PASSING SEASONS
Whispers of Autumn
''I just don't understand why she couldn't do it herself!'' Sakura exclaimed and buried her nose deeper into her scarf. Autumn might be the most beautiful time of the year with colourful leaves swimming through the air and wind dancing around the ears, but certain days were simply too cold to enjoy any of it.
''Well, the fact that she's got a mountain of papers on her table, a bunch of people waiting in front of her office, and this project waiting to be finished – I'm pretty sure she went drinking with Kakashi.'' Naruto commented casually, seemingly oblivious to the cold wind. Sakura glared at him, but having only her eyes and the upper part of her puffy and rosy cheeks peeking over the thick scarf she had around her neck, only made her more adorable than she already was in Naruto's opinion. He couldn't help but smile at her, teasing her a little with his fingers pinching one of her cheeks. She huffed, annoyed that he couldn't take her seriously and that it was way too cold for her to pinch him back like she usually would, but she really had a hard time to stay serious. She thought about her mentor, always loud and a little tipsy, but insanely intelligent. She would love to become such a strong person – aside from the drinking part, of course. That would only make her violent tendencies towards people who dared to tease her increase to a level of unacceptable. Most probably. Not that she knew what exactly was acceptable and what not – she did harm people on a daily basis, even though she healed them, too, of course, but she guessed that there must be one point where her fists should rather stay next to her that in someone else's face.
Ino had often told her that she should control her temper more. ''You're only ruining your nails.'' Was her smart reason one day, when they drank tea outside in Ino's garden, while she was painting her nails. The blonde didn't seem to be concerned about other matters, really, but Sakura might have been wrong about that, because Ino glanced her way for a second, before blowing at her nails to dry faster. ''Besides, your weird tendencies make you you. And it's not like anyone complains about it. Naruto seems to like it quite well if you ask me.'' Only a small smile indicated that there was more she was saying, but it disappeared as fast as it appeared, and she was soon back at admiring her nails. Sakura pretended the change of topic was natural. She also didn't let herself think too much about the fact that she more often than not didn't react at Naruto's teasing anymore. Sometimes, he was joking around with the boys about certain fighting skills or rather said non-skills of other people, his eyes glancing at Sakura carefully, only to get away with a playful punch in the arm. To think what she had done to him years ago when comments like these came from his or anyone's mouth, she rather became an angel. Naruto even went as far as to poke her in the hips or cheeks sometimes, just to get her attention or make her squeal when his fingers hit a sensitive spot. He seemed to enjoy the reactions he could bring out of her, and it didn't escape Sakura, nor did it escape anyone else for that matter, that she reacted rather – and for the lack of any other adjectives – warmly at his advances. She might punch him here and there, but more often than not did she simply roll her eyes, shake her head, or even laugh everything off.
''You really did grow up.'' Kakashi mentioned once as he witnessed her reaction that was so different from before, giving her a knowing smile, as his eyes glanced from a whining Naruto and back at her. She had a hard time blushing and stuttering, but her former teacher only shook his head chuckling, and returned to reading his rather lovely books. She would admit she took a peek inside once, and although it made her feel a little ashamed, she rather enjoyed the graphic sketches. Not that she would ever admit that. People around her didn't need to know about her dirty thoughts. They sometimes still switched between dark and blue eyes, but she avoided thinking about that. Especially if those blue eyes were following her almost every day and became rather attentive to what she did and said. Just like now, when he knew exactly what to say to make her a little annoyed, but still making her smile. He became rather dangerous for her poor heart.
''How long does it take to get that done anyway?'' she asked, pushing her hands deeper into her pockets. She peaked around, careful not to turn her head too much and allowing the wind to sneak under her scarf and under her coat. They just left the village behind and walked through the beginning of the forest, its trees heavy with bright leafs and animals rushing to prepare for the long and cold winter that would come too soon. It was a breath-taking sight that warmed her chest a little, and made her a little happier to be outside on such a beautiful day. She forgot about all her previous thoughts and let herself enjoy the view. It was supposed to be her free weekend, but her beloved mentor had asked her and Naruto to go into the forest and find a few plants for her that she needed for her research. It wasn't like she had anything planned for today – she would have most probably ended up hanging out with Naruto anyway, like she usually did, but as Tsunade said: ''If you get an opportunity to learn something new, grab it and use it!'' – of course it was usually just an excuse to make others do her work, but regarding the fact that she did actually have a lot to do, Sakura kept her complains to herself.
''Well, I'm guessing that we'll have to ask the forest guardian for permission to enter into the sacred area, and then… Well… I guess you'd know what next.'' His hunched shoulders indicated that he wasn't as oblivious to the cold as he seemed moment before, but he was more interested to take in the view than to whine about the temperature.
''No wonder she chose us…'' she muttered under breath, thinking that her knowledge would help them find the plants, and Naruto's privileged position assure them access. He scrunched nose made the boy chuckle. ''As the future Hokage and a fox… I guess I do have a word in all that, yes.''
This time she did hit his shoulder but the boy only pretended to be in devastating pain. ''You're lucky I'm more into healing people than hurting them.'' She playfully threatened. ''You could have fooled me.'' He muttered and rushed forward before she could hit him again. His laughing was contagious and soon they were both running through the heaps of golden leafs and broken twigs, through the lush undergrowth and flowers, whispers of the forest following them with each step, until they reached the dazzling front tree gate into the sacred forest area. Two magnificent trees stood with intertwined tops, shaping the gate into the magical gate into the pure natural world only a few humans were allowed to enter. They stopped in respectful silence, admiring the beauty of autumn nature. A moment later, Naruto stepped forward and closed his eyes. Sakura could only watch in fascination as the wind made leaves circle around him like a small tornado and he seemed to have a conversation with the gods of nature. He seemed so powerful and magnificent in that moment that her breathing turned shaky and her hands moved around in anticipation. The bright autumn colours and the sun in front of him threw golden shadows at him and Naruto became god himself in her eyes.
