Prodigal Son

Chapter 8

Naruto smiled when the girl lying next to him shot up in bed and turned to look at him, blinking confusedly. It was dark and he was thankful she couldn't see the sly grin plastered across his face.

Whoever the woman was, it probably wasn't what she was expecting when Naruto had spooned with her.

"How long have you been awake?!" the female squeaked, untangling her feet from the sheets. Naruto didn't answer as she slid off the bed and fumbled around in the dark.

"Not long. Though, I will say I was surprised to wake up in a warm bed with a woman, rather than scarface," Naruto joked, rolling onto his back and sighing into the darkness.

A light switch clicked and the bright ceiling light blinded him for a second, as his eyes adjusted to the drastic switch from pitch-black to bright-white.

"Yeah well, it wasn't like I had planned to be in that bed when you woke up," the girl hollered at him from what looked to be the living room. He frowned when he hadn't realized she'd slipped out.

Naruto took stock of his surroundings. He was in a small bedroom; the walls had been painted a soft earthy tone, which blended nicely with the white carpet and simple decoration. A nightstand with a digital clock sat on his left, large red numbers telling him it was much too early to be awake.

He wondered what day it was, and just what had happened while he had been asleep. This definitely wasn't Ibiki's torture room.

Naruto remembered he had a debt to pay the scarred bastard.

The girl's voice shook him from his thoughts. "Feel free to go back to sleep; you won't be going anywhere for a while," she said, her voice strangely familiar to him.

"What do you mean? What's to stop me from just killing you and walking right out that door?" asked Naruto, his voice calm, yet deadly. He eyed the door and estimated he could be through it and onto the street outside within 30 seconds, tops.

He heard footsteps coming back towards the bedroom; he glanced around the room quickly, looking for his sword. "Well? Cat got your tongue?" he asked, trying to get up out of bed, but failing when his chest flared in pain.

The footsteps were close to the door now and Naruto hoped the girl wasn't a ninja; he wouldn't stand a chance against a ninja right now, female or not.

He watched the girl enter the room, and his jaw dropped against his will, making him look quite foolish.

Sakura stood before him, a hand on her hip as she leaned against the doorway. "Because this time? You are my prisoner," she said, smirking like a cat playing with a field-mouse.

His heart skipped a beat when he surveyed her. Her cuts and scrapes were healed for the most part, and she had been cleaned up; no more dirt or blood mired her beauty. He remembered the cocky grin and fiery attitude she had shown a bit of in the cell they shared, but it seemed more natural here in her own place. She seemed at ease, and it made her all the prettier. Her baggy t-shirt and sweat pants hid her figure, but Naruto vividly recalled the porcelain skin and knock-out figure hidden beneath the garments. Not that what she wore mattered, at the moment it could've been a burlap sack and he wouldnt've cared.

She noticed him staring and she giggled. "Your going to start drooling soon." she offered, point at his gaping maw.

Naruto blinked and shut his mouth, trying to regain his composure. He was completely unprepared to see the pink-haired girl. "I, uh, Sakura? How?" he sputtered, frowning at her in confusion.

"This is where I live. Born and raised in Konoha," said the girl. "I'm a medic-nin."

Naruto stared at her for a moment then shook his head. "No, uh, I meant how did you get out? How did you escape the cell and get here?" he asked.

Sakura smiled and sat on the edge of the bed, folding one leg beneath her. "Well, if you must know; a piece of the wall caved in and nearly crushed me. Thankfully it missed and I used the hole to escape," she explained, using her hands to imitate a wall falling. It was cute.

"I should've let you out, that was my bad," Naruto muttered embarrassedly, scratching his head.

Sakura shook her head and looked him in the eye intently, setting him a little on edge. The girl's gorgeous green eyes didn't hold anger, like they had when the two had last seen each other; they held something more akin to pity. Naruto didn't like it.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked.

"I know I upset you when I reacted like I did after finding out who you were. I was hasty and judged you before I even knew you. Can you can forgive me?" she whispered, still staring at him. Time seemed to stand still.

Delighted at their reunion, or not; Naruto wasn't about to have her feel sorry for him. It was true he had been hurt, but not in a million years would he let anyone know.

