Over the past few days, Sakura been fighting through the fog in her mind that the fever created, struggling to reach consciousness as if she was trudging through molasses. Whenever she was finally able to pry open her eyes, a soft voice would instantly lull her back to sleep, accompanied by a wet cloth to her forehead and a bitter tasting medicine in her mouth. Although she despised being treated like an invalid, a part of her enjoyed the gentleness that she was treated with; in her fevered state, it reminded her of her mother. Despite wanting nothing more than to stay in the warm cocoon of the past, Sakura knew that she had to awaken so that they could continue the quest. So, after what seemed to be weeks of sleep, she slowly began to awaken, only to regret it as she heard the whispers of her teammates.

"Is she gonna wake up soon?"

"Idiot, you're going to get in trouble."

"As if you care, Mr. I'm-gonna-see-her-no-matter-what."

"Hn."

Sakura groaned, rolling over onto her side, burying her head underneath the pillow. "Perhaps it'd be better to stay asleep," She thought to herself, sighing softly.

"Is she waking up?!"

"She makes those noises often in her sleep," A voice she vaguely recognized from their imprisonment responded, "It may merely be time for more medicine."

"Well then what the hell do you suggest we should do?"

"Idiot, do you want Ino to come in here and beat you?"

"I've read that if a prince kisses a sleeping princess, she will awaken."

Sakura felt her body tense at the statement, cheeks flushing with embarrassment instead of fever. "A k-k-kiss?!" She thought, noticing how the room seemingly went silent; she prayed that they weren't seriously considering the option.

"…Well, seeing as how I'm the only prince here…"

"Touch her and you die."

"Oh, so that you can kiss her?! Fat chance you elf bastard!"

"No, so that she doesn't get molested in her sleep!"

"You don't trust me?"

"Considering how you've been trying to court Ino since you've woken up, yes." Sakura heard Sasuke, eliciting a snort of amusement from her. As soon as she let the sound out, she felt three pairs of eyes land on her, each with varying intensity. She sighed, slowly sitting up, mouth opening wide as she yawned with her arms stretched high above her head.

"Sakura," Naruto shouted, leaping onto the bed with her, too wrapped in his joy at seeing her awake to care about manners. "You're awake!"

"Of course I am," Sakura said, arms falling back down to her sides; vaguely she felt the straps fall with her, though at the time she paid no heed as she went on to crack her neck. "You act as if you doubted me."

She expected Naruto to rant about how he could never doubt her, yet was surprised when she was met with silence. She opened her eyes, only to see that Naruto seemed to be staring at her intently, while Sasuke was adamantly looking away, the back of his neck bright red. She followed Naruto's line of sight, feeling herself flush bright red as she noticed his eyes were trained her breasts; due to the straps falling down her shoulders and the deep neckline, the fabric covering her chest had fallen, resulting in her almost flashing them. Before she could even think, she had drawn her fist back and punched Naruto in the face; he flew off the bed and into Sasuke, sending the both of them tumbling to the floor. She immediately brought the blanket up to her chin, shielding her body from any more stares, face still a bright red from embarrassment.

"Get the hell out of here you lecherous dogs!"

"I told them to respect your privacy," Ino hummed as she checked Sakura's condition. Apparently Sasuke and Naruto had snuck into her room while Ino had been conversing with Kakashi; Sai, not realizing that they shouldn't be there, let them stay as he continued his job. Sakura merely stared at the bed, her face still pink with embarrassment from the entire ordeal.

"Still, perhaps I shouldn't have hit him that hard," Sakura mumbled, her hair shielding her expression. "I mean, it was kind of an accident…"

"If you ask me, he deserved every bruise he got," Ino snorted, "And stop covering yourself with your hair," She moved the hair out of her face, sighing. "You've absolutely nothing to be ashamed about!"

Sakura felt her cheeks grow hotter, directing her attention to a corner of the room. "A-Ah," She stammered out, having resorted to her old habit of hiding since she was uncomfortable with the attention she was getting. Never before had someone besides Naruto compliment her on her appearance, especially a female; usually the girls of the village would have relentlessly teased and gossiped about her hair and her clothes, always making assumptions about her but never trying to befriend her.

She heard Ino sigh. "From the nice shiner you gave Naruto, I would've expected you to be a bit more…exuberant."

