Chapter 8: Best Friends

Kiara fell down with a thud and Sakura was there barely able to stand. Breathing heavily she closed her eyes and collapsed to the ground as well. Naruto turned to his friend to talk to him about the girls, but he had already left with Kiara in his arms. Naruto sighed and walked towards his unconscious ex teammate. Once he was right in front of her he smiled slightly. There she was his childhood crush sleeping quietly with blood covered all over her beautiful face. His heart blossomed with guilt at the sight of her blood. He should have stopped the fight a long time ago and now look at her she would have died, but luckily she didn't. How did she get that confidence? He closed his eyes as he sighed before her picked the delicate cherry blossom up. He knew exactly where he should go and with one leap he dashed through the forest to where there was a river nearby. It didn't take him that long to get to the river. He placed Sakura down against a tree and he took off his shirt so he could clean her blood off. He drenched his shirt with water and dried it a bit so he wouldn't splash her face with water. He picked her up and placed her on his lap and looked at her for a bit and decided to clean her arm first so she could have more rest.

Why am I even doing this? Shouldn't Sasuke be the one to take care of her? Sakura began to stir and her head snuggled into his chest to embrace the warmth Naruto gave off. That's why, because in the end I will always care for her. He smiled at the rosette and placed his damp shirt on her torn up arm and began to clean her up. The cool air mixed with the water made Sakura to shiver and snuggle her head deeper into his chest. Naruto hadn't felt that kind of contact since the night she had confessed her feelings to him. The thought brought him into a dim mood. He had left her the day after she confessed her feelings to him and brought Sasuke back so she could be with her true love. He was too stubborn to the past that he had left Sakura with a broken heart. He sighed heavily and continued to wipe away the dry blood. Soon Naruto finished cleaning Sakura's arm and made a few hand signs to heal her arm a bit. He was no medical ninja, but Kiara did teach him a few jutsus so he could heal himself when she wasn't there. He chuckled at the thought of Kiara being mad at him because he hurt himself. Kiara is over protective with him and that is why she is perfect to be his wife. He still didn't like the thought of being married to Kiara.

It was just weird for him she was close to him, but not in that way. He soon looked at Sakura and then took his shirt and pressed it gently on her bloody face. Just by the light touch Sakura woke up and began to sit up. Emerald green eyes met sapphire blue eyes and Sakura began to blush. She just shoved Naruto away and looked away. Naruto's face was red as well and felt a bit sad once she was out of his grasp. He actually felt empty as his eyes were fixed on his arms remembering her fragile body in his arms.

"I am sorry I woke you up Sakura," he apologized, looking at her once again. Sakura then just shook her head and mumbled that it was ok. She placed her hand on her arm then noticed that her cut from the Soul Reaper was smaller than it should have been. She examined her torn up arm and then turned her head to Naruto. His eyes were narrow as he also was looking at her arm. Sakura was so timid to talk to him, but she needed to talk to him. They both needed to talk to each other, they haven't seen each other in two years and he left her the night she told him she loved him. Just ask him why he leaved you. Sakura screamed in her head. She continued to look at him then finally got the courage to say something.

"Did you try to heal my arm?" she asked him while mentally smacking herself for not asking him the actual question she needed to ask. Naruto was caught off guard with her question. He really wasn't paying attention at anything around him at all, only on the cut on her arm. He was yelling at himself for not stopping the fight when he knew it was going to get out of hand. He was so angry at himself that he stopped Sasuke and let Sakura get beat up by his fiancé. Sakura was there just staring at him so he could give her an answer. He then began to stare at her emerald eyes, but his words were caught in his throat. Just say yes damn it! It is not that hard to answer a simply question! Naruto yelled to himself as he continued to look at her. But Naruto just couldn't speak near her, so he decided to just show her. He placed his hand over her wound and red chakra brightly covered his hand and began to heal her a bit more. Sakura's eyes widen in surprise as her arm began to slowly heal. She looked at Naruto once again and he slightly smiled as he stopped.

"That is all I can do. I am not an actual medical ninja, so I can just make the bleeding stop, but hey I did not bad huh?" he said as he looked down at his hand. Sakura then placed her hand on his shoulder and whispered, "Thank you" The two ninjas stayed this way for about a minute until Sakura began to wince at the pain that came to her face and fell into Naruto's chest. Naruto then picked her up and dashed towards the hospital. Now here was Naruto in the office of Tsunade waiting for Sakura's results. Soon the door opens slowly, but at that second it was open it was slammed shut. Naruto winced at the noise and could sense the rage from Tsunade.

