Untitled 4-7
Apparently my post was too big. So...
Sweet Dreams
Sakura was freezing. She couldn’t feel her toes, and she was sure she would never feel fully dry again.
She sniffed.
It seemed that she was getting a cold, too. Fantastic.
She huddled deeper into her blanket, staring glumly out the narrow opening of the small cave. The rain was pounding down, quickly turning into a storm. She could see the tops of trees swaying in the fierce wind, and heard thunder in the distance.
She closed her eyes and moved back to lean against the wall, turning away from the view of the outside weather.
She looked up to see Sasuke looking at her, his gaze intense. She flushed and looked away. Normally, she would be ecstatic, but today… she was edgy.
Naruto flopped down beside her, grumbling. He had been pestering Kakashi, trying to get a glimpse of his favorite book, but he refused to budge.
“When you’re older,” was all he said, smiling behind his mask.
Now Naruto scowled and ranted from his spot beside Sakura. Normally she would snap at him to be quiet, then move closer to Sasuke, but today she found herself staying put.
Naruto was loud, crude, and impossibly annoying, but he oozed warmth and provided her the comfort she craved.
Thunder rumbled again outside, louder than before, and a flash of lightning lit up the inside of the cave, making Sakura jump, immediately catching the attention of her ever-watchful team.
“Are you okay, Sakura-chan?” Naruto asked, brow furrowed in concern.
She smiled at him, nodding absently. “Don’t worry about me, Naruto, I’m just… I’m fine.”
Naruto hesitated, then turned away. Sakura gnawed on her lip, so lost in thought that she didn’t notice Sasuke and Naruto exchange glances.
-o-
Since Sakura was a little girl, alone and bullied by others, she had slept restlessly. Particularly before she met Ino, she had nightmares about her encounters with the mean children who insulted her.
They had stopped for the most part while they were friends, but came back when they ended their friendship.
The truth was, when Ino and she stopped talking, Sakura mostly lost her friends again. She wasn’t bullied any longer, but she was still alone.
Since becoming part of Team Seven, with the boy she admired, and the one who adored her, the nightmares were becoming less frequent.
But still she worried. Sakura was, after all, very insecure, and she worried that she would never have anything to offer Sasuke, that Kakashi wouldn’t want her as a student, and (though she’d never admit it) that Naruto would give up on her.
So far, she had been lucky enough to avoid the nightmares, but after Sasuke had had to save her again, from a drunk who didn’t know when to take a hint, she was feeling particularly down. The gloomy patter of rain didn’t help, either.
Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi settled down to sleep. Sasuke volunteered to keep the first watch. Kakashi would do the rest of the night. Naruto couldn’t stay up if his life depended on it, and Sakura…
She sighed again. So she was weak. It didn’t matter, right?
She closed her eyes, trying to think of happy things to ward off the bad dreams. Punching Naruto, going on a date with Sasuke, buying that new dress she had seen at the mall, furry kittens - anything.
But as she drifted off, the rumble of thunder turned into shrieking laughs of young girls teasing her about her forehead. The cold seeped into her bones, just like the feeling of dread, and she whimpered softly.
“Not again…” she murmured, clenching her eyes shut tighter, as the recurring dream continued to torment her.
-o-
Sasuke’s gaze snapped over to where Sakura was muttering in her sleep, and then to Naruto and Kakashi, who were sitting up. They didn’t seem to have even fallen asleep.
Kakashi rose to his feet and crept over to Sakura. He peered down at Sakura’s flushed face, and noted the shivers wracking her body.
“Naruto,” he whispered, “Grab my blanket for me.”
The blond complied, for once silent, and gave his teacher the blanket, which he draped over Sakura.
Kakashi looked over to Sasuke, who was watching Sakura, body tense.
“Sasuke, I’ll take over. You go to bed.” He smiled knowingly and sat down by the entrance of the cave, opposite the reluctant, but standing, Uchiha.
Sasuke hesitated, then moved to sit near Sakura and Naruto. The latter was already scooting closer to the sleeping girl, mumbling to himself - or maybe to her, Sasuke didn’t know.
