Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Gardens of Rain	By : Leowen Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female > Naruto/Sakura Views: 3742 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
NoWhere_Man � I�m sorry if you disliked the previous
chapter. I knew it was going to be controversial when I wrote it but I felt it
was necessary to get across the ideas that initially envision for this
fanfiction. Fear not though the angst almost over and then the WAFF stuff will
be until the end�
Zell-chan � I�m glad I was able to get the emotional rise
out of you; my definition of a good story is one that I can really feel the
emotion in. As for Sakura slapping him, what I was really going for in the previous
chapter was the role reversal between Naruto and Sakura. Instead of her being
depressed over the loss of Sasuke and Naruto trying to cheer her up, it�s the
other way around. Also I have to disagree with you comment about Sakura
threatening to kill herself. Suicide should never be a threat under any
circumstances. Death is not something that should be trivially played with just
as Life should not be as quickly tossed away. I would never have any character
under any circumstances threaten to kill themselves,
just like I would scold anyone in the real world who would try to do the same.
Isaac � You�re absolutely right. As I stated above the point
of that chapter was to make the reader feel sick. Yes it was very dark and
depressing but that�s what I wanted to force the reader to feel because I
absolutely love it when a story makes me feel the same as the characters do. As
for the resolution to the emo-Naruto thing that everyone seems to be waiting
for, you�ll see it by the end of this chapter, promise. As I stated in the
pre-text to the chapter VII, originally this chapter and chapter VII were a
single chapter, but it seemed a bit too long for my tastes, plus I wanted to
update I just broke it into two separate chapters. Sorry for leaving you guys
hanging!
xXNarutoxSakuraXx
-- *laughs* I think I addressed everything you�re talking about in the above
review responses. Yea I probably overdid the emo thing a bit too much. I guess
I was just trying to REALLY get that feeling transferred to the reader and I
overdid it a little. Keep in mind this is my first attempt at writing a
fanfiction so I�m still trying to get used to my style and such. But like I
said the depression will soon be over so don�t worry! As always, thank you for
the review.
Chapter VIII
Whispers in the Dark
The knock came exactly at 6:00. Sakura was too eager to
cheer Naruto up to be a moment late. Surprisingly enough Naruto was also ready
when she arrived and opened the door almost immediately after she knocked. �Hey
you look great!� she smiled when the door swung open. Naruto in fact looked
exactly the same as he always did but Sakura hoped he understood she was trying
to say he always looked good.
�Heh, thanks. You too��
Sakura smiled and struck a pose, �You think so? I wanted to
try out a new look and see what you thought!� In actuality, Sakura had dug
through her closet for a better part of a half hour looking for the perfect
outfit. The entire time she was pondering �Why the hell do I have so many
clothes and yet wear the same thing practically every day�� nonetheless she
found a shirt in the very back of her closet that she hadn�t worn in years. She
had worn it to a village event in hopes that it would impress Sasuke and sadly,
even in his depressed state, she got more of a reaction out of Naruto now than
she did from Sasuke years ago. Then again when she first wore the shirt, it was
a little too large on her thin and small frame, but now that she was older and
larger, the black and pink shirt fit nice and tight. The elbow length sleeves
and low cut neckline now hugged her frame, showing off every curve she had to
offer. She even had artfully pulled her hair back in a ponytail that seemed to
blossom like a flower from the back of head. Even Sakura had to pause in the
mirror to admit that even the most depressed Naruto would skip a heartbeat when
he saw her.
�Well shall we go?� she asked, doing her best to add a
seductive tone to her words. Whether it was her lack of experience at being a
flirt or Naruto�s inability to take a hint, Naruto seemed to miss the
implication. Nonetheless she made a daring grab for his hand he didn�t resist
and in fact squeezed it reassuringly. Her hopes raised with his positive
reaction, Sakura pulled Naruto through the door, barely giving him time to turn
around and lock the door behind them.
Feeling as if his arm would be ripped off, Naruto begged,
�Where are we going?�
�Actually I forgot something at home, would you mind if we
ran over there quick to grab it?� she asked, Naruto replied with a shrug.
---
�I can see them coming!� called Kiba as he looked out the
window of the Sakura�s house as he hurried back to his seat next to Hinata. As
Naruto and Sakura passed through the front door, everyone in the group stood
up. �Surprise!�
Naruto looked deeply confused, did he forget his own
birthday�no�Sakura�s birthday wasn�t for a few more days�why would se throw a
surprise party on herself?
�Naruto...Naruto? Are you there?� Asked Sakura tapping the
dazed boy on the head, �We decided to get some of your friends together to hang
out and cheer you up. You�ve been so out of it Naruto, its no fun when you�re
being so depressed!�
�Heh heh she was a lot more fun when you weren�t depressed to� Kyuubi
chuckled pervertedly but was quickly silenced by a growl from Naruto.
