Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
A/N: I need help choosing a name for this story. I'm just going to keep this name on until I find out what name you like best. Here are three names I've come up with: The Moonlight Letter, The Unsent Letter, and Fate's Moonlight. After reading this Oneshot, please review me and tell me which you like best. The song in here comes from My World, and is from Naruto's mind, while the story itself will very from surrounding Sakura, Naruto andonce Sasuke
The Moonlight LetterSakura and Sasuke walked into the ramen shop and sat down at one of the tables to eat. Sakura couldn't help but smiling. She and Sasuke had been going out for nearly eight months now, and things seemed to be going pretty well between them.
"Hey, guys," a familiar voice said.
Sakura looked up from her bowl of ramen and saw Naruto and Hinata walking over from the entrance of the shop. Sakura couldn't help but admit that Hinata had grown into quite a beautiful woman. She had long, raven-colored hair that came down to her waist, and her skin wasn't as pale as it used to be. Now she looked like the strong, self-confident Shinobi she was. And now, just like Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto and the others from their year, she was a eighteen. She had even lost her stuttering. Naruto had chosen a good person to go out with.
Hinata smiled. "Hi," she said.
Naruto forced a smile as he looked at Sakura and Sasuke. "You guys having a good night?" he asked.
Sakura nodded. "Yeah," she said. "You two?"
Hinata smiled. "Naruto's been showing me some new jutsus. He's really strong now."
Sakura nodded. She knew Naruto had progressed amazingly over the last six years since they had first become teammates.
Naruto and Hinata walked over to the counter and ordered two things of ramen to go. Naruto couldn't help but look back at Sakura and Sasuke. She had a sparkle in her eyes as she ate with him. Naruto looked down at the counter, his eyes half-closed. I guess he really did win, he thought.
The fastest man in the world, fast asleep at the wheelNobody wants to be alone, so how did I get here?
When I look at you, I see him staring through
Awake and a smile, 'cause he's been inside of you.
Is he all the things you, tried to change me into?
Is he everything to you?
Sakura noticed as they ate that Sasuke didn't say a word, unless she said something to him. Only then did she get a one-word answer or a "Hmm" out of him. She didn't ask why he wasn't talking though. She decided to wait until after, or until he said something to her. She wanted tonight to be perfect in every other way. She was going out with Uchiha Sasuke, her dream. That's what mattered.
Does he make you high, make you real?
Does he make you cry? Does he know the way you feel?
Love is all around you, your universe is full.
But in my world, there is only you.
As Sakura and Sasuke walked down the street that night toward Sakura's home from the ramen shop, Sakura finally spoke. "It was pretty quiet tonight," she said. "Down at the ramen shop."
"We were the only two there," Sasuke said. His hands were dug deep in his pockets and he was looking down at the ground, something he only did when he was thinking hard or trying to avoid something.
"I know," Sakura said. "But we usually talk though."
"I just wasn't in the mood tonight," Sasuke said. "I guess I was thinking."
"Hmm," Sakura said, looking down at the ground.
Sakura couldn't help but think about her past as Sasuke's girlfriend. They had gone out on ninety-three dates and had spent one night together three weeks ago. Sakura smiled. That had been the best night of her life, the night that she had finally won Sasuke's heart.
I can still find the smell,
On my clothes and skin.
I can still see your face, when you're sleeping next to him.
Is he all the things you, tried to change me into? Tell me, does he make you high, make you real? Does he make you cry? Does he know the way you feel? Love is all around you. You're universe is full. But in my world, there is only you.They were about two blocks away from her house, when Sasuke stopped abruptly. "Sakura," he said. "There's something I need to talk to you about."
Sakura faced Sasuke. "What?" she asked.
"I-I can't continue going out with you," Sasuke said, looking down at the ground.
Sakura felt as if her heart stopped. "What?" she rasped, unable to talk normally.
