Chapter 2 ---- Separation and…

"Do you two come here often?" Sakura asked.

"It's my favorite reading place," Sasuke said holding his book vertically on his lap.

"I just came here to rest," Naruto said. "By the way, what are you reading?" Naruto asked Sasuke.

"This? It's a book about technology," Sasuke answered.

"Technology? Like computers?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah. Things like that. There's a lot more to it," Sasuke said.

"So, you want to be a computer technician or something?" Naruto added.

"No. I don't want to be a computer technician!" Sasuke got angry. Sakura and Naruto looked at each other.

"Sorry. My dad hacks into people's computers all the time," Sasuke said calmly. "So, I'll master technology and do things a lot greater than hacking."

"Good spirit, Sasuke! Give me high five!" Naruto said enthusiastically. "My dad is a police officer. Actually…He's the head of Konoha Police, Naruto said.

"Wow! That's really cool!" Sakura said fascinatedly.

"Are you going to be a police officer, too?" Sasuke asked.

"Heck no! I want to be a soccer player," Naruto said. "The world's best."

"I don't know what I want to be yet," Sakura said.

"Well, that's good, too. You can decided whenever you want to," Naruto said. "Right, Sasuke?"

"Exactly," Sasuke agreed.

-----

The three came to the tree everyday during recess and played together. They talked about each other and hung out outside school. As time passed by, strong bonds were formed among the three and they enjoyed each other's company.

The presence of Sakura was special in the group. She was like the mediator and was always at the neutral position. Naruto's intensity and Sasuke's composition melted harmoniously with Sakura's legerity.

-----

"Heh heh, I look good in this don't I?" Naruto said proudly as he put his hands on his waist showing off his blue yukata. It was the day of Konoha Summer festival.

"Yes, you do, Naruto-kun," Saakura said.

"Sakura-chan, you look pretty," Saasuke said.

"Thanks, Sasuke-kun. I like your yukata, too," Sakura said happily.

"Duh, Sasuke! It's so obvious Sakura's the prettiest girl around here. You don't even have to say," Naruto scoffed.

"She's the prettiest girl in the world, Naruto," Sasuke corrected Naruto.

Sakura laughed. She felt comfortable being with Naruto and Sasuke. Their quarrel was only an entertainment to her. The stars were shining and her chest was filled with anticipation for the bright future.

-----

However, at the end of the year, Sakura found out that her father was to be transferred to another branch of his office, which was in another city far away.

Sakura went to school and told Naruto and Sasuke that she had to move away. Naruto and Sasuke kept silent.

"Sakura…Are you…telling the truth?" Naruto asked.

"Yes," she said.

"My dad was promoted to work in the National Police Office," Naruto said.

Sakura looked at him surprised. She looked at Sasuke.

"I'm not going anywhere..," he said.

Sakura kept silent for a while and they laughed.

"We are so random," she said. "We met randomly and we are separating randomly."

Naruto and Sasuke also laughed. For some reason, they did not feel sad. All of them secretly had a feeling that they were going to meet again, randomly, in the future.

----

Eight years passed. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were eighteen years old. They had just started college.

Sakura was walking back to her apartment from school. Her hair was silky and sleek as always. She was much taller than eight years ago. Her features looked mature. Her emerald eyes looked at the open sky straightly.

Bump.

Someone had bumped into her.

"I'm sorry," Sakura apologized.

There was a man standing in front of her. He looked at her up and down and smiled. "It's ok. I forgive you because you're cute." Sakura was disgusted by his smiled and started to walk away. "Oh come on. Hang out with me, will ya?" he followed her and grabbed her hand. Sakura yelled, "Don't touch me!"

At that moment, a blonde boy came into the scene.

"Will you get off her, please?" he said with a straight face. "I'll report to the police if you don't."

The man looked annoyed but reluctantly let go of Sakura and walked away mumbling. Sakura looked at the boy who saved her.

"Thank you," she said. She was still frightened by what had happened.

"No problem. You better watch out for those guys because people like you tend to have these kind of troubles," the boy said and smiled.

Sakura was thinking that he looked like Naruto. However, he was a lot taller than Naruto that she remembered and his clothes reminded her more of Sasuke. He looked decent compared to her image of Naruto who always played soccer and did not study.

"I want to be a soccer player. The world's best," Sakura remembered Naruto's line. She imagined Naruto's face over the boy's face.

"Are you ok? If you'd like, I can walk you home," the boy offered.

"This totally is not Naruto." Sakura was convinced. "No, thank you. I'm fine," she refused politely.

"When someone like that approaches you again, use this," the boy handed her a protection alarm key chain. He smiled and walked away. Sakura put the key chain in her pocket and walked back to her apartment.

The boy, indeed, was Naruto. His childhood memories with Sasuke and Sakura had been vivid in his mind for all the years after he left Konoha. The year he spent with them was incomparably special. It was as if Sakura had jumped out of the picture frame. He remembered the girl's emerald eyes.

"Maybe that really was Sakura…" He turned around.

Sasuke was walking down the street. It had just started raining. He took out his compact umbrella from his backpack. He started walking with the umbrella. The rain was getting harder.

"A downpour, huh," he muttered as he looked up at the dark sky. Just at that moment, he spotted a girl coming down the road bridge. She was running and had no umbrella. It was Sakura. At least, that was Sasuke's first thought.

As she passed by, she looked at him for an instant. That one second felt like three seconds. Sasuke smiled. The girl walked on fast. Sasuke watched her run away into the white rain. Then, he noticed that the girl had dropped her school ID. He quickly picked it up and looked at it. He looked up at the girl and started running after her.

The card read "Haruno Sakura".

Sakura was running. Her hair was drenched.

"I have to get back. Such a luck!" She thought as she ran.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her wrist and said, "Sakura-chan." She turned around and saw a handsome boy standing there. She was unconsciously flung his hand off her wrist.

"When someone like that approaches you again, use this." The blond boy's line came back to her head. She took out the alarm key chain and tried to pull the plug.

The boy immediately cast his hand on her hand to stop what she was about to do. He quietly showed her school ID. She looked up at him and said, "Oh. I'm so sorry. Thank you," she apologized.

"It's all right," he said.

Sakura was wondering why the boy was standing there. He was smiling. Sakura remembered him calling him "Sakura-chan." Sasuke's face came into her mind.

"Sasuke-kun?" she asked.

He smiled happily and said, "Long time no see." He had gotten much taller and he was no longer wearing glasses. He was wearing casual clothes and looked more confident than he used to.

"Hey!" the blond boy from earlier came and took Sasuke down.

"Sasuke-kun. No! He's my friend!" Sakura shouted. The boy looked up. "Sasuke-kun?"

"Sakura. Is it really you? Is it? I thought so!" the boy said excitely. "It's me, Naruto."

Author Note: Thanks for reading chapter 2! This is a significant chapter, as explained by the length of it. I hope you liked it and please let me know what you thought of it. I enjoy reading your comments 