That day in May

Chapter 1 – 'Home'

"Sakura. We're here."

Sakura stared ahead through the windshield of the car before she looked at her golden haired companion, "I'm going to need your help." She smiled wistfully.

Naruto's eyes softened as he stared into tired emerald eyes, he softly squeezed Sakura's shoulder,"Asking for help isn't a crime Sakura-chan."

He left the driver's seat and shut his door making his way through the gravel drive way to Sakura's side. He opened the door, "When you're ready just tell me."

She reached one of her arms out to him as her free hand fumbled to unbuckle the seatbelt. When she unbuckled the seatbelt she nodded slowly at Naruto as she held his one arm with both her hands.

"Easy now" Naruto whispered as he looped one arm around her abdomen.

Sakura winced slightly as she stood.

"I'm sorry." Naruto whispered as he notice her flinch under his touch with pain.

She stood up and gave him a weak smile, "No worries. Don't mind me." She looped her arm with one his and leaned her head against his shoulder as they slowly made their way at the home at the end of the driveway.

"You tired?" Naruto asked.

"Very." Sakura yawned, as she eyed the sun setting behind the home.

Before they could make it to the porch, the door swung open. Sakura was attacked by a blur of red. She painfully gasped for air.

Naruto was quick to respond, "Ma! You're hurting her!"

The woman quickly untangled herself from Sakura, "I'm so happy to see Sakura, I've missed you so much."

Sakura broke in a big smile, tears were streaming down her cheeks, "I've missed you too Kushina."

"Can I hold your hand at least?' Kushina asked sniffing back her own tears.

Sakura nodded quickly and laughed, "Yes"

Kushina held Sakura's hand and squeezed it gently and Sakura squeezed back.

"Lets get Sakura inside Naruto." She then turned around to kiss her son on the cheek, "I've missed you too my little man. You should visit more often; college is only an hour away. What's your excuse huh?" Her tempered flared slightly.

"I'll visit more often ma" Naruto assured nervously

Kushina sized him up with a critical eye and then broke into a smile, "You better"

Each held one of Sakura's arms as they made it up the porch stairs, "Minato is away this week on business, so don't act shy on me Sakura."

Once they both got Sakura seated comfortably on the sofa inside the salon, Kushina went to get her a glass of water. Naruto went to go grab her luggage from his car.

After dinner, Naruto helped his mother clear the table as Sakura washed the dishes, "Are you sure you can manage Sakura-chan?" Naruto said worriedly.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "I'm not disabled Naruto, I'm in pain yes, but I can manage."

"I can never understand women and their pain threshold." Naruto grumbled.

Once the table was clear and the kitchen was clean, Naruto kissed and embraced his mother, "I better hit the road ma, I got a class first thing in the morning. I'll drive over next weekend, I promise."

"Take some leftovers with you." Kushina pouted as she kissed her son on the cheek, "Call me when you get there."

"Yes ma'am." Naruto saluted.

He walked over to Sakura and kissed her forehead, 'If you need anything just give me a call ok?' He substituted his trademark bear hug with a gentle squeeze to the shoulder.

"Don't slack off now that I'm not there to prattle on you, I'll call you every night and ask Sasuke." Sakura spoke cheekily.

"I'll be waiting for your calls then. Take care of yourself Sakura." Naruto chuckled and gave a big smile.

Kushina followed her son to the car and waved him good-bye. When she got back inside the house she looked to Sakura who gave her a tired smile.

"Why don't we get you washed up? If you're up for afterwards let's go over to your grandparents' home"

Sakura smiled "I'd like that"

Slowly Kushina and Sakura made their way down the hall to the washroom. Kushina began to run a hot bath as Sakura stripped her clothes off gently. She only left her panties as she made her way back to the tub.

Sakura stood behind Kushina as she prepped the bath. When Kushina turned around to look at Sakura she began to tear up.

She stared at Sakura's bruised stomach and the stitches that hid underneath her panties but exposed beyond the hem to her belly button. Another lay just above the hem of the panties. The two scars making a cross like design.

"It was a caesarean." Sakura whispered as she stared at Kushina's probing eyes, "a baby boy" she continued.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there baby doll." Kushina brushed a few stray strands from her heart shaped face.

Kushina heard the falter in Sakura's voice as she began to cry, "He was so tiny. So small. So light. He was beautiful."

"Poor baby" Kushina pulled the shaking girl close to her bosom.

"Kushina I started imagining picking him up after school, pinching his cheeks and hugging him good night. Why did he have to die? Why? WHY! He did nothing wrong." Sakura screeched and wailed as she slid down against the wall, "why?"

Kushina gently embraced her rubbing her back gently, "Life ain't peaches and cream sugar pea."

A miscarriage.

Sakura had a miscarriage.

It all started six months ago.

Naruto blamed himself, but Sakura told him not to.

