Arranged
Chapter 9: A Long Trip
It was dark out now. By the grace of Kami-sama, they had reached the border of the Fire Country in one day. The group now took residence in a small cave on a cliff that over looked the nearing sea of sand. Sakura sat on the ledge with her knees tucked near to her chest. Her arms held her folded legs tightly as her chin pressed gentley on top of them. She sighed as she looked out towards the horizon.
"It seems huge, ne?"
"Hm?"
Naruto grinned and chuckled softly "The desert, I mean."
Sakura smiled softly but kept her eyes out towards the distance "Hai. It does." She giggled "This sounds stupid but it kind of scares me to look at it."
Naruto looked at her with a slightly confused expression "Why do you say that, Sakura-chan?"
The kunoichi closed her eyes and frowned softly "It just seems...so barren. Like nothing can survive there. I guess it kind of looks like death to me."
Naruto's expression softened "Sakura..."
The cherry blossom shook her head and chuckled with embarasment "Ma, ma. Forget it Naruto-kun. I'm just being stupid."
The Kyuubi looked out towards the distance. He suddenly smiled softly "Oi, Sakura-chan, you know what?"
"Hm?"
"Konoha seems scary as well."
Sakura looked at Naruto like he had gone off the deep end "What are you talking about? Konohagakure's beautiful!"
Naruto smiled at his teammate "But think about it. All those trees and dense forest might seem suffocating to someone coming to Suna. Kinda like how their desert looks to you."
The pink-haired kunoichi put a finger to her chin in thought. She ended up giggling and smiling at her friend.
"Huh? What's so funny?"
She playfully pushed his forehead with her index finger "When did you get a brain?"
Naruto grinned "That's pretty mean for you to say Sakura-chan."
She just shrugged. Not a moment later, she found herself in a friendly embrace. The shock only lasted a few seconds before she wrapped her arms around Naruto's back in return.
"Sakura-chan" Naruto mumbled into her hair "Can I ask you something?"
She nodded softly.
"What do you think of me and Hinata? You know, as a couple."
Sakura suddenly went into a quiet state of panick. Oh shit! What the hell am I supposed to say?! "You're great Naruto but Hinata's better off with our other teammate"?! Hell no! That would break his heart. I have to calm down. I have to think. What should I...
"Sakura?" the blonde shinobi unknowingly interrupted his friend's train of thought.
"H-hai?"
"What do you think?"
"I...I th-think..." she thought for a minute and sighed "I think it's not my place to decide."
Naruto left the embrace and looked downward "Oh...ok."
The kunoichi bit her lip. She didn't want him to think she didn't know or didn't care. "N-Naruto I just..."
"Who is it Sakura?"
"H-huh?"
"Who is Hinata in love with? I know you both. You two have gotten tighter over the years. She must have told you."
Sakura looked down "Naruto...lets go for a walk."
"Nani?"
The medic nin looked at the crowd of friends behind them and then back at Naruto "Shh!" she whispered "I think this would be better discussed in a more private environment."
The shinobi nodded and followed his teammate to the forest bellow. They sat in a large tree and looked at one another.
"So?" Naruto began.
"S-so..."
The Kyuubi holder furrowed his brows "So, who is Hinata-chan in love with?"
"Naruto I..."
"Don't even say it's not your place to say!" he began to get aggitated "You're my friend. You're supposed to tell me these things."
It was now Sakura's turn to get pissy "I'm also Hinata's friend, Naurto. Are you expecting me to betray her confidence?"
She could tell he was backing down a bit. That's the way it always happened. He'd get aggrivated and pass that on to her. But once she was there, he'd tone himself down a bit. She didn't know why though. Was it because he knew her better? Or was it just due to the many times he had unknowingly ticked her off during their early years; so much so that she'd knock him back seven-feet? She'd have to save that to ponder later. Right now, she had to concentrate on not blowing Hinata out of the water.
"I-I know you're a good friend Sakura" Naruto started "But...she's not like she used to be. We used to laugh together all the time and cuddle close to one another. But now she's changed. Our dinners are silent, she doesn't like to be so close to me." He looked up at his friend "Even at the party in front of everyone, she didn't stand next to me." The Kyuubi held his head in frustration "She wouldn't cheat, I know that! Hinata would die before she ever did something so dishonorable and hurtful. That's why I think it has to be love. But it doesn't make any sense. There wasn't anyone before me in her heart."
Sakura's shoulders tensed a bit at the last part. But before she could conceal it, her friend caught on.
"Was there? Was there anyone before me? Sakura-chan" Naurto cupped her hands in his, to which the kunoichi blushed softly "I have to know this. Otherwise...I might have been the thing to drive her away."
I can't let him think he's the reason. Sakura nodded slowly and avoided eye contact at all costs "You have to understand Naruto, her heart isn't just betraying you...it's betraying herself as well."
