The lunch crowd had thinned to a comfortable murmur by the time Jack wandered into the Little & Big. cups and glasses clinked against saucers, somebody near the jukebox argued over yesterday's baseball scores, and John Brown stood on top of the counter polishing a glass that had probably been clean five minutes ago. Jack's eyes found Brie almost immediately. She'd already claimed the corner booth, notebook open, pen tucked behind one ear while she quietly reread the same paragraph for what looked like the third time.
"You've been here long?" Jack asked.
Brie looked up, her expression brightening beneath her round glasses. "Only about ten minutes. I wanted to organize everything before you got here." She pushed the notebook between them. "I... um... I hope you don't mind sitting on this side. The light's better for reading."
Jack settled in without complaint. "Works for me."
By the time Jack slid into the seat beside her instead of across from her, she barely reacted. Months ago she probably would have frozen. Now she just smiled to herself and nudged the notebook closer.
"I left room for your terrible handwriting."
Jack snorted. "My handwriting's fine."
"It looks like a spider dipped its feet in ink."
"It has character."
She rolled her eyes and turned the notebook so they could both see it. Pages of neat handwriting filled the spread. Dates. Addresses. Newspaper clippings copied by hand. Little circles connected with tidy arrows. Jack had seen detectives with messier case files.
He loosened his tie, and leaned over the notebook. As he circled one of Brie's handwritten dates with his own pencil, his sleeve brushed lightly against her shoulder. Neither of them paid it any mind. Brie simply shifted the notebook a little farther into the middle of the table to make it easier.
She tapped the first entry. "Five reports." Jack nodded. "Five confirmed."
"The police think they're unrelated."
"They usually do."
Brie clicked her pen a few times. "I copied the inventory from each report. One violin with a cracked bridge, church bell clapper, brass tea kettle, a Zippo lighter and a silver tailor's thimble.'"
She looked sideways at him. "I've been staring at this all morning."
"And?"
"I don't see what connects them."
Jack rested his chin on one hand. "They all came back."
She blinked. "...Yeah. But why?"
"Nobody keeps 'em."
"Which makes it stranger."
Before either of them could chase the thought any further, someone approached the table.
John Brown stood beside the booth with the coffee pot. "Need a refill?"
"Sure."
He topped off Jack's mug before glancing at the half shrew. "What about you, sweetheart?" Brie barely looked up, too distracted. "Oh... thank you, Mr. Brown, but I still have plenty." The shrew nodded, he could barely see above the table but he tried to follow the detective scribbles anyway.
"Big case?"
"More medium sized but we're getting there," Brie answered steadily.
John observed them, the private eye and local radio broadcaster sitting together under his roof. Relaxed yet tense, or at least one of them was while trying to look like he wasn't. Arm draped "casually" on the back rest behind the girl, trying for all he was worth to be close without being too close. Without crossing an invisible line.
Hmm. John scratched thoughtfully at his mustache. "I was just wonderin'."
Jack didn't even look up. "Dangerous pastime."
"When you two order your next drink..." John looked at Brie. "Should it be with one straw or two?"
Jack's immediate glare was dark enough to burn bullet holes into a wall.
"...Really?"
John shrugged. "I'm just bein considerate to my patrons."
"You're being a smart ass."
At that John smirked. "Don't know what you're talking about."
"The hell you don't."
John didn't seem to notice the threat in the detective's voice. "So... one straw, then?"
Jack fixed him with the sort of weary glare usually reserved for suspects who lied badly.
"...Beat it."
"Heh,heh,heh..." The bartender chuckled under his breath and wandered back toward the counter, still polishing that same glass.
Brie looked between the two of them. "...Did I... miss something?"
Jack rubbed a hand over his face. "No."
"Sounded like you were both joking."
"Would never happen."
But Brie noticed the slightest tinge of a blush running along the tip of Jack's ears. She didn't dwell on it, and went back to her notes trying to figure out why a burglar was breaking into half the city, stealing random items and returning them before sunrise in better condition than when they took them.
John Brown reached the counter before calling over his shoulder. "Just let me know about the straw!" Jack didn't even turn around. "Keep on about straws and I'll invite a guy I know from the Health Department here for lunch."
John raised an eyebrow.
"You don't know no one from the Health Department...Probably...do you?"
The funny thing about winning is that nobody ever talks much about what comes after.
Stories always end at the exciting part. The detective catches the crook. The hostages get rescued. The police arrive to clean up the mess. Everybody shakes hands and heads home. Nice, clean, efficient. Real life has a way of lingering after the curtain's supposed to come down. Sometimes the bad guy gets one last shot in before he falls, and then everybody gets to discover whether the hero's as bulletproof as the newspapers make him sound.
Turns out I wasn't.
Brie's hands were shaking.
I could feel it every time she adjusted the bandage pressed against my stomach. The cloth was already soaked through. We both knew it. Neither of us felt much like saying it out loud. The old riverboat drifted silently through the fog while Mouseburg glowed in the distance, all bright windows and waterfront lights. A few of the witnesses we'd rescued sat quietly near the opposite rail, wrapped in blankets and speaking in hushed voices. Somebody had found a flare gun earlier and fired it into the sky, but the fog swallowed the signal almost immediately. Whether anyone had seen it was anybody's guess.
Brie kept pressing against the wound like determination alone might hold me together. There hadn't been any medical supplies on the boat. The witnesses had searched every cabin and storage room they could find before coming back empty-handed. That hadn't stopped her from trying. Nothing ever really stopped Brie once she'd decided somebody mattered.
"Easy, Skittles."
She looked up at me like I'd just announced I planned to wrestle a bear.
"Easy?" she asked. "You got shot."
"Yeah."
"And you're tellin' me easy?"
I managed a weak shrug.
"Seemed worth mentionin'."
That got a sound out of her. It wasn't quite a laugh. More like a laugh that got lost somewhere and turned into a sob halfway through. I counted it anyway. I'd always liked making her laugh.
For a while neither of us spoke. The river rocked gently beneath us while fog rolled lazily across the water. My vision kept blurring around the edges. Every time it happened I'd blink and things would sharpen again, though not as quickly as before. I decided not to mention that part. Brie already had enough to worry about.
I reached over and caught her wrist. The movement felt like lifting a piano.
"Look at me."
She didn't.
"Brie."
The sound that escaped her wasn't even a word. Eventually she looked up, and the second she did I wished I hadn't asked. I'd seen fear before. I'd carried plenty of it myself over the years. What I saw in her eyes wasn't fear for herself. It was fear for me.
"You're gonna be okay," she said quietly.
The poor thing didn't believe a word of it.
I smiled anyway. That only seemed to make things worse.
My eyes drifted toward the distant city lights. Funny thing was, I'd spent years complaining about Mouseburg. The crooks. The traffic. The politicians. The noise. Now all I could think about was how I'd like a little more time in it. One more baseball game. One more drink at John's place. One more terrible cup of diner coffee. One more evening listening to Brie talk excitedly about some story she was working on while I pretended not to be paying attention.
Funny what becomes important when the clock is running out.
"You know what my favorite thing about you is?"
"Please don't do this."
"Do what?"
"Talk like this."
I understood immediately. She thought I was saying goodbye. Truth be told, I wasn't sure what I was doing. I just knew there were things worth saying.
"You came."
Her face crumpled.
"You came," I repeated. "There was one gangster left on this boat when you got here, the most dangerous one, and he had a gun pointed at me. Most people would've run the other direction."
"You already took care of the other nineteen."
"Still."
A tear slipped down her cheek.
"I'm trying to save you Jack, but I'm failing."
"You got on this damn boat for me."
Life gets real good at teaching you that people leave. Partners leave. Friends leave. Witnesses disappear. Sooner or later everybody walks away. But she hadn't. She'd found me. She'd climbed aboard that boat. She'd saved my life. Even now she was still here, refusing to let go.
