Sakura's POV
Pressing up against the corridor's wall, I listen as a nurse makes her way down the hall. Her high-heeled shoes make small clicking noises as I realize they become more profound with each step.
"Crap, guys she's coming this way!" I hiss, turning my attention to the two goons standing beside me.
Getting around the hospital with a runaway recovering cancer patient, and a highly unstable mental patient, is a lot harder than one would think. And we're trying to go unseen…this is just too much.
Stepping beside me Gaara whispers something into my ear, and before I can protest, grab his collar, and shove him away from the nurse's view, he steps out from the hidden corridor and into full view.
"EEEP!" A screech sounds from the surprised nurse. I peer around the corner and watch Gaara stand before the shocked nurse.
"You scared me senseless! And what are you doing here; you shouldn't be out and about in these parts of the hospital. I'll have to call secur-" And before she can finish scolding Gaara, he swiftly steps forward and knocks her out in a hit to the neck.
The nurse lets out a yelp before falling helplessly to the cold tiled floor. I stare in shock, my mouth hanging open and then closing abruptly. Gritting my teeth, I stomp over to Gaara and wipe that satisfied smirk off of his face.
"YOU SAVAGE!" I scream, slapping him straight across the face.
"Oi, Sakura-chan not so loud." Naruto shushes, creeping up beside me and staring at Gaara, whose cheek is stained red.
Still fuming I shoot Naruto a look, and he backs away, anime sweat falling from his face.
"You hit like a girl." Gaara teases, and I feel steam pouring out of my ears.
"Why you little-" I begin, rolling up my sleeves and stomping over to the overconfident Mr. Guyliner.
Yes, Mr. Guyliner because those darn raccoon eyes can't be natural.
"HALT!" A loud voice booms through the small corridor, freezing the three of us instantly. A shiver runs down my spine, as the voice echoes through the hallway.
"Crap!" I mutter under my breath.
Turning my head slightly, I notice the hospital security looking viciously at us. They crack their knuckles and fix their too cool shades. Three bulky men, all who looks like they mean business, glare at the three of us.
"Frick." Gaara mutters under his breath, sighing loudly. He crosses his arms over his chest, returning the intense glare the guards are giving him.
We've really done it now…
And the guards come closer, ready to bring us to who knows where, when a warm hand slides into mine and yanks me forward with such force that I practically fall face first onto the floor.
"RUN!" Naruto yells, pulling Gaara and I forward. We race down the hall and slide around the corner.
"Hey, get back here!" The bulky guards holler behind us, the sound of their feet hitting the concrete echoing in the not so peaceful hospital halls.
"Oi, Naruto take it easy you shouldn't be running like this!" I scold noticing that he's still not at all recovered, but he simply looks at me and I see the liveliness bubbling in his azure eyes.
And then he does something that surprises me.
He tips his head back, still running may I remind myself, and lets out a hearty laugh.
I look at him shocked, but soon enough a smile spreads across my face and I'm laughing as well. It feels good to listen to his laughter, it's like he was never sick and dying at all.
And I like that.
"The supply closet!" Gaara says loud enough for us to hear, and we make a sharp turn as Gaara yanks the door open and we practically throw ourselves inside.
Tumbling onto the floor, I roll until my back hits a cardboard box, causing its contents to fall on top of me.
Hissing from the pain of detergent boxes falling on top of me, I remain silent, listening to the footsteps of those three guards approaching.
Gaara sits near the door, his ear clasped to it and a broomstick in his hand. Naruto sits close by me, hiding behind some boxes.
"Where did they go?" One of the guards says from outside, causing my insides to flip from anxiety. I hold my breath, in fear that I'll start screeching from the unneeded stress.
Please don't come in here, please don't open the door, if they open it Gaara you better use that broomstick.
"I think this way, come on." Another one speaks up, and I listen as their footsteps become distant and then nothing at all.
The three of us let out a breath of relief simultaneously.
"That was close." Gaara says, dropping the broomstick. It clutters on the floor, a bit of dust rising from it.
"Too close." Naruto agrees, standing up on shaky feet.
"You okay?" I ask instantly upon noticing his weak posture. I rush to him, forcing his arm to drape over my shoulder.
