Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

POSTED: 4/27/12

A/N: Sato Daisuke is a new character I added through my re-writes (in case you haven't read them yet). He's a psychlogist of the Konoha Psychology Department I created. He is usually referred to as Sato-sensei (Dr. Sato).

Sun and Moon

Her evergreen irises surfaced into a dark room. The only source of illumination was the dim glow of the full moon elegantly framed by the window. It was rather cool now, Sakura noticed, as she sat up and hugged herself for comfort. But there was no breeze; the window was shut.

The rhythmic scratching that sucked at the air alerted her to Naruto's presence. The snoring boy was slumped against a chair in the far corner of the room in front of her. Her eyebrows knitted together with scrutiny as she eyed the teen.

"He insisted on staying here tonight," came a voice, answering Sakura's unasked question. "After what happened earlier." She recognized the figure instantly – his tone smooth like velvet, calm yet carrying a feint inkling of irritation.

The girl shifted her gaze to the raven-haired boy seated on her left, his eyes only on the moon. "I remember...I kind of flew into a panic again today didn't I? But he didn't have to sleep here tonight. Neither of you do..."

"Don't be foolish, Sakura," he tsked, keeping his eyes on the orb of light in the sky.

"Y-Yeah...um, sorry..."

The girl hung her head under the disquiet of her thoughts. It seemed she couldn't help but be a further nuisance to her teammates. It was bad enough they wasted their days confined to her room, but now she was forcing them into a restless night's sleep on those hospital chairs. And all because of her weakness, because she had allowed herself to become so affected by the attack that a simple touch would hurl her into an intense state of panic. She didn't deserve their care, their worry. Perhaps they felt the need to compensate for Kakashi's absence, since he had been away on a lengthy mission for weeks now. But still, she didn't deserve it.

"I don't get you," spoke Sasuke, drawing her out of her thoughts. He still didn't face her.

"I-I know it's awful, these attacks. But I've been working with Sato-sensei almost every day to get them under control. They haven't yet, but I promise I'm really trying. You...you really don't have to stay."

He shook his head, holding his chin in his hands as he leaned against the armrest. "He was right, I don't get you at all. And...I'm sorry, Sakura."

She watched him, bathed under the majestic glow of the moon. What had he meant, that he was sorry? She was the guilty party here, the one who was taking so much from them that week. Sasuke had been distant, to be sure, but it wasn't anything she didn't deserve. He didn't need to be sorry for anything.

"I don't understand," she finally voiced. "I've been awful to both of you."

"Sakura..."

A sudden chill ran through her, and she hugged her body tightly against the cold, waiting for more of an answer but he never gave it. Her name seemed to be all the response she would get. Like everything with Sasuke, she opted to discern more through his body language.

To the untrained eye he appeared cool as ever, relaxed into his chair, but his shoulders were squared stiffly. She could always read his anxiety through his upper torso. She moved to examining his face, the features of his pastel visage elegantly etched under the glimmer of the moonlight. It was almost distracting as she watched him, the ethereal glow perfectly complementing him. But as she continued to stare she began to notice other things, more subtle things, the kind of things his mask could never hide from her.

His onyx eyes were sullen, heavier than they usually were. And his thin lips dipped a hair lower than normal; he was frowning. So something was off about him. He was sad...or perhaps upset about something? That seemed to support her conclusion, that he was annoyed at being stuck here with her tonight, unhappy because of her. And without understanding why, she desperately needed for him to be all right again.

"I-Isn't it beautiful tonight?" she said, boldly breaching his barrier of solitude. "The moon, I mean," she clarified. "It's really pretty tonight."

"It's okay I guess," he answered after a pause.

"You don't seem too enthused though," she joked, trying to keep their conversation going. If he was going to stay, the least she could do was make it less of a chore.

"I hate the full moon."

"O-Oh," she said deflatingly. "I'm sorry." A hollow chuckle escaped him, and she eyed the boy with even more confusion. What did he find so funny?

He kept his eye on the orb of light as he considered her. It appeared Hyuga Neji may have been right about his team's situation after all. Sakura was certainly an earful of apologies tonight. Did she really think he could resent her for getting hurt? Not to say he hadn't been resentful that week. But his teammate wasn't the target of his disgust. How could she not see that?

"And...why do you like it?"

It took a moment before Sakura realized he had been addressing their conversation topic. It was so unlike Sasuke to ever attempt to feed a dialogue. "My father used to tell me stories."

