"Naruto!"

It was Sakura's voice. How appropriate.

"Are you there?"

"Oh, great" he whispered. He guessed destiny was making a choice for him. He had to tell her about Sasuke, he had to tell someone about his newly born doubt. One that was bound to keep causing him horrible panic if he were to hide it from everyone. And honestly, who better to tell his darkest secrets to, but Sakura?

"Naruto!" she called again. He snapped and ran to the door to open it, his breather still altered.

"Sakura" he panted.

"God, are you okay? You look like you just ran a marathon" Sakura said surprised.

"I…" his heart was trembling, what if Sakura thought he was a weirdo, what if she got mad?

No, you can't think that right now. She's your best friend.

"No, I'm not. I think I need to tell you something" he said, forehead creased with worry.

"Sure, sure, let's sit" she said as Naruto let her through the entrance. "Actually, I also wanted to talk to you, Hinata called me"

Great, he cursed in his head. "Fuck, what did she say?" he sighed.

"She's okay, Naruto, I just wanted to tell you that" she said with a smile. "She said she cried for a while, but Hanabi comforted her well enough, and she just wanted me, and you, to know that she'll be okay, and to thank me for the support" she shrugged.

"Well, that's one good news" he sighed with relief, that had helped his racing heart a lot.

"So, what happened with you?" She asked, taking a seat on the dining table, Naruto joined her.

"Well, I…" he started, he felt his heart in his throat. But he took a deep breath and let out the biggest sigh he could. He had fought a goddess, and still this seemed like the hardest thing he had ever done. "I realized something last night"

"About what?" she asked, puzzled. Naruto never looked this nervous.

"About the person I told you I thought I liked" he said, still nervous, his hands felt even more sweaty, but he had no choice, he had to tell her.

"You don't like her anymore?" she asked, shrugging.

"The opposite, I realized I do like…" he stopped for a moment, he knew if he said the end of the sentence there was no way back.

Fuck, Naruto, get it together.

"That I do like him" he said, his voice trembling a little. "And that I might have for a long time" he added, letting a big sigh.

"Wait" she said, raising both her hands midair. "Him?" her eyebrow raised. "Naruto do you...do you like men?" she asked, moving her chair closer to him, leaning her body towards him as well.

"I, I'm not sure. I mean, I don't know how to call it. I've never paid too much attention to people's bodies, not even when I liked you. I never liked you because you were a girl, and honestly you've been the only girl I've ever liked" he tried to explain. "And now that I like him, his body has never been a reason for it, it's who he is as a person, same as it was with you" he added.

"Ok, let me see if I get this straight" she sat straight in her chair. "You're saying you don't have a particular preference, body wise, but personality wise, that's what you're attracted to!" she said, a small smile started forming on her face.

"I think" he shrugged. "I mean, when I thought about liking him, the fact that he is a man didn't seem to matter, I thought it did, but as you said...I know my heart, I can understand it better than anything." he said, putting his heart on the middle of his chest. "And that's what it told me, that it didn't matter"

Sakura didn't say anything for a few seconds, but a short smile was left on her face.

"Thank you, Naruto" she said. "It must not be easy to say all this" she smiled. "Thanks for trusting me"

"You're my best friend after all" he smiled softly. His heart had calmed down a bit, a part of the nightmare was over. But the part he was really nervous about hadn't come up.

"But, then, who is it?" she asked, her smile faded.

"That's…" he took a deep breath. "That's the part I think you won't like"

Sakura raised an eyebrow again, tilting her head to the side.

"Naruto, there is no way I'm not going to like the person you like" she chuckled.

"Oh, no, you like him" he laughed nervously. "But I think you won't like that I like him"

Sakura tilted her head even more. "Sorry Naruto, you're not making any sense. Just tell me" she chuckled again. "I won't be mad, I promise"

Naruto groaned, messing with his hair.
"Ok, here it goes" he took a couple of deep breaths.

Here it goes, Naruto, all or nothing…

"I like…"

Shit, this is the first time I'm saying it out loud, fuck.

"I like Sasuke" Naruto whispered.

Sakura's smile faded, her eyes widened slightly.

"Sa-Sasuke?" she asked, her voice trembled a little. "You like Sasuke?"

Naruto sank his eyes into the floor.

"Wait, wait…" she covered her mouth with her hand, looked to the window and sighed. "How...how did you realize this?" she asked, a her forehead creased with a mixture of worry and anxiety.

I guess I have to tell her, he thought. If not, there's no way to explain this.

