Chapter 22: Touch

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. Who would want to at this point?

It's been years since I've updated. But I'm not giving up. Imma finish this so hold on tight!

Chapter 22: Touch

I am good, I am grounded

I can keep my head around it

I keep feeling smaller and smaller

I need my girl

The cool water felt good on his face. He exhaled as droplets fell from his chin, creating a series of swirls on the water in the bathroom sink.

Blue eyes stared at Naruto from the bathroom mirror. They were steady and familiar and it reminded him of the boy he once had been. Good, he thought to himself. The more of him he recovered from before, the better.

Sakura had spent the night in his arms and it was the best night he had in years. Waking up to her peaceful face was the best part, knowing that even for a night, she managed to sleep soundly with him.

The sound of rustling from the living room brought him back from his thoughts. Haji had stopped by that morning to check up on Sakura. He decided to take his time with his morning routine and he give both patient and doctor their privacy. He was sure he'd never understand Sakura and Haji's relationship, but he knew she was very fond of him. He promised himself not to cause any more trouble for her, so he made sure he'd give the irritated doctor a wide breadth this time. After all, Sakura wasn't going anywhere.

With a heaving sigh, he poked behind the medical cabinet for his razor and bottle of shaving cream. Better get rid of those stubble while he was at it.

Neck lathered in white substance and right hand poised with the razor, he was about to get to work when a voice came.

"Hey," someone whispered.

Naruto turned to the owner of the voice. It was Sakura gently leaning on the bathroom door with a warm smile, arms crossed across her chest.

"Sakura-chan! Sorry, was I taking too long?" He chuckled while washing his hands.

She shook her head in reply. "Haji just left." She followed the statement with a smile and nothing more. She looked well with color in her cheeks, but somehow the calm exuberance she tried to show didn't reach her eyes.

Caught surprised, Naruto stood there, stiff and neck drooling with shaving cream.

"Is something wrong?"

She shook her head again. Pushing off the door, the pink haired girl walked towards him.

"You look funny," she said, pointing at his face.

"Oh this? Well, you know," he started in reply, but didn't know what else to say. He was a man, and he liked his face clean, except of course, his whiskers which he couldn't do anything about. He tried to grow facial hair on purpose for a mission once, and it did not look well on him, not one bit. "Sakura-chan are you sure – " he started.

"Can I help?' she asked, not bothering to let him finish his statement.

"Uuh." Caught off guard once again, he didn't notice how she had already taken the razor from him with her hand and the other on his shoulder, pushing him with little force to sit down. Sitting in the tall bathroom stool, his face was level with hers. There wasn't much distance between them, enough that his cheeks could feel every breath she took. She looked at him with a strange expression, her eyes looking into his like looking for something. He wondered what she saw, not bothering that with her proximity to him, droplets of shaving cream were dripping on his shirt, almost touching hers.

"Don't worry, I know how to do it," she whispered, and again, he noticed that there was strain in her eyes.

The slender girl got on with her task gently, turning his head and smoothing his chin, throat, and one side of his face as she did so. His breath laboured at her attention. She did the same on the other side, carefully sliding the razor down, meticulously making sure that no hair was left. She was impossibly close to him again like she was last night, and it was all he could do not to place his arms around her. To protect her small and fragile body until all the sickness left her. No one had done this to him and it was surprisingly overwhelming. It was distracting. And she was doing it on purpose.

"You want to tell me what's wrong?" He closed his eyes as she felt her minty breath on his jaw.

"What's wrong is that you'll bleed if you talk," she whispered on his ear with a chuckle while dipping the razor in water and resuming her task.

"I'll risk it." He tried to follow her eyes but was his head was promptly leaned back as Sakura returned to her task.

"Sakura-chaaaan…" he warned, ignoring the fact that she was shaving dangerously near his jugular. He grunted in annoyance, but before he can get in a word, she slowly brought his chin down so she could look at him.

