NaruSaku - The Storm Part V

The Storm
Part V
‘‘What in the world happened here?!? Sakura, speak to me now!’’
Tsunade was mad, very mad. She stared at her student, who held a knocked-out Naruto with a deathgrip.
‘‘I... don’t know Sensei... he and I were walking in the street, then he started to twitch, a few seconds later, the Kyuubi’s chakra started to leak out, and his eyes were red... I told everyone to run away... and I think I saw 3, maybe 4 tails... and the rest is a blurr. My memory is just starting to come back into place now...’’
She looked down at her friend, he was recovering, but the ordeal had clearly taken its toll on the boy. He was barely breathing.
Tsunade looked at the pair, then made a descision she knew she would regret.
‘‘Well... no matter, take him somewhere he can rest, half the village as been wiped out, but even in an unstable state, he’s the only one that has a shot at fighting Susano’o, if he really is our adversary here. The Hokage mansion is still standing, you can use that place.’’
Sakura’s face lit up, she had feared that Naruto would be shunned, kicked out of the village, but her master had decided otherwise. The blond shinobie would be given another chance.
‘‘Yes ma’am!’’ eagerly answered Sakura, who quickly, but skillfully, lifted Naruto on her shoulder.
‘‘Wait, Sakura...’’, Tsunade had a worried look in her eyes for a split second, but then her expression went back the one she was wearing before.
‘‘Don’t... You shouldn’t...’’ she didn’t know how to bring it up, no matter how she would say it, she knew the result would be the same, so she came up with a different excuse, hoping that Sakura would see the truth behind her words.
‘‘Make sure the time spent with him was worth it...’’
The young Kunoichi blushed, not exatly sure what her sensei ment by that, but she did understand some of it.
‘‘I will... thank you, Hokage-sama.’’
And that being said, she vanished, heading towards the mansion, who still stood strong by the Hokage Mountain.

Once inside, she hurried to her room, she prayed that she wouldn’t come across young children, or anyone for that matter, as she carried her friend. Naruto was in very bad shape, and those weak-hearted people would probably not stand the sight of such a mutilate body. Luckily, her prayer’s were heard, as she opened the door to her room, and laid her friend on her bed.
Without losing an instant, she quickly took off Naruto’s coat and shirt, leaving only his pant and underwear on him. She then started real Medical treatments on him, instead of the sloppy first aid attempt she did earlier. It was hard, but she managed to heal him fairly quickly, but that last effort drained what was left of her, she needed to sleep.
She didn’t bothered changing her clothes, she cuddled up next to Naruto, feeling the relaxing warmth emitting from him, and synch her breathing with his, and she fell asleep.
Sakura woke up, hours later, as she slowly reconnected with the world around her, she wondered where her warmth had gone too. It was only then she realised, she was alone in her bed, and she clearly remembered falling asleep next to Naruto.
She turn around, a feeling of panic building up inside of her, but all those thoughts were quickly washed away by the ocean blue eyes that met with her’s.
‘‘Hey there sleepyhead.’’ said the boy. He was smiling, and seem overjoyed for some reason, like if today’s event’s had never happened, as if everything was fine and they could move on.
‘‘How are you feeling?’’ asked the pink Kunoichi, with a hint of worry in her expression.
Naruto held out his right hand, a Rasengan forming in his open palm, before slowly fading away again.
‘‘I feel fine, I guess I owe you again huh?’’ answered the boy with a chuckle.
‘‘You don’t owe me anything, but while were here, turn around, I’ll do a quick check-up, see if everything’s healed up or not, you never know with those kind of injuries.’’
Naruto didn’t reply back, but he turn turn his back to Sakura, who put both hands right on his backbone, pouring Chakra in his nervous system, she used his own body to detect any abnormalities.
A long silence felt between the two, until it was broken by the young woman.
‘‘Say, Naruto, when I woke up earlier, why were you so happy?’’ said Sakura, her voice sounding both determined and scared. Her gazed wandered around her friend as she spoke.
‘‘Well...’’ Naruto started talking, but never finished. Silence filled the room for a minute, and Sakura felt Naruto’s body warm up, she knew he was blushing, even trembling a little. She didn’t say anything, simply waited for him to gather up the courage he needed to speak, she knew he would do it, he wouldn’t hide something from her if she asked him about it.
‘‘I just thought... that I’d... never live to see a dream becoming... you know... more than a dream...’’ answered Naruto, hesitating in his choice of words, he didn’t want her to find out, but when he felt the warm touch of her hands fading from his body, he knew it, she saw right throught him at that very moment. He felt weak, paralyzed, the cold air in the room had him sitting stuck on the bed, facing away from Sakura.
‘‘Naruto... I...’’ she had no idea what to tell him. She felt it, in his voice, in his hesitation, in his words, for some reason, she felt like she knew about it for a long time, but now more than ever before, she was sure of it.
‘‘I should leave...’’ thought Naruto, he got up, taking his shirt and coat at the same time. He was about to put them on when he felt something crawling around his waist.
He looked down, and noticed Sakura’s arms wrapping around him. Naruto’s eyes widened, Sakura, the one woman he ever loved his whole life, the one that was as much a part of his life as was himself and even the Kyuubi, she had hugged him, and he failed to recognize her touch.
‘‘Sakura... I...’’ was all he managed to say before he felt her, leaning on his back, her head resting on his muscular back, her breath was cold, but he welcomed the light breeze in the now heated situation he was in, it brought him back to reality.


