Summary: Sakura is adamant on Naruto being her roommate when she gets an apartment. When Naruto declines, it leaves her to inquire why. Naruto's house becomes a home. NaruSaku.

AN: I'm going to say this is AU, because this was written a looong time ago, before the ending happened, or even the start of the war happened. I made a few modifications to it to kind of fit the ending, but there was only so much I could do. Warning, old fic so a lot of stuff might not make sense to what happened in the actual manga. But I had this for so long, I just felt the need to post it. Rated M for more mature, sexual themes - to be safe. Nothing explicit or detailed, but just know it will be lightly touched upon. I just put the M rating to be safe, however, I am debating between the M and T rating haha. idk let me know what you think after you're done reading. I'll knock it down if you all think I should. Update: T rating now. Enjoy!

Recommendations: AZU- "For You", MisterWives- "Our Own House", Rixton- "Appreciated", Niall Horan- "This Town", Lady Gaga- "Million Reasons"

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A NaruSaku Oneshot
Author: wubbzy
Count: 9230

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Renting Out a Room

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Into my soul you stared
And broke down every fear

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The brimming markings of Sakura's yellow highlighter ran across the housing section of the newspaper. Sakura inwardly groaned at increased property value, wondering why she couldn't find affordable apartments that were at least half decent. The cheap ones, she realized, were all in bad areas, which she wouldn't particularly mind but the ones available were below sub par.

She was sitting in Ino's dining room, cross legged as she focused on researching all of the available housing options. She was in pink shorts the color of her hair, with a small white tank top as though she either haven't slept or just rolled out of bed. She combed through her lush pink hair with her fingers, frustrated. Sakura looked over to her best friend, who was lying on the sofa in a purple skirt and shirt. Sakura glared at the girl who said she would help her look for an apartment, but was looking through a fashion magazine instead.

"Ahem," Sakura coughed, getting Ino's attention.

"What?" Ino asked, not once glancing at the girl.

"You're supposed to be helping me look for an apartment," she chided.

"I did - last night. When I invited you to sleep over, I had other plans in mind," Ino reminded. Sakura sighed.

"We did do other things, but you know how I get. I'm worried I won't be able to find a place." Sakura moaned, "This is so troublesome."

"Woah, when did you become Shikamaru?" Ino wondered, amused. Sakura shrugged. "There are probably just no apartments available on the market yet. Wait till summer, you'll see. There is probably one somewhere even now. You just have to go check them out on your day off, no need for an existential crisis." Sakura rolled her eyes at Ino's exaggeration.

"I mean, I've been looking, and there are some cheap apartments, just not… ones I'd go for," Sakura explained.

"There's your problem. You're incredibly picky," Ino teased, reading through the newspaper over her shoulder.

"I went with Naruto, and even he thought they were either disgusting or unsafe. That should say something," Sakura argued.

Ino scoffed, "Just says he's way too overprotective." Sakura rolled her eyes. "Why do you even want to move out? What's wrong with staying with your parents for now?" Sakura sighed, feeling as though she had to explain this multiple times to her friends.

"I love my parents, but it's about time I leave and do my own thing." Sakura shrugged. Ino raised an eyebrow.

"I still don't see the problem, staying with them. Cheaper, too. It's not like you're getting kicked out or there's an immediate need to move out. Why do you want your own apartment so much?" Ino inquired. All she heard, however, were inaudible grumbles. "Come again?" Ino asked. Sakura sighed, pouting.

"I just feel like it's time to leave the nest. Think about it. I'm going to be the head medic at the hospital soon, and we are saviors of the war. I'm Tsunade-sama's apprentice and people are saying I will follow in her footsteps. And I still live with my parents. It just feels like the obvious next step is to move out. We are adults now, and soon being accomplished in that sense, and still living with my parents seems like such a disconnect with the life I'm living now," Sakura explained. Ino nodded, comprehending where Sakura was coming from. It still didn't sit well with her, however.

"I guess…" Ino trailed off. Sakura huffed, knowing Ino had something on her mind to counter with, but wasn't saying it yet. "Although, usually, the girl will stay with her family until she moves out with a husband," she reminded. Sakura sighed, brushing her off.

"That's so traditional, Ino. We're living in new times. That's not nearly as important nowadays. Plus, we're ninja. We should have the choice on whether we want to move out or not."

"Says you. That's not how it is with my family."

"That's because you're a part of a prestigious clan. I'm a little different," she reminded. Ino pursed her lips. Her team was a little different as well. Where her team is still living with their respective clans, Sakura's teammates have been living on their own all their lives. How they live their lives, she figured, would have a big influence on how Sakura might want to live hers. "Well, I guess I should keep apartment hunting," Sakura sighed, changing the subject and hoping that all this work would be worth it. "Thanks for letting me stay the night, but I'm going to head out soon." Ino nodded in understanding.

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Sakura realized that there were so many factors to consider when finding appropriate accommodations, so many aspects that might either turn one on or off the apartment in question. Sakura never anticipated this hassle. At first, she merely thought the cost would be the only thing getting in the way, yet here she was, getting directed through every nook and alcove, landlords alike attempting to sell her on an apartment with every unique feature.

Some were decent, but some were atrocious.

Unfortunately, Naruto was away on a mission, so could not put his two cents. However, the following days, she decided to bring Ino along, so she could see for herself the difficulties she has been facing.

And Ino agreed with her - finally, that looking for decent living arrangements, sucked.

After a week, Sakura was too exhausted to look anymore.

It took Naruto's encouraging words, and Ino's nagging mouth to get her to go see a few more apartment complexes and condos.

She was extremely grateful that she did muster the energy to go with them.

She found an apartment that looked very nice, and wouldn't burn a hole in her pocket. With energy included, this was such a steal. Sakura smiled, going out of the leasing office and heading to her new apartment.