"Yeah, uh thanks Sakura." He says, resting his weight on me. Gaara comes up from his other side, draping his other arm over his own shoulders.
"Come on let's get you to your room before your parents throw a fit." Gaara says, opening the supply closet door.
"Oh they already have." Naruto's mother says, her arms folded over her chest and her eyes narrowing in on the three of us.
Crap.
...
"Just what were you three thinking?! And especially you Naruto!" The distressed mother scolds the three of us, and we are seated before her in Naruto's hospital room, our heads hung in shame.
"Mom, I-" Naruto begins, but he shuts his mouth the minute he looks at his mother's face. Her eyes are narrowed, looking dangerous.
I only gulp.
"Honestly, your father and I leave to get some dinner and we come back half an hour later to find you missing! We thought you dragged your butt somewhere and died. Naruto you can't leave the hospital, much less your room! You only started walking this morning, do you know how bad it would have been if you waltzed off somewhere and your two friends," She points at the both of us her eyes fuming with anger, "weren't able to support you and bring you back?!"
The air gets thick, and I feel tears brimming my eyes.
I should have stopped them if I had the chance, gosh I was going to before I was knocked out!
"I apologize Kushina-sama, I take full responsibility." Gaara says, much to my surprise, as he bows in his chair. His hair drapes over his face as his body bends.
"Naruto had asked me for help, wondering if he could take Sakura out since he hadn't been able to treat her to a proper date yet. I reluctantly took Sakura by force. If there is anyone to blame, it's me." Gaara says, not lifting his eyes, or his head.
And he sounds serious.
"I apologize to mom, it was all my idea I just dragged Sakura and Gaara into it." Naruto says, bowing in his chair as well. His hair drapes over his face as well, but I can still see his eyes as they turn from fear to sadness.
"I was just so excited to finally be walking, I guess I got ahead of myself, thinking that I was healthy enough to take Sakura out on a date." A sad smile forms on his lips, and he looks over at me, his eyes sparkling with sincerity.
"But, I have to admit I don't regret it. It was worth seeing her smile, since all I did before was make her cry with my whole dying scenario." He finishes, his eyes smiling towards me.
My heart swells inside of my own chest and I feel tears brimming the corners of my eyes.
He just wanted to make me smile; he just wanted me to be happy. Why does he do this to me? One minute I'm ready to knock him out for being so reckless and the next I'm feeling all mushy gushy on the inside because of the reckless things he's done.
I look down, letting my rosy bangs cover my watery eyes.
"Baka, you have to take care of yourself too." I hiccup, feeling the tears spill down my cheeks and onto my jeans.
"I-I apologize Kushina-sama for making you worry. I promise it won't happen again." I apologize, taking in a heavy breath and fisting my jeans.
Kushina smiles at the three teens, bowing in their chairs. She looks over at her husband, who has a soft expression on his face.
"Well, I suppose I can forgive you three, but!" She places both hands on her hips. "Don't do this again, not until Naruto is released from the hospital okay?" Kushina says, a bit softer this time.
The three of us look up, shaking our heads profusely.
"We promise!" The three of us shout in unison.
"Good! Now Naruto, bed now!" Kushina snaps, and her son shivers under her rough tone of voice. Standing immediately, and with wobbly feet, he collapses on the bed.
"And you two, get going let him sleep." Kushina says, smiling warmly at the two of us.
I just nod, not daring to ask to stay longer. Giving a smile to Naruto, who returns it ten times bigger, I bid him goodnight and step out of the hospital room.
Gaara steps out after me, his hands shoved into the pockets of his pants. He whistles coolly, as he walks down the empty halls of the hospital.
"Goodnight, pinky." He says, a shady smirk on his lips.
And with that he steps to turn the corner, when he bumps into a female cop. She has hip length sparkling blonde hair, sparkling eyes, and a curvaceous body. And to say the least, she looks young, probably only a few years older than Gaara.
"Going somewhere?" The cop asks, her eyes aflame, and her voice loud in the quiet hallway. She puts a hand on her hip and eyes Gaara closely.
I panic slightly, hoping the cop doesn't notice me struggling to cover my face with my own purse.
I notice Gaara's shoulders relax.