Naruto stammered for words, his tongue feeling foreign to him. "What? You heh heh, you think I care about that prison stint? You got me wrong, sister."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "You are so full of shit, Naruto," she said. "I know you're lying."

"I like your apartment."

"Stop changing the subject; I am trying to apologize!"

Naruto growled and pointed at himself. "I want my clothes. Where is my sword? I want that too." He was all too aware that he was wearing only a pair of boxers and plain white shirt, and he felt exposed without the weight of his sword against his back.

"You can have your clothes once they are out of the washer, and as to your sword? You can't have it," said Sakura. She watched him carefully, as if to study how he would react. Naruto didn't make her wait long.

"Screw you, cupcake. I'm bustin' out of this joint and all ofmy belongings are coming with me," he hissed, forcing himself out of the bed and up onto his feet, even as his chest burst into pain.

Naruto stumbled a bit, but caught himself against a wall and pushed himself along the wall towards the bedroom door. He imagined those torture plates might have something to do with the reason his chest felt as it were on fire, and he cursed Ibiki under his breath. 'I will kill that fucker, I swear,' he promised himself.

Sakura got up from the bed as well, and followed him slowly. He could tell she was hanging back far enough to avoid an attack, but also staying close enough to catch him should he fall. It made him feel weak and stupid, and he glared down at his unstable legs accusingly.

"Your nerves were damaged from the electric chakra from those plates; between the pain medication and the nerve damage, I can't imagine how hard it must be for you to move," Sakura observed. Apparently she too had noticed just how foreign Naruto's legs felt to him.

"Spare your pity," Naruto spat back angrily, pulling himself through the door, only to fall to the floor clumsily. Sakura hurried to his side and tried to pick him up, but Naruto swatted her hands away.

"I said spare the pity; I don't need help."

Sakura retreated a few steps and Naruto could hear her teeth grind in frustration. "You don't want my pity, so I won't give it," she spat angrily, "but you aren't leaving this apartment till I say so; whether you like it or not, you are my prisoner."

"Ha! Why don't you just pretend that I care while I drag myself out the front door," Naruto scoffed, pulling himself along the floor on his belly.

"You may not care that you are my prisoner, but I do," Sakura whispered, barely loud enough for the blonde to hear.

Naruto stopped and frowned, before rolling onto his back and looking over at the pink-haired girl. She frowned intently at him and he noticed her lip quivering a little bit.

"What?" he asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

Sakura looked away from his gaze and shook her head. "You have no idea what I have done for you this week, Naruto."

"Oh?"

"For starters, I saved your life - twice. Then when someone kidnapped you from the hospital, I spent all day searching for you," Sakura muttered, looking him in the eyes. "When I finally did find you, I argued with arguably one of the top 3 most powerful ninja in the world to get you back. After that, I fought with my best friend over you and brought you into my home, only to deposit you safely in my own bed..."

Naruto began to say something, but Sakura shot him a look that said 'Interrupt me and I'll kill you'.

"..And you tell me to save my pity, like I am the pathetic one," Sakura finished, her tone cold and her expression grim. She wasn't playing around anymore.

Naruto scowled and looked at the floor. Why had she done those things for him? Why did she even care to help him at all?

He didn't have much time to think about it, before Sakura crossed the room and crouched beside him. "Exactly," she whispered, her face hovering a few inches from his. "You don't have to say anything, because I know that deep down – you do want someone to care."

Naruto snorted and lay back against the floor, his gaze on the ceiling. "You've got the wrong guy. I don't give a flying rat's ass about anything you've said tonight. I'm just going to escape when you fall asleep."

There was a pause and Naruto hoped the girl would drop the conversation and leave. He should've known better.

Sakura sat on the floor beside him. "So the time we spent with each other in that cell; what was all that about? Why did you stay with me?"

Naruto paused. The days he had spent in that cell had meant much too him, more than he would ever let the girl know.

"Because I wanted to get a roll in the hay before the brothel got you," Naruto lied, a lump forming in his throat.

Sakura chuckled dryly, but Naruto could tell he had struck a blow. "Really? Cos' I could've swore it was because you hadn't been around a good woman in a long time. At least that's the feeling I got from your big yakuza friend - Yobu was it?"

Naruto almost choked on his tongue. The vixen had been awake when Yobu had come and mentioned his lack of female companionship!

