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AN: So Glad everyone responding loves my story so far! Views climbing, Reviews coming in. Man, it feels rewarding to me to see all those, so everyone, please write what you think on this chapter! I made much, MUCH more uh...tempting than ones you've read so far. Enjoy!

...And Buy my book! ;)

Glazed Emeralds: A Hallmark Story

Chapter 8: A Guide to Flirt

Light billowed in from the sunroof above her room, casting the entirety of her abode in a nice soothing glow. It was an expense that Ino had insisted she spend on the upgrades for the inn herself, and Sakura had bought it on an utter whim. The sunlight though...it helped her begin to be happy again after that time years ago.

Sakura sighed as she sat on her bed, her back resting against the headboard as her knees formed an arch to rest her arms as she read the book in her hand. Her eyes paused as she looked around her room, at the many bookshelves, the small TV hidden in one section of the slats on the wall. There was some space for a full closet unlike the Inn's rooms and a second area separated by a movable wall that was currently peeled back to show an open concept living room and half kitchen. This place was what Sakura had needed after she came back home to Konoha, after her mother passed and...something she tried to not think of. Ino always tried to take her mind off of him but she couldn't be around all the time. Sakura was an adult now. She could handle it on her own. Time heals all wounds eventually…she hoped.

It was now an hour or so after breakfast had ended service and Sakura had come up here to relax for a bit, not that anyone saw her leave. That was because of the second door to her room, which led up through a secret staircase in the back of the reception area where she checked guests in. A simple bell to get her attention and she could appear there quick as a flash. You still needed a key and everything to get in and out that way; Sakura didn't want people just walking in on her, but it was a wonderful thing to have when it was too cold in the winter or too many guests were around, and people wanting to check in in the middle of the night. Having a secret corridor made her feel excited.

Sakura shivered as she slid the book she was currently reading down her bare legs and looked back up through the skylight to the clouds above. Though...she'd felt excited for the last few days already, and it was that wonderful blond guest she was thinking about that made her feel that way for some strange reason. Sakura let a small smile rest on her face as she thought of him.

Naruto was such a sweet guy; both a charmer and a rascal; at once a suave operator, and at the other end a nervous mess. His character was that of a chivalrous man in the end. Her car had broken down in the middle of the road, she had asked Lee, the mechanic, to look it over and he affirmed that it'd be weeks to get the parts in, and so she was stuck in town. Not truly stuck; she could have asked for anyone's car in town, everyone around here could share. She was such a prideful person though that it ached for her to be the one in need of help. Naruto was the first to offer his own, offering Ino's if she needed it, even though he was on vacation and would want to use it often. She hadn't gone anywhere just yet, the supply run wasn't for another few days, but it was really sweet of him to offer, and another drive with him...those thoughts made her feel excited too.

After yelling at Ino the previous morning, she'd actually managed to take a quick nap and she didn't know why but she was in a rather happy mood that had Ino asking her if something was different from only an hour ago. Sakura had braided her hair that day, so she shrugged it away and continued on. After breakfast, Naruto had stopped by the reception counter and listened as she explained the back trail to the lot that she had mentioned the day before yesterday.

He had still insisted on taking the trail hike. She had warned of the dehydration, of the slipping areas, and was therefore surprised when he came slogging back more than halfway through the dinner rush. She had been happily impressed, sans a smile, as the way she'd shown him wasn't easy, even for the locals who did this regularly. After dinner, she'd met up with him in the lounge area, where he showed her several pictures of the trail that served as proof that he'd accomplished the feat. And he had even gotten a picture of the same two foxes from the day before! The whole thing made Sakura smile; Naruto had been looking forward to bragging to her the whole night.

A red hue descended on her cheeks as Sakura looked down at her knuckles. She had punched him last night. She'd been passing him after dinner service and he muttered about her body being sexy. She'd warned him she punched and he should have listened and she was bad with flirting! And... And then she didn't feel too bad, as Naruto hissed in pain yes, but he also smiled and shrugged, figuring that she would stand by what she said. He expected to get punched at that comment from the start.

