Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Day 3
Sakura lightly slapped her cheeks as she walked through the streets, not caring about the weird stares she was getting. She had to shake off her exhaustion. Well, more like mental exhaustion, and only two people could ever cause such her to be in such a state.
Of course Mother and Ino would gang up on me... They always do! She thought to herself, before letting out a yawn. At least I was able to get away before it got worse...
"He WHAT?!" Shrieked a young woman, while squeezing the life out of one of Sakura's pillows.
The pinkette rubbed her ear as her face noticeably scrunched up in irritation. "Ino, even though we're not at your house, that doesn't give you an excuse to screech your piggy lungs out." She remarked, before getting her shoulders grabbed by the platinum blonde haired girl.
The young girl hung her head as she started laughing quietly, before giving the girl in front of her a devious grin. "Oh you're not getting out of this with an insult, forehead!" She shouted as she started shaking the life out of her best friend. "Details, dammit! I need DETAILS!" Ino demanded, only increasing the speed of her violent shaking.
Sakura gritted her teeth as her vision was distorted from being thrown around in every direction; she always hated Ino's addiction to gossip or any story she deemed 'juicy'. "S-S-S-Stop s-s-shaking me then!" She shakily shouted in response, as the room around her started to spin.
'Urf... I'm gonna be sick...' She thought to herself, getting dizzier by the second.
Just as the shaking started to slow down, Sakura's door slammed open, revealing an older woman with blonde hair. "WHAT IS ALL THAT NOISE?!" The woman asked loudly, before seeing the two girls sitting on the floor. "Oh, hello Ino." She greeted the young girl, now knowing the source.
Ino gave a cheeky grin toward the older woman, as she let go of Sakura's shoulders. "Hi Mrs. Haruno!" She greeted Sakura's mother, before looking back at Sakura. "Sorry about the noise, just trying to wrestle some information out of your daughter." She explained, her grin turning into a smirk.
Sakura felt a chill run down her spine as she looked at her mother, then looked towards Ino. She could see what her friend was plotting, and it was nothing good.
'Ino... You better not get Mom involved!' She inwardly shouted, hoping that Ino would somehow hear her.
"Oh? What kind of information would she hide from you?" The older woman asked while leaning against the door frame; deciding to stick around out of curiosity.
Ino's eyes shone in devious glee, as everything fell right into place. "Sakura's going on a date!" She explained, not even bothering to hide her excitement.
'Shit.' Was the only thought that could get through Sakura's head before her mother walked in, closing the door behind her and sitting on Sakura's bed.
Resting her hands on the bed, Mebuki stared down at the two in silence. This silence broke when her eyes met with Sakura's. "Go on, Sakura. Tell us more about this date." She ordered, a calm smile spreading across her cheeks.
Sakura could tell she wasn't getting out of this without explaining everything, so she did. She told them all the 'necessary details' and what she got was the expected reaction. "So you finally accepted that kid's advances?" Mebuki asked, as her smile remained ever present.
The pinkette hung her head before nodding slowly, causing Ino to look at the two of them in confusion. "Finally? W-Wait, how many times has Naruto asked you out?" The blonde asked, not liking being out of the loop one bit.
The older blonde chuckled as she rested her arms on her lap. "Twenty times total, nineteen rejections from Sakura here. Then after every rejection she would come home and complain to me about it being 'a pain in the ass'." She explained to the pinkette's best friend.
Sakura's face immediately grew red as she turned toward her mother. "M-MOM! You don't just tell people that!" She shouted, embarrassment written all over her face.
Ino looked over at the pinkette, giving her a long stare as she processed this new information. "Wow, how did he not give up on you? Also, TWENTY TIMES?! I knew this wasn't the first time he's asked you out, but seriously?!" She shouted, scooching in real close to Sakura as a disgruntled look formed on her face. "You really need to stop hiding this stuff from me..." She warned her, REALLY not liking being out of the loop.