I squeezed her hand.
"We don't talk enough about how brave you are."
"I...," She exhaled deeply. "I'm not brave."
"You shot a mob boss."
"He was about to kill you."
"See? Brave."
That got the faintest smile out of her.
The darkness kept creeping in after that. Not all at once. Slowly. The world felt farther away than it had a few minutes ago. Sounds arrived muffled, as though somebody had thrown a blanket over reality. I could still hear the river. I could still hear Brie breathing. Everything else felt distant.
Then she said it.
"I love you."
The words hit harder than the bullet.
For a second I forgot about the pain. My cold body was warm again. Forgot about the blood. Forgot about the hostages and the fog and everything else. All I could see was her. I remember thinking there were worse ways a mouse could face their end than looking up at the girl you loved.
"I know."
Apparently that was the wrong answer.
She laughed through her tears anyway.
I smiled. It wasn't that I didn't have more to say. It was that I'd known for a long time. Long before either of us had found the courage to say it out loud.
I reached up and brushed a tear from her cheek, or at least tried. My body wasn't listening to me.
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"Stay strong for me."
The words seemed to hurt her.
"Jack..."
"Whatever happens next, don't let this stop you. Keep helping people. Keep doing your show. Keep being the kind of mouse who can light up a room without flippin the switch."
She lowered her head and pressed her forehead against mine.
"I don't want anything to happen to you."
"I know..."
The fog continued drifting across the water while Mouseburg glowed in the distance. Somewhere out there, maybe somebody had seen the flare. Maybe help was already on the way. I couldn't know for sure. All I knew was that I was getting tired, and that Brie was still holding onto me like she intended to argue with death itself if it came any closer.
So here is a story I wrote for NaruSaku day awhile back I revisited it and polished it up a little.
The war ended. Naruto kept moving. Three years passed. The world transformed around him. He changed too, but not enough. Days blurred together, each one echoing the last. Then one day the ground started to slip from beneath.
It started the day Sakura returned from spending eight months in Shikkotsu Forest.
He saw her and stopped cold. For a brief instant, he stopped breathing.
Sakura looked tired. Her hair hung long and tangled, clothes streaked with dirt. Sunlight caught on her, bright for a second, and he felt it.
He couldn’t remember her looking more alive.
He knew the problem. Some people fall for the same person again and again.
He was one of those people.
He told himself it would pass.
Again.
He tried to act normal, slip back into their old friendship. Around others, it worked. Alone, it fell apart. Sometimes he caught himself leaning in, almost close enough to kiss her. The silences were worse. They settled in, thick and easy, until he lost track of what he was supposed to feel. Restless, he asked for a mission. Something solo. The samurai in the Land of Iron needed help.
He took the job.
As he was leaving, Sakura touched his arm.
"Don't take too long, okay?"
Her voice barely carried. She walked off. The air stayed tight. Her touch lingered on his arm. He made it three steps past the gates before he almost turned back.
Maybe he imagined it. Maybe not. He kept walking. Promised himself he’d figure it out later.
The mission dragged. Two months gone. He missed Sakura’s birthday. She moved to a new place while he was away. Missed that too.
Back in the village, he thought about ramen, a long nap, and how to make it up to her.
He surprised himself as much as her, standing in her living room.
He hadn’t meant to end up here. Not at first. But here he was.
She looked up. He let his bag drop. She set her scroll aside.
Red-faced, he said, "You shouldn't leave your door unlocked. Someone might just walk in."
“You mean like you just did?' Sakura asked.
"Yeah, I mean, no…"
She smiled, "In civilized villages, we knock on people's doors before coming in."
"Thieves don't knock." Naruto countered.
"Thankfully, we are lacking thieves as strong as you are.”
He glanced at the door. “It’s not just thieves. Sometimes kids wander in and mess around.”
"Oh, some kids," Sakura stood up, "it’s funny you sound like my dad. But his concern involved perverts."
"He's right about perverts."
Naruto glanced over. There were boxes stacked beside the windows.
"Right," Sakura smiled. "The perverts could sneak into a girl's house and stare at her while she is reading."
"Or they might turn to the left and…"
Sakura's eyes followed Naruto's line of sight. One box sat open, its contents visible. Bras and panties, some edged with lace.
"Gah!" Sakura yelped, rushing to the box.
She slammed the box shut, grabbed it, and disappeared through the sliding door.
Naruto looked around. Sakura had moved, started over. He’d missed it. Missed her birthday. Missed this new start. He should have been there.
A moment later, Sakura cleared her throat from the doorway.
"I saw nothing," he lied.
She exhaled, slow.
Naruto managed a smile. "Let’s start over."
She grinned. "Welcome home, Naruto.”
They smiled at each other. Silence settled in, warm and close.
He broke it as soon as he could. "Sorry, I missed your birthday."
Sakura shrugged, "You only missed it by about five days. Ino would call that fashionably late."
She smiled and opened her arms wide. "Well, what do you think?"
Naruto looked around. Boxes, bare walls. Sunlight poured through the enormous windows. He scratched his cheek. "Some more furniture wouldn’t hurt. Unless you’re going for the monk look."
Sakura snorted. "I enjoy anko dumplings way too much for an ascetic lifestyle."
They watched each other. Silence again. Too easy to fall in.
“I’m still furniture shopping; I haven’t really decided yet on what it’ll all look like.”
"I see," Naruto said, smiling.
She smiled back.
“So how's turning twenty treating you?” Naruto asked.
"I guess I feel lucky and grateful.”
He nodded. "Yeah, I can understand that. Does getting older scare you at all?"
"I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little worried. Someday my big old forehead will start drooping."
Naruto considered this. "You know, I never thought your forehead was all that big."
"All that big?" Sakura inquired.
"It's the right type of big," he said.
She rolled her eyes. "The village is a really different place when you’re not around."
“I understand. I bet it's probably really quiet. Sometimes I can be loud.”
“Yeah. That’s what I missed.”
He froze. Silence stretched between them.
Until he broke it with an abrupt slap of his own forehead. "Oh yeah, I got you a gift!"
Naruto hurried to his bag, dug through it, and pulled out a package. He handed it to her, awkward as a rookie in front of his teacher.
She stared down at the box, covered in dark green wrapping paper, then looked up at him.
"Naruto, you shouldn't have."
Part of him agreed. Not that he shouldn’t have gotten her something. Just maybe not this. He remembered wandering into a jewelry shop in the Land of Iron, acting on impulse. The jeweler asked for a description of the person receiving the gift. Naruto tried, spent too long on her eyes. The jeweler nodded, disappeared, came back with three necklaces. Naruto hesitated. The jeweler told him to trust his heart.
He picked the one that felt right.
The jeweler who approved of his decision then stated, "Excellent, sir. When she wears it, make certain to tell her she is the most beautiful woman you have ever encountered.”
Tearing off the paper, Sakura held a dark green cardboard box. She opened the box and found a green velvet jewelry case inside. Once she was holding the case, she glanced up at Naruto again. "You really shouldn't-”
Sakura paused, opening the case. Inside: fine pearls, a single green gem at the center. Simple, unadorned. She held it up. The gem caught the sun, sharp as a star.
Finally, she whispered. "Can you um..?"
"Oh…right," Naruto said, snapping out of his worry.
He took the necklace. Sakura turned her back. He slipped it around her neck and fastened the clasp.
Sakura turned, eyes shining. "How does it look?"
The jeweler's words echoed in his head. He bit his tongue before he could say it.
"It looks good on you," he said. "Really good."
Color rose in her cheeks. She looked away.
"Thank you. For this. For everything, Naruto."
She toyed with the gem, eyes down. Neither of them looked up.
"Ah I almost forgot! I saved you some cake!"
Sakura slipped out, eyes down. Naruto paced, checked his breath, shrugged off his jacket, put it back on. Ran his hands through his hair. Foolish.
