Disclaimer: This is just for fun.
Warning: This chapter shows depictions of depression, if you are sensitive to topics of that nature please do not read.
Day 4
Sakura yawned as she walked toward the training field in the early morning. She lazily rubbed her eye as she trotted her way through the village, taking solace in the silence. That was one thing she enjoyed about the early mornings: the lack of people. It was quiet, tranquil. The morning was especially good in the summer, cool with a little bit of moisture. It helped make up for the lack of sleep.
It wasn't often that Kakashi had meetings so early in the morning. Though the pinkette figured that things were finally starting to go back to normal, which meant getting her and Naruto used to a bright and early schedule once again. A groan could be heard from the pinkette as she hung her head, still trying to shake off her sleepiness. "I wanna go back to sleep..." She whined tiredly, rubbing her eye again as she let out another yawn. She wanted to go get coffee as well, but she knew that if Kakashi wanted to see her early, that meant exercise and potentially combat training. No unnecessary sugars for her, she was gonna wake up properly!
As usual, you're a total stickler to a schedule when you need to be Inner pointed out, as the pinkette stretched her limbs. Not that that's a bad thing, being a stickler and all. At least you have money. She added, throwing positivity onto her previous statement.
Sakura nodded as she saw the gates of the training field come into view. "Of course. Can't be throwing all my money away on eating out, or something." She explained, clearly secured in her finances.
Oh, like Naruto? Inner asked the pinkette. I dunno how he hasn't gone broke with how much he eats at Ichiraku! Inner commented, laughing a bit in response.
Sakura was about to laugh in response, but all she could do was bite down on her lip. She looked down as she put her hand on her stomach. "Huh?..." She uttered as she felt something rush through her being from her very core. It felt empty, but it also made her stomach twist in displeasure, leaving a grimace on her face in response.
As soon as the feeling showed up, it just as quickly left. The pinkette rubbed her face as she tried to reorient herself "Ugh... Fine, I won't go so light on breakfast next time." She told her inner self, shaking her head as she kept walking.
You better not. Inner replied, huffing a bit before going quiet once again.
Sakura looked down at the ground, her eyes filled with uncertainty. "That felt absolutely terrible." She told herself in a hushed voice, as she trudged toward the training field.
A heavy sigh escaped Sakura's lips as she sat atop a rock, waiting for her teacher to show up. "It's been 30 minutes... Where is he?" She asked herself, clearly bored and very tired.
She glanced around at the training field, now illuminated by the morning light. She glanced up at the sky, seeing the occasional cloud rolling past. "In a hurry, huh? Hope it doesn't rain today." She muttered, staring up at the sky aimlessly.
It was so quiet. Nothing but the rustling of the wind hitting the trees. Quiet enough that all she could do was be alone with her thoughts. Quiet enough that her mind explored. Why did she feel so bad earlier? Granted, she blamed it on her stomach, but despite eating light it's not like she was still hungry. She actually felt quite fine food wise. So, what was it? What led to that nasty feeling that spread all over her body?
It felt so... Empty...
Sakura's eyes shot up as she audibly gasped, looking around suddenly. "Thought I heard someone..." She muttered, clearly a bit spooked.
"Good morning, Sakura." Kakashi greeted the pinkette.
A yelp escaped the pinkette's lips, not expecting the jounin as she fell off the rock. Groaning in pain, she looked over at her teacher with half lidded eyes. "Good morning to you too, late-sensei..." She muttered, jabbing him with a nickname.
The gray-haired man laughed in response as he rubbed the back of his head. "My apologies, I overslept." He responded.
At least he gave a legit reason... She thought, standing up and dusting herself off. "It's fine... So, where's Naruto?" She asked, not expecting just her and him.
Kakashi put his hands on his hips as he looked down at her. "I decided to debrief you two separately. It is partially why I am late, I just got done talking to Naruto." He explained, before giving her an eye smile. "I figured some one-on-one time would be a nice change of pace." He added.
Sakura nodded in response, before sitting back down on the rock. "So, where do I stand performance wise? Probably not great, I imagine." She asked, setting up her own expectations.
Kakashi stared at Sakura for a moment, before sighing a bit. "Well, as usual your chakra control is by far the best on the team. Your Taijutsu has improved, however your battle tactics are quite stiff and predictable. Then there's your lack of defense against Ninjutsu, and only rudimentary knowledge in said Ninjutsu." He explained to the girl. He then put his hands on his hips, staring down at her. "As for Genjutsu, while I'm not an expert on it you do seem to have a natural resistance to it so that is good enough." He added.
