Disclaimer: I still do not own Naruto.

Chapter 13: I will always protect you

"What?" Sakura could not believe what she was hearing from Naruto. "He has found a true love?" Sakura was sitting on her bed with Naruto beside her. She thought that he was there to cheer her up, but instead he tells her this. She is now more depressed than ever.

"Do... Do I know her?" Sakura said with a doubtful tone in her voice. She wasn't so sure if she wanted to know who this girl was that captured her true love's heart.

"Yes!" Naruto said with a stupid grin on his face.

"Stop smiling like that! You're acting like I'm happy to hear this. I'm not happy. Thanks to you I'm even more miserable. You know what, just go. Leave." Sakura ordered Naruto to leave her room.

"But I haven't said who the girl is yet." Naruto had a confused look on his face.

Before he could say anything else she pushed him out of her room and locked herself in. "Sakura? Sakura open this door. I have to tell you her name. Sakura?" Naruto was knocking on her bedroom door. He heard a window opening. He realised that she was going to get away by jumping out of the window. "Wait Sakura! It's you! He loves you!"

It was too late. Sakura had already jumped and she didn't hear him say that Sasuke's true love was none other than herself. She wandered around without knowing where she was going. All of a sudden she found herself at the place where the festival was supposed to be held.

She looked around. There was nobody there, but the lights were still on. It was such a romantic sight with all the lanterns and the decorations. The last place she wanted to be was a romantic one. She turned around and started to walk to another location, but she stopped. Sasuke was standing in front of her. She looked at him.

"Naruto told me that you had run away." He stared into her green eyes.

"Leave me alone." She turned around again.

"No wait." He grabbed her arm. "I have to tell you something."

"Just go away! I don't want to know who she is. I just..." She paused. "I just want to forget about you." She started sobbing.

"I don't want you in my heart anymore. It's hopeless, you and me. Why can't I just move on?" She stared at the ground.

"You don't have to." He turned her around. She was now looking at his feet. She didn't want to look into his eyes. It would only make her cry even more.

"Stop it Sasuke. Don't say that you care for me and afterwards you take it back and say that you felt sorry for me. I don't want you to feel sorry for me!" She looked up and gazed into his eyes. She was getting angry. She broke free from his grip. "You're just going to leave me again like you always do!" She let her tears run free without looking away from his eyes.

Sasuke grabbed her again. He pulled her close and placed one hand behind her head. He kissed her. Sakura wanted to pull away, but Sasuke prevented her from doing so. Eventually Sakura stopped resisting and wrapped her arms around him.

She didn't want this moment to end. She didn't want this feeling to go away again. She didn't want him to leave.

He didn't want to let go. He wanted to stay with her forever. He wanted her. He loved her with all his heart.

They stopped and gazed into each other eyes. Sakura still had tears in hers. Sasuke wanted to know if she would allow him into her heart again. She placed her hand on his chest and slowly pushed him away. That was the most painful thing that Sakura ever did to him. He grabbed her hand and removed it from his chest. He held onto to it, he didn't want to let go.

"Don't..."

"Sakura..."

She placed one finger on his lips. "Don't, Sasuke..." She walked away.

Sasuke could not let her just walk out of his life. He could not bare the thought. "Sakura, I love you!"

She stopped. Her eyes widened.

"You know it's true! Otherwise the cursed seal would never have disappeared." He paused and sighed. "At first I was scared to tell you about my feelings for you. I was afraid that something bad would happen to you. My enemies could kidnap you or hold you hostage or even kill you. And I wouldn't be able to stop them, just like I couldn't stop my family from being assassinated. But all this time when I was gone, those lonesome nights made me realise something..."

He stared at her back hoping that she would turn around and walk back to him. But she didn't. She just stood there. "I realised that I can't live without you."

Sakura's heart began to beat faster. She could not comprehend the words he was saying to her. She could not believe that he was truly saying that. All these years she could only dream about this moment. And yet she is just standing there, doing nothing, saying nothing. She is not even looking at him. She couldn't.

"I shouldn't worry about the bad things that could happen to you if we were to be a couple, because they will never happen. I'll never leave you. I will always protect you, Sakura. I love you." He said to her with an almost pleading voice.

Sakura had never heard him say to her that he loved her. She finally turned around. She looked into his eyes and saw that he was telling the truth. She smiled, still with watery eyes. He smiled back at her. Knowing that it was at long last over. They could finally be together.

He started walking towards her. She started walking towards him. They began to run. It looked like they were a hundred miles apart.

Sakura jumped into his arms. Crying her heart out. Sasuke held her so tight. He loved her. They would always be together, no matter what. She felt so safe in his arms.

"I promise you Sakura, I will always protect you." He whispered into her ear.

"No..." She gazed at him. "Promise me that you will always love me."

He smiled. "I promise."

They kissed.

The End!

Author's note: That's the end people! I hope you liked my story, just as much as I liked writing it. Tell me what you think. Greetszzzzzz.