Sakura inched back a bit, before standing up completely. "LET ME EXPLAIN, OKAY?!" She shouted in irritation, before panting heavily. Seeing that the two were allowing her to actually get a word in edge wise, she cleared her throat before talking. "Most of those times that he asked me out weren't really 'asking me out', ya know?" She asked rhetorically, before rubbing her arm. "I know how much he liked competing with Sasuke-kun back then. Nearly all of them I knew were him making some shitty attempt at trying to get one over on Sasuke-kun, rather than seriously trying to go on a date with me." She explained, taking a deep breath as she sat back down.
The pinkette looked over at her mom, before looking over at Ino. "What Mom failed to mention was that when I complained about him, it was because I knew he was acting like a little kid about it. Trying to make it into a competition, a game. Ignoring my feelings completely." She clarified, all the while fiddling with the carpet threads.
Ino rolled her eyes while folding her arms; clearly not liking her explanation. "Please! You're acting like you're completely innocent here, when you and I both know you would've rejected him on the spot rather harshly if he WAS being serious! Back then, I should say." She counter-explained, smirking all the while.
Sakura's eyes narrowed as a vein began to bulge on her temple. "I did say 'most of those times', didn't I?..." She asked, as anger coated her now raspy voice.
The growing tension between the two was then cut off by a loud clap, the sound coming from Mebuki as she stood up from the bed. "Alright, simmer down you two. The last thing I need is another scream-fest in my house." She told them, breaking up the fight as a grin formed on her aging face.
Ino sighed heavily before getting up, and bowing toward Mebuki. "Sorry, Mrs. Haruno. Got a little carried away..." She apologized, feeling a bit embarrassed. "However..." She trailed off, standing up fully and looking toward the pinkette. "I won't take back what I said." She told her, as her hands rested on her hips. "It wasn't that long ago that you were complaining to me about how stupid and annoying Naruto can be. Less than a month, in fact." She pointed out, smirking all the while. "Also considering how all over the place you've been these last couple days, it's pretty ballsy that you're acting so put together right now. Even though you're clearly still freaking out in that large forehead of yours." She taunted, before poking Sakura's forehead.
Sakura glared at the blonde, as an angry pout formed on her face. "You better make your point quick, Piggy..." She warned, as the sound of cracking knuckles started coming from her fists.
Ino laughed as she kept her finger on the pinkette's forehead, smiling all the while. "My point is that you shouldn't act all innocent about how things went down in the past. Also... Stop acting like Naruto's still chasing after you." She told Sakura, pushing her back a bit with her finger.
Sakura rubbed her forehead, all the while staring at Ino with confused eyes. "Huh? What do you mean?" She asked, not getting what Ino was telling her.
Ino shook her head, taking in a deep breath before grinning widely at the girl in front of her. "You, are chasing after him." She told Sakura, as a giggle escaped her lips.
Sakura's confused stare turned into one of shock as her face started to turn a faint pink. "W-WHAT?! No I'm not!" She shouted in defense, with Ino only laughing in response.
Ino pointed at the pinkette once again, as a smirk formed on her face. "Bullshit! I mean you were keeping tabs on him in the hospital, went to his house, went out on a 'not date' and even flirted with him on that 'not date'! What's next? Spying on him at home?" She asked rhetorically, pointing out all the little things Sakura's been doing the last few days. A teasing look formed on her face as she covered her mouth with her hand. "I bet you even think about sleeping in his coat~" She teased, all while letting out a perverted laugh.
Sakura's face started to completely turn pink as she began fuming at her best friend. "OF COURSE NO-"
"Hmmmm, well the other day I did find Sakura sleeping with a bright orange coat on. She looked rather happy as well, snuggling up to it and all." Mebuki chimed in, dealing a lethal blow to her daughter's defense.
Silence filled the room, but only for a moment. "Eh?" Ino uttered as she looked at the pinkette, who was now looking straight down at the floor. A wide, cheshire grin spread on the blonde's face as she waltzed over to her friend. "Sakura~" She called out, seeing the pinkette's completely red face. "Was it warm?" She asked, giving her friend a toothy grin.
