Naruto fic...or a start at least.
This was going so well at first... I had a fabulous Naruto dream and decided to expand it into a fic. The problem being that the events in the dream take place around the middle, and I know the end, but have NO clue about what leads up to the damn dream.
However...this is what I've got so far.
***
Prologue
Sakura stretched, working out the knots in her muscles from sitting in one position for too long. The relative peace was a change, albeit a welcome one, from the wars of the past eight, almost nine years. A few months ago Naruto had returned from another long absence. This time, however, he came back with the person Sakura had once wished had never left. Uchiha Sasuke. The boy she had pined over, and now the man she still loved, but for whom that love had changed. When Naruto had appeared at the city gates, covered in blood and seriously injured, Sakura had been feet in front of the ANBU to catch him before he hit the ground. She hadn’t even noticed that he’d brought the comatose Uchiha survivor with him.
Thinking back on it, she realized that that her feelings for Sasuke had cooled as she grew older and he wasn’t around. Of course, a small part of her brain muttered, the boy she spent most of those years with had matured into a very handsome young man. That was, of course, if you ignored the rude phrases that still came out of his mouth. She smiled as a pair of warm hands came from behind to massage her shoulders.
“Work getting to ya?”
“A bit. I’m not use to the quiet.”
“Heh.”
“A little lower.”
The hands moved lower on her back, and she nearly purred as the tension began to finally leave. She felt a chin rest on her shoulder, his cheek rubbing hers, and she sighed.
“We grew up too fast.”
“Yeah.”
“All of use, except you.”
“What?! Oy, that’s not fair.”
She tilted her head to look into a pair of affronted eyes.
“You’re still a kid sometimes, and that’s not a bad thing. Too many people in this village have forgotten what it means to be innocent.”
“Not ANOTHER lecture! I get enough of those in school!”
“Oh, come on. I’ll treat you to dinner.”
“Woohoo! Let’s go!”
The door to the office clicked shut, and two blurs of color were all that could be seen as the pair took off to a small shop several streets away.
“Two helpings is your limit!”
“I don’t eat THAT much!”
“You demolished TEN last week!”
“But I was hungry!”
“You’re always hungry! And don’t try whining at me!”
“But…but…Sakura…” He was cut off by a fist making contact with his jaw.
“Naruto, shut up.
Chapter 1
Ramen. It was still Naruto’s favorite food even at twenty years of age. Of course, his tastes had broadened (if you could count rice dishes as being completely different), and he would actually eat salads now, but only if they were placed in front of him and he’d lose face by refusing to eat them. However, he never turned down a chance to devour a bowl (or ten) of steaming noodles in broth. Over the past few years Sakura had become a frequent visitor to the ramen shop, although most of the time it was to grab her blond teammate by the collar of his jacket and drag him off for a sparring session. But just like Naruto, Sakura had actually, to her chagrin, developed a taste for the food, although hers tended to run towards the healthy rather than artery-clogging, sodium-filled versions he tended to prefer. He’d dubbed her favorite “the floating salad,” and grimaced every time she ordered it.
She smiled, listening to him babble away with the proprietor, all the while inhaling a seemingly endless string of noodles. It was pure Naruto, and she was fairly certain that it was an acquired skill. But then, most of the things he did were unique to his persona, and she had to admit that they made him a loveable character. Infuriating most of the time, but lovable. And, that tiny corner of her brain added, hot! Definitely hot! She shook her head ruefully. She could admit that Naruto had matured into a handsome man, hell, he was a good head taller than she was in heeled shoes, his shoulders had broadened, and he’d let his hair grow out a bit (he claimed it was too much of a hassle to cut all the time). He actually resembled a photo of the Forth she’d seen, which led her to start wondering about exactly what had happened the night the Kyuubi was sealed. She’d noticed, too, that some of the adults who had been involved in the battle were beginning to talk about how much Naruto looked like the village’s hero.
Despite those facts, she just couldn’t see Naruto as being potentially dateable. Not that Ino hadn’t been giving her substantial grief in that department either. The blonde woman couldn’t stop ribbing Sakura about why she wasn’t dating her teammate who had suddenly hit the “hot, available guy” chart. When Sakura fired back a sharp “Why aren’t you dating Shikamaru, then?” Ino had muttered something about the lazy-ass already having a girlfriend. Sakura had been confused until the Kazekage’s next visit, and she’d seen how close Shikamaru and Temari were. She’d snorted when Ino made a comment about the man’s taste for strong-minded, over-powered, overbearing women, and refused to be drawn into another “Since Sasuke’s under ANBU surveillance for the next six months with a no-visitor mandate, why don’t you go after Naruto?” argument. She had the feeling that Ino was actually vaguely interested in Naruto, which made her severely pissed off, as that small part of her brain had actually claimed the man. She’d never admit it, least of all to herself, but she had started feeling protective of not him per se, he could certainly take care of himself on missions, but of his feelings.
