The sky was as black as Sai's ink, except for the patch that was lit up by the moon as it peeked through the clouds. The midnight breeze had begun to drop in temperature, and Sakura had started to wish that she packed something thicker than her usual ninja attire and standard issue cloak. She was just glad that she was approaching the cave that was their campsite for the night.
"Their" being her and her blond teammate.
Said blond teammate was tending the fire that she had started about an hour ago before she left to go find some more wood. Truthfully, she was impressed that he was able to keep the fire going for while she was gone.
"Wow, had I known better, I would've thought you learned a Fire Release jutsu in secret." Sakura said jokingly.
"I didn't work my ass off to become a jonin only off of the Rasengan and Clone jutsu alone, y'know. I may have picked up a thing or two…" Naruto replied with a slight sense of disappointment in his voice.
"I'm only joking; truthfully, I'm impressed. When did you learn Fire Release?" Sakura asked.
"Back when Sasuke was finally taken off of probation; one of the first things I badgered him for, to be honest." Naruto said cheekily.
"Why the sudden interest in learning something other than your usual jutsus? Getting bored of molding chakra balls?" Sakura retorted with a small chuckle.
"Kinda...honestly, I just didn't want to fall behind everyone else." Naruto answered frankly.
The tone had been a little too serious, and Sakura suddenly felt uncomfortable by the change, like Naruto had just dropped an uncomfortable truth. 'This isn't Naruto, nope, not at all', she thought to herself, but she knew that it was; it was a Naruto that seldom showed up, an overly aware, self-conscious, and mellow Naruto. This was Naruto in his feelings. This was an insecure Naruto.
After what felt like an hour of silence, Sakura finally decided to speak up and ask the million-dollar question.
"What's on your mind?"
It took Naruto a while to respond, but Sakura could see his gears rapidly turning in an effort to vocalize his emotions.
"I've been thinking about us," Naruto said wistfully. "And what's gonna happen next, y'know."
A billion-dollar response. Sakura was not expecting that at all. Caught off-guard, Sakura defaulted to responding with a familiar script.
"Well, you're on track to be Hokage, your relationship with Hinata has been growing, and apparently, you've been learning more jutsus in your spare time! At the same time, I'm still at the hospital with Shishou and Shizune while trying to perfect my medical skills, at Sasuke and I…"
'Are what exactly?', Sakura asked herself, a dawning realization that she doesn't know- or want- to finish that sentence all of a sudden.
"Are hanging out…?" Naruto offers feebly.
"Yeah…hanging...out…" Sakura weakly affirms.
The silence returns, thicker than before. The two nineteen year olds suddenly don't know how to hold a conversation, let alone with one another. The only thing saving the "conversation" is the crackling of the fire and the chirping of insects.
They both look towards one another from wherever they were staring at, making sudden and intense eye contact. Sakura had never noticed how Naruto's eyes looked like the perfect shade of aquamarine by the fire, while Naruto had always known that Sakura's eyes have been the most beautiful shade of emerald he had ever seen, but tonight they were exceptionally mesmerizing.
Before either knew it, they were sitting cross legged across from each other, knees touching and hands in one another's.
"Hi." he whispered.
"Hey." she whispers back.
The eye contact breaks, and both smile. Sakura giggles, while Naruto's breath hitches as he's suddenly aware of the fact that they could breathe in each other's air. Suddenly, the intimacy changes as Naruto speaks up once again.
"Do you remember when you told me I loved you the way I love ramen? That I loved you because of Sasuke?"
Sakura is scared to respond, or at least, doesn't want to respond. She doesn't know why, but she knows she won't like what comes next.
"Yeah...when we went to go save Hinata from Toneri…"
"I...I…" Naruto struggled to finish the sentence, or more so, couldn't find the confidence to finish the sentence. Sakura had never heard Naruto sound so...unsure.
"I think you were wrong. I...love you more than I'll ever love ramen, sometimes thinking about how much I love you hurts my chest, and I don't know where things are headed anymore...who knew peacetime would change where ninjas belong in society," Naruto confessed. "Hinata and I have gone on dates here and there, but I don't see her romantically, and every time I'm with her like that, my heart isn't fully there…"
Naruto leans his head forward at the same time that Sakura does, their foreheads touching one another, supporting each other as they try to stay awake. What was once a sizable fire is now a collection of cinders. He continues to ramble on, and Sakura is really trying to listen, but her attention doesn't return until he says something that shocks her awake for a moment.
"Maybe I'm out of place saying these things, Sakura-chan. Maybe I'm just tired…" Naruto says weakly. His eyes are closed, and Sakura isn't sure whether he's dozed off or not. She smiles weakly, a mix of sadness and affection for the sleeping blond leaning against her.
"You can rest now, Naruto...we've had a long day...scratch that, we've had a long seven years. Sleep now, cause tomorrow's another day," Sakura whispers to the man in front of her. She slowly gets up, grabs her pack, and uses it as an impromptu pillow for the dazed blond. After hesitating for a moment, she decides to snuggle up to him, her head on his chest, their cloaks as makeshift blankets. "Good night, Naruto."
"G'nigh'...Sakura...chan…" he barely mumbles back.
"...I love you." she whispers out, breaking the silence of the night, no one but the night sky left to hear her confession.
And maybe, just maybe, the two can pretend to be two ordinary jonins, two ordinary teenagers, and not the war-torn veterans they are, despite not being awake to enjoy their make-believe moment. She snuggles closer to him, and he holds her like his life depended on it, because on numerous occasions, it has. For now, they're just a boy and a girl, and they're tired.