"Huh?"
"I said I'd like to take you out to dinner!"
"But why?"
"I want to spend time with you! And I'd also like to get you out of that damn house!"
Sakura held the phone to her ear with her shoulder as she finished hanging the last of the laundry. "Hmm… I don't know, I have so much to do around the house, and who will watch Sarada? I can't very well leave her by herself," she flippantly replied, chucking a towel onto the line. She searched for other reasons to turn him down, but had run out of any that Naruto would actually believe.
"Nonsense!" Naruto exclaimed, kicking his feet up on his desk. It had been a couple of days since her alcohol-addled episode, and he wanted to help take her mind off things. "It's not like we'd be gone all night, and Sarada is perfectly capable of spending a couple hours by herself. She might enjoy it, actually," he quipped. He knew Sarada, although still very young, to be a greatly independent girl; Sakura knew this just as well.
"But what if she needs me?"
"Can she not call you if need be?"
Sakura remained silent. She knew the chances of anything going wrong were incredibly slim.
"C'mon. When was the last time you went out and had any fun?"
Sakura sighed, having accepted defeat. Knowing Naruto, obstacles only made him more persistent. He'd pick her up and drag her out if he wanted to. She begrudgingly gave in.
"Okay. I'll go out with you tonight."
Naruto roared excitedly. "Great! I'll see you at eight-ttebayo!"
…
"I hope you don't mind, Hinata," Naruto apologized. She grabbed his jacket and helped him slip his hands into the sleeves. "Oh, I don't mind at all!" Hinata cheerfully said. "I think it's nice that you're there for her while she's by herself. I couldn't imagine… being alone for so long. No letters, no phone calls, no nothing. It's sad…" Hinata turned Naruto around to straighten out the creases in his clothes, giving him a final look-over, patting the air out of his pockets. "There you go!"
"Do I look okay?"
"You look very handsome," Hinata giggled. "Thank you," Naruto smiled, and bent down to peck a kiss onto his wife's cheek. "I'll be home in a couple hours, say goodnight to Bolt and Himawari for me!" he said, hurriedly rushing out the door. "Okay," Hinata said, "I love you!" She had heard him yell a muffled "love you too!" through the door he swung closed.
…
Sakura stood dejectedly in front of her mirror. She modeled her dress every which way to find an angle that she liked, but to no avail. "You look very pretty, mama." Sakura swiftly turned on the ball of her heel to find Sarada lingering in the doorway. She smiled faintly while twiddling with her buttons, having waited some time for her mother to naturally notice her. "Oh! Sarada, I didn't even see you there," Sakura murmured, averting her attention back to the mirror. "Are you sure you're all right with me going out for a while?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine."
"Okay. If you need me, call me right away."
"Mama, I'll be just fine. Please don't spend all night thinking about me," she coyly smirked. Sakura turned around again, and looked at her daughter with uneasiness. Sarada dug her foot into the carpet, and looked away from her mother. It made it easier to tell her the truth without her sad expression glaring back at her. "I've… noticed you haven't been very happy lately," she mumbled, "and it makes me sad to see you like that… I'd like for you to be happy." She looked up to see her mother's glossy eyes glued to her. Sakura rushed over to the doorway, and wrapped her arms around her daughter. She rested her head on her tiny shoulders and squeezed as much love into her teeny body as she possibly could. "Mama! Too… tight!" Sarada gasped. She seized up in her mother's embrace, as she wasn't even able to return the hug due to her arms being pinned to her sides. She could not compete with her mother's inhuman strength. "Whoops!" Sakura snipped, releasing Sarada. "I get a little carried away with you sometimes!"