Sakura shut her eyes tightly as she let out a mortified yell, before stomping out of her room.
"YOU TWO ARE THE WORST!"
The pinkette grabbed her head in embarrassment, mentally screaming as she thought back to that exchange. Ino always knew how to get to her, but with her own Mother? Those two made for a terrible team that she couldn't hope to face up against. "Well... At least now I don't have to deal with it, Ino's working a double shift today AND tomorrow." She told herself, as a smirk showed on her features.
Well she was mostly doing that stuff to tease you. Karma's a bitch~ Inner chimed in, as the pinkette walked past the park. Said pinkette laughed a bit into her hand as she allowed herself this moment of victory.
"S-Sakura?" This made the pinkette stop in her tracks and look around, swearing she heard a very quiet and shaky voice.
Weird... Could've sworn I heard someone say my na-
"S-Sakura...!" The voice spoke out again, still shaky but now a little bit louder as Sakura turned to face the source of the voice.
Sakura smiled a bit at the person as she walked over to them. "Hinata? What're you doing here?" She asked, finding the raven haired girl sitting under a tree.
Hinata looked down, picking up a flower and holding it in her hands. "I-It's my day off, and this park always has really pretty flowers... S-So I like coming here..." She explained, before looking back up at the pinkette.
Sakura sat down next to the girl, looking down at said flowers. "I see what you mean, they look great!" She commented, smiling brightly at the Hyuga. "I bet they'd look great in Ino's shop." She pointed out, before leaning back against the tree trunk. Her face then fell into a playful one as a smirk spread across her cheeks. "Although, I think they'd be better off here, Ino'd just stink them up." She said, sticking out a tongue at nothing really as she made fun of her friend.
Hinata laughed a little, clearly not getting it, but enjoying Sakura's fun nonetheless. She then looked down at the flower in her hand, fiddling with the stem as she occasionally glanced at the pink haired girl next to her. "S-So... How's N-Naruto-kun doing?" She asked, not fully facing the girl next to her.
Sakura stared up at the clouds, folding her arms behind her head as she rested against the tree trunk. "Naruto? He's doing fine. He's recovered from his injuries, and he's started training again." She told the raven haired girl, leaving out the more personal stuff.
"O-Oh, that's good to hear...!" Said a now relieved sounding Hinata, causing Sakura to look over at the Hyuga. A small smile showed on Hinata's face as she kept looking at the flower. "I'm glad that he's still chasing after his dream..." She said surprisingly clearly, as a slight blush appeared on her features.
Sakura watched the girl the whole time, her eyes fully opening at the sight. Her sight then made it's way to the grass in front of them as her eyes closed somewhat, as a knowing look showed on her face. Ah... So that's what's going on with her. She thought knowingly, before looking back up at the clouds. She always acted stranger than usual around Naruto, now I see why. She concluded, before getting up.
You don't sound very surprised. Inner pointed out, noticing how calm Sakura was.
Sakura looked down at Hinata, before shrugging. Should I be? I mean if you think about it, it's pretty obvious. She explained to herself, before looking back up at the clouds.
But it won't stop you from worrying. Inner reminded her.
Right as she did, Sakura felt a pang in her chest. The worry weighed down on her, as the idea of 'who's more deserving' ran through her the depths of her mind. Oh come on... Why am I worrying?... She asked herself, despite knowing the answer, grimacing all the while.
The raven haired girl saw Sakura tense up, causing her to get up. "S-Sakura, are you okay?" She asked the pinkette before her.
"How long have you liked Naruto?" Sakura asked suddenly, hearing an audible gasp from the Hyuga behind her. She looked back and saw a look of surprise on Hinata's face, which only made Sakura smile sadly. "Shit... Clearly long enough that you thought it was the perfect secret... One that could never get out, unless you allowed it to..." She pointed out, watching the Hyuga look down and nod silently.
The pinkette turned back to the Hyuga, looking at her with a small smile. "What do you like about him?" She asked, making the raven haired girl look up at her again.
