AN: Ya boi is back with more 'Letters From You'. My angsty take on the nature of Naruto and Sakura's relationship. I wanna thank you all for your responses to the first chapter, since I wasn't sure how it would do, but people seem to like it. With that in mind, I'm taking your reviews into account as I write this story, so please make sure you give feedback if you have any. Let me know, too angsty? too happy? (lol I doubt that) Does someone seem a bit out of character? Just keep that in mind as you read. Alright then... let's go.

Naruto and Sakura sat on the couch in anticipation… One was waiting for the other to speak... the other… Well... he was trying to figure out where to start. He sighed, lamenting his lack of preparation for this moment.

"Sorry… I didn't really have much time to think about what exactly I wanted to tell you… But I uh… I guess it's better this way?"

Sakura inhaled, very slowly. "I suppose… Go ahead, Naruto."

He sighed. "Alright then… So, you probably wanna know why I've been so distant… Just promise you'll lemme finish before you say anything… Okay?"

She nodded slowly; Naruto could see that she was visibly nervous.

"Good… I uh, I assume you already know most of this part, but bear with me, it's important… So, when we were kids, I had a crush on you, and for quite a while, that's all it was. It was more or less the same until I… oh man."

Naruto paused and started biting his nail.

Sakura's brow furrowed with curiosity. "Until you…"

"R-remember when you tried to kiss Sasuke? And he ran away… Right after Team 7 was formed?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Were you spying on us?"

Naruto. "Yeah, kinda... Up until that point, your 'Sasuke' was me... I was trying to figure out what you thought of 'Naruto' at the time… so I used henge to impersonate Sasuke."

Sakura's stomach flipped and she instinctively clutched the nearest pillow and held it in front of the lower half of her face.

"Wha-… No! No! That was-… You can't be serious!"

Naruto, feeling guilty, stared down at the coffee table.

"Sorry to drop that on you like that, but this next bit is important… I've always been good at henge, so I could've done that on multiple other occasions, but after that first time, I realized how much you liked Sasuke, so what if you found out that it was all a lie? Would you hate me for it? The thought of that… it scared me, a lot."

Naruto stared up at the ceiling during a short pause before resuming his story.

"I wondered; 'why?'. As far as I knew, I just thought you were pretty… but you loved Sasuke, not me. The thought of being with you was a distant fantasy as far as I was concerned… That was… until the final part of the Chunin Exams, when Suna attacked. Remember when we fought Gaara? He had you pinned against that tree and I… I knew I had to save you, even at the cost of my own life… And in that moment, I was the strongest I'd ever been. However, in the aftermath of that battle… I had to carry with me the realization that I'd… fallen in love with you... and that you would likely never feel the same way..."

Sakura's head shook. "W-wait no! B-but Naruto… you said-… you said… oh no…"

"Said what?"

She obsessively ran her hands through her hair, mussing it even more than it already was.

"You said that you hated people who lie to themselves! I thought… I thought you were chasing Sasuke-kun because you had feelings for me… b-but I was wrong! I was… Wasn't I?"

Naruto looked at Sakura for a moment before looking down at his lap.

"No Sakura-chan, you were right, just a little... behind the curve. Yeah, at first I made that promise to you because I wanted you to be happy, but by the time we were in the Land of Iron, I'd had my own reasons for chasing after him… At that point, it wasn't about making you happy anymore."

"Y-you've been speaking in the past-tense… So I take it that you no lon-"

Naruto cut her off, refusing to leave anything up to interpretation.

"That day, you told me you loved me… but I rejected your confession because I didn't believe you… If I could be trully happy, for even just one day, I'd do it, no questions asked... but it'd have to be real, that's why I rejected you. Still… that doesn't mean that my feelings have changed since I made that promise to you..."

Sakura felt her breathing slow to a crawl as the couch they were sitting on began to feel smaller and smaller.

"Actually, I'd say they've grown with time… but I've known for years that the only person that can make you happy is Sasuke. Even so, I'd like to say things on my own terms. Leave everything on the table, ya know?"

She sputtered; trying to find words... time began to slow as his eyes and his words echoed pierced her soul with raw, unprocessed truth.

Naruto took a deep breath.

"I love you, Sakura-chan. It's like a fire in my chest, it kept me warm when I needed it most… but now… it's… it's starting to burn. I've been avoiding you… I'll admit it, but you gotta understand that I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that one day… we'll part ways too…"

Sakura started to tear up, thinking back to what he had said to her in the hospital room those few weeks prior. For someone like Naruto, who started with no one, losing someone was probably twice as painful.

