Frightening Encounter
When Naruto regained consciousness, it was accompanied by great reluctance, a sense of denial, and an impeding sense of doom.
"Naruto", a sweetly feminine voice whispered.
Warm breath tickled his earlobe, and the alluring scent of cherries and jasmine floated by his nose, momentarily intoxicating his senses. A small warm hand with slender fingers stroked back the hair dangling over his forehead.
To many a patient in his position, being coaxed awake in such a fashion would likely be the subject of erotic dreams for weeks to come. And that was all before they even opened their eyes to behold orbs of vibrant green peering soulfully into theirs, a cute mouth pouting slightly with thoughtfulness, and silky tendrils of pale pink floating over perfectly shaped eyebrows and a well-proportioned forehead escaping a messy ponytail.
Not so Uzumaki Naruto. He wished Lee had kicked him harder in the head on their disastrous mission, so he could have remained unconscious. He might even have preferred to be hit again by chidori. Or to be eaten by a giant snake. Or to have Gaara drop dead in front of him.
"Naruto"! her voice was purring, almost seductive in its intensity. Naruto trembled, as the sense that all was not well grew stronger.
Surely his injuries weren't bad enough to prevent him running? If he could just surprise her…he'd almost succeeded last time (he couldn't quite remember, as he'd managed to run straight into the wall). But since then, he'd made a special effort to pinpoint the exact location of the door. He could escape, then wait until the day was over and she was exhausted from treating all her other patients, then -
Behind his tightly shut eyes and jumbled plans, he sensed the siren move in even closer.
"Are you…pretending to be asleep"? She placed a fingertip on his cheek, and her shadow fell over his face.
He lost it.
"Arrrgh"!! he yelled. His eyes flew open, and he leapt out of the hospital bed. Or tried to anyway. He barely had a moment to register the pain in his left leg before he was falling flat on his face.
"Damn, I knew it"! he thought desperately. "She left me injured on purpose this time so I couldn't escape"!
Or knowing his deceptively pink childhood crush, Kyuubi had already healed him, and she'd deliberately re-broken or re-sprained whatever had been wrong with him in the first place.
An abrupt choking sensation on his neck and a hard yank backwards prevented Naruto from making his acquaintance with the glaring marble floor, and his rear end landed back onto the bed with a thump. Too bad for him, he might have managed to knock himself into sweet oblivion again. Squeezing his cerulean eyes shut, he waited for the rage and the verbal onslaught.
And he waited.
The only sound the small ruby mouth emitted was a soft, sad little sigh. He felt the weight of the bed shuffle slightly as she sat herself down, then a pair of slender arms, pale and luminous, wrapped themselves around his waist. Her hair brushed past his neck as she leaned her head into his shoulder blades.
Naruto froze in shock, and looked down suspiciously at the appendages snaked around him, so tightly and – possessively that he could feel the warm outline of her body almost burning a hole in his back. Perhaps he hadn't awoken yet after all?
"Na-ru-to", she breathed. Her mouth was so close to him that her voice was muffled; the breeze ghosting just past his ear and into his neck felt as if they'd been caressed by her lips.
"Y-yes, Sakura ch-chan"? he said as meekly as possible. He wondered if she could feel him beginning to shake. This, he reflected, must be the meaning of the calm before the storm. It was unfamiliar, because it was a stage Sakura often missed on the way from being normal to Really Pissed Off.
"Did you really encourage Lee-san to drink that sake"? Sakura murmured. If anything, she pressed closer, and Naruto could definitely feel the curves of her body wrapping around him. He gulped.
"Er - Y-yes"? Naruto stammered. "But we were outnumbered, Sakura chan!" he cried, desperate to get his story straight before she could attack. "WewereexhaustedtoofromourlastmissionandLee-sanwas already hurt, and –"
She abruptly vanished from his back, leaving a cold space. Before Naruto could do more than cringe, she'd looped one long leg around his waist, and he felt the bed shift slightly as she placed full balance onto one arm.