Seconds later, Sakura came back with a plate, a thick slice of chocolate cake on it.
Naruto inhaled the cake, barely tasting it. It was gone in seconds.
Finished, Naruto looked at Sakura. Hope flickered.
She smiled playfully. "Yes, I saved you another piece."
Their fingers brushed as she handed him the plate. Warmth shot up his arm. He tried to ignore it. Naruto shoved another bite of cake into his mouth, just to do something. Just friends. That should be enough.
Sakura looked down. Her mood shifted. She sat on the tatami beside him, took a breath. Naruto kept eating more slowly this time.
"May I ask you a personal question, Naruto?" She said.
Naruto grunted, mouth full of cake.
"You and Hinata were getting pretty close before I left for the Shikkotsu Forest. I figured you'd be engaged by the time I was back.
He stopped. Cake forgotten.
“I got back, and nothing had changed. If you don't mind my asking…why?"
Naruto paused.
“Why, what?”
It was Sakura’s turn to pause.
“She liked you a lot.”
He met her gaze.
“I…” he started and faltered.
“Be honest with me,” she said.
“The thing…”
“Consider it an extra gift.”
"I don’t…” He drew in a breath. “I don’t know if it’s fair to be with someone and hope one day that you'll feel for them what they feel for you."
He left it there.
"Are you seeing anyone now, Naruto?'
Naruto chuckled and returned to his cake. "If I were, you'd already know, Sakura-chan. The village is full of gossiping busybodies, y’know,”
"Naruto, would you like to be more than just friends?”
"What?!" Naruto gasped, choking on cake.
Sakura looked away. "I'd like us to be more than just friends, Naruto."
“Stop joking.” Naruto rubbed hard at the back of his neck. “Seriously, Sakura. Don’t do that.”
Sakura turned to him. She wasn't teasing.
"You….Sasuke," Naruto said, voice flat.
"He is my friend. I care for him dearly.”
"You love him."
Sakura considered this.
"A good medical ninja is smart. A great one possesses a tranquil and steady mind. A hurried mind makes fatal mistakes."
She paused.
"Tsunade said the best medical ninjas aren’t just skilled. They’re balanced. Wisdom is their lens on life."
She smiled at him.
“Tsunade mentioned this to me following the war. So I went to Shikkotsu Forest with her. Most of my training there was getting lost. My sense of direction failed. My chakra scattered. My senses were taken or overwhelmed. I got lost every day. And every day, I found my way back to camp. In between, I had time to think."
She looked down.
"There were no wars. No one I loved was in danger or pain. I had all the time in the world to think about myself. And when I thought about myself, I thought about Sasuke."
She let that sit.
"How amazing it was that he finally acknowledged me. How good it felt that he saw me as someone worth coming back to. I wanted him back so badly because I loved how he made me feel about myself. I thought if he looked at me differently, maybe I could look at myself differently too."
She met Naruto's eyes.
"The more I thought about my feelings, the less it sounded like love."
Naruto set his cake aside. "Sakura, you can't just…"
He paused. What couldn’t she do? Fall out of love? He’d tried. Maybe you could. Maybe not. If he could, could she? Should he even be thinking about this?
"This isn't a decision you make lightly."
She shook her head. "Lightly? Hardly. When I went to the forest, I loved Sasuke. I wanted him to be happy. When I left, I still cared for him, still wanted him happy. But I didn’t love him. My mind didn’t change. My perspective did."
"This makes no sense," Naruto said.
Sakura’s eyes narrowed. “You think I haven’t spent months saying the same thing to myself?”
She gave him a sad smile. "Do you think I’m lying to you?"
"Sakura..”
"Am I lying, Naruto?"
Naruto slapped the floor. Frustration rising. "I don't… Why now?"
Sakura licked her lips.
"Did you know why I went to Shikkotsu Forest?"
"You wanted to become stronger."
"Yeah." She nodded. "But why did I want to get stronger?"
"Because Tsunade advised you to?"
Sakura shook her head.
"I wanted to support you."
She paused.
"If I have any choice in it, I won't let you die before you become Hokage, Naruto. I'm excited to see the world you shape."
Naruto drew a slow breath. The room seemed to shift.
"Turns out I'm greedy too. I realized…I didn’t just wanna see it. I wanted—…I wanted to be there with you."
She held his gaze.
"I'm not asking you to answer right away. I don't want to push. We have a complicated history. I just want you to think about it. At least that."
Naruto laughed. Sudden. Sharp. Too loud in the quiet room.
Sakura moved. Her fist was near his skull before he saw her coming. The laugh died. He rolled back and hit the wall. The room shook.
"Sakura, wait—" He sat up. "Before you kill me, hear me out."
Sakura's eyes flashed. She stalked toward him.
"I didn't mean to laugh at you." Naruto held up a hand. "The whole thing just felt funny. Life's strange and—" He stopped. "Wait. I've gotta say something. I should have said it ages ago."
Sakura paused. Color returned to her face.
"Please sit," Naruto said.
She studied his face. Then she sat.
Quiet settled in.
"Just thinking about you makes me want to smile all day," Naruto said. “You’re smart. And scary. And beautiful. And you yell too much. But when I think about home…I think about you.”
Sakura blushed. Her eyes stayed on her hands.
"But that's just a piece." Naruto’s voice dropped. "Back then, when you scolded me, got mad at me, it wasn't because I was the demon child. It was because I was a pest. Not a monster. Not an ugly scar on the village."
He drew in a breath.
"You don’t know what that did to me as a kid. Most people found it easier to ignore me. I never understood why a little boy needed to be ignored."
He let it go.
"You looked at me and just saw me. Ugh. That sounded better in my head. Anyway. Even after you learned about the Kyuubi. After I hurt you on the bridge. After I became the hero. You saw me."
He looked at her.
“That’s why I can’t lose you, Sakura. Doesn’t matter what we are."
Naruto waited, then grinned.
"Just don’t mess around with me, Sakura. Because if this is real, Sakura, I’m coming over there"
Sakura looked away. "Well, you don’t believe me."
"I want to believe. Help me.”
She nodded. "Okay,”
She drew a breath.
"We've known each other a long time, Naruto. I think we'd be good together. We want the same thing."
Naruto rose. “Uh-huh.”
Sakura swallowed. The sound was loud in the quiet room. "I want the version of you no one else gets."
Naruto edged closer. Her eyes widened.
"Don't give up," he encouraged.
Sakura lifted her chin. “I want you, idiot. There. Happy?"
“I’m almost there."
Sakura met his eyes. "I didn't plan this. But I want it."
"One more push," he whispered.
Naruto knelt beside her. He cupped her face. She leaned into his hands, eyes closed, and pressed her lips to his palm.
"I love you, okay?! God, why are you torturing me like this?"
He held her face.
“Don’t stare at me like that,” she whispered.
He kissed her forehead, her eyelids, her cheeks. Then her mouth, slow, trying to remember every second. They stayed like that, not letting go. The world shrank to the space between them.
"You know, love you, Sakura."
Tears slipped down her face. He brushed them away with his thumb. Her skin was warm.
"Naruto, if you break my heart, I will kill you."
He grinned. "I already know that."
"I swear, if you do, I'll dissect your heart."
"I won't. You know I won't."
"I know," she said, as he kissed each tear.
Naruto pulled back. A smear of chocolate marked her lip. He smiled.
He laughed, pointed at her lips. "I think I got chocolate on you."
Sakura licked her lips, her tongue brushing his thumb. Naruto’s breath caught. The air pressed in.
"Wow. We can’t leave you two alone for one afternoon?" someone else in the room said.
Naruto and Sakura turned their heads in unison to see Ino beaming at them.
"Not like your crappy flowers and vase, Shikamaru."
