Later, the pair returned to the Haruno family abode and spent some time painstakingly collecting Sakura's remaining personal effects and returning them to the apartment, with Naruto's clones providing most of the effort. This gave them plenty of time to go shopping as they had agreed upon. It was a task that Naruto soon realized he had perhaps underestimated given his lack of experience. The blonde had never had occasion to do so with any of his other female friends, and the hyperactive blonde found it a challenge to stand around while Sakura went about her business.

"Sakura-chan," he said in a slightly whiny tone. "Do you really need all these?"

He was flanked on each side by clones holding plastic bags on each arm. The pinkette turned away from the blue handbag she was looking at to regard him.

"Well, no... But," She gave a small smile. "I want them?"

Naruto just blinked for a moment.

"... Oh."

She tilted her head at him.

"Are you bored? If you want, you can go do something else, and we can meet up again later."

"But... What about your bags?"

"You could leave your clones with me."

"Hm," He crossed his arms and seemed to think for a while. "Nah."

Sakura's eyebrows went up at this.

"Eh? You don't have to. In a way, you wouldn't even really be leaving. And you'll still know about anything that happens."

He shrugged.

"It just doesn't seem right. You've always spent time with me when you could've done something else. Like helping me study. So I'll do something with you that makes you happy. It doesn't matter if it's not that exciting."

She gave a tilt of the head.

"You sure? I wouldn't hold it against you."

The blonde nodded.

"Yeah. I just wanna spend time with my girlfriend," He blushed. "There's never been a time when I hung out with you and then I thought to myself, 'Man, I really wish I had been somewhere else instead of with Sakura-chan.' That's, just... not something that happens."

The pink-haired girl's upper lip quivered a bit.

"I always enjoy being with you, too, Naruto."

He raised a hand to touch the back of his neck nervously.

"Really? I act dumb a lot of the time. I'm not, y'know, the most charming guy ever."

Sakura gave a deadpan look at this.

"Um... Yes, you are. Or you're pretty damn close."

"You really mean that?"

"Mm-hm."

A strange lightness filled Naruto's heart, and for the rest of their outing, he was quite content being bored.

/

When the day dawned that Sakura had to return to work, she got up bright and early, garbed herself in her white coat and left her boyfriend to sleep in at the apartment. It was difficult at first, but she soon got into the swing of things again and enjoyed helping the sick and injured of Konoha once more. As she was eating lunch and her mind was idle, thoughts of Naruto filled it as they often did, but she was surprised that they now simply made her happy rather than filling her with anxiety. She knew he was happy and safe, and that she would see him when she returned home as they lived together. Perhaps her happiness was reliant on these points, but she didn't see anything untoward about it. She knew Naruto felt the same way about her.

When it came time to return home, there was a spring in her step. She had gone back to work successfully and everything was fine. She arrived at the apartment and eagerly knocked on the door. The door soon opened to reveal a softly smiling blonde.

"Hi, Sakura-chan."

"Naruto!"

Her viridian eyes shined at the sight of him. They both stood idly for a moment uncertain of what to do until Sakura settled on leaning in to give him a peck on the cheek before entering.

"H-How was it at work?" he asked a bit shyly, shutting the door behind her.

She turned to regard him with a grin.

"Great! How about you? What were you up to today?"

"Um... I went to the landlord's place to get a copy of the key for you. I don't want you to have to knock to get in."

"Oh, Naruto, that's wonderful," She enveloped him in one of her signature crushing hugs. "Thank you."

"I-It's nothing... You live here, too, right?"

She gave a shy smile as she pulled away.

"Yes! I do."

He returned it before reaching into a pocket to retrieve the small brass key before handing it to her.

"Here."

"Thanks. I won't lose it," She gave a somewhat embarrassed smile as she put it in the pocket of her coat. "Er, I gotta take a shower. I stink."

"No you don't."

Sakura chuckled.

"Haha. I knew you would say that. But I'm still gonna do it."

"All right."

She trotted off through the doorway, not bothering to close it behind her as she went to the bathroom to turn the hot water on. Naruto had butterflies in his stomach hearing it.

The pinkette quickly started to disrobe, hanging her white coat on a nearby hook. When she had stripped down to just her undergarments, she turned to look in the mirror and froze.

Sakura had never had any inclinations towards women. Least of all herself. She gazed into the mirror and beheld a girl that looked to her like a mess, her hair sticky and falling in her face and the straps of her bra barely hanging on her shoulders. She impulsively tugged her underwear down just a little bit to show the faintest hint of something more, and her heart beat faster and her eyes went wide as something clicked in her mind.

