Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. This is a non-profit fanfic.
The breeze pushed back Natsuko's hair as she looked out to the open fields.
Izumo watched from a distance as she hanged her head, wishing he had the courage to approach her.
He stepped forward in an attempt to move towards her, but he quickly backtracked. Suddenly, Natsuko turned around and began walking towards him.
"Has she… seen me?" he thought to himself.
She walked past him, but stopped abruptly.
"Izumo? What are you doing here?" She had clearly been crying.
"I-I-I was… ahem, I was patrolling the area."
A sad smile spread across Natsuko's face.
"Well… you are doing a great job. Keep at it!"
She began to walk away slowly, when…
"Natsuko. Wait. Let me walk you home." He extended out his arm.
"Hm? What about your pa-"
"Don't worry. I'm sure it'll be fine." He put his hand on her shoulder. "Now, let's go."
They walked past Ichiraku Ramen, past the Jounin Standby Station, not saying a word to each other. As they passed the Hokage Tower, Izumo broke the silence.
"Nat. Are you okay? You don't seem your usual self."
Natsuko didn't reply. Izumo stopped in his tracks, and so did she.
"Why were you crying earlier?" he said. She just looked away. Izumo thought he could hear a faint sobbing noise.
"It's all… a mess. I hate it. Everything's going from bad to worse. Nothing is the same…" Izumo turned to face her in surprise.
"Wha- What do you mean?" he asked, confused.
"I… have lost everything. They took my all." She was talking about the mission. The mission in which her best friends died. Genma and Hayate. The ones she'd been on a team with since the Academy years. The ones that she had shared memories and secrets with. Taken from her in the blink of an eye.
"…Natsuko-san…" Natsuko hugged Izumo as she broke down in tears.
"Oh god. Oh god. They're gone, forever. Right?" Izumo could feel his collar dampening from her tears.
"There, there… I'm going to take you back to mine, where we can have a cup of tea and talk about this, okay? I understand, don't forget Asuma was taken too." He lifted her chin. "Be strong, ok?"
When they finally arrived at Izumo's, he sat her down on a chair and prepared some tea. She was still shaken up. All he wanted to do was give her a hug, tell her everything is alright and make her happy. But now was not the right time to make a move on her.
"Thanks, Izumo-kun. I really appreciate it."
"Anything for a friend." He handed her the tea and went to sit down at the table, but a pair of hands gripped his face. She planted her lips firmly on his. Izumo was shocked at first, but then he got used to it. The kiss lasted for what seemed an eternity to them.
"I-I'm sorry-"she said quickly.
"You don't need to apologise." He kissed her one more, to check it had all just been real. She went to the front room, and Izumo pointed where his bedroom was.
"I'll sleep on the sofa, Nat."
"N-no, it's fine, honestly."
"Are you sure? I insist." He told her that he must offer his best care to a guest like her, so she should sleep on the bed. Finally, she succumbed to his persistence. As she closed her eyes, drifting in and out of sleep, she wondered what life would be like if… Genma and Hayate were here…
Author's Note: It's my first fanfic! So leave reviews please! Thanks for reading 3