"And they were about the moon?"

"One of them was," she began, finally able to relax into the conversation. "We used to take hiking trips in the mountains near the Hidden Stone Village, and we would lie down in the fields and look up at the stars on clear nights." Her lips gently curled into a nostalgic smile. "It was amazing, the way the sky looked from so high up. On one trip, one of the stories was about the moon and how it came to be what it is today. D-do you, um, want to hear it?"

The chair Sasuke was sitting in screeched in the silence as the boy shifted his chair around. When his face finally came to meet hers, his lips pressed into a smirk. "I think I could go for a story. You any good at telling them?"

The petal-haired girl scoffed. "I consider myself a bit more than just good at it."

He gestured his hand playfully towards her to continue. "Then by all means..."

"Hmph." She shifted her body in its place so that she was more comfortably facing him. Clearing her throat with an air of importance, she began:

"This story dates back to the days when the world and ninjutsu alike was still very young. It was the time when the spirits of the core elements – Fire, Water, Earth, Wind and Ether – lived freely amongst man. These spirits were the sources of nature-manipulation jutsu, and they all lived harmoniously together, maintaining balance. Although these beings were manifestations of elemental energy, they were a lot like regular people. They had personalities, likes, dislikes, and even feelings.

There was no greater example of this dichotomy than the relationship between Fire and Water. At the time, Fire resided within the magma of the earth's core and Water lived in the seas. They were essentially polar beings, complete opposites. But this did not stop them from developing the deepest affection for each other, and the two spirits fell in love."

A dry cough suddenly disturbed the air, disrupting Sakura. Her body jerked at the sound, her heart thumping with surprise. "It was just Naruto," said Sasuke dryly, throwing an exasperated glance at his noisily sleeping teammate. "Please continue."

Sakura sighed, pressing her hand over her chest to steady her heart. "R-Right," she stuttered breathlessly.

"So the Fire and Water spirits were wholly and desperately in love with each other, and their union of magma and the sea led to the expansion of the continents. The Earth spirit was content. With her kingdom growing, she could better accommodate the human beings who depended on her. The force of Ether was impressed by the product of their clash of energies, and it spurred him to manifest his power in the more physical form of lightning. However, only the Wind spirit was not pleased. Their unification threatened him. His kingdom of air was the most expansive of the five spirits, and he wished to keep things that way. He even hoped to extend his power to earth by uniting with Water, and expanding his kingdom in the form of ice sheets.

"With these ambitions, the Wind began to plot the removal of the Fire spirit by exploiting the one weakness he knew he had – his burning passion for the Water spirit. And so one day, Wind approached Fire. Wearing his mask of contentment, he spoke extensively about how much his union with Water benefited this land, and how obviously happy the Water spirit was with him. Fire's heart soared at this, boldly proclaiming that he would brave the impossible if it meant making Water happy. This was just the response the Wind spirit was waiting to hear, for after this he gave a solemn sigh.

" 'Indeed that is quite admirable of you,' he said. 'However there are some things in this world that are truly beyond the reach of possibility for even you, Fire.'

" 'What do you mean?' asked the Fire spirit haughtily, not appreciating having his capabilities or his love questioned by the spirit.

"The Wind spirit began his ascent into the sky, calling downwards as he rose. 'I meant no disrespect, Fire,' called the cunning spirit. 'I merely meant that, well not even you can pluck a star from the cosmos.'

"As Wind evaporated into the sky, Fire began to ponder on the spirit's words. He was taunting him. It was a fact that the spirits of the air – Wind and Ether – could freely travel in the spaces above the domain of earth. Their powers extended so that they really could literally pluck a star from the cosmos if they had desired. But being a spirit of the ground, this was one feat Fire was not built for.

"But this fiery spirit was a proud one, and he never backed down from a challenge-"

"Tch, sounds like Naruto," interjected Sasuke, eying the boy from the corner of his field of vision.

Sakura chuckled, joining the Uchiha as she peered at their blonde friend. His leg was making sporadic jerks, likening him to a little puppy in his sleep.

"So anyway," said Sasuke, "you were saying..."

Sakura nodded. "The Fire spirit decided he would prove the Wind wrong, push his limits and brave the reaches of space to obtain a star for his beloved. He released himself from the form of magma and took the shape of a fireball, propelling himself into the sky and toward the nearest star. He did not realize that he was playing right into the hands of the Wind. And the moment he left the earth's stratosphere, the Wind spirit's plan was complete."

