Endless Tears

I do not own Naruto and all rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto. =3

Chapter Three:

"I'm so sorry Naruto." She apologized sincerely.

She slid into the black iron chair that's back was twist to look like a rose, which was stationed directly in front of him. They were at their brand new hangout, which was a small little shop that made subpar food, but they made up for in their delicious selection of coffee and sweet pastries. Sure Naruto still managed to drag her to his famous ramen stand, but seeing as Choji and Kiba own the coffee shop they managed to get a discount.

Sakura nervously twisted a stray pink lock around her finger, which made Naruto smile warmly at her. He could help but find her nervous habit cute.

"Ah, don't worry about it Sakura." He said with a dismissive wave, "If anything you made it all the easier to slip out."

"Naruto, you should be more careful." She warned, "You are the Hokage now. I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."

The blond shook his head at her, "You worry too much."

Knowing she wasn't going to get through his thick skull, she just nodded and reached for her steaming cup of coffee. Her fingers wrapped around the heated ceramic, as she lifted the mug to her lips and took a sip. The hot brew was just the way she loved it; strong, black and tangy with a hint of sugar.

"You're going to ruin your teeth." He teased.

Sakura looked up from her cup and met his blue eyes with a confused look, "What do you mean?"

"Coffee turns your teeth yellow." Naruto stated matter-of-factly, his tone somewhat foreboding as well as deep.

"You're so mean!" Naruto looked surprised momentarily.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he glared at the rosette kunoichi. Yet, after she flashed him her innocent look he roared with laughter. Sakura soon followed suit and laughed along with the blond, yet she laughed harder. She dabbed the tears that were building at the corner of her eyes and tried to quiet her laughter before someone told them to leave.

Even though they were sitting at one of the four tables outside the shop, it wouldn't stop someone from complaining. Naruto may be the Hokage, but he was expected to be a certain way. The elders were not too surprised when he remained the same knuckle-head ninja who played pranks and ate a multitude of bowls of ramen on a daily basis.

"I try." She laughed.

Sakura finally met his sapphire gaze, and instantly regretted it. His face held a dead serious quality, his eyes dark with worry and his mouth a thin line. His childish smile was gone and the air was heavy with tension. The kunoichi felt a lump form in her throat, as he looked at her as if there was a question he wanted to ask but wasn't sure if he should. Or was it more of he didn't know how to fraise it.

She swallowed hard, forcing the lump out of her throat. There was only ever one topic they shared between the two of them that brought out his seriousness. That was the very face he had when he found Sakura crying in front of the main gate of Konoha. The race he made when she told him Sasuke was gone and he promised he'd bring him back.

"Can I ask you something, Sakura?" He asked hesitantly.

Sakura nodded, even though she was mentally raging war with her mind. Honestly! What could he really say; they called off the search two years ago and after finding the remains of a boy around Sasuke's age at the very bowels of Orochimaru's secret hideout after it was destroyed. Sakura could still remember the pain in her chest and the broken look in Naruto's eyes mere seconds before she collapsed at his feet in a fit of agonizing tears.

"Go ahead." She urged.

Naruto nodded, but still didn't say anything. Instead his face fell and he stared down into his tea, his eye brows furrowing as he wracked his brain. To Sakura it looked like he was hoping the tan liquid in his cup would help him muster up the courage he needed for what he was about to ask. Either that or he was delaying the inevitable.

Finally he shrugged, "Are you going to be alright today?"

"What do you mean?" Sakura looked puzzled.

Naruto looked up from his cup and met his best friend's gaze full on.

"I'm going to be leaving later this afternoon to meet up with the kazekage to discuss the new treaty." Naruto said with a sigh, "So I won't be in Konoha for a few days."

"Naruto, I will be fine. This won't be the first time you've been away from me." Sakura said with a chuckle, "I'm sure I can manage on my own."

"That's not what I meant." He grumbled while shaking his head.

The puzzlement returned on her face, "Then what did you mean?"

"What I mean is that it's been five years today." He explained, "Five years, Sakura. Since Sasuke left Konoha."

"And?" Sakura fought the bitterness that rose in her chest at the mention of his name.

She surprised herself at how emotionless she sounded. Sakura crossed her arms and glared at her companion. Naruto was smiling warmly at her when she met his eyes. She lost her resolve and dropped her hands heavily on the table. After a moment his hand rested on her much smaller hand. Sakura's demeanor changed slightly as the warmth of the blonde's palm seeped through her hand.

"I worry about you Sakura." He spoke softly, "You changed that day. I know you throw up this front to dodge the people who care about you and convince them you are fine. When actually I know in fact, things have gotten worse for you over the years. You can't lie to me, Sakura."

The kunoichi bit her lip hard. She could feel the prickling warm feeling in the backs of her eyes. She refused to cry, even though her best friend was no stranger to her tears. She knew he was being honest; he was always worried about her. Sure she hurt, but Naruto hurt as well. Did he know that his name still stung more than a bee sting?

"Sakura?"

"I'm fine Naruto." She spat a little too harshly, "He's the one who left us. I don't care anymore. Screw Sasuke, we are better off without him."

Remorse stabbed at her heart like a hot poker when she saw Naruto flinch as if she struck him. She stood abruptly, her heart hammering in her chest as if it wished to break through her chest. Sakura knew deep down that it wasn't Naruto fault she still missed the Uchiha after five years. She shouldn't have snapped at him.

She flashed him a bitter-sweet smile and whispered, "I'm sorry…"

After a long moment of silence, Naruto sighed lowly. His mouth soon twisted into a brilliant smile. He would forever worry about the pink haired ninja, but even he couldn't forget how stubborn she was. Deep down he knew she would be alright. After all, she was not the weak little genine the boys from squad seven had to constantly save and protect.

"It's ok." He finally said.

"I have to go." Sakura said suddenly, "I promised to meet up with Ino before I headed over to the hospital. She told me she had something very important to tell me."

"Sure."

And with that, she gulped what was left of her coffee. Sakura left the little shop with a brief wave at the spikey blond haired Hokage.

(A/N: Before anyone asks, NO NO NO! Sakura and Naruto are not together. They are strictly friends. I was actually thinking about throwing a chapter in here with Naruto/Hinata but I digress I am not sure yet. Sakura doesn't have a boyfriend. She decided to focus on herself and not think about love.)