Hi! How you doing? I hope you all had awesome holidays. I know I did! This time off has let me think of new ideas to add to the story. I've already thought of a beginning, middle, and an end, but there are still a few blank spaces in between. I even thought of a crossover later on in the story. Naruto will be meeting someone who for the moment will remain nameless. But know this, it will be a ninja. He will only be mentioned, though. He's not going to appear for sure. Anyhow, here's a fresh new chapter! Sorry about the delay!
CH.4: A NIGHT TO REMEMBER
Saturday, October 29
Dear diary:
There's still no word on how Naruto is doing. After almost a full month, he still hasn't awoken from that coma. I've been sending him flowers everyday. I wonder if he'll like them . I sure hope Lady Tsunade is doing her best to help him out. I don't ever want to see Naruto transformed like that again. But, I know Naruto. I know that there's no challenge he won't tackle. I'm certain that he will be strong enough to endure.
Anyway, ever since we brought him back to the village, everyone has been acting...well...differently. It's like they now finally understand what poor Naruto has to go through everyday. He walks a thin line between letting his inner demon out and being the guy we all know. We all feel sorry for him. I hope the others don't fear him. He has already gone through so much hardships and sadness in his life.I'm sure that the last thing he would ever want to do would be to relive his painful childhood.
How I wish Naruto would walk out of that hospital soon. All I ever do when I'm not out on a mission or training is moping around town with my head down. But not everything is sad. I'm starting to get along much better with more people, more specifically, Ino and TenTen. They have grown real close to me these last few weeks. They try to make me feel better and we hang out very often. Speaking of TenTen, she's now working part-time at Ino's flower shop. Things with Sakura haven't been going to well, though. Every time I walk by her, it's like neither of us knows what to say. She knows I'm hurt for what she did to Naruto and she's trying to make it better, but when she tries to say something, words won't come out. I'm not saying I'm angry at Sakura...well, maybe I am. To be honest, when I learned that she abandoned him in the middle of a fight against overwhelming odds, I wanted to punch her in the face...or worse.
If I had been there, if we had all been there, maybe things wouldn't have turned out so ugly.
But I never did punch her. I guess it's just the way I am. Besides, Sakura was only following her feelings for Sasuke, but still, putting her feelings before Naruto's life was just horrible. Lady Tsunade was furious. She had no choice but to suspend Sakura until further notice, probably until Naruto recovers.
I've been praying everyday for him. I pray for his strength to return, so he gets back on his feet, to see him alive and well soon. I feel more determined than ever to finally get closer to him. I've got the potential. All I need know is a better attitude. I need to get out of my shell and open up more to him. He really needs someone to support him and be by his side after all he's been through. He has already had fights with his two closest friends. I can really make a difference here. I will be there for him. I promise this to myself.
………………………………………………………………………
The sky was painted a mixture of red, yellow, and orange as dusk settled in the village.
TenTen was outside of Ino's flower shop, dusting off the front steps with a broom. She wore her everyday wear with a yellow apron on top. She looked down and quietly hummed a tune in rhythm of her broom strokes. As she did, the store's front door opened and out popped Ino's head.
"We're closing in fifteen minutes," she said. "Finish up quick, alright?"
"OK," she said with a quick look at her. She then continued and dropped her sight to the ground again. The light on the floor was darkened by a shadow. It was the shadow of a tall, young man. She heard Ino gasp, who was still at the door.
"What is it?" TenTen asked as she faced her. Her mouth was slightly hanging open. She then turned to the direction she was staring at. Her jaw dropped as well.
They recognized the ninja who stood in front of the doorway. He was indeed very tall. He wore a dark brown and orange jumpsuit. His eyes were broad and wider than regular eyes. They were as blue as a cloudless sky. The headband on his forehead was partlr covered by long, blonde hair that ended in spikes. Birthmarks resembling whiskers covered his cheeks. The one thing the girls didn't recognize was his stare. It was more serene, calmer than usual. But still, they showed no trace of wildness or rage. It was downright neutral.
