the happily ever after chronicles
a collaborative work by the AAG
This account is comprised of the members at the AAG, or the Author Appreciation Guild; a forum here at FFN. Together, we have organized an event for the summer of 2011 to write an anthology of short stories and drabbles for the Naruto fandom. Some of these stories may be linked. Some of these stories may not. Whether or not they are linked, each chapter of the anthology has its own author, title, summary, and pairing that will be listed at the top. And while the plot of each submission may not be related, all submissions are related under a single theme and prompt combo:
(one big, giant anti-fairytale) / (higher heels, lipstick napkins, dying is your latest fashion / how far can you fly with paper wings?)
Our disclaimer, which will exist here and only here, is this: We own nothing of this fandom, and own only our ideas.
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almost lover
written by anticollision
this version is edited by A. E. Stover
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about: narusaku. sasusaku. (or something like that. maybe it's better if i put it as narusakusasu? mehhh. sounds likes a threesome.)
notes: I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS TO FINALLY BEGIN. 'kay. (like, you have no idea. i was bugging everyone about this.)
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Everyone knew that Naruto was in love with Sakura.
But everyone also knew that Sakura was in love with Sasuke.
—In the blonde's book, that was a definite dilemma.
You see, Naruto wasn't stupid. He could tell that that his long-time crush had eyes for someone else—but that wasn't stopping him. He could tell, as well, that his hopefully-lover despised him (now)—but that wasn't stopping him. Nothing could ever stop Uzumaki Naruto.
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Years passed for a little group by the simple name of "Team Seven." Sasuke had left their team—their family, and the only female was so (still) upset. She wouldn't stop being morose until Naruto came to find her one night. The pinkette's feet on the edge of the Hokage Mountain, ready to take one last step—to her demise.
(((she always had a new hobby, naruto knew. and it seemed that this time dying was her latest fashion.)))
"Sakura-chan!" he cried out, nearly making her start in that simple act. "Stop." He wrapped his arms around her body—too little for comfort; had she stopped eating again?—and wanted desperately to kiss that pink hair so close to his face.
She didn't look at him, she simply broke down into tears, still in his arms. "I-I'm sorry, Naruto," she blubbered, "I'm so sorry—it's just…"
The Jinchuuriki didn't even need to hear the rest. Ever since her love interest had disappeared so dramatically, she wasn't the same. (And Naruto knew that she was barely eating. How was she supposed to be a medic-nin, taking care of others, when she just couldn't take care of herself?.)
A half an hour passed and she calmed down, "Thank you, Naruto… -kun"
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They were happy for a time. A long while, actually.
They were almost out of their teenage years, still young—but mature enough, in the shinobi world, to have had experienced some of the worst things. But no matter the good, no matter the bad, he was there for her. And she was there, too.
Everyone said how cute of a couple they made (except for a few). And Naruto didn't even care when he realized that he was completely, utterly in love with her. Sakura was his everything.
She was his first, too—and he, hers. Naruto could remember every detail and how gorgeous she had looked that night. Nervous, timid, even a little scared—but beautiful; always beautiful. Things had gotten even better after that.
The couple were inseparable: the next Hokage and his wife, people whispered.
"Believe it!" Naruto would always echo back.
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Sometimes—
(((just sometimes)))
—she'd be able to forget about the raven-haired boy for a little bit.
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But one day… Sasuke did come back.
Everyone in Team Seven was overjoyed (even good ol' Kakashi-sensei) with the news of his return. From what the Godaime had said, they would have to wait a few days before they could see him. For precaution, she told them. But people would learn that the precaution was not for fear of physical harm, but emotional harm.
To Sakura.
And she knew that Naruto just had too much trust in her. Because she couldn't even trust herself (not that she'd ever tell him—then he would think… things).
When they were allowed to go see their long-lost teammate, the teacher and the two students were waiting in the lobby. The blonde dragged Sakura by the hand, "C'mon, guys! Don't'cha miss the bastard?" He had his usual smile on, but she could barely sense the fear he had inside. Fear that she was going to fall in love again.
She once had to reassure him, when the topic of the Uchiha came along. "Silly boy, I'm not going to fall in love with Sasuke anymore. (Because I still am.)" Sakura couldn't help herself; she could never stop loving him.
When she saw him the first time again in years, she began to cry.
(((i've missed you, i've missed you, i've missed you. do you know that my feelings are still the same?)))
"It's alright, Sakura-chan. We're all together again."
They were; it was true. It was really true—
(because of Sakura's tears, Naruto's beaming expression, and Kakashi's happy eye-crinkle, even in Sasuke's dark eyes, familiarity and joy reigned)
—Team Seven was together once again.
"Hey," intoned Sasuke, a proverbial smirk playing on his lips.
Oh, gosh, she had missed that—him.
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Naruto knew the day that his best friend came back to Konohagakure that Sakura would leave, too. It was like some sort of evil trick played on him. A deal that he just did not want to make.
Did he want Sasuke back and Sakura gone? Or did he want Sasuke gone (still), and Sakura there (with him)? It seemed that he didn't have to make that choice himself when the Uchiha man came home.
The night that his team had first seen Sasuke, Naruto cried himself to sleep. He was going to lose her. He was going to lose the girl he was so in love with—and he could do nothing.
How far can you fly with paper wings? She never did—never could—love him completely, he knew.
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Right before she left him, she kissed his cheek one last time. "I will never forget our time together, Naruto," she murmured. The young man almost winced at the lack of the honorific, but he said not a word.
And then he watched her walk away. He knew where she was going, and it killed him inside.
But he would never take her away from the one person that she's loved always, unconditionally. It just wasn't fair of him.
He simply loved her too much.
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AUTHOR'S NOTES
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so, i was listening to a fine frenzy and i got inspired? it went along with the prompts/themes-ish andandandyeah. sakura sounds like a bitch in this. don't freak out on me because, uhm. anti-fairytale, anyone? don't forget to review! and alert. because there are going to be plenty more—much better than mine—coming soonnn.