty well done everything he could to help her through this difficult time. What she did now, well, that was her own choice.
Turning the lights off in the kitchen, he began to walk down the hallway, briefly pausing at the bathroom door. Naruto reached forward and hesitantly rapped on the door three times. A second later, he received a reply.
"Yes, Naruto?" she asked, her voice partially muffled by the solid door.
He considered the idea of giving her some stupid speech to apologize for not being able to stay up, but decided that it wasn't really worth it now. Not at this hour. "I'm going to bed, Sakura-chan. Can't stay up anymore," he explained. With that said, Naruto began to trudge down the hallway, his head bowed in exhaustion, the satisfaction of knowing he'd finally be able to sleep spurring him on. He'd heard her say something muted but he was to far way to make any legible sense out of it. Whatever it was, he thought, it probably wasn't all that important anyways.
Reaching the end of the corridor, he turned and stepped into his darkened bedroom—deliberately leaving the hallway light on so that Sakura didn't trip over anything on her way out. Flicking on a small lamp that sat on his night table next to his clock, Naruto sighed blissfully as he half fell/half crawled into his bed; yanking the majority of his blanket over his tired body.
He was just getting comfortable when he heard the door to the bathroom open. The sound of soft, tenative footsteps made there way out and started to glide down the hallway, gradually becoming louder as she approached his bedroom.
Naruto lay there with his eyes closed, resisting the urge to sit up and greet her. It was a strange feeling, he thought, to be just lying there when he knew that Sakura was coming to see him, and not feel the least bit nervous. Maybe a little excited, but not enough to leap out of his bed about it either. Naruto knew that after tonight, things would go back to being the same as they were before. Might as well get used to that idea.
The gentle, knocking sound at the door grabbed his attention. Looking over to his right, he could see Sakura standing under the archway; the same, soft smile she'd left for him still lingering on her lips. Her stance indicating that she wanted to come in, but only if he allowed her too. Even though he'd told her earlier told her to make herself at home, she was also courteous enough too not infringe on Naruto's personal space, which was a nice gesture on her part.
"I'm not going to bite you," he promised.
He briefly caught the sight of her sticking her tongue at him, the invisible barrier gone as she walked up to his bed and stood over him. "I didn't want to wake you if you were already sleeping," she explained, her voice a touch sarcastic.
"I don't fall asleep that quickly," he retorted, mimicking her snide accent.
Sakura didn't bother to reply. Instead she reached down and began to arrange the blanket around him, covering up his upper body better then what he had it.
"W-what are you doing?" he asked out of minor curiosity.
She gave him a confused look, "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm tucking you in."
Naruto blushed. "Oh, I-uh…I never really meant that..." he stuttered unconvincingly.
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh. Sure you didn't. You seem to be doing a lot of things you don't really mean lately," she countered while resuming her simple task of tweaking with his sheets.
Naruto didn't say or do anything, merely watching as she hovered over him silently. He was contemplating whether or not to ask how it could take so long to cover somebody up, but decided to just keep quiet. Besides, it was the thought that counted. And it was nice that she wasn't trying to be in a hurry. It almost seemed like she was purposely taking her time, though he didn't really understand why.
"There. How's that?" she asked, finally satisfied with her work.
Naruto nodded in satisfaction, "It's good, but you really didn't have to go to so much trouble for me; especially over something like this."
Sakura shrugged. "I'm a perfectionist, it has to look right. And besides…" her voice trailed off as she placed a hand on his covered shoulder. "You went to more then enough trouble for me."
"You were worth it," he wanted to say, but could count on himself for it to sound right. Compliments from her were still an odd thing to take in—not that he minded them—but he just didn't know how to accept them without being flustered.
"No worries. I'm just glad to see you back normal," he replied, beaming up at her with a sleepy smile.
Sakura smiled back at him, infinitely thankful that she had someone who looked out for her as much as he did. She wished that she could honestly say that she loved Naruto, just like he claimed to love her. No, not claimed, but actually did love her. She could see it in his warm, blue eyes, but she didn't want to hurt him by saying something she couldn't possibly mean.
Couldn't she?
"Would it be so wrong," she thought, to say the same thing to Naruto without meaning it? Seeing him in such happiness, could that really be so wrong?