"Is the store still open?" Naruto asked. The two girls slowly turned to look at each other, confused.
"Uhhh…sure. Come on in." Ino nervously answered. Without saying a word, Naruto slowly walked towards the door. Ino and TenTen backed up and moved to the side to let him in. As he walked passed them, they noticed certain stillness, something they never felt from him before. As he reached for the door, he stopped and turned his head just a little. Both girls gasped again.
"Don't worry." He said, smiling friendlily. "Everything gonna be OK. Tsunade and Jiraiya are taking care of everything." After this, he gently pushed the door opened and walked right on in. Once again, the girls turned to each other awkwardly. They were both utterly surprised by his behavior. They soon quickly walked back into the store behind him. He was smelling the flowerpots by the counter.
'Hmm…smells good.' Naruto thought. 'Wait a minute…' he continued sniffing the flowers. For a brief second, he swore that he could make out the different smells and identify the flower by it.
'This is weird.'
"So, ummm…," TenTen started, "can we help you?"
"You got anything for Sasuke?" he asked while browsing the flowers. When he didn't get an answer, he looked at the girls, who were just standing there, still a bit shocked.
"You do know what today is, isn't it?"
"O- Oh, right." said Ino. "C-Could you excuse me for a minute?" She then quickly ran behind the counter and opened a door behind it. Naruto noticed there were many flowers in there. They all smelled pleasantly. Now, it was only him and TenTen in the room. She still had her sight fixed on him. When he looked back at her, she quickly looked away when their eyes met.
"I don't remember seeing you work around here." Naruto said to her. She once again turned her attention to him.
"Oh, yeah…you see…I just started." She said, doing her best not to stutter. "Ino said she needed some extra help around here so…I volunteered. I mean…I could use some extra money."
"What for?" Naruto asked. "You're not receiving enough mission assignments?"
" What? Oh, no. It's not that. You see…I want to buy a present for…someone."
"For who?"
The expression on TenTen's face turned nervous with a little bit of surprise.
"Come on, you can trust me." He said.
"Promise?" She asked.
"Promise." He smiled lightly.
"Well, alright…" she sighed sharply before continuing, "…it's for Neji."
"Neji?"
She nodded.
"Why? Are you two…um-" He started the question while making gestures in the air, slightly smiling.
"Oh, no. No. I just…well…I want to…It's just-" Her cheeks turned light pink.
"That's OK. I understand."
She stared questionably towards Naruto.
"Have you told anyone yet?"
TenTen changed her expression back to normal.
"Just Ino."
"What do you plan on getting him?"
"Um…I don't know yet."
"I'm sure that whatever you give him, it'll be fine." He said smiling charmingly. She couldn't help but to gently smile back.
Soon, Ino returned from behind the counter with three bouquets of white roses. She handed one of them to Naruto and placed the other two behind the counter.
"Here you go." she said. "I just picked them out yesterday. I was saving them for an occasion like this."
"Thanks." said Naruto, smiling once again. He reached for his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "How much?"
"Oh, they're on the house. You don't have to pay for them."
"Why? 'Cause there for Sasuke?" His voice turned deep.
"What? Oh, no…I mean, it's just that... I figured that I shouldn't charge you because…well, you've kinda been having a hard time lately, so-" Ino nervously tried to explain herself, but TenTen was making her signs to cut it out from behind Naruto's back. She had no choice but to end without explanation. By the time she did, Naruto had placed some bills on top of the counter.
"I already told you," he said with his deep tone, "there's nothing for you to be afraid of, OK?" He then turned around with the bouquet and headed for the door.
"Wait, hang on!" shouted Ino. "Your change!"
With his hand reaching for the doorknob, the ninja turned around and spoke with a more friendly tone.
