Author Note: Hello!

I haven't been able to reply to everyone, life has been weird lately but know that they mean the utter world to me. Seriously. Even on the worst days I can look back at all the love ^_^.

This one might hurt a bit though, I'm sorry :(

Naruto tried to focus on what the heiress in front of him was saying about the alterations for the gown she was trying on but he couldn't focus very well. His phone felt heavy in his pocket and he really wanted to take it out. Sasuke had been giving him snippets of his day and he was itching to reply. The conversation wasn't particularly riveting, but it sure felt like it. He was dying to know how Sasuke liked the coffee from the shop he'd recommended, what he'd been up to at work, and other simple topics.

Hinata stepped in when she noticed Naruto was distracted, giggling to herself. They'd been friends for so long and he looked so blissful.

The heiress probably didn't notice Naruto was distracted, too focused on the beautiful gown and gossiping about the guestlist. When the heiress went to grab her phone to take pictures, Hinata gently nudged him.

"Go, I'll handle the rest." Hinata shoed him away.

He was about to ask if she was sure when she gave him a playful glare to shut him up. "Okay okay."

He laughed as he walked to the front, dropping off the documents the heiress filled out when one of the salesgirls waved him over.

Naruto paused at the sight of Sakura. Fuck.

She didn't look as put together as usual, her copious amount of concealer couldn't hide her red-rimmed eyes and her pink hair looked greasy even in a bun.

Naruto cleared his throat, trying to hide his wariness. "Hey Sakura. We don't have an appointment, do we?" He knew they didn't, but he tried to remain casual.

She sighed in annoyance, "No. But I wanted to talk to you."

The salesgirl gave him an apologetic smile, "I tried to explain that it's by appointment only but she insisted."

He placed a hand on the salesgirl's shoulder, "It's okay." She relaxed, thankful that she wasn't in trouble. "You can go."

Naruto turned to Sakura. "She's right Sakura, but I have a few minutes." He wasn't about to take her to his office, so they walked to a seating area at the corner of the store. He took a seat on one of the velvet chairs. "What's going on?"

Sakura placed her Gucci purse on the table and threw herself on the chair next to him.

"It's about the wedding."

Naruto braced himself, reminding himself to stay professional no matter what.

She continued, "If Sasuke calls to cancel everything, don't listen to him."

He frowned, "Oh, okay. Did something happen?"

"He's having wedding jitters. I'm sure you've seen it happen."

Naruto held back a grimace and just nodded.

Sakura tapped her pink acrylic nails, "Yes, so don't listen to him. The wedding is still happening, we just have a little argument going on right now."

"I understand. We do need final confirmation about everything though, so we still have to speak to him." Naruto pressed, irritation spreading through him.

She scowled, "Why?"

He averted his eyes, focusing on a wall that displayed his designs. He hated the words he was about to say. "He's the groom so – ".

Sakura cut him off, "Yeah but I planned it."

"I understand but – "

She pointed her finger at him and hissed. "No, you don't. The wedding is still happening no matter what."

"Miss Har – "

She gritted her teeth, "It's Mrs. Uchiha."

Naruto clenched his fist and fought the urge to scowl, "Mrs. Uchiha, if there is a chance the wedding is canceled then we need confirmation from you both."

"But why?"

Naruto pulled an excuse from thin air, "So we can coordinate the location to send the gowns."

She halted for a bit then sighed in defeat, "Fine. But I'll talk to him first. Don't call him. We'll both come in or whatever."

Naruto nodded, relieved that the conversation was over. "Sounds good. You can call and – "

A ring came from Sakura's phone and she perked up, "Oh he's calling right now!" She quickly picked up, "Hey baby I missed you! I – "

Naruto felt his breathing pick up. Sasuke was calling her?

She huffed, "You've never had a problem with me calling you that?"

He wanted to walk away but he felt rooted in place.

"No! Don't worry we can figure this out."

Would they? What was he doing getting involved in this? So stupid.