"Oh ho ho! It's true?" Sakura sniped, punching his arm as if it was all a big joke. "What happened, Naruto? The town's whores not want to be friends with the man who put them there?"

Naruto didn't say anything. The truth hurt too much. No one had wanted to get close to him after the gang war, not that he blamed them though; very few respectable women wanted anything to do with an alcoholic swordsman that came home covered in blood every night. To hear his loneliness mocked in front of his face was almost too much though, and Naruto could feel his heart weep.

Sakura regretted her harsh words almost as soon as they had left her mouth. She hadn't intended to call Naruto's weakness out, but her pride had been hurt and her tongue had lashed out in defiance.

Her regret was doubled when Naruto went deathly quiet, his blue eyes staring at the ceiling as if in a trance.

The more the silence built up the more Sakura felt like apologizing, especially since her former lover, Sasuke, had gone through practically the same thing as the blonde man lying before her.

The raven-haired Uchiha hadn't had anyone that cared for him either. No one loved him.

Sure, the village had doted on him like a farmer would a prize cow, but it couldn't fill the gap in his heart. Sakura herself had once thought that she had filled the gap for him, giving him enough love to repair the damage there; she had been wrong.

Her thoughts were broken however, when Naruto sighed loudly. "My wife and unborn child were murdered exactly one year and three months ago," the blonde finally whispered.

She could see the pain creeping into his eyes, and it made her curse herself for her hasty words.

"Before her there was no one, and after her passing there has been no one else," continued Naruto. "I stayed with you in that cell, because you didn't know who I was or what I had done."

Sakura felt her heart break. She had seen the symptoms when she had first laid eyes on Naruto, but she hadn't expected it to be as bad, if not worse, than Sasuke's own issues.

"Oh, Naruto, I didn't mean to.." she began to say, but trailed off when the blonde scowled at her.

"Didn't mean to what? Rub it in my face?" accused Naruto. "I'm only telling you so you will drop it. I don't need to hear how sorry you are."

Sakura shut her mouth and nodded obediently; she wasn't about to insult the man by babying him. If he was anything like Sasuke had been; Naruto wouldn't want to hear anything from her after baring his soul. Men didn't want to be comforted when they were uncomfortable.

Naruto sent her a frown when she didn't reply. For her to just sit quietly and listen must've seemed strange to him, but she knew it was for the best.

"What? No witty comeback?" asked Naruto. She shook her head at him.

There was a pause as he looked at her curiously. She knew how to deal with bad boys, and what they needed was a quiet listener that didn't feel too sorry for them, but was still there when they finished their story. They would show their appreciation in the end too; more emotion and thankfulness than anyone she could think of.

Sasuke had held onto her for hours after he poured out his soul to her, and Sakura wondered if Naruto would do the same.

Time seemed to laugh at her as the two just looked at each other. Sakura wondered exactly was going through the blonde's head as he studied her face intently. He would look into her eyes, frown, look at her lips, frown, look around the room, and then look into her eyes again. The process was repeated many times before Naruto sighed and pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Well good! Now help me get off the floor and back into bed; my body isn't doing what I tell it to," the blonde ordered grumpily.

Sakura was a little shocked. She hadn't expected a well of emotion to spring from the blonde, but Naruto had kept his revelation shorter and simpler than she had imagined it would be. Sasuke had talked for a solid half hour about all the things he felt were missing in his life; Naruto had taken less than 5 minutes.

"Huh?" she mumbled dumbly. "Is that it?"

"Is what it?" asked Naruto, before something flashed in his eyes and his mouth formed a perfect 'oh'. "You were expecting me to give you some sappy story about my pathetic life, weren't you?"

Sakura could only stare at the blonde man.

"Sakura, I have long since come to terms with my lack of serious relationship with a woman, well - with anyone for that matter. It hurts to think about it, but I'm not about to cry and ask you to hold my hand," said Naruto. "Just don't bring it up again and we won't have a problem."

"I don't understand!" she cried.

Naruto gave her an annoyed look. "There isn't anything to understand. Now, are you going to help me to bed or what?"

Sakura sighed, but decided not to press on the subject. "Yes, I just thought you were in the middle of an escape. Why do you want my help now?" she asked, standing up and bending over to pull him to his feet. She was determined to understand the blonde, but now obviously wasn't the time.

