Reviewers:

Kzzzzzzzz: Thanks Buddy. Sometimes, it's not the rush of excitement, but the peaceful silence in between.

Glazed Emeralds: A Hallmark Story

Chapter 6: The Definition of 'Neighborly'

"Well, that just about does it." Naruto spoke to himself as he reached the end of his claim, reaching for the last post in the corner. He looked over and could see that of the lots, this one was by far the largest, and he was already at a loss for how to use it. Sure he could build a house here. He could build a mansion or a number of houses, or he could till the land and ruin the rich vegetation to be a farmer.

Naruto sighed as he saw the beauty around him. This town did the right thing. Keeping themselves small and spread out, and letting nature be wild all around them. More than anything, he wanted to check out that forested trail that his innkeeper had mentioned led here. Barely maintained, and only cut back maybe every few years. Now that sounded like a real adventure.

"I should get back." Naruto sighed as he stretched himself and turned back, and was just in time to see Sakura doing the same, gathering her things along the hillside before she cast a glance his way before continuing on. Naruto falsely turned his head lower, to give the impression that he was looking elsewhere, but in reality he wanted to watch where she went. He didn't know how to get back on the trail after all.

He picked up his speed towards her as she approached the trees, and after she entered, he followed after her, his eyes spotting the turtle markings once more as he entered the woods. Naruto may have had a great concept of how to navigate a city in his head, but out here, his eyes played tricks on him, and the trees all looked the same to him.

As he turned the corner, he found himself back at the fork where he first saw the turtle and arrows on the trees, but now there were five paths to take from here.

"Where do I...is it that way?" Naruto asked as he began to move down the rightmost path. As soon as it began to turn up towards a hill, he turned around, and his eyes widened at the briefest glimpse of pink hair off down the center path. "Of course it was the center path." Naruto muttered as he picked up his speed. He hadn't got off on any detours. It was a straight path back.

Of course, not as straight as he thought as he struggled to follow after the spry woman ahead of him who he even spotted jumping through the trees and leaping off the logs to propel herself forward, as if she were a kid again on vacation. "Well, she's having fun." Naruto breathed harder as he pushed his strained feet harder, his strength failing him as he continued to push.

"Ah!" Naruto screamed as his body suddenly fell out from under him and he crash landed on the dirt floor of the forest, and groaned in surprised pain. In a daze, he cast a glance back to see his left boot entangled in a slew of roots that had shot from the earth at his feet to trap him here. Naruto grumbled as he looked around, and Sakura was gone. He groaned to himself as he moved to untangle himself. He shouldn't have tried to really match her speed. This was her element, and she probably knew every tree in the forest.

"She also exercises out here." Naruto breathed out and casually made his way back towards the road. He was starting to feel it here; the lack of oxygen at this higher elevation. That combined with his lack of hiking experience surely made him a terrible match right now. He supposed that he should be lucky that he even got to talk with her today. Naruto smiled as he looked up through the trees, at the hidden sky above. He had seen a new side to her, and it was a wonderful hidden side that made him...well, it made him more curious than before.

Naruto chuckled morbidly to himself. But then again, he wasn't making a good impression in front of her, was he?

After what he thought had to be another hour, Naruto finally began to see the forest suddenly drop off and he smiled in relief as his rented truck appeared right where he left it. As Naruto moved onto the gravel, he noticed that Sakura's truck had already gone back to town. He shouldn't expect her to wait for him. Besides, they had separate cars, and who waited for another on the outskirts of a forest road? If you asked anyone in the city, they'd ask if you were a serial killer!

Naruto hopped into the seat and closed the door, hearing the heavy metal slam shut as he turned the ignition and the engine came to life, roaring in his ear as he rolled down the window to enjoy the breeze. Naruto put the gears in drive and made his way back on the road, ready to enjoy the wind in his hair, and the freshest air he'd breathed in a long time. He still looked both ways, as the road meandered around corners to hide among the trees, and he really didn't want to wreck the car that was so nicely offered to him. The people in this town really were so nice to be around.

