'Promise'

Chapter 4: Dearly Beloved

His first night at the Hinata Apartments had been nothing but chaos.

There were plenty of rooms, so he could pick any of them. He didn't really fancy staying on the same floor as Naru. And Motoko and Kitsune were alright, but persistently bugging him with random questions and proposals, either to do with his fighting skills, or how much money he'd be able to make with them. He would've like to stay on Hinata's floor, but she shared it with Naru and Motoko.

He decided to stay on the same floor as Sakura and Shinobu. Two girls out of the apartments who weren't going to do something strange to him or annoy him. It had a great view over the small town surrounding the hot springs, which was almost always enhanced by the faint mist that swept over the town from the heated water.

After he had picked his room, the second problem came up.

Kyoko simply refused to sleep in a separate room to his. She still hadn't let him go either, clinging on to his arm as though he would fade away at some point.. After a while, this began to take its toll on Naru's patience.

"There's no way you're sleeping in his room!!" Naru's temple was throbbing painfully.

"There's no way you're getting me to sleep away from the boy I've spent my whole life trying to find." Kyoko's stubbornness was giving Naru a run for her money. All of the other occupants recognised the warning signs and were watching from a distance. Naruto only wished that he could do the same.

"We understand how you feel, Kyoko." Keitaro bravely decided to step into the mess and stick to his duty as apartment manager. "Which is why you can sleep in the room right next to him."

That's not gonna do much. She'll just sneak into my room while everyone's asleep.

Naruto shook his head. The problems just kept coming and coming. Kyoko held onto his arm tighter while she though about the new proposition. After a while she looked at Keitaro and nodded.

"I'll sleep in the room next door then. At least I'll be the closest to him."

Am I ever gonna be rid of this girl?

"It's decided then. Kyoko will stay in the room next door to Naruto. I think its about time everybody got to bed." Keitaro finalised the decision and promptly yawned, stretching out his arms. Naruto looked at him, wishing he could stretch freely.

...

The futon was comfortable. The room was warm. There was practically no light and the door was shut. But for some reason, he just couldn't sleep. So much had happened in just one day, his mind was still trying process everything that had happened.

He rolled, leaning on his side. Staring at a random closet in his room, he began thinking about Kyoko, imagining that he could see her through the wall of his room into hers.
Her long, fiery-red hair. Her soft, crimson eyes. Her slim figure, and god, her amazing legs. He was having a hard time trying not to think about the buxom goddess sleeping just next door. Maybe that was why he couldn't sleep.

He closed his eyes and tried to think of something else. The first thing that came into his mind, was Sakura.

"For god sake. If its not one girl, its another. Next it'll be Hinata." He growled at himself mentally. Pushing the three girls out of his head for now, he began to think about Konoha, and his old life back in the Leaf Village. It was hard to believe he had only been gone a day or two.

"I wonder if everyone's alright back home... Sasuke. Kakashi-sensei. Iruka. Pervy Sage. Grandma Tsunade. Kiba. Lee. Neji. Ino. Choji. Shikamaru..." He slowly began closing his eyes. After a few moments, his eyes closed, allowing him to drift into unconsciousness.

After a few moments of silence, the door to his room slid open. Silhouetted by the dark, a figure walked into the room. Tiptoeing next to Naruto's sleeping form, the figure sat down next to him.

"You've only been here a day."

Shinobu's timid voice cut through the silence of the room, barely above a whisper. She watched Naruto as he slowly inhaled and exhaled, sleeping soundly. It was a strange feeling watching him breathe ever so softly. It was peaceful, somehow. She felt as though she could watch him for hours, watching his chest rise, up and down.

She sighed softly. "How did you do it, Naruto? It's only been a day. Yet already, there's just something about you that... attracts me."

Her eyes began tracing the features of his face. His closed eyes, his faintly scarred cheeks that looked like whiskers. And his soft lips.
Her eyes lingered on them. They looked inviting. Her whole body was stiff with nerves.

"Can I...?"

