Holy crap, it's been, what, 5 weeks since I updated? God damn, I need to work on that XD Anyway, I'm sorry, again, for not updating for the longest time. I hit what some people like the call "The Wall" XD However, I have overcome "The Wall" and I will try to update more often from now on. Not that it really matters, I predict only a few more chapters for this story. But I will finish it, I promise you that. I hate nothing more than an unfinished story. I hate it when I'm reading, enjoying a story, and I come across an AN or a chapter that says "Discontinued" -.-

Anyway, I'm in a good mood this week XD After reading the last Bleach and One Piece Manga chapters, I've been all happy. They were awesome! :D

On to the story. First off, I'd just like to let anyone who reads this know, that I actually mention things that have happened earlier on in the story a few times in the chapter. One time involving Yuki. Remember him? Nope? Yeah I don't blame you. It's what happens when someone doesn't update for 5 weeks XD Yeah yeah, I know, I'm ashamed of myself. *Sigh* Oh well.

Anyway, I'd like to thank AbaraiSuki for reading this like always and helping me out (Don't worry, she didn't remember who Yuki was either).

Disclaimer: Nope. I don't own Naruto. Believe me, it probably would suck if I did XD

Chapter 8:

Naruto yawned as the sun began its early rise over the snow covered horizon. He hated early morning watch duty. He'd rather be sleeping, not sitting in the snow freezing his ass off. But he had drawn the short stick when they'd decided their shifts. He was sure Kakashi had cheated though.

The cool wind blowing through the holes in his little tepee of blankets made Naruto shiver. He cursed the fact that the Land of Iron was so cold again as he scanned the trees for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

A soft rustling of the tent fabric made Naruto look up. They'd brought one tent along, to keep them warm in the journey, big enough for two people to sleep in it as the third kept watch. At the moment, Kakashi was currently stepping out from the tent, stretching wide as he got ready to take his shift.

"You're late," Naruto said, narrowing his eyes at Kakashi. Kakashi scratched his head, grinning sheepishly.

"Would it help if I said I was lost on the road of life?"

Naruto answered by pursing his lips and narrowing his eyes even further at Kakashi. Kakashi chuckled nervously, holding up his hands to calm the young Hokage.

"Ahhh, sorry about that. We'll leave a bit later today then. That way, you can get some rest. It wouldn't look good for the Hokage to turn up tired with dark circles under his eyes, now would it?"

Naruto just shook his head in exasperation as he stood. He moved to the tent, bringing the blankets he had with him. Kakashi took his place, sitting down in the spot he had been and pulling out one of his infamous books.

As Naruto stepped into the tent, his eyes unconsciously drifted over to where Sakura slept. Her breathing was soft, barely noticeable unless one was listening for it. As he stepped over to where a space had been left for him he lay down on his side facing Sakura.

Sakura lay on her side, probably so that whoever else slept in the tent would have more room. Her pink hair was draped across her face covering her features like a soft, pink curtain.

For a little while, Naruto lay there, watching her back. He wasn't really up to sleeping yet and he was content to just lie there, listening to her soft breathing as his eyes traced the soft outline of her body.

He was glad that she was sleeping peacefully. The last few nights Naruto had noticed that she had trouble sleeping. She'd tried to hide it, pretending to be asleep whenever Naruto awoke. But he could tell she wasn't sleeping as well as she wanted him to believe. Though he had no idea what caused her lack of sleep, he could only guess that Sai's death was the root of the problem.

Suddenly and out of nowhere, Sakura began to murmur in her sleep, her twitching form frightening Naruto. One of her hands reached up and began cradling her head, almost as if she were in pain. The murmuring got louder, her voice sounding frightened and pained. Naruto got up and looked over her over. Her eyes were moving quickly under her eyelids, their movement frantic and erratic. Her breathing had also sped up, her breaths short and desperate now. As he watched her, unsure of what to do, a small thought popped up in the back of his mind. It was a nightmare, obviously, but it seemed to be a very painful one.

Nervously, not sure whether it would be better to wake her or not, Naruto reached out, his hand brushing her arm. Almost instantly, she sucked in a deep breath, her form calming as his hand rested on her arm. Maybe it was the touch that calmed her, maybe it was just that her nightmare had ended, either way Naruto didn't really care. He was just glad that she had calmed down for the moment.

Her face looked peaceful again, much like it had been when he had first entered the tent. He took a minute to gaze at her face. Naruto couldn't help but notice just how much she had changed from that twelve year old girl he had had a crush on. She'd been shallow back then, even he could admit it. She'd followed the crowd, admiring the last Uchiha and believing her crush to be love. She'd had a child's view of love, naïve and superficial. Yet, as she matured, she'd come to realize just how little she knew of love. She'd begun to see that the one she'd admired was not perfect, that he had flaws, just like everyone else.