Sasuke looked at Sakura. He wasn’t unfamiliar with nightmares, and he knew Naruto wasn’t, either, but it as different with Sakura. Sasuke was used to seeing her cry in battle, and she was always emotional, whether it was anger at Naruto or Kakashi, or hurt because of him, but seeing her lying there, moaning, wasn’t right.
They could protect her from weapons and enemies. They would do anything to keep her safe, even lay down their own lives if they had to; but how could they protect her from her own demons?
Coming to a decision, Sasuke moved closer, dragging his blanket beside Sakura’s sleeping form. Then he glared at Naruto, as if daring him to say anything.
He did. “Sakura-stealing jerk,” he muttered.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Moron.”
Kakashi’s voice floated over to them. “Shut up and sleep, you two. We have to get up early tomorrow.”
-o-
“Forehead-girl!”
“Billboard-brow!”
“Look at that girl, she has no friends. What a loser…”
“Look at her hair!”
“Forget the hair, check out her forehead…”
Sakura burrowed her face in her blanket, trying to drown out the voices in her head. They were fading in and out, and had been for a while now. She also felt much warmer, and unconsciously snuggled closer to the source.
Then, as if from far away, she heard her name.
“Sakura… jerk.”
Sakura twitched. Naruto was so annoying.
Then, a smoother voice, one that made her smile to herself: Sasuke’s.
“Idiot.”
And her dreams shifted…
“You can’t have Sakura, you understand? She’s mine!” Sasuke roared at Naruto. Said boy frowned, looking to Sakura sadly.
“Um, sorry?” she said nervously. Then she hopped over to Sasuke, and he gathered her into his arms…
In her deep, now-sweet slumber, Sakura grinned.
-o-
Early next morning, around five, judging by the light outside, Sakura woke to find Kakashi gone, probably to find something to eat, and Naruto and Sasuke sleeping soundly, one on either side of her. They looked exhausted. Her fingers were clenched in the fabric of Naruto’s shirt, and her face was turned towards Sasuke’s.
Sakura smile fondly at them, got to her feet, and padded over to the opening of the cave.
She had slept soundly last night, and she knew why. Most nights she was alone in her room, on the opposite side of the house from her parents. She woke up throughout the night with no comfort she could turn to.
Last night, though, she had been with her boys.
Naruto, loveable, warm, and caring, had offered her the shelter she needed, allowing her to grab onto him for support throughout the night.
Sasuke, cold, unreachable, but strong and sturdy, had made sure she knew he was there; he knew how aware she was of his presence, even when she was sleeping.
Kakashi, lazy, distant, and reliable, had kept his eyes on her all night, she knew. The comfort she felt around him was like no other she had ever felt. When she was with him, she knew she would be protected.
Scratch that; when she was with them all, she knew nothing would ever happen to her.
So she couldn’t take care of herself; it was only because the people she loved most wouldn’t let her.
Sakura turned back to her sleeping teammates, and before she could wimp out, kissed each softly on the cheek, not even blushing when she came to Sasuke.
“Sleep well.”
In Sickness and In Health
When Naruto sneezed, it was loud, a great honking sneeze with snot and spit. When Sasuke sneezed, it was sharp, but stifled, as if that was another weakness he couldn’t afford.
When they both sneezed at the same time, Kakashi decided it was time to take action.
“It seems you two are sick,” he said idly, pocketing his book. Beside him, Sakura followed his gaze to the two boys. Naruto was sniffing, hands buried in his pockets and looking miserable. Sasuke’s pale skin was flushed, and he looked exhausted.
Sakura bit her lip. They didn’t look too good, while she was in perfect health all because she had had some nightmares. She wanted to kick herself.
Kakashi, meanwhile, had already walked up to them and placed a hand on each of their foreheads. They were burning up, and he pulled away with a concerned frown. “We need to get you two someplace warm.” It was drizzling lightly outside, and now that he was closer, he could see the two of them shaking slightly from the cold.
