AN: Wow and holy cow. 500 hits in two days? geeze. I never got anywhere near that before. Thanks a lot guys. You all rock! 13 reviews certainly isn't bad at all, though we can do better right?

Oh right. I did a myspace thing so if you guys are more curious about me, check it out from my profile homepage. Thanks. Also i am always looking for new people to talk to on aim or msn.

Anyways, this is a really really early update for me. I normally don't EVER update this soon, but consider it a thank you for so many hits and for all your encouraging reviews. I really do appreciate it, and this update is how i display it. I am hoping you guys will enjoy this chapter as much as you did the previous one. This one is more Sakura based than the last chapter. I mean she is a bit of a complicated char too right?

Well, here it is, enjoy! (I do not own Naruto or the chars)

She wouldn't stand anywhere near him. At least not while he was awake. Whenever the young man was conscious, the closest she would get was the farside of the room where only the occasional glance in his direction was given.

She was given his chart. Sakura knew his secret.

If it was one of Naruto's old pranks it was a poorly played. Something of this nature just wasn't funny.

When she had learned of Naruto's return to Konoha she felt elated, overjoyed, and more than anything else, relief. He made it back to her. He cared enough. He just plain cared.

And then news of his condition spread as massive amounts of mindless drones buzzed about the city. With each additional person to hear that piece of gossip, his condition was worsened exponentially. Once it had finally reached Sakura's ears, there was supposed to have been nothing left of the boy except a bloody torso and part of the left side of his face.

Aghast with horror, she ran towards the hospital and ignored the fierce pain that burned within her legs after completing the training regimen her sensei had assigned. The blur of pink hair didn't need to offer identification to any of the staff, being the Hokage's personal student. She rushed up the stairs after finding the elevators worked too slow for her liking and approached the room she knew he was held within.

No matter how much time would pass, she could never forget the feel of his chakra.

Just as she was about to barrel through she realized that two hands restrained her from entering. Sakura's body was snapped around harshly as she found herself face to face with two ANBU members who now refused her entry.

No words were offered to the worrying pink woman, only the slight shaking of their heads told her that she was not yet allowed to see him. Perhaps the time would come but now was not it.

There was a good chance that she could fend off or at least distract the ANBU members long enough to at least brush inside the room and get a glimpse of him, but such acts of foolishness would only disgrace her family and teacher while offering no real clues to Naruto's condition.

With a quiet determination, she marched to the opposite side of the hall and commandeered a free seat. The fire that grew in her eyes made it look as if the great tree of Konoha itself was being turned to ash as an orangey red fire mixed with the natural green beauty they held.

The ANBU were lucky that their faces were concealed behind masks. It would have been embarrassing to have to show fear to a young pink haired woman who was barely twenty. Sakura looked left and right and wondered where all the other people who were concerned for Naruto were. Perhaps they were forced to standby in the waiting room. No one should have a problem with her residing here since she did work there.

She sensed a familiar Chakra approaching her yet it was one that she could not easily pinpoint in her mind. It was extremely well controlled, almost as if that person's signature was not there at all. Perhaps that's why Sakura was surprised to find that particular ninja standing next to her without warning.

"Well he be alright?" A man of few words, Hyuuga Neji stood solemnly next to the worried girl. She could not have been sitting there but for a few moments yet her eyes already looked and felt terribly grief-stricken.

"I…I don't know. Those two won't let me in. Say could you..." Neji was the first of the 'gang' to make it into ANBU. Chances were he had formed enough influence within that secretive brotherhood to maybe gain either of them limited access.

"No." He didn't explain why he shot down her offer so readily. It wasn't that he didn't want to help the girl, but rather he couldn't. Was it his need to preserve his pride and honor that prevented him from asking this favor and requesting the help of others?

Hardly. To have fallen victim to such a character flaw would mean to tarnish everything that young boy, err young man had taught him so many years ago. Neji had tried to gain access but was denied. The orders had come straight down from the Hokage herself.

"I didn't think so. But I have to know!" Her voice steadily increased in volume as she spoke. Her inner-Sakura was blooming as well throughout the years. "Everyone kept saying he was in such bad condition. All I heard was how he was missing an arm or an eye was hanging out of his socket or how he was barely alive."