She looked very attractive - hotter than hell, even. And she couldn't remember ever feeling that way about herself before. She eagerly walked back through the bedroom and stuck her head through the doorway.

"Hey, Naruto?" she called out happily.

It was such a good feeling.

"Yeah?"

"Come in here for a sec."

"Okay,"

She disappeared from his view. A bit confused, he stood from his seat at the table and went to see what was going on.

Sakura heard footsteps approach the door as she stood in place, not wanting to move at all lest she ruin the image. As the blonde entered, he didn't see her right away. When he did, he froze in place.

"How do I look right now?" she prompted as she turned to face him. "Tell me what you think."

His jaw dropped, and not because of anything she said.

"Uhh," he trailed off.

"Do I look hot?" she helpfully prompted.

"Yes."

"I thought so too," She gave him a confident wink, then turned away to look in the mirror longingly again. "I just wanted to show you."

"Um, yeah... Sure."

Not knowing what else to do, he turned to make an exit. The pinkette's head swiveled back to him as he did.

"Hey, you don't have to leave," He stopped and turned to look back at her. "Get in with me?"

He turned back. The truth was that he had been thinking about it since she mentioned it. He just felt it would be pitiful to tag along with her, or worse, request that she let him do so. She'd worked all day while he'd done nothing much of significance, so she was probably tired, and bathing was meant to be a solitary endeavor anyway.

"Please? If you want to?" she went on. "I missed you today."

"Sure," he replied, playing it cool.

"You really want to? You don't have to."

"Nah, I'd love to."

Sakura smiled.

"Cool."

She turned back to the mirror and finally finished a task that was already partly complete, that of removing her undergarments, then turned and entered the shower enclosure without saying a word.

The blonde quickly got undressed and followed, watching the silhouette of the water pouring over her slight form. The pinkette, clearly in a good mood now, had begun to hum a nameless melody.

When he finally managed to enter, he could see that her hair was covered in white bubbles, the shampoo lather running down her face and the sides of her head. She energetically ran her hands through her pink mane, her petite form swaying gently as her arms moved, still humming the pleasant, unknown song.

"Hm, hm, hmm~... Hey, Naru-" She abruptly felt two hands firmly take hold of her. She yelped. "Eep! -to... Gah, what the heck are you doing?"

Sakura was too blinded by the lather to see, so she immediately moved her head under the shower head to rinse it off.

"... I don't know..."

It was the truth, as he couldn't even remember making a conscious decision to do anything. It simply happened. The pinkette shook her head vigorously, splattering him with the warm water, then used both hands to flatten her damp hair and push it out of her face, seeing him clearly again.

"Eh?"

The pinkette was blinking the remaining moisture out of her eyes, eyeing him with her wet hair slicked back.

"I said I dunno."

She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I heard, but how d'you not know? You grabbed me. You're saying you don't know why you did that?"

He felt she should just punch him and get it over with.

"I dunno..." he said for the third time. "I'm sorry, Sakura."

Her eyes widened, then after a moment, she frowned, looking away as the water continued to rain down on her.

"No, I'm the one who's sorry."

He blinked a few times confusedly.

"... Uh, why?"

"I'm just now realizing that all this is like I'm teasing you," she muttered. "I didn't mean that! So it's my fault."

"... How is it in any way your fault? You didn't do anything."

She looked up at him.

"Well, this was my perverted idea to begin with, remember? I even..." She blushed brightly and trailed off. "Well, it's just my fault. I don't know why I'm trying to show off even when it's making you uncomfortable."

He blinked and thought for a moment. She had always seemed happy about doing this.

"But... You have lots to show off."

The pinkette blinked.

"Do I?"

"Yeah. It seems like I can't help... having those thoughts. It just happens. A lot. You're just... sexy. Period."

She giggled.

"Hehe, you really think so? Thanks," Her posture loosened as she uncrossed her arms, and she looked back up at him with soft, calm eyes. The silence afterwards was awkward. "... But, um, you shouldn't do that all of a sudden. I couldn't see, so it was a bit of a shock, that's all."

"Ugh. Yeah. I dunno what I was doing."

The pinkette gave a nod of understanding.

"It's alright. Next time just tell me, okay?"

"Huh?"

"Um, I'm saying... Hold on."

She turned and fiddled with the knobs until the water completely shut off, then turned back and gave him a bright smile.

"There. Now we can mess around a bit. And we'll be able to hear each other easier."

