Chapter 4... Yay...

I don't own Naruto

Well You guys know the drill and here's the layout whoot

"Talking"

"Thinking"

"Demon/Inner Sakura/Telepath. Basically and outside voice in someones mind"

"Demon/Summon talks"

(Jutsu or Translations)

(Author Notes)

Begin Chapter 4

---------------------------- (Three Weeks later)

Sakura sits back against the center pillar of the three stumps at the team 7 training grounds. The same pillar that Kakashi had tied Naruto too when they where first starting as a team. The slight blush from the sake blazes on her cheeks as the warm sake still seems to linger in the corner of her lip. The rather large bottle lying on its side not far from her hand, the contents drunk dry.

Sakura lets her head spin around as she sprawled her legs out in an almost undignified manner as she let her mind recap how fucked up her life had become and how lonely she had made herself.

First she chased after a boy, one boy her whole life. Obsessing about him, letting him ruin her studies while at school to the point that when she finally got on the same team as him, she was no use to the team. Always being put on the defensive of their client, forced to look at her teammates' backs.

She then pushed her other team mate to chase him down constantly ignoring every offer in happiness he would offer her, even if it was just an offering as a friend trying to help another. She rejected him with a fist into the face.

Sakura had pushed him so far that he eventually left her because she couldn't even pull her own weight enough to protect herself while on their missions. She had not been the link that kept the team together like she always dreamed she was. Instead she was the wedge that drove them apart.

When she finally realized how much her teammate had helped her and she started to warm up to him, he became cold to her. Once again the man she loved was out of reach, as if telling her that not matter who she chased she would never obtain happiness.

Sakura had chased down Naruto so hard, so determined that she ended up isolating herself from her friends, those that still lingered around her. She wrapped herself up in books and training so much, that her friends gave up on being friends with her. Instead of cooling down and patching, old wounds she just made herself cold.

Now when everyone looked at her, even if the mask wasn't attached to her face all they saw was the cold expressions of an ANBU. Even when her parents had died she did not cry. She didn't even attend their funeral, saying she had work to do.

Sakura Haruno had done exactly like Naruto had warned her about. She had forgotten that her ANBU job was just a profession, that she was human with emotions. It only took the painful shock from Naruto to thaw her dead frozen heart.

Now she couldn't handle his absences at all, instead she replaced him with sake. She drowned herself in so much sake that Tsunade revoked her shinobi title, claming she is a better drunk than a soldier.

Sakura didn't care about being a shinobi anymore, or even a medic. She didn't care that her life was falling apart at the seams.

"It iz so nice out Naru-kun." Sakura slurs out as she find her words bounding out of her mouth incoherently.

Sakura smashes her hand down on the bottle. "Awe damn, I'm drunk again isn't I Naru-kun."

Sakura looks at the broken shards under her hand as the blood leaks out from her palm. She looks at the trail of blood sliding down the shimmering clay shards. "Naru-kun... I'm sad without you... I'm so lonely Naru-kun..."

Slowly Naruto's face clouds her mind. The sake still ever so present, yet the thought of just ending her life doesn't keep out of her head. Slowly she finds herself lifting up one of the razor sharp clay shards she brings it up close to her face eyeing the shard closely. "Naru-kun... I love you... I can't stand being without you... Not even sake eases the pain but I think I know what will." She mumbles out as she closes her eyes holding out her wrist as she presses the tip of the razor sharp clay shard hard against her milky white skin.

Except when she begins to pull on the shard she can't seem to move her hand. She opens her eyes to see a hand holding hers as the male hand plucks the shard from her hand. "Suicide would only make Naru-kun sad don't you think."

"Go 'way. I'm thinkin'." Sakura slurred, her eyes trying to focus on the figure before her. When the voice laughed, she huffed.

The voice, which belonged to a male, drew closer and a warm hand encircled her arm. "Come on, let's get you home and you can do your thinking there." He said, his voice kind.

Sakura allowed herself to be lifted and muttered an apology when she stumbled into the man, and allowed him to lead her from the field. Soon, they were at the door of her apartment, and he waited patiently for her to open the door. But when she had trouble finding the keyhole with her key, his hand came out and gently took the key from her. He unlocked the door and opened it, and waited for her to stumble in ahead of him.

When she went to turn on the light, he grasped her hand and softly said, "Let's not do that. I'd rather talk to you in the dark, if you don't mind."

"Whatever." Sakura said, but then yanked her head up, swayed a bit, then said, "I hope you're not here to get lucky. I maybe drunk but I'm not that kind of girl."

