Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto.
So here we are at chapter 4 of this story. Read, Enjoy, Review. It makes my world go round. :3
Sakura had a hard time sleeping, she seemed to have one of those dreams where no matter how hard she ran she couldn't move fast enough. She had shot up in bed when she finally got caught. It was something monstrous. It had blood all over it and she had seen something in it's mouth. A torn fragment of clothing, the torn fragment held the Uchiha crest upon it.
Her eyes were dry but she was sweating bullets and Kakashi was standing next to her bed. She was breathing heavy and she wiped away the sweat. Her room was relatively cool. She could see from the corner of her eyes one of Kakashi's hands holding a cup of steaming hot tea for her. She took it muttering a word of thanks to him. He left her alone. Her sheets were soft and warm. The comforter was fluffy and smooth. The pink made her feel very aqt home. Even with the unnerving dream she got up after she finished the tea.
Sakura grabbed clothes and took it with her to the bathroom. She pulled off her sweaty clothes that stuck to her skin. She showered and let the warm water melt away her fears of the dream. She finally could feel the stiff soreness of her muscles. They cried out in pain. She had overdone the training but she didn't want to let it get to her.
She patted herself dry and dressed into a simply outfit she had. It was a pink tank top that had the Haruno symbol on the back. She had tan shorts and she decided to keep her hair down. She hadn't seen it down for a long time. And she noticed how long it had gotten.
Walking out she could see Kakashi putting a plate in the sink.
"Good morning Sakura," his visible eyes creased in the familiar way, letting her know he was smiling. Another plate of food was on the table. Again he ate without her.
"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.
"It's just Kakashi remember Sakura?" he replied.
She ignored it, "Why are you still here? Not that I don't appreciate real food, it's just that I figured you'd be gone ore have a mission to do. Something better than checking up on me."
He looked her in the eyes and he walked up. "You hair looks nice when it';s down." he ruffled her hair and went into the living room. She mumbled another thanks and sat down to eat. It reminded her of how team seven was always curious about what was under his mask. If she had gotten done in the shower sooner perhaps she could have seen it. His face.
She ate the food and cleaned the dishes. Once she was done she went to sit in the living with Kakashi. "I thought you'd want to train again today." His voice wafted to her.
She plopped down into the armchair. Her legs hung over the side and she let her head fall over the other side. "I overdid my training yesterday," she sighed. "Kakashi-sensei, what do you look like under the mask?"
His eye left the page of his pervy book, "Why do you ask Sakura?"
"It was something Naruto, Sasuke and I always wondered," she said honestly. "I just wondered if you'd ever show one of us." she closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't ask that kind of thing of you Kakashi-sensei. I know you'd never show us."
Kakashi watched her. She tried to fight the feeling of sorrow and she won, she stayed in control. Kakashi admired her strength, physically and mentally.
"My closest friends don't even know what I look like Sakura," he replied to her comment.
"Do you keep everyone at a distance like that?" she had her eyes focused on his one visible eye. "Why do you do that? When we all first met you you wouldn't tell us what you liked or disliked. It's like you don't want to let us know you. It's almost like... like..."
Sakura's voice had trailed off.
Like him? Kakashi had thought, finishing her sentence.
"Why do you need to know what I look like?" his voice sounded irritated. "What difference does it make? Why does it matter what I like and don't you all found out some of those things with time, didn't you?"
"What we learned most about you sensei is that your always late, and you love those pervy books that Jiraiya writes," Sakura said firmly. She was trying to defend herself from him. "Why is this making you so upset? Is it because it's true?"
Kakashi stood up. He was opening the door to leave her apartment when she shouted at him, "Kakashi wait!" It was too late, he was gone from sight.
Sakura stood up to walk to the door but instead she nearly broke down in tears.
"Why?" she asked herself. "Why is it when someone is kind to me I'm mean to them? Why is it when someone is a total jerk to me I fall in love?" Sakura contemplated this for hours. She noticed this pattern. In her early genin years she was obsessed and in love with Sasuke who acted like a jerk to her and almost anyone. Here Naruto, Lee, and Kakashi had always been nice to her, treated her with kindness and she had in someway, at some point, been mean to them.
Sakura found herself hours later practicing on a tree. She had no chakra behind her hits but by the end of the day her arms and legs were so weak and sore and they ached. Her hands were worst, they were bleeding, she had millions of splinters and her eyes were red and puffy. She took bandages out of her pack and covered her hands. She went to the only place she knew was open so late at night. Ichiraku's Ramen.