The blonde blinked, distracted by the water dripping off her damp locks of hair.

"Uh... You want to mess around?"

"Sure," she replied, slightly confused.

Sakura took a small step forward and planted a kiss on his collarbone. Then she got on her tiptoes and continued with a few on his cheek. He was a little surprised, and just stared back at her.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"Nothing, really..."

She looked a little mystified herself.

"Oh, do you not feel like it?" She gave him a concerned look. "We don't have to go all the way or anything."

She'd volunteered that out of thought that he might simply have been nervous about it, though truth be told, she was in no mood for half measures.

"No, I do... But, uh, what should I do?"

The pinkette laughed.

"Haha. Whatever you want, I guess. I just thought we could fool around for a bit. I promise I won't get mad, okay? I trust you. Just don't do things suddenly, all right? You can tell me. Or just show me. Show me what you wanna do."

The blonde blushed seeing her upbeat smile directed squarely at him.

"Um... There's a few things..."

Sakura nodded.

"Okay?"

He hesitated for a moment, nodded back, then affixed his hands to her hips, applying light and easy pressure. It didn't take much to appreciate the soft feel of her cool, water-speckled flesh.

She remained frozen in place as his hands slowly slid up to encircle her waist. She smiled up at him as they did, a very faint blush on her cheeks.

"See, it's not a big deal for us anymore," she added.

She looked delicate, but via touch one could feel the resilience in her small frame. She felt strong, firm like she wouldn't break.

"Yeah."

"I don't want you to be shy around me," She got on her tiptoes to peck his cheek. "I love you, y'know?"

He took a thoughtful breath.

"... I just thought maybe you might smack me if I said certain things."

The pinkette rolled her eyes for a second.

"If I didn't smack you for touching me without asking, why would I smack you for asking?"

"You should have today, though. That was bad on my part."

"No, it wasn't, not really. Please believe me, Naruto. I know I've hit you, a long time ago, but I'm not going to do that now. I won't hit you unless you do something really, really awful. Promise. All right?"

"You still probably should have... But okay."

"We can spend as much time as we want," She grinned. "Within reason, anyway. We still gotta sleep eventually. Oh!"

She let out a soft yelp as he tugged at her hips, then acquiesced by taking a half-step closer, blushing up at him as their toes touched.

"Um, does that make it easier?" Sakura asked quietly. "Since I promised?"

The blonde shrugged.

"Kinda, I dunno. I'm not really scared of getting hit, I just don't ever wanna hurt you."

"You won't. I'm a big girl," She grinned warmly again. Her statement caused the blonde to look down at her form distractedly, and she gave an exaggerated frown. "Sorta. You know what I mean! C'mon."

She knew quite well that she wasn't very tall, and accidentally calling attention to it herself was a bit embarrassing.

"S-Sorry."

Sakura gave a playfully scolding expression.

"I told ya, not while we're talking."

"Yeah, I know. It's my bad."

It was followed up by a quizzical tilt of the head.

"S-So... What did you wanna do to me? Haha."

She laughed melodically.

Her intelligence, vast as it was, didn't help much in understanding this area. She watched as the blonde couldn't help glancing again, admiring how a few isolated drops of water dripped down her bosom.

It was just somewhat odd for her; until today, the pinkette had never really felt her body to be that impressive. Decent, sure, but not stunning.

"It's... hard to say. You're just so beautiful. To look at."

Her face reddened as it usually did when he was complimentary.

"I don't mind, but it's just that it feels like you're not paying attention to what I'm saying when you do that."

"I'm probably not. I shouldn't keep doing it."

Her face reddened further. The pinkette gave a slight tilt of the head.

"N-No, it's okay. It's normal. You're a guy, Naruto," She swallowed thoughtfully before continuing. "... I can't give you a hard time for acting like a guy."

He blinked, taking a moment to absorb her statement.

"I don't see why you can't."

He chanced moving his hands up her sides, slowing down once he could feel her ribcage. She trembled a little.

"W-Well, then, I just won't. You gotta show me respect, though," she added, her eyes narrowing a bit. "... I'm a ninja. A good one. Not some airhead civilian. I'm Sakura."

She smiled, mostly to herself. She felt she wouldn't have had the confidence to say that a year or even a month ago.

"Sakura," she repeated, again mostly to herself.

The blonde solemnly shook his head.

"I could never forget that," he mumbled, his thumbs having stretched themselves out and curled just under her breasts.