"It's okay I'll fix everything! I told Naruto that – "

His heart stopped wondering what Sasuke told her. She looked taken aback and like she was holding back from lashing out.

"I'll see you later baby, I love you!" She hung up the phone and smiled. "See, the wedding is still on. We're working through this."

Naruto felt bile rise up in his throat, "That's great. I'll make a note." He got up as quickly as he could, "I have another appointment, I have to go."

He glanced at Sakura and saw she wasn't really paying attention anymore. She was frowning at her phone and texting hurriedly back.

Naruto didn't bother heading upstairs to his office, he needed to leave now. He quickly left the store, thankful that he had his keys with him. He got into the car and drove in silence, brain reeling.

So stupid. So fucking stupid. What was he thinking? That he'd find love?

Oh my sweet boy, you'll always be alone. You're unlovable.

The words rang in his mind, from the depths of his past. Spoken softly as her hands cupped his cheeks in pity.

His hands shook as he drove, speeding to his house.

This world isn't meant for you. Love isn't meant for you.

Naruto walked into his house but it didn't feel comforting enough. He didn't want to be here. He wanted to get far away. He looked at his phone and saw he had missed calls and texts from Sasuke and felt a wrenching pain in his chest. It hurt so much. He couldn't bring himself to answer, to even look at what he had texted.

He made a spontaneous decision. He knew it was impulsive, but he knew his staff was more than capable of holding the reigns while he was gone. He needed to leave.

Naruto set his phone down on the coffee table. He didn't want the weight of it with him. Everything could be handled by emails between him and Hinata.

My sweet boy don't cry. It's who you are.

He felt a sudden numbness spread through his body. The tears stopped and his eyes glazed over. Ah. He hadn't felt like that in a while. Numbness he could do. He welcomed it.

Naruto grabbed his passport, laptop, and left.

The airport staff and attendants had looked at him funny since he had no luggage at all. But after he passed the security check there wasn't anything they could do. Naruto had robotically boarded the plane and looked out of the airplane window during the flight. It was dark by then, nothing to really see except for the occasional flicker of thunder in the sky. The sight was mesmerizing and soothing.

Naruto walked through the airport in a daze, suddenly coming into his body and looking around for the first time. The people scurrying around grabbing their luggage and others cheerfully greeting the incoming passengers. The smell of disinfectant from the employees cleaning the floors.

What now? He hadn't even booked a hotel yet and didn't have his phone.

The blonde took a seat and turned his laptop on, bouncing his leg as he waited. He found a hotel at the beach and booked a room, which apparently had to be on the expensive side. Fuck it, whatever.

After he'd booked his room and sent Hinata an email explaining everything, he grabbed a cab.

The cab driver thankfully didn't say much during the drive, which he was thankful for. He probably looked a mess. He hadn't changed his clothes or washed his face. His eye makeup probably was smeared from all the tears and wiping his eyes.

Naruto entered the luxurious hotel, not even bothering to appreciate the architecture. He didn't care. He checked in quickly and got his room key.

He jumped when he realized a man was standing outside his room. It dawned on him that his room came with a fucking butler.

The older man gave him a warm smile and looked around, "Where is your luggage, sir?"

Naruto ran his hand on the back of his neck, "Eh – I don't have any."

The man didn't bat an eye. Only continued to smile. "Would you like me to get you something, sir?"

Naruto was about to say no when he thought better of it. If the man was offering help then he should let him help, "Yeah please. Toiletries?"

The man nodded, "Will do sir. Would you like some pajamas?"

Naruto hadn't even thought about that. He'd just planned on sleeping in his boxers.

"Oh – yeah please. That'd be great. I was planning on buying some tomorrow."

The man nodded with another gentle smile, "Understandable sir. If there is anything you need, please let me know."

Naruto gave him his best smile. It might've not reached his eyes, but the man deserved it for being so helpful, "I will, thank you so much."

He set his laptop down when the man left and opened the balcony French doors, the ocean breeze smacking him awake. He let the salty wind coat his face as he took in multiple deep breaths.