"What do you mean?" asked Sasuke, curiously.

"Well you see," continued Sakura, "what the Fire spirit did not know was the restrictions the spirits had with regard to their shape manipulation. Only until Fire attempted to come back to earth did he realize it, but once a spirit had altered their state from one form to another, they could no longer return to their previously held form. Fire had left the 'ground' state of the physical, and entered the 'air' state of the spiritual. And because of that, he could no longer return to earth."

"But why not?" asked Sasuke. "So he left. Couldn't he return and live as a ball of fire?"

Sakura shook her raised finger astutely. "On every planet there are a limited number of forms which can exist while maintaining balance. Fire's return would spin the earth into chaos and bring about the end of humanity."

The raven-haired teen folded his arms, easing back into his chair. He didn't appear to be liking the direction this story was taking. "I still say he should have been able to get back. And if he really loved her, he'd risk anything to be with her. Nothing else in the world should matter."

"That would have been selfish of him, Sasuke," argued Sakura. "How would she have felt if she was the reason for the destruction of mankind? He was ultimately choosing what he felt was best for her. Even if it meant hurting her by his absence."

The boy mumbled in agreement. Sakura had never seen this side of Sasuke before. Despite his normally neutral outlook, the slight pout he wore told a different story. Although he was willing to live with a lot of things in this world, deep down Sasuke actually liked happy endings. In a story where all the elements could be controlled at the whim of the storyteller, it seemed that a happy ending for him was not just necessary, it was expected. Who knew Sasuke was such an idealist?

The petal-haired girl giggled. "No need to get so upset, Sasuke. I haven't even finished telling the story yet."

"Hn," he grunted. "Well then let's hear it."

Sakura shook her head before continuing. "Although he could not take his place back on earth, Fire was adamant on staying as near to Water as possible. So he found a corner of the universe where he settled himself, combining with other materials of space and materialized into a gigantic ball of super-heated gases. Although he was now exiled from the earth, he was determined to continue his role of providing warmth to the land. And thus, the Sun was born."

"Sun?" interjected Sasuke. "I thought this was a story about the moon?"

Sakura sighed. "I'm getting to that, sheesh." For a disciplined ninja, her teammate certainly lacked patience when it came to story-time.

"A group of humans who were studying under Wind about the practices of wind-manipulation had heard of the spirit's plot, and Fire's sacrifice to spare their lives. So out of gratitude, they ventured to the sea and informed Water of what had transpired.

"The Water spirit was overwhelmed with grief for the loss of her beloved. But despite her fluid nature, Water refused to bend to this wicked scheme. She decided that if Fire could not have her, no one would. And so she too released herself into the 'air' state, dissipating into water vapor and floating off into space. In her 'air' state, she still could not cling to Fire's side as she did in her 'ground' state, because it would mean her death. So instead, she took up residence on the place closest to where her Fire proudly burned and assimilated herself into a floating body of rock. From where she stood, she could maintain her role as manipulator of the ocean currents. And so the Water spirit became the Moon."

"So that's the origin of the Moon huh? Don't tell me that's it? There has to be more to the story than that."

"There is, there is" replied Sakura, shaking her head. "And if you'd stop complaining long enough, I might just be able to tell you the rest of it. Though I warn you, it might not be what you expect."

Sasuke folded his arms, curbing his objections as he waited to hear the story's conclusion.

Sakura continued to eye him, almost daring him to say something. When he did not speak, she gave another muffled chuckle before she continued. "Well you see, Fire and Water may have taken themselves out of the equation here on earth, but there was still the matter of Wind's subjects to deal with. Remember, they did betray Wind by informing Water of his scheming after all. The Wind Spirit was furious with the humans. He wanted them to pay. Using his powers of the wind, he sliced every human being on the planet, dividing their bodies and spirits into two separate entities."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Really?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes. According to legend, our ancestors had twice as many body parts as we do now – we had four arms, four ears, two noses...you get the idea. It's because of the actions of the Wind that we look like what we are today. But he did more than give us a makeover."

"And what was that?"

