A/N: The Italics are Sakura's dream of her past life, in case you get confused. Category may change to a tragedy.

Chapter 2

Naruto characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi...

Defying the Word Love

The deeds that one sow in the past,

Will come and haunt them in the present.

Everything is predestined.

Chapter Two

I don't know how I ended up at the hospital, my mind was flustered and blank but somehow amidst all this my body was able to carry me here. I sat next to my grandma with my hands clasped tightly, my body was shivering uncontrollably and I couldn't stop the endless streams of tears sliding past my cheeks.

I stretched my hands out to touch my grandma's pale stricken face and an overwhelming familiar sadness sent shivering tingles down my spine. My grandmother was quite old and I knew for a fact that this hospital wouldn't look twice into operating on her, it would just be wasting their resources. I held onto one of her freezing cold hands, closed my eyes and prayed for the first time in many years.

Dear Lord,

I'm sorry for not having enough faith; I became a lost child when you took my mother away. I have realised that you have been merciful to me up until now. While other children could have had it much worst, my grandmother was always there to love me, hug me and give me warmth.

Heavenly father, if you would listen to my prayer, please do not take my grandmother away just yet. But if you must, please don't let her suffer in too much pain. Please continue to lead and guide over me so that I will be able to stand on my two feet and meet each new day with no regret.

Please give me hope during these dark hours, I will be forever indebted and serve you until I die. Thank you for listening to my prayer.

Amen

I couldn't really recall the conversation I had with the rich man I had briefly met at 'The Divine Palace.' What was his name again? Naru- ? Naru something, but he was blond and had a gentle smile. It felt so comfortable being held within his arms at that moment, those big strong arms, I could just fall asleep in his embrace and not feel a worry in this world.

My surrounding became a hazy blur and I could feel my body spinning around and around. A huge hand guided me while I danced in a room filled with people. I looked up to my partner but I couldn't see his face as he had a mask on, and a top hat was covering his hair, hence there was no hints to figure out his identity.

I felt a little disappointed of not knowing how he looked like but happy at the same time as I danced. It felt so free and comforting to be dancing next to him, if I had any worries, they were all lost in this bliss of a moment. He was at least half a head taller than me if not more; he had a strong and muscular build. He smelt like the sea, a fresh and invigorating scent, very inviting and tranquil.

I could feel his gaze behind his mask; his sincere eyes were focused right on me. The music in the background has stopped and we were standing an arms length away from each other. His arm surprised me as he gently pushed my waist, closing in on the proximity between us. My chest was pressed against his and I couldn't stop the rapid beating of my heart. I could feel his sharp eyes looking down at me so I shifted my head, my cheeks were turning pink, and I felt a bit shy.

His warm hand guided my chin and redirected my vision towards his masked face; my lips were centimetres away from his. I couldn't control my heavy breathing as the closeness between us made me very nervous. One of his hand held the back of my head, while the other remained fixated around my waist, there was no way I could escape this inevitable kiss.

His lips touched mine gently...

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.

.

My eyes fluttered as they tried to get used to the bright lights of the ceiling, I could feel my head being perched in someone's lap. A trustworthy arm was placed across mine, protecting me and keeping me warm. I could feel the gentle heaving of his body as I turned my head to face his. The young man had bright blond hair and handsome features. He was asleep with closed eyes which gave me a bit of a relief; I knew nothing about him except his name, Naruto, I remembered suddenly.

A kind stranger willing to come out of his way to aid me during the time I need help the most. His lips were slightly ajar, and a thin dribble was leaking out of his mouth. I used my blouse sleave to wipe his drool before it fell on me. I then proceeded to study his long light brown eyelashes, they were beautiful and I couldn't imagine how his eyes would look when he opened them.

As if by magic his eyes opened at that same moment.

A warm cue of cerulean blue gazed directly into my surprised shades of sea green. My mouth tried to move but I couldn't speak out, astonished that he had caught me staring at him made me blush a crimson red. I quickly adverted my eyes and sat up so that our bodies weren't touching each other. He was probably going to laugh at me for blushing, but as I weren't used to the presence of men, I couldn't help but to feel nervous.

He chuckled, an affectionate and friendly laugh.

"You're so cute." He insisted and added, "You have the most beautiful sleeping face that I have ever seen."

I tried to smile but couldn't, I was pleased at his comment but a dreadful thought lingered on my mind. I recalled how flamboyantly he had walked into the restaurant with two ladies beside him; he was not someone unfamiliar of the female kind. Heck, he probably has a line of girlfriends and he probably liked to play around. He didn't seem like someone who would remain serious with one girl, he probably called all the girl's around him cute.