Sakura wasn't really part of the party scene at her college. She enjoyed just spending her free nights in solitude in her dorm or catching a film with a friend.

It was the end of the semester and many students were having a party to celebrate at some frat house. Naruto told her "it was just for fun" and that it was the end of the semester and it was a good way to end the year.

Sakura agreed.

She and a few of their friends rocked up at the party. Being with her friends made it a more tolerable experience.

Sometime during the party she got separated from Naruto and company.

"I'm just going to the bathroom." Sakura patted Naruto's shoulder.

"You sure you don't want anyone to come?" Naruto spoke worriedly as he looked around at an intoxicated crowd.

"To watch me pee." Sakura snorted.

"I'll be here ok?"

Sakura nodded and left for the bathroom. To her surprise it wasn't littered with hormone crazed teenagers.

When she pulled open the door to leave the bathroom, a hand grabbed her and pushed her into a dark bedroom.

The following morning when she returned to campus she slapped Naruto across the cheek, "I-I told you I didn't want to go why didn't you let me be."

Naruto's eyes widened, he was slightly hung-over, "Lighten up Sakura-chan!" he scowled at her.

Sakura knew Naruto wasn't himself but she didn't care, she pushed him into his dorm and threw him against a wall and began to cry.

"Oi Sakura what's wrong?" Naruto asked worriedly realizing the girl's jarring attitude.

She didn't respond but kept on crying, he moved to touch her but she yelled, "DON'T TOUCH ME!"

"Sakura hey what's wrong. Why are you acting like this?" Naruto asked gently as he fumbled for his words.

She began to wail holding her abdomen, "I'm dirty Naruto don't touch me."

"What the hell are-", but then Naruto's mind clicked and connected the dots and his anger boiled, "WHO WAS IT" He seethed.

He gripped her shoulders and shook her, "Who was it?" he spoke dangerously.

"I don't know. The room was dark."

She allowed him to hold her tightly, "Naruto what happens…what happens if I get pregnant? I'm in college Naruto, how am I going to balance it all out?"

Within seconds Naruto's eyes watered, "It's my fault. I'll help you out every step of the way, you're like my little sister."

He brushed her hair out of her face, "Will you keep it?"

Sakura nodded, "I'm not going to kill an innocent life for my own benefit. I'll give it the life it deserves."

Sakura spent that afternoon crying in Naruto's arms.

They had grown up together since their diaper years. They went to school together and ran away from home together. Sakura had lost her parents at a young age and had lived with her grandparents in the small town of Konoha.

It was a small tight knit community in the countryside. Her grandparents owned a farm. She and Naruto used to spend their afternoons picking oranges from the orchards and then spending the nights lying on the green fields wishing on every shooting star. They were inseparable. Her grandparents passed away during her final year of high school and Naruto pulled her through.

When they got accepted into the same college, they were over the moon happy.

And then this happened a semester before graduation.

Two weeks later Sakura confirmed she was pregnant with a positive pregnancy test. Naruto squeezed her hand and told her the same thing he told her that day not so long ago.

She called Kushina that night and told her everything. Kushina made it easier for her to take in, "If you ever need to get away from everyone, including Naruto, I'm only an hour away."

She was like a mother to her. She called her every night to make sure she was doing ok. Her peers soon after the four month mark realized she was pregnant and that it just wasn't the freshman fifteen catching up to her in her senior year of college. Sakura didn't look for pity but just worked twice as hard.

She had accepted it and she was actually excited at the prospect of having her own child.

She kept all the photos from her ultra sounds in her glove box in her car.

There were tough days. When those days came along she'd drive for god knows how long on the interstate with The Orwells blaring.

On one of these outings, two months later to be exact, a car ran a red light just as she was turning the intersection into the college parking lot.

She didn't remember any of it. Apparently she had gone unconscious and had to be put into intensive care. She was very lucky.

Her car was totaled and she had to have an induced labor. Her son didn't make it.

"I think I'm going to take the semester off." Sakura spoke quietly to Naruto as he sat next to her on her hospital bed.

He just stared at the wall.

"I just need time to sort myself out."

"You won't get to graduate till next year then." Naruto said quietly

"I'm still young Naruto it's only another year."

Her words seemed to upset him. He just left her quietly in the room without even shutting the door.

The next morning he returned, "I've talked to admin and your professors. They understand your situation, they said that you could finish the semester online, even go through the summer if you need to. That way you can graduate immediately, and you don't have to wait till next year."

"Thank you Naruto." She smiled at him she was a loss for words, and couldn't help but kiss his cheeks.

"It's the least I could do." He blushed and scratched the back of his sheepishly.

"Stop blaming yourself"

"I won't" Naruto admitted as he gently held her hands in his own.

A week later she now stood in the washroom with Kushina.

"It's not going to be easy, but I'll help you through this." Kushina wiped away at Sakura's tears.

