Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…

Author's Note: This is my first fanfic ever!:):D … The idea for this story just came to me when I was watching T.V. seriously; soap operas can really give you a leg up.:P

It's a NaruSaku and I'm planning on making it a two-shot. Takes place about two years after Shippuuden. Please read and review!

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Another day had ended. The busy sounds and vivacious energy of the village of Konoha was lost on Haruno Sakura as she made her way through the streets. She was tired, so very tired. Her pink hair was already coming out of the ponytail it had been in during the operation that took a place an hour prior, and her clothes were ceased badly.

The day hadn't been all that bad. Sasuke had gone round to visit her during one of her breaks, offering an invitation for lunch. She had agreed, wanting to escape the confines of the hospital and the blissful moments that followed couldn't have made her any happier. After all, she barely got to spend time with her boyfriend.

Seeing her apartment coming into view, she quickened her pace, eager to take a nice, warm bath before hitting the sack. She reached the door and fumbled inside her purse for her keys, feeling slightly light-headed. She swiped them out once she found them and dug them inside the keyhole, satisfied to hear the click.

Sakura sighed as she stumbled into her apartment, closing the door behind her with her foot. She yawned and slipped off her sandals at the doorway, hooking her keys in their holder as she did.

"Finally arrived?" a voice greeted her as she entered the living room. Eyes widening, she stopped in her tracks, feeling her heart starting to beat faster. She narrowed her eyes as she heard quiet laughter following the two words said and she clenched her hands into fists.

"Calm down, Sakura-chan," the image of Uzumaki Naruto sprawled onto her couch met her eyes as he turned on the small lamp beside him. She focused on him a little, taking in his condition. His blonde hair was ruffled all over the place and his fringe was matted down, half-covering his sapphire-blue orbs. Sakura noticed that he wasn't wearing his forehead protector and this told her that he was already done with training. He wasn't wearing his jacket either.

"How did you get in, Naruto?" Sakura asked, her fear vanishing only to be replaced with anger. "Who told you to come at a time like this?"

"I'm a ninja," replied Naruto simply, lazily grinning at her. "Abilities beyond the ordinary, you know …"

Sakura ignored this and instead left the room to get herself a glass of water. Hearing soft footsteps behind her, she frowned to notice Naruto following. Sighing again, this time in exasperation, she turned around to face him. "What do you want? I'm so unbelievably tired right now, Naruto – could you please just come back in the morning?"

"Can't."

"Listen, if you've got injuries that need healing, why don't you go straight to the hospital? They'll fix you up in no ti-"

"You know what I want, Sakura-chan."

Sakura was silenced by that once sentence, it's meaning slowly sinking into her mind. Her eyes softened slowly and her jaw relaxed. Right. He was here not to annoy her, or to get any injuries healed. She bit her bottom lip and turned to walk towards the kitchen. She was however, stopped by a strong hand clasping hold of her wrist and was swung back round. She found herself staring deep into his endless blue eyes, full of intent. "Naruto …"

She pushed aside her thoughts and fixed her feet in an attempt to face him, refusing. She swallowed hard as she saw him smirk. Like a predator hunting its prey. He stopped only inches from her, lifting his hands to trace circles on her hips. Flinching, she shifted backwards, feeling more and more vulnerable.

He moved in closer until he had her cornered between himself and the wall. Her eyes widening again, she tensed and felt him place his hands on her waist to hold her in place.

"Please, Naruto …" she whispered, feeling herself about to give in.

Naruto brought his head closer to hers till she felt his warm breath caressing her pink lips which had parted slightly. His mouth was still curved upwards, giving him a rather foxy look and when he ran his tongue over his dry lips, it brushed her bottom lip.

His hands were suddenly around her waist, yanking her against his lean frame. "Please Sakura-chan …" he breathed into her ear, making her shiver involuntarily.

