(A.N.: Naruto fanfic set nine years after Sasuke Retrieval in an A.U. nough said, read to find out more.

Clarification:

blahblahblah normal speech

blahblahblah thought

blahblahblah flashback speech

blahblahblah Kyuubi)

(Disclaimer: Though I wish I did, I don't own Naruto. The series belongs to Kishimoto Masashi.)

The Second Hand of Time

Chapter 1: Smile

Captain,

We need you back in Konoha. Your mission is terminated immediately.

The Rokudaime

It was as simple as that, as simple as an order to return to Konoha. No questions asked, no options given. He was to return to the one place he could no longer call home. It wasn't the village he longed to escape, but the people. Two to be specific. Two beings who made it utterly impossible for him to want to continue living.

When had everything changed? How was it that he had ended up standing at the end of a pier in Hidden Mist with nothing but a bleak future stretching before him? His mouth set in a grim line, the Anbu captain watched as his orders floated out to sea. He would return, but it did not mean he would stay.

Turning away from the setting sun, his face was thrown into darkness. But this absence of light would never match the shadows that had taken him six years ago.

He had seen their special bond the day Team 7 was finally reunited. It was one he had never been included in, one he would never know. Kakashi told had him that he was overreacting, but the jonin hadn't seen the way they looked at each other. Mission after mission, the darkness continued to consume him and after making it into the Anbu, he had requested to be reassigned to a different team. Tsunade, of course, complied and teamed him with Sai who had to learn to deal with his partner's silence. It would be another year before he operated with his former unit again.

Tsunade-hime died during Team 7's last mission together. All they could do was watch as Orochimaru ran her straight through with his sword, as the blood of yet another kage painted that cold metal red. It didn't seem to matter that she had partially blinded him and broken both of his arms; he kept attacking until he claimed her life. As she lay dying in a pool of her own blood, her last words were reminiscent of those she had heard so long ago: take care of Konoha, take care of the ones you love. Sakura had tried everything then, every healing jutsu she could, until she was mindlessly pushing chakra into her teacher's battered body. He hadn't thought it was possible for someone to cry so much. The flood of tears that poured from Sakura's eyes were more than those shed when Team 7 broke, surpassing even those that fell when they came back together. He had been there for her even then, but she hadn't chosen him.

After the funeral, he didn't stay around for the naming of the next Hokage. He knew who it would be from the moment they carried the Godaime's body through the village gates. The way they swarmed about him it was obvious, and it would have been foolish of him to believe that the council would chosen any other. So he merely disappeared for another two years, resurfacing every once in awhile to report any findings. When he finally returned for good he was a different person, though he arrived in the same way. He had courted death before but the day he returned, his nineteenth birthday, he had never come so close to meeting her. Sakura had pulled him back from that abyss with harsh words and a gentle touch, and ended up treating him like an idiot during the month he spent in the clinic. But even she agreed that he was grimmer than before, he was a man who had suffered too much loss to be the same again.

He had been avoiding them since then. A year-and-a-half of doing as many missions as he could, half that time spent in the position of captain. Every time he accepted an assignment he hoped it would be his last. He even began to think of each day as just one more day until he died. There was nothing left for him in this world, all of his dreams had been crushed, all of his hopes fulfilled by someone else.

"Ahhh! Ca-captain! I-I didn't see you there," Herpale eyes moved over him as he stepped out of the foliage, sensing that something was amidst. "I-is something wrong?"

"No. I was merely taking a walk, Hinata. What are you doing out so late?"

"Keeping watch, sir," The Hyuuga wouldn't let the question slide though. "A-are you sure you wouldn't like to... um... talk?"

Tilting his head to one side, he looked at her. She's always been so shy, so quiet. It was a good thing she let Neji assume leadership of the clan. Even better that she has Kiba, now. A sad smile stole across his lips.

"We leave for Konoha tomorrow," He stole a glance at the letter he held in his hand. It smelled of flour and dirt, of leaves and green tea, it was the smell of Konoha, of comfort and well-being, but it smelt most of cherry blossoms, of Sakura.

"The Rokudaime is getting married."

"Sasuke-sempai's marrying Sakura-san?"

"Yes..."

-Flashback-

"Sakura-chan, I love you."

"Don't be stupid Naruto. It's time you got over your crush."

"Sakura-chan, please! Just give me one chance! Just one da–"

"Forget it! Why do you always ask? You know I only love Sasuke-kun! Can't you get it through that thick skull of yours? I. Don't. Like. You."

"Just one?"

"No, I'm going home. And wipe that stupid grin off your face, baka."

"Okay, Sakura-chan. Good night..."

Why do you smile, Naruto?

I smile for Sakura-chan.

But she loves Sasuke.

And I love her.

And she has never loved you.

But I can always try.

You can't change the past.

Can't I?

You can't turn back time.

Watch me.

-End Flashback-

"Why don't you smile anymore, Naruto-kun?"

"I'll take over your shift, Hinata. Go sleep."

(A.N.: After a long break, I'm back with myfirst attempt at a SasuxSaku, with a few one-sided relationships. I'm an all out NaruxSaku fan, but I wanted to try something different. Bet you didn't think that it was Naruto until I had Hinata talk to him. Yeah, so I'm going to focus on five people in the fanfic: Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, and two of their former classmates. You'll find out who they are in the next couple of chapters.

And the title? Well, I borrowed it from Yukiru Sugisaki's D.N.Angel. Books six through ten had chapters entitled "The Second Hand of Time"

About the "Why do you smile, Naruto" section. That's not the Kyuubi talking to Naruto. It's Naruto and his rational(?) self. I know it sounds odd but it's a sort of an Inner Naruto.

Please R&R, Shinobi over and out! Chapter 2: Tears will be up soon.

"Greek Fire" and "Pink Snow", my other stories, are currently on hold while I try to figure out how to develop their plots.)