Naruto sat alone in his office in the Hokage tower. The window behind his desk was open; the night sky was deep purple, with stars scattered across it like glitter. A breeze blew in, ruffling the orange cloak around his shoulders, toppling the tower of ramen cups littering the table.
"God damn it!", Naruto cursed, picking up the cups, pausing, "or what should I say-Godaime it!", laughing at his own joke, he looked back down to the paperwork he was tending to.
"Ughhhhh, all this filing is so... TROUBLESOME!", Naruto yelled at the empty walls.
"Wow, I sound like Shikamaru", he muttered, leaning back in his chair. He held out a palm and made a rasengan, its bright light illuminating the dark room, and extinguised it, smiling dimly.
"Aah, I miss that old pervy sage", he sighed, "and I haven't seen Killer Bee san in aaages!". He stretched his arms and sighed again.
"And now.. I'm talking to myself."
"You don't have to now", a new voice said. A voice Naruto knew well; a voice that his heart, out of habit, jumped at every time he heard.
"Ah! Sakura chan! What're you doing here? It's pretty late", Naruto's voice reverbated around the room.
"Geez, you're so loud, Naruto! You'll wake up half the village!" Sakura laughed, leaning against his desk.
"I came to get some files related to some research stuff. Heard some sounds coming from your office so I checked; turned out it was just Naruto", she smiled, flicking his blonde hair ".. being Naruto".
Sakura looked out of the window, her mouth curving up, "Last week I went on a mission to Cloud and passed by-wait - guess!"
Sakura leaned forwards, expectantly. "Uhh.. clouds..?", Naruto winced.
"NO! You IDIOT!", Sakura yelled, punching his shoulder.
"OUCH! I'm Hokage now! You can't do that!"
Sakura ignored him, "I passed by The Great Naruto Bridge!"
"Aaah! Man, I miss Zabuza and Haku..", Naruto grinned. Sakura looked at him and couldn't help smiling back. Naruto was infectious.
She looked at him wistfully, "You know, just now I was thinking about how it used to be... and how... different... it is now."
Naruto looked up at her. "Yeah.", he smiled wearily.
"I have a kid now who I don't pay enough attention to and a wife-" He stopped, suddenly, looking down.
"Naruto.. what's wrong?" Sakura touched his face, lifting his chin.
"I'm ashamed, Sakura chan", he whispered, "I.. Can I ask you something?"
She nodded. She was like home, Naruto thought, looking at her; her green eyes and pink hair were home. All the nights they had spent together drinking Sake and gossiping, telling jokes, having fun, being happy; that was home.
"Sakura chan", he whispered, "what if you're married to a person who you know loves you... but deep down.. you don't love them?"
They sat in silence for a while, in each other's gaze until Naruto spoke, shakily, as if afraid of the answer- "how's it going with you and uh, Sasuke and Sarada?"
Sakura looked at him, into his honest blue eyes and let out everything she couldn't say to anyone else except him because no one else was him-
"Naruto, its... NOT GOOD! Sarada thinks I'm not her real mom! She asked me if Sasuke wears glasses and I wasnt even sure! I'm his wife and I haven't seen him in fourteen years! I thought- I thought if I had Sasuke- kun, I'd be happy; but Naruto, I dont think I'm happy! I'm tired, my husband probably doesn't love me- Fuck- I don't even love HIM! I mean- he spent more time with Oro-fucking-chimaru than with me! I dont know him! What if this was the wrong decision- I know it was the wrong decision-!" She cut off mid sentence, breathing heavily, her hands planted on the table, her arms supporting her weight as she looked down, her pink hair falling over her face and tears dripping down onto Naruto's scrolls.
Naruto pulled her into his lap and she looked into his face, his eyes full of pain and tears running down his cheeks. She used her index finger to wipe away a trail down his chin.
"You know, Naruto", she said, her voice cracking, "I was happy with you".
She pulled his face up, her fingers tangled in his blonde hair.
"And I was too, too stubborn to admit that I loved-love - you too! I was so stubborn on that I wanted Sasuke kun that I never.. I never stopped to ask myself.. Sakura, do you actually feel anything for him?" She laughed hysterically, her shoulders slumping, head falling onto Naruto's shoulder.
"Now I've ruined this for both of us, haven't I, Naruto? We could've been so happy- I love you Naruto, I love you, I've always loved you- I'm an idiot! If you hate me-", her voice broke.
Naruto smiled painfully, his fingers in her pink hair, his voice filled with anguish, "Sakura chan.. I waited my whole life to hear you say those words. 'I love you'. I could never hate you", he rested his chin on her head, his voice broke down, tears falling on his hokage's cloak.
" You know I loved you and-" he took her face in his bandaged fingers, "I always will love you".
"You know, every time I think of home, I don't think of Hinata or even Boruto or-" he wiped his face, "-anyone! I think of you. And everytime my heart beats harder and I feel happier when I see you than when I see my own wife or children, I hate myself for the man I've become."
"I tell myself", his voice cracking,"get over it, Naruto! She's with Sasuke! She was never yours! You're-" he hiccuped, "-pathetic!"
"Somehow", he smiled tiredly, looking at the sparkle in her green eyes, "my heart never listens"
"Kurama told me on my wedding day- Naruto! Don't do it! You don't love her! I'm the one who has to listen to your 160 bpm heart everytime you see the pink girl! I told him- That's exactly why I have to do it you stupid fox! I have to move on!"
"And I never did"
"Naruto; I'm thinking of what Sai said to me all those years ago- about how I cause you pain", her trembling fingers rested on his hand, "looks like nothing's changed."
They held hands for a long time, she in his lap, just sitting under the starry sky in the Hokage tower. Naruto and Sakura.
Sakura turned his face over to look at him. "What a mess", she whispered.
He whispered, fearful, "Sakura chan.. I don't think I can ever stop loving you."
She whispered back, "Neither can I, Naruto."
"But tomorrow, I'll have to go back to Hinata and Boruto and Himawari, and you to Sasuke and Sarada. I want to be with you, but we've given ourselves to different people", he said, trembling.
She put a finger on his mouth and smiled, wearily.
"Tomorrow..."
She leaned forwards and kissed him, his arms around her and her hands lost in his hair; the hokage cloak swirled around the two as a breeze blew in from the window, rays of starlight gleaming softly on their faces.
"Today, I love you, you love me, and we belong to each other."