Cut to ten minutes later and he flirted with her more openly, growing cocky, asking for a beautiful maiden to sit next to him. So she punched him again...before she joined him in the lounge to read their books while a summer rain billowed outside, but she let herself sag against his shoulder, her leg peeking out to rest against his own. Now she may have let a small smile show on her face, not too big or anything, not a full smile, but she was embarrassed to say that she may have fallen asleep for a time there, and she may have awoken to him beside her.

It was...nice. Nice to have someone at night, when the inn was empty...

Sakura shook her head letting out a huff as a red hue dusted her cheeks. Why was she thinking about him? He was a pervert, and yet...he flattered her, and his words made her happier than anyone had made her before. She appreciated the way that his eyes seemed to have morphed to a kind of longing and hope for something she would never give. Sakura repositioned herself, squeezing her legs tightly. She never gave that. But Nar-

"Naruto! Now I remember it!" Sakura exclaimed, pausing as a lightbulb went off. "Ow!" She hissed not a second later, the back of her head slamming back to the headboard in her lapse in concentration.

Sakura grinned sourly as she rubbed her head and moved across the room to her bookshelf. Thumbing over the various books, she paused at one in particular and pulled it out. The pages were worn, and many dog ears lined the corners, but as she opened it up, she smiled in victory. 'Tales of a Gutsy Ninja' and right there the main character...Naruto.

Sakura sighed back onto her knees, skimming over the pages. It was one of her favorite books growing up, detailing a man who raced through knives and fire to save damsels and took them to safe places. Sakura's cheeks took on a deeper red hue. He also...was gutsy, the women he saved sharing his desires as they fell into a swirling tide of debauchery and sexual events throughout the story. It was a major book series outside of Konoha, and she had been a huge fan growing up in this small town.

Sakura looked back at the rack of books, to where behind this book, where the sex was implied and prudent, there was another row of books, these of a definite lewd nature. There were no punches pulled in those books, and her teenage mind years ago had wondered about recreating those scenes and scenarios in her own life.

Sakura reached for one, her breath growing labored as she opened it up and began to readjust herself for what was to come. As she began to read, her mind wandered as her fingers began to slip along her bare skin. She hadn't read these books in years...she hadn't had an urge to do so…until a few nights ago...

It was the middle of the afternoon when Naruto made it back into town. After the last few days of hiking, he had taken the advice from Ino about perhaps meeting someone who had moved here from outside Konoha. Talking with Sakura gave him the local blacksmith, Tenten Higurashi, and some directions to her shop.

It had been a roomy open air forge when he came upon it this morning, and meeting Tenten had been a great idea. Over the last few hours, she had listened to his questions and explained her own reasons.

She had been a troubled kid, with nothing to lose. She had a small rap sheet, and got caught with a gun in her pocket. She ended up doing community service up here, far removed from the city she was raised in, where she learned the skill of blacksmithing and never left after all. It was a complete shift from the city life for sure, but she did mention the devotion and supervision of the Sarutobi family, how their family were full of online teachers and researchers, but that they just didn't go to a big office and such, but had a small research facility further up in the mountains when they had need of it.

Naruto watched as she talked openly with him, and all the while continually heating, shaping, and cooling what was to become a Samurai sword! She had learned over seven years of hard work, and now the trade was her own, and with the secret ways dying out around the world, she sold each sword for around ten thousand dollars at a time.

"Why did you stay?" Naruto recalled asking her after she was taking a break.

"You mean, besides the hard work?" Tenten had smiled, and pulled out a locket before opening it to the man inside. "This is Neji, he is my husband. I met him at the same time I was learning my trade. We've been married five years now. He works with the forest service as a ranger, so I don't see him all the time, but when I do...it makes my day."