But here was a problem. They couldn’t be expected to take care of themselves. Naruto wouldn’t know how, and Sasuke wouldn’t bother. No, they needed to be watched over, treated properly. It wasn’t serious enough for the hospital, but his apartment wouldn’t do. It wasn’t very big, and he wouldn’t have the right materials…
“We can go to my house.”
The three of them looked at Sakura. She was fidgeting, her eyes wide with an emotion Kakashi recognized. Guilt.
“I’m fine,” Sasuke snapped irritably. It would have sounded more convincing if his stuffy nose hadn’t made his voice come out congested, but it did, and so Kakashi was able to ignore him.
“Your house, Sakura-chan?” Naruto echoed, eager as always. “Yeah, yeah! I wanna see! But,” he added hastily, glancing at Sasuke, “I’m not sick, either.”
“You’re both sick, and you both are coming with us,” Kakashi ordered firmly, his one visible eye narrowing at Sasuke, who looked very much like he would like to protest. “No excuses.” After all, both boys were practically falling asleep standing up.
But then he turned and looked at Sakura, who was just about trembling with nerves, and his gaze softened. Leaning closer so Naruto and Sasuke (who were now insisting the other needed to get some medicine and rest because they were sick) couldn’t hear, he murmured, “Are you sure they can come? Because you know, your-”
“It’s alright,” Sakura said, too loudly. Sasuke and Naruto looked over at them curiously, and she cleared her throat. “No one’s home. I-I’d like to have someone around. And I have some medicine,” she babbled, hoping Kakashi-sensei would stop looking at her that way.
He did, straightening and smiling at his team. “Alright. To Sakura’s!”
-o-
Sasuke listened to his sensei, respected him when he wasn’t reading his porn. That was the only reason, aside from his quickly rising fatigue, that he allowed himself to be dragged to Sakura’s surprisingly spacious home. Naruto had lost consciousness a while back, and was now slung over Kakashi’s shoulder. Sakura walked beside him, thankfully quiet. She had offered her arm for support, but he refused.
Now she led them up the stairs and to the end of a long hallway, where she pushed open the door to her room, tastefully decorated in pastel pinks and purples. Typical Sakura.
“Set him down on the bed,” Sakura told Kakashi, gesturing to the bed by the wall. She glanced apologetically at Sasuke. “I’ll get the futon. Just wait a moment, please.” And then she was gone.
He looked around. There were a few pictures of Team Seven, a number of stuffed animals that looked ratty and old, and a vanity with a brush and blow-dryer laying on it.
It was actually pretty empty, aside from the desk, which was piled with books and papers and looked absolutely chaotic next to the rest of the sparse room.
But then Sakura walked in with the bed, and asked him to lie down. Which he did, with a moment of hesitation. And he must have been more tired than he thought, since he fell asleep in under a minute, losing consciousness like the blond next to him.
-o-
“Kakashi-sensei, please refill that basin.”
“Kakashi-sensei, there are blankets in the closet. Can you get one for Naruto?”
“Kakashi-sensei, I’m going to get some soup for them. Watch them, please.”
Kakashi had to hand it to Sakura: she was a pro at this. She hadn’t sat down yet since they all arrived nearly an hour ago. She had been bustling around, taking care of them, whispering commands to him so she wouldn’t wake the two sleeping boys up. They had checked their temperatures earlier, and they had been high, but the two were already looking better. Sasuke was returning to his usual paleness, and Naruto wasn’t shivering anymore.
But now she was downstairs to get some soup and medicine for them, and the two were waking up as expected.
Kakashi looked at the moist towel in his hand that he was about to put on Sasuke’s forehead. What was he supposed to do now?
-o-
Naruto looked sleepily over at Sasuke, who met his unfocused gaze with one of his own.
“You okay, jerk?” he rasped.
“Moron,” Sasuke whispered hoarsely. “I told you you were sick.”
“Shh, you two,” said a soothing voice, “Don’t talk.” Two pairs of hands worked to make each boy sit up. “Eat.”
Naruto smiled at Sakura, pleased that he was faced with her and not Kakashi, as he had expected, considering… well, she was Sakura, and he wasn’t Sasuke.
He flopped back against the pillows with a deep sigh, and Sakura, smiling when he yawned, asked, “Would you like me to feed you?”
