Wow...I can't remember the last time I was flamed. So it really caught me by surprise. But I'm not the insecure little girl I use to be, if you flame, I will reply back to you and politely offer my argument against your rude ignorant comments until we reach an understanding or until your stupidity wows me to the point of speechlessness.

A HUGE thank you to MiNKy307 and kenni no.1 for your encouragement! I hope I can continue to provide you with a story you will enjoy and will do my best not to disappoint you.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters, nor do I make any money off of this fic...though that'd be pretty cool :)

Naruto slammed the door behind him as he walked into the apartment, still upset. He couldn't believe Hinata would say such a thing, it was so unlike her. What the hell was she thinking? He practically ripped the shoes off his feet as he went straight for the bathroom. Leaving the cold, wet clothes on the bathroom floor, he turned on the shower and stood under the steaming water warming his body. Hinata, to his knowledge, had always shown support for his relationship with Sakura. Despite what others thought, he had not forgotten Hinata's confession to him when fighting against Pain. And he was grateful for her encouragement after Neji had died, without her words he would have lost his way. But even he knew that friendship and gratefulness were no substitutes for love…and the one he loved was not her.

He sighed deeply, releasing his anger. It was unlike her to try to break up a relationship; he just couldn't believe that those were her intensions. He didn't know why she would say what she had said, but he was sure it was only because she cared about him. He had never really thought about it, because it made him feel awkward, but he wondered how she felt deep down inside seeing him with Sakura. He knew, from experience, that pain could make you say the most hurtful things. Was that why Hinata said that? Was it because she was in pain?

Walking out of the shower and pulling on some clean and dry clothes, he heard some noise in the kitchen. Walking in that direction, he saw Sakura washing some dishes that were left over from the day before. Picking up a dry towel, he made his way over and grabbed a dish and started to dry it, looking at her. He opened his mouth to say something, but then noticed her eyes…it looked like she had been crying. Shutting his mouth quickly again, he looked away. Had she cried because of him?

"Naruto…" Sakura sighed deeply, silent for several moments. "I need a break." He paused for a moment, unsure of what she was really saying. He put away the plate before turning around and looking at her with confusion. She certainly looked tired.

"Do you want me to finish washing the rest of the dishes?" He asked, wondering if she wanted to take a nap. Sakura closed her eyes with frustration before turning around and wiping her hands quickly. Bringing her hands to her head, she rubbed her temples, trying to focus on not blowing up at him. She took several deep breaths and turned back to him, aware of the large space between them.

"No Naruto…I mean from us. I need a break from us." She said, looking into his blue eyes making sure he knew she was serious. It had been a couple months since he had found her on the balcony and had promised herself that she would do her best to love him like he deserved. But she found it draining and started to look forward to the longer missions she would get, ones that lasted at least a week or two instead of a few days.

"Oh." Was all he could say, his mind was a complete blank. He didn't know what to think, he didn't know what to feel, let alone what to say. He found it difficult to breathe and heard his heart pounding in his ears. He hoped she wasn't expecting an answer from him right away, because he honestly couldn't give one.

"I'm not necessarily saying that…we're over, but…" Sakura sighed, "I asked for a long term mission today."

"How long?" He asked, really only able to focus on this part of their conversation.

"…ten months." She replied softly, wrapping her arms around herself and looking out the window to the dark clouds and the rain pouring. Naruto shut his eyes as Hinata's last words echoed through his head. Perhaps what she needs is for you to let her go. For the first time, he actually thought about that statement. Is that what Sakura wanted? For him to let her go?

"When do you leave?" he asked softly, it was still difficult to breathe.

"In two days." She replied just as quietly.

"You're going to be gone almost a year…but you're not breaking up with me?" Naruto asked in a hard voice. He was starting to get angry. What the hell did she want from him? Did she want to be with him or did she not want to be with him? It was reminding him of the times that Sasuke had been away. Sometimes she treated him so differently, like she might have actually liked him. And then Sasuke would arrive and he suddenly didn't exist to her. This back and forth crap was seriously pissing him off. Naruto looked back at her when she continued to remain quiet, she didn't look at him. Frustrated, he quickly went over to her and roughly grabbed her arms.

"Look at me." He commanded angrily. She pursed her lips together and clenched her teeth, reminding herself that it was going to be hard on him, that what she was asking wasn't fair. Turning her head, she looked straight at him. His eyes showed his anger, frustration, and hurt, her heart lurched in her chest at what she was putting him through.

"What do you want?" Naruto asked slowly, clipping his words. She paused.

"I don't know." Sakura answered softly, honestly.

"Do you love me?" He asked, but then suddenly scared of her answer. He almost didn't want to hear. This whole situation wasn't fair!

"Yes…" Sakura answered, her lips trembling as she could feel tears form in her eyes, "…I don't know."

"Sakura!" he yelled, pissed. What the hell kind of answer was that?!

"Arg! That's why I need to leave! I need time to figure things out!" she screamed back as she shook his arms off of her. She ran her hand through her hair as she struggled not to cry. She was in limbo just as much as him, couldn't he understand that?! It's not like she wanted to feel this torn!

"And you want me to wait for you until you come back?!" He flung the words at her as if she was crazy. She stiffened as she whirled back to face him.

"Do you want to end this?" She asked breathlessly, completely shocked. It never crossed her mind that he would leave her. It never crossed her mind that he wouldn't wait for her, that he wouldn't do as she asked. He always did what she asked him, even when she didn't ask him, when it came to serious situations. He had always been there for her, had always love her, it never occurred to her that he would willingly find someone else. Naruto's hands clenched as he glared at her for several moments, silent.

"No." he said softly, looking away from her. "I love you Sakura, even now…I would never leave you."

"I know." She said, looking away as well. "I know what I'm asking is unreasonable and not fair to you but…" she trailed off, leaving her sentence hanging.

"I don't want to let you go, but I need time to figure things out." She didn't know what else to say. Naruto looked back to her, seeing the pain in her stance and frowned, he always hated seeing her in pain. Walking to her he grabbed her arms again, this time gently.

"I'll wait for you." He said before lightly touching her chin to make her look at him. He could see the confusion, desperation, and pain in her emerald eyes. "I promise."

AN: I don't know about you guys, but I have been in a similar situation as Sakura. Kinda. I'm not very good at description but I hope I was able to get across that it's not always easy to truly know what you want. And that it's an all around sucky situation for everyone, including the person who can't make up their mind. Sakura is actually one of the characters I like the least, I really can't stand her. But I'm trying my best to write her in a decent light while still showing her wishy washiness that I can't stand. Anyways, some loving reviews is always appreciated, or constructive criticism :)