Title: Together

Summary: After 2 ½ year training break, Sakura and Naruto meet again. NarutoXSakura

Author's Note: Just something I was messing with. I've always wanted to write about Naruto and Sakura, because they're cute and realistic. This is set in manga time after the 2 ½ year training break, but right before Gaara is kidnapped by Akatsuki. Something like that anyway.

Lately, Sakura Haruno had a problem.

She had grown accustomed to the habitual cycle of waking, ninja training, and medical studies. It was a solitary lifestyle, but one she had adjusted to easily enough after Naruto and Sasuke left her behind. She had accepted the truths of their leaving: Sasuke now traveled the darker path while Naruto ventured the one of protecting that which he loved. Sakura still didn't quite know what to classify her own as.

So she got by. Not just 'got by', everyday she forced herself passed her limits, pushing her body and mind to the edge to test her capacity. She loved it, under Tsunade's teachings she was coming into her own as a ninja, but when depression set in she remembered Naruto was out there training just as hard. After a few years, Sakura no longer doubted her abilities. When Naruto returned home, she would be ready to retrieve their wayward teammate. Together.

The day he returned, she was quietly ecstatic. That night she curled into her bed after her usual bedtime routine of showering, donning her pajamas, and brushing her teeth. Her eyelids drooped and eventually shut as she drifted to sleep.

A few minutes later, she awoke to the sound of pebbles tapping against the glass of her window. Irritated, she fumbled out of bed and made her way to open the window only to have another pebble whoosh passed her face. Glaring out at the young man standing on the grass below, Sakura hissed, "Naruto, you idiot! Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Chuckling, Naruto reached behind his head to scratch the back of his short, blond hair. "Hey, hey, Sakura-chan! Come out and pla-aaaaaay!"

"What? Have you lost your mind? There's no way I'm running around with you at this time of night. I've got training with Tsunade-sama tomorrow morning. She, unlike Kakashi-sensei, hates to be late, and hates it even more when I'm late."

His lower lip quivered in an exaggerated pout as his large, blue eyes gazed up at her. "C'mon, I haven't seen you in years! Didn't you miss me even a little bit?"

Closing her eyes in an attempt to ward off her annoyance, Sakura rubbed her temples. "Of course I missed you, Naruto. You and Sasuke-kun both. I hate when either of you is gone."

At the mention of his missing rival, Naruto tensed visibly. Sakura could see the anxiety radiating from him, even from the distance of her window. Sighing, she realized that Naruto was more fragile than she when the topic of their old teammate arose. Without another thought, she stepped up on her windowsill and vaulted out of her bedroom into the air, her pajama top and pants ruffling with her descent.

"Sakura-chan!" Shocked out of his internal conflict, Naruto rushed forward, arms outstretched to catch her. There was no doubt in her mind that he would.

He dove to catch her, wrapping his body around hers as they rolled from the force of the dive to avoid injury. Panting, Naruto scrambled up to check her for bruises, only to find her grinning up at him from the ground. Even sprawled out across grass and dirt, she was beautiful.

"Nice catch," she commented, sitting up as he released her. "Good reflexes. Been training hard then?"

Blinking, Naruto watched as she slowly rose to her feet, pausing to brush stray bits of grass from her pajamas. A blush crept across his face as he realized he could see an ample amount of chest since a few buttons on her top had come undone during the fall. "Uh, yeah. Erosennin taught me a few things."

Sakura shook her head to remove some of the grass from her short, pink hair before glancing at him. "Well, I can't wait to see you in action. I hear from a reliable source that you're far better now than a few years ago. I'd expect no less from the future Hokage and someone from my team."

His eyes snapped up from her chest to meet her gaze directly, the blush still present on his cheeks. A serious expression fell over his face as he breathed, "You… believe I can become Hokage?"

"Is that a trick question?" Slightly startled by the sudden serious tone he was using, Sakura elbowed him lightly and slung her arm over his shoulders, having to reach up to do so. This also surprised her. "Wow, Naruto! You really grew a lot, didn't you? Damn, look at these muscles."

She ran her hands over his arms, testing the well defined musculature with experienced, medical fingers. It wasn't until the surroundings grew silent that Sakura realized she was reverting to her study mode and laughed. "Sorry, I get carried away sometimes. Have you had a check-up yet to chart your physical growth? I'd bet you're taller than most of the other boys from our class now."

