Hello! Thank you for all the reviews. I appreciate them greatly. I've tried to follow your useful advice. Long notes come with long chapters. There are some things I want to say.

They may seem OOC, but it is important to remember that they are 17, not 12. They have all matured immensely, especially Naruto. He is still very energetic and lively though. Shikamaru is more responsible and open, but still lazy. Sakura has matured greatly as well. She is much stronger mentally and acts her age.

I am trying as hard as I can to keep them in character though. Also, Kakashi's relationship with Naruto is much stronger here. Neji is very kind, as he is in the series now. Alright! Also, there will be only mild SasuSaku, but it is NaruSaku all the way. With that being said, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 2

He led Sakura to the infamous bridge, where team 7 used to constantly gather. The wind had begun to blow soothingly and petals from the trees swayed angelically around them. Butterflies were flying above the glittering river. It was a very harmonic setting. The pleasant atmosphere gave him a small amount of courage. He released his soft grasp from her wrist and stared at her amazing eyes. She looked at him, puzzled. Her green dress fluttered lovingly. She was obviously off-duty.

"Naruto, is there something wrong?" She asked, concerned. Naruto responded by shaking his head.

"No, I just wanted to talk to you, that's all." He replied, smiling widely. She returned the smile, her eyes reflecting the world.

"You were acting really strangely back there." She said with an uncertain tone. Naruto gulped and felt nervous again. He lauged awkwardly, evading the comment slyly. The sky was burning brightly. It was like a divine flame.

"Look, it's so beautiful." She commented, turning her attention to the precious sight before her. Naruto did the same and again, he immediatly forgot about all the tension in his heart. He turned to look at Sakura, who was wathching the glorious sky with wide eyes. Her face was lit up by the glowing heavens. She looked so beautiful.. He decided to ask her now.

"Sakura-chan.." He whispered, tenderly. She calmly turned to face him.

"What is it, Naruto?" She questioned.

"There is something I want to tell you.." He began slowly, for he did not want to startle her.

"You see, Sakura, after these past five years, you and I have grown to be good friends. Well, so have my feelings for you.." He looked at her, seriously, yet kindly. She smiled weakly, before averting her gaze to the dusty ground.

"Naruto, I want to thank you for all you have done for me." She paused, preparing herself for what she was going to say.

"But I can't return your feelings because I am uncertain." She stopped and shifted her gaze to Naruto's face. Her eyes were sparkling. There was a strong emotion behind them.

"It's Sasuke, right?" He asked, strongly. She could only nod. Naruto was a fool to believe that she did not have feelings for him. In the end, Sasuke had always remained in her heart, no matter how coldly he treated her.

'I knew it..' Sakura noticed the hurt gathering in him. She had to finish her sentence.

"Naruto, I am uncertain, because I care for him, but I also care deeply for someone else." She admitted, suddenly. His eyes widened and emerald met sapphire.

'Could it be?'

"You mean?" He could not terminate his question, for he was so surprised.

"I mean you, silly." She answered, warmly. Naruto could not believe it. She had some feelings for him and they were indeed sincere. He smiled happily as he softly placed his hand over hers. They were so tender. Her eyes were wide. They faced each other now, the butterflies hovering around them.

"Sakura, I want you to know that you will always been in my heart." She was deeply touched and she could feel her heart dance with joy and gratitude. However, she could not return those words yet. She raised her hand to lovingly stroke his cheek.

"I think I need some time to clarify my feelings." She whispered as she rested her hand on his strong neck, tickling it gently. Naruto looked slightly disappointed. She felt guilty again. He had changed so much and she had not.

"I am sorry, Naruto. I always let you down." She muttered, softly.

"That is not true." Naruto said, loudly. He placed his hand on her back. "I understand how difficult things are for you. If you need time, I will wait.." He told her, sincerely. She smiled and removed her slim hand.

"You have always been so kind to me, no matter how I treated you." She embraced him dearly. "Thank you.."

Naruto watched her gradually disappear behind the flowing trees. He felt like he had managed to formulate himself well. He understood completely. She was in a complicated sitution. It is hard to clarify where your true feelings lie, but she was worth waiting for. He only wanted her to be happy. If she chose Sasuke to be happy, he would respect that.

As Sakura walked solemnly along the carpet of petals, her mind was drowned with thoughts. She had loved Sasuke since she was twelve, but after he had abandoned the village and she had chosen to follow Tsunade, her feelings for him had diminished. She had become strong and independent. She still yearned for his return, but her friendship with Naruto had strengthened immensely.

She had learned to admire him and had finally realized the the greatness within him. The kindness he showered her with was unbelievable. She understood that she was very lucky to have him. Soon, she discovered that she had feelings for him and they grew slowly, but surely.

