A/N: This chapter contains some heavy NH and SS moments. I understand if some of you wouldn't want to proceed, but this chapter is very essential, I promise. (❛‿❛✿̶̥̥)

[Naruto]

There's this saying that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

And Naruto was definitely proof of that.

No matter how great of a ninja and person the man became, he just could not be woken up by the sound of his alarm.

So here he was, yet again, frantically getting ready so he wouldn't be late.

"How could it be eleven in the morning already, this is crazy!" He screamed.

As he was trying to simultaneously wear his pants and jacket, he pulled a muscle on his right shoulder, and a sharp pain bloomed causing him to scream and curse.

Naruto pushed through the pain of the cramp as he tied his forehead protector. And finally, he was finished and he rushed out the door.

Thankfully though, no matter how late wakes up, he could always rely on his chakra to push him from roof to roof, shortening his travel time significantly.

One last jump and he landed at the center of Konoha's market square just as Hinata was walking towards their meeting place.

Naruto waved energetically towards her and Hinata greeted him with a smile.

She immediately said to him, "I'm sorry Naruto-kun, I know we just arrived but can we, uh... please hurry to the tailor's store?"

"Oh yeah, yeah! Let's go." Hinata wrapped both her arms to Naruto's prosthetic one and didn't let go since it was truly a Sunday at the market square, and people were swarming everywhere.

And even from a distance, they could already see that the tailor's store was also filled with people. But as Hinata entered the store, she still didn't let go of his arm, so inside he went too.

It absolutely amazes Naruto how many clothes other people would wear whereas ninjas could live off of three sets of the same outfit. He watched, absentmindedly, as people took hanger after hanger of clothes that was clearly just for them.

"Naruto-kun, would you like anything?" Hinata broke him out of his thoughts.

"Uh, no, not really." And then out of nowhere, his stomach gurgled so loud even two women near them looked over at him. Naruto blushed and chuckled, "I'm sorry, I didn't get a chance to eat breakfast."

Hinata blushed as well, embarrassed by the look the women gave them, "Uh.. I see. Well I already have what I need," she raised a basket of clothes, "I'm just going to pay now, you can wait outside if you want."

Naruto immediately took the opportunity to escape the suffocating smell of new clothes.

Once he got out of the store, he immediately pressed his back to a nearby post and heaved a huge sigh of relief.

It's not that he didn't like to go out on these shopping strolls with Hinata, it was just that she wasn't really…

Something caught his eyes from afar.

Naruto tilted his head and narrowed his eyes to get a better view. And suddenly his eyes widened. Could it be?

"Sakura-chan…?!"

But of course, there was only one person who would have those pink locks of hair. Granted, they were much longer than the last time he saw them, but he was sure he could recognize her no matter the length of her hair.

Something forced his one foot to take a step forward, and then another. Each step he took, the more clearer Sakura's face came to view.

It was really her… her green eyes, her bright smile.

She was sitting on a table at a restaurant. She was with someone… but he couldn't be bothered to even look at who she was with.

All Naruto could see was Sakura.

Sakura then laughed out loud, and that was all it took for him to finally decide to run to her.

But, as he dug the ball of his feet on the ground to push himself forward with much more force this time, a small hand wrapped around his elbow.

"Naruto-kun?"

Naruto's tunnel vision went away and he became aware of his surroundings again. He blinked and turned towards the voice. "Oh… hey... you're done?"

But Hinata wasn't looking at him, she was also looking at Sakura.

"Oh… she's back." she said with a worried look on her face, but as she faced Naruto she smiled, "Would you like to talk to her?"

Naruto, feeling guilty, smiled at her and said, "Nah, she's probably busy. I'll just catch up with her later."

A look of relief washed over Hinata and her grip on his arm slightly loosened. "Alright. Let's go eat?"

Naruto nodded with a smile. "My treat." he said.

They were a few steps away already before someone screamed in the direction of where Sakura was.

Naruto snapped his head immediately towards that direction and he craned his neck to get a better view.

When he saw blood pouring out of Sakura's hands his eyes widened and he quickly ran towards Sakura, Hinata's hold on him notwithstanding.

"Sakura-chan!" he yelled.

Naruto didn't even notice how many people he pushed just to get to her. And as he got closer he saw that there was a huge glass shard embedded in Sakura's hand and she was frozen in shock.