Sakura then led the still slightly confused fox boy around
to meet all of the people that had come. Walking up to Hinata, the young Hyuuga
wrapped her arms around him, �It�s good to see you Naruto-kun. I always like to
see your smile.�
Naruto, although a bit shocked at her comment, hugged her
back, �I haven�t been smiling much. I�m sorry Hinata��
Hinata looked up at him, �Well just try to smile more ok?
Neji hates it when people make me upset.� Naruto looked over nervously at
Hinata�s cousin who was glaring back at him. Even though Naruto could probably
win in a fight against Neji, he still scared the shit out of Naruto. Naruto nervously
said goodbye to Hinata and tried to make his way away from Neji.
Not before long Sakura called their group of friends to
dinner, as Naruto made his way to the table, �Naruto...�
Naruto turned and looked confused, �Oh, Shino�I didn�t see
you there. You need something?�
��bugs��
Sakura twitched, ��.ok. Lets sit down Naruto.� She said
quickly pulling Naruto to the table; �CREEPY!�
groaned inner Sakura. Kiba had taken a seat on one side of Hinata with Neji
on her other side eyeing the wolfish boy. Lee somehow managed to get stuck
between Neji and Shino followed by Ino who was horrified to have landed a space
between Shino and Choji. Much to Shikamaru�s joy, Tenten had placed herself
between Shikamaru and Temari as to prevent any�outbursts. Nonetheless Sakura
and Naruto took the two remaining seats amongst several others and not a moment
later came a knock at the door.
�Oh there�s the food!� jumped Hinata and she rose from her
seat, Kiba in close pursuit and Neji got up to follow the two as well to keep
an eye on the two. When the three returned they were both carrying rather large
stacks of ramen bowls.
�Oh you have got to be kidding me�� Shikamaru grumbled
before receiving a death glare from Temari.
�Well Naruto, it�s your favorite so I ordered ramen for
delivery!� Hinata said cheerfully.
�You know you guys didn�t need to do this�� Naruto grumbled
�Well we did it because we wanted to, so shut up, have some
fun and enjoy it!� Sakura ordered.
�Yes Ma�am� Naruto whimpered.
�That�s what I thought. Now, let�s enjoy this!�
The informal party continued, and as the friends talked and
laughed amongst themselves, Naruto stopped being silent and cold and started to
act like himself again. Soon he was joining in the laughter and brightening the
mood of the room even more. Hinata gave a hopeful glance to Sakura as the young
pink haired girl mouthed �Thank you� across the table. Hinata nodded as Sakura
took Naruto�s hand under the table and squeezed it, receiving a warm grin from
the blond beside her. Things were starting to feel right again and Sakura
wasn�t going let go of that progress easily. When all was said and done and the
last of the guests left (Despite Kiba being dragged away from Hinata by Neji)
all that remained was Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata. Hinata once again wrapped her
arms around Naruto and the boy reciprocated with another hug. Sakura tried to
not be a little jealous of Naruto spending his physical contact on Hinata
rather than her, but she remembered that she still had him tonight.
Naruto on the other hand, remembered the feeling of
affection with Hinata touch, and in turn the knowledge of Kyuubi�s outburst and
his friend�s safety. His heart dropped again.
When the two parted Sakura hugged Hinata too before latching
onto Naruto. �Thank you again for helping out so much Hinata; I don�t know how
I can repay you.
Hinata raised an eyebrow and pointed at Naruto, �You. Smile
more and we�ll call it even ok?� She said laughing. Naruto nodded, �I�ll do my
best� he said softly, looking away.
�Well good, I should be going, I don�t want to make Neji
wait with Kiba outside for too long, someone will end up bleeding and it probably
wont be Neji� she replied, �Goodnight!� as she turned and walked out the door.
After the door shut both Naruto and Sakura realized how exhausted they both
were. Stretching her arms and letting out a loud yawn, Sakura turned to Naruto,
�I�m really tired Naruto, will you come to bed with me?�
Pushing thoughts of Kyuubi out of his mind, Naruto nodded
and followed her to the bedroom. In their now usual style (And Sakura got a
goofy hype out of having �A Usual Style� with Naruto) Naruto pulled his shirt
and shoes off before slipping under the cool sheets while Sakura changed in the
bathroom. She emerged in the same sexy outfit from a few days before as she
approached the bed. Sliding in under the covers she positioned herself behind
him wrapping her arms around his body and pulling her chest against his back
once again. �I love you Naruto-kun.�
�I love you Sakura-chan�
Naruto clenched his eyes shut. He loved her so much but
still he couldn�t smother the fear of her getting hurt because she was too close
to him. Naruto would never forgive himself if something happened to her and yet
he wanted to be so close and knew it would put her in danger. And even still
the guilt wracked him, and the fear that Sakura was just masking her true
emotions in order to make Naruto feel better.