Sakura took in this information, before shrugging somewhat. "So aside from Taijutsu, I'm exactly the same..." She summarized; her voice veiled in a calm disappointment.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow at this statement, before lightly coughing into his fist. "Well, Ninjutsu can be put on the back burner for now, as a majority of Ninjutsu rely on having an element which we've yet to discover for you. That of course can take up to multiple years in a ninja's career." He explained, before putting his hand on his hip. "So, for now I want you to focus on building up your strength and agility. Battle tactics can be worked on through experience, which you will no doubt receive more of now that it is just you and Naruto." He continued, deciding to hold off on the recommendation Tsunade had given him.
Sakura nodded slowly before standing up. "I understand, Sensei." She replied calmly.
Kakashi looked on in concern at the girl's sudden passiveness, before looking at his watch. A heavy sigh escaped his lips. "Well, as much as I'd like to stay and help out, I have more work to do..." He told her, giving the girl a wave before turning into a puff of smoke.
The girl waved at where her sensei used to be, before letting her arm fall. Her head slowly started to hang as she gritted her teeth, as her mind wandered back to the day before.
It was nothing special.
"HA!" A voice shouted out, punching a wooden training post.
He was just being nice.
Pink hair whipped through the air as Sakura threw her foot into the post, her heel connecting with one of the arms.
You're overthinking it.
Sakura kept sparring with the wooden post, trying to sharpen her attacks. Her breath quickened, sloppily matching with her movements as she sent blow after blow into the post. "Why did he act like that...?!" She shouted, her attacks getting heavier as the post began to rattle. "A simple thanks would've been fine, but NO!" She shouted, slamming her foot into the center of the post.
She panted heavily, sweat running down her nose as she hung her head. "He had to make a big deal out of it... Out of nothing..." She muttered; her eyes empty as the blonde's gratitude filled her mind.
Well, you seem to be making a big deal out of his gratitude. Why shouldn't he be happy? You helped him when he needed it. Inner pointed out.
Sakura grit her teeth before whipping a kunai out and violently stabbing it into the post. "WELL I'M NOT!" She yelled, her throat growing raw from her frustration. Feeling her legs start to buckle, she fell to her knees in front of the post, only staying upright due to hanging onto the now embedded kunai.
Sakura stared down at the ground, her anger leaving as soon as it came. "...I'm not happy..." She choked out, staring down at the ground sadly. Sadness started to wash over her being like a tidal wave, as a heavy frown formed on her features.
'Sakura's magic touch' She thought to herself, repeating Naruto's words. A scoff escaped her lips, as her grip slowly loosened on her weapon. Don't make me laugh... Nothing about me is magical or special... She told herself, disregarding Naruto's compliment. Letting go of the kunai, she grabbed her arm, digging her fingers into the skin on her bicep. All I do is make things worse... Not better... Anyone could've massaged his arm! It just happened to be me... She continued, further chastising herself.
Come on! Stop beating yourself up! What's wrong with him being nice? What's wrong with him complimenting you over something simple? Inner asked, hoping she could knock some sense into the pinkette.
Sakura could only grimace as she shut her eyes tightly. Because it feels cheap! She shouted inwardly, squeezing her arm tighter. It felt like a compliment out of pity... Even if he meant it... It felt like a cheap compliment after all my screw ups... A consolation prize... She explained, her mood only going down with each thought.
*Drip*
This knocked Sakura out of her thoughts as she looked up, seeing dark clouds had formed in the sky, and was now raining down upon her. "...Of course." She spoke out, sighing heavily as she stood up. "Of course, the day could get worse..." She muttered, slowly making her way back to the village.
The streets were mostly empty as people went to shelter themselves from the now downpour of rain. All except Sakura, who slowly trudged her way through the torrent of rain.
The only sounds that could be heard was the loud pattering of the rain hitting any and all surfaces, and the lazy footsteps from the pinkette as her shoes made contact with the now soaked ground. She didn't care about the rain; she didn't care about how soaked she was. Nothing mattered as she was lost in her own thoughts.
Useless...
She kept walking slowly.
Why do you bother trying?
She sniffled as her nose grew cold, rubbing it somewhat to get rid of the stuffiness.
He'll give up on you in time...
Her face was empty, void of emotion. She was like a husk, only moving on instinct, without thought or logic.
He'll treat you like how you once treated him...
The sound of the rain became nothing more than an echo to her, her thoughts being all she could hear. Even her inner self was nothing more than muffled jargon.
Naruto's love is fleeting... Just like yours was for Sasuke...
Despite her passive walk, she slowly started to hug her arms. Whether it was her body instinctively trying to hold onto some warmth, or her inner self trying in vain to comfort her; she didn't know. She didn't care.
"...ra..."