He was in pain, she felt it as well, and for the first time in years, it was a wound she knew she couldn’t heal using her training. She would have to find another way to heal this one wound in his heart, but she had no idea how. The only thing she felt like doing now was crying, she wanted to cry, but she knew that if she did, this chance to help her friend, and really help be, to be there for him, would be lost, and moments like these were almost non-existant, even between them.
She tighted her grib around him.
‘‘Naruto... it hurts dosen’t it? Please... tell me where... how... I... I want to help you Naruto, at least once... please...’’
Her tears were flowing without restraint now, but it didn’t matter, she did all she could to try and break his innermost walls. Aware that she had never told him these words that nurished her thoughts everytime she healed his physical wounds, hoping that it would be enough to break his defenses, at least a little for her to see throught him.
Naruto had no idea what reply, he wanted to scream, cry, laugh, he wanted to break, fall to his knees and let go, let everything around just move on without him, and even small part of him wished he could just be erased from everything. He felt unable to do any of these things, except for one, the only one that he did had some control over.
His legs gave in, and he fell to his knees, holding Sakura’s hands tightly, leaning foward.
She lost her balance at his sudden movements, and fell on him, her hands caught in his.
And with them, silence followed.

She didn’t know what to do, he clearly was in pain, and she couldn’t help him at all. She closed her eyes, still hugging him, she prayed that it would be enough to help, even just a little. In the akward silence that was sorrouding them, she could only hear her own breathing. It felt like if the blond boy wrapped in her arms was not even there, he felt so distant, unreachable, he seemed almost... dead.
Then she realized, she wasn’t feeling anything from him, no chakra flowing in him, no breathing, no heartbeat.
She panicked.
In an instant, she moved in front of him, and brought his face up, so she could see it. His eyes were still open, but their usual light had been stolen, ripped away from where they belonged. She felt a weak breathing, and a heartbeat. He was still there, still with her, at least in body.
‘‘Naruto...’’ softly said Sakura.
He looked at her, the now darken blue eyes starting straight into her’s.
The empty stare brought her back to her memories of the boy. The images were storming in her mind, Naruto’s smile, his bright blue eyes, his scent, his voice, everything that made him who he was, she remembered all of it, how he entered her life on that fatefull day Team 7 was formed, and how she rejected him, blindly refusing to see who he was beyond the clumsy, stupid and sometimes  silly boy he grew out of. All the times she had found him eating ramen at their favorite ramen-shop, all the times he held her in his embrace when she was cold during rainy days, all the times he protected her, using his body as her shield.
She lost herself in her memories, but she did realise, everything she was remembering had 1 thing in commun. They were all linked to Naruto. All her thoughts, her strength, her courage, came from him, it was all him. It was like he was the world.

Her world.

She leaned forward, her lips slowly covering his. Closing her eyes, she put more pressure, creating, and eventually, deepening the kiss. She didn’t know how to do it, she simply followed her heart, tilting her head to the side, allowing her to move closer to him even more. Unlike before, her thoughts were now completly focused on the one thing she needed, him. A minute passed, and she felt it, his cold lips had finally responded to her’s. She slowly opened her eyes while holding the kiss, and welcomed the sight of the bright blue sky in the shade of day. And again, he felt warm, she could feel his heart beat once more, his breathing was stronger.
He had returned.
She broke the kiss, and, still holding his face, gently smiled at him, her forest-green eyeslost in their new light.
‘‘Sakura... Wh...’’ Naruto never got to finished his sentence, she had palced a finger over his lips, stopping him.
‘‘Naruto, I take what I said earlier back. You don’t have to tell me where it hurts, I know exactly what it is, and I will make sure that it stops hurting you soon, I promise.’’
‘‘But... how... Sakura...’’ Naruto looked down, still hesitating ‘‘Why?’’ was all he managed to say.
‘‘There is no need to explain anything, please just trust me, like all the times you trusted me to heal your wounds, just, one more time, trust me.’’

Naruto didn’t know how to react, again he felt lost, but this time, someone was holding him, and then he felt it.
His mind broke.
Tears were streaming down his face, and Naruto plundge towards Sakura, hugging her, holding her like if she was everything he had left to live for, and he cried, and he held nothing back. He didn’t know how nor why, but at that moment, he was overwhelmed with joy, although it wasn’t the first time she had held him in her arms, to him, it was a whole new feeling, it wasn,t like the night spent with her, it was more than just being ‘‘not alone’’. No, this time, she was with him, she had broken the walls, and joined him, held him, in the empty room.
Sakura would be there for him, just like he had always been there for her, body and soul.
They remained on the cold ground, keeping each other warm, for hours, until nightfall.