Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Sakura or the other characters and nor do I own the title of this story; 'Summer Rain' is a song by Belinda Carlisle. The song was my inspiration for this oneshot.
Warning: This story has some mentions of American history (the Civil War more specifically) . I apologize if this offends anyone.
Summer Rain
"Are you ready?" An anxious Sakura asked Naruto, as she tried to keep her voice even and her mind positive. They were standing next to the booth where one could buy a train ticket to their desired destination. The roof they were under kept them dry for the rain outside was beginning to pound the ground harder and harder, causing dust to be disturbed from its peaceful slumber.
Setting his bags down, Naruto's expression switched from thoughtful to genuine as he extended his hand to her. "Come dance with me."
Instantly she was surprised. "But what about the train?! Your suit...? Surely it..." Before she could say anymore, Naruto grabbed her by the hand and gently pulled her down the wooden stairs into the rain. With one arm wrapped around her waist and a hand interlaced with hers, the couple began to dance smoothly, regardless of what was going on around them.
Sakura knew her emerald green dress was going to get filthy, but besides that brief moment of annoyance, she did not have a care in the world.
As if time itself had stopped, the dance came to a standstill as Naruto leaned in and kissed Sakura affectionately on the lips and ever so gently, they moved their faces back, giving Naruto enough room to whisper. "After the war, I will return. I promise."
Mild disbelief melted into an expression of almost fake contentment as Sakura replied, "I know."
For a few heartbeats, all they could hear around them was the increasing sound of tapping as the rain struck the ground. Sakura's lively pink hair had plastered itself to her face and neck. Her dress clung, sopping wet, to every inch of skin that it covered and her happiness reluctantly gave way to sadness. Naruto's features mirrored hers; they both knew this could be the last time they would see one another.
"Come on," Sakura said soothingly with silent confidence as she took him by the hand. "Let's make this a moment we can remember."
A warm smile lit Naruto's face as he squeezed her hand, and almost enthusiastically pulled her towards him to finish the dance they had started.
It did not take long for the pair to laugh with bliss; it was the first time they had enjoyed themselves fully and frankly, it was worth it, to dance in the summer rain. Before long, a distant whistle from an approaching train brought them back to reality. All joyful dancing ceased and both Naruto and Sakura exchanged solemn looks, both trying their best to look brave.
The couple turned around and quickly walked towards the ticket booth where Naruto's bags sat. With each step she took and as the train's rumble drew closer, Sakura's emotions grew more intense and confused. She was torn between crying as she would watch him get on the train, being happy for him, pleading him not to go and clutching onto him for dear life.
Naruto searched Sakura's face with concern and then he smiled with as much sincerity as he could despite the situation to help brighten her mood and to reassure her that all would be alright. Her heart sank upon seeing his smile, causing her to hug herself tightly. She gave a halfhearted smile.
A handful of wives with no children and wives with children began to cross into the ticket booth area with their husbands who were destined to fight in the same war as Naruto. Each family lined up to either buy a ticket or give a ticket to the ticket holder.
The whistle of the train and the rumble of the tracks came closer and louder with every second that passed them by. Before long the train pulled up to a screeching halt parallel to the booth and then the men began saying goodbye to their families or hugging and kissing them goodbye before departing for the train.
Before Naruto could reach for his bags, Sakura felt a lump form in her throat, and without thinking, she threw her arms around him. Tears began to tug at her eyes, but she stubbornly would not let them break free. In response, Naruto wrapped his arms protectively around Sakura, allowing her to lay her head against his damp chest. Sakura pulled her body's upper half away from him for a moment and looked him stubbornly in the eyes. "You better come back." She tried to make her tone firm but it trembled slightly against her will.
Naruto's small smile turned into a boyish, self-assured grin as he leaned in to claim her lips. Pausing the kiss for a moment, he responded with gentle confidence, "I never go back on my word."
In response she embraced him again, hoping with all her heart it was true. To help reassure her even more, Naruto rested his chin on the top of her head and tenderly squeezed her body close to his.
An attendant who had helped the passengers settle on the train had called for any last people wishing to board, and at the sound of the attendant, Naruto tensed up and then slowly released Sakura. With an awkward smile at being last to board the train, Naruto reached for his bags and turned to leave. Once more Sakura hugged herself, forcing herself to look somewhat optimistic.
"I love you," Sakura told him with sincerity as she watched him begin walking towards the attendant.
Naruto could not turn around due to the weight of his three bags, but he ceased motion at the sound of her voice. "I love you too," he replied with quiet, almost solemn serenity as the rain continued its unrelenting pour onto the earth.
That day in August was the last time that she saw him. It was August 12, 1866 and the Civil War had ended a little over a year ago. Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered to the Union general, Ulysses S. Grant. The Union had won the war.
