Swaying Necklace

It was evening in Konoha. Two young ninja sat on the rooftops of the Leaf Village, watching the setting sun, and taking a break from the long day of training. Everything was silent, save the rustle of leaves in the wind and the murmur of villagers below them. One of them signed.

"Naruto…?" The blond boy turned his head in response to his name.

"What, Sasuke?" he asked. Sasuke was still looking at the sky.

"Have you noticed…how Sakura seems to have lost interest in me?" he asked after a moment of silence. Naruto looked back at the sky, thinking the question over. It was true, Sakura did seem to be less and less interested in Sasuke these days. Of course, having a long-time crush on the girl himself, Naruto didn't mind this.

"Yeah, sure. Why?"

"I dunno, I kind of…miss it."

Naruto was a little taken aback by this statement. Why would Sasuke suddenly miss Sakura obsessing over him, following him around like a love-sick puppy all the time? Could Sasuke be saying he has grown to have feelings for Sakura? In a swirl of confusing thoughts, Naruto leapt to his feet and faced the raven-haired boy.

"What are you saying, Sasuke? Are you saying you like Sakura now??" he demanded. He thought he saw Sasuke blush a little.

"If that's how you wanna put it." he mumbled.

Naruto just stood there, unable to think of anything to say in return. This was all very confusing to him, and the thought of it made his heart feel like bursting. He sat down to clear the mess of confusion in his mind. He made a conclusion after a moment of thinking, a conclusion that made his heart feel like bursting even more: if Sasuke had feelings for Sakura now, he knew he didn't have a chance with her at all. Of course, this caused another swirl of confusing emotions, making him want to cry, but wouldn't allow it—16-year-old ninjas don't cry. He hid his expression from Sasuke by looking at the rooftop below him.

Apparently unaware of Naruto's troubles, Sasuke continued to confide in the other boy.

"So now that you know, do you think I should tell her?" he asked. Naruto gritted his teeth, keeping himself from yelling at him.

"I guess…" he said quietly.

"How do you think I should do it, though? What would you do?"

This question caused Naruto's heart to jump. He actually had already thought about what he would do when—if he ever built up the courage to—asked Sakura out. He had thought about it long and hard, for many years, perfecting his idea. He had remembered her once saying how much she loved necklaces, and that's when he knew. He would have bought her a necklace, one with a beautiful green emerald to match her beautiful green eyes. Naruto choked back sadness, keeping his eyes fixed on the rooftop, as he realized he now wouldn't ever be able to put his plan to action. He sat in silence for many moments after Sasuke asked the question, almost forgetting to answer.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked after a while, bringing the boy back to reality.

"You should…buy her a necklace…with an emerald to match her green eyes…" he said softly, finally answering him. Sasuke thought about this suggestion a moment, and smiled.

"That's a great idea, really romantic. You sure she'd like it though?" Naruto nodded slowly.

"Positive." Sasuke smiled again, and began to stand up.

"Great. I'll see you around then, thanks for the advice." With that, Sasuke leapt off into the trees, leaving Naruto alone with his thoughts.

All that planning to make Sakura like me…to smile at me…Wasted. he thought sadly. Surprisingly, though, he didn't feel any sort of deep loathing towards Sasuke, just sorrow. He could feel tears begin to swell up in his eyes, and promptly wiped them away before they could fall.

"Naruto! Hey! You'll never believe it!"

Naruto had been walking around the village a few days later, when an ecstatic Sakura bounced up to him, glowing with happiness.

"Oh, hey Sakura. What's up?" he greeted her, masking his sorrow. He noticed a brand-new necklace dangling around her neck, and felt his heart sink. But the pink-haired girl couldn't seem to keep it together long enough to share with him the news he already knew. She finally stopped giggling long enough to tell him.

"I'm dating Sasuke now!" she practically sang. "He gave me this necklace the other day, just before he confessed his feelings! I didn't know he paid enough attention to me to know how much I love necklaces!" She let out a squeal as she showed him the emerald necklace he had suggested Sasuke buy for her.

He didn't…I told him… he thought.

"That's great, I'm happy for you, Sakura. And that necklace really brings out your green eyes." he told her, forcing a smile on his face. Sakura squealed again with delight.

"Oh, I'm so happy, Naruto! All my years of waiting and waiting have finally paid off!" she sang again. In an act of pure happiness, Sakura hugged Naruto, continuing her rant of how happy she was.

This sudden act surprised Naruto, causing him to blush profusely. But he didn't hug her back; he actually wanted her to stop. All this emotion was too much for him right now, too painful. It hurt to know that the hug he was receiving wasn't because she had realized her feelings for him, but because she had been asked out by Sasuke, and it made his chest tighten. As much as he tried to fight them off, he could feel tears forcefully swelling in his eyes, but did nothing this time to stop them.

Suddenly, Sakura felt something wet fall on her neck. She wondered about what it could be, and slowly pulled away from the boy.

"Naruto? Are you…crying?" she asked quietly. But before she could check for sure, he turned his back to her, allowing her to catch only a glimpse of his blue eyes. There was indeed a tear rolling down his cheeks. He wiped them away with the back of his hand. Sakura stood there, facing his back, in utter confusion.

"Naruto?" she asked him again, wondering if she had perhaps done something to upset him.

"I should go…" he said quietly after a moment of silence, his voice cracked. He began to walk away, leaving a very confused Sakura in his wake. Despite his sorrow, Naruto was actually felt some satisfaction.

At least she got what she wanted after years of waiting…And she's happy… he thought. Even if all my years of waiting brought me nothing but tears and a broken heart, at least I got to see her smile at me.

Fin.

Spirit: sobs IT'S SOOO EMOOO!! ;;
Naruto: sulks in a corner No one loooooves meeeeeee…!
Sakura: CHA! I'm dating Sasuke! glomps him
Sasuke: NOOO! The lack of NaruSaku… IT BURNS US!! is glomped by Sakura Get off! You should be glomping HIM! points to Naruto
Naruto: still crying So…unloved…
Kakashi: wearing a monocle and speaking in a British accent I do say, the lack of NaruSaku is quite distasteful! sips tea…somehow… Do snog at once, you two!
All: …..
Sakura: Um…Sensei? Why are you…British?
Kakashi: SNOG!!
NaruSaku: EEP! snog, as to not upset their culturally-confused sensei
Sasuke, Kakashi and Spirit: EEEEEE! It's NaruSaku!
Chad: strike dances /strike Damn straight. I knew Ashley had to put NS somewhere.