But when she glanced up from examining his arm, she saw he was staring down at her, a mixture of emotions dancing across his face. Adoration and love, yes, she knew those from their youth, but sadness too, and something else. Something she could only label as lust. His blush had lessened, but there was a hazy, purplish blue tint to his eyes.

Cocking her head to the side, Sakura asked, "Are you okay? Why did you want to see me, anyway?"

"Oh, yeah!" Naruto knocked himself upside the head to kick start his brain. "I just wanted to talk. Tsunade called me to her office right after we met with Kakashi-sensei, and gave me a mission. I shouldn't talk about the details, you know, since we're ninja. But I just wanted you to know that it involves recon for Sasuke."

Her eyes widened slightly, the moonlight shining off them like pale green glass, scrutinizing Naruto's anxious posture as she considered what his words meant. "Tsunade-sama knows that we're supposed to find Sasuke-kun together. If we don't do it together..."

Worried that an emotional breakdown was near, Naruto quickly took her hand in his and leaned over to meet her gaze. "Whoa whoa, Sakura-chan. No worries. I read the report, and this looks like just a routine, information gathering mission. Godaime probably wouldn't even have sent me, but she wants me out of the village for a few days. Says I have bad timing, coming back when things are this hectic."

"Who's all going? Can I know?" Sakura asked, flexing her hand within his larger palm. She felt the calluses scrape lightly against her own, softer hand. His fighting style caused a lot more rough damage to his skin. But she… well, there was a reason she wore gloves. Her hands were her life, as a medic ninja, and they were also her best weapon.

Reflexively, he returned the pressure on her hand with a smile. "Don't see why not. Team eight got the mission, since they're the best with intelligence gathering. Shino's the team leader; I'm just another lackey along for the ride."

For some reason, Hinata's face appeared in her mind. The quiet girl had matured quite a bit during Naruto's training away from Konoha. She wondered if Hinata now had the courage to confess her feelings to him. Though, from what Sakura could tell, that was still a long way off for the quiet girl. "Did you get a chance to meet with Hinata and the others yet?"

"Ah, no, but I'm leaving tomorrow morning anyway. I'd much rather spend this time hanging out with you!" Naruto assured her with a big grin. Her heart thudded in her chest as a thrill of warmth spread through her body.

Brushing her absurd reaction aside, Sakura extracted her hand from his hands and turned her back on him. "Lucky you. I waited three years to start my search for Sasuke, never once hearing news about him from Tsunade-sama. You're back for a day and you get a mission with leads to him. That's bullshit, Naruto, and you know it. I'm beginning to wonder if the village of Konoha isn't a little sexist."

"Aw, come on, Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined, trying to get closer to her to argue his point. "Look, I know you want to find him with me and we will. But for tonight, let's not worry about Sasuke. I only want to talk about you, not that bastard. Can we do that? It's been so long since I got to see you."

Glaring at him from the corner of her eye, Sakura exhaled, her tension escaping her with the gust of warm breath. Truthfully, she always felt a tiny bit of resentment toward the rivalry between Sasuke and Naruto. It meant they acknowledged each other's abilities. Sasuke never saw her unleash her full power, and thus she felt he lacked the respect toward her that he felt for Naruto.

But for tonight, she closed her eyes and smoothed the anger from her face before turning to address Naruto again. When she opened her eyes, she saw Naruto gazing down at her happily seconds before he threw his arms around her waist, lifted her up, and spun them both around on his heels while laughing loudly. "Sakura-chan, I missed you!"

The force of their movement blew strands of her pink hair across her face, her pajamas rippling against her body. "Naruto, shh! The neighbors!"

"I don't care!" Naruto pressed his face into the angle where her shoulder met her neck and chuckled. "Let 'em call the cops! Or throw boots at us!"

"Hey, you don't have to deal with them tomorrow," she snapped, her mind warning her that he was too close. When she felt his lips brush against her neck, she froze. "Naruto."

"Mm," he replied, his lips still tickling her skin, his warm breath sending shivers through her.

"You should let me go," she said, her voice suddenly weak, as if her body knew the truth that her mind refused to admit.

He nodded in agreement as he continued to trail light kisses up her neck. He knew that already, but more surprising than his reluctance to let her go was the fact that he hadn't snatched her into his arms as soon as he entered Konoha. Lips still on her skin, he growled, "Should have let go of you a long time ago."

