There is no formula to obtain love; it is manifested by a mutual feeling. Sakura

Ch 11: Destiny Waits

Whenever Sakura relapsed back to her depressed mental state she imagines her doll to be her brother. Deidara. She had found the doll outside of a 'certain' shop three years ago; it was lying there unwanted so she picked it up. The doll had blonde hair and was male in appearance but its mouth was permanently opened. FREAKY! She didn't like the look of its scary mouth so she had covered it in bandages, along with every other naked part of the doll.

Tonight, she hugged the doll tightly and managed to fall asleep.

"Hnnn." She moaned in her sleep.

...

Inside Sakura's dream

Sakura found herself inside a car, she was smiling happily and it had felt like she was looking forward to a trip to the countryside with her brother, father and even her step mother Kurenai. It was going to be her first vacation to the beautiful landscapes of the city outskirts for 4 year old Sakura. She stared at the endless fields of green and wished she had gotten permission to bring her dog, Kyuubi.

They entered a cosy and well built cottage that belonged to the Harunos. Mr Haruno rarely came home, let alone has the time to take the family out. Yet this countryside holiday was designed to help Kurenai relax as her doctor warned her that any further stress would cause her to miscarry. The family packed their belongings inside the spacious house and were allowed to wonder off and have some free time.

Their cottage was not far from the village border where a small town dwelled. Deidara was about 9 years old and he was holding Sakura's hand like any brother would in a protective and loving way. That was before he had met her, Aoi, she was similar in age to Deidara. Aoi had just dropped her purse and Deidara being the good boy he was, let go of Sakura's little hand to pick up the purse. If there could be such a thing as love at first sight, something magically clicked while the two children began conversing with each other.

"Thank you, what's your name? You are not from around here." Aoi stated.

"I'm Deidara, you?" He asked.

"I'm Aoi."

Love, Aoi, Love, Aoi continued to ring inside his little boys heads.

"Yes, I'm not from around here, but I like it here already." He replied.

"Would you like me to show you around? I know a lot of cool places." She offered.

Deidara nodded his head in unison, "Yes, please!" Somehow, Deidara had forgotten that Sakura was next to him and he had absentmindedly followed Aoi to tour around the town.

...

A sadness stung Sakura's little heart the moment Deidara had let go of her hand. It was the first time he had done that. She shook off those feelings and watched a young boy passed by eating a lolly pop, she wanted one too but when she had turned her head Deidara was gone. Aoi had just led him inside a store to look at some cool antique toys but Sakura was not aware of this. She ran quickly to look for her brother with the notion that he could not be far from her. When Sakura became tired she stood in a corner hoping that her brother would find her, but an hour had passed by and there was still no sign of Deidara.

Finally Sakura gave up and decided to head back towards the cottage, she thought that maybe Deidara would be at the cottage waiting for her. He was not there but instead, the dark figure of Kurenai crossed her path. Kurenai stared angrily at Sakura and grabbed both her little arms. Sakura felt really scared, she wondered why her step mother was squeezing her arms so hard, the force really hurt her. The girl knew that bruises would form the next day.

"Where is he?" Kurenai asked angrily.

"Where is who? I don't know, I don't know. Let go of my arms, you are hurting me!" She screamed.

"Where is your father?" She clarified and squeezed her arms harder on purpose.

"I don't know, I don't know. My arms are breaking, let go of me!"

Sakura screeched and flung her arms out of the evil woman's grasp with all her strength. This surprised Kurenai and made her lose control of her hold for a second. This instant was enough for the frightened Sakura to run with all her might towards the fields of green. Sakura did not dare turn her head to look back at Kurenai, in case she was right behind her.

It was very unfortunate for Kurenai as the moment she started chasing after the girl, she tripped over a stone. She took a harsh landing to the side of her abdomen and an unbearable pain spread across her body. Her heart sank as she noticed a dribble of blood sliding past her thighs, she wanted to call out for help but there wasn't a single soul around. She lied there in despair and hoped that someone will find her soon.

...

Sakura was both furious and frightened that her step mother would hurt her, especially when she did not do anything. She wanted to know where Deidara was because she thought that he would know what to do. Tears began to fall down her porcelain angel face and her vision became blurred as she ran blindly ahead. Suddenly she tripped over something; she quickly wiped away her tears and looked down at the beautiful face of a little blond haired boy.

"Hello there," she said and all her worries seemed to have entirely disappeared as she studied the features of the cute boy lying in front of her.

She ran her little fingers across his beautiful glossy blond spikes that reminded her of Deidara's hair.