A few months before, prior to Sasuke’s return, she and Naruto had been training and she’d made a stupid comment that had upset him. It led to a long discussion about pasts, childhoods, and growing pains. She was finally beginning to understand just where her teammate was coming from; why he was the way he was, and that all the bravado covered a deep-seated fear of rejection. Thankfully, he’d found people who recognized him for who he was, which had helped alleviate some of the hurt, but a good bit of it was still there.
Listening to him lording over the success of his latest mission to the owner of the ramen shop she had to struggle not to laugh. But when a stray noodle flew up and hit him between the eyes, she couldn’t contain it any longer.
“Sakura-chan! It’s not funny, that hurt!”
“Oh, Naruto, it’s just that you normally have better control over where the noodles are going,” she gasped.
Naruto glared at the noodle, managing to make it rather comical as his eyes crossed in the process, before it vanished into his mouth. “Hey, Mister! Another bowl, please!”
Sakura shook her head. “That’s the last bowl I’m buying you, you bottomless pit!”
“Oh, please? The old pervert took my earnings again, and I don’t have enough hidden to come back here before my next mission! Please, Sakura-chan!”
“If I didn’t know Jiraiya-sama better, I’d call you a liar, Naruto. We’ll just have to ask Tsunade-sama to send us on a mission sooner.”
“Us?” Naruto perked up, looking insanely happy. “You mean you’ll come with me? Oh, Sakura-chan! I knew you loved me!” A resounding thud was heard out on the street as Naruto hit the floor, a lump growing on the top of his skull.
“Don’t even think about it, Naruto. You’re not twelve any longer.”
Naruto gave her a half-frown, half-pout. “Ya know, the old hag’s made you too strong. It’s not fair that you can break a boulder with a punch! It’d take me five rasengan blasts to do that!”
“Mmm, maybe you should keep that in mind the next time you decide to spy on me at the baths.”
Naruto spluttered, choking on his ramen. “I’ve NEVER…!”
“Then explain the black and orange jacket in the bushes last week. Oh, and the blond hair!”
“The old perv’s making me do water-walking again! It’s not MY choice to train while using the sexy-no-jutsu!”
Sakura rolled her eyes. The sad part was that it was mostly true. Jiraiya had become even more of a pervert now that he was close to sixty than he’d been at fifty.
***
That's about half of chapter one...writer's block's hit again and I can't get anywhere. Of course, classes are the current priority so maybe it'll bite me again once finals are over.
However...this is what I've got so far.
***
Prologue
Sakura stretched, working out the knots in her muscles from sitting in one position for too long. The relative peace was a change, albeit a welcome one, from the wars of the past eight, almost nine years. A few months ago Naruto had returned from another long absence. This time, however, he came back with the person Sakura had once wished had never left. Uchiha Sasuke. The boy she had pined over, and now the man she still loved, but for whom that love had changed. When Naruto had appeared at the city gates, covered in blood and seriously injured, Sakura had been feet in front of the ANBU to catch him before he hit the ground. She hadn’t even noticed that he’d brought the comatose Uchiha survivor with him.
Thinking back on it, she realized that that her feelings for Sasuke had cooled as she grew older and he wasn’t around. Of course, a small part of her brain muttered, the boy she spent most of those years with had matured into a very handsome young man. That was, of course, if you ignored the rude phrases that still came out of his mouth. She smiled as a pair of warm hands came from behind to massage her shoulders.
“Work getting to ya?”
“A bit. I’m not use to the quiet.”
“Heh.”
“A little lower.”
The hands moved lower on her back, and she nearly purred as the tension began to finally leave. She felt a chin rest on her shoulder, his cheek rubbing hers, and she sighed.
“We grew up too fast.”
“Yeah.”
“All of use, except you.”
“What?! Oy, that’s not fair.”
She tilted her head to look into a pair of affronted eyes.
“You’re still a kid sometimes, and that’s not a bad thing. Too many people in this village have forgotten what it means to be innocent.”
“Not ANOTHER lecture! I get enough of those in school!”
“Oh, come on. I’ll treat you to dinner.”
“Woohoo! Let’s go!”
The door to the office clicked shut, and two blurs of color were all that could be seen as the pair took off to a small shop several streets away.
“Two helpings is your limit!”
“I don’t eat THAT much!”
“You demolished TEN last week!”
“But I was hungry!”
“You’re always hungry! And don’t try whining at me!”
“But…but…Sakura…” He was cut off by a fist making contact with his jaw.
“Naruto, shut up.