They both looked down the hall at the sound of a musical knock on the door. Sakura heaved herself back up and sighed, "That must be him." Sarada ran to the door to answer it while her mother rushed to finish getting ready. Naruto stood outside and watched the door swing open, but saw no one in sight. "Hello, Seventh," he heard a voice say, and looked down to see Sarada grinning happily to see him. "Oh, hello Sarada! It's been a while since I saw you last. How're things at the academy going?" Sarada stood tall, beaming with pride at the opportunity to brag about herself to the Hokage. "It's going very well. I'm excited for the chuunin exams!" she gleamed. Naruto smirked and tussled her hair. "Knowing you, you're going to do great." He tilted his head to glance down the hall, seeing the only light beam from the bedroom. "Is your mother—"
"Mama is still getting—"
"Ready!" Sakura shouted, bounding down the hall. Her hair bounced wildly against her shoulders as she hopped on one foot to adjust her shoe. She stumbled into the doorway and caught herself on the wall. She shot up to look into Naruto's wide eyes. "Sakura… you look wonderful," Naruto gushed, turning slightly red in the face. Sakura shyly bowed her head aside, smiling widely. "Thank you, Naruto! You look very nice too," Sakura spoke. Sarada rolled her eyes and turned around to leave. Sakura leaned over and gave her a small peck on the cheek, "Make sure you lock the door. And don't forget to brush your teeth. I love you, Salad," she muffled into her daughter's ear. Sarada smiled, "I love you too, Mama." She shut the door behind her. "You ready?" Naruto asked, offering out his arm for her to take. Sakura happily wrapped her arm around his.
They walked briskly down the street. A warm, gentle breeze flew through the air, carrying cherry blossoms around the village. The streets were lit with the tepid glow of lanterns and lamps that hung on the fronts of the various stores and shops, and the sweet and savory scents of the village's bustling restaurants flew through the air. Sakura gripped to Naruto's arm a little tighter. "So… where are we going?" she asked, scanning over the crowded cafes and bars. Naruto snickered happily, "Where else would we be going? Ichiraku's ramen shop!" Sakura shook her head, chuckling to herself. "Y'know, that actually sounds pretty good right now."
…
Two hot bowls sat between them, beckoning to be eaten. Naruto quickly snapped his chopsticks apart, and excitedly dove into his noodles. Sakura watched him happily slurped away, and modestly began to eat herself. His cheeks puffed out, full of noodles, and a small drip of broth ran down the sides of his mouth. It was like looking directly into the past; the only difference was that now Naruto would use a napkin instead of his sleeve. He let out a long, satisfied sigh.
"So… how's being Hokage going?"
"Busy, but I'm happy. More paperwork than I know what to do with, but hey."
"How are the kids?"
"Good! Boruto's a handful—"
"Quite a bit like a certain someone I know, hmm?"
"Ha, very funny. I wish I was home a little more, but they're doing well. Himawari's gotten so big lately, she's starting to outgrow her favorite sweater."
"The yellow one with the flower on the pocket?"
"Yeah, that's the one. Actually, didn't you get that for her birthday a while back?"
"I think so, I can't remember."
"How's Sarada?"
"She's all right, but it's been hard to get her to open up lately. She's been so detached."
"Like a certain someone I know."
"She really is just like her father. I think she's still having trouble adjusting to him being gone."
"What was it like when he came back?"
"Oh, it was really nice. I missed him a lot, and I think he was really happy to see Sarada again. I just wish…"
"…Wish what?"
"I just wish that he wouldn't stay gone for so long. I understand his mission, but it's just so difficult having him away for years at a time."
Naruto sympathetically laid his hand on top of hers.
"I'm so sorry, Sakura."
"It's okay, Naruto. It's not your fault."
Sakura stared at her hands, lost in thought. The warmth of Naruto's hands was comforting, but she still felt the twinge of pain in her heart at the mention of Sasuke's absence. Naruto worried for her. But she swiftly shook her head, and smiled widely.
"It's not all bad, though! Since it's just Sarada and I, we get to spend so much time together. Other kids her age think their parents are the worst, but Sarada loves me. She can be moody as all hell, but she always comes back to her mother!"
Naruto gazed at Sakura. Her seafoam green eyes glowed radiantly, and her cheeks were as rosy as her hair. It relieved him immensely to see his friend as he knew her best.
"Well, that's great. I'm really glad to hear that, Sakura."