"You can keep it." he said. "Besides, I'm sure that extra money can be put to a good use." He then turned towards TenTen. She smiled lightly as she looked away. Her cheeks started glowing again. Ino realized what was going on.
"Thanks for the flowers," said Naruto, "I mean, not just these flowers, but the ones you left in my hospital room. Nice to see you all still care:"
"What were we supposed to do?" said TenTen, "I mean, you are our squad mate. You had us all pretty worried."
"You can say that again." Ino followed. As she finished, she saw someone outside who was on her way in, but quickly hesitated. She then backed off from the door and disappeared from sight. Ino couldn't completely recognize her because Naruto had been blocking her view of the door. All she knew was that it was a girl.
"Yeah, you're right," he continued, "You all must have been very worried…especially Hinata. I must have really gotten to her. I can still remember her face when she saw me transformed. She was scared to death.I guess she really thinks I'm a great ninja and it shocked her to see me like that. That's probably why there was this huge vase full with flowers to the brim with the name "Hinata" on it in my room."
"Got that right." TenTen murmured on Ino's ear.
"By the way, have you guys seen Sakura?" Both girls froze at the sound of her name coming out of his mouth. They quickly glanced at each other before answering.
"No, sorry." Said TenTen.
"Why?" asked Ino. TenTen jammed her elbow against her ribs. She took a quick mean look at her as if saying "What?!"
"I just…" started the blonde ninja, "It's nothing, really. I just wanted to ask her…"
The girls leaned forward eagerly.
"Hey, maybe you can explain me. Has Sakura been here recently? Has she bought any flowers?"
"Well ,yeah. She comes around here every other day." Ino remarked.
"Well, why is it that this morning there was only just a small vase with a single flower from her in my room?"
"Maybe all the other ones were dying." TenTen thought. "A nurse must have taken them away."
"I guess you're right. By the way, how have you been treating her?" Naruto's tone had changed again.
"What do you mean?"
"Have you been nice to her? Mean?"
"Oh well, you know…same old, same old." Ino said. He didn't say anything after this. He just stood there staring at them. He looked at Ino with a serious, questionable look, as if studying her, looking for any signs of insecurity or uncertainness. He doubted she was telling the truth. Ino felt startled as she felt his eyes examining her. TenTen tried to say something, but a chill crawling up her neck held her back. Finally, Naruto turned around and headed for the door. As he opened it, he turned his head to them.
"You keep being nice to Sakura, OK?" And without saying another word, he was gone. All of a sudden, everything seemed to be standing still. Nothing was moving outside, the wind wasn't blowing, the dim sunlight started vanishing, and the streetlights outside were beginning to lit.
"Wow, that was…unexpected." TenTen said.
"More like weird." Said Ino, shivering.
"Did you see him? It was as if he was not himself at all. I mean, the conversation, the cash, the way he talked… In a weird way, it felt like he was doing it so natural."
"Are you kidding me? Don't tell me you're falling for his game. You know he's trying to make it look like everything's alright when it's clearly not. If everything had been OK, he would have come here in his usual self and not acting so proper."
"Well, at least try to be supportive on what he's doing. Why did you ask him about why he wanted to know about Sakura?"
"Hey, I was curious. I mean, for all we know he could go after her right and… well you know…deal with unfinished business, at least that's what I thought until he said "You keep being nice to Sakura, OK?" What could he mean by that?"
"I don't know, but still…"
"Seriously, if you ask me, the Naruto we used to know is d-"
Sakura walked right in while Ino talked. Both she and TenTen sweat-dropped as they stiffly turned to look at her, but there was no way that couldn't feel uncomfortable.
"Were you listening to that?" Ino shrieked. There was no immediate answer from Sakura. She was looking depressed.
"Was that Naruto that just walked out?"
"Uhhh…uh-huh" she answered nodding. She felt like she could not speak properly all of a sudden.
"Did he…did he say anything about me?"
The girls at the counter stared at each other. They both knew what was best to say.