Suddenly feeling parched, Sakura placed her story on hold, reaching to retrieve the glass of water the nurses left out for her. She drank slowly, allowing the cool liquid to gurgle down her dry gullet. Sasuke could not help but notice how thirsty his teammate was, as she painstakingly gulped the entire glass down. She gave a hearty sigh when she was finished, satisfied with the drink. The only sound that came after that was the clunk of the glass as she rested it back onto the wooden table top.

Seconds ticked by...

Sasuke's face remained passive as he stared down his teammate, an innocently blissful expression on her face. He knew what her game was. This was payback for him being so impatient with her before. But he was not about to yield to her ploys. He was a proud member of the Uchiha clan and, so help him, he would not show weakness. No, he wasn't actually interested in the rest of the story...even if his intermittently twitching leg indicated otherwise.

When Sakura finally decided the boy had suffered enough, she inhaled deeply.

"As I mentioned, Wind did more than change our bodies. He split our spirits too, our very souls. With that, he forever cursed the human race to incompleteness. He created in us a longing to constantly search for our other half, the one person in the world that could complement and complete us perfectly. And so, the human race was sentenced to live out our lives trying to find, what the ancients termed, their soul mates. It was a horrible fate, and the Wind was pleased with himself for the punishment he devised.

"This occurrence, however, did not go unnoticed by the spirits of Fire and Water. They took pity on the humans, and vowed forevermore to provide measures to assist the humans in finding their soul mates. And as such, they became symbols of love for the human race. The glow of the full moon, a combination of Fire's light and Water's reflectivity, was a reminder of that. And today the full moon still stands as a beacon hope for all of us to one day know the security of completeness and of love."

Sakura ended with a tone of finality, scrutinizing her teammate's features where he sat.

The boy smirked. "You were right – you're not that awful of a storyteller after all." Sasuke shifted in his seat to allow the bright orb in the sky to meet his gaze as he internalized the story. "I get what you're saying about what the moon represents," he said, still looking up at the ball of light. "But there's one thing I don't get though..." He turned back to his listening friend. "...what exactly were those 'measures' that those spirits took to help the humans find their soul mates? That part isn't very clear. The ending seems a bit incomplete."

"Hmmm..." Sakura screwed her lips together in thought. "Yeah, actually I thought the same thing too when Otou-san first told me that story. I asked him about that too, I think..."

"And?" inquired Sasuke, pressing his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward. "What did he say?"

Sakura stroked her chin in recollection. "I...I don't remember ever getting an answer to it." She closed her eyes, concentrating on the memory of that night. "Yeah, I think he didn't want to tell me."

She re-opened her eyes, chuckling slightly as the memory fully surfaced. "I remember...he got all hot and bothered when I asked. He assured me that the ending to the story was a lot happier than it seemed to be, but that I was too young to understand it just yet." Her smile gradually faded as she recalled the rest of that memory. "He said...he said he'd be sure to complete the story when I was older." A hollow laugh escaped her. "I guess I'll never get a chance to hear it after all, will I?"

The light from the moon was making her eyes glisten more than usual as he watched her. The boy stealthily strode to Sakura's side. Her eyes were averted from his, glued to her lap. "Sakura," he called softly.

She did not respond.

His eyebrows wrinkled with frustration at the situation. He never liked the idea of Sakura ever being in any kind of pain. The past year they spent as members of Team 7 had made him compulsively protective of her. Perhaps that was why these past few days, and even now where he stood, he could barely stand the sight of her.

He couldn't stop picturing the bruises beneath her bindings, the burns buried under her bandages, the previously broken bones bound below her breast. They were injuries he was not able to prevent. And even when he did appear to come to her rescue, it was Naruto who was powerful enough to deal the finishing blow to Aoi. He had been overwhelmed by the enemy's attacks, but his knucklehead of a teammate was able to hold his own in the fight. How could he have let this happen? Why was he still so weak? Surely now, where she sat, there must have something he could help her with...

"Sakura, I want you to trust me."

He motioned his body toward the bed, smoothly settling next to Sakura so that he too was facing the window. "S-Sasuke..." she started fearfully, jerking herself to the side to allow him room. She could feel her heart accelerate. "D-Don't...don't touch me..."

He did not meet her incensed gaze, his eyes fixed on the moon, his body resting barely an inch away from Sakura's. "I always hated the moon," he replied dryly, his expression passive.

Sakura inhaled deeply, focusing on her teammate's voice. He was about to say something important, she could tell. She couldn't afford to thrash about in panic now.