It was clear to both of them that her mind was clearing from the alcohol and he smiled. "No, I am not here to get lucky. I just want to talk." He replied, and walked over to sit down on the couch.

When she sat down in the armchair that sat across from him, he calmly asked, "Do you ever wonder why humans fall inlove? Why someone will go to such lenghts for love?"

Sakura expected many questions, mostly about why she had been drunk, and just about ready to kill herself, but not this.

"What in the hell kind of question is that?" She snapped, her green eyes reflecting her thoughts on the question.

The man's head turned to look out of the sliding glass door that reflected the shimmering of the moon. "I always wondered" He said, his tone even. "Why Naruto held onto you for so long? What made you worthy of his love to the point that he was willing to throw away his life and die for you? Yet you could not even bring yourself to suffer a little shame for him, instead when he did something embarrassing near you; you'd just smash him in the head."

Sakura felt the beginnings of a massive headache coming on and she reached up to rub her temples. When she lifted her eyes, she noticed that he had turned his head back to her, and noticed that he was wearing a solid black ANBU mask with two blue streaks running down the eye slits like tears.

But, what got her to consider his words was the intense way his eyes where focusing on her. His eyes seemed to hold a mysterious gaze and attraction, or maybe a look of understanding her thoughts. He spoke again, this time his voice a little more stern. "Why did you love Sasuke? What makes you think you love Naruto now?"

Knowing that he was waiting for an answer, she looked down and thought for a few moments. Finally, she softly replied, "I never loved Sasuke... I just followed a crush on the popular guy for too long. Why I think I love Naruto is because I can't stand the seconds I'm away from him. Every second my heart cries for him, I can't even show it to others for help."

The man frowns as he pulls out a lighter, looking at the image etched into the lighter. The Sakura tree by a lake, the full moon high in the sky, and a man with fox shadow drinking from the water. "A boy named Haku once said. 'When a person wants to protect something or somebody precious to him he can be truly strong...' Naruto's father is an example of Haku's words one I will never forget, but Naruto was an example of when someone tries too hard. The heart is truly an amazing thing isn't it."

Sakura watches as the man pulls out a pack of cigarettes eyeing it carefully. "Sakura Haruno... I want one thing from you. One thing is all I ask."

Sakura stares at the man with an intensity, his words seem to make her whole body stand on end. "What?" She asks in a calm flat tone.

The man turns his gaze back to her. "Never let Naruto cry alone again."

Sakura's green eyes widen as the man raises his mask revealing the face of the one man she had not been expecting to see tonight. The person she had though was lost to her...

Naruto Uzumaki.

Sakura remains speechless as she watches Kyuubi let out a sigh. "Don't let him cry alone... Be the light I can not be for him Sakura-san."

Sakura watches as Kyuubi looks around the room. "This is his old place isn't it?"

Sakura nods her head still not believing that Naruto was standing in front of her, with Kyuubi seemingly in full possession of his body.

Kyuubi lets out a frown as he walks over to the bed. "Get no wrong ideas kitten, but come here."

Sakura nervously looks at Kyuubi as he lets out a sigh. "When I give him control of his body he won't remember traveling to Konoha or talking with you, so I want him to wake up next to you. It will be easier on him"

Sakura nods her head as she slips her shoes off. She hears Kyuubi's voice as he takes his shoes off. "Go change, your clothes are covered in mud. By the time you get done he will be in the bed sleeping"

Sakura blushes slightly at Kyuubi's comment. She had not realized how muddy she was. Her dress was caked in a thick layer of mud. Sakura bows her head to Kyuubi. "Thank you but why are you doing this... I thought you hated him"

Kyuubi rolls his eyes "Listinging to him cry constantly is like running nails on a chalk board its very annoying. Kitten, maybe I'll be able to talk to you again."

By the time Sakura had returned wearing her nightgown she was surprised to still see Naruto. She had been telling herself it was just a trick of Kyuubi. But Kyuubi seems to have kept to his word as she climbed into bed next to Naruto wrapping her arms around his waist, planting her head on his chest. She knew if he tried to leave she'd know and this time she was not going to let him slip away.

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(Well this is the end of Cold Mask. I'm talking with my beta he's trying to convince me to play alittle romance into you know now that Sakura finally has Naruto... I know its kinda weird that Kyuubi brought them together... But I thought it was something random you can't have Naruto just showing up and applogizing for being stuiped. If I continue the romance and you don't want to put the story on alert just leave a review with your email and I'll email you... But to let most of you know this is the ending of Cold Mask least in my mind... Sorry if it sucked but I'm not briliant writter I'm just a average person writing this stuff so those that want to flame... Go to hell where you belong.