Not wanting to seem too eager, Naruto nodded. Beside him, Sasuke scowled as Kakashi put the tray on his lap and walked off to look out the window.
“It’s raining,’ Kakashi said, just as thunder rumbled and lightning flashed.
“Um, we see that, sensei,” Sakura said, since no one else would reply.
Kakashi chuckled lightly, turning around and looking straight at her. His tone was light. “When will your parents be home, Sakura?”
“Not for a couple of days. They’re on a business trip.”
Kakashi nodded, apparently coming to a decision. “Perhaps Sasuke and Naruto should stay here, then. So you could take care of them?”
Sakura turned pink, ducking her head and mumbling a quiet “No problem,” even as Sasuke attempted to convince Kakashi he was fine.
“I need to get home,” he snapped. “I have to train.” Just then, however, he broke off to cough loudly, knocking over the soup. It would’ve spilled onto his lap if Naruto hadn’t leaned over to catch it.
“Sasuke, shut up. You’re staying here,” Kakashi said, just as Sakura squealed, “Naruto! Be careful!” and reached over to pluck the steaming bowl from his hands.
“Stupid Sasuke. Be careful next time,” Naruto scolded, examining his red fingers and sticking them in his mouth.
“Shut it, loser,” he grumbled to Naruto. To Kakashi, he said, “I’m fine. I’m not as weak as him. I’m leaving.”
“Sit down-”
“Who are you calling loser, loser-”
“QUIET!!”
Everything went very still. Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi turned surprised eyes on Sakura, who was juggling two bowls of soup, a bottle of medicine, and an extremely pissed-off expression.
Setting down the food and medicine on her bedside table, she scowled, putting her hands on her hips. “Sasuke-kun, you need your rest. Naruto, you need to stop fighting with Sasuke-kun. Kakashi-sensei, please bring a couple of glasses of water.” Kakashi complied, exiting quietly, and Sasuke reluctantly sank back into the pillows propping him up. Then they watched as Sakura sat in between them and took two spoonfuls of the piping hot soup sitting on the table in front of her, and held them out.
“Eat,” she ordered. And Sasuke and Naruto were too scared to do anything but obey.
-o-
“Wow, Sakura-chan,” Naruto said admiringly as he opened his mouth so Sakura could give him the medicine and some water. When he gulped both down and she went on to Sasuke, he continued, “You should be a medic.”
Sakura smiled at the compliment, shyly instructing Sasuke to open his mouth. He did so, looking at her with an intense, unreadable gaze. “Thanks, Naruto.”
Naruto was already lying down again, the medicine making him drowsy. “Don’t you think she’s good, Sasuke?”
Sasuke didn’t quite know what to say. So he settled for “Hn.”
Still, lying against her pillows, breathing in everything that was calm and comforting and Sakura, with Naruto already snoring gently beside him, and Kakashi flipping page of his book in the corner, Sasuke had to agree.
Maybe it was the fever talking… but if he had to be sick, there were no other people he’d rather be sick around.
Trick-or-Treat
“So have you bought your costume yet?”
Naruto was quick to answer, even though Sakura was looking at Sasuke. Of course, the dark-haired avenger made no move to indicate he had heard her - but he looked up when Naruto bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet.
“For Halloween? Yeah, yeah! I did, Sakura-chan!”
“What are you going as, Naruto?” she asked him to try and calm him down, still glancing at Sasuke. He seemed to be listening; his arms were folded across his chest, and he looked bored, but his eyes were fixed on the two of them.
“I’m going as a Hokage, duh. I need to prepare the world for this face and that hat,” Naruto replied, flashing her a thumbs-up and a bright grin.
Sakura hid a smile. Naruto was annoying, but she had to admire his confidence. He was always so sure of himself, and she wished she could be more like him.
“That’s original, Naruto,” she said instead, sarcasm dripping from her words. “Hokage. Wow. I bet there won’t be about fifty other kids dressed up as that.”
Naruto’s grin faltered.
“But I guess you’ll be the most eye-catching,” Sakura mused, turning to Sasuke so she missed the grin she knew was coming. “And you, Sasuke-kun?”
