AJ: one-shot time.

Andrew: update the other stories later. Right now, for some reason, we have to write this.

--X--

January 19, 2008

The rain was falling harder than before. This resurfaced bad memories of the past for her. There was a time where she was truly happy. There was a time when she was truly depressed. Sakura Haruno. She was eighteen now. It was at least six years since team seven was formed. Six years since she was at the point where she was at her happiest. Six years where she thought that nothing will ever go wrong from this day forward. But boy, does irony sure does love the way you look when it all goes to the opposite direction.

'It's been three years now…' she thought to herself as she leaned against a tree near the Konoha gate. She was still waiting for him. She was still waiting for him to return to her. She was still waiting for him to keep his promise.

It felt like yesterday that she made him the promise that she'll always wait for him. She didn't know why, but she waited for him, even now. Even after three years of waiting, she still stood there, against the tree. What was she thinking though? He said he was going to come back soon, to go back to her… but that was three years ago and now…

"What is taking him so long…?"

It was unlike him to go back on his promise. As far as she knows, he never in his life goes back on his word. No matter how dangerous the consequences are or how trivial the promise is, he always does it. He always fulfills his promise, even the selfish one that she made…

"Was I a fool back then? Was it really worth it?" the Konoichi said aloud to herself, "He got hurt because of me and now…"

When she was twelve, the answer would have easily been yes. Of course it was worth it. It was worth the risk to get her everything back. For whom she lived for, and ONLY for.

But as she got older, she got wiser and thought more clearly. Now she wasn't sure anymore. Was it really worth the risk of getting a person who turned his back against the village for his own selfish desire? You could have power beyond your imagination… but for what? That one, long-lasting desire to-

She sighed and rubbed her temples in frustration. No matter how many times she thought about that question, she always ends up with the same old answer, no matter how many different ways she looked at it.

It was giving her a major pain in the ass.

She sighed again and looked up into the sky. All she saw were dark grey clouds hanging overhead, and tears from the Gods falling from the sky. Today, they were crying more than usual. The sound of water dropping to the ground filled her ears. It was always so familiar to her on days like this. The salty tears that fall from the sky. The depressing mood it brings wherever it falls. In other words…

Rain... in a heavy downfall.

'It was raining on that day too. And if I remembered correctly, this is exactly three years since I started this routine…' She smiled.

"Happy anniversary…"

Looking back in the past, she couldn't help but remember that fateful day, where she finally had a new start in her life and a finish to her old one.

-x-

January 19, 2005

"Wait! Don't go!" Sakura screamed as she tried to catch up to the figure outside the main gate, "Why do you have to go? After all this you… you're going already… after all we've been through! Why…" she tried to sniffle her tears back but failed ultimately as her crystal tears flew freely from her eyes, onto her red blouse.

The figure turned towards her and wiped off some of her tears, shocking the girl and making her blush, "Don't worry," he assured her as he smiled at her display, "I'll be alright. Besides, you have HIM now! You don't have to worry about me. As long as you're happy, I'll be happy! If you cry, that will also make me sad too…"

"You idiot!" she yelled back as she clenched her fist in anger, "After all you done, after all you been through, after all you put on the line, how can you NOT let me worry! We've been a team before… I want to be a team again! I want to stay together! I want to laugh, cry, and do missions together! I don't care if I have him with me! If I don't have you here either, then there wouldn't be any point! I want to…" she sniffed as more of her crystal tears flew freely from her eyes, "I want us to be together… like we used to be…" the girl at this point openly sobbed on the man's jacket, "like we used to be…"

"To be together huh?" the man said as he let the hysterical girl cry with all her might on his jacket, "Wow… I never thought that I'd hear those words from you… I fulfilled my promise to you, and now I have to take care of business. I know that you want us to be together like we used to be, and we will! I just have to take care of this first. Afterwards, you two will be happy while I-"

"You idiot!" the girl yelled back at him, "You really are dense! I have him now but for what? To fulfill some fucking promise! I was selfish; it was my own fault that you got hurt so badly! You are so dense! Can't you realize it by now! I don't care anymore! I don't care about that promise! I want you to stay here so both of us are could be happy together!"

"What are you saying?" the man said, a little surprised at her outburst.