Sasuke looked up at Sakura, looking her in the eye for the first time that night. "I'm sorry, Sakura. I can't continue doing this."
"Doing what?" Sakura asked, confused. "I don't understand what you're saying."
"Come on, Sakura," Sasuke said. "I've lost track at how many things are disturbing me. But the biggest one is your rivalry with Ino. I thought that once I went out with you, you'd drop your rivalry with her and just get along. But it's gotten worse. Now, not only do you rival with her over me, you show off the fact that you won me like a trophy. It's almost as if whenever a girl comes near me, you wrap your arms around me or hug me, or hold my hand, just to prove that I'm going out with you." He shook his head. "I can't take it anymore."
"I-I'm sorry," Sakura said, her eyes beginning to sting as she tried to block the tears that were welling up inside of them. "I-I promise I'll t-try to not do that anymore…"
Sasuke shook his head again. "You say you'll try. But, a leopard doesn't change its spots, especially not a leopard like you. The sparks between us that I felt three weeks ago, the love I felt, it's gone. I spent tonight in silence as I tried to figure out how to tell you all of this. But the silence here made me realize there wasn't a better time to tell you." He shook his head for a third time. "I'm sorry," he said. And with that, he turned and walked off, his hands in his pockets.
Tears streamed down from the corners of Sakura's eyes as she watched her beloved Sasuke walking away. "Sasuke!" Sakura wanted to cry out. She wanted to run to him, fall on her knees, and plead for forgiveness, for another chance. But in her heart, she knew that wouldn't convince him. It wouldn't soften his heart. She had hardened it once again.
Sakura fell to her knees right there on the sidewalk, leaning forward as tears streamed down her face. She held her face in her hands, the tears falling onto her hands.
Naruto walked down the street. He and Hinata had spent an hour training after eating down at Team 7's training grounds. He had fun teaching her.
Naruto frowned when he heard sobs. He walked further down the sidewalk and was surprised to see Sakura on her knees, crying into her hands with her head almost touching the ground.
"Sakura?" he asked in surprise.
Sakura lifted her head. Naruto was surprised to see her puffy cheeks completely red from exhaustion and tears staining her face.
"N-Narut-to?" she stuttered, choking on tears. "Wh-Where's y-your g-girlfriend-d Hi-Hinata?"
Naruto was surprised by Sakura's question. He walked over to her and knelt down in front of her. "Hinata and I aren't dating," he said. "We were just training together. We've been training twice a week for the past month. Why? Why are you crying?" he asked, setting a hand on her shoulder.
Sakura hugged Naruto, wrapping her arms around him, a gesture that surprised Naruto greatly. Naruto hugged her back and waited for her to explain why she was crying. "H-He left me!" she cried. "S-Sasuke actually dumped me."
Naruto's eyes widened. "He did what?" he exclaimed.
"H-He told me that h-he couldn't g-go out with me an-anymore," Sakura cried.
"Why?" Naruto asked, pulling away as Sakura leaned back.
Sakura just shook her head.
Anger and pure fury filled Naruto. "Let me take you back to your house," Naruto said.
Naruto helped Sakura to her feet and led her to her house. Once she was inside, Naruto stood on the porch, his head hung down and his body quivering. "You hurt Sakura, Sasuke," he said. "I thought of us as best friends/rivals." He lifted his head. His eyes were filled with pure fury and power. "But now you've gone too far!"
I've had enough of fears, you let them out
Now I wrap myself around you
Like a blanket full of doubt.
He's your everything.
Does he make you high, make you real?
Does he make you cry? Does he know the way you feel?
Love is all around you. Your universe is full.
But in my world, there is only you.
Sasuke was watching TV in his house. Had he really made the right decision, leaving Sakura like that?
Of course you did, a voice inside of his head said. If you had stayed, she would have hurt you and you would have hurt her even more.
There was a loud pounding on the door, surprising Sasuke. Who would be hear at this time of night? It was almost ten.