Sakura frowned to herself, knowing that it was stupid to even consider something so ridiculous. Naruto deserved someone who was willing to be open and honest with him in ever way. Someone who could love and cherish him as the wonderful person that he's proved himself to be—
"And why am I even going on like this," she suddenly berated herself.
Looking down, she noticed Naruto starring up at her. Not scrutinizing or intense, but a soft, almost wistful looking gaze. Automatically, she'd thought of asking what the trouble was—if there was any, which there wasn't—but thought better of it. Instead, she looked into his eyes; a deep sea of primordial blue that seemed to call out to her like the voice of a beautiful mermaid. Vibrant life truly dwelled within those glistening waters.
"What's wrong, Naruto?" she finally asked, her voice much softer then she had intended it to be.
Naruto shut his eyes, reopening and then closing them again. "It's nothing, Sakura-chan," he answered, "I'm just—" he paused; very aware that this last window of opportunity was about to close itself, and there wasn't anything he could do about it. She had made it abundantly clear over the evening that she would continue to love and support Sasuke, and even though he didn't completely agree with it, he could also understand why it might have been for the best. People who were cold and considered heartless had a right to be loved just as much as the next person did, maybe even more so then the next person in order to show that the world we live in is not always a gloomy, hopeless cycle of pain. Iruka-sensei and his precious people had helped him to understand that, now he only hoped that Sakura would be able to do the same for Sasuke and make him realize that too.
"Besides, she loves him, and I can't change that. I need to grow up, already."
"Naruto? What was it you were about to say?" she asked, still patiently waiting for him to continue his explanation.
He shook his head. "I was going to say…that I'm glad that you showed up here tonight, and that your doing better," he softly replied, allowing that window of opportunity to finally close itself shut.
Sakura gave him a curious look but she didn't disagree. "I'm just glad you were willing to have me here," she lightly countered.
"Me too," Naruto murmured, eyes remaining closed.
Deciding that that was enough conversation, she gave his arm one last squeeze. "You get some sleep, Naruto. And I'll come and see you tomorrow morning, let you know how things go with Tsunade-sama. I'll also take you out for dinner, too. My treat for putting up with me," she added as an incentive, hoping that she would have enough money to cover him for the amounts of ramen he tended to go through.
To her mild surprise, he didn't get overly worked up over the prospect of a free dinner. Instead he merely registered the offer with a quiet 'okay' as he rolled over on to his left side, facing towards the window. "Be careful walking home, Sakura-chan. It smells like rain out there," he said, easily recognizing the scent that drifted in from the outside.
She nodded, noticing in the dim light, the uneven droplets of moisture that spotted against the glass pane. "I wonder when that started," she wondered.
"See you tomorrow, Sakura-chan," he said, tugging the blanket over himself as he began to settle in for the long haul.
"See you tomorrow," the reply was automatic. Sakura wanted to say something more then just a simple farewell, but nothing sensible came to mind. She decided to just leave him be. Shutting off his night light, Sakura was just beginning to walk away when she realized that she was still wearing his robe. "Um…I'll just hang your bathrobe up in the bathroom. Is that all right?" she asked, waiting for his confirmation.
"Sure," he mumbled, already starting to doze off, the pressure in his neck receding as his head began to sink against the soft pillow. He barely even heard her leaving, light, well-trained footsteps that seemed to glide across the wooden floor like skates. Naruto had wanted to get a last look at her before she walked away, but he couldn't even muster the strength necessary to lift his head again.
Even with his senses muddled, he briefly felt her eyes against his back. Before curiosity even had a chance to rear it's head, Naruto was drawn into the darkness that had threatened to consume him earlier. He made no attempt to fight it this time, willingly allowing it to wash over his mind as it had done so prior to Sakura's arrival. The pressure of her gaze gone, Naruto managed to utter one last sentence before allowing the healing wave of sleep to usher him away into a black haven.
"Good-night…and good-bye, Sakura-chan."
To be continued…Author Note: After noticing that a few people were confused by the title, I decided to fix up the summary. I hope that straightened a couple things out, and if it didn't, then keep on reading. Please also excuse the late update. So much for getting the chapter out quicker, but I can't always find the time to write. Thank you also for the constructive criticism. I'll try to keep those ideas in mind.