Without any preamble, he took a cloth from what he presumed was a waiter near Sakura. He kneeled beside her and he took her hand quickly but as gently as he could.

He heard her sudden intake of breath, then he looked at her eyes and said, "I'll pull it out and then you heal it, okay?"

Sakura nodded mutely and he began to count, three… two… one… Sakura's hand glowed brightly and in the blink of an eye the gash was closed and Naruto wrapped the offending glass with the towel and placed it on the table.

Naruto, still kneeling beside Sakura, said to the waiter, "Could you please bring us another cloth and warm water please?"

"Naruto! That isn't necessary, I've already caused so much trouble." Sakura protested.

But the waiter assured her, "It's no problem at all. This happens much more than you think since we do have our business in a ninja village." he smiled and went to get the items needed.

Naruto, not letting go of Sakura's hand through all that conversation, looked at her again and asked, "Are you okay, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura, maybe a little dizzy because of the sudden blood loss, he assumes, closed her eyes and swallowed hard. "Yeah… yes. I'm fine. Thank you, Naruto." She opened her eyes and smiled at him.

Naruto wanted to hug her right then but the waiter came back with a bowl of warm water and a new clean towel. Naruto took it from him and placed the bowl on the table.

He had already dampened the towel and was about to wipe Sakura's hand when she panicked and blushed and said, "Naruto! No! Let me do that, I'm fine."

Naruto looked at her with his brows furrowed, "It's fine Sakura-chan."

And then, someone cleared their throat loudly.

Naruto looked in their direction and saw Ino who was sitting opposite of Sakura stand up and say, "Naruto, let me do that. She's already healed her hand and… Hinata's waiting for you."

Naruto and Sakura both flinched.

Hinata… of course. Naruto internally cursed.

Sakura meanwhile looked past Naruto's shoulder and sure enough, Hinata was standing there. "Oh, Hinata… Hello! I'm really sorry about this."

Hinata with a tight smile replied, "No, it's okay. Naruto-kun has always been so helpful."

"Right…" Naruto said as he stood up slowly and reluctantly let go of Sakura's hand. He didn't stop looking at Sakura though, "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked again.

Sakura looked at him and she seemed to be searching his eyes but he didn't know why, she eventually answered. "Yes, thank you, Naruto."

"Hey… you don't have to thank me." He grinned, "Are you back for good?"

Sakura smiled slightly, "No…" Hinata's shoulders relaxed a bit. "I'm just here because of my father's birthday yesterday, I'm going back to Kumo tomorrow morning."

"Oh… right… you're in Kumo now." He smiled again, although much more weakly. "That makes it almost two years, right?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah…"

Hinata walked towards Naruto and wrapped both her arms on his and said, "It's nice to see you again here in Konoha, Sakura."

Naruto looked at Sakura and noticed that she was looking at his and Hinata's entwined arms before she looked up at Hinata and smiled, "Yes, it's also nice to be back even if it's just for the weekend."

Sakura cleared her throat and fixed her long hair with her uninjured hand. "Well… thank you again Naruto. Please, continue on with your day, I'm really sorry for interrupting it."

Sakura looked at him again with those bright green eyes and he almost got lost in it again, but the constant warmth of the arms wrapped around him grounded him to reality, "It's alright, Sakura-chan… it's really nice to see you again."

She smiled but it didn't quite reach her eyes, "It's nice to see you too…" she looked at Hinata, "...both of you."

As they were walking away, Naruto took one last glance to see Sakura was already being helped by Ino in wiping her bloodied hand.

It seemed like she felt his eyes on her because she looked up and smiled the brightest smile at him.

But all too quickly Hinata asked him where he was taking her for lunch and he had to answer, so they were already far away for him to look back at Sakura again.

After eating lunch, they went their separate ways since Naruto promised Lee that he would spar with him today.

"You seem distracted." Rock Lee stated as they finished their spar.

Naruto laid on his back, sweaty, out of breath and bruised.

A lot of Lee's punches and kicks made contact and he wasn't able to give much in return. "Yeah." he managed to answer and he chuckled, "It's your lucky day I guess."

Lee then sat next to him, crossed-legged and asked, "Why? Is there anything bothering you?"

"Uh… it's not bothering me but… did you know Sakura's back in the village?"

"What?!" Lee screamed so loudly that Naruto flinched. "Why has no one told me? My beautiful Sakura-chan's back?! I must find her! I must shower her with my love!"