"I'm saying that I don't want you to go! What if something happens to you huh? I don't know what I would do if you got hurt! I won't be there to heal you! To comfort you, to be with you! What I'm saying you idiot is that I love yo-"

"Don't" he said abruptly before she could finish, "Please, don't say that… it would just make it harder for me to leave here. Please don't make it harder. Go to him, be happy with him and share your life with him. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. You love him not me."

"What the fuck do you mean!" she retaliated, pissed off at his answer, "I don't love him anymore! You made me realize that! He never did anything but give shit to me! He doesn't understand me! You do! After always being nice to me all the time, being with me when I'm down… listening to me whenever I have the urge to just lay there in tears and release my sadness…" her voice was getting softer and softer… "You made me realize that I don't love him… it was just… a childhood crush which almost ruined my friendship with the first friend I made that accepted me…" she lowered her head onto the man's neck where the jacket covered her emerald eyes, "What good ever came out of that… you were so nice to me all the time… but I treated you as dirt… please… you have to reconsider… I want to make amends to all the mistakes that I made in the past… I want to start all over… I want to just forget everything that I did that hurt you… I… I don't want to lose you…not again… not again…"

The girl encircled her arms around the larger man as she sobbed on his shoulder. The man, clearly shocked, just put his arms around her and ensnared her in a tight embrace. He felt her tighten her hold even more using her strength, but not enough to hurt him, just enough so he couldn't move away. She knew that all she had to do for him to not go away was to hug him like this so he wouldn't escape from her. But she also knew that she couldn't hug him forever… they stayed like that for around ten minutes, her tears long dried away. But instead of her crying, the sky was crying for her this time.

It was raining…

She felt him try to pry the girl off him. It was time to go know and he wasted too much time. She knew it was time to let go even though she herself didn't want to. She sighed as she was pulled away. She was going to be on the verge of tears again. She was thrown off and her eyes widened as the man did something that she didn't expect him to do to her.

He kissed her.

Surprised, she didn't even notice him put his hands on her waist and deepen the kiss. After a few seconds, her brain finally registered what was happening to her as she blushed. Instead of pulling away, she deepened the kiss and put her arms around his neck and closed her eyes in contentment. She felt him play with her lower lip, begging for entrance. She opened her mouth to let his tongue in and play with hers.

It was still raining…

For five minutes, they just stood there only stopping for air, not caring who was watching, or what people might think. After their long make-out session, the man leaned against a tree while the woman leaned against him. Both of them were breathing hard and held each other tightly, never wanting to let go… but they had to anyway.

After a few minutes of silence enjoying each other's company, their breathing returned to normal. The girl's face was still flushed with happiness. Tonight, she was at her happiest in her life, with the man of her dreams holding her like she was a precious person to her.

And knowing him, she was.

"Wow…" was all she managed to say as she leaned into his arms.

He chuckled at her. She was truly funny. To him anyway…

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing."

"It wouldn't be nothing if you just laughed like that. What is it?"

"I was just remembering our passionate kiss we just had a few moments ago," He chuckled again.

"How is that funny?"

"It's not that but… you just gave my first official kiss."

"First official kiss? Wasn't your first kiss back at the academy when you kissed-"

"That was an accident. That wasn't official."

"Yeah, but you two still kissed."

"I know, but it was still an accident."

"I know that too, but no matter how much you said it was an accident, it was still your first kiss. Accident or not, you can't deny that."

"…"

"I got you there didn't I?"

"No you didn't."

She giggled, "Yes I did! Man, no matter how many years have passed by, you will always be the same person I remember you as!"

"Yeah…" he kissed her wide forehead, "But that's just part of my charm isn't it?"

The girl giggled at his antics. Admittedly, he was right. That is what made her drawn to him in the first place. That smile, that care-free attitude, that look that he made when he was determined to do whatever his sights were on. All of it was part of his charmed. But no matter how much it was a part of him…

It still rained…

"You know I have to go right?" the man said as he got up, pulling the smaller girl's frame with him, "I still have a job to do. No matter how much I don't want to leave you, it will get me nowhere near finishing it."

The girl sighed in defeat after she let him go, "Yeah… but you can't blame a girl for trying now can you?"

Like the girl before him, he smirked at her antics, "Then it seems I win this round now doesn't it?"

"But what can I do? With you being away for so long. How do I know that you'll come back to me safely? It pains me to know that you're out there fighting for us, and I can't do anything about it… what can I do?" the girl said while lowering her head. She was still upset that she wasn't able to go with him to finish of the Akatsuki. She wanted to come with him, even if it would cost her, her life.