Her eyes were pleading, as if asking him to let her have this moment of silence, of delaying the inevitable. "Let me," she said. He finally relented as he moved his hand to the side of her neck, catching pink hair in the process, while his thumb caressed her slender jaw. She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand and just let her go on with her task, not bothered that his hand stayed on her waist.

When she was done, she turned the faucet and soaked her hands while he washed his clean-shaven face. He stayed silent as she turned to him, holding a towel and gently patting his whiskered cheeks, his jaw, his neck.

She smiled a small smile, looking proud of her work on his face, surveying every part with cold and soft hands, then moving down to his neck and stopping at his chest as if feeling his heartbeat. As nice as it was to have her touching him, Naruto's heart was constricting, anxious of what she was about to say. He gently encircled her small waist with his arms, bringing her a tiny inch closer to his chest. She sighed and moved her hands behind his neck, all the while touching his skin.

It was only just yesterday that they admitted the truth to each other. It shouldn't make sense that this type of intimacy should grow between them overnight. But to him, it made sense, like it made sense to breathe. It seemed that the same was for her too. Once he touched her, he couldn't stop, like he was making up for lost time. Or starting over. His touch made her warm, at least while he was connected to her skin. And he never wanted to stop.

He tilted his head as her fingers played at the nape of his neck. How had he survived these years without her? He was hers. God, he was hers so much that it hurts.

"It's nothing new really," she sighed quietly like she was just commenting at the weather. She gazed at him with the side of her lips upturned.

His brows furrowed, waiting for her to continue. "It hasn't slowed down. All the tests, all the meds, they're not slowing it down," she finished with a bitter laugh. He paused for a long time to ponder her words, schooling his expression into a neutral one. The more Sakura opened up to him, the more he was privy to the depth of her what was happening to her. What pained her was seeing him in pain because of her. He didn't want her to see that anymore. Everything was about her.

It was messed up. The more honesty she showed, the more he hid his guilt and pain more. All he wanted now was to make her feel his love that had always been there. Their bubble was about to burst, reality was creeping in. It was only yesterday that they finally accepted each other for all the fuck ups, all the betrayal, all the hurt that they suffered because and for each other. They had spent all of one night catching up to each other's feelings, and now, just the morning after, they were supposed to just let each other go? How could one night ever be enough?

"Haji, he wants me to go back to staying at the hospital. He wants me to - ". She tried to unwrap her hands from his neck when he stopped her, placing them on both his shoulders.

Hell fucking no. His own hands placed themselves on her waist again, this time with one travelling under her open robe and slowly feeling under the thin material of her night shirt. He traced every inch of her back continuing upwards and not letting up until it reached the scars of her back, uncomfortably lifting her shirt as far as it would go. He felt her bones, caressed her, like his fingers were placing butterfly kisses on the rough and burned skin there. It was a painful contrast to the rest of her body's white pallor. Her breath hitched like his did earlier and her fingers dug gently on his shoulders, but she didn't make any move to stop him even when he stood up and placed his lips gently on her shoulder, nudging the strap of her shirt down. He placed gently placed soft kisses one by one, half a second per piece until he reached her jaw as one hand cradled the back of her neck. He brought her on her tiptoes when he moved his hands again to her front, carefully taking inventory of her stomach, each rib and feeling her quickened breath. One hand held her steadfastly to him while the other went up to feel the bone in the middle of her chest, up again to her neck, joining his other hand and lips. He slowly lifted her head so he can gaze down to those deep green eyes of hers.

He did this slowly, softly until her cheeks were beet red from his touches. The redness reached her neck until it disappeared beneath her shirt. Good, that was a better color on her. She looked ungodly sick, but when he touched her, closer and closer, it felt like she was nearer to becoming more human.

"You feel fine to me. You're warm. You feel good," he whispered huskily. It was his turn to distract her. She looked up at him, her eyes watering and brows furred as if she was in pain which he soothed by running his lips across her forehead and then moving down to her dainty nose. He knew she felt his breath on her cheeks.