Before Lee could stand up, Naruto took hold of his collar and dragged him back down. "Hey! Calm down! First of all, she is nobody's Sakura-chan!" He cleared his throat, "And she's only back here for the weekend for her father's birthday, don't go running to her, she may have errands to do."

Lee pouted and said, "That's so unfair, you were able to see her and I didn't." He sighed. "I bet she still looks so beautiful."

"She became more beautiful… if that was even possible." Naruto mused with a smile.

Lee looked at Naruto's smiling face and finally realized why he was so distracted. "Why didn't you spend more time with her? You could've told me, I wouldn't mind rescheduling."

Naruto looked at him, "Oh… I was… I was with Hinata when I saw her."

"Oh…"

"Yeah."

"Well, the sun hasn't set yet Naruto-kun! You could still go see her!" Lee cheered. Naruto looked at Lee and considered his words.

But, I wouldn't even know where to find her. He thought to himself.

Before Naruto could even consider his options, they heard footsteps approaching them, and they turned their heads to see Hinata.

Naruto stood up and jogged to meet her halfway, "Hey… what're you doing here?"

Hinata smiled and raised a jug that she was holding, "I thought to bring you water since you didn't bring anything with you."

Naruto grinned and took the jug with thanks. They walked back to where Lee was sitting and Naruto shared his water with him.

The sun was close to setting as he and Hinata were walking back to his apartment.

He insisted that he walk her home, but Hinata reasoned that since there was some tension between him and her father, it was best if she walked him home instead. Plus, she didn't want to take no for an answer, so here they were.

They were silent for most of the way, but then suddenly, Hinata stopped on her tracks.

He looked at her and saw that she was looking in the distance so he asked, "Hinata?"

Hinata looked at him again and said, "Naruto-kun, I… Uh…"

She then suddenly did something Naruto didn't think she would ever do. She turned to him, closed the gap between them, and raised herself on her toes and placed her lips in his.

Naruto's eyes widened and he froze.

Hinata, face so flushed, stepped back and lowered her face in both her palms. "I… I'm sorry Naruto-kun, I didn't…"

Naruto frantically waved his hands to reassure her that it was alright and that he was just surprised. He continued to assure her that she didn't do anything wrong even until they said good bye and she ran - literally ran - away from his home.

As Naruto closed the door behind him he pressed his back on the door and he heaved a great sigh.

She kissed him.

She kissed him and all he could think about was he saw a flash of pink in the distance but he wasn't so sure if it was pink or if the sun setting played a trick on his eyes.

It was kind of a blessing that he suddenly felt hungry. It distracted him from his thoughts as he prepared and ate his dinner.

And as he was washing the dishes, his thoughts were flooded again by Sakura.

Two years he didn't see her. And seeing her again today… it made floodgates of feelings open.

He couldn't even determine what those feelings were. He just felt… overwhelmed.

Once his hands were dried, he went to his desk and looked at one of the framed pictures.

"I'm just here because of my father's birthday yesterday, I'm going back to Kumo tomorrow morning."

"Then she must be at her parents house..."

With his mind made up, Naruto placed the frame down and ran out of his house to go to Sakura's.

But as expected, the lights were already off outside their home since it was already late. He took several steps back to see Sakura's balcony and craned his neck to see if her lights were still on.

"Naruto?" Naruto jumped in surprise.

Kizashi was poking his head out of one of their windows, "What are you doing here so late? Do you have Sakura with you?"

He shook his head, "No, sir, but I was hoping to see her."

Kizashi scoffed, "'Sir', stop that you. I told you you can call me uncle or dad or whatever." he eyed Naruto. "I caught her sneaking out and she said she was going by the river because she couldn't sleep. I thought the two of you were going to meet up."

Naruto blushed at Kizashi's tone, "No we didn't make any plans but… it's already late maybe I can go look for her?"

Kizashi nodded. "Yeah, yeah. You do that. She's a very strong kunoichi but I still worry…"

Naruto smiled at him. "I understand. I'll find her and tell her to get home immediately."

Kizashi grinned at him, "Please do. Thank you, Naruto. I knew I could always count on you."

Naruto grinned back and gave him a thumbs up before he jumped towards the direction of the river.