Sakura carefully slipped her arms under his and hoisted him up. She felt a little heat enter her cheeks when her slender arms slid over the smooth muscle under his shirt. Apparently, yakuza life benefits included a guaranteed six-pack and hard body.

"Because this is all part of my plan," Naruto chuckled, the pain gone from his voice. "I will seduce the guard, sleep with her, then knock her out and steal the key when she least expects it."

Sakura marveled at the blonde's mood swings, and could only gape at him; a smile threatening to form on her lips. As if reading her thoughts, Naruto smirked and threw an arm around her slender shoulders. "Life is too short to argue with pretty women," he muttered, as if the fight hadn't happened at all.

She grunted at the extra weight and put an arm around his waist to steady him as they shuffled toward her bedroom. "Sorry, but you are sleeping on your own from now on," she scoffed. "I don't feel like getting seduced tonight."

"And where will you sleep? You obviously couldn't get comfortable anywhere else, otherwise you wouldn't have been in the bed when I woke up," Naruto observed, letting her guide him over to the bed.

Sakura didn't reply as she shuffled over to her bed and gently began lowering Naruto onto the mattress. She immediately regretted it however, as a wild gleam entered his ocean colored eyes. With a feral growl, Naruto fell backwards onto the bed, pulling Sakura down with him. She shrieked in surprise and fell fully on top of him.

"Mmm, my plan is working so far," he muttered from below her. "You trying to have your way with me, guard lady?"

To her horror, Sakura realized she was straddling Naruto, and her face lit up when he squirmed between her thighs.

Without thinking, she reared back violently, tumbling off the blonde's lap and the bed entirely. She crashed to the floor in heap, while Naruto roared in laughter.

"You just don't turn off!" Sakura bellowed, getting to her feet and stomping out of the room. Her face was much too red for her to stay around and banter with the blonde man.

"What? Haha! I didn't make you mount me!" Naruto called out to her, his voice full of mock surprise.

Sakura shook her head, a frown and a small smile competing for dominance on her features. Her body didn't know whether to be disgusted or excited. 'I just don't get him! One minute he is all forlorn and making me want to cry; the next minute he is trying to seduce me!' she debated with herself.

Making her way around the house, Sakura turned off all the lights to her apartment and planted herself on the love seat for the second time that night; she crossed her legs subconsciously.

She was embarrassed to admit that her body had responded to Naruto's gyrations, and a heat was building in her nether regions that she was NOT going to tend to.

Naruto groaned as a shaft of light burst through the bedroom window and struck him full in the face. Morning had a way of sneaking up on unsuspecting blondes.

Frowning in frustration, Naruto rolled over and planted his head in one of Sakura's goose down pillows, burying his face. The thin fabric didn't help however, and the light showed through the white pillow as if to taunt him.

Abandoning all hope of staying asleep, the blonde rolled over and sighed. Last night's debacle had been more than tiring, and he hoped it wouldn't happen again. He hated doting over his past; it did nothing for his mood.

Sakura sauntered into the room and leaned against the door. "I see you are finally awake." she observed.

Naruto turned and glowered at her. "Why don't you own any blinds?"

"So I know when it is time to get up," said the medic-nin, "Some of us don't like to sleep in caves."

Naruto growled in reply and ripped the bedding off of him as he slid his legs over the edge of the bed. Sakura watched him silently and fiddled with the coffee cup in her hand. She hadn't changed out of her night clothes either, and Naruto could see dark circles under her eyes.

"You get any sleep?" he asked, getting to his feet wobbly.

"Not really," Sakura replied. "A few hours I suppose."

Naruto frowned at her and beckoned her too him with his hand. "Come help me into the bathroom; I need a shower."

"No funny business?" she asked, looking at him over her cup.

He chuckled a little at that and shook his head. "No funny business."

She smiled in return and handed him her coffee cup, throwing his arm around her shoulders and helping him hobble into the bathroom.

"Thank you," he replied, taking a deep swig of the black caffeine drink and handing her back the cup.

"Heeyyy, you drank half of it!" Sakura whined, leaning him against the sink and frowning into the now half-empty mug.

Naruto shrugged and tore off his shirt, tossing it in her face. "Tough luck, short-round. Care to help me undress?"