Sakura merely shrugs her shoulders in response. "I didn't have many female friends growing up," She stated, "Guess they were too intimidated or something."

"Bunch of pansies if you ask me," Ino scoffed, earning a giggle from Sakura.

"Well, they were quite feminine looking, always wearing these impractical dresses during the summer." Sakura noted, reminiscing of hot summer days observing girls fanning themselves as they complained of the heat. She shook her head, still baffled by how human women would gladly suffer in the hopes of attracting the gazes of men; did they not think of how impractical the dresses were?

"Feminine doesn't always mean being a weakling," Ino replied, finishing her notes on her condition; Sakura looked at her, silently urging her to continue. "I mean, just look at the flowers; beautiful and delicate, yet able to survive the harshest of winters when given the proper care."

"I suppose you're right…" Sakura muttered, cheeks flushing slightly; Ino snorted, placing her hands on her hips.

"Of course I'm right," She declared, "Now, let me go prepare you a bath so that you can get washed up. After all, I suppose it's the first one you've had in a while, correct?"

Sakura felt her cheeks grow hotter, her gaze directing towards the bed in shame. "I-I'm sorry if I offended you," She blurted out, despite knowing that it was beyond her control. Ino smiled softly as she sat beside her on the bed, her hand gently laying on top of hers.

"It's fine," She replied, other hand waving nonchalantly, "Compared to what I've had to do in the past, you've been a joy to take care of, what with not trying to grope me every time I washed you in bed."

Sakura's face burst bright red at the thought, gaze immediately directing towards her chest. "Sh-She saw me naked," She thought in her head, arms instinctively going to wrap around her chest. Ino blinked as she watched her reaction, a mischievous smile forming on her face.

"Why Sakura," She purred with delight, "Don't tell me that the brave, foul-mouthed dwarf I've heard so much about is, deep down, just an innocent maiden?"

"Sh-Shut up you pig," Sakura snapped, knees coming up to her chest; Ino began laughing, hand coming to rest on her chest. "It's not funny," She whined, feet stamping on the bed like a child being denied their desires. Ino merely pretended to wipe tears from her eyes, casting her a toothy grin.

"Oh, it was going to happen eventually, whether with a woman or a man." Ino said, waving her hand dismissively; Sakura instantly shut her mouth, the thought of any man seeing her naked mortifying her into silence. Ino smirked slightly as she hopped off the bed, pleased with her small victory.

"Well, come along now," Ino said, heading towards the bathroom; Sakura followed after her, shivering slightly as the cool air hit her bare skin. Ino pulled open a door, revealing a large tub in the middle of the room with a fire pit underneath it and a pump of water next to it. Spread across the room were various jars and bottles, which currently had Sakura's attention as Ino busied herself with preparing the bath.

"What is all this stuff," Sakura murmured, picking up a bottle. She examined it, noticing that it seemed to be a thick liquid inside; she unscrewed it to get a better impression on what it was. Once the cap was off, a delicate aroma wafted from the bottle, coaxing a smile onto her face as she inhaled the scent deeply.

"It's called shampoo," Ino said, causing Sakura to jump slightly; she giggled in amusement. "When you get your hair wet, you put that in your hair and scrub to get all the dirt out of it."

"Why does it smell so pleasant," Sakura asked, putting the bottle back. Ino raised an eyebrow as she finished pumping water into the basin, picking it up to pour into the tub.

"You've never heard of it?"

"Dwarves don't exactly care for this kind of frivolities," She replied, examining the other bottles. "Just hand us a bar of soap and some water, and we'll be ready to go before you can blink."

"But you're a female dwarf," Ino stressed, struggling to light a match. She smiled as it finally caught, throwing it into the pile of sticks; the fire began to burn brightly within a matter of minutes. "Don't they get any special treatment?"

"The only special treatment is courting," Sakura replied, "Other than that, we're expected to do the same amount of work, and the same amount of fighting as men."

"I rather like getting special treatment." Ino admitted, gathering some bottles off of the shelves. "I think I might have to pass on marrying a dwarf. The elves on the other hand…"

"Are a bunch of stuck-up pricks," Sakura supplied, rolling her eyes at the dreamy sigh Ino had released. Ino pouted, setting the bottles down next to the tub as she rolled up her sleeves.

