Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ After a Midnight Meeting: The sequel ❯ Helping Sakura Again ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Naruto and Hinata walked hand in hand, Hinata held a bunch of flowers in her free arm.
“Aren’t you glad Sakura told me about that field?” Naruto said.
“Yes, very much, the flowers there are so fresh! I wonder if that’s where Ino’s family gets their flowers from” Hinata looked at Naruto and smiled.
““if she hadn’t I’d be down about thirty bucks” Naruto grinned, Hinata giggled and rubbed her nose against Naruto’s. Naruto moved his face into Hinata’s to kiss her. It began to sprinkle lightly.
They approached a bridge, seeing Sakura leaning over the side alone. She stared into the water with a numb, distant look. She didn’t even notice Hinata and Naruto coming.
“Hey, Sakura” Naruto called to her. No answer from Sakura, she maintained her distant look.
“Is she okay?” asked Hinata.
“I don’t know…hey Sakura!” Naruto said again, concerned. Sakura was still blank, but she moved her arms to lift her over the handrail and throw herself over.
“Sakura!” Naruto and Hinata shouted together. Naruto leapt over the rail after her and dragged her from the cold water. Naruto sat on his knees, shaking Sakura. Hinata ran to their side.
“Sakura, what were you thinking? Do you realize what you were doing? You could have died!” Naruto screamed. Sakura’s lip quivered, tears began to stream down her cheeks and drip off her chin. She wrapped her arms around Naruto and shrieked with sadness. She buried her head into his chest and wailed.
Hinata kneeled by Naruto’s side and whispered “Naruto, this is bad, she’s gotten so much worse”
“Yeah, we should keep her for a while”

Naruto and Hinata took the soaked and crying Sakura to their home and changed into dry clothes. While Naruto held and soothed her, Hinata called Sakura’s house to tell her parents where she was. Hinata didn’t tell Sakura’s parents what had happened.
“Sakura, why would you do that?” Naruto said as Hinata talked to Sakura’s parents.
Sakura sobbed and whispered into Naruto’s coat “Sasuke“. Naruto shook his head. Thinking that this was getting a little annoying. He stroked her hair and held her until Hinata came to them.
“so what should we do?” asked Naruto.
“well, I called Sakura’s parents, she’s staying here tonight” Hinata answered.
“okay” Naruto said.
“Sakura, can you watch the tea? I have something I need to talk to Naruto about alone” Hinata said.
“okay” Sakura had stopped crying, but her face was still a bit puffy and red.
Hinata took Naruto into their bedroom to talk to him.
“Naruto…Sakura has gotten so much worse…I have no idea what we should do” Hinata whispered to him.
“tell me about it…It’s gotten so troublesome” Naruto said.
“Naruto!” Hinata’s expression suddenly turned from sympathetic to angry “Shame on you! Why would you say that about one of you best friends? A friend who is facing serious pain?”
“Hinata…I…” Naruto was speechless, this was the first time he could recall that he had made Hinata angry.
“Naruto, you’ve never been in such pain as Sakura and I… I longed for you for years before I could even manage to get you to notice me… Then you left again, had I not been a stronger girl, I would not be here for you to return to…” Hinata whispered and looked away from Naruto’s eyes.
“Hinata…I had no idea…”Naruto was speechless after that.
“Naruto, I know you don’t. But hopefully you can learn from us and know the pain I have faced and Sakura faces at this very moment” Hinata made eye contact with Naruto again.
“Now lets go out and help our friend” Hinata said.
They came back out to see Sakura on the couch with a cup of tea, two other steaming cups had been poured for Hinata and Naruto. They sat down on either side of her and sipped their tea. Sakura would lean on one, then switch to the other.
Eventually they had all put down their cups and scooted in close to each other, holding Sakura while she sobbed and let all her feelings that she had pen up come out.

Sakura fell asleep, fatigued from all her crying and overflowing emotions. Naruto carried Sakura to a guest bed and tucked her in. Hinata and Naruto went downstairs to clean up the tea together and enjoy some time alone.
They snuggled on the couch. Hinata looked up when she heard a knock on the door.
“I’ll go answer it” Naruto said, slipping out of Hinata’s arms.
“Who could it be? this late?” Hinata wondered.
Naruto opened the door and looked out to see who the strange visitor was.
“You better not be here to spread the word of J--” Naruto, when he saw who was at the door, was shocked and speechless.
At the door stood a boy with black hair, swept back in the rear and hanging down in the front. On his right shoulder he wore a gleaming shoulder plate of some polished black metal. From it hung a cape of dark silk.
“Sasuke…”Naruto said.
“I’m here to see someone, I was told I would find her here” Sasuke moved into the house with a grace that was almost unearthly. He looked at Hinata.
“How are you doing, my lady?” he said.
“I’m…okay” she stammered.
Sasuke moved upstairs, holding Naruto back.
“I wish to speak to her alone” he said.

Sakura slowly awakened to see the face of someone very familiar.
“Sasuke!” she shouted, her voice echoing to the floor below.
“Sakura…”he said, smiling. Sakura snatched Sasuke and pulled him down into the bed with her.
“oh Sasuke, don’t leave me again…” Sakura whispered, soaking Sasuke’s shirt with her tears. Sasuke held Sakura in his arms, not saying a thing.
“Sasuke, I love you” Sakura whispered to him “I love you more than you know. I want to grow old with you and get married. I want to help you restore the Uchiha clan”
“Sakura…” Sasuke whispered.
“yes, my love?” Sakura answered.
“I will not be staying for long, I leave tomorrow morning” he said.
“what? Why?” Sakura said, sobbing and staring with wild sadness into Sasuke’s eyes. “why are you so obsessed with revenge? Why do you neglect the people you love? You don’t have to fight your brother, we can leave the country and start a family, grow old and happy”
“it’s not about revenge anymore” Sasuke said. Sakura gasped.
“Sakura, I do not wish to avenge my clan, you and I will restore the greatness of my clan together…and even though I do not seek vengeance anymore, I know that the only thing necessary for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing”
Sakura frowned. “will you leave me again?”
“yes…but that day, when you stood up to me and told me not to leave, you saved my soul. I knew I could return to you when my quest was over. And it seems that I have eased your torment in coming to tell you that.”
Sakura smiled “Sasuke…”

The two slept together. Very early in the morning, when the sun had not come up yet Hinata, Naruto, and Sakura bid Sasuke a farewell. As he flew into the distance Naruto shouted a goodbye.
“Sasuke, when you come back, we’ll see who is the strongest!” The girls giggled, and Sakura looked at the rising sun.
“Sasuke, I’m strong enough to wait for you now…And when you come back, I’ll be even stronger for you”

Both I and Sakura will be strong, for the people we love.