Chapter 1
Ramen. It was still Naruto’s favorite food even at twenty years of age. Of course, his tastes had broadened (if you could count rice dishes as being completely different), and he would actually eat salads now, but only if they were placed in front of him and he’d lose face by refusing to eat them. However, he never turned down a chance to devour a bowl (or ten) of steaming noodles in broth. Over the past few years Sakura had become a frequent visitor to the ramen shop, although most of the time it was to grab her blond teammate by the collar of his jacket and drag him off for a sparring session. But just like Naruto, Sakura had actually, to her chagrin, developed a taste for the food, although hers tended to run towards the healthy rather than artery-clogging, sodium-filled versions he tended to prefer. He’d dubbed her favorite “the floating salad,” and grimaced every time she ordered it.
She smiled, listening to him babble away with the proprietor, all the while inhaling a seemingly endless string of noodles. It was pure Naruto, and she was fairly certain that it was an acquired skill. But then, most of the things he did were unique to his persona, and she had to admit that they made him a loveable character. Infuriating most of the time, but lovable. And, that tiny corner of her brain added, hot! Definitely hot! She shook her head ruefully. She could admit that Naruto had matured into a handsome man, hell, he was a good head taller than she was in heeled shoes, his shoulders had broadened, and he’d let his hair grow out a bit (he claimed it was too much of a hassle to cut all the time). He actually resembled a photo of the Forth she’d seen, which led her to start wondering about exactly what had happened the night the Kyuubi was sealed. She’d noticed, too, that some of the adults who had been involved in the battle were beginning to talk about how much Naruto looked like the village’s hero.
Despite those facts, she just couldn’t see Naruto as being potentially dateable. Not that Ino hadn’t been giving her substantial grief in that department either. The blonde woman couldn’t stop ribbing Sakura about why she wasn’t dating her teammate who had suddenly hit the “hot, available guy” chart. When Sakura fired back a sharp “Why aren’t you dating Shikamaru, then?” Ino had muttered something about the lazy-ass already having a girlfriend. Sakura had been confused until the Kazekage’s next visit, and she’d seen how close Shikamaru and Temari were. She’d snorted when Ino made a comment about the man’s taste for strong-minded, over-powered, overbearing women, and refused to be drawn into another “Since Sasuke’s under ANBU surveillance for the next six months with a no-visitor mandate, why don’t you go after Naruto?” argument. She had the feeling that Ino was actually vaguely interested in Naruto, which made her severely pissed off, as that small part of her brain had actually claimed the man. She’d never admit it, least of all to herself, but she had started feeling protective of not him per se, he could certainly take care of himself on missions, but of his feelings.
A few months before, prior to Sasuke’s return, she and Naruto had been training and she’d made a stupid comment that had upset him. It led to a long discussion about pasts, childhoods, and growing pains. She was finally beginning to understand just where her teammate was coming from; why he was the way he was, and that all the bravado covered a deep-seated fear of rejection. Thankfully, he’d found people who recognized him for who he was, which had helped alleviate some of the hurt, but a good bit of it was still there.
Listening to him lording over the success of his latest mission to the owner of the ramen shop she had to struggle not to laugh. But when a stray noodle flew up and hit him between the eyes, she couldn’t contain it any longer.
“Sakura-chan! It’s not funny, that hurt!”
“Oh, Naruto, it’s just that you normally have better control over where the noodles are going,” she gasped.
Naruto glared at the noodle, managing to make it rather comical as his eyes crossed in the process, before it vanished into his mouth. “Hey, Mister! Another bowl, please!”
Sakura shook her head. “That’s the last bowl I’m buying you, you bottomless pit!”
“Oh, please? The old pervert took my earnings again, and I don’t have enough hidden to come back here before my next mission! Please, Sakura-chan!”
“If I didn’t know Jiraiya-sama better, I’d call you a liar, Naruto. We’ll just have to ask Tsunade-sama to send us on a mission sooner.”
“Us?” Naruto perked up, looking insanely happy. “You mean you’ll come with me? Oh, Sakura-chan! I knew you loved me!” A resounding thud was heard out on the street as Naruto hit the floor, a lump growing on the top of his skull.
“Don’t even think about it, Naruto. You’re not twelve any longer.”
Naruto gave her a half-frown, half-pout. “Ya know, the old hag’s made you too strong. It’s not fair that you can break a boulder with a punch! It’d take me five rasengan blasts to do that!”
“Mmm, maybe you should keep that in mind the next time you decide to spy on me at the baths.”
Naruto spluttered, choking on his ramen. “I’ve NEVER…!”
“Then explain the black and orange jacket in the bushes last week. Oh, and the blond hair!”
“The old perv’s making me do water-walking again! It’s not MY choice to train while using the sexy-no-jutsu!”
Sakura rolled her eyes. The sad part was that it was mostly true. Jiraiya had become even more of a pervert now that he was close to sixty than he’d been at fifty.
***
That's about half of chapter one...writer's block's hit again and I can't get anywhere. Of course, classes are the current priority so maybe it'll bite me again once finals are over.