"You're distracting me," she whined, pushing him back a little bit, but he didn't budge an inch. It was working.

"You're fine. Do I make you feel better?" he whispered on her cheek. He wished he was.

"Yes, yes you do," she said as if was complaining. "Maybe Haji's right. About the hospital," she said, finally catching her balance and ignoring his actions. "But I – "

"But," he interrupted, lifting the bottom of her chin with a finger. "You want to stay with me." It took her a full minute to answer.

"I want to stay with you," holding on to him and pulling on to the back of his shirt that it hurt. "I know now what I've been missing and yesterday when you said… I believe it…Suddenly, I'm not alone, and I need…I need." There were her tears again. This was the cost of her letting him in. This was the honesty he was asking for - that she was scared of loving him.

"But I can't ask you to…I don't want to…" She continued, shook her head, and sobbed until she couldn't finish.

All of it were strings of unfinished sentences, but he understood what she wanted. Inside he was falling apart too. His gentle and beautiful girl in constant pain and in constant struggle because of him. His girl on the verge of death because of him, for him. But he couldn't show her that anymore - that he blamed himself - because it would break her more. Even now, she was more scared of hurting him than she was of dying.

"You know what you need, Sakura-chan?" he said, gently cradling her head.

"Yes." She wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

"You can have it," he said, taking her hand to place it on his chest once more.

"What if I need everything?" she said, laughing bitterly.

His face turned serious and determined. "Then take it. All of it."

"So where do you wanna go?" he asked, swinging their laced fingers. They've just left her house and were strolling past the children's park.

"You asked me on a date and you don't even know where to go?" she teased, tugging up her dark green sweater around her with her free hand.

Naruto felt like his world was turned upside down, suddenly tilted when Sakura came back to his life. Now when they were trying to heal, it felt even more and more in disarray but in a good way. But it was taking its toll. He could only imagine what it would be like with Sakura.

So just to feel normal, he had asked her for what felt like a long overdue date. She was feeling okay, and the weather was okay, so today was as good as any day.

He smiled at her teasing. "Well how about this, you pick the first one, and then I'll pick the next one," he mused. He tucked a stray hair behind an ear.

"I'm the first one cause you don't know where to go, do you?" she laughed. He didn't think she would laugh at him again.

"You know me so well, Sakura-chan," he said, pulling her along.

She sighed and said, "Fine, fine. I know where to go."

He recognized this place, the one where they came to pick up Sakura the first time, where Neji had honestly, intentionally tried to kill him and Sasuke. It was a music store. He remembered something about Sakura's father being a music man. He assumed the first time that they were there before just buying music records.

He looked around the multitude of guitars, vinyls, and monochords while Sakura was hugged an elderly man whom she called Takumi.

"And who is this young man?" he asked.

"This is Naruto," she gestured to him.

"Ah," the man nodded, curiously eyeing the way the pink-haired woman reached for his hand.

"You take good care of her?" he said. The elderly man sized him up like a stern father letting his daughter out on a date for the first time.

"Always, Sir," Naruto replied with a salute while putting his arm around Sakura's shoulder while she smiled onto his shoulder.

It looked like Takumi-san approved as he watched Sakura being close to him. He nodded as he went on to tend to his store.

"Are we buying something?" Naruto asked, arm still around the pink-haired woman.

"Nope," she smiled, pulling him towards a white grand piano. She stroked the cover carefully like it was precious. She smiled at him as she started to lift the cover. He was close to her in a second as he helped her. He looked at her questioningly.

"You play?" he asked in silent wonder. She seemed to be in deep thought before she answered. "I guess I do," she said with a smirk.

"Takumi-san lets me play. He and dad were friends."

"Really?" She just nodded.

"Awesome," he exclaimed. He had never heard her play. She took her seat carefully and deciding to stay close to her, he sat too but straddled the seat, his front facing her side. "You'll play for me?" he said excitedly like a boy. She started tapping the keys one by one, each tone different from the other.