"But it's way too expensive for just one person. You should have checked if they have a one bedroom apartment instead," Ino mentioned. She was still impressed by it, scrutinizing the area.

"Well, it's extremely cheap if I get a roommate," Sakura reminded. Ino raised a brow, feeling like that should have been the first step.

"Sakura-chan, that's a great idea! This place is awesome," Naruto agreed. Sakura beamed, excited.

"But who are you going to find?" Ino wondered.

"That's… well, I'm glad you love the place too, Naruto. I was meaning to ask, if you wanted to move in with me?" Sakura wondered, turning to him. Naruto's jaw dropped, not expecting this at all. Naruto didn't say anything. He was just stumbling with his words, still shocked.

"Um… How about I leave you two to discuss amongst yourselves?" Ino grinned, waving goodbye as she left them to discuss this. After Ino left, Sakura turned to Naruto with hopeful eyes.

"I didn't mean to ask you so suddenly. But you were saying how you were thinking of moving from your place, and I wanted to surprise you. And I figured, why not kill two birds with one stone," Sakura reasoned, shrugging. Naruto scratched the back of his head in thought, still trying to fumble with a response.

"Wow, Sakura-chan. This is really unexpected. I know I was saying that while we were looking for your place, but I don't think I can," Naruto answered, frowning. Sakura pouted, furrowing her eyebrows in perplexity.

"Why?" she asked. Naruto was about to open his mouth, but soon closed it, thinking over what he wanted to say.

"Sakura-chan, well, I already have an apartment," he rationalized.

"But, when we were looking, you were saying how you were going to move out… so, I just thought, you might want to," Sakura retorted. She deadpanned at him, thinking back to what he said before. Naruto in question, scratched his head dumbly.

"I know I said I'd want to move out some time when we were looking, but that was mostly me joking. I love my place," he explained, and Sakura sighed, dejected. "Sorry if you expected me to move in."

"No, no, it's fine. I just… I really wanted us to live together," Sakura admitted. Naruto's eyes widened, hearing a lot of unexpected things today. "I mean, don't you think it'd be fun? Makes things easier. You won't have to sneak around when my parents are home when I heal you, we already spend a lot of time together, and it just makes sense. Plus, you're the only one I really trust," she confessed. Naruto frowned with sullen eyes. "Doesn't it make sense?" she asked, hoping she wasn't the only one who thought so. Naruto hesitantly nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, it does make sense. A lot of sense, Sakura-chan. It does sound like a lot of fun, and it's really tempting, but I really can't," he declined. "I'm really sorry." Sakura's expression was crestfallen, but she still mustered up a smile.

"It's fine. I shouldn't have jumped the gun. I was just so excited," Sakura said. Naruto frowned.

"You can… always see about Sasuke. I think he's coming back pretty soon." He averted his eyes at the thought. Sakura was too busy rolling her eyes to notice.

"He's never here. I-I don't think I could live with Sasuke-kun anyways…" Sakura mentioned, her mind reeling with why Naruto would suggest that option. She remembered admitting how she still couldn't trust him. It was almost two years after the war, and Sasuke was better, but she still couldn't bring herself to fully trust him after everything that he did. Of course, it got better when he was here in Konoha for that one year, but there was always something in the back of her mind, holding her back from fully trusting him the way Naruto could so easily. Naruto knew this, however, this left her to inquire why Naruto would suggest such a thing, and wondered if what he said was the only reason why he wouldn't live with her. "Plus, you know he went off a year ago, who knows when he'll come back on his self-discovery trip." Sakura laughed despite her uneasy feeling.

"Right," Naruto paused to think of other suggestions. Sakura sighed.

"It's okay. It's my fault. I should have asked you before signing the lease. Like I said, it was supposed to be a surprise. I thought you'd want to. Plus, Naruto, more than anyone, I trust you with everything," Sakura confessed. Naruto's eyes widened, his face heating and his heart beating faster. He gulped.

"Sakura-chan, that… I trust you with everything, too. You have no idea how badly I would want to, but I really can't. I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan," he apologized.

Sakura accepted this apology, but was not satisfied at all.

After all, she had to find a new option for a roommate, and fast.

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However, she knew she wouldn't be able to afford it if she can't find a roommate, so she was looking. She placed flyers up, asked around, even asked all of her friends for a possible roommate.

The apartment seemed so perfect, really. There was only one problem that was eating away at her.

She had no roommate, and the rent was due right on the first! She already had to defer her down payment, so even if she had leeway, she would still have to pay that sooner or later. She was lucky she was the student of the Hokage, otherwise she didn't think her landlord would be so nice to her. She wasn't one to get favors due to her or her friend's titles, but this particular time saved her and she was thankful for that.

Even so, the landlord was still in a business, and she would not be so nice the next time.

She was struggling to figure out what she was to do.

Her mind was so preoccupied with her stress, that when she finished cooking, she burnt her hand on the still hot pan. And she snapped, her agitation increasing as she punched her sink.

Her eyes widened, realizing what she just did.

"Oh no," she whispered, seeing the water jutting out, spraying all over her clothes. She quickly grabbed a towel, hoping to clog up the spill.

This day went from tolerable to bad, really quick.

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"Well, I managed to maintain the leakage. Although it looks like your pipes have been rusting for some time now. You may need to change them. However, to fully fix it, I'll have to make more adjustments. Don't you worry your little head, it should be fixed in about a week," the plumber reassured, eyeing her rusted pipes. He tiredly stood. "The only problem is that I'm not going to be here for a while. I am going to my other business in Suna for some time. I wouldn't be able to start this until later on."

"Oh, I see. Well, that's fine then. Don't worry, I can find somewhere else to stay in the meantime," Sakura said politely, a tight smile appearing. "Plus, I wouldn't have enough money right now," she mentioned. The plumber nodded.

