Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Pairings: NarutoXSakura
Italics: Things she heard from other girls OR the nightmare.
Single Quotations: 'Thoughts'
Chapter Two:
Shooting Star
Clinging onto his arm, her head was resting on his shoulder. Strolling through the night market was now a daily habit. They didn't know why. Somehow the paper lanterns, food stands, performers, and firecrackers were welcome. "Wow," Sakura remarked, letting go of his arm, squatting on the ground, looking at a cloth with different necklaces placed neatly in piles according to price.
"You want one?" Naruto asked, watching as her eyes scanned the blanket.
"It's fine," the emerald eyed kunoichi replied, still looking at the jewelry. Suddenly it was as if she could hear a person over her shoulder saying something.
"Sasuke says he likes girls that don't wear jewelry."
"On second thought," she stated, lifting up a necklace with a silver chain, "How much is this one?" She had never even through about wearing a necklace for years. It was always because she wanted to impress her crush or because it was inconvenient for a mission. Now it was different, now it didn't matter to that boy anymore.
"Free for you," the elderly woman stated, "Heard you're getting married soon."
"No, I insist," Sakura stated, opening her wallet. She felt a hand upon hers. Looking up, she saw Naruto already paying for it. Smiling, something tingled within her stomach. Truly, this was what she had heard about in storybooks that her mom used to read before bed. You kiss the frog and he turns into prince charming.
"Here, take it," the blonde insisted, "Someone like you should receive something for your kindness."
"What a sweet young man," the woman remarked, "You're a lucky girl." Naruto blushed as he placed the necklace on Sakura. As she lifted her hair so he could place the jewelry around her neck, he caught the smell of sweet strawberries. That was something he remembered so strongly ever since she first walked past him in class.
"Yeah, I'm really lucky," the bubble gum haired girl whispered tenderly into his ear, embracing him, "Thanks, babe." Somehow, she wanted that moment a couple minutes ago to fade away into oblivion. The necklace, no matter how much she wanted it to, didn't make it disappear like she had hoped.
"Hey," Naruto suggested, "I have the perfect place to go right now. You want to come with me?"
"Sure," Sakura replied, straightening her red kimono with stitched leaves and umbrellas. She missed the brightly embroidered patterns that used to cover her clothing, but slowly it was toned down. Somehow, it seemed to suit her more now, it was stable, constant, simple. She had always wished life was like that, simple and beautiful. She would never stop wishing that.
Lifting her up, the girl gasped. "It's quite far away," the blue eyed shinobi stated, "You can't exactly run with these clothes on." Her face turned a tomato color as people began to stare. Burying her face in his neck, she felt the embarrassment sink in. The cool autumn winds calmed her and eventually, the pale skinned beauty turned to stare up at the moon.
"Baby," she whispered, "I love you so much. You know that right?"
"Of course I do," he replied, it was almost like a reflex. He answered without even thinking about it. He knew he loved her, he had always known.
"Seriously," Sakura told him, "I love you more than anything. I love you more than anyone. I'll always love you. I swear, forever."
"Are you alright?" he inquired, slightly worried.
"Yeah," the girl in his arms laughed, "I'm fine. I just need you to know. I just kind of…I needed to assure myself that I knew."
"Almost there," Naruto informed, a grin playing on his features. Her arms were wrapped around his neck. Quietly she let out a giggle, feeling bubbly like a girl kissing her first crush. Hearing his heartbeat and feeling his arms around her body, there was something so magical about that moment. The rest of the world faded away except for him. "We're here."
"Wow," was all Sakura managed to remark, her breath taken away. She knew exactly were they were, on top of the Hokage mountain. The moon was huge, shimmering with a beautiful light. Snuggling against his chest, she leaned against his body for support. Her sparkling emerald eyes were glued to the horizon.
"Look," she whispered, pointing up, "A shooting star." It was glittering, making its way across the sky as if it was floating. Closing her eyes, she made a wish. 'I wish that Naruto and I could be together, always.' Opening her eyes, she glanced upward at his face. The boy was staring off into the skyline.
Sealing her eyes once more, she inhaled the scent of crisp fall air. 'I just needed to know that you knew. I just wanted to forget that I ever loved someone more than you. Why is it so damn painful to forget?' Embracing her fiancé tighter, Sakura felt a burning behind her closed eyes. 'Damn it all. Why is it so hard?'
"I love you so much," Sakura whispered, clinging onto a body in front of her, "Don't leave me. You can't leave me!"
"I'm sorry," the boy answered.
