A/N: Inspired by Selun-chen's picture Narusaku 2 at http://www.deviantart (DOT) com/deviation/47086974/ ; story by causeiambetta. Part 1 of 3.

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Leaving the Dream by Hollow Productions

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Harsh winds swept through the desert, shifting the sands, creating new peaks and valleys. A lone traveler cloaked in many layers of thin, light fabrics walked towards an oasis. She walked steadily, without signs of fatigue despite the sand storms that pelted her mile after mile or the brutal sun baking the atmosphere. The woman's mouth was covered in a mask to help filter out air and goggles over her eyes to keep from being blinded. The harsh conditions were not enough to veer her from the path. No matter how strong the winds buffeted her body or how steep the incline of the sand dunes, she continued on without stopping for days. Through the final leg of the journey, the lone figure looked over the recent peak and down on to the valley below. At last she could see date palm trees and a shallow pond of water with a single camel near. A large tent was propped up near the oasis, standing tall against the harsh conditions.

The flap opened and a man came out, as if expecting her. He too was ready for the elements but walked with a much weaker gait towards the woman. Seeing the man stop near the bottom of the dune she was standing on top of, the woman pulled her hood back and unrolled the thin turban keeping her hair in place. At this, the man below also took down his hood and wrappings, revealing blonde spiky hair, similar eye goggles and a grim countenance. The woman looked down, countering his expression with an unreadable one of her own. They stood like this for some time, neither moving. Tucking her shoulder length pink hair away from her face, Haruno Sakura descended slowly down the hill. Her eyes never strayed from Uzumaki Naruto. Behind the goggles, pained eyes recollected a memory of days long gone. It came without warning, the past. Before the war, before Uchiha Sasuke's return. Before they stopped being friends. Many things had happened since then. She tried to will away the images, the words exchanged that night. Sakura reminded herself that she was a kunoichi of the Leaf. An emotionless tool for protection of the village.

And Sakura was here to kill Naruto.

It was late at night, Team 7 had just returned from a long mission deep in Rice village. Captain Yamato had left Naruto and Sakura at the village gates. Yamato was the only one with enough energy to take Sai to the hospital to get his injuries looked at and then report to the Hokage. The mission was successful and the team had learned precious info on the enemy Sound village. Both Naruto and Sakura were very tired but decided to go to Ichuraku Ramen to celebrate another mission completed, as was tradition. At this late hour the stand was empty and they took a small table for two, away from the entrance. Ayame, the waitress and older sister figure to Naruto came to their table with their regular orders and a smile. Four bowls of ramen for Naruto, each a different flavor, and one bowl of miso soup for Sakura. They both warily nodded their thanks and began to eat the steaming hot food.

Sakura noticed her teammate eating at a unusually slow pace. She looked at Naruto wondering if he was injured more than he let on. Naruto didn't look that beat up, and he always got better the fastest out of anybody she knew. Maybe something was bothering him? Sakura decided to maintain the quiet they had for a bit longer. The mission was draining for all of them. This didn't explain the small glances Naruto threw her way every once in a while. Sakura started to feel uneasy. She finally couldn't take it anymore when she heard Naruto quietly say 'Go.'

'What?' Sakura says looking up from her soup, surprise written on her face.

'...Nothing, nothing' Naruto replies quietly, without looking up. Sakura at this reaches across the table and squeezes his shoulder softly.

'Why did you just say 'go'?' this time the question was followed by a narrowing of her emerald green eyes.

'I...didn't know I was saying anything out loud.' Naruto then starts laughing and puts on a large grin while rubbing the back of his head. Sakura removes her hand from him with a slight look of frustration. Naruto was being strange again. 'Hey, just thinking out loud, it's nothing.'

Sakura's eyes soften at his expression and she places her chopsticks on the table 'Naruto- you've always been a terrible liar. Tell me what's wrong.'

Naruto waves her question away with the tips of his chopsticks, still smiling. 'No, no everything is fine.'

'Well, humph.' Ignoring Naruto's rudeness, Sakura rubs her eyes, trying to stroke her fatigue away. 'I guess you won't tell me then,' and picks up her chopsticks to finish her meal. Naruto sees how tired she looks, looks down and tries to finish his meal faster.

'We're finally getting close to getting him,' Naruto says definitively, while taking a break from finishing his third bowl

Sakura pauses in her eating. 'Yes, we are.'

Naruto, between bites, 'Things are going to become like before.' Sakura looks at him carefully, he didn't look up nor did Naruto's fake smile stretch as far as it usually does.

'I don't think...it will be like that Naruto' her chopsticks lay still in her right hand and she leans back to stare at the ceiling of the ramen stand. She looked deep in thought about the idea of a future with Uchiha Sasuke, her childhood crush and traitor to the village, back. 'After all we've been through, I just don't think things will ever get back to the way it was.'