"Well yes, but they're just so beautiful," Ino sighed, kneeling next to the tub. "I mean, have you seen Sasuke?"

"You act as if I'm blind."

"You'd have to be to not appreciate his looks!" Ino said, staring at her incredulously. Her eyes slightly narrowed though as she noticed how Sakura had yet to remove the slip. "You realize you can't bathe with clothes on, correct?"

Sakura blushed slightly, turning her back to Ino as she began to undress. "I-I never said I didn't appreciate them," She continued, slip pooling at her feet, "I'm just saying that, as a whole, the elves tend to have very ugly attitudes, which offsets their astonishing good looks."

Ino hummed, nodding as she dipped her hand into the water to check the temperature. Content, she pulled it back out and picked up one of the bottles, unscrewing the cap and pouring it in; soon the tub was filled with sweet scented bubbles. Sakura glanced over at it as she unwound the bandages for her wounds, watching as the bubbles formed.

"I'm supposed to get in that froth," Sakura asked, her head nodding in its direction. Ino sighed as she rolled her eyes, deciding at that moment that dealing with any race besides humans was like dealing with children.

"I will throw you into this tub," Ino threatened, earning a slight a glare from Sakura. She grumbled something about frivolous humans, carefully climbing in so that she didn't accidentally flash Ino. As she sank into the water, she couldn't help but to close her eyes and sigh in relief, the scent of the water relaxing her muscles, allowing the warm water to sap away the hardships she had endured. Ino smirked triumphantly, hands on her hips as she watched Sakura; Sakura merely opened an eye, huffing in annoyance.

"So perhaps I can see why you'd use this…" Sakura grumbled, sinking deeper into the water, causing Ino's smirk to widen even more.

"Now stay put while I fetch you something to wear," Ino called behind her as she closed the door. Sakura rolled her eyes, feeling like a child being told what to do as she took a seat on the bed, fingers running through her damp hair. She unconsciously compared the feel of her fingers caressing her scalp to the feel of Ino's as she had scrubbed every last bit of dirt and grime off of Sakura's body; it had been gentle yet efficient, reminding Sakura of how her own hands moved when she was treating wounds for people. Distantly she thought of how it was reminiscent of her mother's touch, something that had been denied to her from a young age.

"Perhaps that's why girls and I don't get along," Sakura mused, a wry smile appearing on her face. "They've a lifestyle completely foreign to mine."

She was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of Ino opening the door, her arms full of various items placed atop what appeared to be a red dress. Sakura stood up, beginning to make her way over to help Ino; Ino shot her a pointed glance as she headed over to the desk.

"No no," She said, shaking her head, "I don't even want you lifting your pinky finger to help me, so let me do all the work."

"You just seem to be struggling," Sakura said, earning a snort from Ino; she spread the items out over the desk, hanging the red over the back of a chair. From her spot on the bed Sakura could see various types of creams, as well as a roll of bandages. Ino picked up one of the jars as well as the bandages, moving towards the bed to dress Sakura's wounds. She moved behind her, the bed shifting with her weight as she positioned herself behind Sakura to start with her back. Sakura heard her hum slightly in thought, before finally grasping her hair and beginning to pile it on top of her head; she stiffened slightly, not used to her hair being touched, earning another scoff from Ino.

"You've never had anybody style your hair before," Ino asked, raising an eyebrow, "What about your mother?"

Sakura bit her bottom lip, opting to keep her eyes focused on the floor ahead of her. "My mother…wasn't really around much to have time for such things."

Ino nodded, opening the jar; she set it down on the bed, scooping some of the substance out. "I should've guessed," Ino admitted, massaging the cream into her wounds, "Your clan is probably so busy in the mines and forges that even the women can't spare time to pamper their daughters."

Sakura merely nodded, murmuring a small noise of agreement. Ino continued to work, her hands moving deftly over Sakura's back; despite the slight healing sting of the cream, overall it provided a soothing coolness to the red welts that littered her back. When Ino had finished applying the cream to her back, she moved, coming to kneel before Sakura. Sakura blushed slightly, clutching the towel to her chest tighter, doing her best to not meet Ino's eyes; she sighed, blue eyes rolling at Sakura's behavior.

"Don't tell me you're insecure because you have the body a man." Ino said, raising her eyebrow at her. Sakura's head whipped to face her, her eyes narrowed into a fierce glare as her cheeks burned bright red. Ino merely raised her hands defensively, sitting back on her heels. "Hey, those words are from Sai, not me."