"Well then, have a great night, Ma'am."

"You as well."

She sighed, closing the door behind the plumber. She was stuck. As if this day couldn't have gotten worse, she had to find a way to pay for the broken pipes. She would have to turn off her water as to not get a huge water bill. She wouldn't have running water for the time being, so she couldn't stay here, anyways.

She couldn't stomach the thought of going back to her parents' house, to be honest. They already gave her lip for leaving their home, especially her mother who nagged her, wondering why she wanted to leave when she had a perfectly good home with them. She argued back then, claiming how much of an adult she was and how she could handle living on her own.

Yeah, she couldn't go back now.

She found her problems went from bad to worse.

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"Wow, what a shitty apartment. The landlord should have warned you before you signed the lease," Naruto looked annoyed when Sakura told him what transpired. Naruto was angry for her, taking a moment to stop eating and crossed his arms in annoyance. They ate at Ichiraku's after a particular hard training session. Sakura sheepishly chuckled, failing to mention that the broken sink was her fault. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan."

Sakura sighed, crestfallen.

"It's okay. I just don't know what I'm going to do anymore. My parents are already giving me lip for even moving out in the first place, and I don't need them giving me an, 'I told you so'. Ino's being naggy about it too. I need to figure out where I'll go quick, so I won't be without running water," Sakura thought aloud. Naruto thought for a moment, before an idea popped up.

"Sakura-chan, well, my place is a little small, but if you need a place to stay, my door is always open for you," Naruto reminded, and Sakura instantly brightened.

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Of course, Sakura-chan! That's what friends are for!" Naruto exclaimed. Sakura smiled gratefully.

"Thanks, Naruto. I really owe you one."

"Don't mention it, Sakura-chan! You don't owe me anything. It must be frustrating after all. You just got your apartment, and it's already breaking down. We should find you a better one if that keeps happening. The landlord shouldn't have done that to you. For the amount that place is, it's a load of crap," Naruto thought aloud, soon taking in more noodles to quell his anger. Sakura gently smiled.

"I do owe you. To start, next round of ramen is on me," Sakura declared, and Naruto's toothy grin shined, ecstatic by the prospect.

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Knock, knock, knock…

Naruto groaned at the noise. He slumped from out of his bed, groggily rubbing his eyes as he let out a loud yawn. He stretched, then mumbled all the way to the door until he lazily opened said door. His eyes widened.

"Sakura-chan! After it got so late, I didn't think you'd come over tonight," Naruto said, sleepily rubbing his eyes. Her face heated, seeming flustered by how late she was.

"Sorry, Naruto. I had a late shift at the hospital and didn't have the time to pack my things, and just now got finished. Didn't mean to wake you like this."

"Don't worry about it, Sakura-chan! It's fine!" She eyed him carefully, making sure his hospitality wasn't masked with something else.

"And are you sure it's alright for me to be staying like this, on such short notice?"

"Do you really have to ask?" He had a grandiose grin, spreading out to his ears. He took her bags from her and brought them to his bedroom. He then made his way to the couch, nuzzling into the pillow. "I even cleaned my room and washed my bed sheets for you! You can stay there!" Sakura frowned.

"I should be the one sleeping on the couch," Sakura proposed, but Naruto shook his head. However, to Sakura, it looked as though he was simply nuzzling into his pillow even more.

"You're my guest, Sakura-chan! I even cleaned my room for you!" he reasoned, pouting.

"Well, alright. But tomorrow, I'll take the couch. I don't want to inconvenience you," she said, motioning for his bedroom.

"You're not. Make yourself at home, Sakura-chan! Goodnight," he mumbled.

"Goodnight," Sakura said, closing the door behind her. Sakura looked around his room, impressed that he cleaned it so well. She wished she could say the same about the rest of his apartment, but that was a concern for tomorrow.

She couldn't help but wonder, why it would be such a big deal if they did move in together. He would at times sleep over her place, or her at his, when it took incredibly long to heal his injuries, or when she was just too worn out from her missions to go to her place. It was natural, really, and was very common for most teammates. So she wondered what the big deal would be if they did move in together. She sighed, saving this concern for tomorrow as well, and letting sleep wash over her.

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"Naruto, now that you're fully awake, we should talk about our living arrangements. How long can I stay here?" she asked.

"As long as you need, Sakura-chan. You know that. Although, we should really work on getting you a new apartment. A better one than that crappy place." Naruto fumed just thinking about the horrible treatment Sakura experienced.

"What? You don't want to live with me for too long?" she asked playfully.

"No, no! It's not that… it's just…" he trailed off, and Sakura's eyebrow raised.

"Was there another reason why you initially didn't want to live with me?" she asked. And Naruto shook his head.

"I-it's not that! It's just," he sighed, averting his eyes. She noticed right away that there was something he wasn't telling her. "Sakura-chan, it's just, I'm pretty sure you don't want to stay cooped up here for too long."

"Well maybe, to be honest, it's been really hard for me getting used to my place. And it's so expensive, and I still haven't found a roommate, and then when my sink broke, it's just been too much stress for me," Sakura confessed. Sakura looked towards him, a frown forming. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I don't mean to impose on you like this-"

"Sakura-chan, you're not imposing! I promise! Stay as long as you need! We'll work something out."

"Thanks, Naruto." Sakura smiled. "Hey, do you want breakfast? I'll make you some!" she offered, and Naruto's eyes widened, surprised.

"What?" he asked.

"What do you want me to cook today?" she reiterated, heading towards the kitchen.