Who knows how many sleeping faces he has woken up to?

"What's wrong? You don't look too well Sakura." He asked.

"Nothing, I'm just worried. How is my grandmother doing?" I didn't want to admit to him that I was slightly jealous.

"She's still in the operating theatre, but they have found her a suitable heart."

"The money... You... I don't know what I can do to thank you." I stammered.

"Hmm... You can be my girlfriend," he teased.

"You're not serious are you?" I asked.

"Of course... I'm just joking," Naruto said in a more serious tone, his smile disappeared and was preoccupied with a stern thought. Something was bothering him, but I could tell that whatever it was he was not going to share it with me.

"Perhaps we could start off as friends?" He suggested.

"Certainly, I will definitely be your friend!" I exclaimed and nodded my head to confirm. I added, "What about the money?"

"Well, my house is lacking a maid. Would you like to fill in the role? I will pay you well." He recommended.

"Hmm... Sounds good to me, but I have to finish at 3 pm to get ready for my waitress job."

"Do you think you can start at 8 am? I have trouble with waking up and I would love to see your smiling face the first thing in the morning."

"That's going to be hard for me; I can't even wake up early." I murmured.

"How about you become my live in maid? I will pay you for every hour that you are in my house even when you are asleep."

I thought about his proposal and felt so tempted, there was no way I could repay $150 000 US. I had hardly any savings and I didn't have much of an education to get a better job. I will be forever indebted to Naruto if I didn't take up his offer. I looked into his eyes hoping that he could just tell me what to do. The idea of living away from grandma and away from home made me feel scared. I kept staring into his blue pools for answers.

It was as if he had read my mind.

"If you really want to repay me you can be my live in maid for one year, after that, you will be freed to go. Also, I want your grandmother to live with me so that you can look after her once she gets discharged from the hospital."

I nodded. He has an answer to all my worries.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

My mobile phone rang and interrupted the contract between Naruto and I. It was my supervisor and he did not sound happy that I had not shown up for work without a reason. I stared at my watch to read 8:00 pm, my work usually started at 5 pm. The lecturing tone of my supervisor's voice became a blah blah to me; there was no way I could have shown up for work within my circumstances.

"I am really sorry Kakashi, but I am currently at the hospital. My grandmother is currently fighting for her life in the operation room. I am sorry I didn't notify you of my absence but there is no way that I could have made it to work."

"Even so Sakura, you should be responsible enough to give a call- Blah Blah..."

The theatre light suddenly shut off and the doctors and nurses were pushing a rolling bed out of the door. I gaped in disbelief at the body on the bed; white linen covered my grandma from head to toe. No! I screamed silently in my head, I couldn't register the veracity of the state of shock I was in. My mobile slipped out of my hands as I dashed towards the doctors.

The doctors all shook their heads in unison.

"Why didn't you save her? Why?" I screamed over and over again. I glared at them with an accusing verdict, but I knew deep down, the doctors have tried their best and it was my grandmother's time to go.

Tears came sliding down my eyes as my hand shook hysterically the closer it came into contact with the linen. I pulled the cloth down slowly to reveal the pale, foreign and lifeless face of my once living family member. The wrinkles on her face identified her old age; while her short white hair framed her appearance nicely. She had a smile on her lips as if she had drifted off to a pleasant sleep; her eyes stayed shut and indicated that she will never wake up.

"I am really sorry Miss Haruno but we did all that we could. Your grandmother rejected the heart that was donated; her body wasn't in a good condition for the transplant to occur especially for her age. I am really sorry for the bad news." The doctor stated.

My knees buckled and I fell kneeling on the ground. I couldn't stop crying, my vision blurred and tears continued to flow relentlessly. My heart hurts, it hurt so much. I wondered if this was a bad dream, just yesterday grandma was smiling and telling me not to be late for work, but now she's gone. Gone forever... If I closed my eyes would I wake up from this nightmare?

I opened my eyes to learn that I was still in the freezing hallway of the hospital.

"What did I do to deserve this?"

A firm hand touched my shoulder and shook me back to reality. Naruto knelt down to be on the same level as me, he pressed his body against mine to give me a sympathetic hug. He took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the tears off my face; he smiled tenderly and kissed the top of my forehead. I hugged him tighter and placed my head on his shoulder, he continued whispering gentle words to my ears until I finally stopped crying.

"Let me take you home Sakura."

I nodded.