"You have to pay up first though" she said, reaching out her hand, intent on teasing. He didn't reach for change though, instead, she took her upturned palm and kissed it. That got her blushing as she said "Not much of a fee." That got her a wide green.

She took a breath, straightened her, and closed her eyes. She started by stroking two keys repeatedly, while her other hand following suit on white keys. The pace was slow and steady as she established her melody. He felt like his heart was ready to burst out of his ribcage with joy, and then she started singing.

I will love you til the end

There's no need to pretend

That you are the one

Who has sailed my heart

To the ocean blue

I hoped it would be you

In all their genin days, Naruto had only heard Sakura hum a tune now and then, but he had never heard her sing a full song, much play the piano while doing so. He was completely captivated as she continued, his own blue eyes focused on her relaxed face.

When I'm dead and gone

I know I will live on

Cause you've captured me

And so I am released

To the ocean blue

I hoped it would be you

To the ocean blue

I hoped it would be you

She looked at him with a smile, her words vulnerable and melancholic, but letting him in all the same. Her words were poetry and her music simple and gentle.

Now this chapter's closed

So the story goes

But I have more to say

I'll see you there one day

In the ocean blue

I knew it would be you

The lump in his throat formed with the last words and her strokes faded. She completely stopped, paused for a second, and touched her fingers like she hasn't used them for a long time. "I'm not that good," she chuckled, apparently not noticing the blond's breathing has changed. When she did, she looked at him, questioning his expression.

It seemed like he wasn't aware of what he was doing as he reached out to her with trembling fingers, gently pulling her closer as he leaned in and kissed her lips softly. He felt her take a breath as turned sideways and returned the kiss this time, moving her lips with his and gently stroking his jaw as he massaged the back of her head. He was whole, finally whole as her soft lashes caressed his face. His sweet girl felt like she didn't want to let him go, still following his lead on their kiss. When they finally parted, he was breathless and his eyes were misty and full of emotion. She had color on her face once again and he was looking at her like she was his everything. And she was.

"I lo…I love you, Sakura," he croaked out, his face impossibly close to hers. His confession was not suave or sexy like he wanted, but it earned him the best smile that she has given him so far. It's not like he was asking for her to say it back, but as if reading his mind, she said "My song kind of said it for me." She laughed and leaned into him once more.

Business was unusually slow today, but Mizuno Hayate wasn't bored. It maybe because it was too hot for ramen anyway. He was rather thankful that there wasn't much of a lunch rush so his wife wouldn't strain herself. Now, if she wasn't so bored herself, then today would be perfect.

His wife, Ayame, already showing a little bump on her midsection, was restless and couldn't be bothered to take some rest whenever she and her husband manned their succesful ramen shop. They could easily hire more help to run the restaurant, but she and her father believed and insisted on personally taking care of business.

Hayate loved that about Ayame. He loved working with her, and with his father-in-law out of the village for some business, they can more than manage the shop. Finishing up on serving one of only two occupied tables, he deposited his tray and walked towards his wife who was busy arranging and rearranging the cutlery and bowls on the counter.

"Sit down, woman," he teased as he swifly took a bowl from her hand and deposited it where it was previously. Kissing her on top of her little head, he guided her to man the counter where there was a perfectly comfortable stool.

"You spoil me," she whined, as she gave up and placed her chin on one palm.

"Just doing my job, love," he chuckled as he checked the broth and noodles and the multitude of toppings ready to be served for the next customer.

"Come on, Sakura-chan!"

Just as he went to clean the counter, Ayame perked up with a gasp and stood from her stool with a smile. She practically skipped towards the entrance and conversed with the voices outside.

He would have followed but soon enough, his wife was showing a blond and his companion inside and to a booth.

"Come in, come in, Naruto-kun," his wife said, beaming.