Naruto smiled down at her. She'd grown a lot, physically and emotionally. She was no longer that shallow, hesitant, young girl. She'd become a strong and caring young woman. And Naruto was still hopelessly in love with her. Naruto began to wonder how he'd kept it hidden for so long.

Seeing that she had calmed down from her nightmare, Naruto pulled away. Sakura seemed to notice this though and as his hand left her, she began to breathe more quickly, her nightmare returning to her. Naruto looked down at her, unsure of what to do. Sakura's nightmare seemed to get worse and she quietly began to murmur things. "No… don't leave…" she said, her voice sad and pleading.

Naruto watched her sadly. She was thinking of Sasuke wasn't she? She was dreaming of him. Maybe the Sai's death had made her remember the other dark haired, cold teammate that she'd lost. Naruto couldn't deny that the thought that she still dreamed of Sasuke hurt him just a little.

"Naruto… don't leave me…"

Naruto's eyes widened. Sakura was still murmuring, her nightmare continuing. But she'd said his name. His! Naruto Uzumaki! As said as he was that Sakura was suffering, he couldn't help the small bit of happiness that came with the knowledge that it was him she was dreaming of.

He reached out again, placing a hand on her arm. Again, almost instantly, she calmed down, her body relaxing as she stopped her murmuring and began to breathe easier. Blinking in confusion at the sudden change, Naruto wondered if maybe his presence had calmed her. He also couldn't help the thought that maybe it was the fact that it was his touch that had helped her.

Suddenly, Naruto was struck with an idea. It was dangerous, reckless, and likely to get him killed. But then again, it would probably be worth it. Besides, Sakura wouldn't kill him until after the summit, right? He glanced quickly at the tent entrance to make sure Kakashi wasn't coming to check on them. After seeing that he wasn't, Naruto nudged closer to Sakura, wrapping one arm around her and pulling her just a little closer to him. He slipped his other arm under her neck, being careful not to wake her, and pulled her into a full embrace then. He figured that she would probably beat him senseless in the morning, but Naruto wanted to believe that it had been his touch that had calmed her before. He wanted her to feel safe, to know that he would protect her.

Naruto wasn't prepared for her reaction however. She nuzzled her body into him more, probably enjoying his body warmth. She hummed happily in her sleep, obviously happy. Naruto, however, felt utter fear grip him. She was pressed flush up against him now, being even closer than he had intended for her to be. What was she going to do when she woke up? 'Probably kick my ass from here to the Land of Fire,' he thought grimly. He briefly considered slipping out of the tent, if only to save himself in the morning.

At that moment, Sakura let out a soft sigh, her dreams obviously much lighter. "Thank you Naruto…" she said in a whisper. Naruto rolled his eyes. How could he leave after hearing that? Resigning himself to whatever fate awaited him in a few hours, he closed his eyes. Breathing in Sakura's scent and feeling her warm body against him, he quickly found himself dozing off, simply enjoying the moment. As he drifted off, he sighed and muttered a few last words before sleep overtook him.

"Sakura, I love you…"

Sakura awoke the next morning feeling better rested than she had in days. She'd had the nightmares again, the same ones that plagued her every night since the day they'd left Konoha.

It always started out the same. She would be in the emergency room at the hospital, desperately, hopelessly, and ultimately futilely trying to save Sai's life. However r, no matter what she tried, she would always be unable to save him, every single time. And in the nightmare, every time she turned away to grieve, she would hear a voice, probably a nurse or another medic, say "I'm sorry Haruno-sensei. We were unable to save Hokage-sama."

She would always spin around and stare at the body in surprise, despite knowing what was to come every time. And just like the time before, she would feel pain and despair as she gazed upon the lifeless body of Naruto. And every time, she cried. It hurt. She knew it wasn't real. But she couldn't help it. Every time, she would ask him not to leave her. She'd hold his body close, trying to find a sign that he lived, that she hadn't failed him. And each time, she'd be disappointed.

But last night had been different. While she cradled his body, suddenly she'd felt warmth return to him, his wounds disappearing and life filling his eyes again. He'd wrapped his arms around her, his warmth assuring her that he was alright. And then, to her amazement, he whispered in her ear, "Sakura, I love you…"

Sakura blushed slightly as she remembered that. It had made her so happy. Naruto, the one she'd loved for years, even after she'd lost her chance with him, loved her back. Even if it had been a dream, Sakura couldn't deny that that had been one of the best moments of her life. Then again, it made the reality of it all the more painful.

He'd never love her. He'd given up on her. She remembered a week or two ago, he'd said that there may have been someone he loved. He'd said he was trying to sort out his feelings. She doubted it was her. After all, why would he love her? There were so many other great people out there that he could fall in love with.

