Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto: Shippuuden, it is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.
Credit: The Keeper of Worlds, for helping put this story together.
Naruto's eyes shot open, as he sat up. He panted slowly, as he looked down at his trembling hands. "W-What the... W-Why did...? H-How did...?"
His eyes widened, as a realization occurred to him.
'S-Sakura-chan...!'
He looked to the side of himself, and realized that he was not in the alternate world. His hand moved toward the area, almost believing that it was a trick. He subconsciously felt the air, as he stared at the ground with empty eyes.
He fell back on his mat, and stared at the ceiling of the tent. He felt heavy... hurt. The burden of his guilt was almost overwhelming. He wanted to talk to someone about it... But he had no one in this world.
Kurama wouldn't speak to him, and he sure as hell couldn't tell anyone here about his inter-dimensional travels. He would end up in a mental institution for sure!
He closed his eyes tightly, as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
'This is... I know Kurama said it wouldn't be easy, but...'
As his eyes were closed, an image of Sakura laying over him appeared in his mind, and immediately after, an image of a crying heart-broken Hinata.
His eyes opened at this in shock, as he sighed lowly. "God dammit..."
'What I did... I can never take back. As much as I want to... I can't...'
He then looked down, as he bit his lip.
'And to make it even worse... I'm going to have to watch, as Hinata's world comes crashing down... She doesn't deserve that... No one does...'
"Yo, Dobe."
Naruto blinked, and sat up as he saw Sasuke looking into his tent. "You gonna sleep all day? Or are you gonna enjoy your day off?"
The blonde sighed, as he got up, and trudged out of his tent. "Fine..."
The Uchiha raised an eyebrow to this, as he caught up to the distraught blonde. "What's wrong now? Still feeling guilty over the thing with Sakura?"
Naruto laughed slightly, as he closed his eyes. "Thanks for reminding me, asshole. No, in fact... Something else is bothering me."
The raven haired jounin folded his arms, as he looked on in confusion. "Alright, what is it then?"
A solemn look appeared on Naruto's features, as he looked at Sasuke. He knew he would have to lie. "Well... It's weird, but when I went to go talk to Sakura-chan after our conversation, she... Kissed me."
He noticed Sasuke's surprised expression, then ran his hand through his hair in mock-frustration. "Now, I'm more confused than ever! I got no idea what's going through her mind!"
Sasuke just stared at the blonde for a minute, before sighing, as he leaned against a tree. "Well, ever thought of talking to her about it?"
Naruto looked at the Uchiha, and shook his head. "Not particularly... She said it was a way of thanking me, but... It seemed like there was more to it than that."
The Uchiha laughed slightly, as he looked up. "Well, at least you're not totally stupid."
"HEY!"
Sasuke looked back at Naruto, and shrugged. "My advice for you, is to talk to her. Stop with this beating around the bush, or hopelessly waiting. You have to take action, otherwise, you may never find out."
Naruto looked at Sasuke in surprise, but smiled, as he sat against a tree. "Alright... Thanks, man. You always seem to know what to say."
The Uchiha gave a smirk, as he turned away. "What can I say? I am amazing." He then walked off, leaving a rolling eye blonde behind.
Naruto's smiling face fell once Sasuke had walked away. He stared at the back of his comrade, and couldn't help but drift to the memories of his alternate past.
In that world, they didn't make up... They didn't become brothers. He walked away, with Sasuke's blood on his hands.
'Maybe you should have killed him, too...'
Naruto's eyes widened greatly, as he looked up and around. His eyes trembled, as he recognised the voice perpetrating his mind. "That voice again..." The blonde grabbed his head in pain, as he closed his eyes tightly.
'Go away...'
'Why?... He wronged you. He tried to kill you, and your loved one several times over! You only forgave him for Sakura's sake! His death should be by your hand.'
The blonde huddled up, as he gripped his head tightly. If one were to see him, he would've looked like he was in great pain.
'Stop it! I don't want this! Sasuke's my friend! My brother! I could never kill him!'
'You know you want him to die... He tried to take away your happiness, don't you remember? When Sakura loved him? When he tried to kill her, with the very kunai meant for him?'
'I... I remember those times... B-But...'
'He doesn't deserve your kindness! He doesn't deserve anything but death from you!'
'Do you want him to take your happiness away from you again? Do you want him to take away everything good from your life? He already said he wants to be Hokage, you want to hand him over the girl too? If not, then kill him!'
'SHUT UP! YOU DON'T KNOW ME! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I WANT!'
'...Leave...'
'No...'
'LEAVE!'
Naruto's eyes opened, as he panted slowly. He wiped his forehead, and saw his hand was covered in sweat.
Tears slowly ran down Naruto's face, as he felt pain surge through him. Not just from the excruciating head ache he now had, but from all the painful memories that were brought back up... The loneliness he felt because of them.
Then he remembered how that voice caused him to betray Hinata, causing him to put his hand over his face, as he cried softly to himself.
"Naruto..."
The blonde's eyes widened, as he looked up to see Kakashi looking at him sadly. The blonde looked to the side, grimacing as he wiped his tears. "What is it, sensei?..."
The gray-haired ANBU captain sat down next to Naruto. It was a long moment of silence, before Kakashi began to speak. "It's Sakura, isn't it?"
Naruto looked down, not sure on how to answer. Granted, it wasn't entirely the truth, but she certainly was part of it. So, he gave a slow nod.