Sasuke grunted. “I don’t celebrate Halloween.”
For a moment, Sakura was so surprised he replied to fully process his words. When the meaning finally hit, though, her jaw dropped. “Really? But-why?”
She regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth. Sasuke flashed her a cold look that chilled her to the bone, and her gaze dropped to the ground, while she mentally berated herself for putting her foot in her mouth - again.
“Ah, he’s no fun anyways,” Naruto said, waving Sasuke off. When Sakura looked up at him, he asked, “What are you going as, Sakura-chan?”
Sakura fidgeted with the hem of her dress. She didn’t want to admit to her boring costume, but they were going to find out anyways.
“…ry,” she mumbled so softly, Naruto - and Sasuke - could only hear the last part?
“What?”
Sakura glared. “I said, …ai…” Again she muttered something unintelligible.
“…Huh?”
Sakura stomped her foot and screamed, just as Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke, “FAIRY!”
Naruto stepped back at her volume, and Kakashi blinked. “Huh… never been called that before.”
Sakura’s face flamed, and Naruto hastened to assure her, “It’s really not such a bad costume. I’m sure you’ll look beautiful.”
Sakura appreciated the thought, but she was still kicking herself for agreeing to wear the costume her mom bought her.
“Oh, Halloween.” Kakashi scratched his head thoughtfully. “Are you all going trick-or-treating?”
“Not Sasuke, because he’s lame,” Naruto was quick to say.
Kakashi looked at Sasuke. Sasuke looked at anything but Kakashi.
“Well. I hope you have people to go with you.”
Naruto frowned. Unless he managed to convince Iruka-sensei to take him, he would be on his own.
Sakura frowned too. She wouldn’t admit it, but she was as much of a loner as Naruto. She had no one to go with except her parents. And she would never agree to that.
“We’re ninja,” she informed Kakashi haughtily. “We can take care of ourselves.”
Kakashi patted her on the head. “It’s a teacher’s duty to make sure his students are safe. The four of us will go together.”
He smiled, Naruto cheered, winking not-so-subtly at Sakura, Sakura tried not to show how pleased she was at the fact that Kakashi-sensei apparently didn’t trust her to do anything alone, and Sasuke glared.
“I’m. Not. Going,” he reminded Kakashi.
But Kakashi ignored him. “Come here at six tonight. Don’t be late!”
Naruto and Sakura complained about the unfairness of that statement, but Kakashi only turned to mutter to Sasuke, “Do this and I’ll teach you a new move.”
Sasuke scowled. No training, babysitting his teammates, and candy? This new technique had better be worth the trouble.
-o-
“I knew you’d look beautiful, Sakura-chan,” Naruto said earnestly the moment Sakura arrived at their meeting spot. Straightening her silk white dress, she reddened, glancing hopefully at Sasuke.
“…Um, Sasuke-kun? What are you supposed to be?”
Naruto snorted. “Isn’t it obvious? He’s a jerk with a pole up his butt.”
“I didn’t dress up,” Sasuke said, shooting Naruto a glare.
“But, Sasuke-kun-” Sakura’s brows furrowed. “Don’t you want any candy?”
Sasuke looked bored. “I don’t like sweets.”
Kakashi appeared then, to lead them off, and Sakura couldn’t press further but she thought privately that Sasuke would get bagfuls of candy even without a costume.
-o-
Naruto had never enjoyed anything so much. When he was just another boy in costume, with friends (and Sasuke), he didn’t get the dirty looks he had grown so accustomed to. Instead he got chocolate bars and brightly-colored sweets. Sakura laughed along with him, and Kakashi tried to steal some of his candy.
But he wished Sasuke would join in. he looked so sad and too old for his age, trailing along behind them. He wanted his best friend to join in and be happy the way he was on this night - but he didn’t know how to go about it.
Sakura was looking at Sasuke too, and Naruto couldn’t even feel jealous when she nodded to herself, turned on her heel, and walked over to him. “Sasuke-kun,” she said, pulling out the thick white hair band holding back her long pink hair. “Come here.”