When Sasuke returned, it was like a punch in the face. She was reminded of her love for him and she still had feelings for Naruto. She had unexpectedly become stuck, stuck between the sun and the moon. Naruto and Sasuke. She looked up and her jade eyes met the heavens. The flame had died in the sky and bright stars were being born.

Naruto followed his heart and it brought him to a very special place. It brought back fond memories. He was only a mere genin then, constantly executing mild vandalism. He had changed so much since then. Here, he had learned the importance of friendship and what it meant to be a hero. As he expected, a man stood by the memorial. He was staring at the glistening stone, paying his respects to his fallen comrades. His silver hair was swaying in the wind. He turned his head slightly so Naruto could see his penetrating eye, which was as black as the night.

"Kakashi-sensei." He greeted, warmly. He approached him and stood by his side. Kakashi's eye closed happily, indicating that he was smiling.

"Hey, Naruto.." He whispered as his gaze glided back to the stone.

"How have you been?" Kakashi asked, softly. Naruto smiled widely.

"I have been fine. Missions have been pretty steady. Also, Shikamaru and I have been teamed up often and he is so fun to be with!" He told him, eagerly. "Although, he can be rather lazy sometimes." He added. Kakashi silently listened to his former student, nodding once in a while as Naruto told him enthusiastically about what he had experienced recently.

"How about you? It's been a while since I last saw you." Naruto asked him suddenly, his smile never vanishing from his face..

"Ah, my last mission was exhausting. I miss teaching you guys." He said while studying Naruto's hight. He was surprisingly nearly as tall as him.

"Oh, so you can relax and read that perverted book of yours?" Naruto questioned, snickering.

"That's not the ooonly reason." Kakashi inquired, giving Naruto a mild glare. Naruto laughed. The grass was like a calm wave, blowing gracefully in the soft wind. The sharp light from the moon bathed them.

'I'll ask him now..' He looked at Kakashi's face. It appeared he had grown quite serious, for his eye was as sharp as a blade.

"I was hoping I would find you here. There was something I wanted to ask you.." Naruto said, strongly.

"Sure, what is it?" He asked, calmly.

"Well, I need some advice on girls." He said, timidly. Kakashi gently raised his head up and began to laugh cooly, which took Naruto by surprise.

"Hey, hey, Why are you laughing?" Naruto asked, stupified.

"I think you are asking the wrong guy." Kakashi said, sincerely.

"But, you have lived longer then me. You probably know everything about girls. Don't you have a girlfriend?" He questioned, lively. Kakashi's eye regained that serious gleam. He did not answer at once and Naruto noticed that he took it rather gravely.

"Kakashi-sensei?" He asked, uncertain and curious at the same time. Kakashi sighed heavily.

"That was a long time ago. No such person exists for me anymore." He whispered. Naruto noticed how it pained him to tell him this.

"What happened?" He asked, catiously.

"A lot of things.." He muttered, lowly. Kakashi shifted his gaze to Naruto's face. The youth looked extremely concerned.

"Hey, I'll be okay.." He told him, reassuringly. "I aprreciate your concern." He said, smiling slightly. Naruto nodded, his blue eyes shining beautifully.

"So, who's the lucky girl?" He asked, abruptly changing the subject.

"It's Sakura-chan, of course." He said, happily.

"Why am I not surprised." Kakashi commented in his usual tone.

"So, what should I do to win her heart? She still has feelings for Sasuke, but she said she liked me too.." Naruto told him. He also mentioned their previous conversation.

"Hmmm.." Kakashi pondered. "That's good." He added, whilst in deep thought. Naruto waited expectantly.

"If you want to win her heart, Naruto, then treat her nicely, respect her decisions and take care of her. Don't give up on her either.." Naruto digested his words slowly. It was useful advice, as he expected from his teacher.

"Of course I will do that. You know me, I won't give up! I knew you would give me a good answer." Naruto uttered, brightly.

"Give her something too. Girls love that." He added, slyly. He was more relaxed again. Naruto smiled greatly.

"Really?" He asked, energetically. Kakashi nodded slightly. Naruto had lost track of the time, it was already fairly late and his body longed for rest.

"I think I'll go home now." He said, gently.

"Yeah, see you later." He answered, warmly. "Good luck.."

"Kakashi-sensei, thanks for everything! Goodbye." He shouted as he began to run home. He waved enthusiastically and Kakashi could only smile. He focused his attention on the stone again, which consumed the light from the moon.

'Naruto, don't worry..' He thought as the breeze caught his silent tears. The wind sparkled and drifted on. Just like Kakashi would. And he knew Naruto would as well..

The next morning, Naruto woke up early. The sky was wonderful and the sun beams were eagerly poking through his open window. He could hear the birds singing merrily. He felt rather expectant of the new day as he tiredly walked across the room.

