Title: June Gloom
Author: Katarin Kishika
Characters/Pairing: Haruno Sakura X Uzumaki Naruto
Type: Two-shot
Genre: Romance
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's not mine.
READ ME: Oh, right, THIS IS AU! Obviously, lol.
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"Yo." – Talking
'Yo.' – Thoughts
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June Gloom
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In a sea of black and graying hairs and dark subdued, formal garbs, the only color he saw and noticed were of his golden locks and her peculiar pink.
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It was a gloomy weather complete with overcast, cloudy skies and slight drizzle that brought a cool temperature that late spring or early summer, June gloom they say, (honestly, he didn't really give a damn) for the mourners when he first caught a glimpse of her. It was such a fitting climate for that day, even the dead's family fitted in this weather (with their aristocratic looks and raven locks, some peppered with white).Yes, they fit in alright. That was probably why her coral colored tresses shocked him.
In a sea of black and gray, her pink hair stood out.
But at that time, he didn't care. He remembered observing that girl with petal colored hair on his peripheral vision (for his eyes gravitate towards her form). He remembered feeling curious of her identity (for this was the first time he saw her). He remembered eyeing those bandages on her arms and legs (for it contrasts greatly on her black dress). He remembered asking himself why her eyes were cast down; although unnoticeable, why her shoulders were shaking at further scrutiny and oh, why she was making those pitiful sniffs (for he couldn't tolerate it now).
But at that time, he didn't care, not even giving a damn. He has no time to spare for he has his own grievances. He felt numb, oh so very numb. He was also stricken with grief for the person lying down on that casket. How dare he look so peaceful when he left so many people behind? He was his best friend, he was like a brother. For him, he was a confidante, his first friend, a brother in all sense except on blood – his very first bond outside his own immediate family.
And he lost that friend all because of a stupid car accident.
He stared bitterly at that six feet deep hole in the ground. He frowned, almost tearing the white flower to pieces. The family surrounding him was composed as always. That's what those damn fools who thought that displaying grief was a weakness were so proud of. The dead's immediate family comforting that pink haired woman who has her head bowed, eyes cast to the ground, the shaking of her shoulders now obvious and the sniffing a tone or two louder. She must have felt his gaze for she turned around to look and find her observer.
She turned and caught his eyes. And that oh, so green (definitely viridian) eyes met and pinned on him. He momentarily caught his breath. Her eyes were so beautiful, artistically crafted on her porcelain face. The only thing amiss was the loss of light on those precious emeralds. They looked so hurt, sadness accompanying grief, almost swallowing her whole.
But he could see that beyond that sadness, grieving and remembering, healing were underway.
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"Such a poor thing."
Naruto turned to find the most sane (as far as normal people goes) Uchiha at his side, uttering those words. A quizzical raise of a brow and a demanded "What do you mean?" prompted the boisterous man (so much like himself and Obito) to expound his sentence.
The older man sighed and returned his gaze to that pink haired girl, "She was his fiancée. They were supposed to be wed three months from now." A helpless shrug and a weak smirk were directed to the blonde. At his shocked face, Shisui smirked and shared "You were always so far away with Ero-sensei so he didn't had the chance to introduce her to you." A fond glance swept to that simple ivory casket, "While he wouldn't say it out loud, he wanted you to meet her before the wedding at least." Another of that infuriating Uchiha smirk now laced with sadness and the older man continued, "The both of them were so in love…"
Everyone left already. The fresh grave of one Uchiha Sasuke pattered by the drizzle turned heavy rain. Everyone left already… everyone, except for two. He was standing a few feet from her; he silently watched as she refused people offering her a ride home, silently watched as she folded her umbrella despite the rain, silently watched as she stood there letting the rain wash her and silently watched as she lifted two fingers to her lips kissing it and then bringing it down to place it lovingly on the stone.
She turned and readied herself to leave when she saw him. He gave her a glance full of understanding of her loss they both shared.