He smirked as Sakura untangled herself from the garment. "You're such a pig!" she squealed, tossing the shirt out onto the bedroom floor.

She paused when she saw him shirtless and stared for a few seconds, the color rising in her cheeks. Naruto laughed, and flexed. "Are you checking me out?"

The girl seemed to come back to reality and frowned up at him before leaving the bathroom. "You're a pig, annnd full of yourself!" she spat vehemently.

Naruto chuckled quietly and shut the door behind her, then quickly stripped down and jumped in the shower. He twisted the shower knob but received only a gurgle from the shower head. Impatient as he was, he decided to twist both knobs rapidly.

Cold water blasted him and he shrieked like a frightened girl. "Ahhhhh! Oh god! Cold!"

He could hear Sakura laugh through the thin walls and he glowered embarrassedly. The water eventually warmed and he took a quick shower.

Once he was done, Naruto dried himself off and dressed in his shirt and boxers. The scant garments did little to protect him from the unexpected cold of morning in Sakura's apartment, so he snatched the blanket from the bed and wrapped it around himself.

"I want my clothes!" he bellowed as he stumbled through the bedroom door, only to find the living room empty.

Naruto looked around curiously, shuffling to the kitchen, then back to the bedroom, then back again to the living room before plopping down on the love seat. 'Where'd she get off to?' he wondered.

He sighed loudly and snatched the TV remote off of the coffee table and turned on the TV, resigning himself to a long and boring day under house arrest.

Sakura strolled happily through Konoha's market district. The hustle and bustle of merchants hawking their wares and consumers haggling was exciting. Commerce was the life-blood of any village and Konoha's was booming.

Merchants from all over came to the village to trade: Caravans from Wind country, silk traders from Grass country, and weapon smiths from Earth country; every country had a stall in Konoha's massive trade market.

Sakura smiled politely at the merchants who invited her to see their wares, but didn't stop to browse; she had gotten her groceries and was anxious to check on her prisoner.

No sooner than she had exited the throng of shoppers, she ran straight into Shikamaru. He was decked out in his full ANBU gear, but pulled his mask up and waved at her.

"Hi Sakura, how's it going?" the ANBU captain greeted politely.

Sakura smiled and brushed a strand of pink hair out of her face. "Pretty good, Shikamaru, something I can help you with?"

"No, not really. Just wanted to drop in and say hello is all."

"Uh huh..well I kind of have somewhere to be right now.."

Sakura smiled politely and made as if to walk away, but Shikamaru caught her by the arm gently. "Oh! I almost forgot! Umm, Ino, Chouji, and the rest of the gang are going to be getting together tonight to celebrate TenTen's promotion. What time you gonna show up?" he asked.

"I had completely forgotten all about that!" Sakura shrieked embarrassedly. She recalled hearing about her weapon-slinging friend's promotion to Jounin, but had forgotten all about the party.

Shikamaru smirked and pointed at her lazily. "You are coming though, right?"

Sakura swallowed. What would she do with Naruto? Could she really trust him to stay put?

She didn't know what he was in the village for in the first place, but apparently it was important enough for him to want to escape her custody without a pair of working legs. 'I'll have to make a point to ask him,' she thought to herself.

"Well? You have something else already planned?" Shikamaru questioned, breaking her from her reverie.

Sakura blinked and tried to think of an excuse. "Uh, no, but I have umm.. a patient that needs constant attention," she lied lamely, "and he can't be left alone."

"Not a problem; have one of the other nurses watch him for a couple hours," Shikamaru advised calmly. "You have been so busy lately that you could use a fun night with everyone."

"Oh, Shikamaru, I don't know.."

"C'mon, everyone expects you to be there."

Sakura frowned and she rolled her eyes in defeat. "Fine, I will come."

She watched his face light up and it made her groan inwardly. She knew it was very possible she had just lied, and would instead be spending the night watching over Naruto.

"Alright, cool, see you there!" the pineapple-haired man chortled, before leaping to the nearest roof and taking off towards the inner-city.

Sakura waved weakly at Shikamaru's retreating back, before hoisting her grocery bag and hurrying home.

It took her a second to fumble with her keys, before finding the right one and unlocking the door. Shoving the door open and entering the room, she caught sight of Naruto shuffling out of the bedroom; he was wrapped in her comforter. It made him look like a fuzzy headed, blonde penguin and she giggled at him.

