Based on the relative popularity of Just Another Day, I've decided to continue the series, this time with a NaruSaku fic. Hope you all enjoy.
Oh, and I don't own Naruto.
It was always the same every year: every year, Yamanaka Ino held her Valentine's Day party and every year without fail, Haruno Sakura found some reason to avoid it.
Recently it had been made easier by her obligations at the hospital. People didn't stop getting ill just because of a holiday and the care of her patients took far greater precedence than a simple social gathering.
But today, she found herself outside the hospital just as the sun was setting, her shift already finished and she was left with the inevitable decision. The party had technically started half an hour ago, but Ino didn't know the meaning of the word late if it meant having more guests.
Sakura bit her lip, glancing down the road. It was practically deserted; everyone else was likely holed up at home, spending time with their loved one or out celebrating at a restaurant.
The wind brushed across the back of her neck and around her legs, and she couldn't suppress a slight shiver. The last vestiges of winter still hadn't abandoned the air and not for the first time, Sakura wondered whether she truly wanted to be alone tonight.
It took practically all of her strength of will, but she chose not to turn to the right, toward home, instead taking the path that led to the Yamanaka household. Maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't hurt to spend some time with her friends on this day.
After all, she had spent enough years of Valentine's Days lamenting. Maybe it was time to break the habit.
Ino was as bubbly as ever, though she didn't tease Sakura as much as she had anticipated. Only one snide "Forehead" comment passed Ino's lips, and then she dropped it, maybe out of sheer gladness that her sullen friend had actually decided to come for once.
After she had gone through her initial gushing, Ino paused, examining Sakura's somewhat haggard appearance.
"Did you come straight from the hospital today?"
Sakura nodded, chuckling a little nervously. "Do I look that bad? I didn't even think about going home to change before I came here. I suppose I should have considered that…"
Ino shook her head emphatically, grabbing Sakura's hand and pulling her back through the house. They stopped at Ino's room, where the blonde began to rummage through drawers, pulling out copious amounts of makeup. "No problem. We'll have you fixed up in no time!"
Sakura couldn't help but smile, reclining back against Ino's bed as her friend's search transitioned to the closet where she pulled out what seemed like dozens of dresses. It was almost like they were kids again; problems could be fixed with a red ribbon, and things like heartbreak didn't exist.
He didn't exist.
That thought made her sober back up, just as Ino finished.
The blonde kunoichi held out two dresses that were ridiculously short, and Sakura made a face that effectively displayed her displeasure. Ino rolled her eyes, pulling out another that was much more reasonable.
"This one?"
Sakura examined it. It was simple: a red dress, knee length with short sleeves and a mandarin collar. A white sash encircled the waist and the fabric was embroidered with cherry blossoms. Fitting.
She nodded. "That one will do."
It didn't take long for Sakura to get changed and freshen up a little. There were still dark circles under her bright green eyes that remained unhidden, but it was certainly an improvement from the way she had arrived.
Even Ino grinned as she exited the bathroom.
"Much better."
They walked back down the hallway more slowly, and Sakura tugged nervously at the hem of the skirt. She wasn't honestly even sure why she was nervous. She saw these people on a daily basis, had known them for years. Just because she was shirking tradition, it didn't mean that anything had changed.
And yet the gnawing in her stomach persisted.
Ino, even in the daze produced by her favorite holiday, must have noticed. She stopped before they re-entered the main room where most of the Konoha 11, as well as many of their other friends, were gathered.
"Is everything okay? I know you don't usually come…"
Sakura produced a smile that must have looked convincing enough, because Ino relaxed visibly. "I'm fine. I just—well, I guess I'm just a little apprehensive. Like you said, I don't normally come to these parties, so it's just a little intimidating."
Ino shook her head, dragging Sakura into the main room. "You'll be fine. Just think of it like any other day."
Sakura could only wish that was true.
It didn't take long at all for her to begin to feel claustrophobic. Despite the fact that she was surrounded by friends, Sakura couldn't help but feel a little trapped… and more than a little alone.