Then again, he'd asked her out on a 'date' a few nights ago. The way he'd looked her, it was so loving. It was everything she'd dreamed of. But that couldn't happen right? He didn't love her in that way, right?

Sakura remembered the look he gave her that night again and shivered slightly. As she did, the arms that currently held her tightened, and she sighed happily at their warmth.

And then she realized that there was in fact someone holding her at the moment. Sakura's eyes, which had been slowly sliding closed in her bliss, shot open. 'Why am I being held by someone?' she thought, her thoughts going crazy in her head. There was an arm wrapped around her waist and another one resting on her shoulder. What was even worse was the fact that she was now aware of the body pressed up against her backside. Sakura's mind raced, trying to figure out exactly who it was who was lying down with her and how it was that they had gotten into this mess. Already feeling the color rising to her cheeks, Sakura did her best to squirm around, turning to face whoever this person was.

When she caught sight of the spiky blonde hair, her cheeks turned a very dark shade of red.

Naruto was laying there, his arms still wrapped around her, sleeping peacefully and looking very content. Sakura clenched her fist, ready to smack him like she would to anyone else. However, she felt her anger calm after a moment. Naruto usually had very good reasons for doing the things he did. And Sakura trusted him enough to give him the chance to explain himself.

Sighing, Sakura began to slip out of his grasp silently, trying her best not to disturb him. However, Naruto seemed to notice the lack of warmth and, still asleep, wrapped his arms tighter around her and pulled her towards him.

Sakura, pressed flush up against his chest, gasped at the closeness and tried to escape, twisting and squirming every way possible. After 10 minutes of futile attempts at escaping, she gave up, sighing tiredly.

Lying there, Sakura's eyes traced the whiskers on his face, the lines that marked him as the Jinchuriki. She momentarily felt her anger build up, angry that the Tsuchikage and the Mizukage were even starting this whole war and putting Naruto in such danger. He didn't deserve this, not after the life he had lived.

'Not that you treated him much better,' she thought to herself with a grimace. After a moment, she shook her head to clear those thoughts. She couldn't dwell on that. What mattered was how she treated him from now on.

Shaking her head, she gazed up at Naruto's face again, her eyes determined.

'I may not have treated him right before, but I plan to make it up to him,' she thought, making a silent vow to support him throughout this.

As she enjoyed the warmth of his body near hers, she remembered the warmth she'd felt in her nightmare, and the words that the Naruto in her dreams had muttered. For a moment, she wondered if it had actually been the real Naruto who'd said those words. The thought made her blush again, but it quickly died down. Naruto wouldn't say that right? It was just wishful thinking.

Sakura bit her lip, wondering if it was actually a possibility. However after a moment, she sighed, deciding to let it go. He probably hadn't said it, as much as she wished that he had. So she decided she would enjoy the moment, lying comfortably in his arms.

Nodding to herself, she closed her eyes, content for the moment to just fall asleep in his arms.

Sakura glared at Kakashi as the older Jounin let loose another fit of giggles from where he ran ahead of Naruto and herself. In between them, she saw Naruto freeze up as he also heard the older man's giggles, a small blush spreading across his face. His hand reached up, absentmindedly rubbing the small bump he now sported.

That morning, after Sakura had woken up, she had been content to just lie there feeling happy and comfortable with Naruto's arms wrapped around her. Unfortunately, in her bliss she'd forgotten that they weren't the only ones there. Moments later, Kakashi had crawled into the tent, spoiling their moment. Embarrassed that she had been caught in such a weird situation Sakura had dealt with the situation in the one way she knew how. With violence.

It didn't help that their Sensei had seen the content smile on her face moments before the violence began. Feeling her own blush creeping up her neck, Sakura made her glare even more menacing. Kakashi had kept sending little glances her way, his eyes filled with mirth. Obviously, he found this whole thing oh so amusing.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan. Please forgive me. I just wanted to make sure you're nightmare was gone. Honest!" he cried, his voice sounding slightly depressed. Sakura let out a small sigh. He shouldn't ever sound depressed, at least, not because of her. Looking back at him, she could see he really was sorry. He had that small frown he wore whenever he was upset, his lips pursed slightly. It made her heart clench slightly at the thought that she was the one who'd made him upset this time.

"It's okay Naruto, I know you wouldn't do anything weird. I trust you," she replied, sending him a small smile. Naruto looked at her blankly for a moment before breaking out into the warmest smile she'd ever seen him wear. And seeing him happy made Sakura happy. She realized, however, that he'd said he'd done it to stop her nightmares. The idea that maybe he had said those words near the end of her dream popped up again. But she quickly silenced those thoughts. He wouldn't say that. She shouldn't get her hopes up. Right?

