Cold Relief

Walking down the street Sakura sighed heavily she been looking for Naruto all morning, mostly out of concern. It had been a few years since the war ended, Madara and Kabuto dead, and Sasuke currently spending seventeen life sentences in a maximum security prison, his chakra suppress and sharingan rendered completely useless. It was only at the behest of Naruto that he wasn't executed for his numerous crimes, the assault on the Hokage Summit, assaulting Killer Bee, several attempted murder charges mostly on her and Naruto. Sasuke will never see the light of day again, she sighed sadly mostly due to her last visit with him had been less than fruitful he simply glared at her, and warned her that if he ever got free she would be the second person he'd kill after he killed Naruto. She thought she knew Sasuke before the war before he went to Orochimaru. Now she realized that she never really knew him, she had been chasing an ideal. That realization left her feeling empty and broken hearted, it also led her to looking for Naruto. How does he do it, he's the only one in this entire village can make me feel better when I'm feeling bummed.

She first went to the Hokage tower hoping that Tsunade had seen the knucklehead; he had been hanging out more with the last Sannin since he found out about his familial connection with her. The rosette had been surprised to find out that, Tsunade and Naruto were related distantly through blood. To think Tsunade Senju was also an Uzumaki, she also found out that Karin might be an Uzumaki though this had never been confirmed. Sakura frowned as she came to a stop at the entrance to Ichiraku Ramen almost she looked inside and frowned heavily, "Has Naruto been here, Ayame?" she asked the pretty chef behind the counter.

Ayame looked up and shook her head, "I haven't seen him at all since yesterday," the young woman looked troubled. "And I can guess he wasn't feeling well."

"Why do you say that?" Sakura asked.

"Well he barely ate one bowl," Ayame stated looking worried. "He usually eats between six to ten bowls, twenty if he's in a really good mood."

The rosette own frown deepened rarely did Naruto ever eat less than six unless he had a mission and with the rebuilding of several villages most missions have been restricted to D-Rank or C-Ranks depending on the situation. Plus Tsunade stated Naruto hadn't come in to bug her for a mission that morning. I sure hope that idiot is okay; she thanked the pretty chef and headed for the place to look for her blonde teammate.

XXX

It took her a few minutes to reach Naruto's apartment having obtained an Elite Chunin rank promotion during the war her teammate had moved out of his old rundown apartment and moved into the better apartments closer to the Academy. He stated to her it was so he could visit Iruka every once in a while and pester him for free ramen. She giggled seeing the image of Naruto asking Iruka twenty questions before the older chunin would burst into his big head jutsu tell the blonde to shut up.

Coming to the stop at Naruto's door she knocked, after a few minutes and no answer, she knocked again. When she still didn't get an answer she used the key he gave her for he quoted, 'Encase I'm out on a long mission and need my plants watered, Sakura-chan.' Shaking her head she unlocked the door and entered, the living room was partly cleaned better than the last time she had been in his apartment. She blushed at that, having his underwear landing on her head and stepping in his filth had not been pleasant and she let him have it for being a pig. She scanned the room as she walked back into the single bedroom; it was there that she spotted him.

Naruto groaned softly he looked flushed and he was sweating he opened his eyes, "Hey Sakura-chan, we got a mission?"

"No," was her reply as she stepped up to him and used her chakra medical scan to check him out, after a few passes she sighed, "Naruto you're running a fever."

The blonde snorted then coughed, "Stupid fox said I needed to build up my immune system again. Personally I think he let me get sick to make me miserable," he replied.

Rolling her eyes she sat down leaning down and touching her lips to his forehead to see how high his fever is, she missed the full body blush he had, "101, well no missions for you for at least two to three days. You need bed rest, soup," she saw his eyes brighten, "Soup Naruto not ramen," she giggled at his pout. She then leaned down and kissed his forehead, this time she saw his blush, "Well looks like your favorite nurse will be looking after you."

XXX

"You don't have to Sakura-chan," Naruto stated weakly.

"Let her kit, maybe you can convince her to wear one of those naughty nurse outfit," Kurama made his voice heard.

Pervert fox, Naruto sighed mentally then started coughing; did you get me sick just so you make perverted comments about Sakura-chan?

"Please don't flatter yourself no, you need this in future to build up your tolerance for disease and poison, remember kit. Be always vigilant!" the fox stated before going back to sleep.

"Stupid fox," the whisker marked blonde pouted.

XXX

Sakura just smiled then left the apartment one to buy some specialty soups to help Naruto get better as well as something else special. I wonder if I'm doing this more for me than him? She asked herself. She bought the items and then went to the tower to notify Tsunade that her favorite knucklehead would be laid up for a couple of days. The hokage gave her a few herbal decongestion remedies to help Naruto with his cough. "What's in the red bag Sakura?"