"Not exactly." They answered in unison.
"Ok, but…how did he seem? Was he alright?" Her voice was low and paused. Ino and TenTen could barely understand what she was saying.
"He seemed…" TenTen tried to look for the best word to describe him. "…relaxed."
"Relaxed?"
"Yeah, you know like…unworried, easygoing…like everything is OK."
She thought that would make Sakura a bit more cheerful, but she was wrong. She loked like she still feared what he thought about her.
"Don't worry." Ino said approaching her, putting her hands on her shoulders. "I'm sure things between the both of you will soon be fixed. Trust me."
The pink-haired Kunoichi raised her head to look into her friend's eyes. She was really trying to get to her. She smiled weakly at first, but started to turn more cheerful.
"I don't want to be rushing things up here, but what can we get for you?"
"I was looking for-"
"Something for Sasuke?" Ino interrupted. "Wait here." She ran behind the counter and picked both bouquets she had left there earlier and quickly ran back to Sakura with them.
"I was expecting you." She said handing the flowers to her.
"Wow, they're beautiful." Sakura gasped.
"They're the best we have this week. I thought you'd like them."
"Thank you." She said as she handed her the money.
"Don't worry. You don't have to pay for those. They are for Sasuke after all." Sakura smiled lightly at Ino.
"By the way, can I ask you a favor?" She handed the second bouquet to her. "Con you take these with you? Those are from me."
"Oh, sure." She took the flowers with her free hand. "Well, I better get going before it gets too late. Thanks again." She turned around and went for the door.
As she pulled the door open, she stopped suddenly right in front of Hinata, who was standing in the doorway on her way in. They both gasped as they made eye contact. Ino and TenTen were both in the back thinking 'Oh, man.' Sakura tried to say something, but her mind was blank. Hinata just stood there waiting for something to happen. Finally, the tension was too much for Sakura to bear and she just walked off passing by her fellow Kunoichi. She turned to see her walk away.
"If you won't tell her anything, no one will." Said Ino's voice behind her. "If you want to stop this fight between the two of you, you have to talk it over and set things right."
"I know, but the thing is..." Hinata started, "...when I see her I don't know what to say."
"Don't worry. I'm sure that if you think this through, things will go just fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Guarantee it."
Hinata grew more content.
"So what's up?" asked TenTen "Are you hear for your usual for Naruto?" Hinata slightly blushed. She still got nervous when someone mentioned that she did something for him. She started playing with her index fingers in a familiar fashion.
"Oh, no. Not this time. Do you have anything I could get for…my mother?"
"Your mother, huh? Sure." said Ino. "How about these?" She showed her a pot full of yellow tulips. Hinata took a sniff.
"Hmm…these are nice. I'll take a dozen."
"Coming right up." Ino put on a pair of gloves from one of the pockets from her apron. She picked twelve flowers and passed them on to TenTen, who wrapped them in plastic with a red bow.
"Here you go." She handed the flowers to her. Hinata paid for them, said thank you, and was on her way.
"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Ino. Hinata turned around.
"What is it?'" She asked gently.
"It's better if you hear it from us than if you figure it out by accident. Naruto's back."
Hinata's jaw slowly dropped with a gasp. Her face turned brighter.
"Really?" she asked surprised.
"Yeah. He was here at the store just a few minutes ago."
'Oh.' Hinata suddenly felt disappointed. If she had arrived just a few minutes earlier, she would have seen him.
"So…how was he?"
"He was…alright. A little down but alright."
"Down?"
"Yeah," TenTen continued, "but I wouldn't worry about that. Probably Tsunade had to talk with him about his little problem, and knowing them, they probably had a long discussion."
"I see. But, did he…" Hinata's cheeks turned red. "…did he say anything about me?"
"Well, he liked your flowers."
Hinata felt her face was turning bright scarlet. She covered it with the bouquet so they wouldn't see her blazing. Ino and TenTen grinned and quickly glanced at one another.