The shining mirror reflected a strong, radiant boy, who had grown immensely, both physically and mentally. Tsunade said he reminded her more and more of the fourth, which he actually took as a compliment. He opened his door and energetically ran out.

'First things first.' He thought, confidently. He quickly found himself in front of the flower store. He knew that Sakura adored flowers. Flowers reminded him of her. They were strong, pure and beautiful. He felt kind of awkward going in, but told himself that it was for her..

'Okay, here we go.' He abruptly opened the door. The bell rang enchantingly and he stepped in catiously. He inhaled the wonderful aroma of all the various flowers. All the colours infatuated him. It was as if he was near a rainbow.

"Well, hello there, Naruto." He heard a familiar voice from the other side of the room. He turned around slightly, only to see Ino behind the counter. She had wispy, light hair that cuddled her shoulders. She was slim and tall. She wore a white summer dress. She too was a chuunin, but she was obviously working for the flower shop today. She still had that daring and confident glare. Naruto smiled bashfully.

'I forgot she worked heeere.' He thought, nervously.

"H-hi, Ino." He greeted, uneasily. He felt uncomfortable knowing Ino was curious. She smirked.

"I thought I would never see you in here." She commented.

"Well, then you were wrong." He answered, trying to sound convincing enough. She was amused by his behavior.

'Someone save me!' He thought, desperately. At that moment, the bell rang sweetly and in came a tall, slim boy with dark locks. He had bored eyes, yet they were glowing. He was dressed in his jounin outfit.

"AH! Shikamaru." He shouted. His eyes were wide with surprise. He pointed at his friend. Shikamaru was just as surprised as he was.

"N-Naruto? What are you doing here?" He asked with his usual tone.

"What do you think?" Naruto answered, confidently. "And you're here to see Ino, right?" He whispered, cheekily.

"Uh, yes." He said, unamused. Naruto laughed brightly.

"By the way, I need to borrow you." Naruto said, grabbing Shikamaru by the shirt.

"Sure, what is it?" He asked as he was dragged roughly to a corner where they could talk privately.

"What kind of flowers should I buy for Sakura?" He asked, lively. Shikamaru chuckled warmly.

"So that's why you're here. Well, I would suggest roses, I guess." He said, smiling. He liked Naruto's weird and energetic behavior.

"Roses! Yeah, they symbolize love and stuff." He said, pensively rubbing his chin.

"Hey, I'll take these." He said, smiling widely as he gently grabbed some white roses.

"Naruto, you are so romantic." She teased. Naruto only laughed uneasily, before proceeding to leave. He thanked Shikamaru and waved happily goodbye. They watched him run hurriedly through the bustling village till he was out of sight.

"Hey, Ino." He greeted, smiling warmly.

"Hi. You and Naruto are really cute together." She said, returning the smile eagerly. He approached her calmly, before gently fingering her soft locks. Her eyes were burning.

"You are cute." He complimented her. She giggled slightly. Suddenly, his face was grave.

"Listen, Ino. There was something I wanted to ask you." He admitted, seriously. She nodded, urging him to continue.

"I was wondering, where do I stand?" He asked, slowly. She smiled cunningly.

"I knew you were going to ask me that." She said, taking hold of his hand caringly. He waited patiently for her to answer.

"You are so special. That's why I want to be with you." She whispered, tenderly. Unlike Naruto, Shikamaru did not have to worry, for she had completely lost her feelings for Sasuke. She had come to realize that he was unreachable and had told Shikamaru this frequently. She had literally given up on him. Since they were twelve, Shikamaru and Ino had been together almost everyday. Ino always managed to ease his mind with her unique way when he was tired.

"You do?" He asked, satisfied. She nodded.

"Yes." She could not deny her feelings, for they had grown after all these years. It felt right.

"I want to be with you too." He replied. A soft red colour covered her cheeks. Her blue eyes were bottomless and he could not stop staring at her. He stroked her flawless cheek, before gently pulling her closer to him. Their lips met. He played with her beautiful hair as they kissed each other softly. It was a moment he would treasure dearly..

Naruto ran hastily before noticing a friend he rarely saw in the distance. He willingly decreased his speed and called his name wildly.

"Heeey, Nejiiii!" He shouted. Neji did not have to turn around to understand it was Naruto, his lively comrade. He smiled, before slowly turning around. His long, dark hair flowed gracefully and he wore the chuunin vest proudly.

"Good Morning, Naruto. Long time no see." He greeted, politely. Naruto felt joy flow through his body. Neji noticed the amazing flowers he was carrying.

"Who are those for?" He asked, kindly.

Hope you managed to hold on, for it was really long. Please tell me what you think. I hope I did better this time and that it was not so out of character. This is my first romantic story. Anyway, please review and take care.