The young Hyuuga stood quietly while the pink one went about her rant. It was useless to stop her. He didn't need to read her eyes in order to understand she had a lot of emotion that she needed to get off her chest. "But Naruto can't be like that. He just CAN'T be! He smiles all the time. Why, why would someone want to hurt someone like that?"

Sakura sniffled slightly while she paused in her speech. The irony that she hurt him more than anyone else never dawned upon her. "If Naruto was not ok, then I--we couldn't see him smile anymore…"

Neji shifted uncomfortably for a few seconds and cursed his luck for arriving here so soon. It was awkward to listen to someone he barely knew reveal the full fury of their emotions. While he never got to see a display of her unbridled anger, he had heard stories and made the mental note to remain on her good side some years back.

"If you truly knew Naruto then you would understand that no matter what condition he may be in, he would smile. No matter how he felt on the inside, a smile was always on his face, even a fake one to keep the spirit of his friends up. I suppose someone like you could have noticed. Or perhaps you were not as close to the boy as you would like to think. Time has a way of blurring memories." The problem with most mental notes is you never find the time to write any of them down. It seems his memory not to upset Sakura was blurred as well.

Sakura clenched her fists in anger after being berated by that cocky bastard. He spoke in such a calm and noble manner that it was almost as if he was looking down upon her inadequacies. She would have no more of that. She had already invested enough time and training to prove to anyone that she was not just extra baggage.

"What do you know! You think just because you lost to him in a battle over 7 years ago that you know him better than any of us? I was the one who-" She was interrupted once more. It was odd to see the hint of anger within the Hyuuga's eyes but it was necessary nonetheless.

"I believe we should be focusing on Naruto and not how we affected his life." 'Or how he affected ours' he added mentally. It seems even when the boy was barely clinging to life, those around him still had trouble acknowledging his importance. Everyone wanted to glorify themselves.

"Then help me get in! He could be dying in there! He deserves to at least be surrounded by the people that care about him. I'll go and get them from the waiting room."

Sakura stood up to leave but found herself once again restrained by a hand against her shoulder. Her stirred anger overcame her as she launched a punch in the Hyuuga's direction. Only Neji's keen awareness of his surrounding saved him from having his own room next to Naruto's.

"There are no others. I have already checked." The Byakugan was useful in scanning everyone in the hospital.

"That's impossible! He must have some family that wanted to see if he was ok even though he didn't have parents. Or his friends, why aren't they here?" Could anything else be more important than making sure Naruto was ok? If it was instinctively on the top of her list of priorities, surely it would only be natural that everyone else felt the same way.

"As I thought. You know nothing of his past." Truthfully Neji knew little about Naruto before he became ANBU. It was only after he was inducted in was allowed access to certain privileged information. It certainly didn't hurt matters that he was a member of the Hyuuga clan.

Instead of reacting with her typical outburst, Sakura remained quiet save the soft whimpers that escaped her. Her knuckles turned white as the circulation was cut off while her head tipped forward slightly. She would have been forced to see the annoyingly repetitive pattern of the tile floor beneath but her eyes were tightly shut to prevent the tears from escaping. They did so anyways.

She knew the jounin was right. She claimed to care about him but there was little about the boy that she actually knew. Come to think of it, she hadn't heard of any Uzumaki's in the village. Didn't he have anyone here?

Her voice was a soft whisper, barely audible to someone of even Neji's caliber. "I'll go get Tsunade-sama."

"Hokage-sama is in the operating room healing Jiraiya-sama. She will be done in a few moments but I suggest you wait until then. There would be little you could do to speed her up." The more he spoke, the more Sakura detested his all-knowing voice. Stupid Hyuugas and all their arrogance.

"I just want to know if he's ok." Please let him be ok. Please. She couldn't go back to being all alone again. Not after the hope of having someone was so recently rekindled.

"He will be just fine." Just because he couldn't gain access to the room didn't mean he couldn't 'see' inside there. He didn't want to use his technique for that purpose, but it seemed like there was no other way to shut this one up.

