They were on their way back from a mission, camped out from the night. It had been a nice evening with the calming sounds of the forest animals and the crackling of the fire. Sakura's head was resting in his lap, her head turned towards the dancing flames. She'd been so quiet, Naruto had thought she was asleep until she spoke.

Naruto was sure if he had so much as sighed, he wouldn't have heard her over the crackling of the fire just a foot from them.

"Sometimes, I'm still scared you'll leave me."

He felt himself still at the vulnerability of her voice, the way it was caked with emotion and so low he could pretend he didn't hear her. Something just about the tone instilled a small panic inside of him and he tried to be gentle when he responded.

"You…have been before?"

In the moment she paused before answering, Naruto worried she'd ignore him and he'd never find out what made her admit such a sad thing on that cool night. She took a short breath, her voice picking up a little volume but still holding that wry tone. "When we were kids you were always chasing after Sasuke and…you never looked back to see if I was still with you. I just…it's silly to think of now, but…"

Naruto felt a lump in his throat and a tightness in his chest at her answer. Guilt stopped him from denying it. He wouldn't lie to her and she wasn't wrong. Naruto's voice was the one that went quiet now as he debated resting a hand on her. "I didn't – you were always there, in the back of my mind. I know I didn't look back, but I…I think it was because I knew that you wouldn't leave me. That you'd be there."

He watched as the tenseness in her muscles eased and let himself finally reach out for her. She turned to look up at him when his hand landed on her arm and he moved it down to grab her hand. He couldn't read her expression at first, it was a mix of emotions and a part of him worried he had somehow messed this up. But then, she gave him a small smile, soft and affectionate, making him feel a warmth that had nothing to do with the heat of the fire.

She held his hand in a loose grip, her thumb stroking across his rough skin. There was a sadness in her eyes as she said, "I feel like you never stop running, Naruto. Like you're always headed towards something, some kind of goal. To get Sasuke back. To become Hokage. It's selfish, but I just don't want you to run so far ahead of me, away from me. But I don't want you to have to wait for me to catch up either…I want to be beside you, not behind you or in front of you." She looked back over at the fire, the orange light dancing across her, giving her skin a warm hue. She looked beautiful. "I just get confused on exactly how to do that."

Naruto's other hand reached out to cup her face and turn her eyes back to him. He smiled down at her, his heart twisting in a painful ache that felt comforting. "I think you're forgetting that you're one of the things I'm always running to. Always. I don't want you to feel like you need to catch up with me. You're the person I want at the end to catch me when my legs give out. To support me by my side every day, giving me strength and keeping my spirits up. Something to look forward to, to keep me going, to keep me running."

Her smile grew slowly, like a sun rising to coat a field of flowers in light, and a small laugh escaped her. She leaned up to give him a quick and sweet kiss.

She didn't have to tell him she understood or that she'd catch him. When she said, "I love you," she said it all.