He blinked, his eyes shifting away. An awkward moment passed before a look of relief fell over his face to hear Sakura giggling.

"Hehe, well, that's starting to tickle a bit. Heh."

A pair of blue eyes faintly illuminated as he properly took hold of both fleshy mounds and gently squeezed one then the other. A sheepish quiet fell over the pinkette as he did.

"... Does that tickle?"

Her arm twitched as a shiver ran through her body.

"N-No, no. It's okay."

He did it once more, letting out a breath as he did, taking a moment to simply revel in the fact that he could.

She watched him with fascination. She didn't really understand it, but she always noticed the look of comfort wash over his face when he did this.

"It's still weird to me that you like 'em," she quipped, still watching his hands. "It isn't like they're big."

She glanced up to see the blonde's eyes gazing back into hers inscrutably.

He still didn't really understand why she thought so. Perhaps it was the fact that women from the Land of Fire tended to be generously endowed which led her to see herself as mediocre.

But the fact was that they were noticably larger than he'd thought they were, so in every way that mattered, and to the extent that he cared, they could never be considered as such.

It had been deceptive since she never seemed to wear anything designed to show them off. But bare as they were now, or under something that actually did showcase them - her pajama top minus a few buttons, for instance - they were not at all lacking in his opinion. And he was sure that another man would agree, not that he ever wanted anyone else to have the opportunity.

Sadly, it seemed impossible to make her understand this. He was close to being at a loss.

"They make you happy, don't they?" she asked a bit amusedly.

"Um, yeah..." he answered sheepishly.

"Heh, it's fine, Naruto. Everything's fine. All this stuff feels a bit more normal. We're doing better as a couple, now, aren't we?"

She had meant the question to be confidently rhetorical, but it came out sounding like a legitimate question.

"Yeah," he spoke quietly. "I'm getting used to you being my girlfriend."

The pinkette let out a quietly ironic laugh.

"Haha. That actually sounds bad. Like you're about to get bored with me."

He shook his head.

"Trust me, that won't happen."

He sounded like he was beyond certain. Sakura silently watched the blonde breathe for a few moments.

"See, you manhandled me a bit and didn't get punched," she pointed out with a smirk. She raised an eyebrow as he started to blush, not understanding why. "I'm not gonna do that now, Naruto. Maybe I used to, but I hope you don't still worry about it. I haven't even made a fist at you for... Eh, what's wrong?"

She finally looked down between his arms, seeing his member had almost finished standing up. Her mouth fell open. For whatever reason, she had forgotten that this was almost certain to happen to him in such a situation.

"Oh," the pinkette said. "You've got a hard-on?"

Her tone was not one of mockery or revulsion but simple observation with the slightest hint of surprise.

"From me?" she quipped, looking back up with a grin.

Naruto gave her a blank stare in reply, not expecting such an obviously silly question.

He managed to see that she looked oddly satisfied before blushing more deeply and being unable to meet her eyes.

"... You can't even help it, right?" Sakura asked. "It's out of your control."

He shrugged.

"I sort of can..." he explained. "If we're in here, I just try to think about other things and I don't look at you too much."

She nodded with a scholarly expression.

"Ah. You don't need to do that, okay? Just let it happen. It doesn't bother me any."

He blinked. She was studying his face.

"I see you, and..." he started to explain. "My blood just starts heating up."

"When I'm in the nude, you mean?"

"Huh?"

He knew the word, but something about the phrasing had confused him. The pinkette nodded patiently, gesturing to herself with a hand.

"Like this. Without clothes on. Right? I know you don't get like that from just seeing me any old time."

They both felt like such a thing would be ridiculous. But one more so than the other.

"Um, that's true," He looked rather sheepish as he spoke. "... Most of the time."

Sakura looked surprised for a moment.

"You really do think I'm beautiful," She beamed a proud smile. "In your eyes, I'm the hottest woman there is."

He froze, more than a little surprised that she'd call him out in that way. He couldn't deny it, though.

"Like..." she continued quietly. "Did you ever even pay attention to anyone else? Did you ever think Ino was pretty? Or somebody else?"

"She is... But not like you," He sighed. "Lots of other girls are pretty, but they're not you. No one looks like you. You're the best, honestly. And I'm not sure that it's even close."

He seemed to take a moment to take a closer look, unnecessary though it was.

"Yeah, it's not," he concluded.

"Is it 'cause of my silly pink hair?" she asked light-heartedly.

Naruto came close to saying that yes, he loved her rosy hair in particular, but then realized that he particularly loved her green eyes as well. And her pale skin. And every other splash of color.

