This story was uploaded on the 1st of January along with 4 other stories to be considered New Year's presents, to give thasnks to my few followers and reviewers who have kept me in high spirits about writing. Thank you all for your support and any sort of encouragement you gave/give to me on my long journey as a writer.


"The love that lasts the longest is the love that is never returned." ~ W. Somerset Maugham

Everything in him hurt; his soul, his thoughts, his feelings, his heart, his spirit. Everything was in pain and was hurting, and crying just wasn't enough to show that hurt or that pain.

It wasn't enough. It was never enough.

He saw her; she looked so, so beautiful. Her light pink hair and her white dress, and the especially arranged flowers she held delicately and the very serene, peaceful and just breathtaking smile that he would give anything to see again and again and again—

But she wasn't his to make happy. Never his.

And he saw him too; and he looked happy too, so fucking happy. His ebony hair and special ninja tuxedo, and the little, nearly invisible smile, and that pure love in his eyes that he held for the woman he loved too, but he would never have her—she'd never been his, never will be.

Oh my God Naruto! I'm getting married, I'm engaged to Sasuke—can you believe it?!

No, he can't believe it. It felt like being stabbed again and again and again.

So this is what betrayal feels like? …Heh, I can understand why people would hate their loved ones.

But it doesn't matter what he wants; it only matters what they want, because they're his special people. It didn't matter that it hurt him so badly, he smiled anyway.

That's great Sakura-chan!

But it had been so difficult—to smile, to laugh, to grin, to talk, to walk, to see, to hear, to sense, to smell, to taste— it had been so difficult to breathe or to live.

I've loved you for longer, I've never left your side, I was the one making you laugh and smile while he was out killing people ruthlessly, I was the one comforting you while he broke your heart over and over again—I have been there for you, and what has he done? Betraying the village and leaving you on a bench, that's what he did!

But after a while, he accepted it; he came to a point where he was at peace with himself. It wasn't as if he hadn't known what would happen eventually—he knew that she loved Sasuke as much as he loved her, but he knew he was not the person to stubbornly make her fall in love with him (mind you, he tried) like she was, so it was clear that Sasuke would fall in love with her sooner or later (who wouldn't?).

He'd end up just like his teacher Jiraiya; alone and loving a woman that would never love him back. He wondered if Konohamaru would end up like that, being his student and all, and he hoped not because he's a good kid and didn't deserve this pain, this hurt.

If anyone has any objection to this marriage, he shall speak now or shall forever be silent.

He had bit his tongue when the priest said that—a priest extra from a neutral country—just so he wouldn't scream "Yeah, I do, because I've loved her since forever and he doesn't deserve her!"

But he kept his tongue, (un)fortunately.

I hereby name you husband and wife, Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha!

And it hurt so fucking bad. He felt the tears running down his face from where he sat in the tree, and he wished Jiraiya was still alive to find him and give him comfort and distraction of when everything was too much, like he used to do when they'd been training.

But he doesn't, because he's dead.

And it was at that moment where he realized why Jiraiya had loved travelling around; to get away from everything. It was a cowardly way to deal with his problems, yes, but he decided at that moment when Sasuke and Sakura kissed that it would be better that way.

It would be better for his sanity.

He had to go right then, right there, only scribbling a note on a piece of paper;

Gotta move, hope you have a happy honeymoon and a good start. I wish you all the best and hope that both of you will be happy.

Everyone, don't look for me, I'll be fine. I just need to move, smell a bit of different villages—maybe we'll see each other when some of you guys are on a mission and we happen to cross paths.

From (the next Hokage) Naruto.

He decided to scribble out 'the next Hokage' because he didn't know when he'd come back.

Maybe never.

But he meant what he wrote, his wishes and hopes for their happiness and future. But it didn't mean that it hurt any less. And it brought him peace, in a twisted sort of way.

And seconds later he made a clone and made it give the note to whoever he happened to meet first of his precious people, and ran off to his shabby old apartment and grabbed everything that was important for a life on the road and went.

He didn't know where he was going—to be honest, he didn't even care—but he felt lighter, liberated. He was suddenly lifted from all burdens the farther away he got from Konoha, and he could sympathize with Tsunade-baa-chan and Ero-Sennin about getting away from the village.

The village was a double edged sword; beautiful but painful.

But it didn't matter; he'd get over Sakura's marriage with Sasuke, he'd get over the hurt and over the pain, all in time and patience. He'd return to Konoha once he could really and truly be happy for those two, even if he would forever love Sakura and choose nobody else, he'd learn to be happy with her being happy even if it's not with him.

Yeah, it would just take a bit of time and some distance from the village—it'd do him good, he decided, and smiled truly for the first time since he'd known of Sakura's engagement.

Hey, Naruto, are you alright?

Hn, you seem out of it Dobe, you ill or something?

Are you alright, Naruto?

Don't worry Sakura-chan, I'm fine!

Teme! Don't call me Dobe, I'm perfectly fine!

Gee Kakashi-sensei, stop worrying about me and focus on Sasuke-teme's and Sakura-chan's wedding! I'm fine, seriously!

Yeah, he'd be fine. He always got back up on his feet, why not now too? It would just need time to get over this heartbreak.

Even if it would be the most difficult thing he'd done in his life.


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