Sakura tried to plug the leak in the proverbial dam with words of comfort. "Naruto… I'd never leave you. Not after everything we've been through!"

The boy looked at her, his eyes sharp yet understanding. "I appreciate the thought, but we both know that we can't stay like this forever. You love Sasuke, don't you? Maybe he'll warm up to you one day… and at that point… There's no room for me in the equation."

There was another long pause before Naruto decided to stand up to leave, he could see that Sakura was stumped, so he decided to leave her with her thoughts for the time being.

"I just thought that you should know the truth, I couldn't hold it in any longer… Well, I should go. Thanks for hearing me out… Sakura-chan."

Naruto turned to leave, but stopped when he heard her stutter for a moment, she was obviously trying to find words for the situation.

"Naruto wait… You're important to me as well… but I just-…"

He turned and smiled a tiny bit, but this smile was broken, a smile of surrender.

"I know… I've never once doubted your care for me… but you just don't see me the way that I… see you."

Naruto faced the door and waited for a final reply giving her a chance to prove him wrong, but nothing else came, so he turned the doorknob, but not before taking one last moment to look Sakura in the eye. She stared at him, stunned and confused.

Naruto sighed and turned, fully exiting the house. This left Sakura sitting there in stunned silence. She tried to stand up, but stumbled with indecision, the primal fear of making things worse paralyzing her feet… so she stood there, staring at the door… just as powerless as she was when Sasuke left.

Now, the tears began to flow. 'Naruto… I've been hurting you this entire time... I'm so sorry…'

Once he left Sakura's apartment, he felt lighter, almost as if a great burden had been taken from his shoulders, however, that freedom came at a cost.

Emptiness…

"Naruto-kun?"

Naruto was pulled from his inner thoughts and spun on the barstool to face the source of the call… Hinata.

He chirped and gestured for her to come sit down. "Oh, you got here, earlier than I thought you would!"

Hinata interlocked her fingers behind her back. "I was running errands nearby, so I figured I would see if you were here… You know, this much ramen can't be that healthy, Naruto-kun. The sodium…"

Naruto pouted, punctuating his boast with a flex. "Hey! I grew up on this stuff! Look how big I got!"

The girl blushed, though not in embarrassment, she didn't particularly enjoy deflating what little ego Naruto possessed, but lying just wasn't in her blood.

"I suppose? Though… uhm… j-just keep in mind that I was quite a bit taller than you when we started at the academy… I suggested you… diversify your diet... a bit."

The blonde's bravado collapsed like a shoddy hut. "R-right… but this is the first time in a while though… that I've eaten here, I mean."

Hinata nodded and climbed onto the stool. "Oh, alright then. I'm just watching out for your health."

There was a long pause, broken by Hinata's uncharacteristically serious tone-of-voice.

"So. Naruto-kun. Were you able to tell her how you've been feeling all these years?"

Naruto looked down at the counter. "Straight down to business today, huh? Yeah… I did."

Silence. Naruto took that as a prompt to elaborate. "It uh… yeah, it went just as you predicted... though to be honest I wasn't expecting any different myself."

Hinata thought for a moment. "What exactly did you say to her, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto nervously chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "I uh… I started with the bit about me almost stealing her first kiss… It really threw her off… in hindsight, I'm thinking I should follow-up with her on that, but I don't really know where I'd start with her... It didn't end on a sour note, but it had a sort of finality to it."

Hinata frowned at Naruto, startling him. "Naruto-kun, you shouldn't have brought that up! It sounded important when you told me, so Sakura-san may be stuck on it…"

Naruto's expression went grim. "I could, but I don't really see the benefit of it at this point… besides… seeing her… it just hurts."

She sighed, taking in the sound of the boiling water behind the counter. "Naruto-kun? I think you should take some time to yourself for a while; hold off on meeting her again until you absolutely can't wait any longer. Sakura is likely having the same problem based on what you've said."

He took this into consideration, but not before squeezing Hinata's hand. Standing up in a hurry, he appeared to have a bit more purpose in his movements than just moments before.

"You're probably right... Um… sorry to bail on you all of a sudden, but I think I know what I need to do now… I'll tell you about it next time we meet… If you want anything just use my tab."

She blushed. "Oh… of course! I'll see you then Naru-… gone again."

