Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Women of Venus ❯ Promise of a Lifetime ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter 5: Promise of a Lifetime

Sakura stirred trying to bury herself deeper into the heat keeping her safe. The air from the air conditioner was blowing on her skin, yet she felt warm. She opened her eyes seeing a crystal necklace resting on a tanned, muscular chest. Sakura smiled serenely. Last night wasn’t all just a dream.

Lifting her head up, she saw the peaceful look on Naruto’s face as he slept on the couch. Her hands where still entwined with his. Each finger was carefully interlocked with one another. His hands had always been rough and calloused, but she knew from personal experience how gentle and loving they could be. Carefully untangling herself from Naruto, she pulled her left hand towards her face gazing at the lock of hair wrapped around her ring finger. It was her first ring. She’d have to reinforce it with more string to keep it from unraveling, but it was the best gift she had ever received: so simple, yet so like Naruto.

Staring at his face, she couldn’t help but smile at how adorable he was. She had fervently denied how handsome he was for far too long. But she was glad that they were able to open their hearts to one another last night. Moments like these were hard to come by. There were no worries, no missions; it was just the both of them lying with each other. Slowly getting up, Sakura disentangled herself from her fiancé. Thinking about the new title made Sakura giddy. She was engaged and to Naruto of all people. She wanted to do something special for him, as his fiancée. She didn’t think that Naruto had ever had breakfast in bed before. Smiling at the idea, Sakura gave Naruto a quick peck on the lips. She almost laughed when his lips curled up into a smile after she kissed him. Gathering her clothes that were thrown around the room, Sakura gave him a bit of decency by covering him up with a T-shirt they had used as a blanket. It was time to make some breakfast, but first, a shower.

Feeling the hot water cascading down her body brought back flashes of the pure heat emanating from Naruto’s lips. Remembering his kisses made her weak in the knees. Anko had told her that one of the best feelings wasn’t the actual act itself, but the afterglow of being held by a man who thinks you are the sun and the moon. Of course, Anko also said that she herself had never had that experience, but she had heard from Kurenai that it was wonderful. Thinking about last night, it was true. Sakura could get used to waking up every morning knowing that kind of love.

Sakura was too preoccupied reflecting on her night with Naruto that she didn’t notice the other presence in her room before she heard a shrill whistle of appreciation.

“Wow, Sakura-chan. Is there anything that you don’t look hot in?” Naruto eyed Sakura’s towel-clad form from head to toe.

Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin. “Naruto! You nearly scared me to death.” Once Sakura laid eyes on her fiancé, all coherent thoughts left her mind. Naruto was lying in her bed with his arms behind his back in a causal pose. The T-shirt she had draped over him was partly covering him, but Sakura could tell that with the way things were going, it was going to be on the floor soon.

“Like what you see?”

“Yes,” Sakura gasped.

Naruto held his hand out to Sakura, gesturing for her to come closer. Like a magic spell, Sakura walked towards him entranced by the intensity in his eyes, the way his body was molded into perfection and most importantly, the look of pure love. She put her hand in his and let him flip her onto her back. The towel had fluttered to the ground somewhere next to the T-shirt. Her cheeks were flushed as she lay beneath Naruto.

His lips were exploring every inch of her body. They moved from her mouth to her neck, shoulders and lingered heavily over her chest. The pair hadn’t even had breakfast yet and he was trying to get some dessert. Leave it to Naruto to think with his body and not with his head, or at least the one attached to his neck. Sakura’s eyes shot wide open as Naruto made his descent until he was almost there.

Pushing Naruto’s head back Sakura sputtered, “Naruto! Don’t go down there! It’s–it’s private!”

“Well, duh Sakura-chan,” Naruto said as he eyed it hungrily. “I just want to reciprocate for what you did to me last night.”

“Naruto! That’s so vulgar!”

“Not as vulgar as what we did last night.”

Sakura blushed. She gazed into Naruto’s eyes and saw the amusement there. She also saw the desire mixed in with love. He wanted to do this: wanted to make her feel. “Are–are you sure you want to do that?”