He wasn't talking about holding her at present. The fact was she knew Naruto cared about her, but she thought for sure that being apart for a few years would show him there were other girls out there. Like how she was beginning to see other guys besides Sasuke. And, though she wasn't going to admit it, the most interesting one was currently clinging to her. "Hey, put me down. We can talk, okay?"

Hesitant, Naruto placed her feet back on the ground and dropped his arms to his sides. She gazed up at him with clear eyes, waiting. Shuffling his feet in the dirt, he averted his eyes, looking anywhere but at her. Finally, she reached out and grabbed his shirt sleeve before tugging him toward the apartment entrance. "We can talk in my apartment."

Not sure what to do, Naruto let her led him through the complex and up stairs to her apartment. "It's small, but I have more freedom than I did at home. I can come and go as I please and that allows me to train late at night."

"You've been training real hard, Sakura-chan," Naruto smiled at her and her cheeks burnt red in the darkened hallway. "I bet you're the strongest medic ninja out there."

"I doubt that," she muttered, though the compliment of her abilities affected her far more than any comment about her looks. "Tsunade-sama is still the best medic nin and one of the legendary three. I hope to one day surpass her… but that's after we save Sasuke. One goal at a time is more than enough."

"Yeah," he laughed, rubbing his scalp as she opened the door and let him in. Cautiously, he eyed the doorway before stepping inside.

"I don't have any traps set, if that's what you're worried about," she huffed, shutting the door behind them as he wandered into the living room.

"Wow, Sakura-chan, this place is way bigger than my apartment." He admired the myriad of photos pinned all over a large bulletin board above her desk. Most of them were of him and Sasuke and her, with variations on the order. One showed him and Sasuke slurping down noodles as fast as they could, obviously an eating contest. One showed her in a light green kimono holding a white umbrella in front of a row of blossoming cherry trees at springtime. Ino was hugging her hard while wearing a pastel blue kimono similar to hers. It was the most recent picture on the board. "So pretty…"

"Oh, that." Her nose crinkled when she saw which picture he was admiring. "About a month ago, my mom wanted me to wear the kimono she made for my birthday. Then Ino saw me in it and, well, the rest is history."

"Can I have a copy?" he asked, hopefully.

Shrugging, she unpinned the picture from the board and handed it to him with a smile. "I can get another if I want one. Oh, should I make some tea for us?"

"Sure!" He plopped down on the couch in the front room and watched her walk to the kitchen. While she was gone, he racked his brain for what to do next. He really had no plan, but as soon as returned to Konoha, the urge to see her was stronger than it had ever been during his training journey.

He felt like the unsure child he had been three years ago.

He loved her so dearly it made him reckless. It made him charge forward only to run straight into her wall of indifference. Again and again. Her acknowledgement was as important as Sasuke's for an entirely different reason. She grew even more beautiful as the years progressed, and the thought that they had lost two and a half years tore at him.

Heart squeezing within his chest at the thought, Naruto was up from his seat in an instant, closing the distance between them almost frantically.

From the kitchen, Sakura heard him jump up and dash across the room, but she didn't know why until his arms were thrown around her shoulders, his body pressing into hers from behind. His voice was ragged as he spoke while burying his face in her shock of pink hair. "Sakura-chan… please…"

"What's wrong?" The note of desperation mingled with sadness in his voice caused her heart to leap to her throat. She struggled in his grasp to face him, but failed as he hold was firm. Instead, she placed both her hands on his forearms which wrapped around under her chin and leaned back. "It's okay, you're here now, you're safe with me."

All the years of danger he faced in his quest to find Sasuke dulled to nothing when he had his arms around her. This person… his most important Sakura.

"I love you," he whispered, though his voice waivered at the last word.

Sakura tensed slightly in his grip and Naruto felt it amplified as he stood vulnerable behind her. Cursing inwardly, he wished, not for the first time, that he could maintain his emotional cool as well as Sasuke. Especially regarding Sakura.

But the tension melted from her body immediately, replacing his self-annoyance with confusion. He suddenly needed to see her face.

He released his hold and Sakura slowly moved within his arms until her lower back was pressed into the counter, her front inches from his. Then she looked up at him, her pale rose bangs falling aside to reveal her watery, green eyes.