"Cook?" he wondered, and she nodded, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, for breakfast." Naruto's eyebrow arched in confusion and with a different feeling forming in his stomach. This felt odd and unexpected. Sure, Sakura cooked for him before, but this felt different. He supposed living with Sakura hadn't really sunk in till now. Things have changed now, right? He gulped, thinking of what to say so he wouldn't come off as completely daft. Sakura sighed, noticing his demeanor. "Think of it as me saying thanks for letting me stay here, so pick something, but don't say ramen," she demanded, making him grin.

"Soba noodles?" Naruto wondered. Sakura grinned, nodding in satisfaction.

"Sure, I can cook that!" Sakura said, looking for ingredients along with other household necessities. Her eyes darted through the pantries, then glanced to Naruto accusingly.

"Naruto! What is all this?"

"Ramen!" he answered. Sakura face-plamed, annoyed. She shook her head, disappointment evident.

"Yes, I see that. But why don't you have anything else?"

"I do! I should have some milk and carrots in the fridge," Naruto thought aloud, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. Sakura opened the fridge, then glared at him.

"Yeah, but it's expired. When's the last time you went to the grocery store?"

"Last week!"

"And when's the last time you went to buy milk and vegetables?" she asked. At this, Naruto couldn't answer, for he was too busy contemplating when. "I thought so. You can't even remember when." Naruto furrowed his eyebrows, realizing that it has been a while.

"I do eat vegetables every day now," he said. He reasoned, "It couldn't have been that long ago." Sakura grinned.

"That's great that you do! I'll make sure you eat lots of vegetables, then! We'll be making a list." Sakura smiled, and Naruto sank in his seat, wondering why Sakura wanted to torture him so much.

If things hadn't gotten odd, it felt as though it had now. Sakura was there, cooking. He remembered going to her house to eat with her parents, but never had he seen her actually cook in his kitchen. It was nice, he presumed. Maybe a little weird, too.

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"Almost ready," Sakura called from the kitchen. Naruto called back a loud, "okay," and went back to reading manga on the couch. After a few minutes, Sakura walked in., looking around the rather dark room.

"Hey, have you ever thought of lighting up your living room?" Sakura asked as she looked over to said room.

"Huh?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow. Sakura shrugged.

"Just, your living room seems a bit… plain, you know? You could always add some plants. You have them on your windowsill, but some would really look nice in here." Naruto thought for a moment, his hand to his chin.

"That's a good idea. Well, I'm not that good at decorating," Naruto admitted, scratching the back of his head. "Would you be able to help me, Sakura-chan?" She smiled, nodding.

"I'd be happy to! Don't worry, I'm really good with this stuff. I have a lot of ideas, actually. We could probably touch up the walls too. And maybe more pictures? That will make it feel homier," Sakura mentioned, and Naruto nodded, not really sure what else to do. He always wanted to make his home cozier, but it never really crossed his mind on how much. He wanted it to feel like a real home, but since it was always just him living there, it didn't really matter. Now that Sakura was here, however, things had to change. He wanted her to feel as comfortable as possible, and even he had to admit: this wasn't an apartment a girl would probably live in anyways. Manga books covered the coffee table, and it was messy, before anyways. Sakura told him how they should clean up, and he relented after a lot of protest.

Sakura frowned.

"Naruto, are you really okay with this? Or are you just saying you're okay with this to make me happy?" she asked during their meal, and Naruto's eyes widened, surprised at her question. She smiled, "I know I can be demanding, and well… I guess this is the real reason why you didn't want to live with me, huh? I'm changing everything up, and I'm sorry. It's wrong of me to change your environment so much." Naruto stood up from his chair, his eyes full of conviction.

"Sakura-chan, are you kidding? This is better than I could ever imagine! You've probably saved me! I always wanted to change this place up a little, and make it feel homier. Since it's just me here, there wasn't really a point to it. But you're making things better, Sakura-chan. And no, that's not the reason I didn't want to live with you. The opposite, really." He laughed in thought. Sakura's eyes narrowed.

"So there was another reason you didn't want to live with me," she concluded, and Naruto gulped.

It was a trap.

His mouth dried.

She glared at him, her fist clenching.

"Be honest, Naruto."

"Sakura-chan, it's just… I would love to live with you more than anything, but at the same time, I feel…" he trailed off, attempting to think of the best way to tell her. "Even you staying here with me, makes me nervous," he admitted, his features turning a slight shade of pink.

"Nervous about what?" Naruto grinned.

"Well, about us sharing an apartment together. We're teammates."

"When Sasuke-kun came back, he stayed with you for a long time before he left again. So what's the problem?"

"It's just, man and woman shouldn't live together like this, right? Doesn't it make things weird?" he inquired. Sakura scoffed.

"You're too traditional, Naruto," she said, crossing her arms and brushing his worries aside. "It's a new day and age, really. Friends of both genders share apartments, especially ninja, nowadays. Especially teammates, regardless of gender. It's more convenient. It's no big deal, you know. I don't know how long you expect me to stay, but if it gets too long I can help you with the rent, of course. I was already planning to, but I wanted to make sure you know."

"You don't have to, Sakura-chan. This place is super cheap. Plus, I know you've been struggling with that other place anyways, so don't sweat it."

"That's nice, but I would hate myself if I didn't. So I can't allow that!" she stuck out her tongue, giggling. "No ifs, ands, or buts!"

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Living with Naruto was fun. She didn't realize how much fun it was, and how convenient it was to know he was right across the hall. With things being chaotic lately, who knew when they'd be called in for a mission? It was easier being a few steps away from knowing they were well off and safe.

Although, there were pros and cons to their living arrangements.

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A pro included being such a close distance from the other. Sakura felt better knowing he'd come home from a mission and she could heal him here, and he can just rest without worrying about getting home, or her vice versa.