Just then, Teuchi came out from the back with six bowls of ramen, he looked around for Naruto, who was nowhere to be found.

"He run off again, princess?"

Hinata nodded with a sigh, she pointed toward the tray of ramen. "I suppose I can take… one of those."

"Here ya go… Ah don't worry, he'll fall for you once he sorts his feelings out."

The girl smiled. "That would be nice, but it's not exactly what I want. I'd… I'd much rather he be happy."

Teuchi smiled. "… He's lucky to have friends like you."

She nodded looking off toward the Hokage's tower. "I think that we're lucky to have him."

Just a few miles west, in Konoha park Sakura sat on a bench, the very bench Sasuke had left her on all those years ago. At the moment, she was having a similar conversation with her newly acquired confidant.

"Sai?"

He gave her that odd smile of his and replied. "I'm still waiting for you to tell me why I'm here, you can begin whenever you want."

"Right… you seem to understand Naruto pretty well, and I can't exactly talk to Sasuke about this, so here it goes… Remember the Land of Iron? … When we all had that… misunderstanding?"

Sai's smile disappeared. "Ah… of course… I misread your relationship with Naruto."

Sakura looked away, grimacing. "No, that's just it… you were right. See, he confessed his feelings to me yesterday."

Sai, eyes forward, laced his fingers in front of his mouth. "Hn… and I assume you rejected him?"

There was a long pause.

"… I... suppose I did."

Sai raised an eyebrow. "You suppose?"

Sakura again ran her fingers through her hair in an obsessive manner. "Well, he told me something else, something that… gives me pause."

Sai smiled again. "And what would that be?"

She shivered despite wearing her coat. "One day, I was sitting on a bench, and out of nowhere, Sasuke came over to me and complimented my forehead… saying that he liked it… At the time, my forehead was one of the few things I was deeply insecure about… You may never understand how much that meant to me, but it was just what I needed… The thing is… that wasn't Sasuke… it was Naruto."

"Why does it matter who it was that told you?"

"Because Sai… that was the moment I truly fell for… 'Sasuke'…"

Sai nodded, taking this information in. "How unfortunate… So how can I help?"

"I need you to talk to Sasuke-kun for me… I just need to be sure… Ask him what he remembers about… um… Just tell him it was the first time he'd called me 'annoying'. I think he'll understand what you're talking about...

"Can you not ask him yourself, Sakura?"

She shook her head. "It's probably for the best that I don't. There's a rift forming within Team 7, and while you're technically one of its members, you're probably the only one who can do this right now… see, I don't want to make things worse."

Sai nodded. "Right then, wait here."

With that, Sai darted off toward the Uchiha Compound.

Tsunade's grim expression forced an air of uncertainty through the Hokage's Office.

"Are you sure about this, Naruto?"

He nodded. "I am. I think it's probably the best course of action for me at this point."

The Hokage stared down at the approval stamp on her desk. "I won't approve this for you unless you take at least four to five days to think about it."

Naruto scratched the back of his head and forced a smile. "Yeah, sorry for making a request like this out of the blue! But don't worry, I've still got some things to get sorted out before I can even consider moving forward with it…"

Tsunade noticed the crease on his forehead that belied his cheery exterior. "Naruto. Stop that."

The fake smile slowly subsided, shifting to a more neutral expression. "Sorry, it's a bad habit. I've been meaning to kick it, but at times like this… I find it comforting in some kinda twisted way."

"Don't hide your feelings, it's one of the things I did wrong during my life."

Naruto sighed. "Yeah… Ero-Sannin is… also part of the reason I want t-"

Tsunade put her hand up. "No more talk of this. Not until you've had time to think it over, this isn't a decision to be made on a whim."

"Alright… I'll wait until after the celebration, maybe I'll know for sure by then."

Naruto turned and left the office and hopped out of a window in the hallway. Channeling chakra into his palm, he slid down the tower's walls and leapt to the nearest building. He landed, rolled and exploded upwards into the air… and the direction he was moving? Well, it appeared that he was headed toward the Uchiha compound…

"That does sound like something Naruto would've done back then. Besides, I think I'd remember if something like that happened." Sasuke explained.

Sai shuffled. "So you didn't compliment Sakura? She seems quite set on that particular point."

Sasuke shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. To be honest, at that particular moment, very few of my thoughts concerning Sakura were flattering. She made an… ill-conceived comment about Naruto and by extension… me… I took offense."

"Hm, I see." Sai deadpanned.

