The brightness of her smile rivaled that of the sun. Nothing could dull it. It was the feature that has first caught his eye, drawing her in to him. He hadn't known it at first, but the moment she smiled at him, he was gone forever.
It was unimaginable that he would never see that smile again as he stood underneath crying skies, lifeless ebony eyes staring at a concrete stone sticking straight out from the ground.
He knelt in front of the grave, wet mud covering his jeans, but he paid it no mind. Pale boney fingers shakily reached out and began to trace over each bubble letter than spelled her name. The meaning of her name resonated in his mind and he chuckled dryly. He had learned in the cruelest way possible why hurricanes were named after people.
Hours passed as he sat there, no longer keeping track of the time. His hands never tire of tracing her name. Even as the rain drenched his clothing, he kept at it. Staring straight forward, his eyes clouded over at the memory of when they first met.
NA.
He was sure that there were over 30 kids staring at him with large, questioning eyes. He'd never been one for children but this was the only job offering open and he wanted to try his best. For his brother's sake. He swallowed thickly underneath their overwhelming gaze and opened his mouth, but before he could get a word out, the door slammed open. He jumped startled and turned to look at who had just entered.
It felt like all the wind had been sucked out of his body. She stood not a few feet away from him with the biggest and warmest smile he'd ever seen on anyone on her face. If he wasn't so captivated, he would've been scared that her face was gonna split open.
"Good morning, Everyone!" She said in a cheery voice. The children who had also been captivated by her, opened their mouths all at once to scream out their greetings. She laughed and he felt his heart palpitate. She waved her hand and the children went quiet, waiting for the adults to speak.
She suddenly turned towards him and he had to stop himself from jumping. She put on her smile, full force, and thrust out a dainty hand towards him. He felt his skin becoming warm. What was she doing to him?
"Hi!" She said and introduced herself. It took him a moment to compose himself and then he enveloped her hand in his.
"H-hello" He murmured feeling more shy than normal. She giggled and he felt his face get hotter. He quickly muttered out his name remembering that she'd done so when she introduced herself. They finally let go of each other. Him, fumbling around like an idiot, and her, seeming and looking so carefree.
"I'm gonna be your assistant teacher for this class, so I'll be following your orders. What's on the agenda for today?"
He sent a silent prayer to the heavens above thanking God for blessing him with this job before grabbing the agenda, nearly dropping it in the process.
"We'll…um..start with…"
RU.
He was nervous. That much was obvious as he kept rubbing his sweaty hands over his dark jeans. He wanted nothing more than for her to like him as much as she liked him. He refused to believe that just because she agreed to one date, that she liked him. He began to feel sweat travel down his back. He wanted to just hyperventilate.
'Okay, you can do this. Don't be weird. Don't act like this is your first date. I mean it is, but that doesn't mean you have to act like it.' He gave himself a mini pep talk before climbing out his car.
The sun was just starting to set and a beautiful display of colors arranged across the sky. Oranges, pinks and reds melted into each other. It would make a gorgeous picture, but now wasn't the time, as the woman in front of him was far more beautiful than any sunset he would ever see in his life time.
He held out an arm for her and she slipped hers into him, questioning as to where they were going. A rare but sly smirk slid over his pale lips.
"It's a secret." He teased. She pouted playfully and slid into the door he opened for her.
"I hate surprises." She admitted but her eyes didn't show any sign of unhappiness. For him, that was a good sign.
"Well hopefully you'll like this one."
He ran over to drivers side and drove away. They made light talk as the cruised the streets and highways. He felt himself calm down, he wasn't as nervous as he was before. Her musical laughed filled the car as he told jokes that most of his best mates told him were lame. She had his goofy humor and it filled him with endless joy.
Before long, they arrived at a medium sized glass building. So interested in their conversation, she hadn't noticed the name of the building until she stepped out.
"A skating rink?" She exclaimed, whirling around to look at him. He made a noise of affirmation before opening his mouth to explain his reasoning.
"You told me before that you always wanted to go one but couldn't afford or find the time for it. I thought it would be cool if I rented out the place for a couple hours." He was very nervous. He was worried she wouldn't like it. He clasped his hands tightly, trying to remain an image of coolness.
'Would she like it?'
'Did she want something fancier?'
'Did she think I was trying to hard'
Numerous fears and questions plagued his mind but all his worries were expelled when he felt her propel into his body, her arms wrapping around him tightly.
