Omelets

Chapter Eleven: Lonely Word

Sakura walked into the house comfortably, dumping the paperwork in her arms on a table and pouring herself some water in a glass. "Sakura-chan?" a voice called from behind her, and she felt her heart speed up. It's-

"Mmm-hmmm?" she replied, almost dropping her glass. Why am I so clumsy around him? She picked the paperwork back up and balanced it along with the glass as she walked into the small "training" room.

The first thing she saw were his bright blue eyes, that she didn't notice she'd been missing. She smiled subconsciously, before the events of the previous night and morning flooded into her mind and she looked away.

Sakura could still feel his eyes on her, watching her with concern, and she was forced to look back up. "Where were you this morning?" she asked, suddenly feeling vulnerable and dependent.

A grin spread across his face, then he frowned. "Well...where were you? I came home to tell you and..."

The kunoichi pressed her hand to her mouth. "Oops!" she muttered. "Sorry, I figured you'd already left for the day and I..." Went for breakfast with Kiba...but it wasn't a date. Yeah, that sounds believable. But it's the truth!

"It's all right," Naruto dismissed, smiling widely, bouncing slightly on his feet. "But you'll never guess why Tsunade-baa-chan called me over to the office!"

She had to smile at his enthusiasm. "Why?"

When she heard the news, she realized why he'd been so happy. "Naruto, that's wonderful!" she gasped. "After all of these years..." She reached up to embrace him in a sudden impulse, but when his arms went around her, she suddenly felt weak at the knees.

Trying to force herself to breathe, she pulled away slightly so she could see his face. "That's great," Sakura said sincerely, her hand on the back of his neck (when did it get there?). "It really is."

He smiled at her, and she almost leaned in and kissed him in that very moment. What am I doing? her inner self freaked, waving her arms frantically. Have I officially lost my mind? I should be locked up! I'm a danger to society! I'm not in control of myself anymore!

Naruto, thankfully, was oblivious to her dilemma and was still smiling that annoying (captivating) smile at her. "So," he said, his voice breaking the moment. "What did you do today, Sakura-chan?"

She giggled at him, and wondered why they still had their arms around each other - but didn't want to be the first to let go. "Nothing that important," she answered. "Oh - I heard from my mom." She made a face.

He looked taken aback and his arms slipped from her shoulders. Shannaro...she muttered mentally, trying not to show her disappointment. "What did she say?" he asked, obviously worried.

Sakura shrugged. "Just what I expected, you know - 'I still love you but I found out where you're mad and I'm still ticked off at you'." She rolled her eyes. "She probably has tons of scandalous ideas, haha..."

Naruto's worried expression hadn't let up. "Where did you see her?"

The girl's eyes widened. "Oh, no, Kiba told me. I, um...ran into him on my way to town..." Literally.

He raised an eyebrow, and she caught a flash of jealousy in his eyes. "Oh, what's going on with Kiba?" He was obviously trying to keep his voice light - Naruto, you know I know you better than that.

"Not much," she said thoughtfully, "he just...wanted to tell me that, and wanted to know if the rumors were true. About us," she added hastily, "living together. I told him the truth."

Naruto regarded her with an unreadable expression in his eyes, and she frowned. "Anyway, what she said - I'm not surprised, but...I know she doesn't really like me."

"With good reason," he mumbled. "Especially with what she must think." He met her eyes and then looked away. "Sakura-chan-"

"What?" she growled, glaring at him.

Green met blue. She looked away first. "It's true," he said helplessly. "I'm a-"

"Shut up."

She said it plainly, not so much angrily. Then she repeated it, with a little more passion.

"Shut up!"

Naruto was just looking at her, and finally Sakura snapped.

"You!" she hissed. "You, you, you keep doing this, you're not a monster! Quit saying that! And while you're at it, quit being so darn perfect one second, then aggravating the next! You tick me off so freakin' much, because I can't stop thinking about you! Jeez! I feel like I have some kind of condition, I turn red, I stutter, I can't breathe, I-" she paused for breath, and the look in his eyes was too much. It was a contradiction in itself, somehow both confused and understanding, somehow joyful and pained, somehow -

SHANNARO!

"I love you," she breathed, feeling her heart pound.

Naruto was absolutely sure that either he was dreaming or he'd finally lost his sanity.