There was also the fact that it was easier for Sakura to show Naruto how to cook. They were able to go grocery shopping together, and Sakura would inform him of all the health benefits of eating certain foods, and how eating other foods, namely ramen, could cause harm later on in life.

"I can't believe you don't season your food," she had said. Naruto merely beamed at her.

"Well, some things, I just don't think need to be seasoned. You do say ramen has enough salt already," he reminded, happy that he remembered that fact that she always liked to point out. Sakura sighed.

"Well, yeah, but…" she trailed off, shaking her head. "Well, maybe if I show you how to make some good food, you might actually want to cook on your own instead of eating nothing but ramen, and one vegetable," Sakura presumed. "And maybe we can both experiment with new dishes," she thought aloud. Naruto smiled, nodding. "We can even bake some sweets," Sakura thought, a small blush in delight. Sweets were her favorite. Naruto cheered happily, because he loved sweets too.

Yes, things have gotten better for both of them. Things that they hadn't been able to do together due to their busy schedules, they were now able to do since they lived together. It was nice being close for that aspect.

But sometimes, she realized, that they might have gotten a bit too close.

This ran through Sakura's mind when she came home from the hospital one evening, and spotted Naruto in the hallway.

"N-Naruto?" Sakura questioned, her cheeks flushed red.

"Oh, hey, Sakura-chan. I didn't know you were coming home this early," he laughed. She didn't respond back. She was too busy eyeing the blonde boy – no, man – from head to toe. He was covered in droplets of water, and the only thing covering his lower half was a way too thin towel. She realized he must of just came out of a shower.

At that moment, she couldn't decide if this was a pro or con.

She couldn't decide anything, really.

Her mind went blank, sheer shock running through her core.

Naruto just smiled, continuing to laugh at the awkward situation. His face was red, heated. He was ready to apologize, when Sakura screeched. She was red as a tomato, too, and his eyes widened, horrified at the feeling of his towel around his waist, gone.

"BAKA!"

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Thinking about the other day, Sakura couldn't help but blush, feeling rather heated from that encounter. It was hard to look Naruto in the eye anymore, and she assumed he felt the same, especially after she smacked him so hard. However, she couldn't get him out of her head now, unfortunately, which caused a rather big problem for her. She managed to control this problem she had while Naruto was near her, which was now all the time. She couldn't stop herself this time, however, even when she was sleeping on the couch tonight. She just hoped she wouldn't wake Naruto up, but she figured he was a pretty heavy sleeper, so this particular act she was planning to do wouldn't be a problem. But she needed to relax. Her muscles were tense and she knew the perfect way to aid. Her hand snuck underneath the blanket, underneath her pajamas, underneath her undergarments…

She closed her eyes, continuing to think of the scene from a few days ago, as her fingers lightly grazed herself before being more aggressive at feeling more relaxed, thinking Naruto wouldn't come out here – forgetting about that possibility entirely.

She bit her lip, more images following, new fantasies forming...

He had to be sleeping by now. It was so late.

Her face heated, her whole body heated.

She was breathing so hard, she couldn't control herself, being so close. Her eyelids were scrunched together, wanting to give this feeling complete focus.

"Sakura-chan! Are you in pain?"

"Eep!" Sakura yelped, quickly taking her hands away from her nether regions and moving her hands over the blankets. He was now close to her, uncertainty all over his face.

"Naruto! I'm fine, now leave me alone right now!" she reprimanded, her face burning and red. Naruto didn't move away, concern still evident.

"B-but, Sakura-chan! Your face is so red! We should check your temperature, you might have a fever, right? I'm just worried," he retorted, and Sakura sighed, wishing she could just hide her face, hide from the world - from Naruto. Naruto placed his hand over her forehead.

"Sakura-chan, you're burning up!" he realized. Sakura fumed even more, before she looked away.

"Thanks, Naruto. But seriously, I'm fine. I'm a medic, remember? I'm fine."

"But I heard you groaning in pain, and-"

"Naruto! Drop it, please," she pleaded, wishing this conversation could end as soon as possible. Her tone was frustrated and annoyed. She would have smacked him, if her hand hadn't been... she closed her eyes, trying her best to think of anything but that! Naruto nodded, his face still etched with a frown.

"Do you at least want me to make you some soup or tea or something?" he asked, and Sakura vigorously shook her head no.

"Naruto, trust me, I'm fine," she sheepishly giggled, hoping he didn't notice. "Now go back to bed!" she yelled more forcefully. She made sure to cover herself with her blanket. Naruto sighed, finally going to his room to sleep, and Sakura sighed in relief. That was close.

"He almost caught me. That wouldn't have been good," Sakura whispered out, and then a rather raunchy thought came to the forefront of her mind, making her face heat at the very thought. They were along the lines of Naruto possibly assisting her with her needs.

"I am not thinking about this," she thought, shaking her head and completely submerging herself in blankets.

She supposed this was a con.

Aside from that incident, he didn't find out what she was doing, but her dreams have been coming more frequently.

And they were relentless.

She blushed just thinking about them.

However, other things became even easier. Now, Naruto didn't have to ask her to help with his plants when he was away, and the place continued to remain clean after a set of rules, which Sakura was plenty thankful for.

And Naruto was delighted to notice a small change to his place every time he came home. More importantly, Sakura was always there to greet him when he came home. After all the time he spent being alone, it was nice. Sakura was doing so much for him, and he had to admit, that he was having such a fun time living with Sakura.

"Neh, Sakura-chan. Sometimes I feel like this was your plan all along," Naruto joked one day. She eyed him curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"Like, you stayed with me to show me how wrong I was not agreeing to room with you. You're the best roommate anyone can have," Naruto decided. Sakura laughed.

"I'm glad I'm not too much trouble."

