This is the sequel to my previous fic, It'll All Work Out. Hopefully people will enjoy this fic as much as the other.

Also - the first chapter is the only chapter narrarated by Naruto. Here, he reminisces about his childhood.

This is not a oneshot!

When I was little, the slide was my favorite place in the world.

I'd sometimes amuse myself by clambering up the wrong end, eventually tumbling back into the sandbox. But most days I just sat there, gazing up into the sky. That was my second favorite place in the world.

It's not like I could flap my arms and fly up into the clouds. I wished I could. But I imagined that I could open a door to the blueness and thrust myself in. There I would idly spend my days, adrift in seas of lollipops and rich caramels. And, of course, I would have plenty of friends.

Sometimes, as I was deep in the middle of my childish reveries, I would see a kid or two walking by. I scooted over to the edge of the slide, just enough space for a kid my size. I waved. I smiled encouragingly.

The kid(s) walked past. I frowned. Maybe it wasn't enough space?

Over time, I learned that, no, it wasn't a lack of space. They simply ignored me.

I had no mama to ask, why don't they like me?

I had no papa to assure me that he'd always protect me.

But it wasn't always like that. There were two months – two months exactly – where I did not spend my days on the slide in isolation.

I christened them my "Cherry Blossom Days".

And they were, truly, cherry blossom days. Sakura trees were never as beautiful as they were that year. As they bloomed one frigid morning, I eagerly climbed up to my favorite spot, brushed away a myriad of rosy petals, and sat there to bask in the scenery.

"You aren't looking into the sky anymore." A little voice tore my eyes from the trees. There, for the first time, I saw a girl squatting next to the slide. The first thing I thought was, whoa, her eyes are pretty. I could only stare at them, speechless.

"You could say something now." She giggled, and I blushed.

"S-s-sorry," I stammered, and, for the first time in a very long time, I offered a seat.

What surprised me was that she climbed up without hesitation. Up the wrong end, too. Boy, was she good.

"So. Why do you come up here?" She immediately tossed out a question. Taken aback, I had to think for several moments before I mumbled an answer.

"I don't know."

"Well, you must like it if you always come here. Don't you like it?"

"I-I guess."

"Oh, come on! You really think it's fun staying up here everyday? There are, like, so many places to be!" She spread out her petite little arms, as if to reveal the whole world to me. And, in her enthusiastic gesture, I really imagined the places I never had seen. A tower of sweets, perhaps. Or maybe a mountain of ohagi. I liked that idea.

But I refused this girl's tugs as she tried to peel me off my fortress of reveries. I was the emperor, I was the king. I was alone.

"Gosh, you're persistent." She finally stopped. I didn't know what persistent meant, but I wasn't about to ask.

"I don't want to go," I said helplessly.

"Why?" she pressed.

"People are going to laugh at me."

"That's nonsense. Why would people laugh at you?"

"I don't know. They ignore me. They call me names." My voice trembled.

The girl noticed. "Oh." She was suddenly quiet.

I've ruined it. She wasn't going to play with me anymore. I had a chance, and I ruined it.

I made a desperate attempt to reel her back in. "I'm Naruto," I whispered.

She perked up. "I'm Sakura. Just like the cherry blossoms, right?" She giggled.

At the end of the day, I had found out that Sakura talked – not just talked, but went on and on and on. She talks too much. But I liked it.

So it went on like this, and she became my very best friend. I began to notice that I was more confident, and I even plucked up the courage to shout once in public. So we continued talking, and the cherry blossoms continued to fall on my newly-shared, favorite place in the whole world.

One day, Sakura ran up the slide breathlessly.

"What's the matter, Sakura-chan?"

She held up her hand. "One second," she wheezed, catching her breath. "Okay. I just heard that the old theater on Fifth Avenue was torn down. They built a new one now!"

Sakura and I conversed quietly, and we both ended up agreeing to pool our money – my savings and Sakura's weekly allowance - for tickets.

We walked the whole three miles up to the theater, a feat to be proud of for two seven-year-olds. Covered with sweat, we spread a quilt on a patch of grass, a front-and-center view of the stage.

"I'm tired," I complained loudly.

"Shh!!" A voice hissed loudly from behind us. Sakura giggled, as usual.