And with that, he closed the short distance between them, pressing his lips against hers very slowly. She stiffened as he continued his ministrations, his kisses ever so light. He pulled back for a moment and before claiming her lips again, adding a little pressure onto them. She felt herself unwillingly melt against him and couldn't help kissing back, the walls that she had so desperately tried to built crashing down around her. She gasped as he ran his mouth downwards towards her neck and that seemed to have done it. He began fervently kissing her throat, his grip around her tightening. Sakura's hands entwined themselves in his hair and she tilted her chin to expose more of her throat to him. He growled against her skin and nipped her pulse, running his hands across her slim waist.

"Naruto …" Sakura moaned, giving a feeble protest and failing greatly. She shuddered as he scraped his teeth against her neck, knowing she was fighting a losing battle.

Her fatigue from earlier had totally disappeared, leaving room for the desire the man in front of her had sparked up. Without warning, Naruto reached up and kissed her again. Sakura whimpered helplessly against him, trembling as he slipped his hands beneath her red shirt to stroke her stomach. A bright blush painted her cheeks and she broke away from their kiss when she felt a jerking in the back of her head. She was pulled back towards him in another kiss as she felt her hair fall out of the ponytail it had been held in. His tongue was exploring her mouth now, effectively making her breathless.

"Sakura?"

Sakura's eyes went wide and she pulled away from Naruto. The two of them were panting, staring at each other, horrified. A knock was heard at the door and Sakura again heard her name being called.

"Shit," Naruto whispered, removing his hands from around her. He frowned, stepping backwards. Sakura immediately felt disappointed as she felt the warmth engulfing her diminishing.

"Sakura, open the door," the visitor said again, knocking louder. "It's me, Sasuke."

Sakura straightened herself off the wall before looking at Naruto, her eyes pleading with him to leave. Naruto seemed to understand. She watched him walk through the hallway and towards the living room, ready to escape through the open window he had come in through.

"I'm coming," Sakura called to Sasuke, stopping in front of the mirror in the entrance hall to fix herself up. She quickly ran her fingers through her disheveled pink hair before tying it back up in a ponytail and she smoothed down the front of her shirt.

Sakura opened the front door after taking a quick look in the living room to make sure Naruto had really gone. Sure enough, there was Sasuke, looking down at her in confusion and a hint of concern.

"What took you so long?"

"Oh – nothing!" Sakura said, ushering him inside. "I was getting ready to take a bath, that's all."

"Hn," Sasuke seemed convinced. He took a seat on her couch, the same one that was occupied by Naruto a few minutes ago. Sakura hurriedly sat down next to him, trying not to look suspicious. "So, what did you want?"

"I was hoping you catch you before you went to sleep," Sasuke murmured. "I was lucky."

Sakura nodded, "Do you want some tea while you're here?"

"Sure."

Sakura made her way to the kitchen, extremely glad that nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She hastily gulped down a glass of water while she waited to the pot to start boiling. When she came back into the living room, she found Sasuke staring into space, deep in thought.

"What's the matter?" she asked, placing the tray on the coffee table in front of them. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"Actually," Sasuke sat up straighter, averting his gaze away from her. "There is."

Sakura took a seat beside him again, watching him closely. He reached out and took his cup, giving her time to study his features. Apart from his features, which all looked remarkably stunning each and every day, there was something different about him. It definitely wasn't there during their lunch date earlier in the day and Sakura had a bad feeling about it.

"It's about … Naruto."

Sakura felt as if somebody had pushed her off the edge of a cliff and into the raging torrents below. Trying to calm her racing heart, she put on a cool façade as she said, "Oh. What about him?"

Has he found out? How? Nobody knows about this!

"He's … been acting very strange lately. Not himself at all, in fact."

"I see."

Sasuke kept his eyes fixed on his cup, watching the steam rise up in characteristic spirals. "We were sparring off the other day. He seemed … stronger than the last time we faced off. So much more … serious."

Sakura found it strange to see Sasuke talking like this. Sure they were together, but he would never talk like this towards her. He was always so quiet. Unless he had something troubling him. Sakura felt her anxiety rise with each second ticking away.

