Another Narusaku one shot. Post Fourth Great War. Enjoy.

Sakura stood on the front porch of Iruka and Ayame's house. The wagon with mother and baby was ready to transport them to the hospital. Ayame had delivered early by two weeks. No one was ready. Sakura felt a hand on her shoulder. She didn't need to turn to know it was Naruto. His touch was comforting and familiar. The blonde loved to sleep but he was awake despite the late hour.

"You did great," he said.

The rosette half smiled. The delivery was routine other than her assistants. Normally she had at least one well trained nurse to help her deliver babies. Naruto and Shino were not well trained. Shino was calm in stressful situations but his people skills were terrible. Naruto on the other hand was excellent with people but far from calm.

Sakura let her weight fall back against her teammate. She was tired. Naruto had been on missions and she never slept as well without him. Sakura blushed slightly at her thought. Ino walked back from the wagon to help Iruka. The normally calm Chuunin was a wreck. It came with being a new father.

"Go to the wagon, Iruka-sensei," said Ino pointing to the wagon.

Iruka was in a trance of sorts and walked straight to the wagon like Ino's faithful servant. The blonde kunoichi had the emergency medical dispatch shift tonight. Shino was standing silently outside the house.

"Ayame said you found her, Shino. Good job getting Sakura?" asked the mind walker.

Shino turned his attention to Ino. He nodded.

"I noticed that Naruto's door was open, but not yours Sakura," said Ino pushing the issue.

The price of winning the war was terrible. Many good people were lost. Choji and Shikamaru were lost when the white Zetsu overran Gaara's army. The friends saved many lives at the cost of their own. Neji was badly injured and he'd never be a ninja again. Other members of the group were left to live with these losses. Despite being a member of ANBU interrogation, Ino stilled took a few shifts a month on the emergency medical dispatch team to keep her medical qualifications. She confessed that she wasn't sleeping much anyway so she might as well help the village. Sakura, like Ino, wasn't sleeping well. She woke up a couple times a night after a horrible dream.

After the end of the Fourth War, the Uchiha district was taken by the village. Tsunade was quick to knock down the walls and start selling the homes to displaced individuals at the minimum cost. She decided that Naruto would be given four homes as a reward for his efforts. The council supported it. In their minds, it was the first step toward a Namikaze clan. Naruto accepted reluctantly. The blonde had little use for four homes, but he wasn't going to fight with the council or Tsunade. At a group gathering, Shino inquired about renting a home. Naruto was caught off guard but he agreed to rent a home to Shino. Sakura wasn't aware of all the details. In typical Shino fashion, he kept the agreement silent. Sakura had been at Naruto's when the tenant requested permission to make some changes to the home. They seemed odd to everyone but none were damaging to the structure so Naruto agreed. It wasn't long after Shino moved in that Iruka and Ayame moved in. They were newlyweds with little money and Naruto probably gave them a great price. It was nice for Naruto to have some of those he considered family so close to him. She saw the brunette and the blonde talking on a porch many evenings before dinner. Shino would join them on occasion but he never stayed long.

Ayame was just beginning to show when Sakura started to have a falling out with her parents. They were pushing for her to marry a proper young man. She had no intention of marrying someone to appease her parents. She hoped Naruto still had his last house available. She found him eating at Ichiraku one night and asked him about it.

"It's yours of you want it," he said with a beaming smile.

It was the oddest negotiation. She insisted on paying more while he insisted on less. They finally agreed on a price and she moved in with her few possessions. Her parents didn't take her leaving well. Sakura slowly built up her possessions but money was tight. With the war over missions were mainly lower ranking and she had hospital duties which paid reasonably well but demand was down as well.

It started the night after a community dinner. It was a tradition started by Ayame. In the common space between the homes, a table would be set. Each resident would bring a dish for a meal. Sakura liked this tradition as it gave her a sense of community and family that she missed after leaving her parents. The rosette was looking out her bedroom window when she saw Naruto's window open. She wondered if he was up. It was a curiosity or so she told herself to investigate. Before she knew it, she was looking down at his sleeping form. He looked so peaceful.

"How are you able to sleep at all?" she whispered.

Naruto saw more death and loss than anyone else during the war. The rosette turned to leave when he grabbed her hand.

"Bad dream again?" he mumbled.

She looked at his half open eyes.

"You're not quiet for some of them," he said.

The rosette looked away.

"If you want to talk," he said sitting up.

Sakura remembered talking but she woke up in his bed. Nothing romantic happened. It was friendly cuddle. It started as every now and again but quickly turned into every night. She started to rely on him to sleep. She quipped mentally about Naruto being her sleeping pill. Her confidence was supreme that she'd kept their sleeping arrangement a secret until now. Shino's insects had made a ruckus outside Naruto's bedroom window. The message was easy to read but they didn't have time to go to her house first. They had to come to Naruto's room directly. It seemed that Shino knew.

"She was having trouble sleeping," said the blonde.

Naruto seemed willing to take this secret to his grave. Unfortunately, Ino could use the smallest piece of information to imagine the worst.

"Giving her a good rub down to help her sleep?" teased the mind walker.

Shino walked toward his home.

"Come on Forehead," said Ino. "You've been outed. Tell me…tell me."

Sakura felt Naruto huff. He didn't want this spreading around the village.

"Let it go Ino. It's not any of your concern," he said with a hint of anger.

The blonde kunoichi smiled. Sakura didn't have any recourse.

"Come on, Naruto. Let's go back to bed. I'm exhausted."

She felt his body shake once.

"OK," he said.

The gossip bomb looked ready to explode. She bounded off after the wagon.

"She's going to tell the whole village that we are lovers," he said in an annoyed tone.

Sakura nodded in agreement.

"Let her. We know the truth."

They walked in silence toward his house. Somewhere during the walk she took his hand. They entered the house. Sakura changed into clean clothing and crawled into his waiting arms.

"And what is the truth?" he asked after pulling her against him.

She hoped he didn't think about her words too much.

"That you and I share a bond deeper than two people caught up in lust. That what we have may not be conventional, it is real. I trust you with my heart and my soul."

He nuzzled into her hair.

"I love you too," he said.

The words caught her off guard but it was true. She'd confessed her love for him without using the word.