"I don't understand."
She sighed "She's in love. But she feels terrible about it. She knows you might end up getting hurt. And that just kills her. But she's in love! And I guess the heart gets what the heart wants."
The blonde had let his hand fall to his sides. He was about to say something but his mouth shut tight and he shook his head.
"What? What is it Naruto?"
He looked at her but not into her eyes "I was going to ask who it was but...it's not my business. What should I do?"
"Honestly?"
He nodded.
"Let her go, Naruto."
Silence.
"Would it be fucked up to say that I never truely loved her as someone intimate?"
Sakura's eyes widdened.
Naruto smiled sadly "I knew I had feelings for her, but I got friendly feelings and intimate feelings mixed up. I never had someone to show me the difference. I had no mother or father to show me what their love was like...if there was any between them at all."
Sakura took her friend into another embrace eventhough he didn't respond.
"I'll let her go Sakura-chan...I'll let her go."
The kunoichi nodded as a few tears drifted down her cheek. The pain had gotten too deep for them. Naruto and Hinata had both been in the wrong type of relationship. Would it have turned out differently if Naruto had gotten to the Hyuuga heiress sooner? They would never know. What was done was done. Only one thing remained.
"How are you going to tell her?"
"I'll wait until we return to Konoha." Naruto traced his fingers lightly over Sakura's shoulder.
It was an odd movement for Naruto to make but Sakura tried to shake it off "G-good."
Another hand held the curve of her back. Her eyes widdened. When she tried to push away to look at him, the kunoichi found herself pinned against him by that one hand.
He leaned into her ear and whispered seductively "Sakura-chan..."
She panicked. She applied chakra into her hands to give her that incredible strength to push away from her commrade. Curiously enough, she had a pretty difficult time with it. But she soon found out why.
Naruto chuckled darkly as she pushed further from his chest "You've always made it hard to get into your pants."
Her face showed plain horror. Those once cool and friendly, blue eyes had turned red with lust. The small whisker-like marks had become wider and unruly.
Oh God, no!
As if he knew what she was thinking, Naruto quickly covered her mouth with his clawed hand. Her super strength was of no use. It had gone too far. He was crouching in between her legs, grinning down at her with two very pointy canines. Against her protests, a lone tear dripped down the side of Sakura's ever paling cheek. The Kyuubi holder slowly leaned down and licked up the salty essence of the girl's fear. The moist muscle soon traveled to her ear where he licked the inner rim multiple times. It made her cringe with disgust and struggle. He laughed and pulled away enough to look into her eyes.
"You don't seem to like that, ne, Sakura-chan?"
She shook her head furiously with his hand still silenceing her.
He sighed sarcastically "Oh well." The blonde put his free arm around the kunoichi's hips and brought her into his lap. He began to bring her closer and closer until he reached his goal. A muffled scream was all that could be heard from Sakura as she felt Naruto's hardened manhood rubbing her sensitive nub through the thin cloth of her shorts. She struggled even harder, trying desperately to get away from her crazed commrade. Naruto just grunted "That's right Sakura, grind your hips like that." He gave a hard thrust, elicting another helpless cry from her.
Is he going to fucking rape me?! No, he can't! I have to get away. Or at least call for help. If only his hand wasn't over my mouth. Wait...that's it!
Sakura closed her eyes and focused. Not two seconds later, Naruto was howling in pain on the other side of the tree's branch. He clenched his hand. Blood spilled out of the teeth-imprinted flesh wound. She crouched on all fours while spitting out the blood and flesh from her teammate's injured hand.
I might have focused too much chakra into my mouth. But he'll thank me later. First I have to get help!
Before she could even flinch, her wrists were painfully pushed against the tree trunk.
"You bitch!" Naruto growled through growing fangs. His voice was shadowed by a demonic one "I'll show you what a true bite looks like."
On an impulse, Sakura screamed in terror. The horrible sound was replaced with that of flesh being torn. Her breath caught in he throat and her eyes were so wide that it hurt. Her mind swam in a lake of pain and horror. She felt dizzy and nauseaous. She was suddenly feeling like she was in some kind of nightmare. Her senses began to go. Before she collapsed, she felt a warm spray of liquid cover her face. But it wasn't hers. It was Naruto's. And as she fell flat on her stomach on to the floor of the forest, Sakura turned her head to see her companion. Naruto laid on his back. His infamous orange jumper was stained with blood. Those adoring blue eyes were now rolled into the back of his head. And as the lights began to fade and Sakura's own eyes lulled into her skull, she could swear she heard a horrible noise. Someone's name? It grew louder and louder. Sakura's eyes grew with the volume.
The last thing Sakura heard before she passed out was Hinata screaming.