Sakura arched an eyebrow as she glanced up at him in confusion. Was he toying with her emotions now? "How can you be so sure?"

"Because I was the leader of the patrol that found him. I can assure you that he had all his limbs but he was gravely injured. However his chakra flow is strong and his body seems to be healing quickly." Maybe now she would be a bit more calm and reserved.

Luck did not seem to be on the Hyuuga's side as he found the pink haired girl latched onto him in a hug. Her eyes told him it was purely out of appreciation. Thank god. His wife would have killed him otherwise. Actually she may still do that if she ever finds out.

"You know this would break Naruto's heart." The Fifth Hokage quickly made her way towards them while signaling for the ANBU there to disperse. To everyone except Neji's surprise, a few more ANBU members left the room while another stopped his transformation which disguised him as a 'free chair.'

"I um...Err... I"

"He actually called for you in the operating room you know."

"Then why didn't you give orders to let me see him?"

"I have my reasons. No matter. Starting from tomorrow you shall be the brat's, I mean Naruto's doctor anyways. I suggest you use some of your vacation days to give him some personal attention. Why don't you go and finish up the charts for your other patients before I give you Naruto's. I have a feeling you're not ready yet for what you may see in there."

Sakura smiled in that signature way only Naruto could as she nodded and ran off to the staff lounge in order to change into her work clothes. The sooner she finished those charts, the sooner she could find out what the hell everyone else seemed to know.

And that's how Sakura came to be in Naruto's room a few hours later, filling out a series of charts and awaiting her comrade to return to the conscious world the day before.

That chart was how Sakura now became too scared to get any closer to Naruto than she was standing now. Even after a week she was timid in her approach of him. It should be ok to do so now however. It looked like he was sleeping. There was no way he could be so calm and relaxed if he were awake.

Sakura tiptoed into his room and approached the end of his bed where she looked at the updated version of his chart. Sighing she made her way to the far wall where she glanced at the rather packed file containing his medical history and something of more importance.

She felt as if a lump were caught in her throat the more she thought about it. There was no time for that. She was his doctor after all and his care was her responsibility. Tomorrow he would be discharged and she would have to take him back to his apartment so she better make sure everything goes well today.

The young doctor stood by the front of his bed while she placed a hand upon his forehead. She couldn't help but gaze longingly at the man's face. He looked so peaceful right now. It kind of made her doubt that anything written in that chart could be true. Surely no one with his pain could ever look so innocent and carefree in his sleep.

Her senses couldn't even catch it but Naruto's hand grabbed her wrist quickly. Sakura struggled slightly to release his grip upon her but she knew that using her monstrous strength would only injure her patient. "You stopped visiting me when I'm awake, so I figured I had to pretend I was sleeping in order to get your attention."

Slowly his eyes opened and revealed his shimmering orbs. His tears were being held back by his collective will, the same one that forced him to plaster that classic dopey smile upon his face.

"Naruto! I-uhh. I mean I have been so busy that the only time I could come around was when I was…" She felt stupid lying to him, especially when both knew it to be so.

The blonde's smile grew wider as he absorbed the words she spoke. 'Always the Naruto, never the kun. Oh well. At least Sakura-chan is trying to spare my feelings. That's so nice of her. She didn't even transfer me to another doctor when she read my chart. God she is so wonderful. And as pretty as ever…'

"I'm sorry Naruto. It's just that I…I couldn't face you after I found that out."

"I understand Sakura-chan." The more he smiled the longer it hurt. He could only comfort himself by thinking that a frown would have been more unpleasant for everyone.

"You understand? You understand?" Sakura marched over to where his history was kept and pulled out the most recent X-ray. Angrily she slapped it against the light board and glared crossly back at his direction. "How can you possibly understand this Naruto?"

I suppose most of you are expecting some disfigured mass of the Kyuubi to be residing within the picture of the X-ray. If that is so, I am sorry but I am going to have to disappoint.

Perhaps its time we moved past seeing one particular young pink haired woman as a superficial girl who can't focus on the beauty with in. Perhaps its time we moved on from the notion of seeing Naruto as someone who only suffers because he holds the demon-fox within his belly.