"There's something else I haven't told you, but just because he asked me not to" he started.

Sakura's chest look like her breathing had started to go up.

"What?" she asked.

Naruto thought that maybe the best way to say it, was to show it.

"Wait here" he said as he got up and went to his bedside table. He had been keeping Sasuke's letters in the small drawer of that table. He took them out and sat back in front of Sakura.

"Almost two months ago I received this" he handed Sakura the first letter Sasuke had sent.

"A letter?" she asked, puzzled, but nervous. Her eyes widened when she read that first sentence: It's Sasuke. "From Sasuke?" she asked, almost in a whisper, as she read the whole thing.

Naruto just nodded.

"Has he wrote more?" she asked, her voice trembled again.

"We've been writing to each other since" Naruto showed the other letters.

Sakura sank in her chair more, looking at the letters.

"He asked me not to tell anyone, and I know how he is, I know he's such a private person" he tried to explain. "Fuck, he even sends the snakes instead of his hawk so there are no questions about it" he groaned.

Sakura's breathing was heavy and deep, her forehead still creased, confused.

"He is a private person indeed…" she whispered. She sighed. "Sorry, Naruto, this is too much" she whispered again as she stood up. "I need time to think" she headed for the door.

"Sakura…" he called to her, rushing to the door, but she didn't respond.

She left the apartment quietly, leaving Naruto worse than he was before. The weight he wanted to get rid of was now replaced by the feeling of guilt for hurting her friend. He didn't think this might be too much, too much to take in all at once.

Naruto went to his bed and let himself fell on it. Tired, worried about his friend, worried about his reply to Sasuke. Eyes started to water. His breathing started to race.

And suddenly.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

The loud knocking did stop until he rushed to the door to open.

It was Sakura again, panting and with a big frown.

"I want you to know I'm very mad at you right now but I can't just let you alone in this either!" she yelled, pointing a finger at him.

"Okay…" he said, he was still in shock she had come back.

"Because I'm very mad that you hid those letters from me!" she yelled again, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"I know" he replied.

"And I'm still shocked that you like him too, and I still have to get use to the idea!" she yelled a little less loud.

"I get that" he said, his hand had raised in defense at this point.

She seethed as she kept her arms crossed. "Fine" she pressed her lips, sighed, and let her arms go. "Are you going to let me in?" she asked, still with that furious tone.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah" he rushed to let her space to walk in the apartment. "Thanks, Sakura" he said as she sat on the kitchen table again.

"Yeah, the things I do for you" she sighed. "Now, tell me, how the hell did you realize you liked him? What do the letters have to do with it?" she asked.

"Well, I don't know, since I said goodbye to him I felt this emptiness, and when I received the first letter I was so happy" he began "But of course, at the time I didn't make anything of it, but with time, every letter made me more and more happy, I was so excited to know about him, but then I was just left with this...I don't know, yearning feeling? I suddenly found myself missing him more than ever, it was so freaking weird" he explained. Sakura just pressed her lips, not saying anything, her hands tight together. "And last night, after Hinata gave me hers I spoke with Iruka. He said that the way I felt with the letter could say a lot, that if it made me feel happy it was a good sign" he took a deep breath. "So, when I got home I see there's a letter from him. And…" he sighed as he looked for said letter to show it to her. "Read that bit" he said as he pointed out the spot he was obsessed with.

He said to find something that made me want to be better...and that if I find that, to never let go.

And I think I have.

And for God's sake, I haven't even been gone for three full months, usuratonkachi. Get your shit together.

I am coming back, okay? Just need a little more time.

"Why is he saying this last bit?" she asked.

"I told him I missed him in the previous letter" he replied, shrugging, a little embarrassed.

"Oh…" she went back to the letter.

"So, when I read that, I don't know, my heart just jumped...and my neck felt funny" he sighed. "But it made me feel happy, I couldn't stop smiling. Then I remember Iruka's words. That's when I took our new Team 7 picture, and I realize Sasuke is looking at me in it, and-"

"What?" she asked.

"Yes, look" he ran, took the picture and handed it to her.

"Holy crap, he is" she said.

"And for a minute I imagined, was it me? Maybe, what he found he wanted to be better for?" he whispered. "And the fact that just the thought of it made me so happy, it had to mean something"

Sakura lift her eyes from the picture. "Yeah" she smiled, shaking her head slightly. "I can't believe this" she chuckled for a second. Eyes back to the picture.