"Why exactly do you care, Sai? The early days of Team 7 are nothing to be jealous of. We were about as dysfunctional as you could get."

Sai looked off to the side. "Sorry to be deceptive, but Sakura was the one that put me up to this."

Sasuke raised his eyebrow. "Sakura? She couldn't have asked me herself?"

"Sadly, no… As of today, your team-dynamics have become… precarious. Yesterday, Naruto confessed to Sakura and she rejected them… at least that's what she's led me to believe."

Sasuke's brow furrowed. "… How is he?"

"I haven't seen him for some time, today is the first I've heard of it actually."

There was a long pause as Sasuke stared out the window. "Should we… talk… to him about it?"

Sai smiled, awkwardly. "Sasuke-san, I don't believe that we are emotionally equipped to deal with matters like this."

The last Uchiha sighed. "… You're probably right."

Just then, a wolf-whistle echoed through the streets of the empty compound. Only Naruto had the audacity would make such a noise racket outside the final resting place of the Uchiha Clan.

"Hn. Perhaps he's come to talk to us. Follow me Sai."

They leapt from the window and climbed onto the roofs to make their way toward the gate of the compound. Sasuke never really felt bothered to unlock the security seals installed in the gates and outer walls, it kept out most critters, and cut down on unnecessary visitors… Two things that Sasuke couldn't be bothered with…

After a final chakra-enhanced leap, Sasuke skidded in the dirt road directly behind the gate, with Sai close behind. After coming to a stop they walked over to the Uchiha Compound's entrance. Naruto stood there, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Hey man, when're you gonna unlock the security seals on this damn gate? It's really annoying that I have to wait for you to come all the way over here just to come in… oh, hey Sai! What're you doing here?"

The palest of the young men replied. "I'm here to speak with Sasuke about love."

Naruto's expression was neutral, if not a bit slack-jawed from confusion. "Uh... right. Love... and Sasuke. Great combo."

"... Coincidentally, our conversation concerns you as well." Sai added on, his smile awkward and robotic.

The blonde's expression became even more confused. "What? Nah, I'm good. I'd prefer to talk about something other than love right now."

Sai's expression remained blank, though Sasuke groaned and placed his hand on the gate for a moment. There was a pause and it creaked open, just enough for Naruto to slip through the opening.

The Uchiha turned and motioned for Naruto to follow. "So you finally told her?"

Naruto grimaced. "What'd I just say abou-... Wait, did word get out that fast?"

Sasuke motioned for Naruto to come in. "No… I have sources. So how'd it go?"

The orange-clad shinobi stopped in his tracks. "Not well… I may have made a mistake..."

There was a tense pause as Sai and Sasuke stared at Naruto, whose gaze was focused on the ground directly in front of him. Sai took the opportunity to return to Sakura with Sasuke's answer.

"Well, I've acquired the information I needed, so it's best that I take my leave. Best of luck Naruto, Sasuke."

Sai turned and made his way toward the gate, leaving the other two standing in the middle of the dirt road.

"So, what happened when you went to see her, Naruto?"

The blonde stuffed his hands in his pockets. "What happened... Well she didn't say she felt the same way so... Ugh... there's not much to talk about at this point. I actually came here to ask you something."

Sasuke sat on a bench outside an empty storefront. "And what would that be?"

"… How do you let go of something you love?"

Sasuke's eyebrows jumped upward a bit in surprise. He then crossed his arms, having been reminded of his own losses over the course of his journey.

"The hardest thing I ever had to do was move out of this compound after the massacre. Sandaime said that I'd destroy myself clinging to ghosts of the past… he was right. In spite of the painful memories associated with this place, it was the only home I ever knew so naturally I wanted to stay here. Ironically, now I'm trapped here with those ghosts when all I want is to move forward."

Naruto nodded. "So how can I apply that to my situation?"

The last Uchiha paused for a moment.

"Perspective… Distance… and Time... Accumulate them, then you'll be able to let go... As much as it hurts, figure out what about Sakura is hurting you most and understand it as deeply as possible. Only then, can you get hold of those three things."

The following week, Konoha found itself in a state of jubilance. The war had taken its toll on the ninja population of the village, so the Hokage postponed any official celebrations of the war's end until the people of Konoha were done with their various funeral ceremonies.

The party was held in the atrium of Konoha City Hall, with all of the best restaurants in the entire village catering for the event. Sakura wasn't too interested in attending given what had been happening to her over the past few weeks, but she eventually caved after Ino pestered her enough to make an appearance.

