Disclaimer: Uh, last time I checked, my birthday was last Sunday, and I still don't own Naruto. Damn.
--- Rain. ---
Sakura glanced at the ceiling of the tower. The pounding of the rain soothed her nerves. Something felt strange. She looked over at two of her teammates, who were conversing. She shook her head as Shikamaru's and Kiba's voices rose in volume. She sighed as her boyfriend suddenly dragged her into it.
"What do you think, Sakura?" Kiba asked.
"I don't have an opinion, Kiba-kun," she said, looking at him with a "you're an idiot, but I love you" look.
Naruto walked into the watchtower from outside, and he shook himself, sending water everywhere. His three other team members shouted in protest.
"Finally," Naruto said happily, "my turn's over." He immediately went to the cabinet and pulled out some ramen in a cup, and he heated it up in the microwave.
"Shikamaru, it's your turn," Kiba said to the genius, who replied with a sigh.
"Great, it's my turn, and it's raining. How troublesome," Shikamaru complained.
"I'll take your shift," Sakura said suddenly, standing. "I like the rain."
Shikamaru looked at her in surprise. He obviously hadn't expected anything to come of his grumbling. "Thanks," he murmured.
Sakura merely smiled at him, and she pulled on her raincoat. She stepped outside and sighed the moment the door shut. A sigh erupted from her mouth.
Sakura really did like the rain, even when it was cold. She walked to the edge of the deck surrounding the watchtower and leaned on the rail. Sakura's short, pink hair flew around her face as a gust of wind blew by. She leaned forward, relishing in the harsh fierceness of the storm.
Rain seemed to wash everything away. It left everything clean with a scent that could only be described as rain, but Sakura could describe it as something else. She tried to avoid thinking of him, but the rain made it hard.
Sakura found it hard to admit, but the medic missed him. The Uchiha (as she had trained herself to call him) had been gone for over five years. He had helped Orochimaru start wars. He wasn't coming back. The pink-haired woman was eighteen years old, but she couldn't forget him. She blinked in surprise when she felt salty tears running down her face, mingling with the clear water from the heavens. Her childhood crush had never really died down, she mused. If anything, she worried about him more then ever.
Her tears fell faster, and a sob ripped from her throat.
"Sakura, a ninja shouldn't let their emotions get the better of them," a harsh voice said softly. The kunoichi in question spun around, but no one was there. She calmed her emotions and sent out tendrils of chakra, feeling for the other person.
"Who's there?" she asked coolly, but the tremble in her voice gave her away.
"You don't remember me?" the voice asked in fake hurt. "It's only been a few months, Sakura-chan."
Only a few people called her Sakura-chan, and she could only think of one person that said it a mocking tone. The same person who had tried to kill Naruto in the last attack on the village.
"Sasuke," she whispered.
He chuckled from the shadows. "Are you afraid of me, Sakura?" he inquired, an edge on his voice.
"No," she replied harshly.
"Really?" he asked, amused.
Sakura nearly shrieked as two arms wrapped around her. Her green eyes widened and her body stiffened considerably. She spun around, a kunai in her hand, and she pressed it against his throat.
"Don't make me kill you, Uchiha," she threatened. "I swear I will."
"Would you?" he questioned quietly, softness in his voice that she had never heard before. Her eyes met his. His sharingan spun and she looked away quickly. "Sakura," he whispered, "I've missed you."
"Like hell you have," she snarled. "You back-stabbing, traitorous…" His lips met hers, effectively cutting off whatever she had been about to say. He pulled back, smirking.
"You have only grown more beautiful over the years, Sakura. Did you know that?" he asked.
"Get away from me! KIBA! NARUTO! SHIKA-!" He pressed his lips against hers again before pulling back.
"I will return for you, Sakura-chan."
With that, he let her collapse and he turned, melting into the shadows. Kiba burst through the door, Naruto hot on his heels. Akamaru ran right over to Sakura and licked her face. His gesture seemed to ask, "Are you okay?"
Sakura felt tears run down her face again, and she angrily wiped them away. A pair of warm arms enveloped her, pulling her to a warm chest.
"Are you all right, Kura-chan?" Kiba asked his girlfriend softly. She shook her head into his chest. His arms wrapped more tightly around her in response.
Akamaru let out a deep growl, his hackles up. Kiba's, Naruto's, and Shikamaru's eyes flew to the spot Akamaru was growling at in time to see a slip of white fabric vanish.
"Naruto," Shikamaru said. Naruto nodded and the two disappeared.
"It's all right, Kura-chan," Kiba said softly. "You're safe now."
With that he picked her up bridal style and carried her into the watchtower and out of the rain.
---
A/N: Sorry for an OOC-ness. I was bored in study hall, and I figured I should let people know I'm alive. I will be updating all my stories. I plan on Sunday. I have an open house for Pony Club (it's a horse thing) and Prom (one of my senior friends asked me) on Saturday so I get Sunday off, seeing as Prom + Post Prom doesn't end until 3:00 am Sunday morning… So I'll try to update everything then. I AM ALIVE! Just so y'all know.
Ps: Sorry for any misspellings and grammatical errors. I'm not in a perfectionist mood right now.
:Edit: I wrote this on Saturday, but I couldn't post it till I had a chance during school...