As time passed, Sakura started to agree with the voice. She knew that if she fell out of love with Sasuke, then it was only a matter of time before Naruto did the same with her. I mean, she had it coming, right? With how she used to treat him? It's not like her flipping on a dime and suddenly being kind to him would change anything.
"...kura..."
Even Naruto's kindness and ability to forgive has its limits, he proved that the night this stupid promise began. The promise she roped him into out of pity for rejecting him. She didn't deserve him, and he had every right to leave her behind.
"SAKURA!" A voice shouted rather close to the pinkette, causing her to jump and snap her out of her thoughts.
Her now shaking eyes made over to the source of the voice, seeing the blonde she had been so fixated on standing before her. "...N... Naruto?" She asked quietly, her voice clearly strained.
Naruto stood in front of her, holding an umbrella over her. "I was on my way home from Ichiraku, and saw you just aimlessly walking in this downpour!" He explained, looking her over and acknowledging that she was absolutely soaked.
Sakura started blinking before rubbing her face with one hand, struggling to look over at the blonde. "I-It's nothing… I just got caught up in my thoughts." She told him, hoping to move the topic of conversation away from her.
A huff could be heard from Naruto as he put a hand on her shoulder. "It doesn't matter what happened, we need to get you out of this rain before you get sick!" He told her, clearly now more focused on her physical well-being than why she would have been out there in the first place. He directed the umbrella forward, before patting her shoulder. "My apartment isn't far from here, you can warm up and get those clothes dry then I'll lend you my umbrella, okay?" He offered the girl in front of her.
Sakura pursed her lips as she looked to the side. She hated that she allowed Naruto to see her like this, in this pathetic state. She also hated those thoughts that were invading her mind like a plague before, whose to say they won't come back once she steps foot in his house? The last thing she needed was an example of her losing her composure and dignity in front of Naruto. Again. "It's okay, Naruto… I'm fine, really." She replied, rejecting his offer.
Naruto frowned at the girl as he looked up at her. "Are you, though?" He asked her.
Sakura's body turned stiff as she looked over at the blonde properly for the first time, her expression turned to a grimace as she stared down at him. "Is this invite really just to keep me from getting sick? Or is this your way of getting me to talk out my problems?..." She asked the boy, getting to the heart of the matter.
Naruto's face remained calm as he stared up at her. "It can be whatever you need it to be, we don't need to talk at all if you don't wish to. You just looked like you wanted help…" He told her calmly, slowly taking his hand off her shoulder.
Sakura hung her head, staring down at the road as her hands grabbed onto her dress, shaking as she tried to keep her nerves calm. All she could give was a silent nod before Naruto led her to his apartment.
What the hell am I doing?... Sakura asked herself as she held her face in her hands, sitting in one of Naruto's chairs in a bathrobe given to her by the blonde. I told myself I wouldn't, but here I am waiting for my clothes to dry at Naruto's house… She mentally berated herself, as she let her arms fall onto the arms of the chair.
Exasperated, she blew some bangs out of her face as she looked around. I don't exactly feel better, but being out of those wet clothes and oddly enough just being here has made me feel a lot calmer… She pointed out, before seeing a cup appear in her vision.
Naruto held the mug out to her, sitting down on the couch next to her. "I figured some tea would help you warm up…" He offered, a small smile showing on his features as Sakura took the mug out of his hands.
The whisker adorned boy watched Sakura sip on her tea in silence, his face calm but his mind moving a mile a minute. This is completely different from when she melted down over me or Sasuke… He thought to himself, before looking down. This reminds me way too much of myself when I was a child… Worryingly so. He concluded in his mind.
He knew what it was like to feel depressed, to feel trapped in a corner with no escape. It didn't exactly help that the brain tended to reinforce that feeling for him, he could only imagine what Sakura was thinking and none of it was good. He also knew that being direct on the subject was the last thing he should do.
If she really is feeling the same way I used to, still do in some cases. If I try to be direct, she'll just shut me out in self-defense… He reminded himself, taking a large gulp of his tea before setting his mug down. I have to say something, though… Anything. He stated to himself, staring down the pinkette.
The blonde coughed into his fist, causing Sakura to look over at him. "So… How's the last couple days been going, Sakura-chan? The stuff that doesn't involve me fumbling around like an idiot, anyways." He asked, smiling as he managed to get a soft giggle out of the girl in front of him.
Sakura nodded to herself as she stared down at her mug. "Fine… Ino and my Mom have been annoying me, but not in a bad way more of a pestering me kind of way." She explained, passively squeezing the mug. "Pretty uneventful otherwise, everything else you already know with how much we've seen each other recently." She pointed out, looking over at him.