"Sakura-chan, wait"! he gabbled, mentally bracing himself to hit the wall at blinding speed. Or perhaps she was in the mood to knock him into the equipment today, and watch him being half-electrocuted or saturated with medicinal equipment with strange side effects.
"We needed to get out of that tavern fastbeforeweattractedmoreattention, andIfiguredifhewasdrunkhisinjurieswouldhurtless and - "
She slid around to face him in one smooth movement, placing one smooth finger against his lips. With a gulp, Naruto's voice died. The door was just in front of him, surely he could get there before the storm broke? But it was best not to eye the door too intently, or Sakura-chan might realize what he was planning, and there would be hell to pay, and -
That thought was abruptly choked off too, when with a movement as smooth as water gliding over a log, Sakura straddled his thighs.
"You gave him sake", Sakura continued to murmur, "knowing how he'd react to alcohol"?, Her eyelids had been half-closed, pale pink lashes fluttering slightly, as if trembling from shyness. When Naruto's only reply was a strangled sound, her wide verdant gaze fastened on him innocently.
"Naruto-kun…" And goddammit, she was withdrawing her finger, and both arms were now twining round his neck, eyes fastened on his all the time, bringing his head down closer to her face.
"What am I going to do with you"? she asked, her mouth turning down in an adorable pout.
"Uh, d-do"? Naruto's eyes were as wide as saucers now. Was she planning to trap him in the floorboards by sending him through the bed or something? He thought wildly. How would she achieve such a feat in that position?
"You get injured on every mission". She tossed her crimson locks back.
"You take the stupidest risks". Her pale throat was bared, as she breathed a heavy sigh into the air.
"You always make me heal you". She rested her forehead against his, so close he could no longer make out her eyes.
"Uh, Sakura-chan"! he said gently, trying his best to ignore her shifting weight on his lap. He gave her his most brilliant smile. It sometimes worked. "You know Kyuubi always patches me up on time. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine".
"You? but what will I do", she whispered, now clinging to him with all her strength, "if one day, I'm unable to heal you? What will I do", Sakura's voice increased in intensity, "if Kyuubi doesn't fix you up in time?
She looked up again, and glared at him. There was a catch in her voice now. "Am I supposed to just sit here, every time, and wait for you to come back half dead? Ne? Am I supposed to worry myself sick every time you're on a mission because I just know you'll do something insane? Am I supposed to" -
Slap
Staring at her hand as if it were an alien, Sakura abruptly burst into tears, and ran from the ward, leaving a stunned Naruto behind.
>> >>
"I hope you didn't terrify the poor boy too much"? Ino asked, her blue eyes bubbling with mirth.
"Oh I think I did", Sakura replied airily, waving a hand through the air. "But because he was forced to sit and actually listen this time, he'll think twice before he takes unnecessary risks again. I really do think I was successful in getting the message through this time, shishou".
"It was certainly less expensive", Tsunade added, a predatory gleam in her eyes. "No cracked walls, broken equipment, irreplaceable herbs ground to a pulp…" Sakura smiled sheepishly.
Ino suddenly became thoughtful. "Hey forehead"? she said suddenly.
"Mmm"?
"Aren't you worried that he'll get the wrong message, and act on it"? she asked. "If you really climbed into his lap – we all know he had a major crush on you a while back".
The lithe blonde grinned and circled her rival. "And we wouldn't want…him finding out now, would we"? Both she and Tsunade smirked at the blush that suddenly appeared on Sakura's cheeks.
Even as she swiped at Ino, Sakura's grin was devilish.
"Don't worry, he'll be too traumatized to tell anyone".
The ward echoed with female laughter.
A.N: Lol poor Naruto. Anyway, I was planning a Saku/Kiba or a Saku/Neji next, but whether I do so will depend on reviews!! I need to know there are readers out there, otherwise I'll just keep this as a one-off thing.