Naruto turned his truck around the first bend in the trees and immediately slowed down. There, on the dirt side of the road was the old truck, its single pink stripe on the sides having seen better days, and the grey brown primer that hadn't been painted for years, its front popped up with a small wisp of grey smoke billowing out on the other side. But as he pulled up, his gaze turned to an irate Sakura who once again was bent over, her sublime ass pushing out as she dug into her engine block, looking for the problem and not realizing her situation.

'Seriously!' Naruto thought as he put the truck in park, 'Does this girl have a fetish for bending over for strangers or something?' Not that he would ever complain about it; Sakura had the best ass he'd ever seen, and just from living a healthy outdoor life that surely made the gym girls in a city jealous of her. She had to have a fetish, but he'd never know what it was. He was just a customer to her.

"You alright?" Naruto called out as he stepped onto the pavement of the road. With both trucks parked, they were effectively blocking it, but he doubted anyone would mind and instead help those in need.

Sakura popped her head back out of the engine at his voice, and Naruto gawked at her pink hair covered in dust and grime, her hands black and greasy. She'd touched her face a few times and her eyes were twinged with blackened streaks of frustration and annoyance from her current situation. But one look over her shoulder, at his position right behind her ass on the bumper, and she began to chuckle morbidly to herself, shaking her hair out.

"God!" Sakura croaked in defeat. "Why is it that Every time I see you Naruto, I look like absolute crap and you are behind me ogling my ass?"

Naruto shrugged hopelessly. "Maybe you just like showing me. You're the one bending."

Immediately his brain caught what he just said, but he kept his smooth talking composure as he watched Sakura's eyes widen in shock and an open mouth confirmed that he had surprised her with his flirtatious quip.

Sakura slowly turned away from him and lowered herself back into the engine, bending over for him either way. Naruto smiled as he joined her on the side of her truck to watch her work. He could hear her annoyed grumbling to herself, and heard the words 'flatterer' and 'my ass' and figured that he should aim to please her better.

"Maybe I could take a look at it?"

Sakura sighed as she stepped away from the engine, and with a flick of her hand, she let him take the primary spot to see everything. "Everyone knows cars here. We all fix our own." Sakura advised him as she watched him bend over himself. 'I'm not helpless dammit!'

Sakura grimaced as she watched her customer sink his upper half into the engine and couldn't see her any longer, his head behind the rusting metal of her truck. As she gazed at him and how he was perched, she realized that she couldn't argue with him. He had a point; from this angle, she was flashing everyone that might pass her by. Maybe she did like showing off her best feature...unknowingly of course.

At hearing her customer mumble about parts, her inner anger flared up in disgrace. Dammit! She fixed her own car! Not like Ino, who had time to take it to Suna to the mechanic and such. Yet here she was almost an hour after she got off the trail; stuck in the middle of the road. Oh! She could hear Ino's giggling voice now! 'What? Sakura, you got stuck out there Again?' Sakura turned her attention back to Naruto as he hissed and shook out his hand from a live spark of energy, and smirked as she rolled her eyes, a snide smirk etching on her face. 'City boys. Always think they can fix anything with a hammer and cockiness.'

"I doubt you can find the problem." Sakura called over, her voice a little mean spirited and conniving, but she wasn't in a good mood. "I've been looking at it for an hour already and-"

"Needs a spark plug." Naruto interrupted. and Sakura's superior attitude drained out like water from the sink.

"No! I just changed it last week!" Sakura argued back. "I got the part and everything!"

Naruto leaned back out and looked over to her. "One of them. You only changed one. The other spark plugs overloaded."

After a few seconds of silence, Sakura sighed in defeat and moved to grab her pack from the passenger seat. "I'll walk." She bit back as she shut the door heavily, frustrating tears held back at the edge of her eyes. 'How embarrassing!'' She thought with a blush on the back of her neck. Here she was, a country girl who knew engines, and had forgotten to get all the parts needed first when she had the time to wait. Even more embarrassing to be told that by a hot city boy who knew more than her, and how embarrassing that she now had to hike back into town without her car. Oh! How Ino would surely poke fun at her predicament and the whole town would know that their most dependable person wasn't so-

"Sakura, you heading back into town?"

Sakura froze in place and slowly craned her head to face Naruto. "Yeah?"

"...Hop in." Naruto offered, nodding his head to Ino's truck that he was using. Sakura bit her lip, and smiled at his genuine offer.

