He felt the rain before it started, the air around him condensing as beads of moisture formed at his temples before sliding down to his cheeks where it mingled with shed tears. He stood unmoving as the first drops fell, making plinking noises on the polished face of the stone before smearing down passed the engraved writing.

Blue eyes darkened by sorrow were drawn to a name etched delicately into the white stone, and he stared unblinkingly at it.

Uchiha Sasuke

A sob burned in his throat but he clenched his teeth, refusing to release it. Dark thoughts swirled in his mind, wickedly whispering his failures and sending empty promises that things could be made better. Naruto was no stranger to the call of his demon; he had heard it all before. He knew the choice he had, knew that it would be easy to give in, to stop feeling.

But he wouldn't, why he wasn't sure. Perhaps it was because even in his grief, he was still the boy who wanted to save everyone. But wanting would never be enough, not when the proof of his inability lay etched out before him.

Sasuke, his teammate, his brother, was dead, and Naruto, the outcast, the dead-last, had lived.

Strangely, as bad as it had been to him, it seemed that life was not willing to give him up just yet.

The sound of footsteps was heard, and Naruto's back straightened as he brought his body away from the stone to peer through the water streaming into his face. Sad blue eyes looked from the pink umbrella, down the small hand holding the handle, up creamy skin to rest upon two vivid green eyes.

"Naruto…"

"Sakura-chan."

Sakura's eyes widened at the raspy sound of his voice and the hollowed look to his eyes. She had never seen Naruto so distant, not in all of the years she had known him. But then she looked past the grief, past the heart ache, and saw something even more surprising.

Naruto had grown up.

Somehow, Naruto had crossed the division between childhood and adulthood, and she, one of, if not the, closest person to him had failed to notice it.

He is no longer a boy, she realized as she gazed into eyes that were deeper than she ever remembered them being. He grew up.

The age old fear began to grip Sakura, and her hold on the umbrella's handle tightened. Has Naruto left me behind as well?

But then the calm he had mustered shattered, and the wisdom she had glimpsed vanished to be replaced by sorrow and despair, and immediately her fear was forgotten.

Naruto would never leave her behind.

A pink umbrella fell uselessly to the ground and a moment later Naruto felt two thin, yet strong arms wrap around him as a warm cheek pressed into his neck.

"You should never look so lost Naruto," she whispered fervently against him. "Never."

Naruto stood completely still as Sakura held him, the surprise masking part of his grief. Something within him told him this was all wrong, that it should be him holding Sakura, not the other way around. He should be offering her comfort and strength, but his arms would not move. He could not hold her because his shame would not allow him to.

"I couldn't even-" he began, but was silenced as Sakura fisted his shirt in her hands and tugged.

"Don't you dare apologize Uzumaki Naruto!" Sakura told him, her eyes flashing dangerously as she looked up at him.

Naruto could only hold her furious gaze for a moment before he looked away. Sakura replied to this by fisting his shirt even tighter and pushing him back to look at her.

"If you start wishing it was you who had died, instead of him, I'll never forgive you!"

He froze at that, her words striking so deep within him that they echoed out throughout his whole being. It felt as if his entire life had converged towards that one point, that one chance for him to decide what his future would hold.

Naruto thought back to earlier that day when Kakashi had come to the stone and spoken quietly to him of things he didn't understand.

"You are not meant to be like me, Naruto."

He supposed he could become like his teacher, living in the past with only his memories to keep him company. Memories and regret.

But, there would be no Sakura in that life, he realized. If he stayed behind, she would move on without him. After struggling for so long for comrades, a life without them would be a fate worse than death.

He was not alone anymore, and because of that he would move on, like Sakura, because she needed him still. Just like he needed her.

"I won't Sakura-chan," he whispered finally while looking into her eyes. "I promise."

For a moment Sakura just stared unblinkingly up at him. A gasp nearly escaped her lips at what she saw, for now Naruto's eyes shown with a wildness she rarely witnessed, and it caused her heart to beat frantically. It was the type of look that moved mountains, the look that made her truly believe he could do anything.

He was going to be alright, she realized, releasing a breath she hadn't known she was holding. He always managed to surprise her, and even when he was at his worst he would always manage to find himself again.

Sakura smiled at him, but silently her heart wondered, Will he ever really need me?

Sure, she healed him when he was injured, but it was usually nothing the Kyuubi couldn't handle, and there was always Tsunade.

What could I ever offer him?

Feeling the sting of tears, Sakura stubbornly blinked them away.

"Naruto, you're soaked. Let's get you home before you get sick. Shishou will kill me if you wind up in the hospital again."

Quickly turning away so Naruto wouldn't see the tears at the corner of her eyes, Sakura picked up her umbrella. She was wet, but not nearly as much as Naruto was, and with her chakra control she could easily warm herself if need be.