"Well whoever spoke it is wrong," Sakura hissed, opting to glare at the wall instead. She heard Ino sigh, muttering about prideful dwarves as she scooped more cream onto her fingers.

"There's nothing wrong with it," Ino said, "You're still young for a dwarf. After all, you're only about fifty, right?"

"I'm sixteen," Sakura muttered, glancing back at the blonde. She smiled slightly at the shocked expression on Ino's face, pleased at having stunned her speechless.

"Sixteen," Ino asked, "And you're worried about those," She gestured wildly at Sakura's chest, earning a roll of the eyes from Sakura. "From my limited knowledge of dwarves, you're still practically a child; you've got absolutely nothing to worry about!"

Sakura smiled, body relaxing at Ino's exaggerated gestures. "I guess…you're right," She said, letting the towel slip to expose her front to Ino. She glanced away from the blonde as she worked, biting her cheek to direct her attention away from Ino having full access to her vulnerable self.

"So tell me about yourself," Ino said, hoping that conversation would ease Sakura's discomfort. Sakura raised an eyebrow, casting a suspicious glance at the blonde before averting her eyes back to the wall.

"What do you want to know?"

Ino shrugged, "I don't know; whatever you feel like sharing. What's your home like, for starters?"

Sakura looked up at the ceiling, a fond smile crossing her face. "There's absolutely no other place like it," She said, eyes closing, "It's called the Cherry Mountains since it's common to find pink diamonds in the caverns, along with rubies and gold. It's small, but not too small…Oh! And in the spring, the entire mountainside is full of greenery, with wild flowers sprouting everywhere."

"It certainly sounds beautiful."

Sakura nodded, though a frown marred her features. "It is, but no one else in the clan truly appreciates it; they're always too busy in the mines, appreciating metals and gems, rather than the beauty of nature. And then father is busy making sure there is peace in the clan, as well as with the other clans and races; as for trade, let's not even begin to talk about those books," She said, shuddering at the memory of helping her father with piles of paperwork as tall as their mountain, "As for mother…since she…she wasn't around as much, it was just…lonely, to be the only one in your family to have interests outside of the mines."

"So it that why you're so close to Naruto," Ino asked, reaching for the roll of bandages. Sakura smiled, remembering her first meeting with Naruto.

"It's much more than that," Sakura said, directing her attention back at the ceiling, allowing the memories to wash over her. "He was my first real friend from the village."

"Heh, no wonder no one in your clan likes you," A young with short brown hair said, arms crossed over her chest. She had two of her friends flanking her sides, sneering down at the young pink-haired dwarf girl who was sprawled on the ground. "You can't even walk right!"

"That's because you pushed me," Sakura shouted back, eyes shining with unshed tears. The girls looked at each other, giggling maliciously.

"Us? Push a dwarf," One of the others said, pointing innocently at them. "We'd never push one of the mighty Haruno dwarves."

"We'd only push the weird weaklings that hang around them," The other said, looking at her friends, "If you can't even handle some human girls, then you're obviously not a real Haruno dwarf."

"I am too," Sakura shouted, her tiny fists pounding on the ground. "I'm the daughter of the great Kizashi Haruno, mighty ruler of the Cherry Mountains!"

The ringleader of the group snorted, hands on her hips, "As if," She said, knowing just the buttons to push, "Everyone knows that you're just a pink haired, big foreheaded h-"

"Hi-yah," A voice shouted; suddenly balls of mud pelted the girls, causing them to shriek and run away. Sakura watched as they ran down the path, each of them complaining about how their mothers would scold them for getting dirty. The sound of someone walking towards her caught her attention; she glanced up, seeing a brilliant smile that was only put to shame by his bright blond hair and shining blue eyes.

"You alright," He asked, extending a hand to her; she took it, standing up shakily. "Those girls are a bunch of dung." He said, glaring in the general direction that they ran off in. Sakura glanced at the ground, a frown on her face.

"But they're right," She murmured, catching his attention. "I'm not a dwarf."

"Sure you are," He shouted, "You live in a mountain, right," He asked; she nodded cautiously. "And…and you wear dwarf clothes and eat dwarf food?" Again she nodded. "And uh…you uh…you help with metalwork, right?"