She caught his gaze and finally smiled a small, miniscule smile. And then she turned around to leave and walked away, vanishing from his sight under the heavy rain.
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He never saw her after that. He had almost completely forgotten about her actually. He almost lost the memories about the girl who almost became Mrs. Uchiha, about the girl who let the rain wash her and her tears (for he knew she let the rain fall on her to hide the pain), almost let the memories of the girl who placed her fingers on the stone so lovingly like it was Sasuke himself, slip from his mind.
The memory of that grief-stricken girl, the girl he didn't even know the name buried in the back of his mind.
Seasons passed and life continued on. Time wouldn't stop for those who grieve. It wouldn't wait for you. After all, it's all up to you to pick yourself up and continue on forward. Naruto helped his father's company, constantly visited Mikoto-san (for he knew how much she loved 'Sasuke-chan' and wanted to comfort her and not because of her food), he didn't remove himself from the lives of the Uchihas just because Sasuke wasn't there anymore. But in all his time in there, he had not seen her. Not even once.
On the first year of anniversary of Sasuke's death, he opted to go after Sasuke's family visited and when he was completely sure he would be alone. Towing a bottle of sake which he clearly wanted to share even if drinks were forbidden in the cemetery and his drinking partner six feet under, he trudged his way towards the tombstone that marked his destination. He didn't expect to see her though.
She was carrying a bouquet of myriad flowers. Holding it with almost white knuckles, the light sniffing reached him. He walked silently so as not to startle her and then all stealth went in vain when he forgot to control his voice. So instead of a soothing and cool and comforting "Hey.", his greeting came out as his normal, loud, a bit cheerful "HEY."
She turned so fast, he was afraid she will have a whiplash. Blinking like an owl at him, she seemed to remember him for she smiled after a few seconds of staring (definitely awkward on his part), "Hey." So soft, almost like a whisper was her reply, very different from his own.
He grinned a little and then settled down in front of the epitaph. He opened the sake and poured some down on the stone, on the ground, and then lifted it to his lips to directly drink from it. He remembered his audience and turned to her. She was watching him, a ghost of a smile on her face. Lifting the bottle towards her, "I'm sorry I don't have any glass, I didn't expect some company. But would you like some?" He kindly offered.
The pink-haired woman shook her head no and then focused her gaze back to the grave. "No thank you, I was about to leave anyway." She placed her flowers and then he paused when she placed a basket too (He didn't realize she was holding one). He stared at the contents of the basket and belatedly realized it was tomatoes. He looked up to her and watched as she lifted her fingers and placing it on the epitaph oh so lovingly, just like what she did a year ago. Her fingers were almost reluctant to leave but he saw her squared her shoulders and titled her face to him. He focused his attention to her too; she smiled that same small smile and turned to leave.
She had almost reached the entrance of the cemetery when he started and stood up. He didn't know what came over him, but he shouted "Hey!" to catch her attention. He saw her turned and stopped and saw her looked up at him "I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" He waved a little, sake swishing inside the bottle, some of its contents spilling out.
He saw her bow, but he didn't hear her shout her name. He saw her turn around to leave and walked away, still wondering what her name is.
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He never asked for her name. Not to Mikoto, not to any Uchihas. He didn't know why but he wanted her to introduce herself, or at the very least he'll ask her the next time he saw her. That is, if he could see her again. He knew next to nothing regarding that girl. Not a name nor a background, only her features and her so sad eyes.
It was Sasuke's birthday when he saw that heartbroken girl again. He took a break from work to celebrate it on his grave. He carried bags of omusubi (Sasuke's favorite) and nattō (Sasuke's least favorite) just to spite the dead off. Of course, he also brought with him ramen, still warm from his favorite restaurant, Ichiraku ramen. Unconventional, yes, but Naruto shrugged. Because of his constant travels outside of the country, he never had the chance to celebrate it on the recent years when Sasuke was still alive. He trudged his way up that little hill on the cemetery and momentarily stopped on his tracks when he saw her again. He continued his track though and stopped beside her, not taking his eyes off from the grave.
