Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!
Naruto leaves the village for war. When he comes back over two years later, Sakura is getting married to Sasuke.
It was another war of the century, where every country allied with another, the usual good vs. evil.
Blood was drenched everywhere on the battlegrounds. Killing was a necessity in order for one to survive. Fight after fight, it never stopped for two years.
After those wretched two years, the remaining ninjas returned back to their original villages.
All, except one.
Staring at the glossy, clear mirror which imitated life images, she twirled around slowly. She let the translucent laces flutter and fall; her long, rose hair calmly aligned with the whiteness of the dress.
Haruno Sakura was finally getting married. And the day before her wedding, someone knocked on her front door. Not expecting any visitors, she wondered who it was.
"Coming," she said, and opened the door.
There stood a tall, sturdy man in front of her. His clothes were worn out and tattered, and he looked weary. But he still had the same blond hair, blue eyes, the same whisker-like marks on his face.
He made that same stupid, impish grin in front of her. She stumbled, trying to form words that became silent random gibberish. Her eyes bewildered, her lips shaking slightly.
"Sakura-chan, hey," he spoke first. It was more like an ancient whisper.
"Naruto!!!" she shouted, shocked by his appearance. She hadn't seen him for almost three years now. He kept staring at her, which made her feel uncomfortable and awkward.
"Wh-what," she turned her body slightly away. By habit, she locked her fingers around the delicate lace, and realized that she was still in her wedding dress. She gasped in shock and swiftly turned away from him. He only caught a glimpse of her face turning ripe red.
"It's okay- I heard it all from the villagers," he grinned. "So our super strength medic-nin is finally getting married to Uchiha Sasuke! I can't believe it!"
"What? How did you know?"
"The villagers," he replied, his eyes not quite matching hers. She sighed.
"Did the villagers tell you anything else?"
"Nope. Nothing more, nothing less. They just looked at me as if I was a ghost or something. Mind if I come in?"
She would've said yes, but remembering the cluttered gifts that her friends and the villagers showered her with, she bluntly replied, "No, you may not."
"Oh… then, do you want to talk?"
"Talk?" she hadn't spoken to him for a long time. Heck, it's been years since they've seen each other. She was twenty now, and so was he. They were mature- she could handle this.
"Okay, but I've got to go and get changed."
"Nah, we don't have time for that. Look outside, look!" he took a pause to stare at the wonderful day. The sun was perched up high in the light blue sky, letting its stream of rays spread across the village. Gentle breeze came and caressed their cheeks and hair, and the birds were singing merrily.
"It is nice, but I can't go out like this…"
He took her wrist and pulled her out, making her almost trip.
"Hey, what's the big idea?!" she yelled as she pulled her arm away from his grasp. He smiled at her under the sun.
"You look even prettier outdoors. I could hardly see your face under the shadows."
Pretty?
"That's nice, Naruto, but I have to go and prepare for the wedding tomorrow…"
"I love you."
"….?!"
The awkward moments passed, and somehow, without even realizing herself, Sakura was walking with Naruto in her wedding dress. Luckily, they weren't walking in a place where it was bustling and filled with heavy crowd.
They were near a field full of cherry blossoms. There was no one there, and she was awed by how beautifully the pale pink petals fell and danced in the breeze. But Naruto wasn't tuned into the nature, or anything else for the matter. He was rather quiet, as if he was being discreet about something huge that he did not want to reveal. His mouth, nose, and cheeks displayed blankness, but his eyes said the opposite.
Frustrated and tired of his antics, Sakura finally shouted, "You know, what is up with this? You drag me all the way out here and then stay silent for the whole trip. Here I am, standing in the cherry blossom fields with my wedding dress on! What if my dress gets ruined?! What the heck do you think you are doing, Naruto?!"
He stayed quiet for a moment. After that, he opened his mouth again.
"Don't you like it here?"
"Like it!" she yelled furiously, clenching onto her smooth, white dress with her hands. "Like what?! How you disappeared after the war? How you came out of nowhere and start to talk as if you know everything suddenly? How you dragged me all the way out here now and not even talking! You know, what's the point here?"
Blankly, he stared at the sky.
"Sure is a nice weather today."