She leant in slowly. Her mind had gone numb, she was letting her body take over. Her face suddenly felt a lot warmer, and her hands were shaking. She suddenly realised she was only inches away from Naruto's face, she could feel his breath against her face.
She had a hand on the floor on each side of Naruto's head. Her hair was beginning to fall onto his forehead, and she could make out every detail of his face.

He was handsome. At least, he was to her. Her eyes quickly scanned his face again, checking for any signs that his return to consciousness could be imminent. She couldn't see any. Her eyes drifted down to his thin lips once again.

Closing her eyes slightly, she leant in closer, brushing her lips gently against his. It was only a short kiss, but it seemed like forever to her.
When she finally broke apart, her eyes opened again. She was shocked she had done what she had.
She was Shinobu, the shy, little girl. She wasn't ever this bold.

She gently stood up, and slowly walked over to the door again. Opening it slowly, she stepped out and looked back at Naruto, leaning on the door frame.

"Oh Naruto..."

The door slid shut softly. Footsteps squeaked slowly, fading away from his room. Naruto opened his eyes slowly and looked at the door.

"Shinobu..."

...

"Wake up, sleepyhead!"

A loud voice was coming from somewhere above him. Sticking his head underneath his pillow, he began to mumble something about insensitive woman.

"Come on, get up!"

The pillow was wrenched from his hands and thrown a few feet away. Blinding light began entering his eyes, irritating him.

"Kyoko, come on, another five minutes, seriously..."

He crossed his arms and began snoozing on them. After a few moments he looked up at the wide open balcony window.
He was lying on his front, and he had just realised that the girl was sitting on top of him.

"Kyoko isn't awake yet, dummy. That's another thing you two seem to have in common. You can both sleep through the chaos around this place."

His heart momentarily skipped a beat. Was that Sakura's voice!?

"Come on! You are so lazy! You'd sleep for a month if I didn't make the effort to come in here and drag you out of bed."

He snorted. "I wouldn't exactly call this dragging me out of bed Sakura. It seems more like you want to keep me in it."

"Maybe I do."

His whole body suddenly froze. What!?

He felt Sakura's weight shift as she laid down on top of him, resting her head on his shoulder. He could feel her breathing right next to his right ear.

"We can't let Kyoko keep you all to herself now, can we Naruto?" She gently teased him. She let her head drop on the futon next to him. Naruto turned to face her, suddenly realizing how close their faces were. He felt his own facial temperature sky-rocket.

"It seems like somebody's enjoying themselves." She giggled softly. She began slowly rubbing her leg up and down his thigh. Moving her head so that she could whisper into his ear, she spoke softly.

"Kyoko and me. We're the same.
We both like you Naruto. Sadly though, we both can't have you for ourselves."

She stopped moving and looked at him, straight into his eyes.

"Sooner or later, you're going to have to choose. And not just out of Kyoko and me either." The tip of her nose was rubbing against his own. His heartbeat was running a marathon, and he was sure his face looked like a cauldron of seething magma.

"Naruto..." Her jade eyes sparkled in the early morning sun. She closed them softly, and leaned forward, gently planting a soft kiss on his lips.

"I love you."

His whole body was now numb. His brain had completely failed on him and he was speechless. He had no idea what he was supposed to do, say or think.
Slowly, Sakura began standing up off of him. He suddenly sat up in his futon. "Sakura..."

"I'm not letting Kyoko take you away from me." She turned around to face him. "Believe it." She winked and stuck her tongue out cheekily at him. She walked over to his door, slid it open, peeked outside to check the corridor was clear, and turned to face him again.

"Breakfast is ready, so get up, get dressed, and get your butt downstairs." She blew him a kiss and walked out of his room, sliding the door shut behind her.

Naruto stared at the door, his brain beginning to thaw itself out. His jaw was hanging open and his mind was still in complete shock.

What the hell!?

Was it my intent from the beginning? I really don't know. But hey, it's turning out to be fun, isn't it?
R&R x100 and make me happy ^^