A/N:

I was listening to the song Never Be The Same by Red. This song was so inspirational, I just had to write a story around it. I was writing this along the way, the ideas were just pouring down on me :) It's a bit depressing, sorry. I have to say this is my favorite one so far!

"What's your favorite color, Taichou?"

"Green."

"Like my eyes?"

"Yeah . . ."

"What's your second favorite color? Brown?" she teased.

"No. It's pink."

"Pink? I knew you and Kakashi-sensei had something going on!" she winked.

He shook his head and grinned softly. "Just because I like pink shouldn't make me gay . . . I just love Sakura blossoms. They're pink."

"Really? I love them too. It doesn't help I was named Sakura, huh?"

It was impossible to keep the tears from shedding down his face. Shinobi didn't cry. If his ANBU teammates were to see him in such a weakened state, they would've looked at him in disdain and lose all respect for him. He couldn't help himself. The memories refused to halt their miserable assault. He still couldn't bring himself to accept the news he had received a month ago. She was dead.

How could she be dead? As if somehow trying to console him, just like she had months ago, the Sakura blossoms whirled around him in silence. They fastened themselves around his soaked to the bone shirtless skin. Some even clutched unto his hair.

The rain continued to pummel down to the ground and thunder rumbled menacingly, convincing everyone sane in Konoha to retire indoors. That's probably why he wasn't at home. He wasn't sane. Not without her.

It seemed as if every rain drop that struck him brought a memory of pain.

"I love the cherry blossom trees in this park. I come here anytime I can, especially on my birthday when they're in full bloom . . ."

"Why do you come alone all the time?"

She shrugged. "I never found someone special to share it with."

"May I share it with you?"

She gave him her world lightening smiles. "You're always so polite! Of course, Tenzou."

Even if this had been several years ago, he could still feel the warmth that had enveloped his heart when his name had graced her lips. His real name. Not Taichou, not captain, not Yamato. Tenzou. She had called him Tenzou and had continued to do so since that day.

Today was her birthday. March 28th. This was the only year he had witnessed rain during this season. He supposed that even nature weeped for one of it's beautiful creatures - her. The cherry blossoms were peeled off from their tree thanks to the harsh winds and rain drops. The trees were being stripped of their only beauty.

He sadistically smiled to himself. These trees were just like him. He was the sturdy, plain and completely vacant tree lacking flowers. When he had met her, she allowed himself, the tree, to flourish with beautiful blossoms. Now that she was gone, the tree was falling into pieces. The tree was going to go to be hollow once more.

"It's beautiful! You really didn't have to, Taichou!"

"It's your birthday. How could I not have gotten you something?"

Her cheeks flushed into a delicate pink, the same exact shade of a cherry blossom. "I mean, I guess a present is okay, but not such an expensive one!"

He ignored her protests. "Please accept it. It really matches you. Besides, it wasn't expensive. Here, I'll put it on for you."

She silently passed him the necklace and scooted her back to him so he could maneuver the necklace with ease around her neck. He gently wrapped the slightly loose platinum chain around her beautifully sculpted neck and had a little trouble clasping the delicate chains together.

"Where'd you get it from?" she asked adoringly as she picked up the necklace that settled just inches above her cleavage. He had hand picked the chain a bit smaller than the usual 18" like the woman in the store had recommended. He knew her bone structure was slim and he didn't want the necklace to be totally loose.

"I made it."

She widened her eyes. "You made this? Really?"

He just nodded his head and fondly smiled as he saw shock and adoration settle upon her gorgeous face. "It wasn't difficult. When you specialize in wood, the skill of wood carving is like a second skin."

"The cherry blossom has so much detail, though! I can see every intricate notch made into the wood. . . The texture of it is incredibly smooth, too! I can't imagine even female hand's handling such a difficult task! It's like around the size of the tip of my forefinger. If you had screwed up, you would've had to start over all again! On top of that, you had somehow managed to dye the wood pink, a pink that totally matches a real cherry blossom. Oh! And you even tucked in a piece of gold in the middle . . . "

He had just sat there and silently blushed, unsure of what to do with all these compliments that she was showering him with. He wasn't going to admit it out loud, but he had taken extreme precautions with it. Every single carving on that piece of wood had been with absolute care. He had worked on it a bit every day, refusing to land a single mistake on it. It had to be perfect.

"What did you make it out of?"

"I wanted it to be a bit special," he admitted, as he began to crawl around towards the back of the tree they were currently leaning up against.

"What do you mean?" she asked as she followed him curiously to the other side of the hugest Sakura tree in Konoha.

Instead of replying, he just lifted his finger to the perfectly sculpted heart shaped piece he had delicately cut into the wood. He didn't want to leave an ugly shaped square in her beautiful tree. In the heart shaped cut, he had carved her name into it.

Tenzou was brought up from his reminiscing from a bolt of lightning that crackled through the air. He glanced up at the sky before his gaze settled upon the heart shaped cut in front of him. He was currently kneeled down in front of her favorite tree, in front of the cut that had been made exactly a year before.

He reached out to touch the damp bark and his fingers fondly trailed her name, an action he had forced himself to do everyday. He could compare himself to this tree. He had her name written on his own heart. Her name would forever be carved into him and forever it would stay.

His fingers trailed down to the inscribed letters below her name and closed he closed his eyes in sorrow.

"It's missing something," she insisted as she whipped out her own kunai. She crowded up closer to the heart shaped indention, blocking his line of sight. He backed off to give her more room and waited patiently for her to finish whatever had been missing.

"There," she said with finality as she backed away from the tree to allow him a peep.

His heart had burst with happiness. In that heart, right below her name, was 'And Tenzou'. She had allowed him officially into her life. Having the honor of his name in one of her most valued objects in the world was beyond describable.

"Y-you didn't have to! This tree means a lot to you, you shouldn't have put my name on there," he stuttered in protest as he began to put his hand up against the tree, ready to remove his name with his wood element.

She put her own hand on top of the hand he had upon the tree. "Don't," she said simply as she lifted up the wood carved Sakura from her chest. "This tree doesn't mean as much to me as this carving does."

He just silently stared at her in astonishment.

"Promise me something?"

"Anything."

"Promise you'll always come with me here. Especially on my birthday. Okay?"

She stuck out her pinky finger solemnly and added, "Pinky promise me, Tenzou. These type of promises are legit."

"I promise," he smiled, clasping his pinky finger around her own. "Pinky promise."

Yamato gulped back another wrenching, chocking sob that threatened to erupt from the depths of his heart. Reluctantly, he stumbled to his numb feet. He had to show up for his ANBU meeting. It was crucial for him to attend and if he had it his way, he could've spent all his life sobbing in front of her tree. But, life was a bastard and it continued to move on and change.

A stray Sakura petal floated in front of him. Hesitantly, he extended his hand out to receive the petal delicately between his forefinger and thumb. He pressed the petal to his lips.

He could never be the same without her.