"I LOVE it! Thank you! Thank you!" She let go as quickly as she hugged him and pumped her fist into the air. "LET'S GO!" She shouted running into the building. His heart and his belly did a little flip flop as he pulled a picnic basket out of the back seat and followed after her.
T.
"Dude, you're gonna be fine." One of his best friends said, grabbing him roughly by the shoulders and shaking him. All he saw was a blur of red and brown. After a minute, his friend felt like he had shaken enough sense into him, he stepped back.
Still, he was nervous. His hands fiddled with the small black box in his hands. His heart was beating a mile a minute and his stomach felt like a war zone. This tiny black box would determine his future.
"How can you be so sure?" He asked stubbornly. His friend sighed and rolled his eyes.
"You've literally been together for over three years. You guys love each other so much. I know it. And if she says no, then you can just marry me instead." His friend said, the last part in a joking tone. He laughed and then took a deep breath. He opened the box in his hands and stared at the sparkling blue diamond ring. It was perfect for her. He shut it and then shoved it in his pockets.
"Okay, you gonna be there with me, right?" He asked his friend. His friend turned him around and pushed him forward.
"Right here, man. I got your back."
Today was her birthday, she was 27, only a few years his junior. He jabbed his keys into the lock , trying to keep his hands from shaking. He wasn't very good at hiding his emotions, so he decided he'd do it before she could figure out something was up and interrogate him.
He made his way into the kitchen, where she stood at the sink, her back to him, talking animately with their friends and family. He made eye contact with her father who motioned to the other people in the room to make a way for him. All while still talking so she wouldn't suspect.
He pulled the box from his pocket, nearly dropping it twice while trying to open it. He walked up behind her, kneeling down on one knee and he waited. Everyone took it as their cue to finally shut up. The air, for a moment, was deadly silent and tense. The only sound was running water as she washed the vegetables. It took her moment to finally catch on. She lifted her head and turned around, she saw her friends and family smiling, she opened her mouth to speak. But she looked down and the words died in her throat.
Kneeling there in front of her, was the man she'd fallen in love with. Looking just as nervous as he had when they went on their first date.
Looking into her face, he gathered every ounce of courage. Her name spilled from his lips in a way that still made her heart flutter.
"Will you make me the happiest man on earth and marry me?"
There was not an ounce of hesitation in her heart and in her answer as happy tears spilled down her cheeks.
"Yes. Yes. YES!"
O.
"Hey, my sunshine." His voice was cheery when he answered the phone. But for awhile there was no response, his eyebrows rose. "Hello?"
"Sasuke…" Her voice came through the phone, soft almost like a whisper. "You know that I love you, right?"
"Of course I know that, silly. Whats the matter?" For the first time in a long time, he felt his belly clutch with familiar nervousness. His hands tightened on his steering wheel.
"Nothi-" She began making a sound as if she were choking on something and then sound of liquid hitting the ground filled his eyes. "Nothing. Tell me you love me. I want to hear you say it."
He frowned deeply, the feeling of dread circling the pits of his stomach. "What's-"
"Sasuke! Just say it!" Her tone was forceful even though it sounded weak. He jumped, startled. His sunshine never yelled or raised her voice unless she was overly happy.
For some reason, he felt tears welling up in his eyes and he didn't know why. "I love you. You hear me? I love you, Naruto. I love you."
"I love you too." She replied softly before there was a click signifying that the line went dead. His phone slipped from his hand and he slammed on the brakes not paying attention to any road sides as he raced home.
"NARUTO!" He shouted running up the stairs to their cozy two story home. The door had been kicked in and he could see his beautiful wife lying in the middle of their destroyed living room. He dropped to his knees by her side, not caring about the glass that pushed into his knees.
He scooped her up into his chest, tears flowing down his face like a water in a river bed. He kept begging and crying for her to come back to him. Not to leave him. Please don't leave him.
NARUTO
He whispered her name over and over again. His voice off-key like a broken piano. His silver wedding band glinted even on this gloomy day, as he kept tracing her names. The memories squeezing his heart.
Her name mean't everything to him. It was the name of the woman who he vowed to love forever. She had stole his heart or he had willingly given it to her. He didn't really know but he hardly cared. She could have it. It was hers. In life. And In death.
He finally shut his eyes. Her musical voice floating into his mind. Saying his name in a fake frustrated tone. His fingers traced her name one more time.
"Wait for me, my sunshine. I'll see you soon."