Why does what constitutes so little of Naruto's personality be his primary focus? Why not his memories? Isn't his past what makes him who he is today? Isn't the Kyuubi's past different from his own?

Though the nine-tailed fox may be the source of all the pain found within that X-ray, it wasn't the reason Sakura acted so strangely the past week.

She had learned a few yeas ago just what Naruto's secret was, the fact that the Kyuubi was sealed within him. It was an accident that was the result of a late night drinking session shared with her sensei. She never told anyone what she knew. Better to let him be forgotten in the village instead of becoming cursed as a mark of evil.

The X-ray that was pinned against the wall outlined the entire bone structure of the twenty year old male. Each and every inch of that X-ray told a story of years of pain and abuse. Not a single stretch of bone gave any hints of being unbroken at one point or another.

It wouldn't have been unusual if many of the healed broken bones were more recent, but experience told the young cherry blossom that these injuries were as old as he was.

Sakura hugged herself with her arms and fell to her knees as the tears quickly fell away from her. How could she continue to look upon one who had been abused for so long? The same boy who would greet her and the rest of their old team with such glee was the same one who suffered immeasurable pain as a child.

And all she could do back then was berate him for being so cheery.

No, she wasn't disgusted with Naruto. She wasn't afraid of what was held within him or what he may or may not be capable of. It was herself she was most furious at. It was Naruto's potential reaction to how she had treated him back then that caused her to shy away from him.

Once again without her sensing it, Naruto found himself holding Sakura before she could detect his movement. Had her eyes been open even slightly, she would have seen the infamous yellow blur that had spawned stories throughout the Country of Fire.

'Damn! Even with Tsunade's training I can't keep track of him? When did he get so fast? Wait…He's hugging me?'

"Don't cry Sakura-chan. It's not as bad as it looks. The X-ray is just hazy or something. Just don't cry anymore ok?" One of his hands held her so tightly yet so softly that she was sure it could not have been his touch. However the other hand which stroked her back and filled her with the confidence only Naruto could reassured her it was indeed him.

His desire to comfort her quickly backfired as her whimpering exploded into a full blown fury of cries that were only partially muffled against his chest. She lightly beat against him with his fist as two waterfalls of tears flowed down from her eyes and made the inevitable plunge towards the floor. "Baka! Why didn't you tell us anything? Why would anyone want to hurt you like that for so long? I could have or Kakashi-sensei could have helped you. We could have kept you safe from them." It never occurred to her that being the vessel for Kyuubi was considered a good enough reason to most people. She was just never that shallow.

He smiled as he allowed her sweet scent to waft up from her hair and back into his nose. "It wasn't your place to get involved Sakura-chan. I wanted to be a ninja and they have to learn to take care of themselves sometimes. Ninja can't always be part of a team."

Sakura sniffled her nose before speaking once again. Though her voice was soft and trembling, it was also loving and sweet. Just the way Naruto liked it. "Stupid. Idiot. Jerk. Moron. Even now you are holding me like this and trying to protect me."

Though it pained him slightly to do so, Naruto couldn't help but chuckle. "That's because you're Sakura-chan and Sakura-chan is a very precious, very important person to me. I can't become Hokage if I can't keep my precious ones safe."

Religion wasn't a very widespread concept throughout these countries. Everyone had faith in their comrades, their village, and their Hokage. Thinking about what would happen after you die would only hinder more people than it would help.

However despite all this, there were many who believed in some sort of higher being that could slightly influence events.

Naruto had never been one of these people.

Except here and now, he thought to himself a silent prayer. He had a knack for ruining such tender moments with his loudmouth foolishness and pranks. No one had told him just how rapidly he had matured over the years.

'Please, please don't let me do anything stupid right now. Please let me continue holding onto Sakura-chan. Let me be a little bit selfish, just this once.'

Maybe it was fate. Maybe it was nothing more than that infamous dumb luck he had an unlimited supply of. Or maybe it really was the blessings of a higher being.

No matter. For whatever reason, Sakura curled herself up upon Naruto's lap and quickly forgot who was to take care of whom. Her arms snaked around his neck and intertwined together as she felt Naruto's own hands fold around her body.