He is beautiful.
Her rushing heart agreed with her thoughts.
She could imagine the conversation he was having and she could only smile at the thought of knowing exactly how Naruto would talk, what he would say, and what he would think. She knew practically everything about him. And that frightened her a little.
She was so deep in thoughts that she didn't notice Naruto turning to her, his fox eyes smiling at her dazed expression, and his hand waiting for her to take it. ''Come, Sakura-chan.'' His almost demon-like fox voice invited her, and without thinking about it, she took his hand and walked with him through the sacred gate. The change was palpable, as sudden warmth wrapped her whole body into a cosy bubble, and the air around her got lighter, sweeter, and easier to breathe. The forest they walked into was brighter, fuller, and nosier. There were thousands of animals, simply walking by, ignoring their existence. The ground seemed softer, and there was this gentle scent in the air, sweet and fresh, like cool water falling from a waterfall. She knew that she couldn't let go of Naruto's hand at that point because she was just a human. She was currently welcome in this world, but it was Naruto who knew the way and only he could bring her out without her getting lost in this world of pure beauty. She could already feel her mind daze off again, and she couldn't control any of it.
''Which one is it?'' she heard Naruto fox ask as they arrived at a clearing, covered with bright flowers. Sakura looked around in a daze, her eyes looking for the flower Tsunade wanted to have. She noticed it a moment later; a puddle of tiny blue flowers, growing in the middle of the meadow. She pulled Naruto behind her, slowly leading him towards the spot. Once they were there, she slowly sat down, making the boy sit too, and together they gathered a few petals and put them in small bags. The magic of nature made the girl's mind hazy but not confused. She was in pure bliss, enchanted by the powers that were beyond her reach and Naruto was next to her in all his beautiful foxy glory, watching over her – just like he always did.
As they plucked enough flowers, Sakura looked at him with that dazed smile. ''We can go.'' She whispered, oblivious to Naruto's admiration. For a moment, he pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it, his eyes peaking at her from above. She was mesmerized, but she would most probably not remember everything that happened in this blissful world. The fox boy smiled at her and they stood up, slowly making their way back to their world.
They walked without saying anything, not that she was able to say anything in the state that she was in. He on the other had was in his own world, looking around and enjoying the feeling of his original world. As they reached the gate again, they stopped, looking back for a few minutes, then at each other, smiling. Then they walked out hand in hand, back into the cold autumn, back into the human world.
Sakura blinked a few times, her vision and mind focused again. She still felt that warmth in her chest and her body was still filled with the magnificence of what they just saw. The memory was slightly blurry for her, but she knew that they had the flowers and that the world of nature is beautiful. She looked up at the boy next to her, his eyes human again, his smile dazzled and blissful, and she knew that she cared a lot for him.
She cared dangerously a lot for him.
''This was amazing.'' She whispered, still holding Naruto's hand. The boy only nodded, suddenly pulling her into a shaky embrace. In surprize, she gasped but hugged him back, feeling him burying his face into her neck. Her cheeks heat up, and words were stuck in her throat, as she was too confused to voice them.
''This was incredible.'' The boy whispered, his baritone shaking her heart like bells. ''It felt like home.''
''It really did.'' She whispered back, pressing his head into her shoulder and enjoying his arms around her. This felt like home, she had to admit to herself. ''Just give me a moment.'' He told her, laughing sneakily, trying hard to compose himself after experiencing such joy in the magic of nature. And with her. With her. The one he cared for the most.
''It's ok.'' She caressed the back of his head, enjoying the feeling of his hair in between her fingers. He smelled so good, once again wearing that perfume she noticed during the summer festival. She understood that becoming one with nature and having complete control over one's mind and body was something that even Naruto felt was more than he could handle. He was incredibly happy and he had trouble controlling himself – which didn't happen often.
When he finally moved back, he was smiling brightly at her, his arms still around her, and he was telling her things he felt as a fox in his world, but she couldn't really hear a word because her mind trapped her once again in that indescribable feeling only Naruto's voice, scent, and the view of him could cause. She knew she was grinning like an idiot at him, but he seemed to be oblivious to that, so she simply took it all in until he snapped out of it.
He didn't snap out of it for a very very long time.
And she didn't complain at all.
Once they finally brought the flowers to Tsunade, the woman was slightly annoyed by their late appearance, but the hint of a calculating smile she wore before turning away, indicated that perhaps not only wasn't she angry at all, but that this might just have been one of her meddling actions. Sakura couldn't really tell. And she didn't really have time to think about it that much anyway, because her mentor threw them a bottle of Sake as a thank you at them and kicked them out of her office, demanding they go out and drink for her, too. Sakura and Naruto could only laugh and make their way to the nearest ramen shop to express their enthusiasm of the day over the best dinner ever and have a taste of that delicious Sake. Later they would blame it for holding hands for the rest of the evening, and hugging each other accidentally whenever one of them lost balance. Which was quite often, mind you – the Sake was strong.
Not that Sakura would admit she didn't really feel it affecting her. And she would also not admit that it were mostly Naruto's hands in hers or around her hips making her feel a little confused.
It was mostly the Sake!
And her not minding his hands in hers only a figment of her imagination.