Naruto gave her a heart-warming smile. “Sakura, do you trust me?”

“Of course.”

“Then let me love you.”

Anko was right, #13 was heavenly.

* * *

It took some time, but eventually both Naruto and Sakura had breakfast and left her apartment. As Sakura walked around the town hand-in-hand with Naruto, she couldn’t help but feel that things were different. The sky seemed a bit brighter and the air much crisper. People even looked at them differently, it was as if they knew what had transpired between the pair and they approved. Was this how the world looked through the eyes of a person madly in love?

Yet at the same time, things hadn’t changed at all. He was still loud and obnoxious, she still had to keep him in check with her fists and they were still the best of friends. The only major difference was that they were now “official.” He no longer had to steal glimpses of her out of the corner of his eyes and she could now see first-hand the pure adoration he always had for her. Sakura almost laughed at how he was finally noticing the looks she had been giving him.

They were taking their time strolling through the village when Naruto spotted something over her shoulder. The gleeful look on his face made her wonder if there was a box of free ramen sitting the side of the road. She didn’t have time to turn around as Naruto literally swept her off her feet and carried her with one arm supporting her back and the other behind her knees.

“Naruto! Where are you taking me?” Sakura giggled while she wrapped her arms around his neck. She had always wanted to be carried like a bride by a handsome hero.

“You’ll see.”

Before Sakura knew it, they walked into a shop. She recognized the store from the many times she and Ino had window-shopped here. It was Konoha’s primer jewelry store. Her eyes lit up in anticipation. “Naruto, what are y–?”

Naruto interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. “Excuse me, sir? I need to buy an engagement ring for my beautiful fiancée!”

The store owner smiled at the loving couple. It wasn’t often that he found a pair walking into the store where the man was carrying his intended. Even so, he knew that the pair were meant for each other. His old eyes had seen a lot of couples walk into this store putting their love into symbols of affection, but few of them had the same glow that this couple had. They were going to be together for a long, long time. He could tell. “So what price range are you looking for? I have a wide selection.”

Putting Sakura down so he could pull out his frog-shaped wallet, Naruto put the overstuffed bundle on the counter. Apparently Naruto had been saving up. “Give me the best that my money can buy!”

Sakura stared wide-eyed at the scene unfolding before her. “Naruto! You don’t have to spend that much on me. I mean, that must be your life savings!”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered. I’ve actually been saving up for a while. Besides, you’re totally worth it. I’m only getting the best for my Sakura-chan.”

The serene look Naruto gave her dispelled all her worries. She should have known he would pull a stunt like this. “Leave it to you to never do things half-assed.”

“It’s because of you that I can do crazy things like this. Only you.”

Sakura embraced Naruto kissing him lightly on the lips. “So you’re really doing this huh? You’re really going to give this girl everything?”

“That’s a promise of a lifetime, you better believe it,” Naruto responded lovingly. “And don’t think I’ve forgotten about my promise to bring back Sasuke, I mean, who else is going to be my best man?”

“Yeah,” Sakura smiled wistfully. “You know, you’ve been making so many promises to me, maybe it’s about time that I make some to you.”

“Do you really mean it?” Naruto asked looking positively thrilled.

“Of course, I wouldn’t mean it if I didn’t love you.”

Naruto was at a loss for words. He couldn’t get enough of hearing her admit her feelings for him. “Do you promise to tell me you love me every morning?”

“Yes.”

“And at night too?”

“Yes,” Sakura laughed.

“Do you promise to make me homemade ramen anytime I want?”

“As long as you eat other things, yes.”

“Do you promise to give me those smiles of yours everyday?”

Sakura smiled. “Yes.”

“Do you promise me, promise me Sakura, that no matter what happens, even if Akatsuki were to come crashing in; that Sasuke were to come waltzing through those gates as if nothing had happened in the last few years because he’s a bastard like that, that you truly, sincerely love me?”

She wrapped her arms around Naruto in a tender embrace while gently stroking his whiskers. Pulling him in for a deep kiss, she whispered the very words he wanted to hear. “That isn’t a promise Naruto, that’s a fact.”