"Never. I love you… here," Naruto quickly corrected. He was truly grateful. He never realized how great it was having another person there. He lived with Sasuke before, but that was different. Where they would exchange blows or glances and increase each other's drive to one up the other… Sakura living with him, made him feel warmer, and it reflected in his home. Before, where it reflected rust and loneliness, Sakura's touch made his apartment feel like a real home. Coming home to Sakura was something he thought he'd only be able to fathom in a dream.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan." Sakura was delighted. She was glad, that he loved her here. She was afraid that she was overstaying her welcome, but the look in his eyes showed her that was absolutely ridiculous.

The smile on his face proved it, making it all worthwhile.

.

On one moonless night, Naruto came back from a mission with blood covering his body. He laid his back against his door, sliding against it as he took a moment to calm himself after this particularly rough mission. He hoped he wouldn't wake Sakura up. She should be sleeping in his room, so he could make his way to his couch, and could shower, clean up a bit, and let Kyuubi heal his wounds before Sakura even noticed. He didn't want the blood on his body to worry her.

Especially when most of it wasn't even his own.

He was attempting to be as subtle as possible when opening the door, but surprise was evident in his features when he saw Sakura on the couch, looking at him with a frown, her eyes growing with concern.

Was she waiting for him?

"Naruto, what happened? You came back later than expected. Oh my god, Naruto. Come here, let me help you," she said quickly, already moving him to the couch where she unzipped his jacket and went to work. Naruto sighed, wincing when she grazed his wound.

"Sakura-chan, it's only a flesh wound. I'm fine," Naruto told her sternly. Sakura wasn't giving up, her concerned eyes still reaching Naruto's eyes. She paid no mind to his words. Naruto tried to reassure her he was fine with a smile. "These type of wounds will heal by the end of the night. You don't have to waste your chakra on me," he attempted to convince. Sakura wanted to look as if she was unfazed by his words, but no matter how true they were, they hurt. She hugged herself, looking away. Sakura frowned, understanding. She knew Naruto wouldn't come to her unless he was at the brink of death. No, living with him helped her realize there were some mission that left Naruto feeling empty inside, even when he only had flesh wounds.

Some wounds weren't physical at all.

But she still wanted to heal those, too.

"I just want to be of some use," she whispered out. She whimpered a bit, making him frown. "You can talk to me, you know… how you're feeling. You don't have to just smile for me anymore."

"Sakura-chan…" he trailed off, not feeling better now. He sighed. "It's just… you've been here, and you've been doing so much for me. You're doing too much for me. I'm just used to doing everything by myself. I'm not used to having someone helping me this much. It's not necessary." He scratched his head sheepishly. "You do too much, Sakura-chan. I'm fine."

His words left her to ponder quite a bit.

.

"Yeah. You need to just be honest and let him know how you really feel." Ino winked as she nudged the girl. Sakura blushed, throwing a pair of gloves at the laughing blonde haired kunoichi.

"What are you talking about?" she seethed. Ino shrugged, wondering how Sakura could be so dense.

"I'm being honest. Seriously though, you know what the two of you need? More communication. You guys never talk about what you're really feeling."

"Stuff like that never comes up-" Sakura reasoned, looking at the price tag of rather sharp kunai's to avert her eyes from the knowing blonde.

"Unless either of you are about to do something stupid," Ino added, making Sakura glare. "Mhm. Sakura, there are things that you don't even console in me."

"Sorry, don't take this the wrong way, but there are just some things you wouldn't understand."

"But those are the things only Naruto would, am I right?" Sakura sighed. "You can't keep things to yourself. Especially your feelings." Sakura frowned. "And, well… Naruto probably keeps a lot of his true feelings to himself as well, things you'll understand and might be able to help him with." Sakura stared at her questioningly, and Ino huffed.

"You see, you don't think I know how you intentionally broke your sink, and why you even asked Naruto to move in the first place?" Sakura glared.

"First of all, no, I didn't break my sink intentionally. Second, please, enlighten me then."

"Don't you think it's strange, you just want to get close so you could find a way to get to him, and truly see him, because deep down that's all you want? You're angry because you can't get into his head like you thought you would soon. There's a reason you wanted him to move in, and there's a reason why you broke your sink. I mean, there's got to be a reason why he never confessed to you after the war and Sasuke-kun came back, even though it's so blatantly clear to everyone else that he's in love with you. Also, there has to be a reason, when he did come back, you didn't end up trying to get with Sasuke-kun like we all thought you would at least try to do initially."

"So you're studying psychology now, eh?"

"Yup, it's required for the Yamanaka clan, as you already know. Especially since our ability is to read minds, you know? Although, I've been working on this Team 7 Theory for such a long time now. Shikamaru has been helping me flesh out a lot of the details," Ino admitted. Sakura raised an eyebrow, looking as though her best friend was crazy for doing such a thing. "So cut the crap. Why don't you tell me how you reallyfeel?" Sakura paused for a moment in thought, a frown etched on her face with a down casted gaze.

"I just wish he'd rely on me more often. He-he's stubborn and he puts too much on himself. I don't want him to go through things alone. Things got back to normal after the war, at least on the surface. But I can tell there are a lot of things he hasn't gotten past. There's a lot of things a lot of us haven't, that he didn't want to talk to me about. And he might feel alone in it, but he's not. That's why… he has me," she confessed.

"Why don't you tell him that? Just don't be around the bush, he needs it clear as day, he's dense." Sakura sighed, shaking her head.

"Fine, I'll have a talk with him, then."

.

Sakura glared at the boy who came in yawning rather loudly.

"Naruto, you could have told me you weren't going to be here for three days straight."

"Sorry, Sakura-chan. I had a mission. It slipped my mind," he apologized, and Sakura crossed her arms, annoyed.

