Reviewers;
PoeticFire: Exactly right. One last complication. I couldn't have said it better myself.
Duh Bomb: I try Bomb. I try. PS. How do you get on a plane? I mean...your name is 'bomb'. ;)
7th Demon of Razgriz: you want my reviewers to cry more? That's...dark. :)
Czar Joseph: No mebuki. I have trouble just writing the name and I don't like the name. Besides that, they were really only introduced in the filler of Sakura having amnesia, so I figure my names of parents will stick to what I've read on and in fanfiction. Not fan of crossover of characters. Maybe characters in a crossover setting? I like those.
MundaneBeast: Secrets are serious business, but yes they are.
Killer Husky: It was from Sasuke, but it is fading away, to signify that the experience is passing and filled in with good memories.
DOParadox17: you were right...months ago, until I changed the title of my story and change the secret.
XxAshishxX: I have to end it, so that I can start ANOTHER Story feauturing our two lovebirds. It's not just one story that we need. It's More stories as well.
Lestibur: Thanks
Fury Cutter: You should be an announcer. that review was spotless. :)
Logan Locke: Ahhh...Logan. First 27: Oz is a prison show? Oh...I am glad you enjoyed the pillow talk and the progression of moving on with their bad times behind them. It was a unique thing? It litterally just 'came to me.' I guess I know what to do now in the future. ;) Thanks.
And then there was 28: I know! Two more? Geez, this last the whole semester for me at school, and now I'm getting my time to start writing my next story. I went home for four days, and wrote in detail...six chapters. I was on a roll! After this, I will hit 400 easy. I figured that a month for the media would be playing chicken with the idea of trying to post the images without their approval and liked it.
You got the ideals perfectly. Everything is perfect and now they are ready for the one thing that could change their lives drastically. BTW, Ino is SUCH A BOMBSHELL! If I wanted to Get with a girl in Naruto, it'd probably be Ino. With the secret, it is the one thing that Ino knows as a supporting character that Naruto, the main character does not, and it shows a lot, right?
An: ...Wow. I have come back from the dead to post the last two chapters this week! That means today, and most likely Tuesday. I just want to say thanks for all the support, ideas, and general reviews from everyone. This chapter means a lot to me and this is what defines the title of my story, so please look into it closely. And so, let us begin.
Tone and Stroke
Chapter 29: Whispers Within the Goddess
It was dark when Sakura awoke from her slumber. Not even the sun would arise so early at four in the morning, but Sakura's mind told her that this was the time to rise and so she did, because she had so much emotional things to think about for today, and she needed to look at her fiancé without him staring back at her, and so there Sakura laid, on her back, as her head turned to the left to watch Naruto sleep.
To think, they were getting married. It should have been made inevitable just after they first made love all those years ago, but then again, Sakura still couldn't fully comprehend that she was getting married. Life was so good; how could marriage, a simple piece of paper, make this feeling inside her even better?
Sakura couldn't understand why this mattered to her so much? She had been so happy a month ago, before Naruto proposed. But after he proposed…life was better. There was…more color, more life, more memory, more comfort and…Sakura smiled wide, a knowledge that they were meant for each other. Maybe that's what marriage meant.
But before that could happen, Naruto had to meet her mother. Most couples would say that meeting the parents was sometimes the hardest thing to do in life and in a relationship. For Sakura, it was not. Her mother had told her when she was younger that as long as the guy treated her right, she would approve and Naruto wasn't anything but a gentleman.
No, it was the fact that once he met her, Sakura would have to confess her darkest secret, something that she had even gotten expunged from her medical records as soon as she had the money to do so. No one could know. The only way was if someone talked with her mother, with Ino, or with Sakura.
Sakura in truth, didn't want her fiancé to know. He was better off not knowing. They could continue to live such a happy life, until Sakura's condition became more apparent, and she was on medication to prevent that, so they could potentially live forever. Sakura felt Naruto's breath tickle her face and grazed her fingers through his blonde locks that somehow still shined in the darkness of the night.
She was just being selfish is what she was being. She just wanted to spend her life with this man beside her, and she was worried that this one thing could ruin their relationship, this marriage, this engagement, their Lives!
Sakura shrugged out of her spot and began a slow exodus from her spot on the edge of the mattress until her chest was pressed deeply into Naruto's. Naruto groaned and brought his arms around Sakura's waist, pulling the rest of her body even closer than it already was.