She turned and saw him bring the packed onigiri down beside her own. She smiled a little and continued her praying, Naruto doing the same. They were engulfed in complete silence after that. It was a bit stifling for him. Even with the damn bastard six feet under, Naruto hadn't experienced utter silence. Whenever he and Sasuke were together conversations were always filled with bickers and bets and challenges. He was racking his brain to think of anything to break down the ice when she softly spoke, voice broken and oh so dejected.
"I miss him. I miss him so, so much." She discreetly wiped the first few tears with her hands but gave up all the same when the tears continued to flow. He gave her a sympathetic glance but turned his head so he wouldn't see her cry. He knew she appreciated it when she smiled a little and with a voice lighter than before she said, "Thank you." He shrugged; he too would like it if people wouldn't see his moment of weakness. Delicate sniffs filled the silence between them as they continued to kneel in front of Sasuke's grave. But again, she broken it down "He often talked about you, you know."
Startled, Naruto's wide eyes zeroed in on her frail and small (now that he noticed) form, "EH? Teme did?" He winced at his 'endearing' nickname to his best friend, thinking that he might have upset her. But he was surprised when he heard little giggles.
She looked directly at him, smiling, eyes red but there were no more tears, "Yeah. Always saying how dobe you are." At his disgruntled gaze and a playful look of betrayal casted to the tomb's way, the girl laughed, "But… you know, he always talked, albeit not directly on his words, so highly of you. Although it was laced with sarcasm and a bit of frustration, I could tell Sasuke-kun treated you as his best friend." She smiled wistfully and serenely, "Thank you for sticking by his side no matter how much of a jerk he could be."
Naruto nodded. They chatted about his forever lost friend, her forever gone lover. They both reminisced and recollect whatever memory they could remember. They talked like they were friends since a long time ago, like he or she had been part of his or her lives ever since. The connection all because of the same person they were reminiscing about. She was finally laughing when they noticed the time; his ramen had long gone cold, the sky already bleeding red and purple and orange.
They stood up, she dusted her skirt and like last time took her fingers to her lips and kissed it, placing it on top of the tombstone. Her eyes no longer red, still a bit puffy but he noticed there's a light and happy shine on it. She turned those emerald orbs on him and bowed, "Thank you for helping me remember." She lifted her head and gazed at the tomb again, eyes with a faraway look "A year had passed… and I was beginning to forget those little things. Every day I wake up and hope that someday everything will turn to normal, that I wish I could forget just to stop this pain. And yet at the last minute, I clung to his memories." She smiled a little, "And then as I hold on tighter to those precious memories, they begun to slowly vanish. I was beginning to be afraid that someday I will forget even his face." The pink haired girl faced him and said full of emotion, "Thank you."
Naruto scratched the back of his head. He was embarrassed to be thanked for something so small, almost insignificant by this girl who almost became his best friend's wife. He smiled, "That was nothing to thank me for, Uhm… what was your name again?" They were talking for hours and he didn't ask her name, how stupid could that be? Naruto grumbled inside his head.
The girl smiled, eyes twinkling clearly finding it amusing, "Sakura. My name is Haruno Sakura."
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He never asked her about her life. Never bothered to ask her about how she and Sasuke met, how they fell in love, what really happened that day of the accident, who she really was. She never opened the topic so he didn't ask. But of course, he was curious. He never saw her on any Uchiha family functions, Mikoto fleetingly talked about her sometimes but it was laced with sadness, Itachi just became his normal self whenever he asked about her (meaning, he just turned his words this way and that way, giving him clues on who she was exactly and not giving straightforward answers clearly confusing him). Shisui never did tell anything after that one time in the funeral.
He was frustrated and was itching to know more about her. Her eyes were so open, her feelings always bare, emotions always on her sleeves, yet her past which was what he really wanted to know was always guarded. He really wanted to know more about her. Why? Although the main reason eluded him still, his mind reasoned that Sasuke wanted the both of them meet, so why not?