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about this, would you?" Sasuke finally turned to look at her, his onyx-black eyes boring into hers. She quickly looked away, suddenly finding the pale carpeting very interesting.

"N-no. I didn't know …" she stammered. Her heart was beating so fast she was certain he could hear it. An oddly uncomfortable silence followed after that; Sakura didn't know what to do with herself.

"Of course you wouldn't," Sasuke spoke at last, and she looked up in shock. She felt a stab of guilt and regret when she saw him smiling genuinely at her. He placed his cup back on the table and turned to her, his smile never wavering. "It was just bothering me. I suppose that's the reason I came to you …"

"Oh," Sakura felt her heart grow cold. She felt like crying when he leaned forward and planted a chaste kiss on her lips. The same lips which were being kissed passionately by Naruto.

"I'd better head off now," Sasuke said, standing up. He walked towards the front door with Sakura behind him. "Take some rest now. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura mumbled and he turned to look at her. "I'm sure Naruto would be all better. Maybe he's just going through something right now … he'll come through."

Sasuke nodded and stepped out of her apartment, "Hmm, I agree."

He smiled at her once more and she felt like dropping to her knees, "Thank you, Sakura."

She watched him walk away, wanting to follow him and confess everything. But she did not. As he disappeared from sight, she backed into her apartment and slowly closed the door. Feeling tears starting to well up in her eyes, she leaned her back against it and slid to the floor. She sat with her knees drawn to her chest and buried her face in her arms, feeling terrible about herself. A tear ran down her cheek, followed by another one. She didn't bother to wipe them off, knowing that it would be useless to do so when more would accompany them.

One year ago …

Sakura gasped as she felt Sasuke's lips being pressed against her own. She heard someone near them whistle loudly and hoot, at once bringing a blush on her cheeks. It was while before Sasuke broke away, but when he did, he was giving her a small smile. Sakura felt radiant. It was as if all her dreams had come true. They had succeeded in bringing him back, and at the same time they had brought a stop to the plans of the Akatsuki. Now, he was returning her feelings with this simple gesture.

I've died and gone to heaven, she thought, feeling slightly dazed. Who knew Sasuke was capable of making her go through such sensations such as this. Whatever he was on the outside, he was ten times as satisfactory on the inside.

"Forehead-girl!" she heard Ino screech as if from a mile away. She sluggishly turned to look at her best friend, who was staring at her, looking scandalized. Shikamaru was standing beside her, shaking his head. "Troublesome woman."

It had been about a week after they had brought Sasuke back to the village. He was still charged, yes, but the Godaime Hokage had given Naruto and Sakura permission to let him into the celebratory party being held by the Rookie Nine. Team Guy was also there, and they caught a glimpse of many faces they knew by sight. It was as if everyone knew about the gathering. It wasn't actually surprising. Sakura chuckled weakly. Naruto had made sure to tell everyone about it.

Naruto. Sakura frowned and her eyes wandered over the people around them, searching for the troublemaker. She could have sworn he was here beside them a minute ago. Excusing herself politely from Sasuke, she started looking for Naruto. It seemed as if everyone was so caught up in the entertainment that they didn't notice anything that went on around them. Besides my kiss with Sasuke-kun, Sakura thought, blushing again.

She finally moved out of the hustle of the triumphant bash and walked near the end of the street they were holding the party in. No one seemed to around outside the entrance. She turned the corner of the street, fully intent on finding him, when she become aware of a lone figure making his way onward under the moonlight. He had his hands stuffed deep into his pant pockets and his blonde hair swayed amiably in the breeze. Sakura hurried forward, her feet starting to ache due to the fact she had been walking around in her heels. "Naruto!"

To her dismay, she saw that he hadn't stopped. She huffed and sped up till she was walking beside him. "Naruto? Wait up, where are you going?"

His head was bent down and his eyes were cast to the ground, peculiarly darkened. His mouth was set in a grim line, making him seem so much … serious. Sakura sighed in frustration and grabbed his arm, making him stop walking, "Naruto! Would you please just look at me!"

