AN: First off, apologies of my sabbatical. I was thinking how to end my story right, and also...work TOOK OVER my life through the holidays greatly this year. Thanks to wonderful PM's to get me to post, I've made more time to post these chapters.

Hope you all enjoy it :)

P.S. I thought up yet another story to post, but it'll be a while as it's rather lengthy and I'm only a fourth of the way through on writing it out, but I'll do my best!

Glazed Emeralds: A Hallmark Story

Chapter 24: Room Revelations

The morning streamed in through the skylight, illuminating the pair of naked flesh laying side by side on Sakura's bed. Sakura lay on her side, her eyes aimlessly staring off as her mind focused on the masculine hand sliding across her stomach, feeling the fingers dip and rise with the contours of her body as he did.

"There was something different last night." Naruto spoke from behind her, also on his side as he held her close against him, his full male figure an image that Sakura could see with her mind's eye as he pressed against her, her contours meshed with his own.

Sakura idly combed through her bedsheets with her fingers, as it rested only up to their thighs, Naruto having pushed it back this morning as he caressed her. "Oh? What felt different? I didn't change anything."

She felt Naruto's lips press against her neck as he puckered against her in thought. "It's not what you changed per say. It's...hmm...I don't know. You felt more...relaxed? At peace maybe? Your limbs were so light is all I'm thinking..."

Sakura blushed with a smile towards the wall. She'd felt how wispy and airy her body was last night, how she sprung from below to around him as if she were a teenager again. She couldn't help being happy that her wishes came true last night. True that there would be heartbreak for her in a little less than a week, but…

"Sakura? You okay?"

"Hmm? Oh! Yeah." Sakura shook her head as they began to get up for the day. Naruto left the room for a minute to grab some clothes, and Sakura sighed as she reached into her drawers as she pulled on some underwear and moved to sit in front of her vanity mirror. Sakura settled into place and glanced at herself and let her heart clench.

He was leaving soon. That was going to be hard on her. Ino had pushed her to open her heart, and Sakura really hoped that her best friend would be willing to hold her when this was over. She knew deep down that she was going to be a mess when the time came, but for now, she was going to be happy.

"Sakura? You're still in your underwear?" Naruto called out surprised as he moved back inside, moving to stand behind her.

Sakura careened her head to the side to gaze up at him fondly. "Do my hair?"

Naruto blushed as his teeth sucked air between his lips. "Y-you know I'm not good at that. We tried that yesterday before the festival, and I did horrible. I'm sure everyone in town saw and poked fun at it."

Sakura softly shrugged. "I liked it."

"Well, okay then." Naruto gave in and reached down to grab the brush, and as he passed, the two turned to lightly kiss, their lips and tongues slow and languid, drinking in the atmosphere around them. Already, both felt the need to jump back into the bed behind them, but Naruto pulled back and began to comb, leaving Sakura to slightly pout at his sometimes lack of prolonging the moment with her. "Usually by now, you're heading downstairs to cook."

Sakura looked back at him through the mirror, her eyes shimmering back at him. "It's a perk for me. After the festival, everyone shuts down for the day. No work, but also no breakfast."

"Oh…"

Sakura smirked as she pulled his hand forward to kiss his knuckle. "I could cook just for you if you wanted...it'd be our little secret."

Naruto blushed terribly and shook his head. "No, no. You don't have to. I was just curious. Ah!" Naruto groaned. "I can't get this braid right."

"It's okay. I can do it." Sakura giggled as he walked off, her hands expertly doing the braid that she'd done since she was little. "If you wanted Naruto," Sakura called over, "we could always drive down a ways. Make a day of it; eat out."

"Any nice places?"

Sakura hummed as she finished the right side of her braid and moved to her left. "I know a few classy ones."

"…How about I treat you?"

Sakura's fingers froze at the end of her braid, her eyes glued to Naruto's looking back to her. She gulped. "Like...like a date?" Sakura's voice inflecting high as her throat dried.

"...Yeah…" Naruto shrugged in her mirror. Sakura couldn't tell if he was nervous or not, if his face was telling her something about his motives or reasons for calling it that.

'It could just be a friend date, or a sexual ending date, or…a romantic date.' Sakura's breath silently shuttered as she nodded along. "O-okay then. Th-this afternoon?"

"Sounds good."

As Naruto moved around behind her getting ready himself, Sakura mentally began to scrutinize her entire personality and body, looking to correct any defects now. Good thing she said this afternoon, because as soon as she was dressed, she was asking Ino for some serious advice.

That afternoon found Sakura stepping out of her room and moving across the hallway to Naruto's door. Despite knocking, she immediately walked in, kind of hoping to catch her lover mid change once more. "Naru?"

The room was empty. 'He must have stepped out for something.' Sakura thought to herself as she idly looked around. All of Naruto's items were organized neatly in the closet and the dresser by the bed, but she hadn't cleaned any of this since he got here. 'Not that he's slept much in here.' Sakura smiled a bit, remembering just how many nights he lay in her bed with his arms around her waist.

A real date. She got this, after having spent the day making sure everything was set up properly. Sakura stared out the window, and frowned. Turned out that Ino was not the best help with this kind of relationship. None of her past dates were serious and they just fucked at the end. Sakura should have realized that her promise to Shikamaru meant a lot more to her than she let on. No matter what happened tonight, Sakura was taking Naruto into her bed. So Ino's experience was about as good as her own.