Sasuke got to his feet and walked over to the door. When he opened it up, he was surprised to see Naruto standing outside, his head down so that he couldn't see his face.
"Naruto?" Sasuke asked in surprise, surprised to see his friend/rival standing there. "What are you—"
Naruto suddenly punched Sasuke with amazing power and sent him flying across the room. Sasuke hit the wall and fell down to the ground. When he lifted his head, blood fell from the side of his mouth.
"What's going on?" Sasuke demanded. "What was that for?"
"You hurt Sakura," Naruto said. He lifted his head. Sasuke recognized the evil, powerful look in Naruto's eyes that sent fear through him. He recognized the nine-tailed demon fox bleeding through Naruto. "Now I'm going to hurt you."
Sasuke got to his feet. "You saw Sakura?" he asked. "Is she still crying?"
Naruto walked over to Sasuke and thrust a fist at him. Sasuke caught the fist and looked into Naruto's blazing eyes. "Yes," Naruto said. "She's hurting worse than I've ever seen. And it's all because of you!" he yelled. He picked Sasuke up by the collar of his shirt, and then threw him across the room, throwing him against the wall.
Sasuke fell down to the ground and let out a moan of pain as his back throbbed with it. He slowly got to his feet. "Why are you doing this?" he asked, looking up at Naruto.
"All of these years I've been standing on the sidelines, trying to do my best to impress Sakura," Naruto said, walking closer to Sasuke. "But no. Uchiha Sasuke was the only one in Sakura's eyes. I felt happy for Sakura when I found out that she had finally gotten what she wanted, you. But tonight, I saw her in more pain than in the nine years I've known her, because you left her out to rot."
"I did not!" Sasuke exclaimed. "She was growing clingy and showing of the fact that I was going out with her. I got sick of it and the spark between us died. I wasn't just going to stay in a relationship with her just because she wanted me to."
Naruto leapt out at Sasuke, his eyes more like the nine-tailed fox's than ever. He hit Sasuke hard in the face, sending him flying through the window behind him. Naruto was leaping like an animal, and landed on his two feet.
Naruto felt himself growing more and more powerful, and yet weaker at the same time. He ran at Sasuke and grabbed him by the neck. He lifted the beaten, bleeding and bruised Sasuke into the air and glared at him in the eye.
"You hurt Sakura!" he exclaimed angrily. "I thought she meant more to you than that. You and I may be friend/rivals, but it's my duty as Sakura's friend to get revenge!" he yelled, turning and throwing Sasuke through another window, the glass shattering as Sasuke flew through it.
Naruto held his hands out to the side and let out a loud yell of anger. His head lifted and his eyes blazed like fire. He looked more demonic like now than ever before. All of a sudden, he began glowing, and something began coming out of Naruto's stomach. Naruto continued yelling, with power and anger. The glowing come out of Naruto began taking on a form, a huge form.
Finally, when the glowing stopped coming from Naruto, his voice died from yelling and his body fell to the ground, his eyes shut and his body lifeless. Now, standing on the street, was a huge glowing monster. But the glowing began taking on a solid look, and soon, it was solid. At first, to an ordinary person, it would have looked like the spirit of the nine-tailed demon fox. But now, the fox was whole. Solid. Real.
People began scrambling out of their houses and stood in the streets. Their eyes all widened as they saw the huge demon standing in the street, glaring down upon Konohagakure.
Tsunade and Kakashi ran past everyone else while Kurenai, Asuma and Gai all pushed the people as far back from the demon as possible.
"What's happened?" Kurenai exclaimed.
"The demon's been unleashed!" Asuma yelled.
"The seal's been broken!" Gai yelled.
"The demon now roams the streets of Konoha again?" one of the civilians screamed in horror. Shouts of horror and cries for help escaped the mouths of dozens of people.