"Aww... Your hair is beautiful," she stated and placed a finger on his lips, "Hmm... you smile in your sleep."

"Hey wake up, wake up. I want you to play with me," she screamed inside his ears but the boy continued snoring and remained in a heavy slumber.

"Hmm... let me pinch those pink cheeks of yours, hmm... candy," she chuckled and squeezed her hands on his cheeks.

"Oww..." The boy immediately woke up.

"Yay, it worked, you're awake now." She laughed.

Sakura noticed the boy's amazingly sharp cerulean circles and they reminded her of the colour of the sky. His eyes were so warm and clear; she took a step closer and bent her head so that it was centimetres away from his. She could see her own reflection and she became very mesmerised by her own smile, it was the first time in her life that she noticed eyes could reflect images. She hugged the boy instantly and her heart raced in triumph.

"I'm bored, please play with me."

At first the boy was reluctant to play with Sakura but the girl had eventually convinced him with her reverse psychology. The two played tips and hide and seek across the beautiful field of yellow poppies. When they got bored they would lie on the soft pastures and gaze at the beautiful butterflies and stare at the cotton candy like clouds.

"Look a purple butterfly."

"Yea, I see an orange one."

"The clouds look so yummy, I'm hungry." She stated.

"Here, I've got some lollies. It's strawberry flavour." He offered and pulled out some lollies from his little bum bag.

"Thank you. I haven't got anything for you. How about you keep this sticker photo on your goggles?" She asked.

"OK!" He declared and stuck it on the rim of his goggles.

...

Naruto and Sakura were both getting very hungry towards dusk as they have both utilised a lot of energy from chasing each other. Naruto pointed to the direction of the house that his family was staying at, it was not far from the spot where Sakura had found him. The two were walking happily until Naruto decided to walk along a wooden fence. Sakura decided to snap one last picture of him with her Polaroid.

"Smile," She said.

Click!

Sakura had just captured a picture of Naruto falling down the fence; the boy was so preoccupied with smiling at the camera that he had misplaced his foot. He landed in a twisted position and his ankle was hurt in the process. He tried to get back on his two feet but his right ankle gave way. There was too much pain for him to use it. Sakura stared at him in shock, she wondered if he needed help immediately. What if his ankle was broken?

"Here get on my back. I will carry you back to your Mummy and Daddy." She offered.

Naruto jumped onto her back without a second thought, "Woo hoo..."

"You're heavy! I think my back is going to break."

"Sorry, should I get off?"

"No, I can see your house up ahead. We're nearly there." She announced.

That evening Sakura joined Naruto's happy family for dinner and it was the best dinner she has ever had in her entire life.

...

Sakura's House

Naruto awoke from the blazing light of the sun in his face, his head became alert and the dream he had just woken from was still fresh on his mind. He raced quickly to the box that contained all the toys from his past. He couldn't stop his heart from beating and it felt like it was going to pop out of his chest at any moment. He really wanted to find out whether the dream was real or not. He spotted the goggles he used to wear and fair enough on the rim of the eye wear was a sticker of a young pink haired girl. Could it be Sakura?

He didn't care if the girl was not her. He got a sudden urge to see Sakura as of this instance and even if she didn't want to see him, he needed to see her. He wanted to find out what happened between her and Gaara. If she really did fall into hell then he would use whatever means to protect her from entering those realms a second time. He ran out of his house in the same clothes he wore the night previous.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Naruto kicked the door to the front of Sakura's house furiously. He had rung the doorbell for over 30 minutes and still she would not open her door. He decided to slam the side of his body to the wooden planks in the hopes that the strong hinges would break. Just when he was about to smash his body to the door it had opened before him. His body toppled on top of Sakura's and she was trapped underneath his weight.

"Good, you finally opened the door!" He shouted.

"What is wrong with you? Get off me!" She exclaimed.

"NO! I won't let you go until you tell me what happened between you and Gaara." He demanded.

"Nothing happened between us, will you get off me now? You're heavy, I can't breathe." Sakura pretended to gag.

Fearing that he was indeed suffocating Sakura, Naruto bounced off her body at once. Sakura quickly got up to her feet and ran up the stairs. She was not going to let this mad man assault her any further. Why did she even open the door? It was too late to falter over what has been done; hence she focused on running towards the top level. She was hoping that she could outrun Naruto and lock the door to her brother's room.

He chased after her immediately.

Sakura had made it to the third story of the house and was about to turn towards her brothers room prior to feeling the hot air from Naruto's mouth. She quickly turned towards the piano room instead and her hair twirled centimetres from his face. She was about to slam the door but half his body had already entered the room. Too late! The touch of his hand on her shoulder frightened her so much that she fell onto her bottom.