There was a long pause between two before Naruto asked,
�Sakura?�
�Yes Naruto?� as her face snuggled into his back, her eyes
already closing.
�Do you hate me?� the held back tears choking his throat.
Sakura�s eyes snapped open, �Why would I hate you?�
Naruto was surprised; did she not actually know what he was
trying to get at? �Do you hate me�for killing Sasuke?�
Sakura�s heart quickened, was this the
reason he had been so depressed? Out of fear that she hated him for Sasuke�s death?
Sakura had tried to not think about Sasuke, perhaps a defense mechanism
somewhere in her mind. Nonetheless she had never blamed Naruto for killing
Sasuke, and most certainly did not hate him. It had been some time now that she
knew about Kyuubi, ever since she was accidentally attacked by it when Naruto
released part of its chakra; she had refused to let it scare her. Part of it
was that she was simply sick of living in fear, and the other knowing that
Naruto�s will to protect those around him would keep Kyuubi�s temper at bay.
Even though she had been knocked unconscious most of the
time during Naruto�s battle with Sasuke, she understood that either Naruto
needed to eliminate Sasuke or let everyone else die. Obviously he had chosen
latter and completed his mission as ordered. If anything, Sakura was proud that
Naruto had the resolve to do what needed to be done, even though she knew deep
down in his heart he never wanted to go through with the mission.
�No Naruto, I don�t hate you. I�m ok with what happened,
promise.� She whispered back.
Naruto sighed, and for the first time all day his tense boy
relaxed, if only a little with part of the guilt removed from his conscious.
�Thank you�Saukura-chan� he replied. Sakura smiled, she always used to complain
about the pet name her had given her so long ago, but she missed it and was
glad that it was back. She snuggled into his back again and drifted off to
sleep with a smile on her face. Naruto was starting to heal.
---
Sakura�s eyes opened slowly, it was still dark out but the
moon was penetrating through the thin cracks in her blinds. A clock was nowhere
in sight and she wondered what time it was. It wasn�t for a few more moments
that she realized she was alone in bed. Her heart struggled to calm itself, reassuring
her that he was just in the bathroom. It wasn�t until an all too familiar voice
whispered from the dark. �Sakura�� Sakura�s heart skipped a beat as Naruto�s
face emerged from the shadowy corner of her room. The moonlight barely captured
the blood that was on his face as he slowly moved across the room towards the
bed.
�Naruto!� she gasped, �What�what�s going on?!�
�I brought him back just like I promised. Are you happy now
Sakura?� he whispered.
It wasn�t until that moment that Sakura noticed what Naruto
was holding in his arms and all that could escape her choked throat was a gasp.
The bloody corpse of Sasuke hung limp in Naruto�s crimson arms as Naruto
offered the body to Sakura. Sasuke�s head rolled over his shoulder, those
eyeless holes looking across the bed at Sakura�s quivering form. �I should have
known you wouldn�t wait for me� murmured through his broken mouth, a toothy
smirk showing through his destroyed jaw.
�SASUKE! NARUTO! NO!� she screamed
sitting up in bed, he hair sticking to her sweat covered face as she realized
it was a nightmare. Coughing she struggled to regain her composition as she
looked over towards Naruto. He was already sitting on the edge of the bed, the
moonlight casting gracefully over his toned shoulders. He turned his head to
look at her, and even in the dim light she could see the tears trickling down
his face. �Sakura�that�s too much�� Pulling on his shirt, he got up from the
bed. Sakura, unknowing of what she could possibly say now, sat on the bed in
silence. Naruto paused in the doorway, �I�m sorry I was only able to bring him
back in a body bag��
Sakura bit down on her lip to stop the tears but by the time
she managed to call out to him, Naruto was already gone.
---
Naruto trudged along the dirt road, his hands in his pockets
and his head hung. Sakura had been calling out in her sleep, confirming his
suspicions about her true feelings on Sasuke�s death. He couldn�t near her
anymore, knowing that she would be afraid of him, and for good reason. It just
wasn�t safe anymore for Naruto to be close to people. His connection to Kyuubi
had grown too close and now Naruto was afraid that he might snap at any moment.
Deep in his heart he felt a sense of loneliness and sorrow that reached a depth
he had never felt before. Sakura was right there with open arms and yet Naruto
knew he had to walk away from her. Hell he had to walk away from everyone, and
once again he was alone. What made it so much worse this time though was the
fact that he had to choose to be alone now, for the safety of others.