She watched as his chest puffed out and his eyes widened stunned by her smile. She quickly looked away frowning, cursing herself. Her eyes must have been smiling at him. 'Dammit! He's a pervert and a customer and...I promised myself yesterday that I wouldn't smile at him.' She pinched her lip between her teeth and gazed back.

"I….I shouldn't-" Sakura began to reject, and Naruto stepped closer, insistent to not leave her all alone here in the woods.

"Um….please?" Naruto asked. She probably knew these woods better than he did, and she could easily walk six miles with her gear but...he wanted to prove to her that he was a nice guy. "...I don't bite." Naruto joked.

Sakura stared at him with her lip bitten between her teeth, making him anxious as a full minute passed, her eyes looking between him, the truck and the road before she sighed aloud and nodded. "…Only because I need to get back to get dinner ready."

Naruto nodded in absolute glee, his chivalrous nature shown off to the girl before him as he opened the truck door for her and shut it kindly as she settled inside. "Of course."

Sakura felt the tires begin to move and off they went, following the gentle curve of the road that Konoha was known for. It was quiet in the truck, Naruto not caring for music right now as the windows were rolled down and bare nature sounded in their ears. Normally, it made Sakura feel peaceful and relaxed, hence why she lived here. So why was her body heating up? She couldn't keep herself from swallowing back saliva and keeping her cheeks from burning. Maybe she just wasn't used to outsiders being so...so…

"Um…" Sakura voiced as she looked over at Naruto. "...t-thanks for the ride." Sakura looked down and reached for her water bottle to hide her embarrassment. She did not just stutter! She swore she grew out of that when she was twelve!

Naruto smiled as he kept his eyes on the road. "Hey, I'm renting this from Ino, so in a way, Ino's helping you out."

"Still...I appreciate it." Sakura thanked as she uncapped the top cap and took a rather large swig of water.

Naruto shrugged nonchalantly. "Just doing as Ino told me to do. To be 'Neighborly.'"

Sakura's gag reflex choked on the water in her throat and she began to cough violently as her ears burned at what Naruto had just said. Intense throat muscles squeezed around her as she gasped for air, twisting her head to blush at him wildly.

"Hey! Are you-" Naruto began to reach over, and Sakura freaked as she saw his hand approaching her back. Sakura's body stiffened in place as she slid away from him, her legs clutching together as the right side of her body made flush with the car door.

"W-What?" Naruto gawked as he retreated, keeping them on the road. "Why are you mad?"

"I'm not!" Sakura rushed out, her breathing just now getting under control.

She felt bad, knowing that surely her eyes were glaring daggers at him due to his words just now. She had felt the way her body pulsed out towards him, the way her feet had parted just briefly, and took another swig of water to help smooth down her emotions. "W-where did you hear that phrase?" Sakura asked, her voice ragged.

"Um, from Ino this morning." Naruto defended, her eyes seeing his ears turn a shade of pink. Sakura paused as her body sagged, seeing that he truly didn't know what he'd just said. She never said it, but for his sake, she should.

"That word's different outside of Konoha probably, but you see...around here," Sakura blushed. "Being Neighborly in Konoha is slang for flirting….or...taking care of...needs for the night. Like um...yeah…"

Naruto blushed beet red now as she watched him recall his words to her. In town lingo he had just offered to go down on her- yeah... "Oh!" Naruto stammered as he gazed back at her. "I um, well...You are a beautiful-"

"Please don't flirt." Sakura shook her head and sighed as she looked away. "Or else I'll punch you…"

Sakura looked out at the scenery. All the city slickers were the same, hoping to get lucky with her, the lonely innkeeper. They all thought they were hotshots and could wave money around. Every year she dealt with rowdy customers grabbing her ass or something. They even offered to take care of her 'needs' as they put it. True that there were two girls to every guy here in town, but work was scarce at times and men moved to support the families. She had thought Naruto was...different...

She didn't have or need to fulfill those urges. She was stronger than that. It took forever for her to get that desperate and her standard was way too high. Every year was the same flirts and she only saw the lies in their eyes, wanted to fuck and run, which was what men were good for. She'd leave it to Ino and the other girls in town to handle these troublemakers and-

"...Go ahead and punch me then."