"Well, thank you very much." She opened the door and started walking out with the flowers still in her face.
"If we see Naruto again, we'll tell him you said 'Hi'." Ino shouted.
"OK, thanks again." She started running and turned at the corner. Now, the only ones in the store were Ino and TenTen.
"Do you think we should tell her?" TenTen asked.
"I don't know." Ino answered. "She'll probably get so embarrassed if we just came out and say it."
"I know what you mean, but don't you think she has waited long enough? She's been crushing on him since they were at the Academy. If you ask me, right now her crush on him is deeper than ever. She used to have trouble talking to him before, but now she's lucky if she maintains consciousness when he's around."
"What's really surprising is that Hinata hasn't figured out yet that just about everyone who has met her knows how she feels for Naruto. Seriously, that girl is just as clueless as he is."
"Hmm, they are not so different after all."
They both laughed.
"You know what? I think we'll just wait and see what happens." Ino concluded. "Who knows? Maybe with this whole demon outbreak thing she'll pull herself together for him."
"Somehow, I don't think that will happen."
"Well, do you have a better plan?"
"Yeah. If what you say doesn't happen, we should help her hook up with him."
"Sorry, but I don't think THAT's gonna happen."
"Come on. We're her friends. We should do something about it, don't you think?"
"OK,OK. Look, nothing has happened yet. It's best if we just wait and see. Now, let's finish up here. We were supposed to leave ten minutes ago."
They both agreed on their discussion and took off their aprons. TenTen locked the front door while Ino hung both aprons on a hook behind the desk. They both soon left the store and entered the back room.
…………………………………………………………………
A crack of sunlight shined on Naruto's hair as he walked past the Academy building. It had been a long time since he had visited this place. The tall tree by the entrance didn't have the swing anymore. He remembered how he would often go there, feeling lonely, like the time he flunked the admission exam the second time. Those were the days he was a nobody. Somehow, that day, he felt the same way he did all those years ago. When he walked down the street, people would stare at him, curse him.
They rejected him as if he was the living monster inside of him. The only difference this time was that now, he was a ninja. It was Iruka, a silver lining in Naruto's clouded life, that kick started his life into becoming what he was today.
With a dozen white roses in hand, he was on his way to the road that led outside the village. It was there were Sasuke had last laid a foot on the village. Since then, he has never returned. Along the way, in the middle of the ominous silence, Naruto heard a soft melody, which was distant, but still easy to make out. It was the gentle strumming of guitar strings.
'That must be about 30 blocks from here' Naruto thought. 'What the hell?' He followed the direction of the sound. With haste, he started running. He leaped from rooftop to rooftop on all fours to increase his momentum.
'What am I doing?' he thought to himself. There was no time to continue thinking. He was starting to see the place the sound was coming from. Sitting on a street corner, a young vagabond was playing a beat-up six string that still played a fine tune. He was still about 23 blocks away from him, but he could still see him like he was standing right in front of him. He could tell the color of his eyes, his raggedy clothes, his bushy, brown hair, and his face, all in great detail.
'OK, this is just starting to get weird. Do YOU have anything to do with it?' He tried to ask Kyuubi but there was no answer.
'Hey! I know you're in there!' Still no response. Naruto growled ferociously in frustration. He let out a sudden gasp as he covered his mouth with his free hand.
'Whoa, was that me?' he thought.
By the time he finished questioning himself, he was back on solid ground standing on his feet.
The vagabond was just as Naruto had seen him from far away. The song he played was gentle and relaxed, like a ballad. He smiled as he played. Soon, the pace of the melody started to increase. Naruto observed as his hands quickly went up and down the guitar's neck and how he rapidly strummed the strings with a white, plastic pick. Naruto closed his eyes. The music made him imagine himself, running through green fields, jumping up mountains, and flying freely, feeling the wind in his face. His vision was soon gone as the man had stopped playing. He got up and hung the pick around his neck with a string. As he reached for his guitar case, some coins were thrown in it. They produced a faint jungle as they bumped against other coins. He looked up to see the young blone man, who was putting his wallet back in his pocket.