Sakura smiled, as she closed her eyes. Whatever happened today, this would be what she remembered. So with that, Sakura fell back asleep, until the sun awoke her once more as it peeked out from the horizon beyond.
Three hours later, Sakura opened her eyes and once she saw that Naruto was still asleep, made her way off the bed and towards the bathroom, closing the door most of the way before starting to get ready for the day. Unknown to Sakura, Naruto was already awake.
In fact, he had just woken up and felt the mattress move as Sakura's weight moved off the mattress. Naruto kept his eyes closed for a few more seconds as he heard Sakura's naked footfalls on the wooden ground. He smiled as he heard her enter the bathroom. She never put on her bathrobe as she made her way over to the bathroom.
Naruto opened his eyes and smiled brighter as the door that Sakura closed slowly opened once more from the simple fact that she hadn't fully closed the door, so Naruto had a clear view of the naked backside of his fiancée as well as her upper front and face from the mirror. He smiled. She Had to know that she was teasing him, right? But her footfalls sounded like she was trying Not to wake him up. She was such an unknowing and teasing girlfriend, or should he now say fiancee?
Naruto's eyes saw Sakura turn on the sink and splash her face with the cold water before opening the medicine cabinet and pulled out her weekly set of pills. Naruto's face scrunched up a little as she opened the case and pulled out the numerous amounts of vitamins and multicolored tablets before filling an empty glass with water.
Naruto watched silently as Sakura swallowed each colored tablet and let his mind focus on Sakura as a whole person. He wondered for a bit about the pills. Over the summer in high school, Sakura had pulled out those pills before she went to bed at his place, and when they had reunited, they had been there as well.
Even with the photo incident, the only thing Sakura had asked for were these pills. Naruto hadn't even needed to separate them as Sakura had them separated a month in advance. In truth, he had never asked about them, and that kind of disturbed him a bit.
I mean, was she sick or something? Naruto knew that Sakura was allergic to dust, and cats, hence why her apartment, and therefore his, was always clean. But she could get shots for that, so what could be wrong?
Naruto shook his head as he heard the shower turn on, and soon Sakura poked her head out and smiled at Naruto. "Hey Naruto. You ready to shower?"
Naruto smiled and nodded and Sakura ducked back in as Naruto watched her hair swish in her face before moving behind her. She was letting it grow longer. Naruto smiled as he sat up and moved towards the bathroom door and heard Sakura humming in the shower.
There was a drought currently in Konoha, so being the environmentalist they were, they shared their showers. Besides that though, Naruto could ask about the pills any time he wanted, and at this exact moment in time, he had a shower with a highly attractive girlfriend who needed his immediate attention.
Around eleven in the morning, the couple had taken Naruto's car and headed to the destination on the global positioning system that Naruto had recently added due to the excess of money he had. Naruto took his eyes off the road and looked towards Sakura.
The address on the destination would be leading them to a retirement home, but remembers Sakura saying her mother is only fifty, having Sakura when she was twenty six. If Sakura's mother had been in this home since he first met Sakura in high school, that made her around forty five. Why would someone so young be in a retirement home?
Naruto focused a little on Sakura and saw her twisting subconsciously in her seat, moving her feet constantly, her fingers playing with the edge of her pink blouse. This morning, he must have distracted her in the bathroom because she was smiling brightly. Now, she was biting her lower lip and glancing between Naruto and the road ahead.
Naruto heard the direction system tell him to make a left and so he did as he focused back on the road. She was probably just nervous about Naruto meeting her mother. To be sure, Naruto was worried and nervous. This woman was the woman who brought his fiancée into this life.
He had grown up without parents and so he was nervous around kids with parents, but according to Ino, he got along great with her parents just fine, so hopefully Sakura's mother and he would find some common ground, besides Sakura of course.
Naruto found a spot near the front of the retirement home and turned off the engine before seeing that the home was a normal looking one, though on the site it housed a huge courtyard for many patients to walk through and do some other things, he assumed. Naruto turned his head towards Sakura and breathed out.
"You ready?" Naruto asked as Sakura fidgeted a bit and nodded.
"Yeah."
"Okay then."
Naruto and Sakura left the car, and met up back in the front of it before Naruto hit the locking mechanism and they made their way inside to the lobby in the front entrance. Besides here, there were no other ways out. It was probably a good thing too, as many patients might try to leave when they shouldn't.
