The Kekkei Genkai Curse

By Shiroihato

A/N: Eek! I just now read the version of chapter 12 that everyone else sees on the site. I realized every time I tried to type in the name of a website, Fanfiction thought it was a link and didn’t copy it. So for those of you who aren’t on the site, what I was trying to say is I love www.NaruSaku(dot)com to death! A bunch of people asked what Kyuubi’s reasons for saving Sakura were. You’ll find out why he did what he did, although things might be different than you thought. Oh and sorry, but she’s not going to be a demon. Or a half demon. And no, he did not seal Kyuubi inside of her- that would actually kill Naruto, and you can be sure I’m not killing him off. If my fluff is horrible, please don’t kill me. I love to read fluff, but I’m an angst writer by birth. Fluff is a bit out of genre for me. Well I suppose some people might not agree that this is fluff, but still you get the point.

-------------- A Moment of Perfection

A moment of perfection is flocked by failure on either side. In that moment, though, there is only the right and the now. For just an instant we are free from what is coming next.

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“Listen to me kid. Put your hand on her.”

“What?!”

“Just do as I say!”

Nervously, Naruto did as he was instructed. He hissed as a slight burning sensation rippled through his fingers. Red-orange chakra began crawling from his fingertips, hovering over the kunoichi’s lean frame for just a moment before disappearing.

“Fox, no, you’ll hurt both of us. This burns!”

“Do you want to save her, or not?”

Softly her jade eyes opened, blinking.

“Naruto…” she struggled to sit up, “what’s this feeling?”

She grasped on to his shoulder, pulling herself up. She didn’t see his eyes fade from a deep red into their normal crystal blue. He didn't know if it was only detectable to him, but she also didn't seem to notice the chakra floating around her, encompassing her body, or the color that came pouring back to her face and skin or even the slowly fading sores.

“Naruto…. I shouldn’t have this much chakra….” She looked at her hands, and then gently removed herself from his lap as she spoke “It feels strange. Good, but strange.”

“Eh?” Naruto cocked his head to the side, ignoring the fox’s sudden silence, “But… that’s the whole problem, isn’t it? You have too much chakra, right?”

“Too many cells,” she corrected him, “and most of them are warped or malformed. All they do is attack my system; I can’t actually use them for energy.”

She stood up. “I wonder… I haven’t been able to lately, but, maybe…”

Glimmering green chakra came from her fingertips, but the color quickly changed to a warm orange-red color. slowly, her eyes turned to Naruto. He could see her question, clear as day. He was a bit afraid to answer, but decided he had to.

"I..."

"Damn, fox, what did you do?"

"I let her my chakra. You were getting annoying. It should heal her."

"I..I" stuttered Naruto, "..the fox...he healed you...he gave you his chakra."

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(back at Konoha)

The man who owned the clerk behind the counter of the ice-cream parlor watched as the coupled walked through the glass doors that led to the patio. The pink haired girl he recognized. Half the boys in the village had fawned after her before she had gotten ill, his own son included. Why she had chosen the blonde (who he knew as the fox boy), he would never know. Even more of a mystery to him was why they would want ice-cream on the patio on such a cold day. But why should he care? They were business, and that's all he really needed to know. Although something DID seem different about Haruno...

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Sakura sat down, a cone of strawberry sherbet in her hand. She still wore the same stunned, pensive look. Naruto was feeling nervous, as he gently tucked her chair in and sat down himself. Watching as she slowly tried some of the frozen treat, he slowly grew even more worried. Sakura had never held the fact that he was the Kyuubi container, against him, but how would she feel about any part of it residing in her, even if it was only chakra? what if someone found out about it, and persecuted her the same way they always had him? He wasn't sure he could handle that...much less her.

"Naruto," her voice was soft and expressionless; her face gave away no emotion, "Thank You."

And all of a sudden, there was that bright, delighted smile, beaming from her face. It was the same one that had drawn him to her in the first place.

"Hurry and eat, baka" she laughed, "I want to go home. And you're coming with me! Well, I guess I really don't have room to call you 'Baka' right now, do I?"

And a grin spread over his face, too.

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Shoving away her empty bowl of instant ramen, sakura stood up, turning around to open a window. she didn't care if it was February, the fresh air was nice. Besides, winter was warmer in Konoha than almost anywhere else. She turned back around to face Naruto, who also stood up. Without warning, she took a step foreword, and through her arms around him.