"Oh ho! Did I wake you, Mr. Snuffles?" she teased, crossing the room to her kitchen and dumping the groceries on the counter.

"Mr. Snuffles? What are you talking about?" Naruto growled, shuffling into the kitchen behind her. She smiled when he began peeking over her shoulder at the groceries she was starting to put away.

"Nothing. You just look cute wearing that comforter around."

"Yea well, I wouldn't be wearing it if you would just give me back my damn clothes."

Sakura giggled again and turned to roll her eyes at him. "I told you they were in the washer. So assuming I didn't steal or burn them; where would they be?"

She watched as the light turned on in his mind and his eyebrows rose. "Oh.." the blonde muttered, before shuffling away to claim his clothes.

She put away the rest of the groceries, and marveled at Naruto. For a major crime figure and mass murderer; she had to admit he could be undeniably cute at times.

Naruto entered the room later, fully decked out in his yakuza gear, shin guards and all. "That is better. Now where is my sword?" he asked, looking at her sternly.

"I don't know," she muttered, plopping down on her love seat with a sigh of relief.

She watched him cross the room and sit on recliner across from her. His gaze was steely, and there was 'no more games' written all over his face. "Sakura, where is my katana?"

"Naruto, you know I can't give it to you. Why are you in such a hurry to have it anyways?" she asked, sitting up and frowning at him. She didn't like how serious he was; it put her on edge.

"I didn't come here to take a vacation and chill in your apartment," explained Naruto. "I have someone to find, and the longer I stay cooped up here, the farther away he gets."

Sakura's attention was piqued now. "Who are you looking for? Someone in the village?"

Naruto shook his head and wrung his hands impatiently. "It isn't any concern of yours. Just let me have my sword, let me leave the apartment, and give me an hour before you tell anyone I escaped."

Sakura sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I can't do that. Firstly because, you are a prisoner within this village and I would get in serious shit if you escaped, especially when I reassured the Hokage that I could handle you."

"Secondly, I can't release you, because you aren't healed yet, and as a medic-nin I will not allow you to run out and get yourself hurt again before you've healed properly."

Sakura took a deep breath and hushed Naruto before he could interrupt her. "And thirdly, I can't let you go because I have a party to go to in about an hour, and can't afford to be knocked out and miss it."

She smiled uncomfortably when Naruto looked at her incredulously. Disbelief was painted all across his face and she buckled down to ride out the storm.

"What! You are going out partying tonight, while I am just supposed to do what? Sit here like a good prisoner and wait for you to come back?!" he roared, his earlier surprise replaced with rage.

"Naruto, please –"

"With all due respect, Sakura? Fuck you. I don't even know why I am still here!" he exclaimed, waving his arms around the room. "I could've busted out of this joint five times by now!"

Sakura grimaced as the furious blonde shot up out of his chair and made his way towards the door.

"Stop! Please, Naruto!" she begged, reaching for her kunai pouch subconsciously. She'd known what she had said would infuriate him, but she hoped Naruto would at least let her explain.

Naruto stopped at the door and turned to scowl at her, his hand on the door handle. "Or what? You'll kill me? Apprehend me?"

Sakura shook her head and sighed. "No, I'll make a deal with you."

She thanked her stars when Naruto sighed and looked at her expectantly, turning away from the door for the moment.

"If you tried to break into a ninja village to find information on this person you are hunting, then it obviously means a lot to you, correct?"

Naruto nodded.

"Well what would you say if I could get you your sword, some information, and a clean slate with the most powerful shinobi village in the land?" she whispered. She had no idea where she was going with this, but it held Naruto's attention and that was all she wanted at the moment.

The blonde sent her an apprehensive glare, but let go of the door knob and retook his seat across from her. "What is in it for you?" he asked.

Sakura balked. She hadn't really thought of what she would receive in return from the "deal". All she had wanted was for Naruto to stay. She hadn't really expected to receive something from him.

A number of things did cross her mind though, and she was curious just what she could get out of crime lord. She didn't have very long to think however, as she could see Naruto was getting impatient and skeptical.

So, fate being what it was, and Sakura being the woman she was, and pressure being the bitch it was; Sakura blurted the first thing that came to her mind.

"A date."