Three Years Ago...

He stood trembling as the rain beat down upon him. His shirt, soaked and heavy with rain, clung to his torso and his usually spiky hair was beaten down flat by the water. It had even managed to so thoroughly seep into the fibers of his denim jeans that they barely managed to cling onto his hips.

Not five feet away, Sakura stared sullenly at the boy. An umbrella lay near her feet where it had fallen just moments before. Unlike him, she was only damp but the cold had already percolated into her bones. But then, there was also the heaviness that spread from her chest to the rest of her body. The weariness in her eyes matched the lassitude that he exuded.

He gazed down at the umbrella, recalling how it had dropped. The way her hands had gone limp with surprise, how her eyes had widened then settled into a look of pity. And finally that look of pleading, begging for forgiveness; apologetic, torn. Moisture now flooded the corners of his eyes, and he knew that if he didn't do something, he would cry.

"Naruto" Sakura whispered, reaching for him in a feeble attempt to offer him comfort.

"No," he spat out, the tone of his voice affirmed and deliberate. Sakura pulled her hand back, almost in fear. She did not recognize this tone of his.

"No," he repeated as he turned back to face her. "I won't apologize for my feelings."

"Naruto, I didn't ask you to-"

"It's all the same," he cut her off. "You still want him, even now. It makes no difference what he's done and who he hurts, you'll still want him, won't you?" Even as he had uttered the words, Naruto knew that they did not come from anger.

Sakura turned away, mortified.

"It's not fair," she said. "Not you, not me...not him. None of it is fair."

Naruto felt the weight of her statement saturate his body. I know I'm not being fair, he thought remorsefully.

That was the funny thing about anger, pain, and the overpowering nature of bitterness; it wasn't about being fair or right, it was about being tactless and self-involved, and even cruel.

"I'm being selfish, aren't I?" he said after a pause. He monitored her for some sort of a reaction, but her back was turned to him and she had barely moved. Perhaps the rain had drowned his words.

"I wanted it to be you," she said.

His eyes widened in surprise. "Saku-"

"I really wanted it to be you," she said, now facing him. "I -It's just...you see, I've come to respect and admire you so much...so it would only be natural if..." She stopped suddenly, realizing just how painful those words were spoken out loud. It wasn't like hearing them resonate in your mind. Out loud, the words took on a whole new feeling.

"If you loved me back," he finished for her. Sakura answered with silence. She could not bring herself to look at him.

"It's easier when the person you care for, cares for you too, isn't it?" he said as a realization finally registered inside him, offering him little comfort. "I think I'm finally starting to understand. You and I. We are the same."

Sakura looked up at him, her pale green eyes gleaming with wonder.

He chuckled solemnly. "We both long for someone we can't have. We wanna be wanted and think that maybe if we could just find it in ourselves to love back the person that is within our reach, then maybe—"

Sakura laughed. It was a throaty ironic laugh, though it did not mask the distress in her heart.

"We are so hopeless, aren't we?" she said, managing to find some humor in their predicament.

"Yeah," Naruto replied as a grin sought refuge on his lips.

Already, he could feel the weight begin to lift from his heart. It impressed him how her mere presence could bring him both distress and comfort. She will never love me, he thought inwardly. It was a realization that had arrived much too late for him. He could no longer remember the one finite moment that he had come to love her. His infatuation was easy to pinpoint, but love? That moment was forever lost to time.

Comprehending the hopelessness of his situation, he felt all the more compelled to hold her. Perhaps it was because he felt a moment like this one would never come again; a moment where both their hearts were so completely exposed to one another. Even though she'll never love me.

"I do have one request," Naruto said in a near whisper. His voice was thick and even.

"Hm?" Sakura's train of thought was still lost in the previous moment. So, when Naruto took both her hands in his, she did not grasp his new momentum, nor did she have enough time to be overcome with bewilderment. Under normal circumstances, she would have pushed him away or hit him, but the moment was so unexpected that Naruto could only figure that perhaps she just didn't see it coming. Regardless he would not be deterred. He imagined that she would most likely body slam him and invoke some serious physical harm afterwards, but for now he was determined to act upon his instincts.

Pulling her close, Naruto leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her. He immersed himself in the kissed, riveted by the sensations that pummeled inside him as he brushed his lips to hers. As expected, Sakura did not respond. She had tensed as soon as their lips had made contact, though she had not bothered to pull away. Despite his own misgivings, Naruto pulled Sakura into a tighter embrace. Feeling braver, he added more pressure against her lips, allowing himself to taste her. Sakura began to go limp in his embrace, and to his surprise she began to taste back, her lips moving tentatively with his own.

It was with much hesitation that he finally pulled away. Their eyes met and he blinked, surprised at her inaction. Her cheeks were colored and he knew that his were as well. He had longed to kiss her for some time now, though he had never quite anticipated the warmth that spread inside him.

"This doesn't change anything...you know that, right?" Sakura said, breaking the intensity of the moment. Her face was still reddened from their close encounter.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I know it.

Realizing that they were still locked in an intimate embrace, Sakura moved to pull away.

"I still haven't made my request," Naruto said, making no motions to release her.

"Eh?" She felt her face grow redder the longer he held her.

Leaning into her ear he whispered...

~X~

The Present...

"What are you thinking?" Sakura asked, intruding into his thoughts. They had finally returned inside the village walls. Low lights illuminated the empty streets and somewhere under the blanket of shadows, crickets chirped and crackled their night song.

"Huh?" Naruto turned to her, his eyes heavy as if startled from a dream. He felt an inkling of dread overcome him as he glimpsed into his future. A man revered by all and held to an esteemed status, but always heavy in heart. Always longing. A fabricated future, yes, but it remained no less real than truth to him.

"You had such an odd expression on your face. What were you thinking about just now?"

Naruto smiled as the dread slowly dissipated from his chest. "I was just remembering a promise."

"Oh." Her brows twisted to expose the baffled curiosity that overtook her, but he offered no more explanations. They continued on in silence, their footsteps drowned by the crickets' song, but it was still not sufficient enough to drown out those words whispered long ago.

"Someday, when this war has ended, give me back this kiss. Promise me this much."

Perhaps it'll finally free me from you, he thought. And then, maybe we can both find some peace.