Said blond followed, his hand linked with a pale-faced woman with pink hair which he recognized from before. She was the woman who was there during that wedding day. All he knew was that the wedding didn't happen and it was supposed to be all dramatic, but his wife and his father-in-law just said to let it lie. All of them haven't seen Naruto, arguably their most frequent customer, in the shop since.

"Honey, come here! Come say hi," Ayame beckoned to him. Getting menus and straightening his apron, he approached the booth, where Naruto and the pink-haired woman settled across each other.

"Naruto-san, how nice to see you here today," Hayate reached out to shake the blond's hand who shook his in acknowledgement.

"Hayate. Feels like a long time, ne? Ayame-neechan looks well with your baby! Oh, and I want to introduce you to Sakura-chan," he said, motioning to the girl with a small smile and reaching for her hand.

"Hi," she said with a little wave.

"Sakura-san? That's your name! You're the same Miss from before, aren't you?" he asked. Like the last time, the girl was wearing too many clothes which could be uncomfortable with the heat. She looked way thinner too compared to when he last saw her.

When Sakura nodded, Ayame chimed in. "You've met Sakura-chan?" Naruto's brows raised in question too.

"Yes, I went here once with some old coupons and he was gracious enough to indulge me," she explained, pulling on her sleeves, and smiling at the blond across her who seemed to ask more questions but decided not to speak.

"Oh no, please, you paid for it anyway," he assured, blushing at the compliment of the young woman.

"And don't worry, both of your orders are on the house today," Ayame announced, pulling her husband in a side-hug.

"Oh no, Ayame-neechan, I'm paying today. It wouldn't be a proper date if I didn't," Naruto replied, gazing at Sakura who just rolled his eyes at his teasing.

Hayate felt his wife clench the shirt on his waist while blinking too fast.

As soon as Naruto and Sakura were served their orders, he pulled his wife out of earshot and tried to soothe her trembling lips. Ayame's hormones go haywire now and then due to the pregnancy, but somehow this was different.

"They know each other?" he asked, wondering what was the problem as he looked on to the couple quietly eating their meal, well, Naruto more than Sakura.

"They were teammates. He was in love with her. They had a falling out around the time we met. That's why you never saw her with him. It's a long story, really," she said, wiping her eyes with a tissue that he handed her.

Ayame and his father-in-law always had a special spot for Uzumakin Naruto. They had known him practically his entire life. He only ever knew that Naruto was with Hyuga Hinata since they met. It wasn't his business to pry, but for the first time, he saw something in Naruto's eyes that he had never seen in him before – pure love.

"But they're back together now. So what's the problem, little girl?" he cooed. He and Ayame being together wasn't always smooth sailing. They had broken up before eventually getting married. Love was difficult and he wasn't going to judge anyone's choice on whom to love, whether for the first time or the millionth time.

At his question, Ayame's tears came faster. "She's really sick." Dying, was her unheard explanation. She sobbed, burying her face in his chest. As he rubbed his wife's back and felt his child in her tummy, he looked again to the couple they had been talking about. The blond was quietly whispering something to the young woman which had her smiling gleefully. He soothed Ayame's hormonal sobs as best as he could, telling her that everything was okay.

"Now ramen's more like it!"

He heard someone yell as two drunken men stumbled inside the shop. One was swaying on his feet while his friend didn't fare any better. Jeezus, it was only two hours past noon. The nearest bars haven't even opened yet, which meant that these were bums were professional drunks. Their alcoholic stink immediately wafted in the air.

Sitting his wife down on her former stool, he gave her an assuring smile as he approached the two men to take their orders. They had perched themselves merely two tables from Naruto and Sakura, and one, who looked more drunk than his companion, seemed to recognize the blond. He was considered as the village hero after all and his very public non-wedding of the decade must have people gossiping.

"Izzat Uzumaki Naruto?" the black-haired man drawled loudly to his companion as he slumped in his chair.

"Looks like it," his friend sneered, while spitting on the ground.

Hayate noticed Naruto visibly stiffen while Sakura reached across the table to touch his knuckles with a relaxed smile.