She landed right next to her Polaroid camera.

Sakura stared at her camera in astonishment and realised her dream was manifested from an actual event from her childhood. Naruto noticed the pink purse lying on the ground; he stared at her camera with the shock realisation that she was in fact the little girl in his dreams. His heart fluttered for a moment and he couldn't control his arms from wrapping around the frightened woman in front of him. She was no longer afraid because his warm embrace actually made her feel safe. Like the pieces in a puzzle, the two fitted perfectly next to each other.

She could feel his hot tears sliding down her neck, Naruto was crying because he had never felt the joy and contentment he was in now. He had finally found something in his life that he had wanted to treasure. His legs were spread around hers in a seated position; his broad chest leaned tightly around her small frame. He grabbed the goggles from his bum bag and showed her the sticker of their past. The photo that captured their first kiss.

The prince has finally found his princess...

Sakura's heart skipped a beat as she slowly turned her neck to face his, she could see her own reflection in his shiny teary eyes. He placed his lips forcefully onto hers; he hungered for the taste of her cherry lips. He didn't give her a chance to retaliate; but she responded without hesitation, it felt like their lips were made for each other. He nibbled onto her bottom lip before sliding his slender tongue into her mouth. She did not deter from the new found sensation he gave her, rather she cherished every moment of it. The two continued locking their lips together until they finally broke away and gasped for air.

"I love you, believe it." He whispered.

...

Hinata's House

After lunch Hinata's cousin Neji came to help her pack her belongings and transport her back home. On the way home they decided to go shopping to pick out some new fashionable outfits for Hinata. The two had so much to talk about that they had decided to order dinner before heading to Hinata's home. Neji received a call from a friend as he was about to drop the bags of shopping on her dining table. When he was done talking, he quickly went to the bathroom before leaving Hinata's apartment.

The first thing Hinata did when she got home was to play her violin. She missed playing her sweet melodies whenever she was happy, and whenever she was sad in the past her violin had helped her suppress her pain. It was like she could transfer her sadness to the melancholic sound made by her violin. She waited until she had heard Neji close the door before she picked up her instrument.

Neji had forgotten his mobile on the table but he had the keys to her house.

As he re-entered the unit, he heard Hinata play squeaky noises on her violin. He wondered why she was playing the way she did. He slowly crept up the stairs of her house and opened the door slightly. He watched her shivering, shaky right hand trying to pull her bow and he realised she was struggling; her hand did not have any strength. He watched her try really hard but the only sound she had managed to bring out was 'high-pitched screeches.'

He wished he could help her but he couldn't.

He had always adored his cousin but he knew that some boundaries were never supposed to be crossed. Neji had tried really hard to protect Hinata over the years, but he could not change the fact that his beloved cousin was abused by her step father. All these years he had loved her secretly. His heart ached as he watched her throw her treasured violin, the instrument smashed to the floor and broke into two. He remained frozen and knew there was nothing he could do to comfort her. She needed Naruto.

Her most cherished violin was broken. Hinata was broken.

Neji wished he could embrace the devastated Hinata in front of him but he did not. He understood that Hinata would not have wanted him to see her in this state. If she did, she would have told him at the hospital about the condition of her right hand. He left the house in an urgent rush to find the one person that could fix his shattered and broken cousin. Naruto!

Hinata sat on the ground and continued to cry. She stared at the pen knife on her table. She gazed painfully at her right wrist.

When Neji reached Naruto's house there was no answer so he decided to give him a call. Naruto was not picking up his mobile and this infuriated Neji. Naruto had forgotten to bring his mobile earlier on the day as his mind was only focused on one thing, and that was to see Sakura. What could that bastard be doing so late at night? Neji thought.

...

Five Years Later

Naruto and Hinata were holding hands as they walked past a girl with pink hair; she had a very beautiful smile. She was holding the hand of a young boy with orangey coloured hair and turquoise blue eyes. The boy was holding a balloon and the two of them seemed to have just come out of a preschool fair. Sakura was too preoccupied at gazing at her own son to notice the two passersby's. Once again, her silky pink hair fluttered across Naruto's face and he had no rationale to grab it, or perhaps he did have a reason.

A blizzard of pink cherry blossoms blew between Naruto, Sakura and her son as their paths collided with each other.

Sakura's kid is in fact Naruto's. Baby names please? After Hinata attempted suicide her wrist actually heals. Too much spoilers. Yes, i will write a happy ending.

The Last Chapter

The Seed of Love (Rated M)

Lust is beyond reason; we are all animals to some extent. Naruto