At Ichiraku's Ramen Shop
Sakura ducked below the low curtain and sat down in the first empty spot she saw. She didn't even notice who else was there. A bowl of her favorite ramen was placed before her. It was beef ramen. She broke her chopsticks and sipped the hot tea placed before her before eating the noodles.
"Sakura-chan?" Naruto's voice broke into her thoughts.
"Hey Naruto!" Sakura smiled her best and coated her voice with fake happiness.
"Are you still upset Sakura-chan?" he ignored the fake happy greeting she gave him.
"..." she stared at the meat floating in her noodles and thought about it. "Yes, but I'm not as numb as I was before."
"If you need to talk, Sakura-chan, I'm always here," he smiled encouragingly. He had sat himself right next to her. She smiled genuinely and gave him a quick hug. It was unlike her but she wanted to prove that she could be kind.
"Thanks Naruto," she added quickly. "I appreciate it."
Naruto blushed lightly and laughed, "It's no problem Sakura-chan! I was upset when I was told too. I tried really hard not to cry at his funeral. You remember the shinobi rule. I'm not the only one who cried though."
"You cried Naruto?" she sounded shocked, she shouldn't have been but she was. She brushed a strand of pink hair behind her ear as he spoke.
"Of course," he smiled. "Sasuke is like a brother to me, even though he already has a brother."
"Naruto," Sakura looked up from the bowl of ramen to his blue eyes. "Do you believe what you've heard? That it's because of Itachi that Sasuke died?"
"No," Naruto answered quickly. "Itachi is his family, his own brother, from what I have heard Sasuke looked up to him a lot. It doesn't seem right that it would be his fault you know?"
Sakura smiled, "That is exactly what I was thinking." She took her chopsticks and dug into the still steaming bowl of ramen. The broth was rich the noodles were perfect. She chatted about little things with Naruto while he racked up his bowl count. After Sakura's second bowl she patted her stomach in content.
"I'll pay for your ramen too Sakura-chan," Naruto offered.
"Heavens no Naruto!" she said. "It'd make your already huge bill even bigger."
"I insist," he continued. "It's the least I can do." She opened her mouth to protest once more when a hand patted her bandaged hand. She winced. "Sakura-chan, what happened to your hands?"
"I practiced on a tree for awhile," she left out the part about Kakashi. She tried to pull her hand away but he began to unwrap it. She could tell why he wanted to. Blood had soaked into the bandages. What had been white was crimson.
"Sakura-chan this is horrible, you should have someone check it out," she pulled her hand away when he said this.
"It's fine Naruto," she pulled out a new bandage to wrap her hand. She winced as she wrapped it and she smiled at him. "Really, I'm fine."
"Sakura-chan," he said softly. "Please go to the hospital with me."
She was about to protest when he tossed a wad of money on the counter and tugged on her shirt to followed him. Not wanting her favorite tank top to get ripped she followed. Personally she had found away to dull the pain. If she thought of something else, something that made her upset with herself, it seemed as if the pain wasn't so bad.
The doors opened because Naruto had pushed them open. He pushed her into the waiting room and tried to stop the nurses walking by. "Excuse me, um, hello? Excuse can you help us?"
"Naruto," Sakura stopped him. "Let me get someone."
He nodded and followed her. She walked to the front countered and asked to see the next available medical ninja. She explained it wasn't an emergency, despite what the blonde with her would have them thinking. The receptionist made a call.
"Yes, the patient is Sakura Haruno," the woman said into the phone. "Her hands are bandaged and bloody. No, she said it wasn't an emergency... Thank you."
"Well?" Sakura asked as friendly as she could. "Can someone squeeze me in?"
"Please go to room 103 and somone will be with when they can," she smiled friendly and started to greet the next anxious looking person. Sakura knew every room in the hospital, she went to the empty room and Naruto stood next to her. She took a seat on the bed and even laid down.
"Are you sure your okay Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked her.
"Not really," she said under her breath.
"What was that?" he hadn't quite heard her.
"I said Absolutely," she lied.
Naruto scratched his head, he was slightly confused. It didn't sound like what she had said but he hadn't quite heard it to begin with.
Sakura hoped it wouldn't be Tsunade who would take care of her. Tsunade has things to do as Hokage, Sakura tried to tell herself, she can't heal me all the time.
Sakura sat up when she heard the door handle turning. Her heart raced a little, what if it is Tsunade-sama? Will she be upset?
I know it can seem like Sakura is being hard on herself and to be honest I can imagine her being that way if Sasuke died.
On a happier note, next chapter something important will be revealed. Thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcomed.