That's when Hayate realized that they weren't in awe of the blond hero. They were looking down on him. Some neanderthals were still seeing him as a demon-child, not the ninja who saved the village more times than one can count. They weren't being subtle with their conversation either.

"May I get your order?" Hayate interrupted, miffed by the drunken idiots.

Asshole number one had the balls to crane his neck to take a good look at the young woman who was still holding Naruto's hand. She looked so fragile and small. "Waittaminute, wasn't he supp'sed to be shacking up with a Hyuga? That ain't her," he gestured to his chest with two hands as if holding melons. "If you know what I mean". Hayate heard chopsticks being placed back on the table.

"Definitely not." Asshole number two joined him in laughter. Hayate gritted his teeth and repeated his question again to change the subject.

"Sirs, if you're not going to order then please take your conversation somewhere else."

He was ignored.

"Well he moved on fast. This new one doesn't look any good. But whatever gets you off, I guess." That was asshole one.

"Don't mind them, okay?" Hayate heard Sakura whisper to his side. Even with his back to them, he could feel the anger emanating from Naruto.

"Okay, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave the shop. I suggest you walk it off and sober up, gentlemen," he said, gesturing the men outside.

"Hey, what's your problem? We're gonna order, okay?" said Asshole number two.

Apparently Asshole one didn't hear a single word from Hayate as he was still leering at Sakura. Licking his lips and angling his body to the pink-haired, he said "I could make that work though. Tap that body. Bend it over and uph-."

It all happened so fast. Before Hayate could even clench his fist to punch the man in front of him for his indecency, the sound of chairs crashing reached his ear, along with the gasp of his wife and Sakura.

In a flash, Naruto was out of his seat, standing with one hand clenched around Asshole one's neck and raised him above his head. Surprised, Asshole two stupidly lunged at the blond. He was easily snatched by his neck as well by Naruto's other hand. The scene was silent except for the two men's gagging noises and useless clawing at the blond's arms. Naruto didn't even look like he was trying, not even an ounce of chakra being let out of his body. Hayate had never seen Naruto in action before, had only heard about his fights from others, but at that point, he knew that he was witness to only the slightest of the blond's strength.

Clearly sensing danger, the last few customers immediately ran out.

Hayate, Ayame, and Sakura both gasped his name at the same time, but they were drowned out as Naruto growled a sound that no human should be capable of, close to crushing the windpipes of his captives.

"You motherfuckers ever say one word again and I'll skin you alive, rip young tongues out through your throats and feed them to you. Over and over," he snarled, eyes red and clearly intent on making good on his promise.

Hayate saw Sakura slowly walking towards the blond and he almost stopped her, but she shook her head.

"Hey, Naruto," she whispered, closing in on the blond who haven't moved, clearly not being strained from holding two grown men above his head. They were gasping for air, with Asshole two already near passing out. "Naruto, look at me," she said once more, reaching out to him from his side.

Slowly, his head turned to the pink-haired woman. From where Hayate stood, it looked like his eyes were red and growling still

"Who held me in his arms last night and this morning, hmm?" she murmured, touching his whisker with one finger. "Focus on me. I need you."

It seemed like he didn't hear her. But with a pained expression towards his girl, Naruto looked like he was about to put the men down. Instead with a flex of both arms, he threw them so far they were out crashing on the street in a second.

He moved to follow them but Sakura blocked his way, almost colliding with his chest. This slender woman was stopping this hulk of a man on his path. "Not worth it," she said with a small smile while framing his face with her hands, urging him to look at her.

As Sakura calmed the blond down with soothing touches, Hayate, seething with his own anger, checked to see that his Ayame was okay and just a little shaken before taking two bowls of ramen, stalking outside where the men were still gasping for air, and promptly dumping the hot bowls on their heads. They didn't even flinch, visibly fearing for their lives.

"And don't you dare come back!" he yelled.

