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CHAPTER RATING: T

Episode 16: Royal Consort, Part I: Recovery

"You're here to keep me company…? What does that me-"

"What do you think it means?" Sakura interrupted with a smile. She moved over to his side and stood next to him. "I'm here to make sure that nothing bad happens to you during your hospitalization." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. "I'm here to make sure that you make a full recovery. You didn't think it was anything else did you?"

"Uhh…No, not at all. Thank you, Sakura-chan. I knew that I would aleays be alright as long as you are with me." He leaned back and let his head sink into the pillow.

"I've even got something that may help with your recovery." She said while walking over to a cabinet, rummaging through some cabinets, she soon emerged with a jar filled with capsules, labeled "Sakura's Recovery Remedy"

"This!" she shouted with enthusiasm. "This is a special remedy that I created to help others. You'll be the first to try it!" she added with a smile.

Naruto's blood ran cold. He took a deep gulp as he sank deeper into the pillow, as if he could get away from Sakura and her magical remedy.

"N-No thanks, Sakura-chan…Really, I think I can make the recovery myself…The nine-tails does help with healing, so don't worry." He abruptly added.

Sakura-chan's Soldier Pills were terrible. If she gives me these, I'll die for sure!

"You'll recover even faster if you just take the capsule, Naruto. Don't worry, it's all-natural, I specifically used only herbs to make this medicine." She said while moving closer to him with a capsule in her hand.

That's what she said last time too

"S-Sakura-chan, I really don't think that's necessary." Sakura gently pushed against his injured ribs, causing his mouth to widely crack open in a shriek of pain. She quickly dropped the pill in his mouth and slammed his jaw shut until she heard him gulp down the capsule.

"That wasn't that bad, was it?" Sakura bluntly asked.

"N-No." he replied while grabbing at his throat and coughing. He paused.

That wasn't bad at all. It tasted like…Nothing.

"No, it wasn't bad at all." Naruto finished.

"…Are you feeling anything strange yet?" Sakura asked him.

"Well, the pain is slowly fading away. I think it'll be a quick recovery." She took a seat next to his bed.

"I'll be here to make sure that you're safe. Good Night, Naruto."

"Good Night, Sakura-chan."

…

Minutes later, Naruto had fallen into a deep sleep, Sakura sat by his side, listening to the steady beat of the heart monitor. Her mind began to wander about the events that preceded his hospitalization.

Why was he rushing out of the house?

I know that my mother was ordered to test him, but how did she do it…?

A soft knock came at the door. Sakura's head flinched at the sound. Her thought process stopped as she stood up and began to walk towards the door.

She slowly opened the door and peeked into the hallway. The person she saw was her mother.

"Sakura, I need to talk to you." She whispered. Sakura's head dipped back into the room, glancing at Naruto. Everything seemed okay, she nodded and stepped out of the room, quietly closing the door behind her.

"What is it Mom?" Sakura asked while leaning against the door.

"How is he?" Mebuki asked

"He's doing fine. What else do you want?" Sakura said with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

There was a long pause between the two of them.

"Sakura, I know what you're thinking. But try to understand that those were orders from the Hoka-"

"I don't care if they were orders from the Hokage!" Sakura interrupted. "Whatever you did to him is wrong! And you know it! How could you do this to me?!"

"Sakura, I'm sorry for what I did, but please try to understand that I didn't do anything…too drastic." Mebuki explained.

"Then what did you do?" Sakura asked.

"I didn't do much; all I did was kiss him."

"You kissed him…?" Sakura asked in a desperate tone.

"Sakura, look at the bright side, he didn't accept my advances…In fact, he rushed out of the house when I kissed him; he's still faithful to you…Can't you see that?"

There was another long pause between the two.

"I understand." Sakura nodded. "Just promise me that you'll never do anything like that again-even if you're ordered to."

Mebuki extended her arms, Sakura moved to hug her mother.

"I promise, I won't do anything like that again." Mebuki stated.

"Thank you…Good night, Mom." She tightened her embrace.

"Good night, Sakura."

Sakura walked back into the room, closed the door and sat down on the sofa next to Naruto's hospital bed.

…

Naruto awoke to a morning silence, occasionally broken by his heartbeat. He looked around while clearing his vision to see that he was alone in his hospital room. His jacket was draped over his still shirtless torso. The pain that ripped through his side was now just a nagging stiffness. He pulled himself up into a sitting position, but found that he could not even slightly bend over.

He stiffened when he heard the door open. Sakura's mother stepped through into the room. Immediately, his blood froze over.

"M-Mebuki-san? W-What do you want?!" he desperately asked. She approached his bedside. "L-Look, you saw my answer last night! I don't know what was wrong with you, but I told you that I love Sakura-chan. So, please, just leave me alone."

"Naruto-san, I have something to tell you. Please calm down." She said in a low tone.

He took a deep breath.

"Okay, what is it?"

"Everything that happened last night, I need to tell you that it wasn't sincere." He exhaled in relief.

"Why did you do it, then?"

"I was assigned by the Hokage to test you."

He took a deep breath.

"I'm really sorry, Naruto."

"Don't be, let's just pretend that it never happened. Thank you." She smiled at his thanks.

"Maybe one day, I'll be able to call you my son-in-law."

"…Maybe." He said with a nervous smile. She bowed to him and stepped out of the room.

He leaned his head into the soft pillow and closed his eyes.

Son-in-law…?

…

Minutes after Mebuki exited the room, Sakura entered.

"Naruto? How are you feeling today?" she asked.

"Much better…I just can't seem to bend over. But besides that, I think that I'm fine to leave."

"Great! I was just at the front desk, and you're cleared for discharge today." She walked over to him and detached all cords and wires used to monitor his physical condition.

"Hey, Sakura-chan?" he asked nervously.

"Yes?"

"Well, your mom said..." he hesitated.

"What did my mom say?" she interrupted.

"N-nothing…Never mind."

Sakura gave him a blank stare, and then smiled.

She took his arm upon her shoulders again and helped him over to a pair of crutches. He promptly took them under his arms and began to walk along side her until they exited the hospital.

"What do you want to do, since you've been discharged?" Sakura asked. "Do you want to go out and eat?"

"No…I'd rather just spend some alone time with…I really just want to go home." He said in a low tone. "That's all."

"I'll take you home."

They walked home, side by side.

…

When they entered the house, Sakura brought Naruto to his bed and sat him down.

"Lie down and relax. I'll get you something to eat."

"Thank you." Sakura stood up and walked towards the kitchen.

Sakura-chan's mother suggested that I'd be her son-in-law

His mind raced with the thoughts.

Marriage…? That's a large step…

Am I ready for this?

Is she ready for this?

What am I supposed to do with this information?

…I just don't know…What…What am I suppose to do?

If only I had someone to ask these questions.

He took a deep breath.

When should I tell her…?

Sakura reentered the room, stopping his thoughts in their tracks. She sat next to him and placed her hand on his side.

"How does it feel?" she asked him.

"Better, but stiff." He answered. She chuckled at his answer, and whispered into his ear.

"There's another way I can speed up your recovery, Naruto…It'll take the pain away."

"What's that?" He feigned ignorance.

She placed her hand on his chest and turned to kiss him.

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