"That was nice." He said with a grin.
The man just smiled and closed his case. With his guitar strapped to his back, he was off to play somewhere else. Naruto turned around and was on his way as well. This time, he walked.
Darkness soon fell over the town of Konoha. The ominous silence brought bad memories to Naruto as he stood in the middle of the trail leading outside the village. Memories of his best friend, who was now a rogue ninja, for leaving town without authorization was illegal and marked you as a traitor. He remembered their fight at the Final Valley. It was a fight were they both had fought at their fullest potential, but he was overpowered by the power of the curse mark, even if his last Rasengan was more powerful than ever with Kyuubi's chakra. It was the first time he felt he had truly failed. He also remembered the last time he saw him. His power was unbelievable. With the Sharingan, he could enter his mind and subdue him and Kyuubi from the inside. If he was overwhelming when before, that time he was unparalleled.
He slowly laid down the bouquet by the street corner. There was so much silence, the low rustling of the flowers echoed in the street. For the next few minutes, he lowly stared down the path, thinking of the past. The days when Sasuke meant something. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from behind him. Naruto felt a familiar presence. He somehow knew who these people were. With every breath he took, the more he realized who they were. It felt strange and disturbing, but just like what happened before, it felt natural.
'OK…this is just creepy.' He thought.
"I didn't expect to find you here." Naruto identified Kakashi's familiar tone. He realized the other man was Iruka. He was carrying some flowers.
"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked dryly.
"Same reason as you." Iruka said. "Sasuke was our student, you know."
"Frankly, after your little fight with Lady Tsunade earlier, I'm surprised to see you here."
"My motives are none of your business." Naruto answered dryly.
"You miss him, don't you?" Iruka asked. Almost instantly, Naruto turned around and glared at his old teacher, as if to tell him he was lying. It was the only thing that occurred to him. His mind was blank. He slowly turned around, completely mute. He sharply inhaled through his nose and exhaled loudly.
"It's OK to feel this way, Naruto." Said Iruka as he approached him and put his hand on his shoulder. "He was a very important part of your life and now he's gone." He paused, expecting Naruto to answer. Understanding his former Sensei's point, he felt it was fine to talk about his feelings.
"He was more than just a friend to me. More than just a rival, too. He was like…like a brother. A brother I never had." He closed his eyes and knelt down his head, again remembering Sasuke. "Every time we were on a mission, we would do everything together. Looking back on it now, all those stupid fights and discussions weren't that bad. Whether we tried to overpower one another or if we just teamed up to take down some jerkoff…I kinda miss those days. He was like family to me."
"Well, you two are a lot the same." Kakashi said adding to the conversation. "You both challenge yourself constantly, you're always eager to fight someone powerful, even your historical background is similar. You both have struggled through a tough childhood."
"You left out the part where we both transform into total freaks." He responded in the same cold tone. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
"Look, Naruto," Iruka started. "The outbreak of the demon is not y-"
"That's not the point." He abruptly interrupted. "Even if we are that similar, we're still totally different. I've been loyal to the village all my life and he betrayed us all for personal power. But still, I find myself wishing for him to return."
He went quiet after that. Iruka placed his flowers next to Naruto's. He felt it was best to not say anything else. Minutes passed and the three of them were still quiet. They were standing side by side with their eyes to the road, the gate out of town only several steps away
"Hey, you guys?" Naruto finally broke the silence.
"What is it?" asked Kakashi. Both he and Iruka turned to face the Genin. He didn't turn to face them.
"Have you guys ever heard about…my family?" He asked with his eyes still fixed on the gate ahead.
"Your family?" asked Kakashi with an incredulous tone.
"Have you ever heard of anyone else named Uzumaki in this village?"
