Chapter 2: Sakura
"My love for you changed. I now loved you as a sister and nothing more. I knew that this kind of brotherly and sisterly love between us was better than any other love we could have for each other. You were always there when I needed you. So where are you now? I need you more than ever..."
Naruto started his journey again to finish today's tradition. He walked slowly towards the training grounds but turned left to where a grove of Sakura trees were. He gently plucked one and held it close to his heart and started walking towards the training grounds again. Just like the last time, Naruto counted to five in his head and someone was next to him. But this time it wasn't Kakashi. It was Sakura.
"Good morning, brother!" Sakura called happily to Naruto. Naruto felt a pain in his heart. Sakura had started calling him brother about four years ago. He felt tears coming back up. She always said it so proudly as if she was so proud to say she was close enough to him to be considered family.
Naruto kept walking towards the training ground when he saw Lee, like always, training harder than ever on this day. Sakura beamed happily at her love. She and Lee had been going out for more than five years. They were so much in love that they were thinking about getting married.
Sakura then glanced at Naruto like she always did on this day. "Naruto, why do you have that flower?" She asked looking at the Sakura flower he held to his chest. Sakura had always given Lee a Sakura flower to remember her by when she went away on long missions. She really did love him. And he really did love her.
Again Naruto ignored her as he neared Lee. Lee banged his head on the stump he had been kicking and slumped to the floor crying. Naruto went over to the stump and placed the Sakura flower on the stump turning away from the usually youthful boy.
Sakura glared at Naruto. "Naruto, what do you think you're doing? Giving Lee Sakura flowers is my thing; you can't give him that because that's what I give him!" Sakura shouted as Naruto started to walk away crying at Sakura's words.
Sakura turned back to Lee and looked at him. "Lee, sweetie what's wrong?" She asked lovingly sitting next to the still crying boy who looked up. Not at Sakura, but at the Sakura flower lying on top of the stump. He took the flower and cradled it next to his heart crying harder than before.
Naruto took one more quick glance behind and there, like always, was Lee crying hard with the flower clutched to his heart while slowly jogging away with Sakura at his heels slowly disappearing in the distance. Naruto turned back around and headed towards his once favorite ramen bar. But on this day it was the most painful place to go to.
More tears started to flow down his cheeks as he started to walk a little slower. Not even tradition could ever make him used to his next destination...
"Hearing you call proudly to me, calling me your brother, used to bring me much joy knowing you not only said it because you were proud, but because you knew it made me happy. But now why are you saying it? Now when you call me that, it's like you're trying to destroy my heart. Well I have news for you; there's nothing left to destroy."
-To be continued…-