"Me either" Naruto sighed. "But I have to admit...when the thought of liking him finally came, it felt like it fit, you know what I mean? Like that was the answer I was looking for" he shrugged. "Maybe that's why I was always so hooked up on bringing him back, and just hadn't realized it yet"

"That'd take the blame off of me, and honestly I'd appreciate it" she chuckled.

Naruto laughed. "You know I never blamed you for it, right?" he smiled.

"I know" she smiled back. "Ugh, I hate that I can't stay mad at you" she snorted, crossing her arms again.

He chuckled with a hand behind his neck.

"So, what now? Are you going to tell him?" she asked, relaxing her arms.

"That's why I wanted to tell you" Naruto sighed. "I don't know what to do. This could ruin everything"

"So you're just going to hide it?" she asked. "I must warn you, that's very hard to do. Or at least I could never do it around him" she chuckled.

Naruto groaned.

"I know, I want to tell him, but I don't at the same time" he sighed.

"Even if he rejects you too, he would never stop being your friend, and you know that" she said. "I mean, you are his best friend after all."

"You do have a point…" Naruto shrugged. "You know? When we were laying down after the battle, before you two found us. We talked a lot, it was the only thing we could do." Naruto started saying "He tried to insist so much with how did I know that he was not going to try to come for me again" he chuckled, the mere memory of these made him smile so much. Sakura smiled.

"Because I'm your friend" Sakura interrupted, mimicking Naruto's voice.

Naruto laughed. "Exactly, I even asked not to have to repeat myself again" he laughed again. "And you know what he did?" a smile was left in his face.

"What?"

"Shut up, usuratonkachi" he chuckled as she tried to deepen his voice like Sasuke's. "With a tear in his face"

"A tear?" she asked, surprised.

"Yup, that's how I knew he was back" Naruto smiled.

"Totally" she smiled. She remembered the first time she heard that word again, back in the hospital. It almost made her cry. That was the last proof that they had gotten their friend back. "That's why I think he wouldn't just start ignoring you if you tell him" she shrugged. "Even if he...um...if he doesn't feel the same, you two will be okay. I mean, you've definitely been through worse" she chuckled, as she handed the picture to him.

Naruto took it and kept staring at it for a few seconds.

"Yeah, you have a good point, again" he sighed.

Sakura chuckled with pride. "I know"

"Sorry I just threw this at you so suddenly" he looked up to her. "For a moment I thought you'd punch me and not talk to me for weeks" he laughed.

"I couldn't ignore you for that long, life would be too boring" she sighed with a smile. "Although now that you mention it…" she stood up and quickly hit Naruto in the head.

Naruto groaned with pain, but laughed halfway through. "Yeah, I deserved that"

None of them said nothing for a few seconds.

"You broke your promise, though" Naruto chuckled suddenly.

"Huh?"

"You said you wouldn't be mad at me" he laughed.

"I'm not…now" she smiled.

They both laughed harder after that.

"I think I know what I want to do" Naruto said as soon as their laughs faded slowly.

"What's that?" she asked.

"I want to tell him, but in person" Naruto gazed towards the picture again. "That way is only one quick answer, one quick pain"

Sakura snorted "In that you're right" she took the picture in her hands and looked at Sasuke again. "But you know? I don't want you to have false expectations but...even I can see something in Sasuke's face"

"Eh?" Naruto tilted his head to the left.

"I mean, the way Sasuke looks at you here. I don't know. It's different" she said with a sad smile.

Naruto smiled, looking at the floor, part of him agreed with her, the other thought it was best not to think too much about it.

"I…" she sighed as she left the picture back in the dining table. "I do have to go now" she smiled, standing up. Naruto followed.

"Thank you, Sakura" he said quickly.

Green eyes met blue. She smiled.

"It's nice to know you trust me so much" she shrugged. "You owe me a dinner now, though" she said, crossing her arms.

Naruto chuckled. "Fair enough"

Sakura pressed his lips while still smiling, and quickly jumped to hug Naruto.

"It's still a bit weird for me but" she took a deep breath, still hugging him. "I'm happy for you" she whispered as she let go, still with a smile.

"You're definitely the best friend ever" Naruto smiled back.

"I know" she said proudly.

They stared at each other for a couple of seconds.

"See you around" she said as she moved to the door

"Yeah!" he replied, and she left.

He let a big sigh right after the door was closed. That was the most intense hour of his life. So far at least.

He looked back at his desk, maybe now was a good time to reply to that letter, he felt better, after all.

I told you Gaara would be happy to see you.

He finished his letter, rolled it and put it on the back of the snake. Who again ran to the window and disappeared into the ground.