Naruto absent mindedly kept eating, though at a slower than before. He paused and looked at a small candle placed in the middle of the table for light. 'I think they will.' Naruto looks up and gives Sakura a dimmer smile. 'And that will be a great thing Sakura-chan!'

'What makes you think that?' Sakura retorts without looking down from the ceiling and crosses her arms across her chest.

'Don't you want it to be like it was before?'

Placing the last morsel of her late night meal to her mouth, 'Well- of course.' Chewing on the food, 'But...that's just not going to be how it's going to be.' Sakura finishes her bowl while Naruto waits. 'I know I dream a lot about stuff. How things would've turned out during the years if Sasuke-kun had stayed. But…'

Upon hearing the -kun honorific to Sasuke, Naruto redoubles his efforts to finish the last bowl and get the hell out of here. In between hurried bites, he exclaims 'Right! You're super strong now Sakura-chan! Sasuke-teme can't ignore you this time'

'It would be a shame...' Sakura continued over his proclamation quietly. '...if things go back to normal.' She turns to look at him. Her mouth turned a sad smile that didn't reach her eyes. 'Then you wouldn't be my friend anymore.'

At this, Naruto looks up beaming at her confidently for the first time this night. 'I will always be your friend Sakura-chan!'

'...' Again Sakura looks at him carefully, and extends a hand to over his as one of them rests on the table once he remembers to chew. 'Naruto,' she gives his hand a light squeeze 'You and me. Together. We will get Sasuke-kun back!' Naruto swallows his food loudly and grins. 'And this time- he will be the one looking at our backs with envy. Just like we used to look at him.'

'And...And...When we do and beat sense into him, you guys can be a great happy couple. Just like you always wanted!' Naruto's smile stretches even harder and he squinted his eyes shut.

Sakura stops her rant and removes her hand. She hasn't closed her mouth yet but no words come out. Naruto nods vigorously in the positive, and then returns back to his food. A moment passes before Sakura could speak again. 'Who said I wanted that anymore?' She slouches slightly, speaking quietly 'Would I even be happy as his girlfriend?' Finally concluding her hesitant thoughts with a smile no longer sad, 'I would rather stay a friend.'

Naruto bobs his head up and down, 'Sakura-chan would beat Ino and every other girl in this whole village.' He looks up 'Everyone loves the Uchihas.'

'Of course they do'

''You'll get him this time for sure!' Naruto sits back from his finished bowl and looks out to the street. 'And everything will go back to the way it was before' Before Sakura could reply, Naruto gets up and goes to pay the bill for both their meals. When he comes back with two glasses of water, he sees Sakura with her arms crossed again and a slightly perturbed look on her face. Naruto sat back into the chair and with a faraway look in his eyes said 'Sakura-chan?'

'Hmm?'

'Once we get him back, I'm going to take the Jounin test.'

Sakura loosened her arms and smiled, 'Yeah, I think that would be a great idea.'

Naruto continued to look thoughtful, and then had a small smile on his face. 'They'll have to make a new team 7 and I won't be in your way.'

Sakura tensed and raised an eyebrow, 'In my way?'

Naruto lost his bout of seriousness at her reaction and continued louder than before, 'Yeah if I train hard enough with Ero-sannin, I'll make Jounin for sure!'

'Naruto-'

'It's going to be great. Tsunadade-obaa-chan will have to give me real missions!' Naruto cut her off and was getting louder with each sentence; mouth wide in a plastic smile.

'Naruto...why are you saying things like 'go' and 'not be in your way'?'

'Maybe get my own team! Won't that be great Sakura-chan? I'll be like Kakashi-sensei, but even better!' Naruto ended laughing very hard and slapping his knee, to which Sakura looked on sadly, not masking her thoughts.

'What's wrong, Naruto? You know I don't think of you as a hindrance.'

'Hey, the next Hokage holds no one back! I'll be the best Jounin there is' Naruto evades her gaze and drinks his glass halfway through.

'Fine- don't tell me then.' She abruptly drinks the water from her glass and thumps it on the table. 'I'll see you tomorrow, and here, I don't like you paying for me all the time.' She smacks down her portion of the bill, ringing loudly in the quiet restaurant. Sakura angrily stormed out of the shop.

Right before exiting the stand, Sakura couldn't help but glance back, fully expecting to see Uzumaki Naruto rush to her side to apologize and walk her back home. That was just one of the things she loved about him. They have their arguments but she could never stay angry at him. He in turn, never turned down a chance to be with her.

What Haruno Sakura saw instead, was Uzumaki Naruto sit dejectedly at their table, sadly staring at her seat.