Shikamaru brushed past Ino, carrying a bucket of paint in one hand and a paintbrush in the other. "Anyway…you guys seem busy, so we're just going to work on that wall."
He offered Naruto a shrug, “Sorry about the troublesome timing, seriously.”
Chouji trailed behind his best friend. "Is anyone going to finish that cake?"
Sai appeared at Sakura's side. "As much as I am pleased by your coupling. I must recommend that you avoid becoming the couple that always kisses in public. From what I can gather, nobody likes that kind of couple. Physical affection appears significantly more awkward when witnessed unexpectedly.”
Naruto looked around, stunned. Half their friends were there, already unpacking paint cans.
"We'll handle the living room. You two can work the bedroom." She said suggestively.
She glanced at Sakura, then at the leftover cake, then back at Sakura.
"You've got a little something on your forehead." Ino chuckled before walking away.
Naruto turned to her.
"Sakura…"
"I forgot they were coming to help," she sighed, face bright red. "I’ll be locking my door from now on."
I technically already posted this story here: https://www.tumblr.com/bodegacowboy/779828649310502912/first-steps?source=share
At the time, I was experimenting with a minimalist style. I personally liked how it turned out, but in hindsight, it might not have been the best fit for this kind of piece. So I revised the story, some parts are better now, some not as much, but that’s how it goes. I actually ended up liking both versions for different reasons.
If you read both and have a preference, I’d love to hear which one you prefer.
Gaara came to visit. A rare occurrence in itself, enough to stir a ripple of excitement through the village. When Gaara came, people came. It was an event. Not a summit. Not politics. This time? Fun. So the night was alive with laughter, with the warm glow of Ichiraku’s lanterns casting a golden hue over a mismatched group crammed into the corner booth. As the hours slipped by, the crowd had thinned until down to a dedicated group of fun seekers. Gaara, Team Seven, Team Ten, and Konohamaru, who had somehow weaseled his way in, by declaring himself the "spice of youth" they desperately needed.
Ramen flew, laughter echoed, and someone, Chouji, was probably going to regret the excessive intake of chili oil in the morning.
Naruto sat directly across from Sakura, his fingers drumming absently against his bowl of half-finished ramen. She was deep in conversation with Ino, their heads bent together like co-conspirators. Every so often, Sakura would laugh, that bright, unguarded sound always broke through the noise and reached him. It had a ramen-like warming effect on him and he couldn’t help but look her way.
Then he would pretend he hadn’t been staring when she inevitably caught him.
One moment, he got caught red handed.No ambiguity. No plausible deniability. She caught him and held his gaze for a heartbeat longer than necessary before she turned back to Ino, a faint flush creeping up her neck.
Naruto turned to his bowl and slurped away his confusion.
Some time later another chuckle caught Naruto’s attention. There was a hint of uncertainty in the laughter this time. Through the sides of his eyes he saw Ino smirking, pouring Sakura another cup of tea with deliberate slowness.
"You're scheming," Sakura accused, narrowing her eyes.
"Who, me?" Ino blinked innocently.
"Something is going on. I feel it."
Ino leaned in, whispering something that made Sakura’s lips part in surprise.
Naruto looked away before she could catch him again.
Then, chaos.
Konohamaru dropped his chopsticks with a clatter. "New plan! The hill near the old training field!"
"The overlook?" Chouji asked, already gathering his things.
"Clear night sky," Sai added with unusual chipperness. "Better view."
"Less crowded," Shikamaru drawled, as if this were the most logical next step in the evening.
Naruto frowned. "What’s wrong with here?"
"Nothing," Ino chirped. "Just… changing it up."
And then, like a well rehearsed magic trick, they vanished, one by one, in puffs of smoke, leaving behind logs, dummies, and a disturbingly lifelike ink drawing of Sai that winked at them.
Naruto blinked. "Huh?"
Sakura shrugged.
"The hill," the drawn Sai said helpfully. "Better view."
XXXXXXXX
They stepped into the crisp night, with broth aroma clinging to their clothes. Sakura hugged her arms to her chest, Naruto immediately shrugged off his jacket, then hesitated, holding it awkwardly instead of offering it.
"This is how they treat the future Hokage?" he grumbled.
"It’s sort of funny." Sakura said, her voice breezy.
"Would be funnier if the joke wasn’t on us."
"You think this is a prank?"
"Konohamaru left me with the bill last month. Classic prank. Though at some point, it stops being a prank and starts being a cheapness issue."
Her expression softened, and for a moment, he forgot what they were even talking about.
Then it hit him. "This isn’t a prank?"
She tilted her head toward the path. "Come on. Let’s walk."
They fell into step beside each other, the silence between them comfortable, familiar. They sauntered past the old stone wall cracked, mossy, burdened with years of adolescent ninja abuse.
"Remember when you fell off that thing?" Sakura asked, grinning.
"Never happened."
"You landed on that rock shaped like, well… let’s just say it was unfortunate. Like a surprise Thousand Years of Death strike."
"An innocent man, betrayed by his village’s landscape. That’s funny to you?"
"You had to be there."
"I was there."
She bumped his shoulder, and he grinned despite himself.
They passed the academy. No words. Just memories and steps.
"You’re being unusually quiet," she noted.
"Am I?"
"You always fill in the silence."
"Not this one," he admitted. "I like this one."
And for a while, they simply walked, letting the quiet settle around them like a warm blanket.
Until she broke it.
"Okay, happier memory. That flood while we were training?"
"Soaked. Mud up to our knees. You yelled a lot, Sakura."
"I’ll apologize for the yelling if you apologize for getting us lost."
"Shortcut."
"We ended up cutting across a swamp."
"A muddy shortcut."
They laughed, shoulders brushing.
"Sakura, that’s not a happy memory."
"Sure it is. We survived."
"Good point."
Their boots crunched soft gravel in sync. Seconds stretched.
"I apologize," she said quietly. "For the yelling. Back then."
He shrugged, careless. "Okay. I apologize for the very muddy, quicksand-filled shortcut."
Not quite a grin from her, but close. "We got home."
Another pause, longer this time.
Naruto exhaled. "It’s funny looking back on that. Sasuke went off alone that day. Got himself more lost than we were."
She didn’t answer right away. Then, softly: "He found his way back to us, eventually."
Naruto winked. "Some people take the long way home."
She grinned. "Very Sage-like. Channeling Jiraiya?"
"You’re saying I sound more mature."
She pretended to consider it. "Actually, with all due respect… maturity wasn’t Jiraiya’s strongest virtue."
"Hey, he was wise! He taught me a lot about life."
"I don’t doubt that."
"I remember we were in Koka and-" He stopped. Coughed. Turned away.
"Actually, that story might not be the best one."
Sakura’s eyes gleamed. "If I remember my geography, Koka’s famous, or infamous, for hostesses and nightclubs."
"There were parks there too! And a really nice rose garden."
"So what happened?"
He licked his lips. "Eh. The message is more important than the plot."
"That bad?"
"No. Just… eventful. There was a happy ending."
She gave him a look, amused, skeptical.
His hands rose in surrender. "A nice, happy, innocent ending. Eventually."
"No ladies of the evening were involved?"
He scratched his cheek. "Define involved."
"I think you need to define innocent."
"Okay, fine, he had a reputation. But around me? He was a gentleman."
"Really?"
"…No, not really. But he could’ve been worse."
She laughed, shoulders shaking, ribs aching.
And he watched her, helpless, his heart dancing a stupid jig in his chest.
When she caught her breath, she brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear. The laugh softened into a smile.
He held out his jacket.
She took it, slipping it on quietly.
They kept walking.
XXXXXXXXXXX
The breeze nipped at them. Cold, but not cruel. Naruto kicked at a loose stone, hands buried deep in his pockets.
Sakura bumped his arm. "You’re thinking too loud."
He glanced at her. "Something about this feels a little mean."
"Mean?"