Just as she was about to walk outside for some air, a hand fell on her shoulder hesitantly, sliding off almost immediately.
"Sakura-san?"
She turned to be met by a pair of highly familiar eyebrows. "Good evening, Lee-san."
The young taijutsu expert shifted nervously, unable to hide his excitement and nervousness.
"Sakura-san… I think you're the last of our youthful group to receive this, but I thought that… you would perhaps like this gift on the most wonderful of all holidays!"
He grinned at her, holding out what was possibly the most exquisite flower Sakura had ever seen. She took it from him delicately, examining every facet of the beautiful plant.
It really was quite lovely; the rose had pink petals that gradually transitioned to white at the center, creating the illusion of glowing.
Sakura looked back up at Lee, smiling softly at him. "It's lovely, Lee. Thank you."
Lee's grin became almost bashful. "I'm glad that you like it, Sakura-san."
He looked at the ground nervously, and she could almost swear that the young shinobi was blushing.
"Perhaps you do not believe in superstitions," he began, "but I have heard that if you wish on a petal, and then blow it away, your wish will be granted when the petal is caught by someone."
Sakura stared at it. Wishes… wishes were fool's errands, but she believed in them anyway. And regardless, it was a beautiful gift. Maybe, just maybe, as remote as the possibility might be, this little flower might bring her some hope on the day when she was most hopeless.
"Thank you, Lee." Her voice was almost a whisper. "I'll be careful with my wishes."
Lee smiled in reply, and though he looked as though he wanted to say something more, he only inclined his head and returned to the house, leaving Sakura alone once again.
She walked slowly to the bench across the street, reclining so that she could see the stars.
The moon was almost full, casting a bright glow on everything around her. The streets were as empty as before, but this time, Sakura was glad for the silence. It gave her time to collect her thoughts.
It was a bench just like this one that she had found herself asleep on that morning. The night after…
A shiver overtook her. She really shouldn't even be thinking about that. It was so long in the past; anyone would have thought she could have forgotten it by now, but the memory was persistent… particularly on Valentine's Day. Try as she might, it refused to be banished from her mind.
Sakura leaned back, closing her eyes. She could still picture it, still hear his voice before she blacked out—
"Sakura-chan?"
The familiar voice startled her back to reality, but it wasn't the one she had been half-expecting.
Naruto was quiet as he took a seat next to her, folding his arms behind his head and grinning over at her.
"I didn't even see you come in, but then Hinata pointed it out to me. I'm kinda surprised that you came. Normally you don't come to Ino's party, do you? I guess I can understand."
She relaxed a little, as he rambled on. Surprisingly, the sound of his voice, punctuated as it was by the occasional "-dattebayo", was a comfort to her. Often, Naruto drove her crazy, but she couldn't deny that he was still one of the best forms of support she had.
"—it's kinda overwhelming, you know… especially all that pink. I don't think I've ever seen that much pink in my life…"
Sakura tilted her head to look at him, suppressing a grin as she raised a skeptical eyebrow.
Bright blue eyes went wide with sudden realization. "Not that pink is a bad thing! Not at all, I just meant…"
He lowered his hands to rub the back of his neck nervously, chuckling.
"Wow, I screwed that up, huh?" He became serious of a sudden, frowning a little as he spoke, and not meeting her eyes. "Sorry, Sakura-chan, I didn't mean to—"
Sakura touched his arm gently, which immediately silenced him. "It's okay. I know what you meant."
The air hung heavily around the two of them, and Sakura finally broke the silence, smiling softly. "It makes your head spin a little, doesn't it? Still… shouldn't you be in there with everyone else?"
Naruto was still staring at the place where her hand was touching his arm, almost unsure how to react. "Yeah, I guess so, but… I guess I was kinda worried about you. You look… upset. I thought maybe you were upset about—"
He stopped, looking pained.
Upset. Was that the word for it? Sakura pulled her hand away from his arm, and leaned forward, staring at the ground.
"No, I'm not upset." She replied gently. "I just think too much. I always do on Valentine's Day."