There was a smaller party room in the City Hall that Tsunade had reserved for people in her inner circle, along with various foreign dignitaries who happened to be in the village at the time. Naturally, this mean that the party had gradually broken down into various cliques, Sakura and Ino had arrived about 15 minutes late, due in part to Ino's refusal to allow her out of the house without looking her absolute best.

They walked into the private room and were met with a peculiar sight. The were various circles of people chatting, but one group in particular appeared to contain a supermajority of the guests in the room… and off in the corner, she was met with the sight of Sasuke sitting alone at a table off in the corner, he was absentmindedly pushing food around on his plate.

"Huh. I didn't think Sasuke-kun would be here tonight."

Ino, distracted by the large crowd was snapped from her curious thoughts. "Is he? … Oh, there he is. Well, knock yourself out forehead, I gotta see what's going on over there."

Paying the large crowd no mind, Sakura left Ino and made her way toward Sasuke, who didn't seem to notice her approaching. She was about to tap him on the shoulder when his voice startled her.

"Sakura."

She jumped. "O-Oh! I didn't think you noticed me!"

Sasuke looked up at her and stared, his expression blank; there was an awkward pause. "You can sit down if you want."

Sakura smiled a tiny bit and slid out the chair nearest to the last Uchiha. "Thank you… I… didn't expect to see you here tonight…"

Sasuke stopped playing with his food and smirked over toward the crowd of people on the opposite end of the room.

He almost chuckled… almost. "Hn… Niether did I…"

Sakura smiled a tiny bit, but was unsure how to react to an overtly positive expression of emotion from her (usually brooding) teammate. However, her surprise turned to dread when that all-too-familiar pattern reared its head.

"Naruto convinced me to come here tonight... He means well, but I don't think he fully understands how everyone else sees me now."

Sakura's expression went grim. "Naruto's here?"

Sasuke nodded and pointed his chopsticks toward the crowd of people on the opposite end of the room.

"He was over here a few minutes ago, but the Daimyo's daughter wanted to meet him. It's probably why that crowd's formed. I bet he's telling them about how he vanquished the 'Crazy Uchiha' and saved the world from me."

She frowned at the tablecloth and looked at Sasuke inquisitively. "He says that?"

Sasuke's smirk disappeared. "No, that's what everyone else calls me when they think I'm not listening… You see, it's well known that Naruto and I fought at the end of the war, and that if I'd won… things would be a mess…"

"Are you alright, Sasuke-kun?"

"About as 'alright' as anyone could be in my position, but I'll take what I can get… since the alternative was being executed."

There was another pause, with Sakura unable to figure out how to brighten Sasuke's demeanor, and it wasn't like she could go get Naruto to come help… That wasn't a good idea… not anymore…

"Sakura."

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Go have fun, you shouldn't feel obligated to keep me company all night… Maybe you can even patch things up with Naruto before he… No… You should hear it from him."

Sakura's shoulders sunk. "So Sai told you the whole story?"

"More or less, though… I'm curious, Sakura. Why haven't you fallen for Naruto?"

Her posture retreated inward and she looked down into her lap. "I-It's complicated… but I think I have an idea why."

Sasuke, staring absentmindedly at the crowd waited for her to elaborate. That elaboration never came.

"… Well?"

Sakura abruptly stood up from her seat. "I-I'm a touch hungry, I'll be right back."

Sasuke's eyes swiveled toward his teammate; she wouldn't look at him as she awkwardly shuffled around him to go to the buffet table. Once Sakura arrived at her destination, she grabbed a plate, but instead of selecting her dishes, she stared down at the spread of food, frozen in time.

She was snapped from her thoughts by needlessly polite voice. Sai's.

"Avoiding Naruto?"

Sakura looked down at her empty plate. "You're half right... Right now, even Sasuke-kun is questioning my feelings, along with everyone else…"

Sai shuffled around Sakura and filled his cup with some punch. "Does that include yourself as well?"

Sakura growled at the insinuation and reflexively clenched her hands, causing her steel tray to groan as it crumpled beneath her fingers.

"Shut it, Sai."

The Hokage's apprentice took a few deep breaths to calm her temper. "I'm sorry… Coming here was a mistake, I should just go back home."

Sai took a small step backward. "That's your choice, but I'll be honest with you… I don't think that's a good idea. You'll have to face your situation at some point, Sakura."