Yeah, this is exactly what he needed.

The butler returned 15 minutes later carrying some luxurious toiletries and wished him sweet dreams.

Naruto took a quick shower, trying to rinse every horrible emotion out of him. He slipped on the softest cotton pajamas he'd ever felt, another wave of comfort washing over him when the material touched his skin. He felt bone-tired but didn't want to sleep in silence. Not when his thoughts screamed so loud. The silence was deafening.

He left the balcony doors open and got into bed, the sound of the ocean lulling him to sleep.

The sun beaming in his face woke him up and he groaned at the pounding headache. He'd cried so much his eyes were probably puffy and red. An image of Sakura struck him, and he flinched, remembering everything that had happened the day before.

He just wanted to sleep. Sleep until the disappointment and sadness stopped. He searched around the drawer on the nightstand, hoping to find something to cover his eyes. He found a sleeping mask and felt a wave of relief. He slipped it on and let the sound of waves put him back to sleep.

Naruto woke again hours later, thankfully with no dreams. He had been worried his brain would try to supply him with either horrible memories or moments he'd spent with Sasuke.

He looked at the time, noticing it was a few minutes before 10 am. He sat up on the bed and looked through the breakfast menu. His hunger came back in full force, though he still felt he should eat something light. If it was too heavy, he might throw up.

He heard a knock on the door, and he let the butler come in.

The older man gave him his signature kind smile. The kind that wrinkled around the edges of his eyes. Well, he was wrinkled all over but still. "Good morning, sir."

Naruto beamed at him, "Good morning. I didn't catch your name yesterday, I'm sorry."

The man crossed his arm over his chest and slightly bowed, "No worries, sir, you seemed exhausted. My name is Tazuna."

"It's nice to meet you Tazuna, I'm Naruto." He gave a quick wave since he was still tucked in bed.

"It's nice to meet you too sir. Would you like me to order you breakfast?"

Naruto peered down at the menu again, "I was just about to. I wanted something light and – "

Tazuna snapped his fingers, "I know just the thing, sir. I'll be back in a bit."

Naruto nodded and laid back down, watching the waves. Now that it was daytime he could see that the room was actually steps away from the beach. He could see the white sand calling out to him, but he didn't have any swim trunks.

Tazuna brought back a plate of food full of fruit and other savory items that made Naruto's mouth water. He thanked him then asked, "Is there a shop here where I can get swim trunks?"

He poured him some coffee and orange juice, "I can get you some sir, the hotel has some we give."

Naruto raised his golden eyebrows, "You guys have everything."

"We've catered to many political and royal guests; they sometimes don't want to go to the shops."

Naruto nodded in understanding.

Tazuna continued, "We have some in blue, green, and red."

Naruto joked, "No orange?"

He shook his head, "No sir unless you'd like me to go get you some."

Naruto waved his hands, "No no! Green is perfect."

"I will be back soon, sir."

After breakfast Naruto put on the green swim trunks and headed to the warm sand. He felt the warmth spread from his toes to shoulders. He didn't bother with sunscreen and just sat at the edge of the water. He took in the view of the mountains on the other side of the island, already itching to hike it. He'd have to pick up some supplies and clothes, but he knew it would cheer him up. As long as he didn't remember the crushing disappointment.

He ran the sand through his fingers and felt his eyes sting again.

Oh my sweet boy, you'll always be alone.

Was she right?

He'd always been and felt alone.

He watched kids get adopted left and right, as he gazed through the bars in the window day in and day out.

Even now, after all these years, he was still alone. All his friends, which weren't many, all had families and relationships.

He threw the sand at the water, chest tightening in hurt.

Why?

Why?!

He'd always asked.

He remembered her face full of pity as he cried.

Because you're a monster, my sweet boy.

He knew he wasn't a monster. It took him years to learn he wasn't. But everything else seemed true. Was she right? Was he really not meant for this world and love?

He gazed down at his hands as they shook.

Maybe she was.