"It reminded me," he continued after several moments' pause, "made me think of that night, that awful night. I hated it. And every time I looked up at a full moon, it was stained red in my mind, soaked in my clan's blood. A red moon, like the Tsukuyomi. But...I don't think I can bear to hate it that much anymore. I can think about something else when I look at it, thanks to you. I can finally let it go just a little bit now."

He turned his perfect features to Sakura, noticing her squeezed eyelids as she continued to pull in air. "Sakura..."

There that chill was again, and she slid her eyes open to acknowledge him. Emerald clashed with onyx, their faces inches apart.

"Do you think maybe you could finally let go too?"

His dark eyes enchanted her. She seemed lost in them as her muddled mind fumbled for a response. The boy raised his hand to the side of her face while keeping it in her field of vision, as if asking her for permission to press against her.

But she was afraid. She did not know how her body would react to his invasive touch. Her eyes reflected that apprehension, but Sasuke's gaze reminded her of other things as well.

He had just shared something with her, upturned painful thoughts for the sole purpose of giving her a piece of himself. It was a small piece, to be sure, but it was one she felt she could hold on to, one that might help her overcome her own reservations, and allow her to regain some control which that attack had torn away from her.

His fingers approached the side of her right cheek, to the small meadow of skin that was not hidden by medical tape. She gasped another breath of cool night air as the tips grew closer to her face until they eventually and finally made contact.

She winced even before her body could register his touch. But the moment it did, her tensed shoulders dipped as she began to relax. His fingers were cold from the chill of the night, yet they still gave her a sensation of pure warmth. Her eyelids relaxed from their tensed state but remained shut as his hand cupped her cheek gently. He continued to caress her temple and the right side of her forehead, all the while his face edging closer to hers.

Her lips, he noticed, were so modestly plump and femininely curved. He could not help but stare at them and admire how perfectly molded they were to her picturesque face. An unfamiliar sensation of panic and excitement bubbled within his gut, fueling his descent toward her.

Before he could register what was happening, their lips were hairs apart. He could feel her hot breath against his skin, as their breaths intermingled with each other after each mutual exhalation. Their synced breaths made him feel connected to her in some strange ethereal way, and he desperately desired to solidify that link. Her skin felt so right against his, as he continued to caress her right cheek. Barely three weeks ago, he had thought she was going to be lost to him forever. And here she was now, alive, her face cupped in his palm just like it had been those weeks ago and his mind could not help but flash back to that moment.

Anger at himself...rage against his enemy...fear of losing her...and...regret?

His eyes were intoxicated by her, his eyelids eventually closing as hers were and he finally took the plunge.

Then his lips met flesh...

...It did not have quite the touch quality he had been expecting. It was soft and smooth, but also broad and flat. It took a few beats before he realized he was kissing her cheek. And seconds later...he was on the floor...

From Sakura's perspective, it seemed like several things happened at once. In one instant, she was blanketed by a world of total calmness as she allowed herself to be taken over by the warmth of Sasuke's hand against her skin. It had forced her body into an uncontrolled state of serenity, a bubble of complete unawareness.

But in the next second, a loud, grumbling snort ripped through her daze. Her head reflexively shifted to the direction her ears had picked up the inhuman grunting. Her eyes took in the sight of Naruto jerking in his sleep, his mouth gaped more open than humanly possible. Meanwhile, her left, un-bandaged cheek felt a soft pressure and sweltering yet soothing heat that overpowered anything she had ever felt before. A blush crept onto her cheeks, and just as suddenly as it did, Naruto's body saluted upright in apparent wakefulness.

Sakura jumped in her seat, inadvertently knocking Sasuke aside as he tumbled off the bed. Not able to register what went on peripherally, she continued to watch Naruto with widened eyes as the boy groggily swayed from side to side, eventually steadying himself as he faced forward.

His expression hardened.

"Nobody steals my Girl Scout ramen-flavored cookies and gets away with it. Nobody! I'm the troop leader and I'm gonna become Hokage! Believe it!"

Sakura blinked back dumbly as the fist pump he gave afterwards stood frozen in the air. His eyes drooped downward once again and his body wobbled unsteadily before he flopped backwards, reclaimed once again by total unconsciousness.

Thank you for reading, and reviewing! Feedback would be most appreciated, especially about the heated developments of the story, since writing romance and fluff is pretty new to me. Did it have a natural, realistic flow? Ad what did you think of the story of the Sun and Moon?