"Stop being so annoying!!!" she cried. Sakura let her two hands hold the opposite arms. She curled herself in.
The gentle, playful spring breeze abruptly turned into a menacing wind. They felt the cold blow right through them, along with few cherry blossoms running and slapping their bodies lightly.
"Sakura-chan," he said quietly, still staying the same way. But his eyes were full focus on her. "Do you really want to get married to Sasuke?"
She paused for a moment. The angry wind started to die out.
"O-of course!" she said. "I love him with all my heart!"
He grinned in amusement.
"What's so funny?" she said in sudden glower. He started to laugh. In the middle of the cherry blossom field, she could hear his laughter echo faintly. Even though she was angry for a second, hearing his laughter that she hadn't heard for a while made her feel strangely calm.
"So-sorry, it's just that you said it as if you were forced to…" he said, holding his stomach. Sakura told him to shut up hotly, and he did so.
"Naruto, I don't want to ruin my dress. My wedding is tomorrow. Can we go back?"
"Where are you getting married?"
"At the center of the village…. Now, can we go?"
"Sure, I want to walk a little more with you."
The more she stared at him, the more she felt as if she wanted to slap him across the face. He was staring at her with those pool blue eyes full of hopes and dreams, and she wanted him to quit it. Quit everything and go back and never return….
She realized that she was a bad girl. Actually, she knew that for a long time. She just forgot about it after Naruto left for war.
"You said that you love me…," she said. She didn't want to say it, but she did. Now they were on the lush grass, rolling hills. Trees protected them from the stinging sun rays. It was one lazy afternoon.
"Yeah, so? Hasn't Sasuke told you that he loves you?"
"Sure he did," she bit her lips and stared at the dirt path. She didn't care if it covered her dress with dust. Eyes are a mirror to the soul, her father used to tell her, and for that, she wanted to avoid his questioning eyes.
"He didn't," he bluntly said. Sakura was sure that her heart jumped a little.
"Yeah, he didn't! So what? At least we are getting married! Do you have a problem with that?!"
He refrained from taking another step, and stopped her too. He held her arm tightly and made her turn to face him.
"Yeah, I do. Why should you marry someone who doesn't love you back?" he told her gently. She began to cry.
"Stop being so immature, Naruto! And let go of me, I….!"
Too late. He already began to kiss her. She tried to pull away and pound him with her fists. But more she tried, the more he pulled her in closer.
Without even realizing it, she pulled him in closer too.
"You are awful, did you know that?"
They walked all the way down the hills, and now they were on a stony road. The trees were kept neatly to the side of the road, and the grass and hedges were neatly trimmed.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked. It was the first time that he seemed so curious, so eager.
She blushed. "Have you been with other women?"
"No."
"Well, that's good,"
"What, would you have been glad if I said yes?"
She stared at him, her emerald eyes morphing into the green hue of jealousy.
"No! I don't care at all….!"
He grinned. "Same old Sakura…"
"Well, you don't seem the same. You've changed a lot, Naruto." Her voice trembled at one point when she called out his name. Was he always this quiet, reserved, and awkward? What happened to that twelve-year-old boy who was full of energy and a loud voice? He irritated her at that time, but now, he was sort of intimidating.
"I love you…"
"Shut up. I don't want to hear it," she snapped.
"I did go missing, but it wasn't my intention. I still had to do one more thing before I came back. I missed the village, and you. A lot."
She sighed. Why did he always try to be the hero? He could've just came back. The war was over. So why…?
They were near the wooden green gate now. It was always open, it seemed. Always open for anyone who was willing to enter and go out. Naruto came by her door, but she didn't let him in.
Or rather, she didn't want him to see her right then. She didn't want to hurt him.
Staring at the gate from the distance, she sighed again. But then seeing the bench and remembering the good times, she sat down to rest her feet. He sat down beside her, and she tried to keep the distance.
The soft wind came back. They both heard the leaves rustle.
"Why are you marrying Sasuke?" he asked.
Because I'm his bride candidate- was supposed to be the answer on the surface. Deep down, she longed to erase him in her thoughts. Believing that he would never come back, and believing that he died during the war, she could wait no longer. They already engraved his name on the lonely stone tablet that stood in the middle of the empty field. Kakashi, Yamato, even Sasuke… they all believed that he died.