"Sorry they pulled you into this."
"Into what?"
"I’m fair game. But they know better than to put this on you."
She listened, waiting.
He huffed. "It’s just… not fair. Putting you in this spot."
"And what about you? Are they putting you in a spot?"
"They shouldn’t assume," he said, meeting her eyes.
She blinked, just once.
Then, softly: "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"What is love?"
He nearly choked. "What?"
"Love. To you. How do you define it?"
His hand found the back of his neck, rubbing gently. "Going out of your way for someone, even if it hurts."
"That’s loyalty."
"They’re family," he said. "But love is something more than loyalty. When it’s the one… the difference is in the feeling. Different kind of hurt. Different kind of joy."
"You believe that?"
"I did. Still do. It’s complicated." He breathed in, slow. "Jiraiya loved Tsunade. She loved Dan. Sometimes it hurts. But it’s still love. I think."
Sakura nodded. "Do you think you can believe something for so long, and then… start to wonder?"
"About love?"
"About many things. But also about love. You wonder what you were feeling. And what you weren’t."
Naruto thought of his parents—of the stories, the legacy, the way love could be both a wound and a balm.
"I think of my parents," Naruto said. "The stories, the legacy, of the way they love. Their kind of love helps me make sense of things."
"So you’d agree there are kinds of love."
He nodded. "Sure. I love my friends. I’d fight for them. Even when it hurts. But…"
"But romantic love is different."
"Yeah. That… that can sneak up on you."
"An ambush."
His lips quirked. "Yeah. Maybe."
She stopped walking, turning to face him fully. "How do you know, Naruto? When is it real?"
He swayed on his feet, suddenly off-balance. "I don’t know how to define it, really. I just know it when I feel it."
She smirked. "That’s a Naruto answer."
"Well, I am Naruto."
She didn’t reply. Just smiled.
Silence. They continued walking.
Then, softer: "Can I try something?"
He nodded.
She rubbed her thumb against her palm, gathering courage. "Tell me if this sounds like love."
"Alright."
"It’s feeling safe. Not because the world is safe, but because of who’s beside you."
His breath slowed.
"It’s being quiet together and knowing nothing is missing. You can be wrong, but not feel wrong for them."
His pulse thudded in his ears.
"It’s missing them when they’re gone. Breathing easier when they’re near."
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"Sound familiar?"
He swallowed. "A little."
Two deep breaths. A humming pause.
Then, quietly: "That’s not what I had with Sasuke."
Naruto’s jaw tightened, but he kept pace with her, eyes fixed ahead.
"It’s easy to believe it has to hurt," she continued. "Like training. Push past the pain, and you’re getting stronger."
She shook her head. "But there was no strength. Only the hurt."
Her gaze drifted past him, searching. "I thought I knew. But maybe I didn’t."
Naruto shook his head. "What if he’d stayed? If he’d wanted to stay?"
She slowed, the wind tugging at her hair. "I’m not sure that’s fair."
"It’s about what’s real. Not what’s fair."
She met his eyes. "It wasn’t real.”
He didn’t reply.
“This isn’t really about Sasuke."
Confusion flickered across his face. "Then what is this?"
She bit her lip. "This is me. Catching up."
A breath released.
A breath taken.
The lanterns were behind them now, the path leading toward the overlook.
She stopped, turning to face him fully. "You can think you’re brave. Until something really scares you. Then you learn."
Her fingers brushed his sleeve, fidgeting. "Right now, walking with you… I think I’m learning."
He stared at her, heart hammering.
"I'm new at this," she admitted, fingers twisting the sleeve of his jacket. "So... I might need your help."
The words hung between them, fragile as cherry blossom petals caught in the wind.
Naruto said nothing. But his breath hitched, slightly, as they passed a garden where lavender perfumed the air, sweet and stubborn.
The scent unraveled a memory:
A forgotten mission. Not grand or tragic, just ordinary. He’d taken a big hit, laughed through bloodied teeth, and insisted he could keep fighting. He wanted to keep fighting.
Sakura hadn’t argued. Just pressed her palm flat against his chest, fingers splayed over his heartbeat, and said, "Shut up and rest."
And he had.
Now, walking beside her, he fought a smile at the memory.
"You think this was Ino’s plan?" he asked, kicking a pebble.
"Most likely."
"Not Konohamaru?"
"Please. His idea of romance would be a lot less subtle."
A chuckle. "Shikamaru, then?"
"Too much effort."
"Chouji?"
"He’d only follow Ino’s lead for something like this."
"Sai?"
They paused.
"Sai doesn’t meddle, well not like this" Sakura said.
A grin. "So. Ino."
"The mastermind."
"What do you think she’s got waiting up there?"
Sakura’s nose scrunched. "Maybe balloons. Confetti. A full choir."
Naruto groaned. "A banner that says ‘FINALLY’."
"Too much," they said in unison.
He exhaled sharply. "What’d she whisper to you back at Ichiraku?"
Naruto’s gaze dropped. His hands vanished into his pockets, shoulders hunching like he could fold himself smaller.
"Still upset?" she murmured.
"Sort of."
"They mean well," she replied.
A gust of wind cut him off, sharp enough to stagger him. Or maybe it wasn’t the wind. Maybe he tripped over a stone, a twig, his own feet. It could have been anything, he’d been unbalanced by the weight of his own thoughts for a while now.
He was on his way down when her fingers suddenly gripped his arm, steadying him, burning through his sleeve.
He regained his pace and for one suspended heartbeat, the world narrowed down to her lingering touch.
"Don’t overthink it," he whispered, echoing Ino’s words.
The path before them darkened, shadows pooling between the trees. Sakura turned toward them, but Naruto stopped.
"Wait."
He studied her face. The green of her eyes, suddenly brighter than any star
She held still, letting him look. Letting him see.
And then before he could overthink it, before he could ruin it, he leaned in.
No hesitation
No grand plan
She met him halfway.
The kiss was soft, tentative, perfect.
When they pulled apart, her cheeks were pink.
"An ambush?" she teased.
He grinned, sheepish. "I don’t know how to define it, really. But I know it when I feel it."
She nodded.
"So do I."
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
On the overlook, the others waited.
Torch lights glowed. A table had been set. Flowers. A band.
Too much.
Naruto turned to Sakura.
She was already turning to him.
His grin came slowly.
Her smirk followed.
A nod passed between them.
Poof.
Poof.
When the smoke cleared, two logs lay on the ground.
Konohamaru scratched his head. "That was unexpected."
Ino chuckled. "They bailed."
Chouji sighed. "What now, Mister Mastermind?"
Shikamaru looked at the setup, then at the logs, then at the night sky.
Then he just sat down.
"She was wearing his jacket."
Konohamaru threw his hands up. "That’s it? A jacket? I expected fireworks."
"The fireworks were for later," Sai added. “Also I had a genjutsu prepared just in case.”
"For the record, I learned the choreography," Chouji muttered. "I would’ve nailed it."
Shikamaru exhaled, smiling. "I don't know what happened. But whatever happened, I hope it was effective. I'm just tired of watching them dance around it."
"Something has changed," Gaara announced.
"What?" Konohamaru asked.
"The smiles. The look, something is different," Gaara replied.
Naruo doesn't understand girls' feelings, but he saw through Sakura's feelings during the "confession" years before realizing Hinata's feelings without the need of getting genjutsu'd. Kishimoto once again showcasing mastery of writing inconsistently
Or perhaps we can say Sakura's feelings ran 🏃♀️ so Hinata's could walk.
BTW, I'm only replying to this because its tagged narusaku and showed up in the field of my vision.
Happy NaruSaku Day everyone! I wasn't sure I was going to be able to finish this on time but at the end I managed to pull it out! I'm so happy with how this piece came out!