Her beauty was a kind of magic to him. Not real like a jutsu, but something that felt almost otherworldly at times.

"Kind of, I guess. But to me, it's as if everyone else is in black and white, and you're the only one in color."

"I see. I'm so glad that you feel that way about me, sweetheart. It really makes me feel special. Other guys have told me that they liked me, and sure, it was flattering... But it never felt like it does with you."

"Mm," he muttered noncommitally.

He wasn't a fan of anyone with a Y chromosome telling Sakura that they liked her, to put it mildly.

The pinkette's eyes started to narrow conspiratorially.

"Mmm," she voiced back in husky mimicry, reaching down with both hands.

They both let out faint gasps as she trapped his member between them. The blonde froze up for a moment.

"Sakura... Whatcha doing?"

Sakura smiled; this situation always made her feel aroused and strangely empowered. She answered his question with another question.

"Wanna... do what we usually do? Or wanna try something different? We always have a good time together, don't we?"

"Yeah," he said quickly before gasping. "... Oof... We do."

He shuddered as she cradled him securely in her hands. The pinkette's eyes widened with concern, assuming she'd done something untoward.

"Oops. You okay?"

He gave a shake of the head.

"'Course, it's fine..."

She nodded and began to move her hands, giving testingly gentle squeezes.

"Mmf... Sakura," he moaned weakly.

He seemed less confident than he usually was. The pinkette's hands stopped as she looked up at him questioningly. She softly cleared her throat, her moistened eyelashes fluttering.

She preferred when he was bold with her. Those were the times that she enjoyed the most.

"Erm... Want me to do something to get you more excited?"

But she could be bold as well.

"S-Sure..."

She smiled brightly. Her hands searched out his sides and she gently steered him around, the pair maneuvering until the blonde's back was against the wall. His eyes widened.

"Okay! Hold on," Sakura chirped.

Her head and shoulders slowly dropped from his view as she lowered to her knees.

He was no genius, and he knew it. But it didn't take a brilliant mind to decipher her intentions.

"Sakura," he whispered, a little surprised.

"Hehe," the pinkette laughed, her mouth opening as she moved her head closer to his manhood. Then she suddenly stopped and reached out to take one of his hands in hers instead, exclaiming "Oh!"

His eyes widened.

"... Is it okay with you?" she asked.

"O-Of course," he stammered in reply. "I just didn't expect you to want to..."

"'Course I want to," She gave a smile. "I love you, Naruto."

Without another word, she squeezed his hand and moved in to take him in her mouth. At once he trembled, the pinkette feeling him hardening further between her lips as she clamped them tightly around him, taking control of his member with slow, deliberate movements.

Warmth began to spread throughout the blonde's body as she continued. He wondered if she knew. Did she know of the small part of him that had always wanted her to do this?

"Guh..." he moaned, moving his other hand to brush her wet bangs out of her face so that he could see it. "S-Sakura."

She pulled away for a second out of concern.

"Feels good?" she asked cautiously.

He decided that she must have.

"Y-Yeah."

Sakura smiled and gently wrapped a hand around the base of his member, pulling the foreskin back in hopes of making him more sensitive before closing her eyes and resuming. She made an effort to stimulate him with her tongue as much as she could and was rewarded by a groan from him and a small amount of liquid gushing out and coating its surface. She softly swallowed and continued her ministrations undeterred for a minute or two.

She took it slow. Partly because she didn't want to push him over the edge prematurely, but mostly because she was enjoying it herself. Just feeling and watching how he could barely cope, the loss of control that she was inflicting on him. And it warmed her heart to know that he trusted her to have that power over him. A power that she could never bring herself to abuse.

One of the blonde's hands stroked through her hair while the other was flattened shakingly against the wall. Just as the building tension had caused it to ball into a fist, she pulled away with an audible pop and eyed him with a smirking tilt of the head.

"Heh, you okay?"

He nearly answered 'no' - the act was so decadently torturous. It made it so hard to keep his wits about him.

"Er, yeah," he muttered, taking a deep, shaky breath as he tried to reclaim control of his faculties. "But I wasn't holding up that well."

"I know. I didn't wanna make you come. At least not yet," She laughed. "Haha."

"... I won't," he spoke, nearly a gasp.

"You won't?"

"Not yet..." He lovingly stroked her cheek with the side of a finger, speaking in a whisper. "Do it some more?"

Sakura's eyelashes fluttered.

"You want me to? You like how I do it?"