As they neared the front desk, the nurse looked up, about the same age as Naruto and Sakura, and smiled at Sakura directly.
"Haruno-San. It is good to see you again."
"Same here, Aika. Can I see my mother today?"
"Of course." Aika smiled brightly, "She is having a great day."
"So she is in the garden?"
"Of course. And who is this may I ask?"
"This is Naruto. My fiancé."
"Oh! Lucky man."
"I am definitely lucky." Naruto smiled before Sakura scoffed playfully and pulled him along the hallways until they appeared near an open sliding door and walked outside. The garden was filled with many walkways and flowers of all kinds. It was still early but older people got up really early, and so this was a normal occurrence.
Sakura was looking around and soon saw her mother in the distance and pulled Naruto along by his hand in hers and they soon arrived in front of her. Sakura let go of his hand and made her way forward as she sat down smiling in front of her mother.
Naruto himself took this time to compare them and was astounded by the similarities between mother and daughter. Ms. Haruno's face was age, her pink hair was lighter, but her smile and everything else was just older than Sakura. If Ms. Haruno was younger, then they could be sisters.
Naruto noticed something though, her eyes. Her eyes were just like Sakura's except they glowed a little less and were glazed over, as if they held a mist that hid their true color. And then he noticed something else; Sakura wasn't talking to her own mother. She was just sitting there smiling at her.
Sakura turned to see Naruto's questioning face and smiled at him. "We have to be patient, Naruto-Kun." Naruto sighed but nodded. He trusted Sakura and they continued to be patient.
After another minute, Naruto watched, somewhat astound as Sakura's mother's eyes de-glazed slowly and as soon as that misted look cleared, Ms. Haruno suddenly smiled at Sakura. Without even speaking, they both reached out as only mother-daughters could know and clasped their hands over the table.
"Sweetheart!" Ms. Haruno's voice chimed. "You came to visit little old me?"
"Of course mom. I always have time for you, and you're not old."
Sakura's mother sighed. "I feel old. I know everyone here."
"You are as young as you feel, and speaking of people, I have brought someone to introduce to you." Sakura smiled before she turned to Naruto and waved him closer. As soon as he appeared in her vision, Ms. Haruno smiled knowingly.
"You are Naruto, correct?"
Naruto let his mouth drop a bit as he wondered how she knew. "Y-yes ma'am."
Ms. Haruno smiled brighter. "Sakura talks about you all the time. Every time she comes here to see me."
"S-she does? I'm flattered."
"She always talks about how bright you hair is and how she just adores your smile." Ms. Haruno spoke, and Naruto smiled as Sakura's face grew flustered with redness from her mother's words.
"Mom," Sakura spoke up and her mother immediately looked between them and noticed their hands were interlinked and on top of the table. "Naruto and I have something to tell you."
"What is it, darling? Are you pregnant?" Ms. Haruno smiles, and Sakura giggled briefly before shaking her head.
"Not yet mother. No, um…Naruto proposed to me…and I said yes! I'm engaged Mom!"
"Oh Sakura! I'm so happy for you!" Haruno-San exclaimed as a mother would and reached over to hug her daughter. They cried and laughed before very slowly pulling away. Ms. Haruno soon turned to Naruto. "I-" Ms. Haruno began to speak before her entire body froze. Slowly her eyes grew misty and glazed back and instead of continuing to speak, she slowly sat back down, and looked back into the garden, fully ignoring them.
Naruto leaned forward, wondering what the heck was happening. How did someone just stop a conversation and become like a statue looking somewhere that doesn't exist. What was going on?
Sakura turned back to Naruto and saw his mind reeling back and forth, trying to understand the situation. Sakura sighed and gripped his hand with hers a little tighter, and saw Naruto break away from the scene and focus on her completely. "She'll take about twenty minutes to refocus on us, Naruto-Kun, so we can talk freely."
Naruto took a few seconds before looking towards her. "I-I don't understand Sakura-Chan. Nothing really seems wrong with her. I-is something wrong with her?"
"This is why I wanted to show you to her, Naruto-Kun." Sakura spoke and knew that this was it. It was time to tell him everything about her. Sakura dropped her head lower and soon, Naruto fingers graced her cheek and she looked back up and smiled a bit before she nodded her head and began to speak in a voice that sounded practiced and rehearsed all throughout her life.