"Thank you. Oh, by the way, did you hear about what happened to Sai and Ino at the hot springs the other day?"
"No, what'd they do?"
"Oh, you're going to love this."
…
They strolled down the street while Sakura blissfully nibbled at a dango skewer. Naruto's hand hung listlessly from her shoulder, keeping her close by his side. "Thank you, by the way," Sakura quipped. Naruto laughed, "I know how much you like your sweets." She grinned delicately, and leaned harder into his side. Sakura spoke in a hushed tone, "Thank you for taking me out tonight."
"Did you have a nice time?"
"Yeah, I did. I forgot how much fun it is to hang out with you."
Naruto playfully jostled her shoulder. "We should try to go out more often, just you and me." They approached a bench under a tree and calmly sat down, idly lounging in the moonlight. It was late enough in the night that they could be alone and unbothered. Sakura swallowed the last of her dango, and swiveled to face Naruto.
"Wouldn't you rather hang out with Hinata?"
"Honestly… things between Hinata and I aren't great. I mean I love her, don't get me wrong, but I feel like she's never being totally honest with me about how she feels. She never gets angry or confronts me about anything, even if I know that it's irritating her. When I know I deserve to be yelled at."
"Oh, if I was your wife, you wouldn't get away with half of what you try to pull with Hinata. You'd get a swift kick in the head!"
Naruto quietly sneered, "That's definitely true."
"…What kind of wife do you think I would be to you?"
"I think you'd be the kind of wife you are now."
"And that is?"
"Kind. Gentle. Loving. The kind of wife you are is the same as the kind of person you are."
Sakura blushed as Naruto listed other glowing adjectives to describe her. She bashfully bowed her head, and he timidly grazed her cheek with his fingers.
"Sometimes I wish I was your wife. Sasuke is nowhere near as affectionate as you are with Hinata."
"Well… sometimes I wish you were my wife."
Sakura's breath spiked at Naruto's confession. She glimpsed at Naruto through the corner of her eye, and felt the weight of his words truly hit her. Did I hear him right? Did he just say he wishes I was his wife? She turned her head to face him, brow furrowed and eyes sympathetic, waiting for him to say something else. The tension between them was as palpable as the day was long and the night was dark. His face went red with embarrassment. Feeling the pressure of her stare, he averted his eyes and nervously twiddled his thumbs. "I mean," he stammered, "I just mean that I've always—"
"Naruto," Sakura interrupted, "Be honest. Are you really still in love me?"
He shifted uncomfortably on the bench, tensely rubbing the back of his neck. Another mess caused all because he couldn't keep his mouth shut. But he couldn't lie to her.
"… Yes."
"Oh, thank god," she whispered, voice rife with relief.
"Huh?"
Sakura felt the tears coating her eyes.
"Because… I think I really love you too."
Naruto's eyes grew immensely. His heart fluttered at the sound of Sakura's acceptance, and reciprocation, of his long-held adoration. The tip of her nose was as red as her eyes, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. But her smile was as big as the sun. And so was his.
They gracefully leaned toward each other. Naruto coyly moved a piece of her bangs behind her ear, and let his hand linger near her jaw. The wind sent shivers up Sakura's spine, and it helped her abandon any apprehension she secretly held onto. As they were so close, Naruto noticed all the hidden details of her face: the somber bags under her eyes caused by years of crying and worrying for him. A small gaggle of freckles that lined her cheeks and hilled across her nose. The buried sadness that still clung to the depths of her irises. Placing her hand on his shoulder, she faintly pressed her lips to his, and the warmth of his mouth took her by surprise. Naruto tried to stifle his giggling. "What's so funny?" Sakura demanded, pulling away. "Nothing, it's just that your lips are so sweet from that dango!" The two of them snickered absurdly.
"Hey, how about we go somewhere a little more private?"
"B-but it's so late? And what about Sarada?"
"It's almost eleven o'clock, she's definitely asleep. She'll be okay."
Sakura thought on this for a moment.
"But where would we go?"
"I know just the place," Naruto muttered, as he and Sakura rushed off into the night.