"Naruto," she whispered into his chest, "thank you, so, so, much. I'll never be able to stop thanking you."

Gently, he took her chin in his hand, tilting her gaze upwards. Maybe Neji was right, and there was such a thing as fate, because Naruto knew such a sight couldn't have been planned out by mere coincidence. She had decided to dress all in white, pale tan, and silver that day. Her white sweater was low cut, the collar starting a little under her collar bone, and leaving part of her shoulders bare. The angel glistened from around her neck, and the good luck charm fell to her thighs, dangling from her belt loop. Silvery-gold sunlight poured in from the window, bathing her in radiance. Gently he put a hand up to stroke her hair, which was blowing ever so slightly in the breeze. It was a single moment of perfection, one that he knew he would never forget.

"Don't cry," he said softly, seeing the unshed happy tears in her eyes.

The moment was broken, as she shoved him away, lightly. Though, "light" for Sakura meant he almost hit the wall.

"Sumimasen! I'd almost forgotten how good it felt to be able to do that!" she stuck her tongue out at him again (it was something she seemed to like doing), and then grew more serious, "Naruto, don't tell any of the others yet. I really want this to be that good dream that comes at the end of the nightmare, but...I really feel like we shouldn't tell anyone yet."

He nodded again, less happy. That is, until she took his hand. Leaving the dirty dishes and open window forgotten, she grabbed her coat. Naruto let her pull him out the door and down the street to the park. Letting go of him, she ran to the same swing she always sat in, at the far right sight of the park. As the Uzumaki went to push her, she smiled at him, "I don't think I was ever been this spontaneous before we started dating. You've been rubbing off on me, ne? Aa, shoganai." (Ah, there's nothing that can be done/oh well)

"Yeah," he teased, "You always planned everything out, before, and everything would have to go perfectly in order for you to be happy. So troublesome.""

"Shut up!" The Haruno girl didn't sound angry at all. She started giggling like a little kid as he pushed her higher and higher.

"Eh, you've rubbed off on me, too, Sakura-chan. I've learned to watch my mouth around you."

The laughter wouldn't seem to go away, and Sakura didn't really want it to, either.

"But, also, you taught me to think before I act. You taught me appreciation for well... allot of things I wouldn't have noticed otherwise...and you've kept me human. You saved me first."

Sakura blushed, and silence prevailed. Slowly, the swing stopped, Naruto catching it. Kumo, who had seen the whole thing, smiled. Maybe those memories of hers were wrong after all. She came out from her hiding place in the top of a tree, not failing to notice how red the couple got.

"If I could steal her away from you for a little while, Naruto-san. Maybe we can work out some kind of schedule. do you want to pick her up at five?" Kumo joked, trying to relieve the tension.

"Make it eight," he grinned, "pick you up at your apartment, Sakura-chan."

His girlfriend waved until he was out of sight, and then turned to the violet eyed medic.

"How long you been of duty?" she asked, noticing that Kumo had yet to change out of her uniform.

"Only about a half hour, 'Tsuki-chan. Come on, are you feeling up to a little basket ball? It will warm us both up."

"Yeah!"

Within a few minutes, they had secured a ball, and were dribbling up and down the court.

"Three points!" cheered Kumo, as the ball sunk through the hoop with a swishing sound.

"No fair!" her friend pouted, "You're taller!"

"Which is my fault...how?"

Sakura started to laugh, and then stopped. Clutching her stomach, she started to bend over.

"Chitsuki-chan?! Sakura?!"

A/N: Just so you know , part two of that little saying is in the next chapter, "The Last Birthday Party". Combined with the first part, it sets a completely different mood. I'm sorry if there are lots of typos and/or grammar and spelling issues. I am once again working on a computer without Microsoft word, and I can't download open office.

Just so you know, this chapter was probably the hardest for me to write. I had to set mood music and read fluff and everything. I probably wouldn't have pulled it off had I not listened to "Hikari" by Utada Hikaru (Japanese version of "Simple and Clean") and "Passion" by the same (Japanese version of "Sanctuary") a hundred times each via youtube while writing. Both songs are favorites of mine. I really suggest listening to one of them or a similar song while reading. Oops, should have put that the beginning, I guess. Never mind.

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