"Naruto Uzumaki why the hell did you let her fight against your girlfriend!" She raged as she punched one of the walls. Naruto was silent; he didn't know what to say because he was asking that same question to himself. "She could have died! Do you not care about her safety anymore?" Naruto then stood up and rage filled his eyes, but they both knew that the rage was just covering up his true feeling, pain. Soon the door opened and Ino walked in the room. She gasped at the gigantic hole in the wall and saw Naruto and Tsunade angry at each other. They both looked at her and she simply said, "Sakura woke up Tsunade-sama. I healed her and she will be up and out in about an hour." Tsunade then smirked at Ino and replied, "Very well Ino thank you. Naruto since you need to remember how to be a good friend you are the one who is going to take care of Sakura until she recovers." Both Ino and Naruto got livid by the order and strongly argued, "But Tsunade!" Tsunade then slammed her fists hard on her desk and shouted, "That's an order!" Both teens sighed and nodded their heads in defeat. They both walked out of her office and went their separate directions.

Great instead of being with my friends I have to take care of Sakura.

Hey kid isn't Sakura supposed to be your best friend?

Ya, but I am trying to avoid her as best I can so I won't revive my feelings for her.

Humph, I say that it's too late for that kid. One look into her green eyes and you are weak on your knees and desire to make her smile. Naruto sighed deeply at what the Kyubbi said. He was right, but Naruto didn't want to hear anything about how Sakura is right now with Sasuke. He didn't want to hear her say Thank you to him for bringing Sasuke back into her love life, he just couldn't bear it.

Kid it's better to be in her life and her be in your life than the opposite. I wasn't blind Naruto I knew that you were a bit depressed these past two years, because you weren't able to see her smile or to hear her laugh knowing that you caused it. Naruto stopped at his tracks and remembered these past two years. He was happy everyone in that village loved him. He was a hero there. That is where he met his new teammates. They were perfect especially Kiara, she never bashed him for anything he did wrong. She actually thought he was funny, smart and special, but she just wasn't Sakura. Her eyes weren't the perfect shade of green that he adored. She never had that sweet soft touch that he ached for when he was hurt or wounded. She wasn't who he missed. She wasn't Sakura. Kyubbi was right his life will be better if she was around. With a smile across his face he dashed towards Sakura's room, ready to be with her and help her heal. He was ready to hug her and say, I will always stay by your side. There it was room 30, where Sakura lied in her bed waiting for someone to enter and say she was able to get out of this wrenched place. Sakura hated being in the hospital rooms cooped up. She loves healing people, but knowing that she is the patient sickens her, just knowing that she was foolish or weak enough to get sent to the hospital.

The door soon slides open carefully and Sakura then saw Naruto with a smile plastered on his face. Sakura's eyes narrowed in anger and turned away.

"Go away," she ordered with a tint of pain in her voice. Naruto's eyes widen in shock she wanted him to leave but, "Why?" Sakura then turned back to him and replied lividly, "Because I don't want you to take care of me if you were ordered to do it, if you don't want to really take care of me then just go." Naruto froze at what she said, how did she know about that? Ino… Well it didn't matter now all he has to do now is convince her. Naruto then put his old trademark smile on and walked closer to her. Sakura just turned her head away to not look at his sweet handsome smile. She knew that if she saw his smile she wouldn't be able to refuse. Soon Sakura noticed the weight shift on the edge of her bed and she turned around to see Naruto's endless ocean blue eyes focused on her.

"I am not leaving Sakura, because I do care about you and I am sorry I wasn't showing that to you," He replied as he brushed some of Sakura's pink hair behind her ear, which sent shivers down her spine.

"If you really do care about me then why did you leave me?" Sakura finally asked. Naruto then shifted uncomfortably. He knew she was going to ask him this, but it was too soon for him. He still couldn't figure out the right answer to reply to her. So he did what he used to do, get defensive.

"It really doesn't matter now Sakura I am here now, so can we please just forget it ever happened. Both you and I know that it was a mistake," he stated as he got off of the bed. His eyes were mad, but behind those angry eyes were eyes of pure sorrow. Sakura couldn't be able to know the truth about him. She was hurt by the comment and looked at him with shocked eyes. To neither one of them was a mistake, but neither one of them knew that. Is this what he thought about that night, our first date, me admitting my feelings to him, a mistake? Sakura then shook her head and then whispered, "Ok, but we are still best friends right?" Naruto then smiled slightly and replied immediately, "Yes, of course Sakura."

"Then call me Sakura-Chan if you mean it." Naruto's sea blue eyes widen at her command, but then he smiled at her with true love and said, "Ok then Sakura-Chan."