Holding the umbrella up so Naruto could fit underneath as well, Sakura was surprised when she felt his hand close around hers.

"Thanks Sakura-chan," he whispered, his lips tugging up in an odd smile.

Unsure if he was thanking her for the umbrella or something else entirely, Sakura let out an uneasy laugh before prodding him forward. "Let's get out of this weather already."

-----

Seconds after entering Naruto's apartment, Sakura marched the soaking boy to his bedroom to change. Disappearing into the bathroom for a moment, the kunoichi soon reappeared carrying a fluffy orange towel and a disgusted expression.

"I'm not even going to ask why there was a half eaten ramen container in the bathroom." she said with a shake of her head as Naruto paled.

So that's where I left breakfast, the blonde thought with a grimace as he made a mental note to try and not leave ramen in embarrassing places, especially if Sakura would be coming over to find said ramen.

Stopping before him, Sakura slung the towel over her shoulder and commanded, "Hands up!"

Thoroughly perplexed, Naruto blinked down at his teammate. "Wh-what?"

"You heard me, hands up!" she repeated, her eyes betraying none of the amusement she felt over Naruto's sudden shyness. Really, that boy could be such an idiot.

"B-but Sakura-chan…you…I can, ah!" Naruto spluttered, even as Sakura tugged impatiently at his wet shirt.

"Stop being so modest," Sakura ordered, her voice flat, "Its nothing I haven't seen before."

At that Naruto paused, a blush creeping onto his whiskered cheeks. Sakura was a medic-nin after all, and she had seen him without a shirt many times before. But in his defense, she had never offered to undress him.

Looking very much like a scolded child, Naruto raised his arms and bent over slightly so Sakura could tug his shirt up and over his head.

Seeing his pout, Sakura retaliated by throwing the towel at his face. "Now give me your pants and I'll go put your clothes up to dry."

"But-"

"Naruto."

As quickly as he could, Naruto took off his pants and handed them over to Sakura, who immediately turned and left to hang them up in the bathroom. After the boy had changed into dry clothes, Sakura appeared once more and pointed to his bed. "Time for bed, you really do look exhausted."

As if to further prove her point, Naruto broke out into a jaw breaking yawn. Knowing that arguing would get him no where, Naruto immediately obeyed, crawling into bed as Sakura pulled the covers over him.

"Ah, thanks Sakura-chan," he said, yawning again before looking gratefully up at her.

"Mm, its nothing," the girl replied, dragging a chair over for her to sit on.

For a moment the two were silent as Naruto watched Sakura through sleepy eyes and Sakura stared at some point on the wall. Naruto wondered what she could be thinking about, but then his fatigued mind was running too slowly for him to come up with any possible ideas.

It wasn't until Naruto's breathing slowed and she knew he was asleep that Sakura looked down at him.

"We're going to be alright Naruto," she whispered to him, sliding a hand over his covers and giving them a pat.

Sakura sat by his bed for a time, absentmindedly playing with a piece of fabric she had found on the bedside table. Her heart felt weary, but it had only been a few days since they had buried Sasuke, and her grief was understandable. But, in a way, Sasuke had been buried for many years already. Now it was simply more official.

Everything that had been done up to a few days ago, had been to move towards saving Sasuke. And now…there was no Sasuke to save. It seemed so surreal. Now she could make decisions for herself, instead of for someone else.

Silently, Sakura moved to look at the team 7 picture that sat on top of Naruto's dresser, and then to the mirror that sat propped up beside it.

Sakura blinked, surprised at what she saw. The image blinking back at her was not the same naïve teenager she remembered, but instead a strong woman, a shinobi at jounin level, who was confident in her position. Even in her own jade irises, she saw a depth she hadn't remembered seeing a year ago.

I guess Naruto isn't the only one who has grown up.

Sending a small smile to herself in the mirror, Sakura glanced down at the item held in her hand. On an impulse, she brought the material up and tied her hair in the fashion she had when she was a child. Turning her head side to side, Sakura admired herself for a moment, bringing her hand up to smooth down her pink hair as she looked.

That's what my hair looked like? she thought with a frown. I'm glad I got over that phase.

Pulling the ribbon to let her hair fall down to its natural position, Sakura stole a glance over at the slumbering Naruto. Quietly, she moved to the side of the bed, and with the grace of a true ninja, tied the ribbon around the sleeping boy's wrist without waking him. Then, leaning over him, she gave his forehead a quick kiss.

Silently padding back towards the hall, Sakura flipped off the light.

Every day we are given a new chance, and tomorrow will be no different. We can't live in the past…it's time to move on.

A/N: Just so everyone knows time wise, this chapter takes place a year after the previous one. It felt pretty good to kill off Sasuke, I must say, but I'm not such a hater that I didn't give him a proper conclusion. Well not much more for me to say, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Only two more chapters to go :)

--Miss Soupy