Sasuke stepped back. “No,” he said, looking wary. “Why?”
“Trust me, Sasuke,” Sakura told him. Then she flushed. “Kun,” she added quickly. “Sasuke-kun.”
He was still resisting, so Kakashi helped out. “Sasuke, play nice.”
“Yeah, jerk. Play nice!” Naruto jeered.
Sasuke’s eyes narrowed, but he stopped trying to get away. Sakura stepped forward and tied her hair band around the lower half of his face and adjusted his hitai-ate so it was falling over one eye. Then she grinned, stepped back, and let the others see.
Naruto laughed, and Kakashi said, sounding mildly surprised, “Oh, look. It’s my mini-me.”
Sakura smiled bashfully, and Sasuke just glared, gritting his teeth.
“Oh, you know how you could improve his costume?” Naruto piped up abruptly. “Give him one of your nasty novels, Kakashi-sensei.”
“Maybe when he’s older, Naruto,” Kakashi said. “Nice try, though.”
“I’m surrounded by perverts,” Sakura said dryly.
“I’m surrounded by un-fun losers,” Naruto said with a shrug, walking over to Sasuke and handing him an extra bag. “Good thing I always come prepared. You can put your candy in here.” To Sakura, he continued, “Except you of course, Sakura-chan.”
“I’m wounded, Naruto. Also, appalled by your grammar,” Kakashi said.
Sasuke suppressed a twitch of the lips when he looked into the surprisingly heavy bag and saw the giant chocolate bar - the largest Naruto had received - resting at the bottom.
“I’m surrounded by morons,” he muttered to himself without any real venom.
Best Friends
I know what it’s like to have a best friend.
I know the courage it gives you to know someone out there is always going to listen to you and care for you. When I had Ino, I knew I wouldn’t have to be alone again. She was popular and pretty and fun, and she made me feel like I was worth knowing.
When I walk behind Naruto and Sasuke, I know that they are best friends. Because while they might fight and argue and curse each other, Sasuke-kun will never shove Naruto away, and Naruto will always be the first to defend Sasuke-kun.
Me, I’m on the outside looking in.
Naruto laughs loudly at something Sasuke-kun said. He’s leaning against the wall, looking over our competition for the Chuunin exam, and I’m sure that what made Naruto laugh was some derisive comment about the others. Sasuke-kun is always so sure of himself, and so is Naruto. You would think two people like that would hate each other, but Sasuke-kun isn’t shooting that cold glare at the hyper-active blond beside him.
I scan the crowds, swallowing hard. I see Ino, and she sees Sasuke-kun. Once upon a time, we would run to each other, hug, and start babbling like we hadn’t seen each other in years. Now she heads straight for Sasuke-kun, shoving Naruto aside as she does so.
I’m about to head over there, give that pig a piece of my mind, but Sasuke-kun moves suddenly, and I pause, watching.
Naruto is sprawled on the floor, scowling at Ino. Sasuke-kun looks at him, looks at Ino, and shoves her off. He doesn’t offer Naruto a hand, doesn’t tell Ino off for pushing him, only waits for Naruto to get up, then walks away silently.
Towards me.
“Come on, Sakura,” Sasuke-kun mutters, so I hurry to trail behind them. But I glance back at Ino. She looks shocked at Sasuke-kun’s brush-off.
When she meets my gaze, she looks embarrassed and turns away too fast. It makes my heart hurt.
Ino and I were the greatest of friends, but the opposite of Sasuke-kun and Naruto. We were loud and affectionate, complimenting each other and gossiping over lunch, sharing dresses and hairstyles and notes in class.
But maybe our relationship was too fragile, too shallow, to ever stand up to life. Ino and I broke. But maybe Sasuke-kun and Naruto don’t have to.
“Sakura-chan, come on!” Naruto calls over his shoulder. They both have stopped, some distance ahead, because they noticed I wasn’t there.
Ino runs back to her team, her blonde ponytail bobbing. She’s moved on with her life, she’s made new friends.
Maybe it’s time I did the same.
“Coming!” I shout back. And then I walk forward. I don’t look back.