Friendship
by gaaleex
DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING OF NARUTO.
Each touch was electric. Each sight was breathtaking. Each smell was poignant like roses and blossoms. Each taste taken from the smell was magic. Each sound was worth hearing from the simplest of phrases to the most profound of words. There was nothing about them that was negative; everything about them glowed with positive radiation like the sun providing energy. But they were clueless to how he felt.
Naruto paced down the path to where the group were meeting for a mission. It would just be him, Sakura, Shikamaru and Hinata there, off to the Rain Country to sort something out with their leader, blue haired Konan. He stopped when he saw the sight in front of him.
The sight in front of him that made his heart break a bit more each time he saw it, and he saw it frequently. The sound of the contact that made his fists clench in frustration. The smell of love in the air, love that wasn't for him. The taste of sadness lingered in his mouth, longing for the tongue of the other's to appear here, not there. The feel of the bark from the tree he was leaning his hand against; gnarled but strong, like his heart. He would put up with this, just to be next to them sometimes.
Sakura broke away from her kiss with Shikamaru as she noticed Naruto standing a few metres behind them and waved with one hand, curling the other around the shadow master's waist. She smiled warmly at the blonde, but as she turned to Shikamaru her smile grew wider, more loving.
Hinata was further away, watching with her Byakugan at the scene in front of her. She saw everything. She saw Naruto's pain at Sakura and Shikamaru. And she knew her pain at Naruto's yearning for Sakura, because he'd never feel the same way for her, the quiet, shy, dark haired girl who was too in love to say more than a few words to the one she adored.
Maybe one day things would change.
For now, friendship was enough. Or all they could hope for. While all the way, their hearts were breaking, bit by bit, until they shattered.
Author's Note: My first one shot, I hope it was okay. (If a little depressing). This was written while I was having Writer's Block for The Blossoming of Sand, but I do quite like it, even though it's sad. Review please!