He shuddered at the thought. The anticipation.

Doing something to make him more excited... As usual, she could describe a situation devastatingly well.

"Y-Yeah... I love it."

She beamed happily, gripping the blonde's thighs, and soon enough her pink head was bobbing back and forth against his trembling form. A shot of excitement went through her to hear him emit a deep, shaky moan.

"Oh..." He shuddered. "Oh, wow, Sakura..."

This was too much. He thought he must be dreaming; he couldn't possibly be in such an enviable position.

He was doubly worried about climaxing now, but ironically, the pinkette felt she wouldn't really mind at this point. It felt wonderful to make him feel so good. She was shaken out of her reverie by a gentle nudge on her forehead, and she opened her eyes to meet his desperate gaze.

"S-Stop... I'm..." She withdrew and watched him intently. "... G-God, I came so close."

Sakura chuckled.

"Heh, let's take a breather. Okay?"

"Mm."

Aided by her grasp on his hand, Sakura clambered to her feet. The blonde couldn't help but grab her and pull her close to him. She gave him a shy smile.

"You..." he started to say, searching for the right words. "You really make me feel like a man, you know?"

She blinked and then gave a blush and a happy nod.

"I do! I'm glad," She glanced around for a moment, looking like she was trying to figure something out. Something related to ergonomics. "Um, you wanna pick me up?"

He did after a moment, grasping her hips again and hoisting her into the air before reversing their positions so that it was instead Sakura against the wall. Her hands reflexively moved to grip his shoulders as he did.

"There ya go," she whispered, extending her legs and gingerly wrapping them around him before giving a encouraging yet tentative look. "It's a little different trying to do it in here."

He paused at this, nodding after a moment.

"I know what you mean."

The pinkette returned the gesture. He began to let her backside slide down the wall to where the lower half of his body awaited.

"Not too fast," she quickly cut in, giving him a meaningful look as she could feel his member twitching against the flesh of one of her thighs.

He had a tendency to rush things, and she didn't want him to do that anymore, not when they had their whole lives to enjoy each other.

Naruto returned the look faithfully - loyally - and she gave a reassuring smile.

"It's okay, Naruto."

He nodded slowly. The pinkette bit her lip and gasped as she was lowered to the point that she started to feel herself being probed.

"Mmf... Oh, oh... Oh, oh, oh... Oh," The 'Oh's came with more rapidity as she gradually accepted more of him, her level of sensitivity unusually high. "Slow... S-Slow... Slow..."

Sakura had been a little worried that he wouldn't heed, but he listened and allowed her to ease into it.

"S-Should I stop?" he prompted.

"No. No, nope. Keep goin'," She began to firmly squeeze the blonde's hips between her toned thighs impatiently. The total lack of exertion on her face made obvious the strength that was hidden in her slight frame. "You're doing so good. Go on."

She'd spoken so quickly that it sounded more like 'gone', but it was understood. He moved to pin the pinkette's backside between him and the wall.

The pinkette hefted herself up slightly and parted her legs a little more to make it easier for him. Her mouth lolled open as the pair began to squeak loudly against the enamel.

She sounded like her breath was being actively sucked out of her lungs as his hips contorted against her briskly.

"Oof!" she vocalized, giggling. "Phew, that's better. Hehehe."

The pink-haired girl was genuinely enjoying herself as much as she ever had, and felt some regret about how cautionary she had been earlier. So she was making an extra effort to be encouraging.

"Ah, Naruto," she breathed.

It wasn't ineffective. She reached up to flick a lock of yellow hair off of his brow.

"Naruto..."

She gave a momentary toss of the head to get her own longer hair out of her face, a distantly satisfied look in her glazed-over eyes. Then she groaned quietly, mentally savoring the sensation of his warm, rigid member probing into her. Her eyes closed contentedly for a quick second or two until she opened them again, a forceful move making her tremble as her muscles went slack around him.

For a moment the blonde looked like he wanted to say something, but wasn't given the chance as her lips crashed into his. She wore a lopsided grin when she pulled away.

"Mmm... I was thinking about this at work earlier."

Naruto gave a flattered blush, impressed that she would actually tell him about it. He wasn't sure if he would have had the guts to tell her the same.

"You were?" he replied, sounding short of breath.

She nodded, still smiling distantly. To get exactly what she wanted was very fulfilling for her. For anyone, really.

"Yup. When I started to get tired, I'd just think about you. I was so thrilled to be going home."

His expression turned blank for a second. It was hard to believe that she could love him that much. It was hard for him to believe that anyone could love him that much.