Naruto folded his arms, nodding as he closed his eyes. "I see, I see…" He replied, before opening his eyes. "Well, how's your own training been? Sensei gave me a lot of flak for my chakra control and my horrible teamwork skills. Both of which are sadly true, I should've talked to you to come up with a plan before we actually started fighting Sensei the other day." He explained to her. While it certainly didn't feel good to bring up his own shortcomings, he knew what kind of pain Sakura was feeling and felt like this was the best way to show her that she wasn't alone.
Sakura nodded passively as she looked down. "It's alright, I should've been quicker on the uptake as well." She apologized, not seeing Naruto's frown. "As for me, well aside from improving my Taijutsu I am exactly the same as I was 6 months ago." She pointed out, her voice losing any emotion it previously had. The girl stared forward, not at Naruto as her hands on her mug began to tremble. "I thought I had been growing like you in all this time… But I guess I was so focused on Sasuke that I didn't even realize that while you two were sprinting forward I stayed stuck in place…" She explained, her eyes glistening as her bottom lip began to quiver.
Naruto looked down, grimacing as he felt the sadness radiating from the girl in front of him. "While I do understand how you feel… I don't believe that is entirely true." He explained to her.
A laugh escaped Sakura's lips, as she turned to look at him. "How is it not true?" She asked him.
The blonde shrugged as he took another large gulp of his tea, finishing the drink as he placed the mug back on the coffee table. "You said yourself your taijutsu has improved, while that doesn't sound like much everyone improves at different paces. At least, that's what Iruka-sensei taught me." He explained, looking into Sakura's eyes with determination. "And if you really think your fixation on Sasuke is what caused your slow growth, then now is the time to make a change." He told her, smiling confidently. "I believe Sakura-chan more than has what it takes to be the best of team 7. You already have the baseline for being the best, your raw strength is way higher than mine and your chakra control is even better than Kakashi-sensei's!" He stated to the girl in front of her.
Sakura stared at Naruto in genuine surprise, her eyes more open than they had been all day as she listened to his words. Every bit of praise he had for her washed over her being like the warmth of the morning sun, and bit by bit chipped away at the negativity that had been plaguing her being for days. "Sakura-chan is amazing, you just need to take that first step!" He told her, finishing his praise as he stared at her.
The pink haired girl couldn't help but look down, her jaw quivering as she stared down at the floor. "I…I didn't come here seeking blind praise, even if you meant it all… I-I'd like to think I'm not that shallow…" She told him, setting her cup down. "But…" She started, looking over at him and surprising the boy as he saw a tint of pink spread across Sakura's cheeks as tears ran down them. "It certainly helped…" She told him, smiling before she started crying softly into one of her hands.
The room echoed in her soft cries as the blonde rubbed her back, the occasional "Thank you" being whispered from Sakura's lips. I think I finally get why Hinata loves him so much…
Sakura, in her now dry clothes, stepped toward the door. She then turned, looking back at Naruto with umbrella in hand. She opened her mouth to say something, before looking down; her face turning red. "T… Thank you, Naruto." She said to him, showing her gratitude.
The blonde gave his toothy grin as he folded his arms behind his head. "No problem, Sakura-chan!" He told her, his grin falling back to a normal smile. "We're not just comrades, we are also friends… If you ever need help again, don't be afraid to ask me. I won't ever turn you away." He reassured her, seeing Sakura's eyes grow big in response.
Sakura smiled back, before nodding as she looked down. "R-Right…" She trailed off, gripping the umbrella tightly. She took a deep breath and then stepped forward, kissing Naruto on the cheek. "Still… Thank you, really… You helped me more than you could ever know." She told him, pressing her hand to his chest. Before he could respond she swiveled on her feet and stepped out of his apartment, opening his umbrella and going out toward the streets.
The blonde stared out at Sakura, rubbing his cheek in a daze as he could barely process what she did. "Did she… Did she just kiss me?" He asked himself dumbly, his face a dark crimson.
Sakura groaned aloud as her face was a dark pink. "Why did I do that?!" She asked herself, admonishing herself in embarrassment. She lightly slapped her cheeks, snapping herself out of her flustered state as she continued walking forward. "One more stop before home…" She told herself, before looking back at Naruto's apartment, the sun peeking through the clouds and past his roof.
You really are Hinata's light… And now maybe even mine… She admitted to herself, before continuing forward.
3 years!
Jeez this one took me a loooooong time. I had half of the chapter written back in 2018, and then I just… Stopped. Life got in the way, basically. A lot. I doubt it'll be another 3 years before you see another chapter, but I doubt the turnover will be remotely quick either.
K bye