He then allowed his emotions to escape his lips. "I don't know what to do..."
He grabbed his head, as his eyes twitched. "I haven't been so confused before in my life... Sakura-chan kissed me... But I don't know what it means... And I don't want to get hurt again."
Kakashi's eye widened at this, as he looked down, remembering back to that painful time, when Sakura lied to the blonde about her feelings. "... She really hurt you then, didn't she?... Way back when in the Iron country?"
Naruto nodded slowly, as he closed his eyes. "I was able to look past it, because of everything that was happening... I was able to forgive her, but..."
He took a breath, as he bit his lip. "The truth is... I felt so alone after that... More than I ever had before." He then looked up, as his eyes closed slightly from the sun. "And with this... I don't know what to think. But, I don't want to get my hopes up, only to get hurt again..."
Kakashi sighed lowly, as he looked at the blonde in concern. He wasn't sure what to say at this point. So, all he did, was pat Naruto's shoulder. The latter looking at him in surprise. Kakashi then gave him an eye smile. "I know that you're afraid... Of rejection, of loneliness... All of that. But... You know better than I do, that you shouldn't give up..."
Kakashi proceeded to stand up, and began to walk away. "Sometimes... Even things that seem impossible to get... Are worth fighting, and struggling for."
Naruto's eyes slowly widened, as Kakashi's words rung in his mind. He then looked down, as the shock sat in him for a while.
'Worth... Fighting for, huh?...'
Soon, Naruto found himself standing in front of Sakura's tent. He then closed his eyes, shaking his head, as nervousness filled his being.
'Come on, Naruto... You can do this... It's just a conversation. Plus... She's heard you confess to her before! All that this'll be, is asking how she feels...'
He then sighed, as he hung his head.
'I hope it goes well...'
He slowly opened the entrance to the tent, to find the pinkette reading, while resting in bed. His mouth quivered, as he tried to speak. After a couple of seconds, he forced it out. "S-Sakura-chan?..."
Sakura blinked, as she was knocked away from her book, and looked up to see the blonde. "Oh, hey Naruto." She closed the book, and put it away, as she gave a smile. "Come in."
Naruto nodded slowly, as he stepped into the tent, and sat down next to her. He looked down nervously, as he didn't know where to start. He was completely frozen.
"Naruto?"
He blinked, as he looked at the pinkette, who laughed slightly at his nervous look. "Well, something serious has gotta be on your mind. I've never seen you like this before."
The blonde could only nod, as sweat began to rush from his forehead. The pinkette gave him a calm smile, as she put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. You can talk to me about anything. You don't need to be nervous."
His face instantly went red from her touch, but it helped him calm down. He gulped slightly, as he looked to the side. "W-Well... What I wanted to talk to you about was..." He then coughed nervously into his fist.
"A-About that kiss..."
Sakura's calm expression, instantly went to one of surprise. At the same time, a tint of red began to appear on her face. Naruto, too embarrassed to look at her, continued. "I... I know you said it was a way to thank me, but... I dunno, it felt like more than that..."
He swallowed nervously, as he turned to her, and took a breath. "S-So... What I wanted to ask was... What do you think of me?..."
Sakura's eyes widened at this, as her already tinted face, darkened, as she looked to the side. "W-Well... I can see why you were nervous... Wasn't expecting that." She scratched the side of her face, blushing all the while. "Well... Um... I..."
After about a minute of stuttering, she sighed lowly, trying to calm herself down. She then looked over at him. "Naruto... I care about you... A lot, actually..."
The blonde looked at her in shock, who looked down nervously. "I...It took awhile for me to really think it through, but it was only a little while ago that I actually realized it... That I like you, of course."
Naruto was... Shocked, at the very least, almost to the point of disbelief. He looked down, then back at her. "You... Like me?" Granted, he had heard the same thing from the Sakura in the other world, but this... This was the Sakura he fell head over heels for.
Sakura nodded slowly, but then had a pained expression. "Yes, I do... And, I know you might hate me for this, but... I'm just... Not ready for anything to happen between us yet." She bit her lip as she looked down. "I know that you've been waiting to here me say that, but I just... I just can't handle a relationship right now."
She closed her eyes, expecting him to be furious with her. She knew how long he had loved her, and how long he patiently waited for something that could have possibly never happened. Anyone would be angry if they were rejected by the very person who said they liked them.
Naruto continued to stare at her, before giving a kind smile. "Sakura-chan... I'm just happy to hear that you care about me, like I care for you..." He then gave her a hug. "Take all the time you need... I can wait."
Sakura looked at him in shock, as she shook her head. "Honestly... It makes me wonder how no other girl seems to like you... So nice it makes me feel guilty for making you wait." Despite saying this, she gave him a small smile.
The blonde looked outside, and saw that the sun was beginning to set. He felt his heart drop as he saw this, but put a smile back on his face, as he looked back at the pinkette. "Well... I should let you get some sleep."
With that, he kissed her forehead, leaving the now flushed pinkette behind.
As he walked back to his tent, a frown formed on Naruto's face.
'I don't want to go back... I don't want to see the faces of the lives I'm going to ruin...'
'Just tell them... They're going to find out anyway...'
The blonde sighed, as he laid on his mat, and began to close his eyes.
'Like I have a choice...?'
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay, it's done.
Now we got a sad chapter, with a couple of nice bits here and there. I hope I got the feels right! Lol.
Next chapter, we go back to dark stuff... Lol.