A few days ago, I figured I'd write some NaruSaku fluff for NaruSaku day. Just something light and casual. I started working on it with a minimalist kind of style, since I think that really plays to my strengths. But when I actually started writing, I started thinking, wait a minute...this feels kind of poetic. Wait a minute...is this cinema?
It’s weird, I thought my NaruSaku self peaked a long time ago, but here we are. Hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think.
Gaara came to visit. A rare occurrence. When he did, many showed up. The objective, teach Gaara how to have a good time, and have a good time doing so.
Well into the night, only eight remained. Team Seven. Team Ten. And Konohamaru, thrown in for youthful spice.
They packed into the corner booth at Ichiraku. Like old times. Slurping. Stories told. Sides split. Tea spilled.
Naruto sat across from Sakura. She was beside Ino. They didn’t talk much. Just enough. He watched her when she wasn’t looking. She caught him once. Met his eyes for a breath. Then looked away.
Ino poured her more tea. Sakura raised an eyebrow.
“You’re up to something,” she said.
“Up to what?” Ino smiled.
“Something.”
Ino leaned close. Whispered words only Sakura heard.
Sakura blinked. Her head tilted slightly. A twitch at the corner of her mouth.
Naruto caught it, a hint of something. He looked away.
Konohamaru dropped his chopsticks.
“New plan. The hill near the old training field.”
“The overlook?” Chouji asked.
“Clear night sky,” Sai added. “Better view.”
“Less crowded,” Shikamaru said.
Naruto frowned. “What’s wrong with here?”
“Nothing,” Ino said. “Just changing it up.”
One by one, they vanished. Smoke. Disguises left behind. Logs, dummies, a weird ink drawing of Sai.
Naruto stared. “Huh?”
A wry lift of her shoulders was Sakura’s only response.
“The hill,” the drawn Sai said. “Better view.”
They stepped into the night. Cool air. Lanterns above. Broth still clinging to them. Sakura hugged her arms to her chest.
Naruto glanced at her, then shrugged off his jacket. Didn’t offer it. Carried it.
“This is how they treat the future Hokage?”
“It’s sort of funny,” Sakura said, her shoulders rising and falling carelessly.
“Would be funnier if the joke wasn’t on us.”
“You think this is a prank?”
“Konohamaru left me with the bill last month. Classic prank. Though at some point, it stops being a prank and starts being a financial issue.”
Her expression softened.
He looked at her. Really looked. “This isn’t a prank?”
“Come on,” she said. “Let’s walk.”
They walked. Past the stone wall. Cracked. Mossy.
“Remember when you fell off that wall?” she asked.
“Never happened.”
“You landed on that rock shaped like, well, let’s just say it was unfortunate. You remember, it was like a surprise, Thousand Years of Death strike.”
“Didn’t happen.”
“It was hilarious.”
“An innocent man. Betrayed by his village’s landscape. Is funny to you?”
“You had to be there.”
“I was there.”
She bumped his shoulder. He smiled.
They passed by the academy without saying a word.
“You’re being unusually quiet.”
He considered that.
“Am I?”
She jabbed a finger at him. “You always fill in the silence.”
“Not this one. I like this one.”
And for a while, they just walked, letting it settle.
Until she broke it.
“Okay, happier memory. That flood while we were training?”
“Soaked. Mud up to our knees. You yelled a lot, Sakura.”
“I’ll apologize for the yelling. If you apologize for getting us lost.”
“Shortcut.”
“We ended up cutting across a swamp.”
“A muddy shortcut.”
They laughed.
“Sakura, that’s not a happy memory.”
“Sure it is. We survived.”
“Good point.”
Boots crunched gravel between them. Seconds stretched.
“I apologize. For the yelling. Back then.”
A careless tilt of his head “Okay. I apologize for the very muddy quicksand-filled shortcut.”
Not quite a grin from her, but close. “We got home.”
Drawn out seconds passed before he spoke again.
“It’s funny looking back on that. Sasuke went off alone that day. Got himself more lost than we were.”
She didn’t answer right away. “He found his way back to us, eventually.”
Naruto winked at her. “Some people take the long way home...”
She grinned now. “Very Sage-like. Channeling Jiraiya?”
“You're saying I sound more mature.”
She considered it.
“Actually, with all due respect... maturity wasn’t Jiraiya’s strongest virtue.”
“Hey, he was very wise. He taught me a lot about life.”
“I don’t doubt that.”
“I remember we were in Koka and...”
He hesitated, coughed, turned away.
“Actually, that story might not be the best.”
She tilted her head, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
“If I remember my geography, Koka’s famous. Or infamous, for hostesses and nightclubs.”
“There were parks there too, and a really nice rose garden.”
“So what happened?”
He licked his lips. “Eh. The message is more important than the plot.”
“That bad?”
“No. Just… eventful. There was a happy ending.”
She gave him a look, amused, skeptical.
His hands rose, placating.
“A nice, happy—innocent—ending. Eventually.”
“No ladies of the evening were involved?”
He scratched his cheek.
“Define involved.”
“I think you need to define innocent.”
“Okay, I know he had a reputation. But around me? He was a gentleman.”
“Really?”
"No, not really. But he could’ve been worse."
She laughed, shoulders shaking, ribs aching.
He tried to hide his smile, his glances.
She noticed them. Felt their weight.
Brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear.
The laugh softened. Became a smile.
He held out his jacket.
She took it. Slipped it on.
They kept walking.
***
The breeze cooled. Not cold, but close.
A slow breath left him.
He kicked at a loose stone, sent it skidding.
Shoulders low. Hands buried deep inside pockets.
She bumped his arm again.
“You’re thinking too loud.”
He glanced over.
“Something about this is a little mean.”
“Mean?”
“Sorry they pulled you into this,” he said.
“This?”
“I’m fair game. But they know better than to put this on you.”
She listened.
He continued. “It’s just... not fair. Putting you in this spot.”
“And what about you? Are they putting you in a spot?”
“They shouldn’t assume,” he said, meeting her eyes.
She blinked, just once.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“What is love?”
“What?” he asked, his voice low.
“Love. To you. How do you define it?”
His right palm found the back of his neck.
“Going out of your way for someone, even if it hurts.”
“That’s loyalty.”
“They’re family,” he said. “But love is something more than loyalty. When it’s the one... the difference is in the feeling. Different kind of hurt, different kind of joy.”
“You believe that?”
“I did. Still do. It's complicated.”
He breathed in. Let it out slow. “Jiraiya loved Tsunade. She loved Dan. Sometimes it hurts. But it’s still love. I think.”
She nodded. “Do you think you can believe something for so long, and then… start to wonder.”
“About love?”
“About many things but also about love. You wonder what you were feeling. And what you weren’t.”
“I think of my parents,” he said. “When I think about...”
She watched him close as he spoke.
“The idea of it. Their kind of love. That helps me make sense of things.”
“So you would agree there are kinds of love,” she said.
He nodded. Shifted his weight, “Sure. Again, I love my friends. I fought for them. Even when it hurts. But...”
“But romantic love is different ”
“Yeah, that... that can sneak up on you.”
“An ambush.”
“Yeah. Maybe.”
“How do you know Naruto? When it’s real.”
He swayed on his feet. “I don’t know how to define it, really. I just know it when I feel it.”
“That’s a Naruto answer.”
“Well, I’m Naruto.”
She didn’t answer. Just smiled.
Silence.
They walked in it.
Rested in it.
Then she spoke.
“Can I try something?”
A quiet yes.
She rubbed her thumb against her palm.
“Tell me,” she said softly, “if this sounds like love.”
“Alright.”
“It’s feeling safe. Not because the world is safe, but because of who’s beside you.”
He didn’t speak. Just listened.
“It’s being quiet together, and knowing nothing is missing. You can be wrong, but not feel wrong for them.”
His breath slowed.
“It’s missing them when they’re gone. Breathing easier when they’re near.”
Her voice dropped, barely a whisper.
