A Promise For Tomorrow
Prologue
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder." – Thomas Haynes Bayly
"Well… I guess this is goodbye for awhile, huh?" Naruto scratched his head uncertainly and looked down at his feet. It would be two years until Sakura would see him again; two whole years before they could go after Sasuke.
"Yeah…" Sakura affirmed bleakly, also staring at the ground. There was a saddening, uncertain lull in their conversation as Jiraiya prattled on to the border patrol in the background. It was hard to believe everything that had happened in the last two months; Sakura found it nearly unfathomable to think what could occur in the next two years. "You'll…. You'll be careful, right?"
"Of course!" Naruto chirped, throwing his hands behind his head with a grin. "I'll come back stronger than ever!" Sakura indulged him with a small smile despite the sudden pang of loneliness she felt.
"Right," she nodded, trying to force more cheer into her voice. At this point Jiraiya had finished talking with the border patrol and was making his way back over to them.
"Ready to go, kid?" he asked, clasping a gruff hand on Naruto's small shoulder.
"Yeah!" Naruto exclaimed, turning to look up at the man jubilantly. Jiraiya gave him an amused smile before turning to look at Sakura.
"Tsunade's training won't be easy. I hope you're prepared." Sakura bristled slightly on the inside. Did she really appear to be that fragile?
"Sakura-chan's always prepared!" Naruto quipped before the girl could open her mouth. "She'll be fine. Won't you, Sakura-chan?"
"Yeah," Sakura agreed, feeling slightly flustered. She tucked a lock of stray hair behind her ear, a somewhat embarrassed smile playing on her lips. Jiraiya gave a small snort.
"Tell Tsunade my first letter should arrive in about a month."
"Mm," Sakura nodded as the man turned toward the gate and then refocused her attention on Naruto. Naruto grinned at her, his eyes aglow with the promise of his upcoming adventure. Sakura tried to hold onto her smile as another pang of loneliness hit her. "Well… Good luck!"
"Mm!" Naruto nodded, beaming. They stood like that just long enough to tinge the moment awkward with unspoken necessities. Sakura was almost glad when Jiraiya called over his shoulder for the boy. With one last "Bye!" and a wave, Naruto turned on his heel and jogged over to join his new sensei. Sakura watched them leave, returned one last wave from Naruto, and felt her heart sink further with every step he took away from the village. And then he was gone; nothing more but an orange blur on an already orange horizon.
Sakura had never felt more alone.