Sakura's posture dipped and she dropped the destroyed tray in a nearby garbage can.

"I guess I should follow up with him then..." She whispered.

Sai nodded, straightening his bowtie. "I believe that is the correct course of action. Good luck, Sakura."

The pale shinobi took his plate of food and sat down with some of Shizune's interns who were chatting at a table. This left Sakura alone at the buffet table, she looked over toward Sasuke, who was still staring absentmindedly at his plate, she then looked toward the crowd and moved toward it.

As she approached, she could hear Naruto's voice pierce through the gossiping crowd. He was telling them about the time that he vandalized the Hokage monument, and the crowd was eating it up… especially the Daimyo's daughter, who was firmly latched on to Naruto's arm. Clad in an ornate pink and silver kimono, with chestnut hair and green eyes, she made everyone else within a few feet of her look plain by comparison. He had everyone laughing and carrying on, but in that sea of laughter, Sakura stood… with her grim expression.

As if he had a sixth sense, Naruto appeared to feel her gaze. He turned and locked eyes with Sakura, his smile slowly faded away as they stared at each other. A moment later, Naruto transitioned back into relaying the tale of his greatest prank, with his (now fake, she could tell) smile returning to his face.

Sakura sighed and slipped away, returning to sit with Sasuke.

Sasuke popped the remains of a rice ball into his mouth as Sakura sat down.

"Couldn't get a hold of him, could you?"

"No I… I don't know if I should… Naruto's become a lot more popular than I realized, and he seems like he's having a good time. I'm probably the last person he wants to see right now…"

"You haven't picked up on that yet? Apparently, powerful men from all over the world are tossing their daughters at Naruto to see who sticks, our current daimyo included… Just before my probationary meeting, I overheard the Hokage talking about all the letters they get concerning who his fiancé will bee… funny… it used to be me in that position… How times change..."

Sakura felt taken aback by the melancholy in Sasuke's voice. "I see… You know, you're a lot more forthcoming than usual, Sasuke-kun... I appreciate you opening up."

Sasuke shrugged. "It's the least I can do… Besides, I've had a lot of time to think. I sometimes wonder… if I'd known where my path would take me… No. It doesn't matter anymore."

The Uchiha glared at the bottle of sake before jamming the cork back into it, Sakura noticed this and quipped.

"So that was the sake talking?"

He shrugged again. "It tastes terrible, but I suppose it lets me speak my mind more easily…"

Sasuke trailed off, looking toward the entrance to the party-room. There was a long silence before he rose to his feet.

"My curfew's about to hit, so I'm gonna head back before they lengthen my sentence."

Sakura stood up as well. "I can walk back with you… um… if you want."

Sasuke raised his hand in a placating manner. "Thanks, but I'd prefer to be alone with my thoughts tonight… Besides…"

He trailed off, gesturing to the crowd that Naruto was recounting his greatest adventures.

"You should talk to him at the first opportunity. If you don't, you'll regret it… for a long time."

Sasuke gave a small nod and turned to head for the door, leaving Sakura standing by herself at the table. Sasuke was right, it'd be like tearing of a band-aid or pulling teeth, but it needed to happen. That and the ominous nature of Sasuke's language concerning Naruto gave her a newfound sense of urgency, one that outweighed her apprehension toward her blonde teammate.

Sakura sat back down at her table and filtered her hearing to where she could pick up bits and pieces of Naruto's story. From what she could gather, he was talking about the time she had to physically pump his heart just to keep him alive. She too thought back to the moment, considering just how wrong everything could have gone if she hadn't acted as swiftly as she did.

As time ticked on, Sakura looked toward the clock and groaned. The venue wouldn't close for another two hours, meaning that her chance to clear the air with Naruto wouldn't come for a while. She tried to rationalize this as a positive, since she now had time to think about what she'd say. However... as time went on that task began to feel more and more insurmountable.

The next thing she knew the ambient music went silent and the guests were filing out of the party room. Sakura shot out of her seat, looking for Naruto. She couldn't spot him anywhere in the room, so she hiked her kimono up and leapt over the dance-floor, landing at the window. She quickly picked out Naruto among the crowd, he was using henge to get by unnoticed, but she could tell from his distinct gait that it was him.

Sakura ripped the pad lock off of the latch and slid the window open. Sparing no care toward her poor attire for the task, Sakura leapt down to the nearest rooftop. Much like Naruto had done for her days prior, she tailed him until they could talk without making a scene or otherwise embarrassing each other. Naruto walked at a leisurely pace, as if he were taking in his surroundings. He looked nostalgic, if not, slightly remorseful. Curiously, his route wasn't taking him toward his apartment, but nevertheless, Sakura followed him through the streets.