Hinata brought her hands close to her chest, her eyes shifting everywhere as she tried to pull all her thoughts together, before focusing on Sakura's eyes. "Everything." She stated, as she clasped her hands together. "His dedication to his dream, to be a person of strength and security for those around him. How he makes you feel safe... How he makes you feel important... How he makes you feel strong... His kindness... There isn't a thing about him I dislike." She explained somewhat clearly, as a faint blush formed on her cheeks.
Sakura bit her lip as she turned away from Hinata, as her emotions started to turn sour. What used to be worry, was no longer. All she could feel... Was envy. She was envious of Hinata's feelings, envious of how strong they were, envious of how faithful they were and how long she had them. Hinata's feelings made her hate her own. They felt cheap, uncertain, and second-rate by comparison.
Sakura laughed bitterly as she hung her head, her back facing the Hyuga. "Gotta say... I wish I had that... Feelings that you carry for years, only growing moreso..." She commented, looking back at Hinata with a pained smile. "I wish I cared for him as much as you do..." She told Hinata, venting her envy.
Hinata looked at Sakura in surprise, before taking a step forward. "W-Wait, what do you mean? A-Are you comparing your feelings for Sasuke-kun with my feelings for Naruto-kun?" She asked in confusion, partly hoping she was right.
Sakura sighed heavily, before walking away. "No. Because I don't like Sasuke-kun anymore." She told her, leaving the stunned Hyuga behind.
The pinkette kept walking, staring down at the road as a mixture of emotions showed on her face. None of them good. A sad pout, with eyes filled with regret.
Why did she have to confront Hinata like that? She was just being honest. It wasn't the Hyuga's fault that a part of her was starting to think of Naruto as more than just a friend.
She thought she had left all her pettiness back in the academy, back when she liked Sasuke. Clearly, she was wrong. There was still a little bit of that negativity bottled up in her, and she just took it out on one of the kindest and purest girls she had ever met.
Jealousy isn't an easy thing to shake off Inner pointed out, hearing a tired scoff from Sakura.
I'm aware. I sounded like a total jerk... Sakura thought bitterly, chastising her behavior. I don't even know why I'm jealous... Hinata's feelings are her own. I only just started fathoming the idea of seeing Naruto in a romantic light, I'm in no position to be jealous of her... Sakura thought further, as her confidence continued to shrink.
She hugged her arms as a grimace formed on her face, her eyes filled with sadness. He deserves a girl like her... He shouldn't love me... She thought to herself, as she spiraled further down into her guilt and sorrow.
Hey! Don't think like that... You know that's not how love works, girl. It's not about who's more worthy, it's about who you are, if you like one another, and if you think you can make it work. Inner reminded herself, hoping to snap Sakura out of her little funk.
Sakura nodded slowly, before blinking suddenly at her location. Team 7's training field. She had been so caught up in her own thoughts she didn't even realize she had walked all the way there. Time flies when you pent up with self loathing... She thought to herself, as she stepped into the training field, looking around aimlessly.
"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!... D-Dammit...!" A voice shouted, the pinkette immediately recognizing who it was.
Naruto? She asked internally as she walked forward, finding him across the river near a boulder.
"Come on... One more time..." Choked out the blonde, as he brought his hands together. "Shadow clone jutsu!" He shouted, as a clone appeared next to him.
He put his hand down as the clone started gathering chakra into his palm, creating the blue swirl of destructive energy. He then ran at the boulder, throwing his hand out. "RASENGAN!" He shouted, but before he could reach the boulder, he felt his arm jolt in pain. "Ggh!" He grunted, the energy vanishing as he slammed face first into the boulder.
Sakura flinched at the failed attempt to use the technique, and watched as the blonde cursed out his arm.
Naruto sat down on the ground as he grabbed his arm and looked down at it. "Come on... You can't even handle one attack?" He asked his arm, frustration and sadness filling his voice.
Sakura stared at the blonde sadly, before walking over towards him.
Oh? What're you planning to do? Inner asked herself.
