Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

'Wind' - Sakura's thoughts.

Wind - Sasuke's thoughts.

'Flashback'/Flashback

W I N D K I S S ES

"Thanks and come again!" said the cheerful old woman that owned one of the food stores in the village.

Sakura smiled as she picked up her bag of groceries and headed for the door.

"And do be careful!" added the woman concerned, "It's not safe to be out this late shopping."

"Don't worry. I can perfectly manage," reassured Sakura as she left the shop. The woman must not have seen the Konoha headband she was wearing, labeling her as a kunoichi, but she shrugged it off as she glanced at her watch briefly and looked at the time.

It was late, but it was the only time she was free to shop today. Her plans had changed that morning when she was urgently awoken because of an emergency. She didn't want to go into details but it was indeed a long procedure that took up most of the morning and afternoon. Then since she was already there, she began her shift examining and healing patients. It was worth it though, knowing that she did her good deeds for the day.

She walked down the street not really paying attention to her surroundings. It was a calm night but she didn't have the pleasure of enjoying it too often. There was always something smoothing and relaxing about walking home at night. Of course, she seemed to be too exhausted each night to even consider walking so she opted to transporting in front of her apartment by using a couple of hand signs.

Now, she was appreciating the tranquility after the hectic events, but her mind stubbornly thought of tomorrow's schedule, still used to planning ahead even though her brain wanted to take a break for once.

She had an early shift tomorrow because three squads were expected to arrive from their missions so it was just going to be another busy day. Although, she remembered promising Naruto to eat ramen with him at dinner, if you call that something suitable for dinner, so that would end the day rather nicely. Kakashi had said that he would try to make it but mentioned a possible mission coming up and some personal business he had to attend to. She knew he really intended to show up despite his excuses.

A shout and a deep, loud laugh caught her hearing further ahead. There was a bar around here somewhere, she recalled. Not wanting any unnecessary trouble adding to her day, she took a different path that would get her around and to her destination.

She usually didn't take this way but was able to remember it when she ran an errand for Shizune a while back. This route led to a path along the park with many aligned trees by each side of the road. Her footsteps were quiet as she admired nature at night. The trees were unmoving giants that provided more darkness and seclusion due to the massive branches. Her nose was filled with the different scents of flowers planted on the ground. One in particular was very pleasant but she had forgotten its name. She didn't have the ability of remembering flowers like Ino did, unless it had a medical purpose.

As she thought, a breeze appeared and blew a strand of her hair onto her face. She moved her head up to push it away from tickling her forehead. Suddenly, her gaze took in the glow of the white moon in the sky.

She stopped, slightly amazed at the sight. 'A full moon... just like that night—'

Hastily, she shook her head not urging the thoughts to continue. She didn't need this. She didn't need to think of him now. What use will that be? It will only make her feel...disappointed. She wouldn't use the word 'sad' to describe the feeling anymore. It had been long since she felt that way and wasn't going to start again. Actually, there had been days, no, weeks that her thoughts were not focused on him. There wasn't an important reason to think about it at this moment.

She cursed the moon under her breath for triggering that buried memory. With that, she went along her way, setting her mind on getting straight home and some sleep for tomorrow. Yet another breeze blew behind her, picking up more of her short pink hair, touching her neck and stiffening her body to a stop.

Unaccustomed to anything touching the back of her neck, she shivered and looked back nerved.

There was nothing but the empty road.

Clutching the grocery bag with one arm, she brushed her hair from her face and cautiously searched for anything out of the ordinary.

'Someone's getting a bit paranoid,' came a little voice from within her.

'There's nothing wrong with being careful.' She told herself. 'Never let your guard down.'

The breeze became stronger and blew not only at her hair but to the trees around her. Several leaves were pulled away from the branches and twirled in the air before falling onto the ground.

A small feeling began creeping inside her as she watched the branches sway back and forth. 'This is too much like...no. Stop it. It's just your imagination.' But those damn leaves floated too close to her.

'How long has it been?' She found herself asking. That night was always so clear when she remembered.

Every thought.

Every word.

Every feeling coursing through her body, alerting her to nothing more but the fear and sadness as she stared at his retreating back.

She subconsciously touched the back of her neck as very faint words sounded in her mind.

Thank you.

A sad smile lightly graced her beautiful face. It was a night of pain and sorrow but it was the only time he showed his gratitude. 'That must count for something, right?'

She looked up at the moon. 'Okay, maybe just this once.'

Closing her jade eyes, she allowed the sight of his face become the center of her attention.

'There's no harm in this at all. I'm only remembering for a second.'

Hundreds of miles away, two onyx eyes lazily looked at a rock before throwing a kunai at the other direction. A slouched figure fell on the rocky ground with a thud, the kunai stuck out of where a vital organ was.