"Oh, no, Sakura-chan, I didn't mean to make you cry…" Naruto wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her across that pesky inch dividing them. Using his free hand, he wiggled his sleeve until it covered his hand and wiped her tears away in a gesture of childlike caring.

It broke her already wounded heart and mended it in a single instant.

Throwing her arms around him, she hid her face in his shirt and allowed the cottony material to muffle her sobs. How had he become so strong? Even before, he had been a constant pillar of strength, but now… he had honed himself into an impenetrable shield just for her.

Unable to read her mind, Naruto held her tightly with one arm around her waist, the other working through her hair as he murmured, "Shh, it's okay. You're here now, you're safe with me."

His words resonated in her mind and she chuckled into his shirt. "Are you making fun me? I said that to you a few minutes ago, idiot. If you're gonna comfort me, at least come up with your own material."

She raised her head to meet his gaze, and he was smiling openly. "You're prettier when you're laughing, you know? And besides, I can't help it if you say things better than I do. You've always been smarter than me."

Sighing, she reached up to his shoulders and tugged him down to rest her forehead against his. "Maybe, but you've always understood just what I needed, no matter if it hurt you. And somehow, you still managed to love me.

"But I'm not the same person I was when Sasuke left. I've changed, and there's no way you could know if you love who I am now."

Her words were silenced as he caught her lips with his, scattering her rational explanation to the floor. His hand ran through her hair, twirling it between his fingers, as his lips melted into hers. And to his greater surprise, she returned the pressure of the kiss.

No matter what her excuse, he always found a way to bridge the gap between them. It was inevitable and wonderful now that she accepted it. Such overwhelming love found a foothold within her heart, and she couldn't help but give as she took.

They broke away from each other to steady their breathing, but his hands remained in her hair and around her waist, and hers encircled his chest. After a moment, a sharp pain in her lower back caused her to wince. "Let's go in the living room, this counter is killing me."

Since she hadn't even managed to turn on the stove to heat the water, Sakura led the way into the living room, where she sat on the large couch. He followed closely and plopped down beside her. After a moment, he ventured, "Sakura-chan, about what you said… I've always loved you, regardless of how you've changed through the years. To me, you're the same as ever. So strong, so lovely."

"Until a few years ago, Naruto, I was anything but strong. I burdened you and Sasuke-kun with my presence. Unnecessary baggage is the best way to explain how I felt."

"You were never a burden! Not to me!" He insisted, eyebrows furrowing together in anger. "Whenever I fought to protect you, I was invincible. There was no losing, because you were there to support me."

Her lips twitched with a suppressed smile. "I doubt that. You would win even if I wasn't there."

His silence stretched for nearly a minute before he stated, "You weren't there when I went to retrieve Sasuke right after he ran away. And I lost then when you needed me most."

Her heart thumped painfully in her chest, but the ache was dulled by years of suffering. She reached out and lifted his head so that one palm rested on each of his cheeks. "You've never failed me, Naruto. You may not have been able to bring Sasuke back, but it wasn't you who failed. It was Sasuke."

"But, my promise," he started, but she glared him into silence again.
"I was upset and irrational when you made that promise. It's a promise we share now, it's our responsibility to bring him back. Not yours alone." She smirked, trailing a finger along one of the whisker-like markings on his cheeks. "He's a lost teammate, and we'll find him together."

"I don't want him in Orochimaru's clutches when the allotted three years run out, Naruto, because I love him," she said, the hurt in his eyes sharpened at this before she continued, "But I'm not in love with him. Not anymore. Not after he betrayed us and Konoha for revenge."

"And after a long, two and a half years, I'm finally able to see other men as potential lovers," he stiffened in his seat as she said this and she resisted the urge to laugh. "But you know what the only problem is?"

He shook his head, unable to speak as she leaned in close. Her lips hovered near his ear, breath tickling his earlobe with her words. "I can't seem to focus on anyone but you."

It took a few seconds before the meaning of her words sunk in passed the shock. She leaned back and smirked at him. "Well? You willing to give me a shot or am I too late?"

The look of utter disbelief on his face quickly transformed into anxiety as he threw his arms around her, pulling her onto his lap as he cradled her close to him. "You're never too late, Sakura-chan. I was just early is all."

"Hm," she found that her head fit comfortably between his chin and chest. "That's good. Thank you, Naruto."

"For what?"

"For being you, I guess."

"Ah." He grinned and continued to hold her, his chin resting on top her head. "You're welcome."