“Sound familiar?”
“A little...”
Two deep breaths. A humming pause.
“That’s not what I had with Sasuke.”
He kept pace with her.
His eyes were fixed ahead, locked on nothing in particular.
Jaw tight.
“It’s easy to believe it has to hurt,” she said. “Like training. Push past the pain, and you’re getting stronger.”
She shook her head. “There was no strength. Only the hurt.”
Her gaze drifted past him. Searching for something.
“I thought I knew. But maybe I didn’t.”
Naruto shook his head, hands in his pocket. “What if he'd stayed. If he’d wanted to stay.”
She slowed. Wind picked at her hair.
“I’m not sure if that’s fair,” she said.
“It’s about what’s real. Not about what’s fair.”
She regained her pace. “This is not about Sasuke.”
Confusion flickered across his face. “I don’t know what this is."
She bit her lip before saying.
“This is me. Catching up."
She let go of a breath.
He took one in.
The lanterns were behind them now. Trees framed the sky.
They walked on. Branches overhead.
She started again. “You can think you’re brave. Until something really scares you. Then you learn.”
Then she met his eyes.
“Right now, walking with you… I think I’m learning.”
She tugged at the sleeve of his jacket. Fidgeting.
“I’m new at this,” she said. “So I might need your help.”
He didn’t respond.
They passed a garden. Lavender hung in the air. Soft but firm.
It stirred something in him.
A moment he’d forgotten. Until now.
A forgettable mission. Not like the others.
He’d gotten hurt. He laughed about it. Said he could still fight.
He believed it.
She didn’t.
Just pressed her hand to his chest and told him to shut up.
He did.
They kept walking.
“You think this was Ino’s plan?” he asked.
“Most likely.”
“Not Konohamaru?”
“He doesn’t plan like this.”
“Shikamaru?”
“Could be, but I can’t think of a motive.”
“Chouji?”
“If Ino told him to.”
“Sai?”
They paused.
“Sai doesn’t meddle.”
Naruto grinned. “So Ino.”
“The mastermind.”
“What do you expect we’ll find when we get there?”
“Too much.”
A sharp exhale through his nose.
“What did she whisper to you?”
Sakura’s lips twitched. She said,
“Don’t overthink it, forehead.”
Naruto’s gaze fell.
His hands disappeared into his pockets.
Toes scraping the dirt.
“Still upset?”
He shifted. “Sort of.”
“They mean well,” she replied.
A stiff breeze passed through. It knocked him off balance. Or he tripped on a rock. Or his feet.
Something happened.
He stumbled. Her hand found his arm, quick, gentle. A touch, an anchor.
He didn’t fall. Didn’t lose stride. But it stayed.
Not the touch. The moment.
He assumed she was looking past him. That he’d have to let her go.
But she wasn’t waiting. She was here.
“Don’t overthink it,” he whispered.
A quiet street emerged before them.
They turned down its shadows.
He stopped.
He studied her face.
She saw it. Didn’t blink.
She let him search.
He wasn’t lost anymore.
When he leaned in, she didn’t stop him.
He kissed her.
She leaned in. Just a little too fast.
His hand found her waist. Steadied her.
She flowed.
Gentle. Sure.
A breath shared.
Eyes closed.
Silence.
Her hand brushed his chest. Stayed for a second.
“An ambush?”
His smile was small. Sheepish. Bright.
“I don’t know how to define it, really. But I know it when I feel it.”
She nodded.
“So do I.”
***
On the hill, the others waited.
Lanterns glowed. A table had been set. Flowers. A band set up.
Too much.
Naruto turned to Sakura.
She was already turning to him.
His grin came slowly.
Her smirk followed.
A nod passed between them.
Poof.
Poof.
The hill was quiet again.
When the smoke cleared, two logs lay on the ground.
Konohamaru scratched his head. “That was unexpected.”
Ino chuckled.
Chouji exhaled. “They bailed.”
“What now, Mister Mastermind?” Konohamaru asked.
Shikamaru looked at his co-conspirators, then at the setup. Then at the logs.
Then he just sat down.
“She’s wearing his jacket.”
Konohamaru gestured wide. “That’s it? Wearing a jacket? I expected fireworks.”
“The fireworks were for later,” Sai added.
“For the record, I learned the choreography.” Chouji said. “I would have nailed it.”
“Also I had prepared a special genjutsu,” Sai noted. “Just in case.”
Shikamaru released a quiet breath. “It's okay.”
“Okay? What about the shamisen trio you booked?” Chouji wondered. “That cost money.”
“It’s fine,” Shikamaru said.
“So what, it worked?” Chouji asked.
“I don’t know. I hope it did. I’m just tired of watching them dance around it.”
After the character breaking false confession from Sakura, Naruto’s recently revived long dead father asks Naruto if Sakura is his girlfriend, and Naruto says yes.
Kishimoto wasted panels "trolling" NaruSaku when he gave almost zero time to the actual canon couples in the manga itself.
Alert, there is no guarantee what will be said in the following will actually happen. Because life can find a way to block nice things.
Ok, for the NaruSaku fans still following this account, NaruSaku day is in the distance but within view.
Send me a prompt or a plot bunny (do people still call it that?) or a bit of dialog NaruSaku related that you'd like to see, and I'll try (my best) to work that into a short story to be delivered on NaruSaku day.....or eventually.
If I get multiple propmts I'll use the one that moves me the most, or if possible and the Muses are fair I may be able to use them in one tale.
Thanks in advance for any inspiration you may provide.
In my humble opinion when looking through the Naruto-verse through a NaruSaku lens it makes all kinds of interactions or incidents with other character so much better. The NaruSaku paradigm, the NaruSaku worldview you can cheekily say just makes things better. This brief idea /short fic, is about NaruSaku but also the world around it. I don't know if there's more to this story but it's all I got for now. If you like it let me know.
The council meeting had ended. Most of the cabinet members filed out. The heavy doors shut behind them.
Hokage Naruto sat still. Four remained.
Shikamaru, Chief Advisor and Head of Strategy, stood by the conference table, arms crossed. Kakashi, the elder advisor and former Hokage, glanced up at the ceiling, sighing heavily. Ino, Head of Intelligence and Communications, sat back in her chair, foot tapping. And then there was Sai, Head of Internal Security, standing near the wall, silent as always during such meetings.
Ino was the first to speak. “You’ve been acting like an idiot.”
Naruto looked at her. “Is that your summation of the meeting?”
She smirked. “It’s my official report, yes.”
Kakashi chuckled, low and tired. “She’s right.”
Shikamaru exhaled. “Not that it is any way relevant to the meeting or national security but....You were cold to Sakura.”
Naruto turned to the window. The courtyard below was empty now.
“I treated her as I did the others.”
“No,” Kakashi said. “You treated her like she wasn’t there. Like she wasn't important.”
Shikamaru nodded. “Which is worse.”
Silence.
Ino leaned forward. “She was hurt.”
“Sakura is Head of Medical Affairs & Hospital Director,” Naruto said. “She’s capable of handling a tough meeting”
“Of course, she’s capable,” Shikamaru cut in. “That doesn’t mean you should push her away.”
“Are we really doing this right now?!” Naruto exclaimed. “Are we really having this conversation?!”
Sai finally spoke, his voice low. “I think you've made her an enemy.”
Everyone turned to him.
Naruto frowned. “She’s not my enemy.”
Sai’s expression didn’t change. “That’s how you made her feel.”
A pause. Then Kakashi sighed once again. “Even Sai can see it. That should tell you something.”
Naruto ran his palms across his face. “You know guys, I can have you fired and or arrested, have you all forgotten that?"
Silence settled.
Then the door slid open.
Sakura.
She stepped in, her face calm, her posture straight. “I forgot my documents.”
Nobody spoke.
Naruto gestured to the table. “They’re there.”