Sakura shook her head as she hopped over the river. I'm going to cheer him up, and help him out a bit. She explained to herself.
She walked up to the blonde, looking down at him. "...Doing alright?" She asked, the blonde only looking down at the ground in response.
After a moment of silence, he finally uttered a: "...No..." He admitted, letting his arm fall to his side. Sakura crouched down next to him, seeing the frustrated pout on the boy's face.
A calm smile formed on her lips, as she looked at him. "Want some help?" She asked him, staring into his blue eyes.
Naruto looked over at her, his eyes softening somewhat as he stared into her eyes. He finally nodded in response. "...Yes please." He responded quietly, offering his arm to the pinkette.
She grabbed his arm and started to feel his forearm and bicep. She had gotten used to massaging her muscles after her mom showed her how to do it, helping her through many grueling training sessions. She put a bit of pressure as she glided her hand along his arm. "Jeez, Naruto... You're muscles aren't in great shape..." She told him.
Naruto grimaced as he looked down. "They aren't that ba- ACK!" He cried out as Sakura put more pressure on his arm to get the point across. He then looked over at her, a pained tear showing in his eye. "...Okay fine, my arm has been sore and stiff for a while now..." He admitted.
Sakura nodded as she began massaging his forearm, gently kneading her thumb into his muscles. "I'll do what I can, but you should really go see Lady Tsunade about further healing for your arm." She suggested, not looking up at the boy.
Naruto shook his head, before looking down. "Not gonna bother... If it isn't fully healed now, then it won't ever be." He told her, getting a very confused look from the girl.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Sakura asked, not really understanding why Naruto would say that.
The blonde blinked, then looked away, laughing somewhat as he rubbed the back of his head. "Oh ya know... I heal like, wicked fast! If I haven't fully healed by now, it's probably something permanent, ya know?" He suggested, looking back only to find an extremely concerned girl staring at him.
Sakura stared at the blonde sadly, still massaging his forearm and slowly making her way to his bicep. "Naruto... I hate seeing you hurt like this, please go see Lady Tsunade..." She requested, as she took hold of his hand with the hand that wasn't massaging his arm.
Naruto's eyes filled with surprise at her concern and now holding his hand in worry, causing him to nod slowly. "I'll... I'll think about it." He told her, before smiling a bit. "Let's wait to see if your massage does the trick, it might just need loosening up!" He tried to reassure her, his smile widening.
Sakura laughed a bit, as she started massaging his bicep. "Well, let me know when it starts to hurt, then I'll ease up or stop." She told him, now focusing on massaging the muscles in his arm.
Minutes passed, a calm breeze making its way through the field, moving the warm summer air around the two teenagers. Silence was the only thing shared between the two, but it surprisingly didn't feel awkward to them. It was nice, comforting just to be in each other's presence.
Naruto gazed down at the pink haired girl as she massaged his arm's sore muscles. only occasionally would he wince, signifying to the girl that she'd have to massage that spot differently. This girl definitely keeps surprising me... He thought to himself, all while maintaining his stare. What she said... Her words weren't like that first night that she came to my house... There was so much care in her voice... He pointed out.
"Hey... I have a question." She told him, knocking the blonde out of his thoughts. She looked over at the boulder, then at him. "How is it that you know the shadow clone technique?" She asked, before looking back down at his arm "I know Kakashi-Sensei knows it, but you knew it before he even became our teacher." Sakura pointed out, gliding her thumbs on his arm.
Naruto looked down, taking in a deep breath as he thought back to the rather unpleasant memory. "It was the only way I could become a ninja." He explained, before looking over at the same boulder Sakura glanced at. "As you're very aware, I can't do the clone jutsu. For some reason my chakra just wouldn't properly form the clones from that technique. No matter how much I practiced I couldn't do it. Even now I can't do it." He continued, before taking a long breath. "Then Mitsuki-sensei told me there was one technique I could learn that would help me pass for sure. The catch was... It was in the scroll of forbidden seals." He explained.