There's no way Sakura-chan just said that. No way! It's absolutely crazy there's no way-

"I love you!" she said again, suddenly forceful. "I love you, shannaro! Naruto, you idiot, are you even listening to me?"

He hesitated between his immediate instincts and his knowledge of Sakura. She was likely to punch him either way, he decided, so I might as well just go for it! Even if it is a dream!

When he opened his mouth, it seemed that he'd lost his voice during her fervent confession. She was still glaring at him with some kind of feeling he couldn't identify, and finally he managed to say what he'd been dying to say for the last six years.

"I love you, Sakura-chan," he murmured, then grinned. "I love you too!"

Somehow during this whole exchange, they'd moved over to the couch - he collapsed on it, taking her down with him (when did we start holding each other again?, he wondered vaguely). "I love you," he said again, breathlessly.

A true smile broke out on her face, maybe the brightest smile that he'd ever seen. "I love you." She drew it out, pouring emotion into the sentence. "I love you."

"Someone wake me up," he groaned. "There's no way this is-"

Naruto had to stop what he was saying because all of a sudden she was moving closer and before he knew it, they were kissing. The kiss was soft and hesitant, but absolutely perfect, he thought dreamily, somewhat dazed. Before he knew it, she'd drawn away shyly, and he realized he was still staring at her, his eyes unfocused.

He tried to tear his eyes away, but failed. She probably wants me to say something, he thought, but what? He cleared his throat, and attempted to clear his mind and focus his thoughts into words.

"You...why didn't you tell me?" he found himself saying before he realized it.

Sakura flushed. "I-I didn't know," she muttered, looking away. "Not until I started talking and then...you...and..." She still seemed somewhat confused to what had just transpired, but she didn't seem like she regretted it.

"Oh man," he said, still dazed. "This has to be a dream."

She pinched him, giggling. "It's real," she told him sweetly. "I promise."

A foxy grin spread across his face as her words finally hit him fully. Sakura loves me. She loves me! He immediately reached forward and took her back into his arms, never wanting to let her go again.

She moved closer to him, hugging him tighter. He whispered in her ear.

"Are you sure?"

Not trusting herself with speech, Sakura nodded into him.

"We...we can't go back." Naruto's voice was somewhat gruff and pained.

She looked up at him, and shoved him away. "Why would I want to go back?" she demanded. "I told you that I'm in love with you, isn't that enough for you?"

"Well, I could always hear it more," he started, and she threw a pillow at him.

"Shut up, you idiot," she muttered, blushing again for some inexplicable reason. He smirked at her.

"There's the girl I fell in love with," he teased. "Always hitting me and telling me to shut up...oh well."

Two can play that game. She met his eyes. "Well, the guy I fell in love with is a total oblivious idiot, and deserves to be hit."

"Touche," he said easily, leaning back. She wondered how he could be so calm right now, but she guessed that it might be because it still hadn't fully hit him. Or maybe he'd just gotten used to the thought long before it happened. She was feeling surprisingly...unsurprised, herself. Somehow, deep inside her, she'd always known.

"Oh, we have dinner reservations," Naruto mentioned casually, and Sakura snapped out of her happy trance.

"What? We- where? When did this happen?" she asked.

He grinned. "Well, it's a pretty fancy place," he said, obviously pleased with himself. "I got the reservations this morning, after I couldn't find you. I mean...it's a special day, after all."

She couldn't figure out whether he meant because of the Hokage news, the kiss, or something else entirely, but she had more important things to worry about. "What should I wear?"

Naruto looked at her blankly.

Sakura sighed, exasperated. "I didn't pack my fancy clothes," she explained. "I, um, I didn't think I'd need them."

He looked slightly embarrassed. "Oh, well...you'll be fine in anything, I promise. You always look beautiful, Sakura-chan." He offered a smile to try and appease her.

She groaned. "I'll go and try and scrounge up a decent outfit," she muttered, then chanced a glance at him. Well...I guess we are kind of together now, aren't we? she wondered absently, smiling at the thought. It might take a little getting used to, but...

Sakura leaned over and kissed him briefly on the cheek, before turning and disappearing into her room, unable to keep a large grin from spreading across her face. Naruto and Sakura, she mused. That doesn't sound half bad.