"I'm tired, too, Naruto." She pulled two steaming bowls from her bag. "But we should eat."

I mentally kicked myself – repeatedly – for my stupidity. Of course, we were going to stay there for the night! Who wouldn't bring food?!?

"Ohh…I'm such a baka for forgetting!" I groaned.

"Don't worry about it! I forgot to tell you that we were supposed to eat, it's my fault." Sakura handed me a pair of chopsticks. "Besides, we don't wanna starve, do we?"

I gratefully broke open the chopsticks. However, I stared into his bowl, confused. "What's this?"

"Ramen. Haven't you had that before?"

I silently picked at the grass.

"Oh." Sakura knew that response. "Well, it's really good. My mom bought it at Ichiraku's." Sakura dunked my chopsticks into the bowl and pulled out a steaming mass of fresh noodles. As I began to refuse, Sakura stuffed the noodles into my mouth.

I choked, hacking up bits of vegetables and noodles. But then I paused. Slowly, I let the noodles slide down his throat.

"Want more?" Sakura beamed.

I nodded, and Sakura began feeding me like a child. It was embarrassing to do that in public, but I didn't stop her. I never knew what having a mother was like. If she were the type to wipe my mouth as juice dribbled from chin or to fawn over me the way Sakura did, then I sure as hell would do anything to get one.

As soon as Sakura picked out every bit of noodle in the bowl, the play began.

A female dancer clothed entirely in red stepped into the single spotlight. The audience fell silent. A sudden drumbeat was the cue for the dancer, and she began to twirl to the sound of native instruments. Her crimson sleeves flashed in the air, once, twice, and then rode up her arm to expose her pale, snowy skin. The crowd was stunned by her elegance.

Then she did something that I never forgot. Her red apparel fell to the ground, and a white yukata was revealed underneath it. Long silk ribbons suddenly cascaded to the ground, and the woman gracefully extended her arms out. The drumbeats ceased.

"Something's going to happen," Sakura whispered to me.

And she was right. In a barrage of sound, the drums sounded again and the dancer lashed her legs out, weaving across the jungle of red silk, bending and whirling like a current in undulating water. Sakura gasped and clung onto my t-shirt.

"Wow, isn't that amazing, Naruto?"

Her eyes shone with admiration as a shower of cherry blossom petals ended the dance. I wish Sakura could think of me that way, too. The amazing Naruto.

I contemplated this as we walked back home. Could I really do such a thing? Maybe I would break a bone or two in my wrist, if I was lucky enough.

"Ehh…I can't do this!" I mumbled, frustrated.

"Hmm?" Sakura was apparently deep in thought as well.

"Oh, nothing…by the way, Sakura…" I scratched my head sheepishly. "Could you get some more of that stuff tomorrow?"

"Stuff? Oh – ramen. Right. I'll make sure to buy it!"

I walked her home, and made sure to wish her good-night. And, I reasoned, it might the last that I would ever say.

Without making a commotion, I slipped into the playground. Taking a deep breath, I latched onto the trunk of a tree. I climbed up, up, up, until I reached the nearest branch. Without looking down, I dangled from the tree, frantically holding onto the branch for dear life. I even swung my legs back and forth a few times to get used to the feeling of air replacing solid ground under my feet. The branch cracked.

"Uh oh."

By daybreak, I was soon able to perform a few feats and land on the ground with both feet. An experienced acrobat would have called me a "natural". I personally think that it was determination.

But I was too exhausted to think about anything at that point. Six miles of walking and four hours of falling off trees could potentially kill a kid my age. I crawled up the slide and, in my thin jacket, I dozed off to sleep with a silly smile on my face.

I woke the next morning to the smell of ramen. It's Sakura. I opened my eyes happily.

She wasn't there.

I looked down, and a bowl of ramen covered with plastic wrap sat on the bottom of the slide. Under it lay a piece of paper with a short message written on it, and I could immediately recognize Sakura's neat handwriting.

I'm sorry, Naruto. I can't play with you anymore. But please eat the ramen.

For the next several hours, those who passed by wondered why that sandy-haired kid didn't take his eyes off a piece of paper, and why the hell did he bring his lunch to the playground?