They didn't answer right away. This made Naruto grow with anticipation and suspicion.
"Sorry." said Kakashi.
"Yeah, me too." followed Iruka. "Why?" He asked with concern.
"Just asking. It's just that I've never heard from them, you know."
'How could they not know?' he thought. 'Are they telling me there's never been an Uzumaki family in Konoha? I mean, it's not like I expected my family to be a huge, powerful, well-known clan, but still, they must have at least heard rumors about it. Wait a minute, why hasn't anybody ever bothered to explain my family's past to me? Should I ask them? No, wait. They'll probably think I'm taking them for liars and I'm acting all paranoid. Maybe some other time.'
"Well, if you excuse us, with have other matters to attend to." said Kakashi as he turned around.
"Good night, Naruto." said Iruka.
"Same to you guys." answered Naruto.
"Oh, by the way, Naruto," Kakashi turned his head to the right to see him with his free eye, "Lady Tsunade recommends you to take up meditation."
"Meditation?"
"Yes. Try to find some time during the day to put your mind at ease and relax. It should help slow down the depleting of the seal's power until we find an effective remedy."
"Are you sure she's not just being pissy because of our fight?" He asked without trying to make it sound funny.
"I'm positive. Well, good night." He turned around and waved his hand as he walked. The sound of his footsteps soon faded into the night. Even while they were far away, he could still hear the low pounding of his feet on the ground, just like he did before. It took a while before he could hear them no more. Instead, he heard a low rustling in some bushes nearby, as if someone had slipped and quickly recovered. He could hear someone breathing hard. It was a girl. She was nervously trembling with the fear that her cover might have been blown. She was holding a bouquet that smelled very similar to the one he had brought. She smelled like cherry blossoms.
'Smooth move, Kakashi.' He thought sarcastically.
"I know you're in there." He said out loud. For a moment, nothing happened. Soon, Sakura slowly stepped from behind her hiding place. She looked around trying to think of something to say or what to do. She clenched her flowers with strength, trying to loosen up her nervousness. She timidly and slowly approached his friend, looking out if he turned to see her, but he didn't. Before she knew it, she was standing right next to him without a clue on what to do. She closed her eyes, gather all of her bravery, and spoke,
"Do you mind if I stand here?"
No answer. His eyes were still fixed on what was up ahead. Once again, she feared he might say something, but it was still as if he hadn't noticed her at all. Feeling rejected, she descended and placed her flowers by her feet while keeping an eye on him. She noticed he wasn't blinking much. She felt as is his silence was more than enough to be said. She could feel it speaking to her, telling her to get lost and never talk to him again. The air between the two could be cut with a knife. Every passing second, Sakura felt a small droplet of sweat rolling down her face. She covered it with her hands, feeling frustrated for her lack of thought on what to do. She could only think of doing what she thought was right, but was afraid of whhow would he react. Once again, she took a deep breath and started,
"Naruto, I-"
"OK, I'm sorry." He interrupted. Sakura's jaw slowly dropped, letting out a gasp as her eyes widened. In an instant, she had become speechless.
"W-What are you talking about?" she stuttered. "I'm the one who should be apologizing."
"No, Sakura," Naruto spoke, "I'm the only one who's to blame for everything that has happened."
"What do you mean?" Sakura put her hands to her chest, her heart thumping hard.
"You were only following your heart. It was telling you to do what you thought was right. Bringing back Sasuke was our main priority. You didn't need to feel bad for me no matter what happened to me. The life of a ninja is full of sacrifice after all."
Sakura was completely stunned by his words.
'How can Naruto be saying this?!' She thought.
"You don't have to worry about my feelings either." He continued. "I already convinced myself that you love Sasuke, not me. You always have. He'll always come first in your mind before me. He has a place in your heart I will never have. Frankly, I was not surprised you left me there to fight on my own. But, I guess that when I saw you turning your back on me, some old scars opened again. I let my jealous feelings of you and him take over me. I have to admit to myself I was totally devastated. The only thought going through my mind was to kill Sasuke so you wouldn't ever see him again. I can't remember ever feeling as angry as I did then."