"What?" Sakura spurt out, yelling out the window as she turned to look back at him like he was crazy. "You a masochist or something?" Sakura called over, but her voice left her after that.

Sakura gawked as Naruto's eyes changed into something predatory altogether. When she'd caught him before, the passion was dulled down, more mild, and reserved. Now; he wasn't holding back, as he gave her body multiple views as he raked down her body repeatedly. She felt her body heat up as he did this lecherous thing to her. It didn't feel predatory...but...

Her body shifted just slightly, her shoulders dipping down as her bare skin seeped out of her jacket, her chest pushing out between the folds, her legs crossing over to show the creamy skin of her legs. Was she posing? For him? Sakura's eyes shivered as her posture became alluring as she felt the need to bat her eyes at him. She was...flustered! And she couldn't stop herself!

It must have been a full minute before the wheels of the trucks settled on the side of the road, the atmosphere tickling both of their senses as slow, thick puffs of breath flew between them. Naruto's eyes bore deep into Sakura's own, and she knew that he was being completely honest with her. "I'm sorry, Sakura, but I can't seem to control my eyes around you. Ever since I saw you, I just have this urge to look at you." Naruto paused, wetting his lips nervously. "You are...very beautiful to me, and I'm tired of wondering why.."

Sakura didn't say anything for a minute, but slowly, she smiled, her height growing as she preened herself from the flirtation on the way she looked. She rubbed at her neck as she let out a stunned cough of air. "Um...wow." Her body finally began to relax into the seat, her comfort level rising around the man beside her. "That's...um...refreshing."

Naruto sent her a gentle smile, and Sakura returned it with one of her own. 'Let him look at our hot body,' her inner consciousness screamed inside her. She had made him feel like a creep for twenty four hours and he had turned into a romantic before her eyes. He deserved the right to a smile and some ogling. Sakura giggled and opened up more, her head resting against the door frame as Naruto began to drive once more.

"I've never had such a Blatant Admirer before." Naruto heard, and his own ego boosted as he saw the small content smile she sent his way. He'd done it; he'd gotten a smile. Naruto continued his drive towards town, as the two began to converse about small things that led nowhere.

Naruto pulled up to the spacing hidden in the alley next to the inn, and turned off the engine, before looking over to smile brightly.

"Thanks for today, Sakura. I was only expecting to see my claim, and you really made my day."

Sakura blushed, her digits twiddling around themselves as she cast a soft smile his way. "Same here. It was a nice day... and thanks for the ride again."

Naruto nodded as they both stepped out and stepped into the side entrance of the inn, Naruto opening the door for her as she giggled and continued past him. She waited for him to step inside himself before they kept walking.

Down the hallways they walked side by side, their shoulders just grazing every few feet as Naruto's body cried out in a happy symphony of brushes. He expected her to turn to the kitchen, but she followed him up the stairs onto the second floor, twirling her keys in her hand.

Nervousness hit him like a bag of bricks as he imagined asking Sakura into his room, and her saying yes. She was twirling her keys- that was a sign that she didn't want the day to end, right? Naruto hurriedly grabbed his room key and turned to the door, rushing to open it and pluck up the courage to ask her inside for tea or coffee or something!

"Hey Sakura," Naruto called out as his door opened.

"Yes Naruto?" Came her voice, but he was saddened as it seemed further than his shoulder away. Naruto turned around, and Sakura was no longer at his side, but instead across from him, down an entryway to another door. He watched as she looked back at him, casually opening the door as she did so as an entire house appeared in his vision.

"Y-you stay here?" Naruto stuttered. He couldn't ask her in if she stayed here. Or could he?

Sakura smiled back at him and gestured with a hand around them. "This second floor used to be my house. Running a business and all...I didn't need all of it to myself."

Naruto's smile widened further as he gazed over at her. She lived and operated in this huge place, and opened up the rooms of her home to complete strangers, and took care of them out of the goodness of her heart. His own heart bled for this girl.

"You're a real gem, Sakura. You know that?"

Sakura shot him an annoyed smile. "And You Sir...are a pervert…" She quieted as she stepped inside her home. "...and also a charmer. Dinner is in two hours." She finished as she shut the door.

What do you all think? Don't keep me in the dark!