Naruto arrived at his destination, the monument to those who
had died from Konoha�s battle with Kyuubi so many years ago. He stood before
the stone sculpture, knowing full well that the ground beneath him held the
remains of those who fought against of Kyuubi�s wrath. He turned and imagined
the entire field set aflame as man after woman threw themselves against the
demon fox and died, falling to their graves. A tear ran down Naruto�s face as
he imagined his friends, falling into fire as they threw themselves at a Kyuubi
possessed Naruto.
�It�s uncommon to see you here�� came a voice from behind
Naruto. Wheeling
around he saw Kakashi looking in the same direction Naruto had been looking
before. �You always seemed uncomfortable here�but I suppose that makes sense.�
Naruto clenched his fist, �How can you understand what it�s like�wanting to be close to the people you love,
knowing that you�re a danger to them?�
Kakashi raised his eyebrow, �Oh? I didn�t know you were
dangerous to your friends. Usually you�re the most protective person I know.�
Naruto growled, now he was getting pissed, �Of course I�m dangerous;
you saw what happened to Sasuke! Kyuubi took control of my body and killed
him!�
�Wasn�t that the intent of the mission in the first place?
There is a difference between an assassination target and a friend you know.�
Naruto threw his hands into the air, �See? You understand
nothing!�
�Well if that�s what you want to think then I can�t really
stop you.� mused Kakashi
�Whatever.� Naruto growled as he turned to walk away.
�You know�Death is like a bomb.�
Naruto stopped. Turned. �What do you mean?�
�Death doesn�t just affect one person; it affects everyone
else around them, anyone that had a connection to that person. When Sasuke
died, it affected everyone around him, you, Sakura, even me.�
�So?� Naruto growled, �I already know that!�
�Tell me something Naruto; back when Sasuke was part of Team
7, you held a bond with him correct?� Naruto nodded, �Now tell me, is the Sasuke
you saw on that mission the same Sasuke back when he was part of our team?�
Naruto remained silent, �The old Sasuke died a long time ago, and that bond you
had with his died along with it and you�ve already suffered enough from that.
What was left of Sasuke, what died last week, was not the same person as
before, and yet you treat him as if he were�haven�t you suffered enough Naruto?
Hasn�t everyone suffered enough?� Naruto didn�t know what to say�because
everything Kakashi said was true�Naruto had just failed to realize it before.
�It�s ok to cry over death�but you need to know when to Naruto. It�s time to
stop crying.�
Naruto choked up, �but what about Sakura? And everyone else?
How can I be near them? Kyuubi could break free and hurt them, I�m afraid�even
they�re afraid!�
Kakashi sighed, �I don�t think even I could find anyone in
the village that is afraid of you for that reason, and from what I�ve heard,
Kyuubi has calmed down considerable from being inside you and he did what he
did probably to protect you.�
�That�s what I�ve been
trying to tell him!� groaned Kyuubi even though knew his voice wouldn�t
reach Kakashi.
�But what about Sakura, she�� Naruto started
�Sakura is not about push away someone she loves just
because you think you�re some danger to her. She�s a brilliant young woman and
you know that, she�s not going to be afraid, she strong Naruto, give her at
least that much. Besides I know she�d want to be as close to you as possible
because you�re the world to her.�
�How do you know that?� Naruto asked
�Because she�s very good at being quiet when she wants to
and she�s right behind you.� Kakashi chuckled, �I�ll leave you two be� as he
turned and walked away.
Naruto spun around to see Sakura, bathed in the moonlight.
�Naruto, I�m not afraid of you, I never have been. I wish you would have just
talked me instead of closing up and just being so cold about it. I know Kyuubi
is harmless, I can hear you talking to him in your sleep you know,� She giggled
as Naruto blushed, �Kakashi-sensei is right about Sasuke you know�the Sasuke we
used to know was already long gone, besides we we�re supposed have gotten over
all of that already right?� She said with a smirk punching him in the shoulder jokingly.�
�Sakura�.I�m sorry� He stuttered
Wrapping her arms around him tightly she scolded him, �Baka,
call me Sakura-chan!�
�But I thought you hated that name.� he replied
�Well I guess I learned to love it, like a certain blond
haired ninja I know.�
Naruto smiled, and took Sakura�s face in his hands, �I love
you too Sakura-chan� he whispered as the sun began to rise over the horizon and
his lips pressed against hers. Sakura closed her eyes and moaned softly,
kissing her loveable idiot back with as much love as we felt that one sunset on
his rooftop.
Yeah. This was how it was supposed to feel.
- 7
- 8
- 9
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Gardens of Rain