Hn. That's it? The raven-haired man walked to the dead body of a Sound ninja. Amateur.

He walked further having enough of this stupid excuse for training. He was going to have a little talk with that damn snake for wasting his time with these Sound nin.

Soon, he walked past by the bodies of others, who were so easy to defeat. He headed for the location of the latest hiding place wanting to seek out a new justu or something that will keep him preoccupied for the rest of the night.

He slept during the day, hating to associate with the worthless ninja around here, so he trained at night having as much privacy as he wanted. As he descended down the mountains, a breeze surrounded him. It wasn't unusual but something about it disturbed him. Could it be a possible enemy?

No.

The wind gently blew on his face, almost playfully. But it was more of a touch of innocence and shyness, which momentarily caused an image of a girl flash in the back of his mind.

Hn.

Of all the people to randomly think about, why did her face appear? Why the annoying pink-head? He looked up at the night sky and found the moon staring at him.

Narrowing his eyes, he knew there was something familiar about this. Something he ought to remember but couldn't place it. On cue, he heard soft echoes of female crying.

Oh yeah. That's right.

He didn't care but he wondered if she was still the same. He couldn't recall how she looked the time they met after those years. He was too focused on the idiot dobe and eliminating him to give her much thought. But her eyes full of surprise and astonishment, he did remember clearly.

Jade eyes full of disbelief.

He was amused that she still didn't believe he chose this path and became whom they saw that day. Hn. I don't think she has changed. She has been training, I can tell but...you can't change because that's how you are...stupid Sakura.

'Sasuke-kun? Are you hungry?'

'Will you like to eat with me?'

'Do you wanna go on a date-erm, I mean, train?'

Just remembering her voice gives me a headache. He brought his hand up to his head as the wind blew his raven locks to the side. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to ease the tension. The wind was relaxing and he didn't notice when he lowered his hand and was now facing the direction of the wind.

There wasn't any distinct smell, since he was standing on the rocky mountain, so the wind didn't bother him with lingering smells of blood or dead corpses. Though, the image of her wouldn't leave his mind now that he thought about her. Annoying little...

'Is something wrong?'

'Are you hurt?'

'Sasuke-kun?'

Her voice disappeared from his head and instead two innocent jade eyes blinked at him, spilling the unshed tears. One of his fingers flinched in response. Che. I still have that damn notion of automatically protecting her from something.

Times he had chosen to forget before came tumbling into his memory again; rather quickly but he remembered them all the same. A weak, pathetic girl that wasn't considered anywhere near special as a ninja. A girl who was too clingy, head filled with stupid ideas and a habit for being in the way. The countless of times when she needed protecting, but most of all, when she just talked too much.

But as much as he denied it, he wasn't completely heartless, even after the various attempts and years of separation to make him void of any emotion. He questioned why, on some nights, his goal did not seem as important when he let his mind wander into the abandoned world of the life he had before. To let his thoughts ponder on how life could have been like if he was a normal person who didn't have an obligation so great and too important to forget and not fulfill. And onto the people he believed came close to understanding him once.

The silver-haired man that used to be his mentor told him they were very much alike. He didn't think so back then but trusted his word for it. 'Like teacher, like student,' he had heard from many mouths of villagers. The dobe was different from him in every aspect but he was the only one that really understood his loneliness

But she...never understood him at all. Not one occasion, when she was in his presence, did he feel that she knew what he wanted. She was more wrong to think that she did, especially that last night in the village. Nothing that she offered could compare to what he was seeking outside the bubble he was trapped in. The bubble that grew stronger because of them, but mostly it was her fault for pushing him into it.

Meeting those three was the one of the biggest mistakes. They made him slowly forget with each day his goals and determination. He became sucked into a place where life did not seem so depressing, the life they lived so profoundly, and found himself wanting to hold onto a piece of it, just for a little while to feel secure like he used to as a child. But what he repeatedly told himself was an imaginary and temporary fantasy, began to quickly sink into him and the next thing he knew, he was in too deep.

He was in risk of feeling too much for people that weren't suppose to be nothing more of bothersome teammates that were only dragging him down. What he felt for the strangers he never wanted to talk to, unless it was in a mission, turned into the restoration of the retained emotions he had locked away for so long. What were once teammates turned into trusted comrades and then to the closest of friends he didn't want to allow, but ended up slipping past his indifferent exterior.

He would never tell them that but each one managed to earn his respect and consideration, including that annoying Sakura as well. She became someone who was always there, irritating him, yet nevertheless, still by his side. He learned to see the good and unique qualities in her that he wouldn't have guessed she had before when he first met her. He allowed her to get close because she reminded him of fragility. Something he used to know before he closed the doors to his inner most being.

There was also how important she used to make him feel like. Not only with her constant worrying and kindness, but every time there was danger, he would be in front of her. At first, it was because it made him feel stronger than he felt. The image of his crying eight-year-old self was what he infuriatingly hated to see.