But I was stone. I was ice. I was an inanimate object, anything that was tough enough to keep out the hurt and the pain. But then my shell softened, and the hurt and pain pierced the flesh underneath.

A tissue flashed underneath my eyes. It wiped away the tears that stung my cheeks and my dripping nose. I didn't resist. Though softened, I was still a statue.

"What'sa matter?" A girl's face peeked up at mine. I wiped my runny nose with my sleeve.

"Ooo." She wrinkled her nose. "Don't do that, it's not sanitary." Another girl who knows big words.

The thought of Sakura made tears run down my face again. The girl clicked her tongue, and then wiped my face again.

"Oh, come on. Scoot over." I scooted. She looked at me. "Wanna talk?" I shook my head. "Ok, that's fine."

She didn't say anything for the whole day. I wouldn't have even dared to talk. But she seemed content enough with staring at the passing clouds.

However, there came an end. As the blaze of the setting sun tinted the sky with red, she stood up.

"I'm Tenten," she said. "Oh, and don't forget to eat that ramen." Then she walked away.

I was saddened by the sudden lack of support. No one liked me anymore. Sakura didn't even want to be my friend. I'll die here today. I'll die here and no one will care.

So I slipped off my jacket and dumped the ramen (now cold) onto the grass. If I was going to die, I would do it properly and on the only place where I belonged – on my throne.

Then I heard footsteps. Who would come to the playground at night?

"Hey, you're going to catch a cold like that. Put your jacket on." It was Tenten.

I shook my head vigorously. No, no, no, no!

"Too bad." She dumped a quilt on me. I kicked it away. She clicked her tongue again and pressed the blanket back onto my shivering body. I shrugged it off.

"Baka!" she shouted impatiently. She took the quilt and attempted to suffocate me with it. I cried out in panic, trying to wrestle her off. Tenten won.

"Fine." I sulked.

Tenten giggled. "You said something. Finally."

Shoot.

"Well, you've had your fun," I said sullenly. "Now leave me alone."

"Nope," she said and snuggled under the covers next to me. "You can't shake me off that easily."

"You're staying?" I was amazed – not to mention irritated – at this rebellious, loud-mouthed girl.

"Yup."

"Fine."

It went on like that for a couple of days. I refused to leave the slide, and Tenten fought to keep me alive. But simply forcing a pillow underneath my head every night and shoving sticky rice down my throat told me that we'd be friends. Or else.

But I grew stronger everyday. Tenten was supportive in her own little way, leaving behind notes like "Don't kill yourself tonight!" or "I'll burn your body once you die from the flu!" Such a sweet little girl.

Finally, I surrendered. After a diet of only white rice, Tenten celebrated by bringing me to Ichiraku's. She even insisted on buying sake. We both laughed and goofed off as naturally as if we had known each other since birth. For the most part, it was a good day.

However, I still had a longing to dust off my acrobat skills that I had left for about a month. And I still didn't have an audience yet.

I immediately ran to Tenten's house. She was on her doorstep, ready to leave.

"Tenten!" I called. She whipped around, surprised.

"Hey, Naruto. I kind of have to go to piano les-"

"Too bad!" I seized her wrist and made a beeline for the playground. "Ok, ok. Please, it won't take long."

As quickly as I could, I charged up a tree, swung furiously from branch to branch, and then flipped round and round in the air. My feet touched the ground softly, a perfect landing. With my chest heaving up and down, I asked her, "Was it good?"

She looked at me as if I were utterly crazy. "That was the most amazing thing I have ever seen in my life."

Tenten then glanced at her watch and sprinted to her piano lessons, five minutes late.

In the afternoon, Tenten ran to the playground, necklace bobbing up and down, eyes wide and excited. Her lips moved up and down, a voice drowned in a sea of chattering children. But I knew what she was saying: "Do it again!"

So I did.

And everyday, Tenten would coach me on what not to do, how I was doing, and if it looked good. I gathered up enough feedback and techniques before I made an announcement to a proud Tenten.

"Tenten…" I hesitated. She beamed. "Tenten…I had another friend." She tilted her head, and I could tell that her eyes were puzzled.

"Oh…okay?"

"No, no…the reason why I didn't want to leave the playground was because of Sakura!"

"Wait…Sakura? That's your friend?"