She didn't want to believe it, but she swallowed it in to ease the pain. This was an arranged marriage- Tsunade, Kakashi, and her parents intervened. She accepted, and so did Sasuke, though he told her in a desolate place that he wouldn't return any feelings to her other than mutual amity. She agreed as well.
"I told you; I'm in love with him," she lied. She thought that the more she lied, the more it would ease the pain.
Rather, it was all quite the opposite.
"I'm sorry… what a lousy guy I am," he whispered and slowly closed his eyes. He leaned back; his arms resting on top of the bench, and felt the cool breeze pass by his hair and face. She watched him silently, seeing the light in his face and his carefree attitude.
But those eyes… she remembered them. Years had gone by, and things changed, but his pool blue eyes remained the same. They were still full of hopes, dreams, recklessness, and desire. No matter what, he was still the same old Naruto.
Eyes are the mirror to the soul…
Why didn't he just die as the hero he was? Did he have to make this kind of statement in front of her?
The sun was setting.
"Don't be so petty," she told him. "I have to go back to my house now. It's a big day tomorrow."
"Same old Sakura…," he chuckled lightly. He stood up and faced the trees in front so that she couldn't see his face.
She stared at the road at the right. It was a long walk, and they had come far. All in all, it wasn't too pleasant. Her dress was a little dusty now, and she had rocks in her shoes. She smelled of grass and other outdoor herbs. Still, he was with her all the way.
And now, he was here, right next to her, staring at the sky again. She watched his back quietly. Had his back always been that wide? He was always there for her…. He had been there for her and the village.
Words never faded. She remembered when he promised that he would protect her always. He did. He promised that he would bring Sasuke back. He did. He kept her promises.
At first, he was the one who promised her the grand possibilities of the future that held no hope. He loved her, but she was only being cruel at that time, and therefore, he always seemed like the fool. She never loved him the way he loved her. She remained that way strongly.
And now, slowly through the bitter ends and somewhere along the way, she fell for him.
He turned back to her and gave her his trademark grin.
"Come on, I'll escort you home,"
She knew that grin wasn't genuine. Behind it all, she could see that he was torn inside.
"No… it's okay. I'll just walk by myself."
"If we could trace our steps back," he said quickly after her. "Hmm, the cherry blossom field might've been a good place."
"What are you talking about?" she rose up from the bench.
"Where we could've gotten married," he exclaimed. He was joking, but she was blushing hard. She averted her eyes. She didn't want to see his eyes again. She knew that she was rotten, and lying to him just hurt her even more.
She had hurt him even more, but could only feel her pain for the moment.
"Ah, right. Sorry, I shouldn't have made such a joke…."
"Damn right you shouldn't have! What's wrong with you?!"
Tears were forming in her eyes. Her vision was blurred by the tears, but she could still see him in front of her. He was tall and well built. His face was now rugged and lost its bratty appearance. War had hit him hard, but he was still Naruto.
Her face was tear streaked, and drops of those clear tears fell from her cheeks. One by one, they dropped to the solid ground, making dark spots.
About eight years ago, she dropped her tears on this very place because of Sasuke. But these tears weren't for her anymore- they were for him.
Naruto….
"All I want is for you to be happy now… I make you cry all the time," he whispered. Another tired, bitter, sorrowful smile. "Don't cry anymore. Sasuke will be there for you."
She was still crying. She held her arms with her hands again. Her face was bent down.
"He he, that bastard should take a good care of you, or I'll kill him," he joked. Always idiotic and jovial, always trying to make her feel better…
The sun was setting, and the chirps had died out. The sky was a fusion of magenta, orange, yellow, and wisps of white from the clouds.
The gates were still open.
He was turning away from her, still having that bittersweet smile on his face. He didn't want her to be in so much pain, but every time she saw him, it always seemed to be that way. He always felt sorry.
He was walking away now. Walking… walking…
Walking away.
"Why are you always so stupid?!"
Without even realizing, her legs started to run towards him. He was still facing the other way. She ran and held him tightly.
She was crying. Slowly, very slowly, he removed her arms and turned around to face her.
And for the first time, he returned the warm embrace.