"So you are thinking about Sasuke."
The remorse in his voice was enough to turn her head, but the sudden perceptiveness that he was displaying was also uncharacteristic…
… wasn't it? Or had Naruto always known her this well? The thought gave her pause.
She couldn't bring herself to lie to him. "Yeah. About Sasuke."
"Sakura-chan…" His voice was so heavy with guilt that she found tears pricking at the edge of her vision. "I know I'm no Sasuke. Hell, I could never even come close."
He was stopped suddenly again as her right hand shot out, clasping firmly around one of his own.
"Don't." Her voice shook with intensity and an edge that spoke of tears. "Don't compare yourself to him, Naruto."
Naruto recoiled a little, obviously shocked. "Yeah… I'm sorry for bringing it up."
He stood, his hand sliding out of hers.
"I guess I should go back inside." He grinned, but it wasn't without a hint of sadness to it. "I'll leave you to your thoughts. Didn't mean to bother you."
He walked slowly back, and Sakura felt a pang in her chest. Naruto shouldn't be like this… wasn't he the one who was always optimistic, the one whose idealistic dream of becoming Hokage gave them all hope at the worst of times?
And she was the one who was causing him pain.
Sakura stood up, moving swiftly after him.
It was easy to wallow in her own self-pity. It was simple to believe that she was the only one in pain, that Sasuke's leaving had affected her the most profoundly because she had been in love with him…
Had been. She paused as she realized the implication of her own thoughts. Had been? Then what did that mean…?
Her eyes followed Naruto's receding back, and something seemed to click into place. She wasn't sure what it was, but she knew one thing:
It was time to stop feeling sorry for herself.
She reached him just before he went back through the door, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her forehead against the back of his neck. He stopped suddenly, barely even daring to breathe.
"Sakura-chan…?"
She wasn't quite sure what had compelled her to do it, but now all she could do was inhale that familiar scent that she hadn't realized she had become so accustomed to. For a moment, she just let lost herself to memory: images of the moon reflecting off those bright blues eyes, the million times that he had done something for her and she had just ignored it, the day that he went through the four tails transformation and she hadn't been able to do a thing…
Naruto laid his hands over hers, slowly pulling himself out of her grip and turning himself to face her.
"What…?" He stopped when he saw that she was on the verge of tears.
"I'm s-sorry. For everything. For ever comparing you to Sasuke, for asking you to go on that fool's errand, for—"
Sakura was forced to stop abruptly, as she suddenly had a pair of lips over her own.
He lingered for a moment, then as quickly as it had happened, Naruto pulled away, his face tinged with pink.
"I-I… Sorry. I don't know what came over me, but—"
Sakura didn't let him finish, pulling his head back down to lock his lips with her own. She smiled into the kiss; for the first time in years, something felt perfectly right.
When she pulled away this time, she rested her forehead against his shoulder, just reveling in the feeling of being held.
He wasn't Sasuke. He wouldn't ever be, but for what might have been the first time in her life, she was alright with that.
Something brushed against her hand and she looked down. A petal had separated itself from Lee's flower where she had arranged it in the sash of her dress and was now stuck to her palm.
Naruto glanced down at what Sakura was now fixated on and he laughed a little. "Is that from one of Lee's crazy wishing flowers?"
Sakura smiled slightly, nodding as she took his hand and pressed the petal into it. "It is. But… I don't think I need a wish right now."
She looked back up, green locking onto bright blue. Her own content was reflected straight back at her.
Her hand tightened around his. It wasn't ever what she had expected, but it might be just what she wanted.
A/N: Okay, so be honest... that wasn't completely terrible, right? I hope. :/ Comments, criticism, etc. are appreciated, but please be kind. This is my first time writing a NaruSaku, so I guess I'll see how it turned out. Thanks in advance to my lovely reviewers and readers! Hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day. :)
- Senka Hitomi
P.S. If you haven't already, and would like to read the piece off of which this is based, head on over and check out Just Another Day, featuring my favorite pairing, NejiTen, on my profile.