She walked past him, collected them. Moved slow. Purposeful.
She didn’t turn to face him when she spoke. “If there’s a problem, say it.”
The room was still.
She looked at him now. Her gaze was sharp.
He held it.
“Ok, I've-I want to put some distance between us,” he admitted.
She said nothing.
A beat passed. Then another.
Finally, she tilted her head. “Why?”
Naruto’s hands curled slightly at his sides. “Because it's the right thing to do.”
Her expression didn’t change. “For who?”
Silence.
His throat felt tight. He had fought in a war, faced chakra monsters, and fulfilled his dream. None of it had ever felt this difficult.
Her voice softened, but it did not lose its edge. “Did I do something?”
“No.” The word left his lips before he could think. “You did nothing wrong.”
Her brow furrowed. “Then why are you treating me like this?”
“Because I am an idiot.”
“That's what I said!” Ino exclaimed.
Sakura didn’t look at Ino. She was still watching Naruto. “I get it, that can happen to the best of us.”
He met her eyes again.
“I thought distance was the right choice,” he said. “I was wrong.”
She studied him, searching.
Finally, she nodded once. “Prove it.”
She left.
The door shut.
Silence lingered.
Then Kakashi said, “That was intense.”
Shikamaru unfolded his arms. “What will you do now?”
Naruto exhaled, rolling his shoulders.”I still might have you all arrested. But first I’ve got to fix this.”
Sai said nothing, until Naruto met his eyes, he then gave his friend a single, slow nod.
They began filing out.
When Shikamaru was at the door, he turned to Ino. “Coming?”
She didn’t move from her seat. “In a moment.”
Shikamaru frowned. “He needs to process this, not be badgered.”
She chuckled. “Shikamaru, unlike you, I know when to push and when to pull.”
Shikamaru hesitated, then sighed. “Don’t be long.”
The doors shut.
Naruto sat behind his desk, watching Ino. “And?”
Ino stretched, cracking her knuckles. “My wise, noble and powerful Hokage. You’re lucky I like you. Otherwise, I’d leave you to rot in your own stubbornness.”
“I already admitted I was wrong Ino.”
“Unfortunately that was the easy part,” she said. “Now you have to figure out what you actually want.”
“I know what I want,” he said, his voice quieter.
She raised an eyebrow. “Do you?”
He didn’t answer.
She leaned forward. “Propriety is a virtue, Naruto. But foolishness is a vice. Don't be a virtuous fool.”
Naruto looked up at the ceiling, sighing as his teacher had done earlier.
She tapped her knuckles against the conference table bringing his attention back to her. “I get it, the whole Sasuke thing is still a sore spot...”
Naruto groaned. “Mother...father....anyone please help me”
She shrugged. “Does it still matter?”
Naruto stared at her stone faced and professional. “You tell me."
Ino smiled. "Should I?"
Naruto's eyes narrowed, "Do you know something I don’t know?”
“Maybe.”
He drew in a breath and straightened in his seat.
She grinned. “Ah. That got quite the reaction.”
Naruto exhaled through his nose. “Ino, I might have you exiled.”
Ino stood, brushing imaginary dust from her sleeve. “I can predict the future, y'know. I see you staring at your desk, brooding over something that can be solved with one conversation.”
She moved to the door. “Let me tell you something you already know. The past already happened. The future? Well that’s up to you.”
This is completely unrelated to my previous post regarding NaruSaku day. This is NaruSaku sneaking up on me and demanding tribute before NaruSaku day. It wasn't willing to wait. So here is a very quick story that came to me yesterday. NaruSaku can be dramatic but there is a subdued element to the couple that I think is underappreciated. My writing blood circulates when I think about it. Hope you enjoy, let me know what you think.
Sakura stepped outside the hospital. The night air was crisp. It did nothing to lift the weight on her chest. She had lost patients before, but Mr. Kisaragi had been different. She had held his hand as he passed. No time to grieve. The job didn’t wait.
She could still hear his voice.
“You work too hard, Ms. Haruno. And you care too much.”
She had laughed. “A medical ninja is supposed to care.”
“Care, yes. But don’t let it steal your life. One day, you’ll wake up and wonder where it went.”
They had debated respectfully. About caring, about duty, about the overlap between the two. A passionate debate, at times fiery, but now, standing outside, she only felt tired.
“Sakura?”
She turned. Naruto stood a few feet away, hands in his pockets. His grin was small, careful.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
He hesitated. “Just dropping by.” His eyes studied her. “You look like you could use company.”
She exhaled. “Rough shift. Lost a good man today.”
Naruto nodded. “I’m sorry.”
She shrugged. “I asked Tsunade once if it gets easier.”
“What did she say?”
“No.”
“Not even a spoonful of sugar to help huh.”
She let out a short breath, almost a laugh. “Legendary, medical ninja, but no bedside manner whatsoever.”
"Guess you’ll have to surpass her in everything huh?”
She rolled her shoulders, trying to shake off the ache. “But enough about me. What are you really doing here?”
He scratched his cheek. “I had a plan. A dumb one. A selfish one.”
“Tell me.”
He grinned, sheepish. “I was going to fake being sick. You’d ask what was wrong. And I’d tell you I had a broken heart.”
She blinked. Then laughed. A full hearty laugh. “A broken heart?”
“Yep.” He chuckled. “Then I was going to ask you to dinner.”
She smirked. “You sure it’s not indigestion?”
“Well, I was looking for a second opinion.”
“Who broke your heart?”
“Oh, some girl. Smart. Brave. Beautiful. Stubborn.”
“She sounds like trouble.”
“The worst. To be honest it’s a chronic issue.”
“And you think dinner is the cure?”
“People call it alternative medicine Sakura.”
She laughed.
His lips pulled, just a little, then he sighed, glancing back at the hospital. “Sakura-chan you are amazing at what you do but if I become Hokage-"
"When" she interrupted.
The smile came easy to him, not too wide, but steady. His eyes held the warmth that didn't come from heat but from joy. "When I become Hokage, I’m sorry but you might have less work to do.”
She smiled at that. “You’ve always been very optimistic, Naruto.”
“I’m very hopeful.” He said turning back to her with his hands out wide. “Hoping for the best is what I do best.”
They stood there, eyes locked, letting the quiet settle around them like, familiar clothes.
“Anyway” he exhaled. “People in there are hurting. And here I am, thinking about myself. I should go, again I’m sorry about your patient and forgive me for--y’know..me being selfish”
Sakura thought about Mr. Kisaragi. About regret. About time slipping away.
“Listen,” she said. “I can’t do dinner. But my shift ends at sunrise. How do you feel about breakfast?”
Naruto blinked. Then his grin widened. “You’d risk falling asleep on me?”
“Consider it a challenge.”
He turned to leave, then stopped. “You know, breakfast could turn into lunch. Then dinner.”
She shook her head with a smile. “Optimistic.”
“Hopeful,” he corrected.
She watched him go. The weight hadn’t lifted. But it felt a little lighter.
Sakura's AU mom, The Theatre Nerd: best thing ever. I also appreciate weather currents and vegetable juice more than I ever thought I would. In other news, well, at least it wasn't an egregious cliffhanger. That was as good a place to cut the lifeline from a story as it could get. So, no worries; it was still more than worth the read. (P.S. I had a bigger beef with not being able to see the drunk-antics noodle incident, than anything else. I think that says something about me as a reader?)
My apologies anonymous. I never replied to this, and it's probably been years. Still I do appreciate this because that fic was one of my personal favs. When I started it, I had so many ideas. It was supposed to be a multichpater epic that explored the many layers of Narusaku and even the setting of Naruto. But for good or bad, it dawned in me that I had original stories in me to tell, and I'm still working on those. Still, I'm very grateful to have contributed a little bit to the Narusaku Fandom.
Notes from the middleground @bodegacowboy - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