He would have to be safe regarding the reasons behind her irrational actions. Most likely she was just using him for comfort after being abandoned by her teammates so long ago. Everyone else had been able to form close and tight bonds with their respective groups. She had been denied this pleasure.

Of course there was always the possibility that he was the temporary substitute for him. Naruto could be her pillar of strength in times of peril but he would not be the replacement. He didn't deserve that kind of false attention. At least the hatred he was shown by others was undeniably real.

There was always that slim possibility that she did indeed have feelings for him on some level. He felt her emotions to be sincere enough to be at least that of a friend's. Maybe she did love him. If there was hope that someone like him could become Hokage one day, then why not hope his crush since childhood could care for him in that way?

His only fear was that love would have been out of guilt or misplaced feelings for a teammate who didn't want to return. When it came right down to it, what did Sakura really know about Naruto anyways? Few ever cared to check up upon him outside of a mission back when he was just starting out as a ninja. Even when they worked together, Sakura did her best to ignore Naruto.

Was that all supposed to magically change just because he left for a few years and came back home injured?

Naruto was by no means the sharpest light bulb in the drawer, but that didn't mean he was utterly foolish. It was time to be careful with his emotions. Whenever you open yourself up, you become vulnerable to attack.

The young blond could feel Sakura's breathing steady beneath him from her previous hysteria though she remained awake. It was amazing just how pink her hair could be. It scared him how faded his memory of her became in these past years. With every passing day the town he remembered became duller and duller as he had fewer memories to recall.

Sakura noticed all too quickly that the man holding her was being silent. Not a word escaped him. Nothing from a silly utterance to ruin the moment to a loud display of his concern. Naruto had grown up, and grown up well.

But just how they both look in their twenties is a description best left for another time.

The deadening silence was becoming too much for the girl. She had spent years living with it. Konoha just wasn't the same without its number one ninja in surprising people. She hoped that with his return that much would change. It seemed she was wrong. Perhaps Naruto just needed to fully heal before that could happen. Until then she would break the silence and just get some things off her chest.

"Naruto I...I'm sorry for the way I treated you before you left. It wasn't fair of me to do something like that. I didn't know about the Kyuubi but that's no excuse. I never paid you the attention that you deserve. I didn't appreciate you for who you really were Naruto. I was just a spoiled little brat back then. The truth is…" Sakura released her hold around his neck and adjusted herself rapidly so she could look him straight in those big beautiful blue eyes of his. "The truth is that I Lo-…eh?"

Naruto's eyes were shielded from her vision as his own breathing had calmed down and lulled him to a sleep. She didn't even notice since his hands were still wrapped around in that meaningful hold she had never experienced before.

'The nerve of him! Here I am opening myself up and he falls asleep! I'll teach him a lesson or two!'

The medical ninja quickly calmed her inner-anger and instead she was going to react in a more lady-like fashion. She wouldn't dare let anyone think Naruto of all people had become more mature than her.

Her cheeks blushed that adorable shade of pink as she planted a little kiss upon Naruto's nose before comfortably positioning herself upon his lap once more. She closed her eyes though she did not fall asleep while she carefully monitored his chakra for fluctuations. The last words she spoke quietly echoed throughout the room just loud enough to bring a smile to the loudest ninja this hidden village ever produced.

"Stupid loveable baka. I'm glad you are home."

So did you like it? Hate it? Have questions, comments or just want to leave a general review? Go ahead and hit that button then! I have been pondering on what pairing i should give Kakashi. Naturally I would like to do something with Rin, but since I'm not really sure what happened to her (if she is dead or just missing or whatnot) i won't handle that right now. I think i have selected the right person thanks to the aid of a friend of mine, but i REALLY want to hear what you guys think.

Yes, i am a Kakashi fan.So tell me who you think kakashi should pair off with in this story. I want to know. Who knows, a compelling enough argument may just get me to change my mind about who i picked. (a compelling argument is not. 'This person cause they are super awesome!')

Anyways, you guys are awesome and i hope you will review. Until next time, take care.