"So you're leaving me?" Two children stood under a sole cherry blossom tree, the last of the petals slowly falling.
The beautiful scene of the evening sky betrayed the solemn atmosphere. A boy with spiky blonde hair lowered his head to keep himself from crying. The pink-haired girl had already succumbed to her tears.
The boy clenched his fists, his face contorting into an anguished grimace. "Sakura-chan… I-I wish I could stay… But believe me, I'll come back-"
"But I don't want you to leave, Naruto!" Sakura ran to Naruto and hugged him as tightly as she could. Tears dampened his orange and blue jacket. "I want you to stay!" She sobbed. Her best friend was leaving her for God knew how long, how else was she supposed to react?
"It isn't my choice, Sakura-chan. Besides, this… this is for your own safety, for everyone's safety. I'm…" He let the sentence hang between them when he heard Sakura mumble.
"What was that, Sakura-chan?"
"I said, you idiot!" The pink punched him in the head. "For my own safety?! You aren't dangerous at all!" Naruto rubbed his head in slight pain when she In fact… you make me feel the safest…" Whether Sakura's face was flushed in anger or in embarrassment, but her words had much more impact than any expression could given. A single tear slipped down his cheek.
No one had ever said that to him. Most of the adults in their town had avoided, and the children were no exception. But Sakura had reached out to him. They had reached out to each other and this sparked a beautiful relationship. They had always comforted each other, always supported each other, and cared about each other, even with Sakura had a crush on that stupid Sasuke guy, and even when Sakura had to give the occasional knock upside the head if Naruto did something stupid. They were almost inseparable.
Except for now.
Naruto lifted her chin with his hand. Sakura's eyes widened. "Naruto? What are you…!" She was silenced when he planted a soft kiss on her forehead. Her eyes widened even more, if that were possible.
"Thank you, Sakura-chan. You have no idea how much that means to me!" He gave her a smile as bright as the sun. Sakura, still speechless, could just stare in awe.
Naruto gave her a thumbs up with a blinding smile. "I'll come back, Sakura-chan! And when I do, I'll kiss that cute forehead of yours again, promise of a lifetime!"
Sakura blushed and crossed her arms. "You better. Or else I'll punch you to the moon, shannaro!" She put her fist up in a playful way. Naruto feigned fear, and they both laughed. They laughed for what seemed like an eternity.
For that seeming eternity, it was just them.
Naruto and Sakura.
A voice interrupted the laughter. "Naruto, are you ready?" A man with a scar across the bridge of his nose stood at the bottom of the hill. Naruto turned to Sakura. She gave him a small smile, sad but reassuring. He returned it with his own, before turning to leave. "Coming, Iruka-sensei!"
"Goodbye, Naruto…"
"Goodbye, Sakura-chan…"
Naruto ran down the hill and Sakura watched him until he disappeared. The cherry blossom tree's last petal fell.
A pair of emerald eyes snapped open at the beeping alarm clock. Sakura slowly got up from her bed and yawned, hit the snooze button.
Why did I dream about that day? She swung her legs over the bedside and combed her hair absentmindedly.
It had been seven whole years since that day. Sakura had waited and waited, and truth be told, a part of her still waited for Naruto. He never broke his promises. He just wasn't that type of guy. He was honest, strong willed, and although he lacked a bit in the intelligence department, his golden heart made up for it. Her mind wandered to the "promise of a lifetime" he gave her.
"I'll come back, Sakura-chan! And when I do, I'll kiss that cute forehead of yours again, promise of a lifetime!"
Naruto was the only one to ever compliment her forehead, her biggest insecurity during most of her childhood. The children would tease her on how big it was and she'd even have to hide from them sometimes. That's how she met Naruto and later, Ino, her best friend.
At least it was good for something. Naruto kissing it was the last thing he expected to do as a goodbye.
However, there was a part of her that was angry at him. Angry at him for making her wait seven years and probably more. There were so many unanswered questions.
She shook her head and lightly slapped her cheeks. "Damn it… Everytime I think about him, my mind gets all cluttered!"
Soon after, she took a shower, brushed her teeth, changed into her school uniform, packed her bag for school, and went downstairs.
"Mom, I'm going to school, now!" Sakura called. Her mother, Mebuki, peeped from the kitchen.
"Eh? What about your breakfast?"
"Ino called me, she said she'd bring me some of her pancakes. I wanna try 'em! Love you, tell Dad I love him, too!" Sakura scurried out the door, the last sound she heard being a sigh from her mother.
Sakura ran to Konoha High, her long pink locks whipping through the wind. She couldn't be late on her first day! Ino would chew her out to no end!
Konoha was one of most well-known schools in the country. People from all across came to the school. It was diverse and it's most famous trait was the "Will of Fire", the drive to flourish and never give up.
So many different kinds of people were there. As she thought about this, a boy with blonde hair and orange flickered through her mind.
Was it a coincidence that she had that dream of the past? Was it a sign? A part of her hoped.
A part of her believed that Naruto would come back to her.
What's up? My first fanfiction, that's what. I love NaruSaku more than I love orange juice, so naturally I'd make a fanfiction of it, right? Well, it's more of an experiment, so reviews would be appreciated. I want the cold hard facts about the flaws of my writing, so all reviews are welcome. The ending is kind of subpar. I kind of had a minor writer's block… Hehe...
I want to add a supernatural spin to a high school story. Not only that, but I was inspired by Bleach in the dream scene. Renji and Rukia's separation was so emotional…
Anyway, thanks for reading. Remember to review if you'd like. See you next time.