They both stayed silent as Kushina helped Sakura wash up. Afterwards she helped her into a sleeping gown. This sipped a cup of honey tea on the porch before they turned in for the night. They slept next to each other that night.

Sakura woke up at dawn. As she sat up she saw that Kushina was still out like a light.

She stood up gently holding her abdomen unconsciously. She pulled the covers up to Kushina and made her way down the stairs. She popped two painkillers in her mouth and washed it down with some peach ice tea in the fridge.

After migrating to the salon to go through her luggage she looked up at the clock and then sighed; "might as well" she opened up a drawer next to the loveseat to find her grandfather's truck keys and a key ring, which held the key to the house.

She wrote a quick note on the note pad and stuck it on the fridge before walking out on the porch, "At pops place, be back soon."

She made her way to the back of the house to find the truck hidden under canvas; she tugged at the edges to reveal it and she unconsciously smiled, "It's been a while old friend."

The polished white truck glistened in the haze of the rising sun.

She opened the driver's door and turned the key in the ignition she whistled tapping the dashboard, "You still run like new."

She held the gearshift and pushed the clutch in as she eased her foot on the gas she shifted into first. She geared up as she made it out of the long gravel driveway. After three miles of driving she came upon a bend that led to a dusted road that was framed with large trees. Her late grandparents' home came into view within moments.

"I'm home" she spoke her eyes twinkled.

She geared the truck down as it dipped down the hill into the driveway. She parked the car and turned of the ignition and she walked out the car.

She stood in the driveway and inhaled the air that was stained with orange citrus. It was nearly picking season.

She held the key for house and pocketed it in her sleeping gown as she made her way towards the orchids. Her tall rubber boots sloshing through the moist earth as her fingers grazed the trees.

The oranges were still green, not too far away from turning their color. Sakura zigzagged through the orchids and found one ripe orange. She quickly plucked it off the tree and pulled out a Swiss army knife from her key ring and peeled at the skin, her tongue salivating.

Her eyes closed in ecstasy, as she tasted the orange. The juice trickled down her chin as the sun began to rise.

She rubbed her sticky hands on her gown and began trudging back to the house.

But prior to reaching the house the sound of a dog barking echoed through the orchid. Sakura heart began to pound and she began to run fumbling for the keys in her pocket not bothering to look at the dog that was chasing her.

'PAKKUN! Halt!' A husky voice boomed through the valley between the orchids.

The barking ceased. Sakura stopped as she held her abdomen painfully as if cramped from the running. She looked back to see a small dog sitting obediently as a man kneeled before it and patted him gently.

Sakura didn't know the man and it scared her slightly because he was on her property.

"Wh-Who are you?" She called out, trying to soothe the cramps in the abdomen.

The man's back was to her but he turned around after he stopped petting his dog and he dusted his hands on his trousers.

He was a handsome man; Sakura blushed internally when she noticed his dimples. He on a sun hat and wore a bronze tan on his skin. A grey cotton t-shirt lay on his tall lean frame. His eyes were the color of the comforting black of the night sky void.

"I suppose you're Sakura then?" He smiled.

"You supposed correctly" She arched her brow suspiciously

He laughed to himself, "Sorry I should introduce myself." He walked up closer and Sakura's eyes softened at his features. He stuck his hand out, "The names Kakashi. Hatake Kakashi. I've been taking care of your grandparents' orchid for some time now."

"Ah so you're the Kakashi Hatake, what a pleasure." Sakura shook his hand and sighed loudly, "and I here I thought you're some crazed axe murderer or something. Jesus."

She was a sweet looking girl. Young, Kakashi noted. Dusty peach hair in two loose braids framing her freckled heart shaped face. Killer emerald eyes flaked with gold. She wore a seersucker cotton nightgown in baby blue. Black wellies donned her small feet.

Kakashi laughed, "Sorry we didn't get to meet before hand. I guess I've just been the "behind the scenes" of Haruno Oranges"

Sakura smiled gently looking past him, "You've done a great job."

"Don't make me blush." Kakashi humored

"You new to town?" Sakura spoke

"Moved here about a year ago." Kakashi replied

"Well I guess I'll extend you a late welcome." Sakura said kindly.

Kakashi tipped his forward, "Pleasures mine."

After a moment of awkward silence Sakura looked up, "Coffee?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

"Is your dog hungry? He looked about ready to make a meal out of me not so long ago." She grumbled.

Kakashi scratched at his head sheepishly, "That's just his way of saying hello."

"I'll make sure to remember that." Sakura snorted.

"It's hard not to." Kakashi chuckled

And they both laughed as they made their way to the home.

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A little different I don't know I just wanted to try something new

I was bored with my other stories

I hope you liked it I don't know if I'd continue

I'll see maybe

Ok probably

Until next time

Much love

Oxza