"Yeah. But…she told me one day that she couldn't play with me anymore." My heart twisted with pain at the remembrance of that day.

"Oh…listen, Naruto?" Tenten looked at me softly. "A lot of kids tell me that you are bad. I mean bad. I don't know why. But maybe…maybe Sakura was influenced by her other friends."

"R-r-really? Is that why she would just…just stop being my friend?" I sniffled.

"I think that's the worst excuse for leaving a best friend." Tenten lowered her eyes and clenched her fists. "Who would do something like that?"

"But, Tenten! I want my friend back! I really want Sakura back! I miss her so-" Then I stopped abruptly. Tenten's hand went limp. I've hurt her feelings. I've hurt Tenten. My best friend. And she didn't leave me…

I was really bad. No wonder no one wanted to share the slide with me.

In one swift movement, I wrapped my arms around Tenten, squeezing the life out of her, pressing childish, slobbery kisses on her head. In her ear, I whispered every apology I could think of. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry…

"What do you mean, 'sorry'?" she raised her head to reveal a wide grin. "Let's go win her back!"

The ever-optimistic Tenten, she was really something.

"Ok. You ready?"

"I'm ready."

"Should I start now?"

"Yeah."

"Ok." Tenten gave me a thumbs-up. Then she raised a megaphone to her lips and yelled at the top of her lungs: "SAKURA!! HARUNO SAKURA!! HAS ANYONE SEEN HARUNO SAKURA?!?"

I nearly fainted. "Oh my god, Tenten, did you have to do that?"

"Yup!" She winked at me. "It's the most convenient way to find Sakura!"

Tenten's smile suddenly faded from her lips. Then she dove into the crowd.

"What are you doing, Tenten?"

"I found her!" came her muffled voice. Tenten pushed her way out of the crowd, pulling Sakura roughly by the arm. Sakura looked miserably distraught.

I stood in front of her, waiting for her eyes to meet mine. Then I kneeled down in front of her and begged, "Please, Sakura, if this is the last time you ever want to see me, it's ok with me - as long as you watch me this once."

I backed away. Then I raised my hands over my head and began. I leaned back, and my body dipped low. Slowly, I let my fingertips brush the earth. Then I sprang from the ground, soaring and spinning in the air, landing lightly and then engaging in a series of flips and turns.

I glanced at Sakura – her hands were clasped tightly together, her face flushed with excitement. And her eyes were indeed respectful.

My hands reached the branch of a cherry blossom tree. It barely shook as I leaped from limb to limb, bough to bough. My heart palpated wildly. Finally, I came down in front of her with my hands cupping a delicate flower – a sakura. I gently placed it in her hair, pausing to comb her hair with my fingers, and then stepped back. Sakura's eyes brimmed with tears. She ran to me and hugged me tightly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Naruto," she sobbed. "That day, I was going to make ramen for you instead of buying it, and my parent's asked who I was giving it to. When I mentioned your name, they told me that I could never see you again."

"Oh," I said, and returned her embrace.

"But we'll still be friends, no matter what! No matter what my parents tell me!"

"Forever?"

"Forever."

Now, as I watch the red sunset from my long-abandoned castle, I can be the little Naruto I was ten years ago. I can go back to a time when my clothing wasn't stained with spilled blood of our enemies, when my legs and arms weren't scarred with the blade of kunai knives. We were, in our own little way, "happy."

And, as I reminisce about my long-ago days, I know that there is only one person who can share my throne -

"Hey, Naruto! Neko-chan was looking for you."

"Oh - thanks, Tenten."

My beautiful kitten is suddenly sulky. I take her from Tenten-chan's hands and bury my face into her soft fur. She purrs.

I growl back, and Tenten laughs. She looks at me and smiles. "Scoot over," she says.

Our kingdom is suddenly very crowded. I notice that Tenten's thighs have gotten bigger, but I don't mention this. Commenting on any physical part of a lady is the biggest mistake you can possibly make in a lifetime. I learned that the hard way.

But as we sit on our own little slide, petting Neko-chan's silky ears, we can forget the opponent we battle tomorrow, the new catastrophe in the neighboring village, or the new illness that a family member caught.

And so the light dims,

the flute sings,

the costumes are set,

the audience applauds -

but no one is on the stage.