To be honest, Naruto didn't know what he was expecting to see once he reached the river. He was hoping he could see Sakura just staring at the stars and maybe ask to sit with her. And then maybe they could talk. Maybe he could finally lay what he feels for her out in the open and let her decide what she wants to do with it...

But what he didn't expect to see was Sakura, who was holding a bottle of liquor, kissing Sasuke by the river.

Lee's punches and kicks earlier today had nothing on the pain he felt once he saw them.

Saw them kissing under the bright moon and the shining stars. It was truly a picturesque scene in front of him.

It was really true… no matter how things change, the more they stay the same.

As Sasuke lifted his hands to cup Sakura's cheeks, Naruto clutched his chest like he had before and ran away as fast as he could, not wanting to see more.

It wasn't until he was sitting at his couch at home again did he let his tears flow freely and he said to himself, "I'm such an idiot."

[Sakura]

Despite the rough nature of being a ninja, Ino's preference for the finer things in life never wavered.

It can be clearly seen in her wardrobe choices, her luscious hair and even in her taste in men.

Take Uchiha Sasuke for example, her first love. He was undeniably a piece of work as a person but you couldn't deny he was also a piece of art.

And so was the naked man sleeping beside her now.

Ino propped her elbow and placed her head in her knuckles to get a better view of his sleeping face. She smiled and reached a hand to trace her fingers on his back.

As always, her fluttering touch was enough to wake the man up. He opened his eyes and looked at her with a smile, "Hello there, beautiful." Sai said.

Ino blushed and said, "Hi."

Sai adjusted his eyes and looked at the clock behind Ino and he groaned, "I hate working on Sundays."

Ino chuckled, "One more week and then you're rotating schedules again. And besides…" she pushed some of his hair away from his face, "I'll always be here waiting for you to get home."

Sai smiled. He pushed himself up and planted a kiss on her cheeks. "I'll make us some breakfast."

Sai got off the bed completely naked, just the way Ino liked it, to go outside.

As soon as he got out of Ino's bedroom there was a booming, "WHAT THE FUCK!"

Sai just smiled and said, "Oh, hi there Sakura."

Ino's eyes widened in surprise and she stood up immediately and wrapped a blanket around her body.

She jumped over the bed and came out to see that indeed Sakura, who was covering her eyes with her hands, was in her living room.

Ino's face glowed and she smiled brightly, "Sakura! You're back!"

Ino ran and enveloped Sakura in a hug whilst holding her blanket together.

Sakura returned the hug but her eyes were tightly closed. "Ino, I love you, but please wear some clothes!" she screamed.

Ino laughed, "I warned you years before that you'll walk into something if you don't knock."

Sakura, still with her eyes closed, said, "Yeah, yeah, you told me so, now go put on some clothes and make Sai dress up too! Please! I beg you!"

Ino laughed as she pushed Sai back to her room so they could get dressed.

Ino sat next to Sakura on the dining table so she could hug her while Sai was preparing their food.

Ino and Sakura talked very animatedly about what they had been up to for almost two years. They write to each other, of course, but only about the important things.

Their conversation wasn't even interrupted by their eating.

Now that the food was gone, and Sai went to get ready for work, it was only the two of them, each with coffee in their hands. "Your hair has gotten so long! You kept it so short for the longest time I didn't think it could still do it." Ino mused.

Sakura groaned, "I have a love-hate relationship with it to be honest. But right now I'm loving it so it's staying."

"Are you staying too?" Ino asked before she took a careful sip of her coffee.

"I can't… not just yet. My contract in Kumo hasn't ended yet."

"And after?" Ino pushed.

Sakura sighed, "It depends…" Sakura looked down at her hands that were cupping the mug and asked, "How is… how is Naruto?"

Ino's shoulder stiffened, she tried her best to avoid this conversation but it couldn't really be helped.

She gripped her mug a little tighter. Sai came back again into the room and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She looked up and smiled at him.

"Sakura…" Sakura looked at Ino and Sai. "He's dating Hinata."

Sakura's eyes widened.

Of course. She thought. Who do I think I am...

"It hasn't been very long though…" Ino said.

Sakura quickly cleared her throat and smiled up at both of them, "Good for him. Hinata's very pretty and a good person."

Ino didn't know what to say.

Sai leaned down to kiss Ino on the top of her head before saying, "Sakura, I remember this thing that I read somewhere… true love endures all things."

Sakura looked at him and he smiled, "Just something to think about. I'll be going then."

