>>>---THIS JUST IN!--->

Hey guys! Was the title catchy? If it was, then please, Read and Review! This is my first attempt at a Naruto fanfic and I could really use some encouragement… A simple note from you would mean the world to me. Please don't hesitate to tell me what's on your mind. Yes, I welcome even negative comments, but if you are going to do so, please tell me where I went wrong. There's always room for improvement, I always say. So, on with the fic. Enjoy! )


Chapter One: The Bleak Morning


It was the beginning of another gloomy day in the village of Konoha. Dense black clouds loomed ominously above the horizon, accompanied by the violent howling of the west wind. A pretty young girl with pink hair was walking through the lonely streets of the town. Everybody chose to stay home today, because of the big storm that was on its way.

The girl's name was Sakura. She looked up at the sky. A heavy downpour could come at any moment and leave her soaking wet, but she didn't care. This morning's bleak weather matched her mood perfectly. She walked on, passing the ramen shop, where a familiar blonde-haired boy was having a hearty breakfast. He emerged later on, satisfied from ten bowls of his favorite dish. He was smiling happily, and gently patting his slightly swollen tummy. His name, of course, was Naruto. However, Sakura saw none of this, blind to all but her own thoughts.

Naruto saw his teammate from afar, and cheerfully called out, "O-HAA-YO! Sakura-chan!"

Unfortunately, the girl was too lost in a world of her own to pay attention to anything. She snapped back to reality after hearing Naruto call out her name once more.

He caught up to her and asked, "Sakura-chan, what's the matter? Why the cold shoulder?"

"Oh, it's you, Naruto..." she replied. "Gomenasai, I didn't notice you there."

"Are you all right, Sakura?" he asked, concerned about his friend. "Is something wrong?"

Sakura looked sideways at the boy walking next to her, seeing miso stains stuck near his mouth. She looked back down. "No, it's nothing, really..."

Naruto didn't need to ask. He already knew the moment he saw the helpless look on Sakura's face. It was as if the world had turned its back on her. He knew that whatever it was, it was something that only a certain raven-haired boy could cause.

"Its Sasuke again, isn't it?" he asked.

The skies grew darker by the minute, illuminated only by fierce streaks of lightning. Deafening thunderclaps followed, and heaven opened its floodgates, drenching the waiting earth below.

The rain flattened Naruto's normally spiky hairdo, while it soaked through Sakura's red linen dress, slightly revealing the delicate outline of her curvaceous body. Naruto caught himself stealing glances at her, unable to keep his eyes from doing so.

Wow... Sakura-chan sure has a nice figure, he said to himself, blushing slightly. But he soon shrugged the thought out of his head. Darn, that perverted hermit must be getting to me...

The pair walked on in silence under the rain's steady downpour. Naruto thought about his two teammates, and how the love of his life had been mindlessly chasing the arrogant Uchiha for years.

Why can't Sakura-chan see that Sasuke is just not the one for her? His mind was screaming this thought in his head. He wanted Sakura to realize the futility of falling for Sasuke. Not that he thought he was the better man or anything, but Sasuke was just too caught up in his ambitions to care about anything. Naruto's voice broke the monotonous patter of the rain on the pavement.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" He began. "To love someone with all your heart and for him or her to not even care about you at all?"

Sakura was surprised by this sudden remark.

"Not only that," He continued, "But when that someone constantly avoids you, coldly pushing away every single effort of yours to show that you care, this is when it hurts the most."

Sakura was stunned. For once, she agreed with Naruto.

"Believe me," he added, "I know how that feels like."

The girl paused for a while, her thoughts of Sasuke diverted for a moment. She looked at the boy beside her, recalling how he had liked her ever since their Academy days. But she had coldly rejected him, even mocking him straight on. She simply didn't care if she had hurt his feelings. A feeling of guilt came over her upon remembering this, recalling how cruel she had been to her friend in the past. But somehow, Naruto never seemed to lose hope in spite of this. She remembered how he had willingly risked his own life just to save hers, like in the Shukaku incident where Gaara almost crushed her to death. As time passed by, Naruto was able to prove himself to be a true friend and a reliable ally. Sakura even grew to look up to him, because just watching him fight makes her want to strive harder as well. She looked at Naruto and smiled, grateful for having a friend like him.

Drops formed puddles, and puddles formed pools as the rain continued falling. Sakura noticed the slight blush on Naruto's face. He looked like he wanted to say something, so she waited patiently for him to speak. Unknown to her, Naruto was panicking. He figured that now would be the right time to tell Sakura how he felt about her. He wanted her to know that as a friend, he was concerned about how she was feeling, but he just couldn't put his thoughts into the right words. The unbearably awkward silence was killing him. He didn't want to look foolish in front of her, but he decided that it was now or never.

"Ne, S-Sakura-chan," He stammered. The pink-haired kunoichi looked at him. She was curious to find out what was on his mind.

"What is it?" She asked, smiling.

This only made Naruto more nervous. The words clung to the sides of his throat like viscous syrup. He felt uncomfortable and really hated it, recalling how easily he could speak (or scream) his mind in the face of overwhelming enemies. Words would leave his mouth as soon as they entered his head. But why was he having such a hard time talking to a friend he has known for years? Sakura noticed his unease and gently placed her arm around his shoulders. This made the boy turn bright red.

"Come on, spit it out!" She said in a comical manner, "Don't worry, I won't bite."

The pair arrived at a scenic hilltop overlooking Konoha. They sat down by the grass and enjoyed the cool morning breeze that was blowing. Naruto sighed, pulled his thoughts together and spoke.

"Sakura," He began, "I really don't know how to say this. I feel awkward and silly, but I just want to say that I... I..." He paused for a while. "I care for you and I can't stand seeing you like this. I know that Sasuke is everything that you dream of having, but I think you know that he won't change himself for you."

Sakura sighed and the smile on her face slowly faded. The painful truth that she had tried so hard to change struck her once more. Yes, she knew it would be hard. Getting Sasuke to change his humorless demeanor would be like getting Tsunade to stop gambling or getting Jiraiya to stop peeping at the hot springs' female patrons. In other words, it was next to impossible. But she tried anyway. She tried showering him with kindness, she tried impressing him, she even risked her life protecting him. But she soon realized that her efforts were all in vain. Sasuke would always be the self-absorbed snob that he is, and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

Naruto was right. But she couldn't let him know that. No, not in this lifetime. Instead, she replied softly,

"No, you're wrong. Sasuke-kun has a good heart. He wasn't always like this. Its just that he needs some friends who can help him change..."

Her voice trailed off. She didn't even believe what she was saying. Naruto turned away, disappointment clearly marking his face.

"Oh," he said. "Well, I'd better go now. See you later, Sakura-chan."

The boy stood up and turned to leave, hair and clothes dripping wet.

"Bye..." Sakura called out softly.

He raised his right arm to wave and turned his face sideways, forcing a smile on his lips. She watched him walk away until he was completely out of sight. Even though he tried hard to hide it, Sakura could not help but notice the aura of depression that had suddenly surrounded her friend.

The world grew as dark as the night sky, and brilliant flashes of lightning flickered dangerously. The weak sobs of a young lady were heard somewhere, forever lost to the perpetual resonance of the crashing rain.


>>>---THIS JUST IN!--->

Okay. That's it for Chapter1. Thanks for reading! So how'd you like it? Please review! )