"I had plans, "I can feel him eyeing the cop up and down," But I can reschedule." He purrs flirtatiously.
The cop turns flustered, a small shade of red forming on her cheeks. Gaara smirks at his accomplishment.
"Why don't you escort me to my room." He says, trying his own luck and winking at the cop.
I nearly pass out at his words.
The cop's eyes widen, and before she can show him a piece of her mind, a brunette appears from the other end of the hall.
"Why don't you leave the escorting for the nurse?" Matsuri says coolly, sliding into the awkward situation.
I silently clap for her success.
"Y-You heard all of that?" Gaara asks, panicking. Matsuri ignores his comment, putting on a sweet smile.
"Well, we better get going the mental patient here needs rest! It was nice meeting you miss." Matsuri says, as she pulls Gaara away to his room.
The tint of red plastered on Gaara's cheeks does not go unnoticed.
The cop shakes her head and pulls out her walkie talkie, mumbling something before turning on her heel and walking the opposite direction.
Rolling my eyes, and giggling slightly at his unfortunate fate, I lean against the wall and tuck a loose strand of tangled hair behind my ear.
What a day it's been. At least Kushina didn't clobber me, she sure is a scary woman! And the warm fuzzy feeling inside of my chest from Naruto's words makes me think back to our evening together.
To say it was perfect is a total understatement.
I'm about to leave checking the time and seeing that it's getting late, when the door to Naruto's room opens, revealing Naruto's father.
"Oh, Sakura do you have a minute?" He asks nicely, no hint of anger in his voice.
I nod my head, sniffling a bit to make sure no snot is dripping from my nose. He leans against the door, resting his head on the wooden surface.
"Sorry about my wife," He says sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck just like I've seen Naruto do so many times. Come to think of it, he looks so much like his father it's scary.
"Oh no, it's okay I understand why she acted out…I would have too." I say, averting my eyes from his ashamed of my own actions.
Minato only chuckles softly.
"You know, part of her is glad that you took Naruto out." He says, causing me to blink in surprise. My eyes meet his, and I notice him staring up at the ceiling, his eyes glazed with unshed tears.
"Him going out into the world, kind of proves to us that he's getting better. That everything's going to return to the way it was before he got sick." He says more softly, as if he's unsure of his own words.
He sniffles a bit, and blinks away the tears daring to spill. I only stare, unable to properly form a sentence that will make this situation any better.
Because honestly, what to say?
"He really loves you, you know?" The older blonde says, causing a blush to creep onto my pale cheeks.
"E-Eh? Where did that come from?" I ask, embarrassed and clearly flustered.
Minato smiles warmly, as I turn yet another fifty shades of red.
"I'm glad he has someone like you Sakura." He says, before walking back into the hospital room where I hear a certain blonde protesting that he refuses, even when pigs fly, to eat the mushy gushy brown stuff.
I'm guessing chocolate pudding.
The door closes, and I stand there dumbfounded by Minato's words.
With warm cheeks and a bubbling heart, I turn on my heel smiling like a total idiot.
Stepping out into the cool night, I scream out of pure joy at the very top of my lungs.
"I LOVE YOU NARUTO UZUMAKI!"
Twirling around, and practically prancing to my car, before I slam my door close, I see a window burst open.
"I LOVE YOU TOO SAKURA-CHAN!"
And it's so loud that it echoes through the empty parking lot. I look up to see the blonde, no my blonde, peering over the window and looking up at the sky.
And then I see his mother, jumping on him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a choking sort of way, and pulling him back inside.
Distant voices sound through the empty lot, and I can only imagine that chocolate pudding being forcefully shoved into the blonde's mouth once his mother situates him on the bed.
Then the window shuts, and I only stare from inside the car with wide eyes and flushed cheeks.
"Baka, you're supposed to be resting." I mumble, shaking my head.
But, heck, he sure knows how to make me smile.
xXx
AN: I'm pretty satisfied with this chapter. Both, narusaku AND gaamatsu moments! Whoohoo! :D I hope you guys like it, and hey look it's not that short!
And I reached over 100 follows! Thank you so much for all the support, it really makes me happy to know so many people are enjoying my story! ;DD
Please leave a review, I love hearing feedback!
Until next chapter, toodles~