He chuckled lightly. Sakura almost tripped as she stepped back. She was afraid and uneasy to see Naruto talking like that.
"Isn't it ironic that my jealousy saved my life? If you hadn't left me for dead, I wouldn't have unleashed Kyuubi's power."
'Kyuubi?' Sakura thought. 'Is that the demon's name?'
"When I look at it that way, I guess I should thank you. You saved my life."
"What?!" Sakura exclaimed with worry. Her voice started to break. "How can you say something so awful?! You could have died!" Almost immediately, she forgot about her terrors and threw her arms around Naruto.
"I would have never forgiven myself if you had died because of me!" She wept. "I can only imagine what is happening to you right now!" Naruto's expression hadn't changed a bit. As her tears fell on his shoulder, he was convinced that her friend did respect her. It wasn't just a simple apology. She was putting a lot of feeling into that hug. He felt her intense sadness in the sound of her crying. He slowly put her arms around her pink haired friend.
"It's OK, Sakura." He whispered in her ear. "Everything's gonna be fine. Don't you worry." He kept holding her until she let go. She wiped her teary eyes with her hand.
"Sorry about that." She said with her voice still cracking. "It's just that…I…I miss him very much. I didn't want to lose you too."
"I miss him, too."
"Do you remember when we would always wait for Kakashi Sensei to come for a mission?" Her voice sounded more normal now.
"Yeah, those were the days."
"He would always show up so late." She said with a small smile.
"That was so boring." Sakura broke into laughter. She stopped sharply when she realized Naruto wasn't. The look on his face hadn't changed much during her time with him. It was still fixed on the gate. A very serious look, very uncommon for him.
"You know what I have realized?" Naruto asked. "You and Sasuke are very similar."
Sakura stared at him. "How?"
"Well, you're both very determined, your emotions constantly control your decisions, you both pack an awesome right hook…"
"What?" She asked, trying not to giggle.
"Trust me. I know that by experience." With all her strength, Sakura restrained herself. Given by his tone, she realized he wasn't trying to be funny. It was as if he wanted to take out his frustration about what had happened on her while trying to convince her that he didn't care about what she thought about Sasuke, that there was nothing wrong with what had happenedd. She realized he was still annoyed. What followed was the same awkward feeling of tension and nervousness she felt when she arrived. She hung her head.
"How long had you been standing there? Behind the bushes?" His voice was totally monotonous.
"Well, I arrived when Kakashi was telling you something about meditation."
"Honest?" He asked with an aggressive sense of doubt. It wouldn't be the first time Sakura had lied to him. She was startled briefly by his sudden attack, but quickly answered,
"Honest."
When she finished, he immediately shifted his eyes to the position they were in previously. He noticed she was still staring at him. She felt she had to do something else, something to relax him, make him feel better. She slowly lifted her hand to his shoulder, but before she could even touch him, he turned around and started walking, without a word. Sakura tried to talk, but her words got stuck halfway through her mouth. Her hand was still hanging in the air. She wanted to follow him, but figured that would only irritate him more. Much to her surprise, he asked,
"Are you gonna let me walk you home this time?"
Again, Naruto had left her completely breathless. She had become completely paralyzed. Her mouth was hanging open again.
"Well?" he continued walking.
"Oh, sure." She quickly answered and trotted until they were both walking side by side. Sakura couldn't help but to keep looking at him. His eyes seemed to be trying to examine everything around him except her. Certain coldness was shown in them. A small chill crawled up her spine. She quietly gulped and slowly faced the ground. Wordless, she just slowly walked by his side. She noticed how the pale moonlight shined on them. His shadow completely overwhelmed hers.
……………………………………………………………
Sorry it took so long. Book reports suck.