Biting her lip, Sakura thought about all that had happened. How could she have screamed at Naruto that way? It wasn't my fault, he just made me so mad! She tried to justify it to herself, but her conscience would have none of it. Why did she try to hurt him? Because that's exactly what she had done, she knew that deep down. She was hurt and sad that Sasuke didn't care about her, so she took it out on Naruto, knowing he was the only one weaker than her.

Wasn't that what she had prized about him earlier? Wasn't that why she had been interested in him in the first place? Not like Sasuke of course, she didn't want him to be her boyfriend, but he had intrigued her. Since the very first day of school, it seemed so long ago already, she had been taught that popularity and friends were power. Since she had started out with none, it seemed all the more important to her. But there was Naruto, without friends or popularity, and it didn't even seem to bother him.

He was always smiling; she just assumed he didn't care. But apparently he did. He cared enough that when she yelled at him, he looked like he was going to cry. She ran off after Sasuke, both trying to keep up appearances, and also not to look at that horrible expression on his face. The expression of someone whose complete and utter trust had been broken.

Which brought her back to her first question. What was she going to do about it? She couldn't be friends with him. As much as she felt bad for her actions, she just couldn't exile herself back to being alone, even if she would be alone with Naruto. But she couldn't just leave him feeling so awful. Guilt pressed down on her. Why did she feel so awful about it? It was just a stupid boy nobody liked. If nobody else liked him, if nobody else was nice to him, why did she have to be?

He was her first friend. Her best friend. And up until recently, her only friend. The truth came crashing down on her again. She had just betrayed the only person who treated her like a human for months. You should go back and be friends with him, a little voice whispered to her. NO! I don't want to! You can't make me! she insisted right back. If I be friends with him, nobody else will like me. She couldn't stand that. It would be all the worse since she had seen a bit of what being popular was like. People cared about her. They smiled. They talked to her. They treated her like she mattered.

Nobody treats Naruto like he matters. Especially not you. The little voice was bugging her again. Shut up! She hissed back at it. It wasn't her problem. He made it your problem when he gave you the first gift. He made your problems his, it's the least you could do. Kicking her legs back and forth under her bed as she sat on it, she looked around her room. As her eyes swept past her stuffed animals and a framed picture of Ino and she posing for a picture, they caught on something. A small acorn with a tiny smiling face carved onto it. It still sat on her dresser for all to see. It was a sign of pride, of hope. As she put it there months ago, she had been thinking to herself it meant someone liked her. And it had sat there ever since.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura got up and picked it up. Holding it in her hand, she looked unseeingly at the tiny scratches. She had come to a decision, the best she could think of. There was no way she was going back to being unpopular. She just couldn't be friends with Naruto. But she could apologize to him. How could she apologize so that he would understand it? An idea began to occur to her.

Naruto had always given her gifts. She had always treasured the presents, they were something she could keep. He couldn't keep an apology, he couldn't look at it and know that she meant it. But he could keep a gift. He wasn't going to be the giver this time, he would be the lucky one to receive. Nodding to herself, Sakura decided to give him a present. Hopefully he would understand. He would understand she was too weak to go against the crowd, but he would believe she cared at least a little bit. That she cared enough to apologize. That was all she could give him.

Looking out the window, Sakura chose her gift.

xXx

Dragging his feet as he walked into class, Naruto was stunned to see something on his desk. He looked around to see if it was a trick. Nobody was watching him or giggling. With his hand shaking, he reached out and gently picked up the object. A single branch of flowers was clasped in his hand. Cherry flowers. He picked up the sakura and put it in his lap. As the class went on, a short kid shouted that he was worthless. About to shriek back an insult, Naruto paused and looked down. Someone thought he wasn't worthless, someone thought he was important enough to apologize to. And he knew who. Smiling, he looked out the window at the trees.

xXx

~Epilogue~

"Naruto! Hurry up!" Sakura shrieked from outside his apartment. "We're gonna be late for our mission! Do I have to drag your ass down here? What is your problem?"

Smiling, Naruto looked down at his dresser. A dried branch of flowers sat propped up in an empty vase. They had kept him going, even when everything seemed hopeless. He would keep on going. The person who gave them to him didn't understand the reach of their gift. The flowers meant something other than just an apology. They meant hope. Looking at the cherry flowers one last time, Naruto took a deep breath and turned away,

"Coming!" he shouted down to the girl waiting outside, and ran out his door to meet her.

xXx

Author's Notes: This is the final chapter and epilogue. Hopefully it explained anything that didn't make sense, and clarified some stuff from the last chapter. If there is anything that should be explained or changed, feel free to tell me, I'm not sure if this story is final draft ready.

Please review, it would mean a lot, especially since it's the end. Thank you all for reading, especially to repeat reviewers, you've really helped me so much. This was my first fanfiction, and I hope you all enjoyed.

If you liked this or thought it had promise, please check out my other stories, I plan to write several other multi-chapter fics, as well as oneshots.

Thanks again for reading!