"Makes my day." Naruto wondered to himself. So staying for nature, staying for peace and quiet...staying for love. Such simple reasons to stay in this town. Naruto shook his head; who would stay in a place where no one knew the name of?

"Hey Naruto. Tenten give you some advice?"

Naruto had stepped into the dining room without thinking and looked up to see Sakura washing down the tables with a simple wet rag. His eyes widened; his body frozen in place.

She was so simple: a light blouse, followed by a knee length skirt. Her hair in a simple braid that any girl could do, and doing a task that anyone could accomplish. So why was there a glow around her? Why did the room look brighter now that he noticed her?

Naruto rubbed at his eyes, faking a wave of tiredness, and smiled her way. "Great point of view, but I think she loves Neji more than the town to be objective."

Sakura giggled as she nodded, finishing the last table with her back to him. "Oh, she loves him alright. I grew up with the stoic, silent Neji, who looked down on everyone and thought he was superior. In comes a small time criminal like Tenten and bam!" Sakura smacked the table with her rag. "Suddenly, he is laughing and making cooing sounds at his adorable girlfriend. Yes, she would throw us off in a heartbeat if Neji ever wanted to leave. But that's love I guess."

Sakura walked off to the reception area, and Naruto followed. He had been asking her every day so far where he should go and who to talk to. She knew this town so well, and if she wasn't used to being the tourist information girl, he might feel bad.

The mood between them had definitely turned up a few notches since the drive home just days ago. Naruto felt a passing ache from the bruise on his shoulder from where she punched him, but he found it endearing. He was probably a masochist; she still hadn't flirted back or anything, but just talking with her made him feel...content? Satisfied? Whatever; he was happy with this atmosphere.

'Maybe too happy.' Naruto thought as Sakura moved around the reception desk and leaned on her arms, Naruto mimicking her on the other side as their faces were perhaps a foot or two away, their voices casual and low, as if having a whispered sharing of secrets between old friends.

"...Love is funny like that." Sakura whispered, Naruto noticing how her voice and mood dampened. "Some people leave everything behind to chase love, and some of them get burned. Sometimes...it's better to stay where you are, and let love find you."

Naruto frowned as Sakura's mind wandered, biting the edge of her lip as he watched her eyes darken and edge with liquid on the sides. He wanted to hug her, reach out for her hand a few inches away, tell her that she could trust in him, and ask her what was wrong. He hated seeing a girl cry, especially one who he was fast becoming friends with.

But as sudden as it appeared, Sakura shook herself and the bad memory away. But Naruto would remember it. Even someone as intriguing as Sakura had a past and a secret that she wasn't ready to tell him. He hoped to make a connection long enough for her to trust him and help her. After all, in conflict resolution, the best thing to have is the client's trust.

"But those two get crazy intimate though!" Sakura giggled lightly as she prepared a map for him from her stash below the counter.

"Really?" Naruto questioned. He wasn't usually one for gossip, but this town seemed to thrive on it. He kind of digged it now.

"Yeah. The inn is also like the honeymoon suite and let me tell you." Sakura fanned herself across the counter. "The sounds they made certainly sounded...freaky."

"Freaky?"

Sakura smirked back, as if she had laid a trap and was now activating it. "Freaky….speaking of freaky things. I found your name...in a smut book."

Naruto froze, his mind working overtime at her words. It wasn't that bad; he got this realization from many women in the city, but unlike with the others, he wanted to flirt with this one.

"My, Sakura." Naruto grinned bashfully over at her. "How ever did you find that out?"

His plan worked, as Sakura blushed deeply, Naruto seeing her neck turning pink under her unbuttoned shirt. He smirked and leaned in, waiting to hear her response.

Sakura herself was surprised that he had such a comeback ready to go. She had waited all afternoon for him to come home and get back at him for all the flirtations and teasing he did to her the last few days. She thought she could tease him on this, but it seemed like his brazenness and redirection had a different effect than planned.