Ino stood up to walk him to the door.

Sakura clutched at her chest.

Well… it didn't endure obviously. She heaved out a sigh. Why did I even ask…

Ino meanwhile was at the entry of the kitchen, looking at Sakura with a worried look on her face.

Then she clapped her hands which jolted Sakura, "Alright! We only have hours together and we better go out! No sulking!"

Sakura looked offended, "I wasn't sulking!"

Ino scoffed but said, "We could go out for lunch! There's this fairly new restaurant that has the best katsu curry I have ever tasted!" her face lit up, "Oh and you'll have to visit the shop too of course, we have a little coffee nook, remember?"

Sakura tucked away thoughts of Naruto and she let herself be distracted by Ino's ramblings about their plans for today.

You would think that two years away is only a short period, but as Sakura was walking with Ino towards Konoha's market square she noticed so much changes, but the old Konoha was still embedded in it all.

They arrived at the restaurant Ino was raving about and she was quick to choose to sit on the patio table. Sakura followed along and she even let Ino choose her food as well.

"Don't you have any romantic stories for me?" Ino said as the waiter went away to place their order.

Sakura chuckled, "Kankuro constantly flirting with me even when I'm already at Kumo, romantic for you?"

Ino's eyes widened, "You didn't tell me that! The Kazekage's brother!?"

Sakura propped an elbow on the table and rested her chin on her palm, "I think it's because I saved his life before. It's kinda cute to be honest, he sends me letters and things."

"But all those face paints?"

Sakura laughed out loud, "He wears less when he used to come and see me."

Their waiter came back and placed a pitcher of iced tea and drinking glasses on their table.

Ino took a glass and so did Sakura. But as Ino started talking again while pouring herself tea, Sakura saw a flash of orange on her left.

Her eyes widened and her heart ached immediately.

Naruto was smiling at Hinata as they were walking, her arms wrapped around his.

Sakura learned how to compartmentalize her feelings since she started her apprenticeship with Lady Tsunade. It was one of the basic things you have to learn in the medical field.

She was so sure that she could hide away the pain and sadness that started to form once Ino broke the news to her.

But seeing them together rendered all the years of experience of hiding feelings and sorting it out in private useless.

Sakura didn't even hear it when the woman next to them screamed as the glass in her hand shattered from her grip. She didn't even feel the pain and the warm blood that trickled on her hands even as she looked at her hand.

But then she heard him call her name again, like he always did before.

Then everything happened all too fast.

Naruto came over and took her hand quickly but gently.

Seeing him so close again made her inhale deeply to stop herself from crying. And then he looked at her with those blue eyes and she almost got lost in it if it weren't for the blooming pain in her hands.

Sakura heard Naruto's instruction and he proceeded to count. Sakura squared her shoulders and as Naruto pulled the offending shard she healed her hands immediately.

She protested, due to embarrassment, when Naruto asked for more from the waiter but fortunately the waiter reassured her immediately.

"Are you okay, Sakura-chan?"

She was feeling so many emotions right now that she had to close her eyes and take a deep breath. "Yeah… yes. I'm fine. Thank you, Naruto." She opened her eyes and she smiled at him.

Then the waiter came back and Naruto was about to wipe her bloodied hand, despite her protests, when Ino cleared her throat loudly and pointed out Hinata was waiting for Naruto.

If Sakura was being honest, she forgot about her.

She looked up and there was Hinata, watching everything unfold. "Oh, Hinata… Hello! I'm really sorry about this." she said.

Hinata smiled tightly at her, "No, it's okay. Naruto-kun has always been so helpful."

Right… I'm not really that special. Sakura thought.

But Naruto was still looking at her as he asked again if she was alright and all that negative thoughts seemed to be chased away. She assured her that yes, she was alright.

"Are you back for good?" he asked with his usual grin. His grin that Sakura missed so much.

I was supposed to be. Was what Sakura really wanted to say but instead she said, "No…" and she noticed that Hinata relaxed a bit. "I'm just here because of my father's birthday yesterday, I'm going back to Kumo tomorrow morning."

"Oh… right… you're in Kumo now." Naruto smiled again, but it looked more weak? Maybe it was just Sakura hoping. "That makes it almost two years, right?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah…"

Hinata walked closely to Naruto and wrapped both her arms on Naruto's and said, "It's nice to see you again here in Konoha, Sakura."