By the time he was truly alone, Naruto was in Konoha Park. He stopped at the lake and stared down at the moon reflecting off of the surface.

"Hey, Sakura-chan."

The girl was just close enough to hear his voice, so she stepped out from her hiding spot.

"How'd you know I was-?"

Naruto didn't turn around. "Your perfume."

She appeared skittish, only coming within about ten feet of her teammate. "I… I wanted to talk to you about a few things, Naruto."

Naruto still kept his attention on the water. "I figured as much. I did kind of drop a bunch on you at once so… Go ahead."

"I wanted to thank you, for what you said to me that day. Up until that point, I was… extremely self-conscious about my forehead. It truly meant a lot."

Naruto smiled a tiny bit. "I know, back at the academy, everyone used to tease you about it so I figured… I'd compliment it."

Sakura nervously clenched her fist.

"And I'll always be grateful to you for what you said, deception aside... But I've given it some thought and in the months following that day… I came see Sasuke as he was. The pain he suffered, while I couldn't truly understand it… I still realized its hold over his life. I hoped that one day, he could let go of his hatred and maybe find happiness, but he can't. He's surrounded by people here in Konoha, but he seems so beaten-down… lonely. If I can ease his pain, even just a little, then It's what I have to do. Naruto… I'm sorry, I don't know what's wrong with me, but I'm just… stuck. I love him, and I won't string you on knowing that I can't give you the kind of affection that you deserve. I… for all intents and purposes… I should love you... I do love you, but just… not like that… I… I'm sorry…"

Sakura trailed off, waiting for Naruto to respond. His gaze still appeared to be locked on the moon's reflection in the water. There was a short pause before he finally replied, though it wasn't what Sakura expected to hear.

"I know."

There was a pause, but no follow-up to Naruto's terse response came. His tone was succinct and neutral, as if he didn't care.

Sakura took this as a cue that Naruto was angry with her. "I… I see. I'll… I'll leave you be."

Naruto picked up on the pain in her voice. "Don't go if you still have more to say, leave it all on the table."

She stopped walking away and shuffled closer to Naruto than she had been previously.

"W-Well, I have one more thing to ask of you, but now's not really appropriate... given what I've said..."

Naruto appeared to tense up for a moment when she'd said that, and there was a long pause, with Sakura waiting for his spoke, but again it was not what she expected to hear.

"I'm afraid we can't… not for a short while at least, Sakura-chan..."

Sakura sputtered, and choked on her words, obviously worried about his answer. "B-But you haven't even heard what I'm going to ask!"

Naruto turned and looked at her, his expression was a mixture of pensive melancholy; it stopped Sakura in her tracks.

"I know what you want to say, Sakura-chan… But, ask your question anyway..."

Her shoulders dipped as she weakly pushed out her inquiry. "I just… wanted to know if we could still be friends... "

Naruto nodded, giving Sakura a jolt of hope, but it all came crashing down the moment he spoke.

"I was right then… Sakura-chan, we'll always be friends … but I… need some time."

Sakura nervously clenched her fists. "Naruto? What're you trying to say?"

"Sakura-chan… I think it'd be for the best if we… didn't see each other for a while."

Sakura's eyes immediately filled with tears. "Oh… I… I d-didn't mean for things to… I'm always hurting you and I-! … I j-just… Please don't leave me agai-…"

She cut herself off. It was that word; 'again'… but Naruto had never left her before… not without fully intending to return... However, as far as Sakura was concerned, this was a second unceremonious departure. It finally dawned on him... the irony of it all. Naruto eventually worked up the courage to look at Sakura and saw that she was crouched down, clutching her head. Naruto silently cursed his feelings for the girl before him and walked over to her, pulling her upward by her shoulders, so that he could see her face.

He took one of the orange ribbons tying his sleeve to his wrist and used it as a temporary handkerchief. He nudged Sakura's head upward so that he could wipe her eyes. As her vision cleared, she could once more see the expression on his face. It was a wounded look of longing. Once Naruto had stopped her mascara from running, he pulled her in firmly and kissed her on the forehead. Sakura inhaled sharply at the warmth of his lips and the reassurance of his embrace, and for an instant, the pain was gone-as if it were never there to begin with. Her heart started to race, and she felt powerless beneath the pressure of his arms, but in that helplessness, she found a sense of belonging. In no time at all, Sakura shut her eyes and gave in, burying her head into Naruto's chest.