As he went back inside, he found Naruto trembling as he wrapped his arms around Sakura's waist and back, pulling her closer and nuzzling the side of her neck. "Sorry," he said as he buried his face on her collarbone.

"Ssssh,"she cooed, rubbing his back and hugging him.

Hayate sighed as he leaned on the counter, stroking his wife's cheek and giving the unlikely couple a little privacy. "I think I'm gonna need to take up some martial arts classes," he said to himself.

It's like the spell had been broken. As she asked to go to the ninja academy, pulling his hand all the way, he didn't speak a word. He just let her guide him.

Not when she pushed open the gate, not when she asked him to sit on his swing, he wouldn't say anything. She left him for a bit to take something from the hollow of the tree behind him. Her hand waded through the dirt as she searched for her prize. Once she felt the hard box, she sighed gratefully, taking it out. She hoped it was still there. In her anguish three years, she decided to just leave this treasure near his swing. Where somehow, it could be close to a part of him.

She took a deep breath as she walked towards the man who haven't even moved a muscle. He didn't even notice that she was holding his box behind her back.

He slumped with his head down, cradled between forearms while his fingers gripped his hair. Damn it. They had been doing so good today. When she played the piano for him, when he brought her to eat ramen like old days, it felt like for the first time, things were easy - that things weren't so fucked up. It was the closest that they had come to normalcy, to just being stupidly in love. But those jerks had to come in and ruin his day.

Clearly, what happened after had affected him more than it did her.

"Not much of a date if you're not in it at the end," she whispered teasingly, trying to coax him out of his stupor.

He exhaled with a heavy sigh, and for the first time, lifted up his head to look up at her, nostrils flaring. He looked like he was in so much pain and very angry.

"You said they've called you worse," he growled with gritting teeth.

Sakura swallowed as she processed his words. In trying to calm him earlier that day before he went and killed those two men dead, she had stupidly said that. Not that it was a lie, people tended to talk around her. On the rare occasions that she was out of her house and people recognized her, without Neji or Haji's protection, they would whisper harsh words – weak, loser, addict, user, whore – the last one she assumed was because it looked like she did a 180 between Sasuke and Naruto. It hurt at first, but just like everything else, it didn't matter.

"That they've treated you worse," he continued as he put two and two together. That pain in his face was visible again, the one she suspected was there all along that he had tried to hide. He had guilt written all over his face combined with anger and frustration.

"Naruto, it doesn't matter – "

"It does matter," he interrupted frustratingly.

"Why?"

"Because I couldn't protect you then!" he yelled, once again slumping and bowing his head down. "Fuck!"

Even in the past, Naruto had been fiercely protective of her. But it had been a while since she had seen him fight For her. He had been nothing but gently with her since he came back to her. It was a bit jarring, but she had always accepted his dark side. Now, if he can only get out of this funk.

Sakura looked up at the sky and counted to ten. Telling Naruto that it didn't hurt was never going to work.

"He wants to protect you too," he said, too silent that she didn't even hear. "That's why at the ramen place…" His voice was trembling. They hadn't discussed the demon fox in a long time. All she remembered about him was that one time they met in Naruto's mind, how they agreed that he would save him. "He's beating me up for not being able to – " he couldn't continue as her fingers pulled his chin up so he could look at her once again.

"I thought you loved me," she said. His eyes widened at her words.

"I do. You know I do," he defended, standing up from the swing and towering over her. She didn't flinch as she saw his eyes dangerously framed in red. But she knew he was trying to reign the fox in.

"Then trust me when I say that it doesn't matter," she said. He was shaking his head again, like he didn't want to hear her.

"All those things, they did hurt. But as I've told you, it was all worth it." She paused, looking at Naruto's disbelieving expression. Now it was her turn to be in pain. "You know why?"

"Because it led me here to you. And I know it's hypocritical. But I don't care." She had to stop to take a breath so she wouldn't melt into a puddle of tears. "I don't care that I'm breaking all my promises I've made to myself before to not fight and just let it end. I don't care if there's not much time left. I don't care." It was the truth. She didn't anymore.