The warm moment was broken as a few snickers were heard from the front of their group. Sakura turned her head to glare at their sensei again, but he was gazing ahead, looking just a little too innocent.

"Something you want to say, Sensei?" Sakura asked, her underlying tone promising him a great deal of pain if he kept it up. Kakashi looked back, a look of mock surprise on his face. "I have no idea what you mean," he replied.

Sakura growled at him, causing the white haired man to simply shrug and turn away. After a few moments of glaring at his back, she sighed and decided to let it go. Besides, it wasn't all bad.

'Yeah, at least we got to sleep with Naruto for a bit,' a voice in her mind said. Sakura giggled out loud, drawing blank looks from her teammates. She shook her head, letting them know it was nothing. They blinked at her for a few moments before turning their eyes back to the road.

As they walked, Sakura allowed her mind to wander. The last few days, she had been jumpy, afraid that either the Mizukage or the Tsuchikage might decide to send someone after the Hokage. Luckily, they hadn't.

Naruto had decided to take it slow today, since they were already within the Land of Iron. No sense in rushing if they still had time. The summit was to be held in about three days. They had made great time, probably because of Sakura and Kakashi's nervousness pushing them to move faster. Sakura frowned while in thought. She was thinking that Naruto wasn't taking this seriously. He'd been more concerned about her safety than his own. And it pissed her off.

He'd become way too over protective of her lately, she'd noticed. Firstly, there had been that whole thing with Yuki. I mean, the way he'd acted, he'd almost seemed jealous! That wasn't possible… right?

Sakura glanced over at Naruto, her eyes settling on his blonde hair. 'No, he wasn't jealous,' Sakura though eventually. Naruto was just looking out for her. As a friend.

'But what if he wasn't…' a voice from somewhere within her mind asked.

Sakura frowned. 'There's no way. I had my chance with him years ago. And I blew it. I mean… if he was interested, he'd have done something… right?'

'Maybe if you hadn't turned down all of his date requests before, he might have tried again! It's obvious that he thought you weren't interested.'

'So you're saying he did move on then,' Sakura replied. She wasn't sure why she was arguing exactly. She should have been agreeing, trying to find signs that he might in fact like her in that way. But something in her made her continue.

'Maybe. But he may have rediscovered those feelings! Maybe they were only buried! Maybe we still have a chance!'

Sakura let out a small sigh, drawing a small concerned look from Naruto. She noticed this and gave him a small smile. He smiled back, giving her that same smile that he used only with her, and turned around.

Sakura's gaze lingered on him for a few more moments before she looked ahead again. 'I love that smile he gives me…'

The voice in her head groaned. 'You see? You're crazy for him! Why shouldn't you risk it?'

Sakura was about to let out a groan of her own but she stopped herself. No need to give Naruto any more reason to believe she was crazy. 'I don't want my heart broken again! Don't you remember the last time we did that? You know, last Uchiha? Knocked me out? Proceeded to become an S rank criminal? Also caused the one I love now to give up on me?'

The voice was silent for a moment. '… You have a point there.'

'See?'

'But still! Why shouldn't you try? He likes you!'

Sakura paused. No he didn't. That wasn't possible… right? Images from her dreams the night before came back to her. Especially those four little words he'd whispered.

'Of course he does. Why do you think he was so upset when you said you were in love with someone? And when you were talking with Yuki? I mean, you were just talking?'

'He was just being protective!'

The voice let out a snort. 'You believe that. But remember, not saying anything won't get you anywhere.'

"Sakura-chan? Sakura-chan? You okay?"

Sakura blinked away her thoughts. She looked up to see Naruto giving her the same concerned look he'd given her earlier. A little flustered at suddenly being brought back to reality, Sakura looked around in a daze. "What? What's wrong? What's going on?"

Naruto sighed, giving her a small smile. Sakura felt her spirits lift seeing that smile. "Well I wanted to tell you that we were here, but you were sort of off in your own little world."

Sakura blinked then looked around. Indeed, they had arrived at the summit. Somehow, she hadn't even noticed as they had somehow made it up a freaking mountain. She flushed slightly, a little embarrassed that she'd been so lost in thought. Not a very Ninja-like thing to do.

Flushing in embarrassment, she grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the large keep that would be used to hold the summit. "Come on," she said, trying not to show him how embarrassed she was at having being caught daydreaming.

Naruto blinked at her a back a few times before his eyes shifted down to their intertwined hands. He couldn't stop the small smile from gracing his lips at the sight. "Okay okay," he replied, grinning at her.

Kakashi, who had been left behind, stared after the pair of them. His eyes moved from their linked hands to the smile on Naruto's face.

He felt his own lips curve into a smile at the sight as he followed after them.

AN: How was it? Good, Bad? Horrible?

Either way, I hope you enjoyed it XD