Sakura lowered her eyes to the counter, and hid behind her bangs, thinking of what to say. An absurd sentence caught her attention and she blurted it out with the most sultry voice she had ever used before. "...A girl has to have Some things to read here in the outback."

'Oh my God!' Sakura thought morosely as the words left her mouth. She must look like she is flirting behind her hair, propping herself up and all in front of him. Where did that flirt come from?! S-she just flirted, didn't she? Oh God! She just hoped that she hadn't offended him!

Sakura turned her gaze to him, and her lips rapidly grew into a proud smile. Naruto stared back at her in awe, happily surprised by the admittance that she just told him. She had showered after reading the book this morning, so he couldn't smell it on her, could he?

Naruto leaned in closer, hovering above the map between them as they stayed less than ten inches apart. "I swear…the girls here are more interesting with every day that passes."

Sakura let her smile stay on her face, not hiding it as she always did. 'What a flatterer.' She thought as her eyes dipped to slip a glance at his lips and back up to his eyes. 'He's so close to me...he is rather handsome, and just earlier, I…'

Shaking her head, she looked down at the map, her fingers sliding across Naruto's as he looked carefully to see what to look at next. Sakura herself felt like Naruto deserved something more than normal tourists. Didn't know why; she just did.

Sakura looked back over at the town map, and slid her fingers over the numerous trails, remembering all the secret spots not marked on it. After all, outsiders were not wanted at the local spots, to give the locals the best of places to see wildlife and enjoy themselves even in the winter months without tourists around them.

Everyone promised to not tell people so that they could enjoy these spots, but...she liked the idea of letting a nice guy like Naruto know about them. There was just...something about him that made her...at peace? Relaxed? She couldn't just mark it on the map, but maybe if she was coy about it, he could see these spots.

"You know?" Sakura sighed as she leaned back, stretching her arms out as Naruto looked over to give her his attention. "You need to get a tour of the whole county, not just the town. There are a lot of amazing places not written down after all."

Sakura waited for him to take the bait. He was smarter than he looked. He had to see what she was doing. But would he willingly walk into it? When he smiled cockily back at her, she knew he'd caught on.

"Know a good guide, then?"

Sakura cocked her head to the side, putting on a thinking face as she stared between the ceiling and him, gazing over his shoulders and face as she ogled him a bit, her emerald eyes alight with a golden sheen to them. It was official; she was flirting with him.

"I'm positive that I can get a tour guide. Most are off for the season, but...Maybe I could find someone to your liking…"

"...Are they beautiful?"

Sakura slowly smiled, leaning closer across the counter, bringing their eyes within inches of the other, their emotions popping and sizzling across the ever closing distance. Sakura had an odd thought that their lips were closer than their eyes. She enjoyed this dance of words. "Maybe…"

"...Only a fine ass will do-"

"What?" Sakura gapped, popping back up with her back ramrod straight. Sakura hid behind her bangs once more, as she dusted off the back of her skirt behind her, biting her lip at the thought of wondering if Naruto had commented again on her ass.

"Sorry!" Naruto rushed out, his confidence gone as he blurted out his apology. Sakura though smiled through it, enjoying his rushed sentences as he droned on before her, giving her a chance to collect herself. He had just surprised her was all. It wasn't that she was not flattered. She thought that was her best feature, but to just say it like that? Well…

"….That wasn't what I… well it was what I meant. That was too much to say." Naruto finished lamely.

He glanced back up as Sakura giggled over at him. She was growing used to his blatant affections. "Yeah. I do have a nice ass, don't I?" She smirked, slowly brushing her hair behind her ear as she watched him ogle her, and this time, she glowed with pride from it. "How about I show you around tomorrow? I can get the supplies and everything ready."

Naruto nodded, his eyes not leaving her lithe, athletic frame. "Perfect."

I always feel like I stumble over my words for a beautiful girl. Review Please!