For a moment, everything was right in the world, but only for a moment…

Sakura looked upward into Naruto's eyes, and Naruto stared back, his eyes were hopeful, but as they stared at each other, the hope in Naruto's eyes faded into nothingness. Sakura could feel his grip on her loosen, and before she could say anything, Naruto was gone… in the time it took her to blink.

He disappeared so quickly that she could still feel the warmth of his arms… like a phantom pain. Looking down at her wrist, she could see that at some point, Naruto had placed the ribbon in her hand. She stared down at it, and slowly, but surely, she could feel the gradual return of the raw, soul-piercing dread that had overtaken her just moments ago. She tried to wipe her eyes with the ribbon, but it no longer worked.

Now the tears came full force as Sakura sobbed quietly.

Her body, as if on autopilot, carried her through the dark streets of Konoha. Though she was blinded by tears, she eventually found herself walking to the very bench that Sasuke had left her on all those years ago.

She stumbled before she could sit down down, but instead of getting up, she merely rested her head on the cold wood.

Then... for the first time in five years… Sakura cried herself to sleep.

It had now been 5 days since Sakura had last seen Naruto, so when she received a summon for Team 7 to convene at the tower, she was a bit apprehensive to say the least.

Equal parts dreading the thought of seeing Naruto again, but also hoping she could apologize for losing her cool; Sakura was in a conflicted state of limbo. However, given that they were still part of Team 7, they could patch things up while she was thinking clearly. Putting her ninja-gear on, Sakura left her house and made a beeline for the Tower. She arrived in the lobby without even greeting the receptionist and made her way toward the elevator. She tapped the up button rapidly, increasing her frequency, as she grew more and more impatient.

Impatience turned to frustration and Sakura's final press had completely caved in the entire panel, causing it to spark with electricity. She growled and tore up the stairs, nearly trampling several interns on the way to the Hokage's office. When she finally arrived at the door, she swung it open, tearing two of the three hinges out of the wall.

This startled the Hokage, who was currently filing a report. She looked up at her disheveled student and growled.

"Restraint, Sakura. You have super strength now, don't forget that."

Completely ignoring the Hokage, Sakura looked around the room and sighed, she was the only one there besides the Hokage, so she figured that she was early. Nearly ten minutes of silence had passed with no new arrivals, prompting Sakura to inquire as to what was wrong.

"Tsunade-sensei?"

"Yes, Sakura?"

She looked around the room once more. "Where is everyone?"

The Hokage sighed and put down her pen. "Kakashi and Sai were more than enough to handle this errand. Just diplomatic business really…"

Sakura placed her hands on her hips. "Then why didn't you say that earlier? D-Did you call Naruto here as well?"

The Hokage's demeanor shifted and the room suddenly felt cold.

"I was waiting for you to calm down… and no, I didn't summon Naruto, I summoned you."

Sakura took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Tsunade-sensei, but I can't do this right now. I really need to see Naruto right now. Something... odd happened between us and I think I need to talk with him about it."

The Hokage stared at Sakura for a few seconds, completely silent. "Why do you keep bringing up... That fool, he didn't tell you..."

"Tell me what? … Tsunade-sensei?"

"Sakura… you should sit down."

The girl mussed her hair and growled, her tone uncharacteristic. "I. Don't. Want to. Where's Naruto?"

Tsunade shut her eyes and took a deep breath. "… He went on personal leave to Mount Myoboku."

Sakura's demeanor shifted. "Oh. Alright then! When will he be back?"

The Hokage spun her chair to look out the window, there was a long pause, which started to worry the young kunoichi.

"The trek to Myoboku takes six months, Sakura."

Sakura tried to twist the Hokage's words to imply something more palatable. "… S-So he'll be back early next year? H-he won't be gone… that long?"

"No, my dear… I'm sorry but… Naruto won't be back for two years."

AN: Well that was painful to write, but no pain no gain. Anyway, leave a review and tell me what you think. Should Naruto leave a sealed letter for Sakura, or do you think he's said enough? Also, let me know if you think I'm writing Sakura in a (not necessarily likeable) logical way. I want this to feel as canon-compliant as possible, and by that I mean that I want everything to feel like a logical course of action for each given character. Gimme your thoughts.

~ Twisted Takes