Kakashi's eyes widened when he saw Naruto's body, lying limp on the ground. "Naruto!" he exclaimed. He started to run toward Naruto's body, but the demon fox leapt in front of him and hit Kakashi with one of her tails. Kakashi went flying back hundreds of feet until he landed with a thud. He moaned as his arm snapped.
"Kakashi!" Kurenai yelled, running over to Kakashi's side. She knelt down beside him and lifted his head in her hand.
"We have to seal the demon away again," Kakashi rasped, blood streaming down from the corner of his mouth. "Otherwise, we'll never get to Naruto. I don't know if he's dead or alive, but we have to get to him. The Kyubi's protecting her inhibitor, the boy who held her for eighteen years and finally released her. There's no way she'll let us get to Naruto while she's free."
Tsunade nodded. "I'm the only one who can successfully do that it. I have to seal away the tailed fox."
"But, my Lord," Gai said, his eyes wide. "It takes a human's life to do that!"
"I know, Master Gai," Tsunade said. "But the life of Konoha and one of our ninja is at stake here." She held her hands together in several signs, then looked up at nine-tailed fox. "You destroyed many people the last time you were here," she said. "But I won't allow you to do this again." She began doing signs and performing the ritual. Finally, she said, "Be gone, demon!" and ran toward Naruto. The nine-tailed fox jumped in front of Tsunade and hit her hard with one of her tails. Tsunade let out a yell of pain as she was hit, but didn't go as far back as Kakashi. She got to her feet and attempted again. She got the same result. Finally, Tsunade used a transportation spell and transported herself right next to Naruto's body. She placed her hand on Naruto's bare stomach after pulling his shirt up a bit, revealing his bare stomach. She pressed her hand on his stomach and closed her eyes.
Everyone watched as each tail of the nine-tailed fox began going into Naruto's stomach, and with each part of its body going in, the swirl on his stomach, and the five seals around it, began reappearing. Finally, Tsunade held her second hand on his stomach, and finished off the seal. Then her eyes closed and she fell backwards, dead.
"Lord Hokage!" several voices yelled.
Gai ran over to Tsunade and felt for a pulse as Kakashi rose to his feet and walked over to Naruto. He shook his head. "She's gone," he said.
"As we knew," Kakashi said. He checked for a pulse on Naruto. "He's barely alive," he said. "Get him to the hospital immediately!" he yelled.
Sakura heard word of what happened. Naruto and Sasuke were both in the hospital, both barely holding on. Sakura heard about the fight and about the nine-tailed demon fox being unleashed for the first time in eighteen years.
Sakura ran to Naruto's room, filled with worry and dread at what she would find. When she reached the room, she found Kakashi sitting next to Naruto's bed, his right arm wrapped in a sling and a brace around his neck and shoulder.
"Master Kakashi!" she exclaimed.
Kakashi shook his head. "My injuries are nothing like our Naruto and Sasuke's." He frowned. "I heard about what happened," he said. "Between you and Sasuke. Are you all right?"
Tears began rolling down her cheeks. But this time, it wasn't about Sasuke. This time, Sakura was crying because of the condition she saw Naruto in. His face was paler than snow. His chest wasn't rising and falling like normal humans did when they breathed. An oxygen mask was covering his mouth and was connected to a machine. There was an IV connected to his hand. Something was connected to his thumb and recorded his barely-going heartbeat.
"He did this for me?" she asked.
Kakashi nodded. "From what I can piece together from what the neighbors said, Naruto stormed into Sasuke's house and started beating him up, yelling at him. He threw him through two windows until Sasuke was knocked senseless. But Sasuke's in a lot better condition than Naruto."
Sakura walked over to Naruto's side and rested her left hand on his, which lay lifeless on the bed. It had the IV hooked up to a drip next to his bed. Sakura closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears.
"Hey," Kakashi said, standing up and setting a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "It's all right to cry, Sakura. They were both your friends, and Sasuke was your boyfriend. Just because you're eighteen now, and a Jounin, doesn't mean you can't cry."