Sakura stared at their entwined arms, felt her heart break again, before she looked up at Hinata and smiled, "Yes, it's also nice to be back even if it's just for the weekend." She cleared her throat and fixed her long hair with her uninjured hand. "Well… thank you again Naruto. Please, continue on with your day, I'm really sorry for interrupting it."

They locked eyes again and only Hinata's presence grounded her at her place. "It's alright, Sakura-chan… it's really nice to see you again."

She smiled but it didn't quite reach her eyes, "It's nice to see you too…" she looked at Hinata, "...both of you."

Ino and Sakura looked at their retreating backs and when Ino was sure they were out of ear shot she muttered, "Like a dog peeing."

Sakura snapped her head, "Hush you. You would feel the same way if it were Sai."

Ino just rolled her eyes and began helping Sakura wipe her hand.

And hoping for one last look, Sakura turned towards the couple's direction again and she saw Naruto looking at her again so she smiled the brightest smile she could muster. He returned it but looked away again.

Ino was right about the katsu curry, it was really good. The portions were big and perfect for the tiring day that Ino planned out for them. Who knew you could do so many activities in Konoha in a span of hours?

Finally they settled themselves at the Yamanaka flower shop for one last coffee.

Sakura was amazed at how beautifully they decorated the shop's coffee nook. But of course that shouldn't be a question since they already had all the beautiful flowers anyone could wish for.

Even the Hyugas seemed to like their flowers because, just like the faiths were playing with them that day, Hinata and Sakura's paths crossed again, the former picking up an order of flowers for their home.

As Ino went away to get her package, Sakura offered Hinata a seat which she accepted and they proceeded to talk about all the mundane things they could think of.

Until Sakura cleared her throat and said, "I'm really sorry about what happened at lunch. I didn't mean to disturb your day."

Hinata just smiled at her and said, "It's alright. I know you and Sasuke have special places in Naruto-kun's heart and that he would panic if anything happens to either of you. Besides, he has a spar this afternoon too so it's really a short day for us and… there are more days I could spend with Naruto-kun anyway."

Sakura took a deep breath and nodded, "Right."

Ino finally came back and they finished their transaction.

Sakura didn't know what came over her but as Hinata said her goodbye and she turned away from them, she called her again. "Hinata…"

She turned to look at Sakura.

Sakura smiled at her and began to say, "Bring him water when he goes on a spar. He easily overheats but always forgets to bring water. Better yet, bring him a jug since he always, always, shares. When he's not home, place vegetables and fruits inside his fridge or else he'll only eat ramen for days. Don't worry about them rotting, he eats all of them. Nag him to do his laundry every rest days because he always puts it off. But remind him to also take rest days too because he tends to overwork himself and…" Sakura took a deep breath, "Just always be there for him even if his choices are not the ones you would make."

They just stared at each other for a while, understanding forming between the two of them.

Eventually, Hinata thanked Sakura for the reminders and she went on her way.

Ino stared at Sakura, "You're letting him go?"

Sakura's smile was filled with sadness and Ino was getting angry at how she's becoming familiar with that look. "He was never mine."

Ino slammed her hands on the table, "Because you didn't have the chance to confess! You haven't given him the option!"

Sakura was taken aback by Ino's intensity, clearly not expecting her to be so invested in her lovelife. "Ino… there's no need to-"

"No Sakura! You listen to me very carefully, if you do not make any move to talk to him today and you leave tomorrow…" Ino paused to hopefully lighten the blow, "...you might lose him completely… Do you want that?"

Sakura's lower lip quivered at the thought but… she didn't know if she had the heart to confess to him after seeing him happy with Hinata in the market earlier today.

Could she do it? Should she?

This was the question she kept asking herself even as she and Ino shared one last hug and went their separate ways.

But as Sakura looked up at the setting sun and felt its warmth touch her face, remembered the warmth of Naruto's hand… she realized that she could… she should…

She had to keep her sun.

It was now or never. She squared her shoulders and jumped from roof to roof until she was once again in front of Naruto's doorstep as she had been years ago.

She knocked, but there was no answer and she couldn't sense his chakra either.

I'll sleep on this doorstep again if I have to. Sakura thought.

Not long after, she finally felt Naruto's chakra and she excitedly turned to look his way but she didn't expect that Hinata would be with him too.