Weakness.

Getting rid of any physical pain for her made him feel like he was in control. But then it was more of not bearing to see her suffer because she was the only close person he knew that would balance the negativity around him. Not completely but a helpful amount that made him appreciate her naivety and cheerfulness.

It still didn't help her much though. He ended up damaging her more than he protected. Physical wounds he could prevent her from getting, but the emotional ones he could not, much less heal them from the several places he himself had stabbed onto her spirit and heart.

And, despite all of that, she couldn't understand his reasons and that he really did care for her more than he let on. If only she had watched more carefully, she would have seen it and not stop him from trying to break out from the things he didn't deserve. He was doing this for his parents, clan, but for those three too. Their ignorance and refusal made him want to severe his ties to them because it was easier to deal with.

There was no guarantee that he would come back alive. He fully accepted his fate and possible death. There was no turning back. But maybe one day, he would able to return with his promise fulfilled and in peace. Back to the rather dysfunctional yet only family he had for the longest of time. They wouldn't forget him. Each one was too damn stubborn. So that is why he became colder to them because they would still pursue him, even if he threatened to kill them all.

He took a deep breath as the wind became warmer. They'll be waiting.

And Sakura...I'm counting on you to be there the most.

One of her bright smiles that he used to see during the mornings where they waited at the red bridge appeared clearly before his closed eyes. I wonder if she's—

'Does he have any second thoughts at all?' she thought sadly, keeping her eyes shut. Even through closed eyes, a stingy irritation warned her of the held back tears she had defied to shed for him. 'It didn't seem so that day we saw him after nearly three years. He didn't look like he had one single regret but—'

Can't she just let go of me? It would be easier for her to move onto better things. Then why do I feel like—

'It still isn't enough to convince me that he's truly gone. He isn't dead so I shouldn't give up on him, not when there's the possibility of—'

Then again, she was always persistent in everything she got involved in. It was a characteristic that reminded me of how much she really cared about me. And I—

'—don't think I can live my life without you—'

—because I accepted you as the first female in my life since my mother and no one else has ever—

'—come close to how much you meant and still mean to me—'

—and I don't want you to—

'—forget me because that would mean—'

—the friendship we had never existed—

'—and that you were never here with me.'

The wind became stronger as they let themselves wander on buried thoughts that surfaced unwillingly.

Maybe she has changed. She wanted to attack me the last time. Something I never thought she would dare to do.

'Although, his actions were cold and selfish, I know deep in his heart that he has compassion.'

Figures. If I changed, then she had to change too. It was how it works. The dobe did, but she'll remain as the Sakura I know from the past.

'There is good in you and it won't disappear because I trust and lov—'

Her thinking came to a halt when she felt the strangest sensation come out of nowhere. It was eerie but somewhat pleasant as well. It drew her curiosity and decided to not open her eyes, in case it disappeared.

'Funny, why do I feel like he's here?'

That scent. Where did it come from? Is it hers?

She gasped when the air became cool and deathly still. He didn't move a muscle as his senses picked up something strong.

There was a sudden change in weather, they both thought, but didn't know why.

All they knew was that the wind was provoking...

A softness that began brushing against his cheek.

Sending chills up her spine.

A tingling feeling on his ear.

Leaving trails of goose-bumps up her elbow and arm.

Warm air curling around his mouth.

Repeatedly moving up and down her jaw before settling on her rosy parted lips.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Shakily, she subconsciously wet her lips as he did the same.

The act magnified the intensity of the coldness and it brought a serious wave of chills that left her...

...weak-kneed.

Made him feel a strong...

...zap of electric force different from anything he experienced.

Caused them to want to stop thinking and instead follow the flow of the irresistible scent and presence.

No thoughts. No words. No vision. No hearing.

Just feeling.

It was...

So unusual and sweet.

Kissed...

...by the wind.

Both pairs of eyes opened slowly, half expecting the other to be right in of them. What greeted them were an empty road and rocky landscape that surfaced raw emotions of loss and disappointment.

And an absence of the wind.

Blinking once, twice, and thrice, they found themselves unable to explain the strange occurrence that caused their heavy breathing and alertness. It was as if a phenomenon happened when they thought of one another.

'Was that what I think it was?'

Could it be?

Were there possibilities of actually sharing a moment in this dimension? What if—?

Suddenly…

He scoffed.

She sighed.

Maybe it wasn't. How could that even be possible?

It was just the wind after all.

Although, neither could explain the loud sneezing that erupted violently as both went back to their routines and continued along their way.

—–

No matter how far away you are from me,

I'll blow you a tender kiss,

knowing the wind will deliver it just as softly.

When it does, think of me...

...for I will be thinking of you.

—–