He was going alone. No one else was going to be there to save him, no matter how much he needed it. It was his choice to go on alone, and his choice to request this mission. He himself didn't know why, but all he knew is that he had to do it. Even though he was one of those that they were after anyway.

"Then I'll make a promise," the man said to her.

She looked back up at his face, "A promise?"

"Yeah. And if you know me well, then you should know that I never go back on my promises."

She thought about this for a minute to consider this possibility. He was known to always keep his promise. He'll do anything in order to fulfill it. Hell, he even kept his promise to her a long time ago-

"Okay… what kind of promise?"

The man smiled and put his mouth near her ear, "A promise, that no matter what happens, no matter how far apart we are, no matter how long it takes me to do this, I'll always come back to you. Even if I have to crawl back, I will come back for you and you only. How about that?"

The girl smiled and blushed at his declaration of his promise, "For me only?"

"For you only…" he said again as he kissed her gently on the lips.

"Alright… you better keep your promise! I'll be mad at you if you don't!"

The man turned to leave and chuckled at her, "Then all the more reason to come back to you! I will keep my promise to you! Believe it!"

Sakura could only watch as the man she loved walked down the muddy road. She took a note that she would always remember this one moment she shared with him. There was never a single doubt in her that he won't keep his promise. She looked at where he once stood before her and touched her lips. She'll keep this memory and treasure it no matter what.

"Then I promise… that I'll anyways wait for you… no matter what…"

It still rained…

-x-

"How long has it been now?" a voice asked from the other side of the tree. He leaned against it as his raven colored hair pressed against the hard bark of the tree.

"Hey Sasuke. It's been three years since then…" Sakura replied back as she was brought out of her musing of the past.

"Hn… now I'm missing how you used to call me Sasuke-kun. What happened to those days?" he said while running his hand over his hair. He looked up at the grey sky. The rain was starting to die down.

"That was in the past. It was when I was a fangirl of yours. That reminds me, how is your wife doing anyway?" Sakura asked, ironically remembering another one of her memories of the past. It was hard to let go of a certain memory of a certain blonde…

"Ino? She's fine as far as I can tell. Hard to believe her fangirl crush turned into love. That type of thing usually don't happen that often…"

"But then again, this is Konoha after all…" Sakura said to him, "Here, anything could happen. Hell, eighteen years ago, we were attacked by a giant fox. Then that fox was sealed into Naruto…"

"…"

She's right though. Even though he was still too young to remember how it happened, a few people like both of them know that the fox couldn't be defeated and it had to be sealed somehow. Who knew it was seal in the least likely person they expected it to be?

"It's hard for you to let go of him isn't it?" Sasuke said. Staring at the clouds as the last drop of rain finally stopped, "You and me both know that he'll never come back."

"…"

"Sakura…"

"I know… it's just getting harder for me to accept that fact… he never went back on his promises but…"

"You should realize by now that not all promises can be kept."

"…yeah…"

"Then why do you wait for him? It's pointless you know."

"Because…" Sakura started as she got up and headed back towards the village. She got about ten steps before turning around, "I promised him I would!"

Sasuke smirked at her. It stopped raining now and sunlight was glistening through the clouds. It stopped raining, so the Gods had stopped crying.

"Yeah…" and like that, Sasuke left her alone.

Sakura looked up at the now clear sky. She had a feeling that she would have a good day today. Who knows, maybe someday Naruto will come back? Until that day comes, she'll just keep waiting. With that in mind, she went back towards the village, towards the waiting group of the Rookie 9 minus one…

"I'll wait for you… Naruto Uzamaki…"

--Somewhere…--

There was a figure under a huge tree. His blonde locks of hair draped over his eyes made him have an air of mystery around him. On his right hand, he was holding a Konoha headband, scuffed up and scratched from years of abuse. He looked up at the sky to reveal his sapphire eyes. He felt that something good was about to happen today. Like someone was thinking about him.

He smirked.

"Sakura…"

--X--

AJ: there we go, another one-shot...

Ashly: ... that made me sad...

AJ: yeah... but it still has some charm to it no?

Rock: yeah... oh, and remember, to vote regarding the harem crossover in AJ's profile. People wanted to see a harem crossover, so vote which crossover you want.

Andrew: review please. I do not care what kind of review it is. just review.