"... You always make me so happy, Sakura."

Her head was positioned in such a way that she could whisper close to his ear.

"You deserve it. You're... great," Sakura murmured, her eyes closing in comfort. "You're my Naruto. Sometimes it seems like you were made for me."

"... Maybe I was."

The pinkette hugged him a little closer, nuzzling gently.

"Yeah..." she began, her fingernails brushing against the back of his head. He could feel her lithe body starting to tense up. "Oof. You feel so big. Inside me."

She caught his eye and smiled, her hands falling to grab his shoulders for stability. The blonde breathed heavier.

"Is that okay for you?"

Sakura nodded.

"Mm. You just stretch me out a bit," He'd gone crimson as well as he seemed to consider this. "D'you feel that?"

"Um, yeah. You're tight," He saw the red on her face get a little brighter. "But... Ggh..." She really was squeezing him quite hard. "It feels good..."

"Good," she muttered before letting out an abrupt cry. "Ah!"

"Saku-" Her weight shifted in his grasp, and for a brief moment it almost seemed as if he was going to lose his balance. He felt embarrassed just imagining the blunder. "H-Hold still."

"Can't," Her shoulders heaved. "D-Don't drop me."

"Want to move to the-"

"N-No!" she stammered quickly. "This is fine."

"Okay," he replied with seeming calm. "I, uh..."

He trailed off. The pinkette smiled nervously.

"You're not doing anything wrong. Sorry, I'm just embarrassed."

Her squirming lessened somewhat, and Naruto pulled back to view her.

"Why?"

"I'm acting like a dork."

"No, you're not."

"I'm just really turned on," He didn't answer right away. She gave a sheepish smile. "'Cause I didn't get to see you today."

His eyes flickered to her quivering form, supporting the truth of her statement.

"I really make you feel that way?"

It was still an amazing thing to contemplate.

"Mm. You make me feel so safe. And like a woman, y'know? With the way you touch me. And the way you hold me. And just, everything."

She blinked shyly, once and then again. The blonde felt a jolt of crazed energy and leaned in to kiss her, his tongue snaking on top of hers as her head tilted back and her groin pressed hungrily into his own. There was a strange taste to her, but it was not unfamiliar. He blushed when he realized why it was there.

"Gmph... Sakura."

"S-Sorry that I-"

"Don't apologize for stuff."

She gave a vague upward movement of the head before lowering it to let their foreheads touch one another.

"O-Okay."

"You're Sakura," he stated firmly. "That means you can do anything. Whatever you want. I'll make sure of that."

The pinkette shivered noticably. He held her closer, rubbing his hands up and down her back for friction.

"Don't..." she managed to whisper. "Don't stop."

Her lips parted in an expression of drunken euphoria as their lower halves impacted again and again.

"Oh, God," she wheezed. "You... Guh..." Something got caught in her throat and she softly coughed twice. "N-Na..."

She craned her head back so that she could look him in the eyes.

"I'm getting close, Naruto," Her eyes shut as his widened. She was visibly biting her lower lip. "So close."

Her voice started to sound somewhat desperate, as was her tendency.

"Shh," the blonde whispered, making an effort to go faster. "I got you."

Her arms grasped onto him tighter.

"I lo... Ngh.. Naruto," she groaned out softly. "Naruto, I..."

She wasn't managing to collect the air she needed to form complete sentences.

"... You love me?" he helpfully translated.

Sakura nodded twice quickly. The blonde's face reddened and his eyes shifted away, visibly struck by how cute she was being.

"Naruto," He looked back to her as she had started to squirm again. "Faster, faster. Please..."

He pinned her hips to the wall anew so that she couldn't move them. Her dangling legs trembled against him

"Please, I'mma come," the pinkette coughed out. "Nar'to."

She moaned a little every time he crashed into her.

"Geez, you're so good," She bit down harder on her lip. "Oh... Freakin' hell... C'mon...! Come on, damn it..."

Her eyes shut tightly.

As the room went quiet, he could comprehend that she wasn't frustrated with him, but her own biology. The sounds of skin on skin and skin squeaking against enamel were all that was audible. These came faster and faster until they reached their most fevered pitch.

"Ngh... Yes... Yes! That's it...!"

Her mouth stayed open joyously as her eyes started to roll back in her head. The blonde's sides were starting to ache a little as he made a last furious stab, and the pink-haired girl let out a solitary, ragged whimper.

"Aw..."