"I need to go," Sakura said, choking on the tears. "I have to go for a walk. Call me on my cell phone if anything happens."
"Oh, Sakura," Kakashi said. "I know you probably don't need the extra pressure right now, I guess Hinata was searching through his house a little while ago, when she found a paper written by Naruto that said if it ever came to the point where he was in the hospital, and living off of machines, that you were the one to choose to pull the plug or not."
Sakura wanted to burst into tears right there and then. Instead, she asked, "How's Hinata taking it?"
"She went to get something to drink because Neji demanded her to go with him to get something to calm her nerves slightly," Kakashi said. "But she's taking it pretty hard. She and Naruto were very close friends."
Sakura nodded and walked away. She began walking faster and faster as she walked away from Naruto's room. Soon she broke into a jog, and then a run.
Sakura ran until she was forced to stop on the sidewalk from lack of stamina. When she looked up from where she had stopped, she recognized Naruto's house. She didn't know what possessed her, but she walked up and opened the door walking inside.
Sakura looked around the trashed house and felt tears stream down from her eyes. She felt the overwhelming stress of Naruto in the hospital, Sasuke dumping her, Sasuke in the hospital, Kakashi injured the way he was, and Naruto's "will."
Sakura walked through the house, running her hand along the wall as she did. Finally, she reached the room she knew was Naruto's bedroom. Inside wasn't any cleaner than the rest of the house. Clothes scattered the floor, and normally, Sakura would have wondered, "If he has so many clothes, why does he almost always wear the same orange jacket and pants and blue T-shirt every day?"
Sakura looked out the window in Naruto's room and saw the moon in the sky. She turned her head and was surprised to see that the moonlight landed on Naruto's desk, and on a couple of papers to be exact.
Sakura didn't know what came over her, but she walked over to the desk and picked up the letter. When she held it up, she had no problems reading it, for the moonlight directly behind her gave her perfect lighting to read Naruto's letter. It read.
My dearest Sakura,
I honestly don't know where to begin. I've known you for nine years, since we met at the academy, and yet I've never been able to tell you how I truly feel. Sure, I may have mentioned my crush on you a dozen times or more while we were teammates, and I may have impersonated as Sasuke so that I could get to you for a few minutes right after we became teammates, but still, you never knew what was truly in my heart. Now I can finally tell you. But whether I send this letter, or whether it stays in my desk and heart, I will have at least have written down my feelings for in a way that will never die.
What you see when you look at me is a joker, a trickster, a fool, Sasuke's rival, and a teammate. But what you don't see is my heart beating wildly whenever I see you. My heart leaps for joy and every day I silently hope and pray that somehow you'll come to realize exactly how much you mean to me. To me, you're my world, my everything. I don't know how I ever would have lived if I hadn't met you that day nine years ago. But, no matter how much you mean to me, no matter how much I wanted to just burst out and yell, "Sakura! I love you! I love you with all my heart!" there was always one person standing in my way, one person who I could never seem to match up to: Sasuke.
The famous Uchiha Sasuke, The One Who lived, was the only one who could seem to have your eyes and heart. I trained for years for two things: to become Hokage, and to win your heart. But then, eight months ago, the worst thing possible happened: you announced that you were going out with Sasuke.
While I congratulated you, my heart was breaking into a million pieces, and now, eight months later, even though you're wrapped up in your own life of being one of the three newest Jounin, consisting of you, Sasuke and I, being wrapped up in your boyfriend Sasuke, your new students who had recently graduated from the academy, and your life on the side, you still don't seem to notice me in any way other than as a former teammate and fellow Jounin.
If I do somehow come up with the nerve to send you this letter, my heart will finally have glued back together and the triumph of knowing that you finally know how I feel. You'll know that there isn't a single thing I don't love about you. I love everything about you. You would now know that even if you didn't feel the same way in return, that I will always protect you with my life, or die with my dead enemy's blood on my hand. I will always love you, Haruno Sakura. Nothing, and no one, not even the Mighty Uchiha Sasuke, will ever be able to change that.