The both of them had only met on the cemetery. He noticed that she visits every last Sunday of the month. How he discerned it? It was because he often took that day to visit his friend's grave. It was the least busy day of the month for him. Most of his paper works for that month done already, so his Sundays were left if not on his home then on his friend's grave.
Every special occasion like his death anniversary, his birthday, sometimes at Christmas and even random days, the two of them often found each other's company in front of Sasuke's grave. They never really talked and planned what time and day one will go, but they always end up together in front of the tombstone. He had never seen her outside on the streets. Naruto often offered to drive her home but she always declined.
It was like her whole life was a mystery and the only link he has with her was this visits to the grave.
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On their seventeenth visit that coincided (again), more or less two and a half years after Sasuke's death, Naruto asked a question that always bothered him. It was always at the back of his mind but he never voiced it out for fear that he might upset Sakura. Especially nowadays that her eyes were full of life compared to her dull emeralds a year ago, especially now that her laughs were lighter; Heck, he was glad she smiles that lighten her features now compared to the hollow one she wore.
But this question was just itching and bothering him, waiting to be answered.
So he breathed a deep breath and dived head on, "Sakura-chan, do you hate the Uchiha clan?"
Sakura paused on her sweeping of dried leaves and stood straighter. Naruto winced on the tensed form of the woman in front of him. He had obviously unsettled her. She turned to face him, eyes everywhere but on him. "It's not that I hate them or something." He watched as the small frown deepened on her brow, "They probably hate me, you know."
Clearly puzzled, Naruto inquired, "How? How could you say that they hate you?" As far as he could see, Sasuke's family did not hate her. Mikoto often times talk about her with a fond smile on her face. The smile may have been sad, but Naruto didn't think it was because she hated Sakura or something.
Sakura lowered her gaze to the grave wistfully, fingers fumbling the hems of her shirt, "That day… When Sasuke-kun died, he saved me." Her eyes misty and tears started to flow. She tried to wipe it away and Naruto helplessly watched her cry. Curse his curiosity, he felt guilty for making her remember those painful memories. Unaware of his inner turmoil, Sakura continued, "It was just so fast. Everything happened so fast. One moment we were crossing the street, and then all I felt and heard was someone pushing me and Sasuke screaming my name." She sniffed and smiled full of anguish to Naruto, "See, it isn't hard to think that they hate me. They never wanted me in their clan after all except for a select few. Most of them hated me and they probably think that I killed Sasuke-kun." She paused, eyes with a faraway look. "Not that I contradict them… Its okay, I think. It made me feel pain. It made me wallow in guilt." She buried her face in her hands, "Deep down… I-I really blame myself too."
Naruto watched her cry, watched her wipe those tears that seemed to flow endlessly. Guilt wallowing inside him, Naruto couldn't take it anymore. He crossed the mere five feet of distance between them and without hesitation enveloped this frail girl with a hug. She was trembling and Naruto felt her stiffen. But with soothing words and gentle rubs and pats on her back, he soothed her worries and guilt with soft words and gentle voice. "I'm sorry if I have upset you, but it was not your fault. It was never your fault." He repeated it like a mantra, hoping it would reach her, wishing it would make her feel better. He tucked her head under his chin, closed his eyes and let her wet his shirt with her cries.
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The following weeks were a bit awkward. On his part at least.
Their routine of eating in front of Sasuke's grave was still the same. They still clean it, still chatted and reminisce about his good friend but something was amiss. Something felt different. He felt something different inside him ever since he consoled her that day. For the love of all holy things, he didn't know why he felt like he was riding a roller coaster with her. Those monster flies (yeah, not butterflies, that's how it felt) were running havoc inside his stomach making him feel jittery and bubbly at the same time making his heart settle on his stomach whenever Sakura was near him.
And then the blushes! For the life of him, every time she was near, his ears felt like it was on fire. He had not felt anything like this before. Granted he didn't have any experience on every aspect of life, especially love. But seriously, he hoped that these feelings were just a simple crush.