"Sasuke," she pleaded, "I'll scream, they'll hear me and then…" The boy turned around and she was not faced with onyx eyes. Instead they were a bright ocean blue.
"So you do love him more!" Naruto answered, tears streaming from his eyes.
"No," the girl shook her head, pink locks of hair ruffled by violent winds, "I love you, I love you."
"Who do you love?" the blonde screamed, "Me or him?"
"I…I," Sakura sobbed, truly torn, "I love you!" Suddenly, the figure in front of her transformed into a boy with raven black hair.
"I guess I should have left after all," he sneered, "Who do you really love? Did those words mean nothing?"
"I love…," she cried, "I love Naruto! I love him!" A flash of red appeared and she saw a sword stabbed through her fiancé's body. Holding the end of the sword was none other than Sasuke.
"What is your love now?" the Uchiha taunted, blood tears dripping from his Sharingan eyes, "Pathetic little girl, did you really think I would let you throw away your words? Your love can't save him now! Face it, you love me. You love me!" Sakura collapsed into a bundle of sorrow, hunched over on the floor. "You love me!"
Waking up to the silence of the night, she felt arms around her body. "Don't leave me," Sakura whispered, feeling shaken, weak, scared, "I love you." In the darkness of the night, the girl could not see his face. Frightened, the emerald eyed girl pried herself from his warm protective arms. "I…I…," Sakura mumbled, "Who…I don't..."
Paranoid, the kunoichi could have sworn she heard a noise coming from the door. A red light pierced through the room. "No, no, no!" Sakura screamed out loud, "I don't love you! Leave me alone! Leave us alone!"
Immediately sitting up, Naruto found Sakura huddled under the blanket at the edge of the bed. "Angel?" he asked, seeing her figure shaking.
"Baby?" she choked out, hiccuping. Her arms seized his body as she began to press her own body against his, "I love you, nobody else."
"I know," he whispered into her ear, sensing her trembling, "You love me." After a few minutes, the shaking stopped, her breath evened out. Kissing the fragile girl's forehead, he leaned against the backboard of the bed, cradling her body in his lap. "It's okay, Angel," the blue eyed shinobi assured, "I'm never going to leave you."
"Here, let me get that for you," Naruto offered, nose twitching. The boxes were covered in a tin layer of dust. Covering his mouth, the boy sneezed.
"I got it," Sakura replied, carrying a large cardboard package in one hand, gripping the ladder with the other. Her hair, which had grown long again, was tied up in a tight bun, bandana over the top of her head to shield it from dirt. "Someone is talking about you…" the kunoichi joked.
"Allergies, it's just my allergies," the blonde stated, blowing his nose with a tissue. He tugged on her hair to get her attention. "Angel," he mumbled, afraid he would cough all over her, "Do we have to clean it all today?"
When he pulled her locks of silky smooth, cherry blossom hair, she just about died on the inside.
"Sasuke likes girls with long hair."
Placing a hand on his shoulders, the girl tousled his hair. "Go to bed," Sakura insisted smiling as she pushed him backwards onto the large king sized bed, "I know you're sick, babe. Go take a shower and I'll cook something, 'kay?"
"No, I'm fine," the boy declared, his voice raspy.
His pink haired companion placed her hands on her hips, letting out a sigh. "If you don't get in that shower right now, no ramen for a week," she threatened, looking at him, her eyes narrowed, a very familiar smirk taunting him.
"You wouldn't…" Naruto whispered, looking up at her body looming over him. Staring hard into her emerald eyes, the boy frowned.
"Oh, I would," Sakura responded, "I'm dead serious." All she saw was a blur of color and heard the shower water begin to run. Giggling, she spun around, kneeling down to open the box. Blowing away the dust away, she took the scissor at her side to cut open the tape. Her jasmine eyes widened slightly.
Slowly lifting it out, the girl brushed a stray hair behind her ear. The picture frame was worn. Still, a cascade of memories, flooding into her mind like a waterfall, muddled into a pool of happiness. Team 7, the now broken Team 7, that's what they were, that's what they had no choice but to accept. That's all it was, that's all was ever going to be, something broken, buried, lost.
Still, the world kept on turning. Life was still worth living. Everyday he was gone, she broke a little more, she couldn't lie. Just as her heart had once beaten for one boy, it now beat for two. Someday, that was bound to end. There was only so much one fragile little girl's heart could stand before it stopped. There was only so much that this little girl could handle before her life came crashing down into a pile of ashes, smoldering with the hatred only love could evoke. As heaven was about to show her, there was too much love. Getting kicked out of her temporary stay in heaven and having her wings taken away didn't help much either.
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