"It's worth it to be here with you, just like I hope it's worth it for you too." She bit her chapped lips, heaved a sigh and searched his face for any indication that he even listened to her.

Naruto's face slowly schooled into a neutral expression. He breathed deeply and moved closer to her. She caressed his forearms as she did so.

"I've made you cry again." He said more to himself, than to her. His eyes was fully blue this time. He kissed her forehead and leaned down to murmur on her ear. "Of course it's worth it for me," he answered. "It's always going to be worth it if it's you." He kissed the side of her mouth, her nose, her temple.

She sniffled and smiled, a bit tickled by the blond's hair. "Good." He seemed to let it go this time for the meantime and she would take the win.

"Come sit. I'll push you." With a tired smile, but a smile nonetheless, he gestured to the swing, lacing her fingers with hers. She was about to follow him when she remembered something.

"Wait, wait. I got you something," she said excitedly, forgetting the surge of emotions from before and clutching the package behind her back.

"Close your eyes," she told him. It wasn't his birthday, but what the hell.

He eyed her curiously, but after a beat, he did as she asked. Caressing his face, and after making sure that he wasn't peeking, she brought a box in front of her, dusting off dirt and grime accumulated through the years.

"Okay, open them!" When he did, he found a brown rectangular box in her hands, fingers sweeping off some remaining dirt.

He carefully took it from her and opened it. Inside was an old note, dated years ago on his birthday. It said "To everyone's hero as well as mine. Happy birthday, Naruto! Love, Sakura". It was the gift that she was supposed to give him after the war, assuming that they lived through it. And they did.

He looked at her questioningly as she motioned for him to look what was inside. Beneath a thin white paper was a necklace. A thin black string held an emerald pendant with obvious cracks in between the tiny pieces. Said pieces were held together by lighter shards of amber. It formed part the necklace that Tsunade gifted him which he thought was destroyed during his fight with Pein.

She had painstakingly looked around in the rubble to find the shards as she grappled with the fact that she was, indeed, in fact with her blond best friend. She was dead confused and scared because she knows how she didn't deserve him. Hinata did - the kind and pure-hearted girl who had loved him from the start. But either way, she knew she could give him that gift, put together some part of him that broke.

Feeling satisfied with Naruto's shocked reaction, Sakura smiled. "I found them where it broke. Took me a while to fix it. I used my parent's charm to mold the pieces. I don't think it works anymore though. But it looks decent enough to umph – " her words and air were knocked out of her as for what seemed like the millionth time that day, Naruto held her too tight in his arms. But she welcomed it. He felt so real and his breath was hitching as if he ran a thousand mile marathon. He cradled her, his fingers tangling in her hair as she settled on his chest, right above his strong heartbeat. Maybe she didn't deserve him, but at this moment, it didn't really matter.

"So you like it, huh?" she said, her voice muffled by his shirt. She felt him nodding to her hair. That made her ridiculously happy.

"Thank you," he whispered."It's perfect," he almost sobbed.

"Anytime, fox," she replied, leaning back to kiss his jaw."You want me to put it on?" He nodded in approval, slightly leaning down so she can reach around his neck.

As she clasped the string on his neck, she requested. "I want to ask you for something." He looked at her and pressed his lips together.

"For now, no more guilt, okay? No more angst. No more beating ourselves up for all the shit that went down. Just for now." She placed one hand on his chest while the other played with the mismatched pendant.

"I want to be with you. For as long as I can. And even if you believe that that's gonna be a long time and I don't, whatever happens, I just want to cherish every moment with you because you promised to never leave me again. Because promised that you love me," she pleaded. "Can I take that from you? Can you give me that?" she said, eyes darting between his to make sure that he understood. It looked like he wouldn't reply with anything for a while.

But finally, leaned his forehead on hers, his blue eyes piercing her own and kissed her softly. "I told you."

"Take everything."

To be continued.

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