Didn't expect to see them kissing in the middle of the empty street, the beautiful glow of the sunset descending upon the two of them like a blessing.

How beautiful it was, Sakura thought at the back of her head.

Tears formed in her eyes as she turned away, not wanting to see more.

But miraculously she was able to keep her tears in even as she greeted her parents, had dinner with them and even when she took a shower.

She tossed and turned on her bed and when she felt like she was about to burst, she decided to go to the river. The water and night skies would surely be a great companion for her tears.

She didn't notice her father coming out of the bathroom as she was crossing their living room. "Sakura-chan? It's already late. Where are you going?"

She couldn't turn to look at him, fearing that she might cry. "Just by the river dad, I can't sleep. But I'll be back soon." she didn't wait for his reply and she ran out their door immediately.

On her way to the river, she saw an open convenience store and immediately brought more liquor than she had ever had in one sitting.

And there she sat, facing the moving water and the moon, where she finally let the tears go, and she chased them away with the heat of the liquors.

"That's a bad habit you know."

Sakura turned a death glare at the speaker.

They then moved to the open which exposed them to the moonlight.

"Sasuke-kun? What're you doing here?" Sakura's head suddenly hurt from looking sideways.

It has never hurt like this before. She brought the bottle to her face and saw the empty ones beside her. She couldn't recall how many bottles she had gone through.

Sasuke sat next to her, and took the bottle out of her hand. "What are you doing here drinking and crying like a lunatic?"

"I am not!" Sakura protested while wiping her tears with the hem of her blouse. "Give me that!"

She grabbed the bottle and took another drink.

They were silent for a while and then she sighed, "It's not like you would understand."

"Maybe I don't. But that has never stopped either Naruto or you before."

She giggled - actually giggled. Oh yeah, I'm drunk alright. Sakura thought. "That's payback for leaving us to talk to each other everyday."

Sasuke just made an annoyed sound but didn't reply.

They were both silent for a while. They let the sound of the river's streaming water surround them. It was comforting. Especially to Sakura who was feeling a little drowsy.

But even through her drowsiness she said, "How do you even erase the image of the love of your life kissing someone else off of your brain?"

Sasuke didn't answer immediately like he was really thinking it through. And then he answered, "You kiss someone else."

Maybe his answer made sense in drunk Sakura's brain, or maybe it was because of all the liquid courage she had in her system, but Sakura looked at Sasuke for a heart beat before she pushed herself forward and planted her lips in his.

Sasuke was so shocked that he stopped thinking for a moment. Then, he realized that Sakura's face just got heavier in his.

He cupped her cheeks and sure enough, as he lifted her head, somehow, she fell asleep. "What the…"

Still cupping her cheeks, Sasuke shook her head to try and wake her up.

Realizing that it was futile to wake her up, he slipped one arm on the back of her knees, and the other on her shoulders, and cradled her into his chest and began to walk her back home.

Lucky for him, Kizashi was still waiting for Sakura, and they saw them through the window. He ran outside and met him halfway to take Sakura from him.

As Sakura was transferred to his father's arm she mumbled, "Naruto… Stay…"

Both men stared at her, and then at one another.

Kizashi was the first one who spoke, "I'm sorry but... what happened? This has never happened to Sakura before."

Sasuke explained what he saw by the river and then what happened - minus the unintentional drunken kiss - to him.

Kizashi thanked Sasuke repeatedly before going inside their home.

Once he had tucked Sakura to bed, a framed picture on her side table caught his eyes.

He took it and looked at Naruto's arm wrapped around Sakura's shoulder. He sighed, "Oh Naruto... I thought you wouldn't make my Sakura-chan cry."

He turned to Sakura, and he wiped a tear that escaped her eyes and he said, "If it's true love, it will endure anything." and he kissed her forehead before he went downstairs again to place hangover medicines on the table and her travel bag.

A/N: I was really planning on updating twice a week but work really kicked my butt this week. (╥︣﹏᷅╥) And although this fic is almost completely written, I don't want to put out a chapter that I haven't thoroughly proof read yet. So I apologize that updates will only be once a week. (╥︣﹏᷅╥) Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this fic of mine. (✿◠‿◠)

Guest (Beowulf): I apologize that I wasn't acknowledging your review for two chapters. （ つ︣﹏╰） I wanted this chapter to be almost like a surprise hehe I hope you like this one!