Sakura stopped her massaging for just a moment, before continuing. "...I've never heard of it." She told him, though from the sounds of it, it wasn't something she was supposed to know about.
Naruto laughed a bit as he looked down. "I'm not surprised you haven't. I only found out about it thanks to Mizuki-sensei. When I stole it, it seemed like it was information that only Chunin and above knew about." He explained.
Sakura grimaced a bit at his words. "...So Mizuki-Sensei tricked you into stealing a forbidden scroll." She concluded, digging her thumbs into his arm a bit.
Naruto winced a bit at her actions, then nodded. "He did. However, he didn't exactly tell me what technique I needed to learn from the scroll to pass. Makes sense, since his objective was just to get the thing... However, I did find one technique that was familiar enough to learn. The multiple shadow clone jutsu." He explained, causing Sakura to look at him in confusion.
"Wait... Multiple? Is that the full name or something?" She asked in confusion, only to see Naruto shake his head.
Naruto laughed a bit as he rubbed the back of his head. "Turns out, according to Kakashi-sensei, I learned a VERY dangerous version of the shadow clone jutsu. According to him, the normal technique is just supposed to have you make one or two shadow clones, much like the clone jutsu. The multiple version lets you create as many as your chakra can withstand." He told her, smiling a bit.
Sakura sighed heavily as she looked back down at his hand. "Only you would succeed at the risky and difficult jutsus, and fail miserably at the easy ones... Doesn't surprise me that one was sealed away, all things considered. You could make an army with enough chakra. Or it could kill you from sapping up too much chakra." She surmised, squeezing his arm a bit.
Naruto jumped a bit at her action, cringing a bit. "S-Sakura-chan! That's too much pressure...!" He whined.
Sakura looked up at him, frowning a bit. "That's what you get for stealing... Even if it did lead you to becoming a ninja, and getting Mizuki-sensei arrested..." She chastised him.
She then smiled a bit. "Although, without doing that, we never would've been on the same team. So I'll let it slide." She told him, letting go of his arm. "And I'm done. Wasn't expecting a history lesson from you of all people, but it was kinda fun listening to how you became a ninja. Very unorthodox, and so totally you." She told him, smiling more.
Naruto rolled his arm, giving her a toothy grin. "Think so? Thanks!" He thanked her as he kept inspecting his arm. He then stood up, throwing a couple test jabs. His eyes lit up, before looking down at her. "Hey, you fixed it! My arm feels great! Sore in some spots, but I can actually use it!" He told her, his face lighting up.
Sakura stood up, putting her hands on her hips. "Well I'm glad I was able to help you out." She told him.
Naruto walked over, hugging the girl. "Thanks so much, Sakura-chan!" He exclaimed, clearly in a much better mood.
Sakura looked at the blonde, surprise plastered all over her face as it grew several shades redder. "D-Don't mention it, dummy..." She told him, looking to the side.
Naruto backed off, grinning as he summoned a shadow clone. "Alright, one last time, with Sakura-chan's magic touch!" He exclaimed, charging a rasengan and not noticing Sakura's darkening blush. He then rushed forward.
"RASENGAN!" He shouted, this time he felt no pain as the technique maintained. He shoved the orb into the boulder, pulverizing it until the technique dissipated. He then looked back at Sakura, grinning. "Thanks again, Sakura-chan." He thanked her, rubbing his hand after using the technique.
Sakura kept smiling, despite a darker feeling rising up to the surface.
"You're welcome, Naruto."
Stop thanking me... It wasn't that amazing or anything... I don't deserve it... compared to what you've done for me...
It was nothing...
Oh hi.
Well hell, one year exactly since the last chapter. You're probably wondering what happened. LIFE!
Seriously my personal life got BUSY, then not busy, but I was still dealing with personal shit so it got in the way. THEN when I felt like writing, I couldn't figure out where to go with it.
But I think I got a handle on it now. It just took me a year to realize that these two have never just TALKED before, and that Sakura doesn't know much about Naruto's past. So we're going to have more of them talking. YAY
Bye