Signed,
Your forever friend,
Uzamaki NarutoTears fell from Sakura's eyes and onto the two pages of pure love, written by someone who could very well die at any moment from fulfilling his promise of dying defending her with his enemy's blood on his hand. It was as she read his name, that Sakura realized that deep within her heart, she had had a soft, spot for the sweet, hyperactive, blonde fox boy. She felt love reopen within her. But now, she felt it for Naruto, not Sasuke. And to Sakura's amazement, the feeling she felt within her now was stronger love for Naruto than she had ever had for Sasuke.
Does he make you high, make you real?
Does he make you cry? Does he know the way you feel?
Love is all around you, your universe is full.
But in my world, there's only you.
You make me high, make me real.
You make me cry. Now you know the way I feel.
Love is all around you. Your universe is full.
But in my world, there is only you.
Sakura set the letter down on the table and fled from the house. She ran down the street and ran into the hospital. She ran up to Naruto's room and found him alone. Kakashi was speaking with Ino, Neji, Hinata and Iruka outside. Iruka looked like he had been crying all night.
Sakura stepped into Naruto's room and saw that he wasn't doing any better. She walked over to Naruto's side and looked down at him with a whole new love in her eyes. She lifted his oxygen mask off and leaned over, pressing her lips against his. When Sakura pulled back moments later, she put the mask back and just stared down at him. "I love you too," she said.
Sakura's eyes widened when she saw Naruto's eyes flicker open. "Sakura?" he whispered, looking straight into her eyes.
Tears sprang to Sakura's eyes. "EVERYONE!" she yelled. "HE'S OKAY! NARUTO'S AWAKE!"
People began piling into the room, Iruka and Kakashi at the front. People piled in behind them. Iruka leaned over and hugged the boy who had been like a son to him for six years. Tears were visible at the corner of Kakashi's one visible. Even Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Akamaru and Neji seemed to be happy. Even Gaara, who was in the far corner of the room, smirked a bit. Hinata ran to Naruto's other side and (once Iruka stopped hugging him for ten seconds) hugged him before letting go and Iruka hugged him again.
"Okay," Kakashi said. Let's go. Naruto needs some rest. He's had a very busy and hard night."
"Wait," a cold voice said. Everyone turned their heads and saw Sasuke sitting in a wheelchair, bandaged up and with a cast on his leg. He was staring at Naruto. "I have something to say to Naruto and Sakura alone."
Everyone made a path for Sasuke to push himself over to the bed, and then they all left.
Once everyone was gone and the door shut, Sasuke looked from Naruto to Sakura. "Look," he said. "I'm sorry things turned out the way they did. Sakura, I honestly never planned to leave you. And, Naruto, I certainly didn't expect you to beat the shit out of me, and then release the nine-tailed fox because you were so mad and vulnerable. I'm sorry. I don't want to end things between us all this way."
Sakura smiled at Sasuke. "I admit, Sasuke, in a way, I still am hurting from you dumping me the way you did. But you're dumping me led me to realize that you were right. Things wouldn't work between us. When I read a certain letter at Naruto's house, it made me realize the love I felt for him all along."
Sasuke nodded. "So, can we go back to the way things were before?" he asked.
Naruto and Sakura nodded. "Yeah," Naruto whispered.
There was a blast of smoke and Kakashi suddenly appeared between Naruto and Sasuke. He leaned over and set a hand on each of their heads. Sakura could tell my his happy eye that he was grinning.
"I knew you three would eventually be good friends!" he exclaimed. "I'm the only one who heard your conversation, but, I knew what was going to happen all along."
Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto all steamed that their teacher had eavesdropped. "KAKASHI!" Sakura and Sasuke yelled, while Naruto merely muttered, "Damn you."