On a carefully made bed, multiple letters were spread out at the bottom end while Sakura was sitting in front of them, just below the pillows. Each letter was written by Naruto; he had written to her every single month while at war, except the final month the war was going on. Sakura convinced herself that Naruto was alive and that he would keep his promise no matter what. She refused to believe that something could happen to him.
A light hesitant knock brought Sakura back to earth. She gingerly stood up, being careful not to disturb the letters, and after smoothing her light red calico dress, she hurriedly walked to the door. When she opened the door, to her almost desperate surprise, she waited for the former Union soldier to report the whereabouts of her fiancée.
Closing the door softly behind him, his mouth pressed into a firm tight line as he watched Sakura's eager face slightly fall into a more serious expression due to the tenseness of the situation.
"We took your descriptions of the young man and his name into consideration as we looked through our records of where he was stationed at after the war or where he was last seen or both." The man paused to clear his throat, cautiously waiting for any response from Sakura. When she remained silent, he continued on, "We have recorded that," he pulled out a document from a manila folder and began using it for reference. "Naruto Uzumaki was last seen on April 10th 1865 under the command of General Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia."
Stubbornly Sakura met the man's eyes, silently demanding the current whereabouts of her husband to be. His expression softened in sympathy as he lowered the document from his face. "He might have died during that battle or he might be alive – it was not recorded – and it was not recorded that his body was ever found also."
Sakura lowered her eyes and whispered to herself, "So he possibly might be alive..." Clenching her fists with hidden emotional turmoil, she spoke to the man with an air of quiet desperate desire, "Did you look through everything? Are you sure this is all there is?!"
"Yes." His tone left little room for an argument, and with sympathy he finished, "I'm sorry..." He dipped his head in respect and exited the room.
Numb, Sakura hugged herself as she tried to make sense of the soldier's words. 'He might have died during that battle.' Tears stung her eyes. Naruto would have done whatever he could to try to get a hold of her, she knew. This fact did not point to his death, but it made the option more likely.
Faint rumbles of thunder echoed outside and the warm room increasingly grew muggier as the time ticked by. With a heavy heart and a clouded mind, Sakura walked briskly to the window, moved the delicate white laced curtain, and opened the window to allow in the fresh air.
Pausing at the window, she examined ominous black clouds crossing the city in the west towards the boarding house she was staying in. She and Naruto had chosen the boarding house to live within the suburbs to avoid any violence between the north and the south that could happen in a more populated area. When the war ended, Sakura refused to leave until Naruto had returned and even after a year of waiting, she still did not want to leave incase Naruto came back.
Lightning flashed a couple miles away in front of her and moments later, like a loud cannon, thunder boomed overhead.
A gust of cool wind struck her face as if someone was playfully tapping her. "Naruto..."
Tiny light specks of raindrops began to fall but quickly they began to fall larger and heavier, pelting her face as well as the house in steady thumps.
Instantly Sakura was reminded of that day in the rain when she danced with Naruto. It was almost like something or someone was trying to tell her something... She could feel his presence in the rain and for a second she thought she heard him whisper her name. "Naruto..."
A hard lump began to form in her throat. Upon realizing the water was seeping into the room, she closed the window and neatly fixed the delicate curtains. With her eyes lowered, she wandered back to her bed and softly sat down, facing the window just as a flash of lightning lit up the room for a split second. She could not bear to look at the letters on the bed nor the window in front of her so she looked at floor with her hands folded on her lap.
"You promised me...!" Without any warning, her emotions exploded. Tears poured from her eyes and without trying to stop herself, her whole body shook with heart wrenching sobs.
Several minutes ticked by, the stormed continued to rage on and she did not stop crying. She had stubbornly refused to cry while he was away. She wanted to be brave for him and hold on to that promise for dear life, but her façade was weakening. She wanted him near her, she wanted to know he was safe, she wanted to be loved by him as well as love him in return, and she was terribly lonely. All these emotions were crashing through her like a dam giving way to the weight of the water it contained.
After what seemed like a lifetime, she sniffled quietly and wiped her eyes slowly with the back of her hands. The stormed had ended not too long ago and the room was beginning to get dark. Morosely, Sakura stood up, walked to the end of her bed and gathered Naruto's letters in a neat bundle, walked around the end of the bed to a wooden desk, and placed them into the bottom drawer under a stack of documents.
Hovering over the desk, she frowned in discomfort as the room was muggier than she realized. With little effort, Sakura walked over to the window and opened it once more. Almost instantly, the room began to cool down considerably as the smell of fresh earth and air filled the room.
Leaning against the window and inhaling the cool, fresh air, new hope began to revitalize her spirit. In dark adamancy, Sakura came to a conclusion. If Naruto was alive, she would wait for him, and if he had passed on, she would wait for him. There was no need to assume the worse, just as there was no need to assume the best. He would keep his promise and she was determined to keep waiting for however long it would take, just so she could see his lopsided grin once more.