Sakura instantly regretted saying that. When he looked down at her, she felt as if she was drowning in his deep gaze which was so full of feeling. His eyebrows met and he pulled his arm away from her grasp, "Why are you following me, Sakura-chan? You should go back to the party."

"Naruto, what's wrong?" she asked, her anger fading away. She was now uneasy, "What happened? Why are you like this?"

"Yeah, like you wouldn't know …" Naruto mumbled and walked onwards, leaving her shocked. Sakura stood there for a second before following him once more, aiming to get the answers she needed out of him.

"Naruto, at least tell me what's the matter," she said.

Naruto stopped and she almost bumped into him. With his back facing her, he spoke out, "I just want to leave. I'm still not supposed to be feeling this way about you … I can't feel this way about you."

Sakura blinked, now confused. "What are you -?"

"You don't get it, do you Sakura-chan?" Naruto now turned around, his eyes set with determination. He took hold of her by her shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eye, "I'm selfish. I'm so incredibly selfish … I promised you I'd bring Sasuke back, and I thought that would make everything all better again. But everything's just getting worse."

"How?" she whispered, barely hearing the words coming out of her mouth. Just then, she remembered seeing Naruto's face before Sasuke kissed her back at the party. She couldn't seem to place it in her mind what expression he held, but now when she looked back on it, she understood. Hurt. Despair. Regret.

What Naruto said next shook her even more. He raised a hand and cupped her cheek gently, "I … I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan."

Sakura listened as he continued, "I told myself that I'd bring Sasuke back; I wanted to see you happy again. You love him, right? Yeah, that's what I told myself … my feelings shouldn't get in the way of your happiness. Why, Sakura-chan? Why do you still make me feel this way, then? What's in you that makes me just want to …"

He trailed off and dropped his hand which had been stroking her cheek, to his side. He looked down and smiled sadly, "It's just … I-I've always admired you, I guess. And now, when Sasuke was gone, we both worked hard together to get him back. During that time, I felt closer than ever to you … and in way, even though those times were bad, I enjoyed them."
Sakura stared at him in disbelief. All of a sudden, she started feeling horrid. She shook her head, "Naruto, I-I don't understand …"

"Now that Sasuke's back, we can't work together no more. He's here and I guess your happiness is fulfilled … I'm sorry if I'm being mean but … I think I'd leave early tonight."

And he turned to walk back away from her. Sakura's bottom lip started trembling. She couldn't believe he was being so selfless. Not selfish like he said.

She had always thought Sasuke was the right guy for her. Always. She was always set on bringing him back that she never gave any other boys a chance to get really close to her. Except Naruto, that is. Now she realized something. The Jinchuuriki was always there for her, every time. And she had been right next to him, watching him as he went through all the dangers that came at him. She had been so worried, so anxious for his safety that she didn't notice that they had established a bond together. And she didn't want to let all that go. Sakura closed her eyes briefly. She was torn in two, not knowing where to go.

She reached out a hand towards him, "W-Wait, Naruto."

He stopped walking. A silent moment passed between them as Sakura pondered over what to do. When she made no move, Naruto walked onwards. Not wanting to let him go that easy, she ran till she was right in front of him. "Naruto, look at me."

She reached up and placed her hands over the sides of his face, making him glance down at her. She bit her lip and sighed, "I … I'm the one who should be sorry. I'm the one who's selfish. Not you … and I never give you what you want. But that's all going to change."

Naruto blinked, now confused. Sakura smiled and whispered, "Just give me some time, alright? Sasuke-kun's not the only one I'm confused over right now …"

Naruto didn't have time to even answer as she had leaned forward and for a vague second their lips brushed. Almost afterwards, they blushed and pulled away.

"You'll wait?" Sakura asked, staring into his eyes.

Naruto smiled, "I'll wait."

Author's Note: I hope I didn't make Sakura's character turn out that bad. The next chapter will be posted as soon as possible!:) Please review!