Shattered - A NaruSaku Story

CHAPTER 4

Naruto was holding Sakura's bag as she talked to the receptionist at the hospital's welcome desk. The receptionist kept on reaching under her desk and pulling out pamphlet after pamphlet, book after book until there was a good-sized pile on the desk. Sakura said something, gave a quick bow of the head in thanks, began piling the books up into her arms, then began heading towards Naruto. The receptionist glanced over at him and gave him a dirty look before shaking her head and turning away. He'd said he wouldn't mind pretending to be the baby's father, but seeing those eyes again was not something he'd ever really wanted.

"Can I put these in my bag?" Sakura asked him as she stopped beside him.

"Oh, right. Sure, Sakura." Naruto replied and held the bag open for her. With some difficulty, she began slipping the books inside. Naruto reached out his free hand to help her steady the pile of books and pamphlets, and she gave him a quick smile. As the books and pamphlets fell in, one after another, he caught sight of some of their names: Your First Baby, Proper Nutrition When You're Eating for Two, and Motherhood: You're Greatest Mission Yet!

"Um, Naruto?" Sakura said. He looked up at her. One of the pamphlets was still in her hand, which was shaking a considerable amount, though it wasn't from the strain of holding it. "The receptionist said to give this to you." Sakura blushed as she handed him a pamphlet that read The Shinobi Guide to Helping Your Kunoichi Through Pregnancy.

"You don't have to...." Sakura began.

"Thanks Sakura, but it's alright." Naruto interrupted. He reached out and took the pamphlet from her hand, brushing it briefly with his own. A shiver ran down her spine. "So, I guess you told her the story that we're going to live by?"

Sakura swallowed hard, attempting to regain her composure. "Yes. I told her you were my boyfriend and the baby's father." Heat rose in her cheeks. Did I just say that out loud? Naruto put his hand on her shoulder, looking down into her eyes. She couldn't look away.

"Good. That's how we want it, right?" Sakura shuddered. The look in his eyes was so tender and sweet. Emotion surged through her once again as tears began to course steadily down her cheeks. Then, without even thinking, Sakura buried her head into Naruto's shoulder, crying uncontrollably. He stroked her back and gently pressed the tip of his nose into the top of her head.

"I'll protect you, Sakura," he whispered. "Don't you worry." Everything else seemed to have disappeared—the people walking around them, the echoes as voices called across the lobby, the front doors opening and closing when people came in. The only thing that seemed real was the warmth each felt as they held each other closely.

Finally, Sakura's tears subsided and she stepped back, wiping at her eyes. She took in a shaky breath and then looked up at Naruto.

"Well, ready to go?" she asked. He smiled and nodded, and together they exited the hospital.

************

Sakura lay on her bed, mulling over the events of the last week—eating ramen with Naruto, seeing Sasuke again, Sasuke doing...that to her, the results from the pregnancy test. She couldn't help but be surprised at how much it seems your world can change all in less than seven days. Subconsciously, she began massaging her lower abdomen. She hadn't had the courage to break the news to her parents yet. They were still under the impression that she'd had a run in with a low-life ninja and she'd simply gone to the hospital to rest up and that the appointment she'd had two days ago was their daughter reporting back to work. She wasn't sure when she was going to tell them. Or, for that matter, how.

Naruto. She remembered how he had volunteered to help her in her time of need, even to the point of soiling his own name for her sake. Now everyone was going to think that he was a good for nothing ninja that knocked up his teammate because he couldn't control himself. Was it selfish of her to ask him to do something like that? She rolled onto her side, hugging her pillow to her chest.

Naruto had come over to her house at least once every day since the ordeal had happened. She knew that her mother suspected something was up. He would talk to her, tell her about some new training that he was doing, complain about the lack of progress the Leaf Village was making in the Ninja War, anything really to keep her mind occupied and stop these soul destroying thoughts from germinating. He'd really been a true friend to her in her time of need. And the way he looked at her... what was that emotion she felt?

The soft knocking at the door pulled Sakura from her reverie. The door opened and her mother poked her head inside the room.

"There's someone here who wants to see you," she said.

"Is it Naruto?" she asked, suddenly conscious of how she looked. She briefly wondered when the last time she'd brushed her teeth was, but her mother shook her head. Sakura's face fell. Her mother smiled knowingly and winked at Sakura before stepping aside. Guilt nagged at Sakura's gut as she thought about what her mother would think when she heard the story about Naruto and Sakura. There was no doubt her high opinion of him would plummet. When she looked up again, to her surprise, it was Shikamaru standing in the doorway.

"Shikamaru?" she said. He gave a half-smile and pointed his thumb at the chair beside her bed.

"Do you mind if I...?"

"No, not at all," Sakura said. "Go ahead." He pulled out the chair and settled into it with a sigh.

"So... how are you?" he asked. Sakura just looked at him, an awkward silence growing between them.

"Fine," she finally said, regarding him warily. Had he heard the rumor about her and Naruto? Well, even that was better than dealing with the shame of the truth. Or did he know about that, too? "Not to be rude or anything, but how come you're here?" Shikamaru scratched at the bridge of his nose looking very uncomfortable. There's no good way to say this… he thought. Might as well just dive in. What a drag.

"Well, I know about what actually happened with Sasuke," he said. Sakura's hand squeezed the blanket covering her legs, bunching up the fabric. So he did know.

"I see. So you came here to talk about it."

"Well, yeah, I did—"

"But what if I don't want to talk about it? What if I just want to sit here and not have to deal with people's pity all day long!" Shikamaru held up his hands defensively.

"No, it's not like that—"

"Look, I don't want your condolences! I don't want to talk to anybody! The only person who I can talk to, who I know won't judge me is—well, it isn't you!" She stopped herself abruptly and looked away, her face burning red. Shikamaru waited for a moment, wary of another outbreak. But apparently she'd quieted herself with something she'd said, because she was staring at her lap with a confused expression. So Shikamaru swallowed before trying once again.

"Sakura, I'm not trying to get you to talk to me or anything. I'm not going to play counselor; I know that if you wanted someone to talk to, it wouldn't be me." She was silent. "I came here strictly on terms of business, I guess you would say. Because I'm in charge of the Sasuke investigation, I need to know exactly what happened that night. What Sasuke said, how he acted—anything that could help in pinpointing his motivation and what he might do next."

"I don't want to talk about it," she said quietly.

"But if we're going to figure out what Sasuke wanted—"

"Talk to Naruto. He knows. But I... I just can't talk about it anymore. I'm sorry, Shikamaru." It was clear she wasn't going to say anything more, so Shikamaru pushed himself up to his feet and headed to the door. "Oh, and Shikamaru?" He glanced back at her. "I'm sorry about my outburst. You didn't deserve it. I've just been really angry and—" Shikamaru held up a hand.

"Nah, don't worry about it. It's fine," he said. Sakura nodded gratefully. "Well, see you around, then." She watched as he pulled open the door and left her room, leaving her to wonder why it was that the only person she could confide in was Naruto.