I was in no condition to think properly, my mind was only blank and full with despair. I filled out some paperwork amidst my empty state of mind and Naruto had helped me organise the details of grandma's funeral which will be in a few days time. He then proceeded to drive me back to my small little rental apartment. I didn't realise his car had reached the front of my home until I heard a knocking on his car window.

A figure was tapping on the glass, I looked to my left and standing there was Ten Ten. My best friend since childhood, she must have heard of the news from Kakashi who was best friends with Chen Kenichi, Ten Ten's father. I quickly opened the door to greet my friend; she hugged me tightly, so tight it was hard for me to breathe. I gave a cough and Ten Ten released me from her embrace, she grabbed one of my hands and reassured me that she will stay here for as long as I needed.

I thanked Naruto and told him to wait for my call. I owed him a debt, although my grandmother is no longer here, I wasn't going to renounce my obligation to him. I would repay his debt even if that meant I had to be his maid for one year. Besides, I really liked Naruto as a friend; I definitely wanted to learn more about him. I could not help but feel a little bit attracted to his straightforward kindness.

"I hope to see you again soon Sakura, call me if you need someone to talk to," Naruto stated and handed a piece of paper containing his personal mobile number in my hand. He hopped back inside his car and drove off.

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.

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For one second I had felt a little disappointed that he was leaving, another brief second I had secretly wished Ten Ten had not shown up. I stared at my best friend and shook away all those indecent thoughts; I was glad that she was here. There was no way I could survive the night without constantly thinking about my grandmother and mum. I couldn't understand how there could be irresponsible drivers who would hit a pedestrian and drive off.

The next couple of hours consisted of Ten Ten trying to cheer me up; she did a really good job at that. It's been a while since I had last hung out with her; it was hard to find time to match each other's work schedule, being a waitress meant my nights were usually preoccupied. She told me about her job as a secretary to the CEO of a very famous shopping centre, SM Mall. SM Mall had many branches across Japan and it was owned by the Hyuuga family. The Hyuuga family had a good public reputation and were even feared by the most powerful mafia gangs.

Just before going to bed I had taken a bath with Ten Ten in my small bathroom. We scrubbed each other's back clean before jumping into the scalding water. I practically saw Ten Ten like a sister to me and I never had discomfiture being naked in front of her. I had sprinkled some bath salt to help us relax, the water was nice and hot, just the way I like it. The surrounding became misty in a pleasant way as the room got warmer.

"I wish my breasts were at least the same size as yours." Ten Ten stated out of the blue.

Her statement made it hard for my eyes not to focus on her rather petite body. Her chest area seemed to have never developed; it was never something I had paid much attention to until now. I could feel Ten Ten's burning gaze as she stared at my breasts. I wish she would stop, as it was really making me feel uncomfortable.

"So... Which bra size are you?" Ten Ten asked.

"B... or C, it really depends on the style of the bra." I replied and added, "Maybe you should consider some breast enhancement pills or surgery..."

"The pills don't work; I swear it's a scam. I'm against plastic surgery; I should just appreciate what God has blessed me with. At least when I am old, my breasts won't be sagging."

"Does having small breasts make you feel bad?"

"Nope, my self esteem is actually very high. It's just curiosity I guess, besides, push-up bras are amazing these days."

"You can say that again."

We got out of the bath when the water started to cool down. I lent Ten Ten one of my night gowns because she had came over hurriedly after hearing the news of my grandma; she didn't pack any clothing in her rushed state. I have a double bed and I was happy to share half my sleeping space with my best friend. Ten Ten had stated right at the start that she would feel uncomfortable sleeping on my grandmother's bed. I don't blame her; my grandmother's bed is technically a dead person's bed now.

"I'm happy for your grandma's spirit to come home tonight but I prefer that she would not find me sleeping on her bed." Ten Ten had stated.

"It's ok; you can sleep next to me on my bed." I reassured her.

Later on in the night, I woke up from the heavy, uncomfortable pressure of Ten Ten's arm and leg wrapped across my body. She must have thought I was her hugging pillow in her slumber state. Her face was right next to my ears, and I could actually here her whispering a message. My eyes bulged as I made out the words, I felt like I overheard a secret of Ten Ten's that I shouldn't have.

"I love you Sakura, I wish you would love me back." Ten Ten whispered in her sleep.

Her words sent chilly shivers down my spine.

A/N: Megumi Haruno an original character I made up RIP. Apologies to OOC but this is an alternate universe. Please follow my story if you are reading this far. Until the next time =P