"My family has always been afflicted with mental traumas, something that is inherited in the genes of my family. It has something to do with a part of my brain and the effects that occur are what doctors call the inner persona syndrome. It affects my tone in music, in art, and mainly in my older life. But it doesn't affect me as much in a lower sense as I'm younger and can fight against it more rapidly. Whenever my mother and the rest of my family gets this way, they go into what doctors call a stroke, because their hearts skip a beat every minute during the occurrence."
"What are some symptoms?" Naruto asked and Sakura paused in her tale to think about it.
"Not too much really. Just…all my life, I have heard whispers all around me, whispering the right answers during a test, giving me suggestions on my attire and what to wear, what I should do with my life, arguments against what I want, and…"
"…and what?"
"…a lot of suggestions in the bedroom. Sakura blushed happily.
"So, this syndrome has been with you since before we got together? Is this what you've been worried about this entire relationship?"
Sakura blushed but nodded. "Yes. It's the only thing I'm scared about with marrying you, Naruto-Kun. My children will inherit what I have. When I get older, I will become dependent on others for a large number of things. Inner Persona Syndrome doesn't affect my health overall, so I can still live till an old age, but you see my mom as she is now, right? That voice is talking with her right now, and is showing her all the things that have happened in her life. Every single detail. When I was little, I began a brain stimulating regiment thanks to my mom, and it may or may not suppress my Inner self."
"So that's what the pills and vitamins are for."
"Yes."
"And that's why you wanted to be an…actress?" Naruto asked slowly, but as Sakura grinned brightly, he was glad he asked.
"Yes! That's exactly why I've wanted to be an actress. You see, most of them live the greatest amount of their lives in a short amount of time. I want to say that it's part of why we had sex so fast after I saw you again. My persona talked about you so much, saying how you were the best choice for me, and I agreed so readily with it." Sakura stopped and caressed Naruto's hand in both of hers.
"I have seen so much growing up so that when I deteriorate, I have no regrets; that is what the syndrome focuses on as one gets older. My mother only ever regretted leaving my father, and that has cost her twenty minutes every couple hours or so. If she slept right, you'll get to talk to her for a long while."
"I needed to show you this, Naruto, because I want you to be with me. I've had no regrets in this relationship, not one, and I don't want to start now by lying to you. I love you with all my heart, but I need you to know that I could be just like my mother, gazing off on my past decisions, but if you look closely, my mother is smiling, because she is remembering the good parts as well as the bad. I am here for you through thick and thin and I-"
"Sakura-Chan, you can stop your speech." Naruto interrupted once more, and brought up his hand to his cheek, her hand holding onto the outside of his and he leaned in close to her face, until his nose was touching hers and their eyes connected and as they stayed locked on, Naruto lightly kissed Sakura on her lips, effectively shutting her up.
"I did not start to like you because I wanted to be with you in bed and nothing else. In fact, when I first liked you, I never thought that would be possible. I painted you Sakura-Chan, because I thought that painting you was the best hope on how I could capture your soul; capture your beauty and gentle nature for mine.
"Now though, you have bonded with me just by saying yes to me a month ago. I don't care if you stare off in remembrance of your past; I will try to do the same when that time comes. But I will promise to you right now that I will take care of you and our children, until my last breath." Naruto spoke and as he ended his thoughts, Sakura smiled brightly and leaned forward to kiss Naruto for a full minute before they parted, smiling as they did.
"Sakura?" Ms. Haruno spoke up suddenly and though Sakura stayed where she was, Naruto was spooked and turned to see Ms. Haruno's eyes back to their older emerald and smiling at the both of them.
"Yes mother?" Sakura asked, as she leaned into Naruto's shoulder, and kissed his neck lightly.
"Naruto is a keeper if he is trustworthy when he makes a promise like that."
"You heard me? Naruto asked, astonished that his confession had been heard by someone other than his fiancée.
Sakura smiled into her fiancé's neck, and let out a happy chuckle. "I forgot to mention, Naruto-Kun. Even though the inner persona has our minds stuck in the past, I'll be able to hear and see everything that happens around me."
"Sakura-Chan," Naruto groaned into the top of her head, "you could have told me that earlier." Naruto turned his face and looked at her mother and smiled. "Pleasure to meet you, Haruno-San."
So, Tone and Stroke, huh? Welllll? Did I hit everything correctly? Join us for the last chapter for the wedding!