The sound echoed through the room as her form shook, shuddered and fell limp and silent on his chest as if she had just been shot. The blonde continued supporting her weight until they at last disconnected, Sakura still huffing and panting faintly. Fluids gushed from the point of separation. The heat that they had created together seemed to have evaporated most of the shower water from their bodies.

The live, easily-managed weight that was Sakura was slowly transforming into dead weight in his arms, and he actually struggled a little to remove her from the tub. She coughed again as he did so. He met her eyes worriedly.

"I hope you're not getting sick," he whispered.

He feared that something at her workplace had caught on to her. She shook her head gently.

"No, no. I just inhaled some water."

"You sure?"

Sakura nodded.

"Yeah."

"Wanna lie down?" Naruto spoke quietly.

She purred affirmatively, stirring against the nape of his neck, too contentedly lazy to form any actual words.

"Mm."

Carrying her over his shoulder, he took her out of the bathroom and into the next room, gently laying her naked body down flat on the bed before pulling the sheet over her. She opened her eyes halfway.

"Lie with me for a bit?" she half-requested, half-ordered.

"Of course," Naruto said.

Rather than walking to the other side of the bed, he skillfully vaulted over her to lie adjacent, using one hand to carefully pamper her rapidly drying hair.

"Ahh," Sakura breathed. "Man, that feels so much better," She turned her head to view him drowsily. "Doesn't it?"

"Yeah. I feel calm, now. It's hard to worry about anything," He blushed, his eyes shifting away briefly. "'Cause, well... Inside you, it feels so great."

Her face reddened a bit as well.

"Does it...? I wouldn't know."

He looked back to her curiously.

"You never, uh... Did that to yourself?"

She pursed her lips shyly and shook her head.

"No."

He found himself really wanting to ask why not.

"O-Oh," The question just didn't sound very good in his head, so he opted for another one. "Did I make you... You know?"

Her eyes narrowed a bit confusedly, then she nodded.

"Eh? Oh. Yeah. Of course. You almost always do."

"But before me, you've never...?"

Sakura shook her head again.

"Nope. Er, is that weird?"

He didn't find it that unusual, but he did find it rather flattering.

"Nah... Not really."

They each found themselves gazing into cracks on the ceiling for a bit.

"... You've done it, though, yeah?"

"Sure, sometimes."

"Tell me more about it?"

"I dunno. There's not much to say."

The pinkette waited for him to look at her before breaking into a grin.

"Well, would you think about me?"

"Um... Not usually."

She frowned a little.

"Aw, really? Why not?"

"It made me feel like a creep. Since I was your friend."

"I'd have never found out about it, though."

"You're finding out now, aren't you?"

Sakura chuckled sharply.

"Hah! I guess so."

The blonde chuckled along with her. There was another comfortable silence.

"Do you think most people do that? Think of somebody who they like?" Sakura mused.

He raised an eyebrow.

"I dunno. Probably," He scoffed after a moment. "Well, if Ero-sensei and Kakashi-sensei are any indication, most people probably just read porn."

"Oh."

"Why do you ask?" he wondered, not wanting to miss out on an explanation for the second time.

"Well, I figure a lot of girls must think about you. Since everyone knows you."

Naruto gulped.

"I, uh... You really think so?"

"Yeah," She smiled faintly. "And you're a good-looking guy."

He blinked, analyzing her expression.

"Not like Teme, though."

Sakura furrowed her brow thoughtfully.

"Maybe not in the exact same way as him, but you are. Plus you're tall. And strong. Everyone knows how powerful you are. And I think most women are attracted to that."

His eyes widened a little.

"Um... Does that bother you?"

She chuckled.

"Hehe, of course. You're my Naruto, not theirs."

With that she rolled over onto her side to face the blonde, curling a knee to rest atop his hip. Seeing their faces were suddenly just a few inches apart, he flinched noticably. Sakura responded by playfully moving the sheet to cover her nose and mouth like a mask, silently observing him with wide, warm eyes. He stared back for a long moment, then reached out with a hand, tugging it down so that he could see her face again.

"I love you, Sakura," he finally found himself saying.

"I know."

/

(AN: So I pretty much abandoned this, it looks like. I feel bad about it since I've written what I think is a really nice ending, but it's just hard to advance the plot and connect point A and point B.

Fortunately, it seems like you are still allowed to update stories on FFN that you have abandoned. Which is nice. I wrote most of this a while ago, and I guess I will continue to find a way to fit in other pieces of fluff I've already written into the story. Or even better, I could be struck by inspiration again.)