Sakura blushed slightly, "Something to cheer him up, and to get a certain point across about a certain confession I made to him before the war started."

Tsunade chuckled lightly sipping her sake, "I see." With that the rosette haired young woman left.

XXX

Sakura entered Naruto's apartment again setting down her items quickly digging out the soups and the herbal remedies. She went to check on Naruto and found him fast asleep she walked up sitting down next to him watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest smiling reaching down running her fingers through his hair. I do love you, Naruto and this time I am being true to myself. I love so much its painful. She sighed putting her hands in her lap before standing and heading into the kitchen. She start heating up the soup and boiling water for the herbal remedies she looked over her shoulder at the red bag she brought blushing and smiling at the same time. Knowing him he'll pinch himself five or six times, then try to release a genjutsu before I smack him and tell him its real. Taking a deep breath she picked up the red bag and disappeared into the bathroom.

XXX

Naruto yawned and sniffed even though his nose was stuffed up he could still smell the soup wafting in from the kitchen. Sakura peaked her head around the door smiling, "Good your awake, made you some soup," she then walked in wearing a high riding, low cut, white nurses outfit that left little to the imagination. To the whiskered mark blond it looked like the only things holding that outfit together were the three tightly strained buttons. He blinked frowning a bit thinking this was a dream or a poorly constructed genjutsu, he first tried to dispel it when that failed he tried pinching himself after fifth time Sakura rolled her eyes and bopped him lightly on the head, "it's real."

Naruto looked up rubbing his head, "why are you wearing that?"

She leans forward coming nose to nose with him, "Don't you like it?"

Trying his hardest look down as bending over had revealed her cleavage to him the whiskered marked blonde gulped. She's trying to kill me, he thought in a panic. "U-U-Um yeah it looks good on you." His eyes finally becoming glued to her cleavage.

Sakura smirked, "Good because for the next few days I'll be staying here to help you get to feeling better," she handed him the tray with his soup. "Now eat your soup then I'll bring in some herbal tea to help with your coughs."

XXX

It took Naruto about a week to get over his cold, and each day Sakura wore her skimpy nurse's outfit. To say Naruto by the time he got to feeling well enough to leave his bedroom his body was excited. "Sakura-chan thank you for staying with me," he stated sitting across from her eating some ramen. She smiled sipping down her own noodles she was still wearing her outfit, after she drank her broth she got up walked around the table and promptly sat in his lap sliding her arms around his neck, "Um, Sakura-chan."

"Remember what you said before the war about me being true to myself," she whispered laying her head on his shoulder. "Right after I told you that I loved you."

He nodded, "I still believe Sakura-chan."

The rosette's eyes flashed, "Listen here Naruto Uzumaki and listen good, I spent a lot of time thinking more so this last week about my feelings towards you. You can be stubborn, idiotic, perverted, and annoying as anything, but," her eyes softened touching her forehead to his. "You saved my life over a dozen times, you cheered me up and cheered me on when things got tough, you always praised my accomplishments no matter how small," tears began to fall from her eyes. "Not only that but the thought of you hurt or sick scares me. You nearly died several times during the war the very idea nearly tore my heart out," she buried her face in his shoulder. "So please don't tell me I'm lying to myself anymore because I'm not I love you so much.

Naruto gently pulled her back to look into her eyes seeing her distraught expression begging and pleading for him to believe her not looking away as she did that one time. He reached up to wipe her tears away, this was both the Sakura that he knew from before the bumps on his head to attest to that part but she was also new something that he been waiting for since he was seven. "I love you too, Sakura-chan," he smiled. She returned the smile through tear filled sniffles lunging at him giving him her kiss. "Sakura-chan you have any more outfits like this one?" he asked with a perverted smile only to get belted in the back of the head, "Sakura-chan!" he whined.

"You don't get to see those outfits until after you become Jonin," she smirked then leaned in to whisper in his ear, "and you get to see me with no outfits when you become Hokage."

"Now that's what I call motivation," Naruto mumbled softly. "Want to go out this weekend, good restaurant not Ichiraku?" she nods laying her head on his shoulder sighing in contentment feeling that this was truly bliss.

Author's Note: A brief little fluff fic that's probably been done to death but it adds a few things here and there. Karin being an Uzumaki hasn't really been clarified, some have stated Nagato was an Uzumaki, a lot of questions floating around. IF either one are true then Naruto has a lot more family alive then he realizes, Karin, Tsunade, heck maybe even Mei not certain but it's something to think about.