Naruto's eyes wandered to her crouched form silently praying in front of Sasuke's grave. He could hear her whisper some words but he couldn't decipher it. He edged farther to give her privacy and watched as she kissed her fingers and placed it on the stone again. After a few minutes, he made his way towards her. Face with a serene smile, Sakura looked up and pinned her glittering viridian orbs (now livelier than a few months ago) on his face. He could feel it again. That damn blushes making its way to his ears. Oh how he wished it will just stop right there. He would die from embarrassment if she saw him blush on his cheeks.
Clearing his throat, he averted his gaze towards Sasuke's tombstone, anywhere just to avoid her gaze. He scrambled for a topic and just let any question blurt out of his mouth without filtering it or thinking about it. "Did you ever fight over something?" He said in rush, just to fill the gaping silence between them.
Sakura looked up, surprised at his question. She shook her head and adopting a pensive look on her face, she admitted, "Yes, always." She shrugged and elaborated, "He was such a possessive guy. And it always made me feel constricted but I guess that's how he showed he cared, or something." She giggled in remembrance, "We always fought because of that but I… I guess, I missed those times the most."
Naruto gulped; her words felt like he was sucker punched, her smile felt like a dagger in his heart. He shook his head and focused on her smiling face, "Did he…" He hesitated, feeling that it was such a personal question and he didn't like for her to feel uncomfortable but he had to know. "Did he ever break your heart?"
Her small smile vanished but the wistful look stayed, "Just once." She said while laying a gentle caress on the tombstone. Her eyes were dry, there were no tears, yet her words felt like she was crying. It wavered a little but she continued, "He broke my heart when his heart stopped beating. And I kind of hated him for that." She remarked dryly.
Naruto paused, surprised by the confession. Her face adopted a serene look but her eyes betrayed all the anguish she felt. His heart wanted to reach her broken one, his hands wanted to envelop her on a hug, crush her to him, he wanted to kiss every drop of her tears away. Above all else, he wanted her to relieve of her painful past… and he wanted, more than anything, to be her future.
By their twenty-third coincided visit on his best friend's grave, her past lover's resting place, Naruto realized he was in love.
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つづく
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AN: This fic is just a practice or a welcome back fic after a week of no updates nor writing. This fic is a two-shot series. The second part already half finished. I'm very sorry if updates are slow, but please bear with me. Life caught up (I had exam last week, so yeah) and I got stuck on some of my fics. I'm overcoming those glitches now.
My Lovely Person Chapter three is mostly done. I just have to research on some things in there.
I'm Sorry, a re-upload, is still not finished.
Of Film Girl and Lenses Chapter six is still not written yet.
I'll be posting some one-shots again. Please look out for that.
Questions you might ask:
On Sakura and Naruto's seventeenth visit: I said (or typed) that Sasuke was more or less two and a half years dead and yet it was only Sakura and Naruto's seventeenth visit to the tomb, why? Please remember that they met again on Sasuke's first death anniversary. It was then after that second meeting that a pattern or routine was established.
Why Mikoto or anyone wouldn't contact her themselves: I imagine them giving Sakura some space. Like both parties were on a stalemate and didn't know who would make the first move.
Why Naruto could not find her outside of the cemetery: Sakura declined his offers of driving her home, so he has no idea on where she lives. Again, he wouldn't ask the Uchihas because he felt that Sakura would tell him such details when she started to trust and open herself to him more. And it was mostly because the two of them were on different aspects of life. I could explain it more next chap.
I'm still grasping things (again). A week of no writing could do that to you, lol. Please forgive the errors and the shortness of this one.
Please read my other NaruSaku fics: Difficult Love, Long Distance Love Affair, Pierrot, Words of Love, My Lovely Person and Of Film Girl and Lenses
I would love to hear from you and again THANK YOU FOR GIVING YOUR TIME TO READ THIS and PLEASE READ AND REVIEW and NO FLAMES please.
It would be great and I would love to receive some reviews. C:
~Katarin Kishika