"Sort of," She replied, shrugging slightly. He grinned, lacing his arms behind his head.

"Then there's no way you're not a dwarf," He proclaimed, "And when Naruto Uzumaki is right about something, he's never ever wrong! Believe it!" He shouted, pumping his fist into the air, eliciting a giggle from Sakura.

"Whenever I wasn't sure about myself, he would always bring me back up with compliments and comments," She continued, still smiling to herself. "He was like the brother I never had."

"They said you were ugly," Naruto asked, eyes wide, food hanging out of his mouth. Sakura rolled her eyes, slapping him across the head; he sheepishly mumbled an apology, swallowing his food. "But still; you're the prettiest dwarf I know!"

"I'm the only dwarf you know."

"That's not true," He countered, "I know your dad. And while's he's a very handsome man, I certainly wouldn't call him beautiful."

Sakura laughed, imagining Naruto trying to court her father the way he did with the other girls. "If you thought he was beautiful, I would have to wonder if I should cease hitting you so hard."

Naruto grinned mischievously. "Well, now that you mention it, I have been feeling a stirring in my loins when I catch a glimpse of his mustache." He said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Sakura immediately pulled him into a headlock, ignoring his protests as she rubbed her knuckles against his head.

"Ack! Not the hair Sakura!"

"And no matter what he does, I'll protect him with my life," Sakura said, looking at Ino with a determined glint in her eye. "As both a guard, and as a friend."

Ino smiled, finishing tying up the loose ends of the bandages. "About time I got to meet that confident girl they've told me about. Now, let's get you dressed so that you can finally see those comrades of yours, and then they can stop bothering me every minute if you're alright."

Sakura laughed, allowing Ino to help her stand up and direct her towards the desk. Ino walked ahead of her, picking up the dress and holding it up, her eyes darting back and forth from the dress to Sakura's body.

"I hope it fits," She muttered, "It's one of my older ones, and you seem to be about my size from that time…So maybe it will…"

"Only one way to find out," Sakura said, gently taking the dress out of her grasp. She examined the fabric before slipping it on; white stitching crisscrossed around the collar, forming what appeared to be a net, while the sleeves were long and flowing freely. She slipped it over her head, muttering a few curses as she struggled to find the hole where her head would go; it was only after Ino helped her that she finally slipped her head through, arms following suit quickly. As the skirts fell to the floor, the edge barely brushing her bare feet, she heard Ino give a small squeal of delight as she took in her appearance.

"You look wonderful," Ino said, leading her to sit in the chair, "Absolutely gorgeous! Once we comb that tangled mess of yours, I'm sure at least one of those men will be begging to be your husband!"

Sakura blushed, frowning as she felt Ino begin to comb through her hair. "I'm not exactly looking for a husband right now."

"I know," Ino said, carefully working through the knots, "But it never hurts to start early."

Sakura rolled her eyes, arms crossing over her chest, wincing whenever Ino tugged at a knot. It continued like this for a while, the sound of hair being pulled the only sound echoing in the room. Eventually, the comb began to run smoothly through her hair, eliciting a contented sigh from her lips; pleased, Ino reached for a ribbon on the desk, carefully slipping it around her head and tying it beneath her hair. Satisfied with her work, she pulled Sakura to a mirror, grinning proudly at the stunned expression on Sakura's face.

"Well, are you sure you don't want to go husband hunting," Ino asked, smirking slightly. Sakura could only nod, still taken aback by her appearance in the mirror; the dress hugged her curves gently, while the ribbon pushed back her hair and allowed for it to frame her face cutely instead of just hanging there limply like her helmet made it do. Ino sighed, grasping her hand and tugging her towards the door, talking about how she might as well bring her to her friends either way. Sakura merely blocked out her voice, a slow smile spreading across her face as a warm feeling spread in her chest.

Although Naruto's friendship was wonderful, she thought, it could never elicit the same feelings as this did. Because for once in her life, she felt normal; for once, she felt as if she belonged exactly where she was.

A/N: I'm…not too sure how I liked this chapter. I wanted to show a more vulnerable side to Sakura, since I feel like this entire time I've been playing her up as this super strong, super awesome dwarf hero, when really she's just as much a girl as Ino with just a couple different features.

Also sap chapter is sap.