Just Like You
Naruto shoved his hands into his pockets as he turned down yet another road that would lead him to nowhere in particular. The sweet spring breeze tugged at the light coat he wore, almost mocking him for it. A smile slipped onto his face while he imagined Sakura's reaction if he told her that everything really was out to get him; it was him against the world. Oh, he knew she would rolled her eyes skyward in exasperation, but the love there wouldn't dim. In the past months she had been the one to kick him out of his own bed when all he wanted to do was sulk. Sakura had threatened, pushed, and bribed him into leaving his dark corner in favor of their born again home.
Bright, familiar blond caught his eye and Naruto's steps faltered. He turned his head to keep the figure just within his line of sight. The man tilted his head back a bit as laughter tumbled out from between his teeth in response to whatever the woman at his side had said. She grinned at the blond man and Naruto's chest tightened at how utterly recognizable the glint in her eyes was. The woman slipped an arm around the man's back, long strands of crimson swaying with each movement.
They continued walking down the street in the opposite direction from Naruto, but he couldn't find it in himself to call out to them. What would he say if he did? What if he was mistaken? The edges of his vision began to blur as he turned around to stare after them, yet they never glanced in his direction. Names burned on the tip of his tongue, demanding that he cry them out into the crowded street that moved around them. Chapped lips parted only for a sigh to pass over them. The happy couple took the next right, disappearing around the corner of a restaurant.
Naruto started again on his route with his head bowed to keep his stinging eyes hidden. He knew it was a good thing that he had kept his peace instead of disrupting the cheerful bobble the pair lived in. They were not who he thought they were, because those people had died a long time ago. Naruto wondered if they would have been proud of him like so many claimed. Would his mother have hugged him tightly, whispering to him that it was okay when Sasuke had died? Would his father have thrown an arm around his shoulders and told him that, despite saving the town, he still had to clean his room?
"Naruto, are you okay?" The grin was already spreading along his face as he looked up, shoving away the thoughts of his parents. The similarities between the couple and the smiling photo on his nightstand had been a cruel joke of his imagination. Sakura's eyebrows pinched together as she waited, unease growing at the sight of her best friend.
"Yea, I'm okay."
Author's Note: This is just something I thought up while listening to music. I'm not sure what it means, but I'm satisfied with it.