"But you usually tell me. But it seems like you were avoiding me. It's because what we were talking about, isn't it?" Her eyebrow twitched, when Naruto shrugged with indifference. She definitely didn't expect this from him. If she wanted to talk to someone lacking of care, she would hit up Sai, or someone along those lines.

"I owe you enough, Sakura-chan. You have done far more for me than you think."

"And what is that? Because all this does is makes me think I haven't. But see if I care, then. I was just trying to be nice to you," she explained. She noticed him tense up a bit, but continued to take off his shoes and his jacket nonetheless.

"Stop being nice, then," he suggested. "I'm alright, I've been alright."

Sakura frowned. "You're always smiling in front of me, aren't you? You're always trying to be strong even when you shouldn't be, and you never tell me if you're in pain, if you're truly hurt," Sakura mentioned with a somber expression.

"I'm not hurt, Sakura-chan."

"Yes, you are, why don't you just tell me?"

"You're the one lying to yourself, Sakura-chan. I'm not the one who's hurt, Sakura-chan." The timbre of his voice changed, and she stopped yelling, taken aback by how serious he was. Her lips pursed at his words. What he was implying… her body tensed.

After a moment of silence, Sakura regained her anger, clenching her fist.

"If you don't want to tell me anything, then you can sleep on the couch for all I care! I won't do anything for you anymore, then, since I'm the one who's always in need of help. Since you still want to tell me I'm lying to myself!" And she stomped her way to his room, slamming the door behind her, leaving Naruto to his thoughts on the couch.

.

Sakura only woke up in the middle of the night when she remembered she forgot to throw out sheets for him to use. She felt guilty for it, deciding to use that as an excuse to go to him.

The door creaked, making her cringe. She didn't want for him to wake up so easily, but yet at the same time, she did. She still felt the urge to talk to him, to finally get under his skin. As she walked to the couch, she found the sight of his sleeping form. Right out the bat, she knew he was faking, with his eyes closed to imitate sleep. She could tell by the way his chest was rising, the sound of his uncontrolled breathing pattern, with too many pauses. She frowned, laying the blanket over him, ready to walk back into the room, yet halting right before she closed the door.

"Naruto? Are you up?' she decided to ask. She wasn't sure why, but she wanted to hear him say it. She wanted to see if he was avoiding her. After a long period of silence, she figured that was the case, until she heard a groggy "yes," from him right before she was about to give up.

"I just want to talk a bit. We can't avoid what happened today."

With her staying here, she had been trying to break walls between them that he never intended for her to break. She realized whenever she tried to talk about his pain, or her pain for him, he didn't want to hear it. Was he ashamed of not being strong enough? He shouldn't, it was just…

"I don't want you to hide away from me anymore. And you're right… I am also hurt… but that's why, I thought we could get through it together," He was so used to keeping the pain to himself, baring all those burdens on himself, he didn't want to… He held all his pain and other's pain, him taking the responsibility for them, but she wanted him to realize that he didn't have to do that, not alone… if she could help a little, she wanted to take as much of the burden away from him as she could, but he wouldn't let her. He kept preventing her from truly helping, thinking he was being a burden, when that was clearly not the case.

"Sakura-chan. I just need you to trust me." Believe in me. "Just trust me… I can deal with it myself. You don't have to do anything for me, I wouldn't want you to. I feel too bad and guilty."

"I trust you, of course I do. I trust you with my life. I trust you more than anyone. I just want you to let me in. I wish you did. I want to help you so much; I want us to work through things together. Let me do something for you."

"It's just… when I'm with you, I'm happy. That's enough for me, Sakura-chan. I can't ask for any more. It'd be too much if I asked more from you," he beamed and tears started falling from Sakura's eyes. He warmly smiled, wiping the tears. "Things are going to be fine, I promise."

"But, Naruto… I'm not lying to myself. I really want you to ask more from me," she declared. I want to give you more. "I want to help you as much as I can. You can't just do everything by yourself. I want to be with you."

"Your happiness is enough for me though, Sakura-chan. I don't need any more from you."

She frowned, tears rolling down her eyes.

"Baka," was all she could say before she left back into the room. Naruto frowned, a pain in his chest, aching.

.

Naruto woke up to see Sakura leaving.

"Sakura-chan… where are you going?" She paused.

"I'm leaving," was all she said, determined eyes watching the door. Naruto frowned, dejected, his heart breaking.

"Why? I thought you wanted to live together. I told you I want to live with you. Sakura-chan, don't think I don't want to anymore because of yesterday," he began to say. Sakura's face remained expressionless, and this made Naruto more concerned.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. This was a mistake. I overstayed my welcome. Goodbye," she said, departing.

"No… Sakura-chan… please, stay," Naruto pleaded, grabbing her arm.

"Why? I told you how I felt. Before, you told me you hate those who lie to themselves, and I was honest with you – I wasn't lying. For me, I hate those who don't say what they truly feel, either. Who hide it away. Naruto, I never saw you as a coward before, until now…" She smiled, tears brimming from her eyes.

Naruto's heart broke.

"There's a reason why I can't tell you certain things about how I feel, Sakura-chan."

"And, that's fine, then. It just made me realize what I wanted, can't happen, then. I wanted to be the one who's there for you too. And maybe I'm not meant to be that person. Maybe, I was the one who saw something different."

"Wait… That's not true. I'll tell you the reason why I can't tell you my feelings, then. Initially, the reason why I didn't want to move into that other place, is because I love you, Sakura-chan. I was afraid if we did move in together, I would mess everything up and break your trust."

"Naruto, you wouldn't do that."

"But I would, like now. You trusted me, that we'd be living together as just roommates. But I was scared I'd get things confused. You're always watching out for me now, and I was scared I would mistake that for something else, something that's more than friendship. I'm afraid I might have mistaken it for something else now… because I realize how much I love you, how much I want to be with you like this… and that's not right. I don't want to interfere with your love anymore."