Sakura was just happy that Hinata had come in for her weekly catch up with the girls for lunch and when the topic came up, had told Sakura to simply relax and enjoy the flow. If things got stale, Hinata blushed and said to show some skin, like she'd done with Kiba on their first date to distract them.

Sakura looked over to the alarm by the dresser and saw the time. They had plenty of it. Maybe go for a walk beforehand, or perhaps just sit and relax afterwards? She was leaving that part up to Naruto. Sakura had made the reservation for six in the evening, and her friend Temari who worked there had reserved the table overlooking the sunset going just past the waterfall. For an extra ten minutes, she had teased Sakura on being so romantically cheesy, but the pink haired innkeeper wanted that atmosphere. Time between Naruto and Sakura was cheesy.

She wanted Naruto to think of this as a romantic date, which implied certain things. Things she still hadn't said to his face. It was just on the edge of her heart and she needed to tell him, but she...she was...

'Oh god!' Sakura groaned into her hands. 'I'm getting so nervous! When was the last time I was on a date anyways?' Sakura moved onto the bed and sagged down onto the mattress, scratching her fingers along her cheeks as she tapped her foot impatiently. She hadn't been on a date, had she? Sasuke never really took her out. In fact, Sakura was the one to pay for everything.

Was she the player? Sakura puffed out her cheeks. She had asked for a date from Naruto. She had chosen the place, time, and activity too. Sakura rubbed her bare arms. Was she being too aggressive in all of this? Ino and Hinata screamed damsel and save me! Sakura though, she was a tomboy and shy and had a tendency to punch when she was nervous.

'Oh God, please don't let me punch Naruto tonight.' Sakura prayed as she opened her eyes, and came face to face with the dresser and the stationary on it. 'Hey! He wrote something.'

Sakura smiled as she readjusted herself and grabbed the stack of paper. She loved putting these out for her customers. Her inn travelers always did funny things to them; silly drawings, perverse comments about her as an innkeeper, and complaints and critiques to better improve the inn. But she was impressed with the amount of pages he filled out.

"Let's see here...time of the bus schedule...reminder to get flowers later...huh? Pro/Con Konoha?"

Sakura cocked her head at the last few pages. Could Naruto be thinking about staying here in Konoha? Her heart beat faster at the thought. Sakura's breath shivered in that desired outcome. 'That would be amazing~'

"What did he write?" Sakura asked aloud as she turned the page. Pro: a beautiful small town, self-sufficient and sturdy people. Con: seems to be overly dependent on tourism in winter. Sakura nodded at that one. They were highly invested alright. That was her main business season after all.

"What else?" Pro: the women here are beautiful and have strong personalities. Sakura smiled brighter, her chest pushing out. Con: not much for chivalry to be needed here. Feels kind of useless in the local area.

"Oh Naruto, you're not useless." Sakura's heart pinged. Everyone in town loved having him around. The boys were abusing his kindness and the girls were completely batting their eyes at him. Sakura frowned at that last thought. She'd need to ask them to stop that. He was hers.

Pro: no stress here. No crime. Nothing but time.

'Well, in summer at least.'

Con: have to leave my job. Have to find a new one. Give up my hard work, all the time I put in?

"Oh no, Naruto." She muttered. She didn't want him to lose what he put so much time into. Sakura cocked her head a little. After he left, he'd be rich beyond belief. He didn't Need to work, did he? Instead of a job, he needed to have a purpose. 'Maybe he could find a purpose here?' Sakura wondered as she turned to the last page, reading it aloud.

"...I'm totally crushing on the hot Innkeeper…"

'Wait, what? He's...crushing...on me?' Sakura thought slowly. 'If he's crushing, that means...he loves me back?'

"Ow!" Sakura rubbed her cheeks, trying to bring them down, but it was no use. She was smiling too hard.

(Knock Knock) "Sakura?"

Sakura quickly slid the papers into her pocket and turned just as the door opened. Her eyes twinkled as Naruto appeared in the doorway, carrying a bouquet of flowers in his left hand, as she watched his face brighten upon seeing her.

"Wow." Naruto spoke up as he gazed at her figure walking towards him in a simple white summer dress fluttering below her, with small straps to cover what little of her shoulders they could. "You look ravishing, Sakura. Here. I got you these-"

Sakura's lips collided with his own in a fury, her arms wrapping around his neck as her tongue slid directly inside. Naruto groaned as he reciprocated, but suddenly his back was on the wall as Sakura completely dominated him, his eyes rolling back in pleasure as she coiled her tongue around his, and left him breathless as she pulled back.

"W-what's with the sudden kissing?" Naruto struggled to ask. His breath was still gone, and he cleared his throat as a goofy smile adorned his face.

Sakura smiled deftly as she fixed his tie for him, patting his dress shirt down as she shrugged nonchalantly towards him. "Just...happy I guess. I guess I really wanted something like this."

Naruto gazed over her dress again, noting the undertone of purity and innocence that exuded from her body. She looked like an angel to him. "Yeah. Me too. Shall we?"

"Of course." Sakura smiled as she accepted his arm and walked out the door. As they moved, Sakura's cheeks glowed as her mind moved around. That Pro list was proof; proof that he was falling for her. Now, she just had to get him to admit it.

AN: Admit it huh? We'll see...