Sakura thought back to the Academy days. Where Sasuke asked her what she thought of Naruto, where she told him how Naruto just interfered with her love, and he was just annoying. Her frown deepened.

"What if it's not a mistake? What if it's meant to be something else?" She moved closer to him, clenching onto his jacket as tears began to cascade down her rosy cheeks. "What if I love you too, Naruto? I feel like I'm not doing enough, because I want to be more to you," she admitted. "Yesterday, when I said I wanted to be with you, I meant it in every way. Just please, let me be there for you. Let me help you. I did nothing for you, so I wanted to make up for that," she whispered into his ear, nuzzling into his chest as he dropped to the couch. "Let me love you."

"Sakura-chan, remember during the war? You saved my life. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here today. Please don't say things like how you do nothing for me. You've done so much and then some. You had my heart in your hands, you still do."

His lips met her forehead, his eyes closed.

And they stayed in each other's embrace, where this home, this world, became theirs alone.

.

Naruto walked into his home after a mission, and again, was greeted with something new.

"Sakura-chan…" He stopped himself to wipe a tear.

"I take it you like it?"

"I love it," he said, embracing her so tight. Naruto came home to a collage of pictures with all his team along with other photos of the rookies.

"Where do you want to hang it up?" she asked. Naruto looked around, and smiled, looking at the empty space in the living room, right by his small table.

"Over there!" Sakura nodded, and they both hung it up.

"Our place looks so much better!" Naruto exclaimed, and Sakura noted his wording.

"Our place?" she wondered. Naruto blushed, stammering.

"I-I mean, well…" She moved closer, her lips meeting his own before he could say anymore. She wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you, Naruto."

.

Epilogue/Omake

.

Footsteps were heard as Naruto and Sakura casually walked through the streets of Konoha. Naruto looked around, recognizing this area.

"Hey, isn't this the area where your apartment was?" he inquired.

"Ugh, I guess so. It's hard to remember this area." Sakura laughed, looking anywhere but his face. Naruto's face scrunched in confusion as his eyebrows furrowed.

"Hmm. Well, I'm pretty sure this is it. If I remember right, it's over there." He pointed, jumping towards said apartment building.

"Naruto, wait!" Sakura groaned, her forehead planted on the palm of her hand.

"You know, I wonder if that stupid plumber ever fixed that sink." Naruto's face grew in anger, very unhappy with the crappy service his Sakura-chan received.

He fumbled with the door knob, when he heard gasp from the other side of the door. His eyes widened, not expecting to hear anyone else in there. He was certainly curious now, so he knocked.

To his surprise, he found two girls, about his age – maybe two years younger – staring wide eyed at him. One had piercing blue eyes, almost as his own, while the other girl had chocolate brown eyes. They had gasped, and he was sure the girl with brown eyes was beginning to hyperventilate. Naruto blushed a bit, feeling uncomfortable, especially since both were in nothing but a large sized T-shirt and what he hoped were at least, some form of undergarments.

They giggled, "Look, it's Naruto-sama, our savior!" They continued to giggle and Naruto averted his eyes, continuing to blush at being recognized. It had been happening a lot, and he still wasn't used to all the attention.

"What's Naruto-sama doing, knocking at our door?"

"Maybe he's looking for a wife?" Both girls giggled at the thought, blushing profusely.

"I-I was just wondering if you knew what happened… or how you got this apartment. You see, this is someone else's apartment… not yours," he explained, and they stared at him as though he were crazy.

"What's he talking about?"

"I don't know. I think it just might be an excuse," the other said, and Naruto felt flustered, about ready to splutter a retort.

"Eh?" They had come closer to him, inches away from his face, and he didn't know how to pry them off without hurting them.

Luckily, Sakura came to his rescue. She yanked him by the collar, glaring at him.

"H-hey, Sakura-chan, take it easy," he rasped, attempting not to lose his trachea in the process. "Sakura-chan, what's going on? I don't get it! Why are there other people living in your apartment?" Sakura sighed, crossing her arms and turning towards him.

"Look, the truth is. I gave it up. I mean, since I was at your place, and well… ugh, so the plumber… it would take a few weeks to repair it, and technically, it was my fault the sink broke in the first place." Sakura sighed, closing her eyes and prepared for an angry response. Her eyebrow rose when she noticed chuckles. "Aren't you mad?"

"Why would I be?" Naruto continued to laugh, and Sakura grew irritated, not getting the joke.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, just… Sakura-chan, if you wanted to get in my bed, you should have just asked," he blurted out so the entire village could hear. Sakura blushed, noticing bystanders looking at the two with amused expressions at the spectacle. She blushed, her face reddening.

"You idiot! Why would you say something so loud, and something so… ugh!" She chased him, something everyone was used to.

Sakura inwardly smirked, her face not faltering. No, this was the last time she'd be chasing him. With their living arrangements, she'd think of better ways to make Naruto pay for the things he does to her sometimes.

Her face heated at the thought.

"Just wait till we get home!"

.

AN: This is a story I had for a long time, I'm kinda embarrassed by it, but at the same time, it's actually one that is near and dear to my heart. Like, you know there might be a lot of problems with it, but at the same time you can't help but love it. It is kind of like my little baby, that I am finally allowing to go out into the world. However, after the ending, I never had the opportunity to post it. But I fixed it up to go with the ending of bringing Sasuke back, without the other stuff haha (you know). Like I said, basically AU and I know could never happen now, but I had this sitting in my folder for so long, I figured I might as well post it, after all, I remember when I was writing this, I worked sooooo hard on this in the past. Hope you guys liked it.

Please let me know what you think with a review! Even a few words would mean a lot!

Also, please be sure to vote on the story you'd like me to work on next in my profile!