Walking aimlessly through the bright and colorful aisles of boxed and canned goods, Sakura listlessly hung to the basket in her hand. All night she had been tossing in her bed unable to sleep. She hadn't spoken to Naruto in days, not a word, and was beginning to suspect he was purposefully ignoring her. Though not entirely surprised, it still hurt immensely to have him, of all people, ignore her. It was hardly noon and she already had trouble keeping her dulled eyes open long enough to scan the boxes of cereal on the shelf. Every patch of color blended together, all the same blurry mix of reds and yellows and blues as she racked her brain to remember which one was Sarada's favorite; she ate it every day—how could she forget? Every morning she grabbed it from upon the fridge and set it on the table alongside a bowl and spoon. It was the first thing she did in the morning, even before brushing her teeth or combing her hair. She always set out the cereal for Sarada. Today she simply couldn't remember.

Frustrated, she latched a hand onto the shelf and laid her head to rest, groaning as she shut her eyes. She rested there for only a moment as she felt her exhaustion take a powerful hold over her. Three bony fingers lined up and down her back, shocking her awake, as she swiftly turned to face whoever touched her. With only feigned surprise, she let out a warm moan of, "Hello, Ino." Her friend devilishly smiled with a hand on her hip. "Hey, Forehead! Sleeping in the market now, huh?" Sakura playfully rolled her eyes as their footsteps fell in sync down the rest of the aisle. "I was just resting my eyes."

"Resting your eyes?" Ino let out a small snort as she plucked a box of sweets from the right of her. "You not sleeping well lately?"

"No, I'm…I'm fine. Just last night. I've had a lot on my mind."

"Like what?"

"You know. The usual, I guess."

"Well, I've got something to cheer you up then."

"What is it?"

"I'm having a small get together tonight to celebrate Naruto's first year as Hokage."

Sakura's ears perked up at the mention of his name, and she quickly turned to face her friend.

"I mean, really it was Sai's idea, but—"

"Has it really been a year already?"

"Pretty incredible, huh? The knucklehead's actually been doing a pretty decent job."

Sakura felt her selective hearing kick in as Ino's voice faded; she heard the knock of her heels against the floor, the ruffling of boxes in the basket, the wind of people walking past each other. There's no way it's already been a year…that's just…so strange. A pair of fingers snapped in front of her, startling her out of her thoughts. "You're not falling asleep on me again, are you?"

"No, no, I'm fine," Sakura mutter, pushing Ino's hand from her face.

"Good. Well, I gotta get going, I have a lot of shopping to do. But make sure to come tonight!" With a dainty dash, Ino disappeared around the corner of the aisle, before comically popping back in. "Oh, I forgot, bring Sarada, too! All the kids are going to be there as well."

Naruto quickly opened the sliding door and stepped out onto the wooden patio. Rubbing his temples, he let out a forlorn sigh. Though surrounded by his closest friends, and after being bombarded with congratulatory speech after speech, he found himself incredibly overwhelmed and his sole desire was to be alone for a moment with himself. Having suspected nothing less than a doting green thumb from Ino, the entire yard was flooded with flowers of every kind. Fragrant petals littered the lawn and they filled him with a sense of calm. At least, before he spotted a small bob of pink hair in a modest black dress slumped over in the garden's lawn chair. He carefully called out, knowing it could only be one person. "Sakura?"

Startled at the noise, she jolted as she turned her head to face the voice. The garden lanterns lit up her eyes, and a soft golden light washed over her. "Naruto?" Both separated by a couple of yards, they continued to stare at each other before Sakura, confused, began the conversation. "Wh…why aren't you inside? It is your party, after all."

"Yeah," he chuckled nervously. "I just needed a minute. It's pretty busy in there."

She smiled at him softly holding her hands between her legs. But all he could do was stare dumbly at her. It was still strange being surrounded by everyone they knew as his secret loomed in the air between them like a thick fog. "What are you doing out here?"

Sakura lightly moaned as she turned back to face the vines and flowers. "I just wanted some fresh air." Naruto continued to watch her. She mindlessly fiddled with the ring on her left hand, turning it left and right, sliding it up and down her finger, but never taking it completely off. "I hope you didn't come out here to avoid seeing me."

"Sakura, I haven't been avoiding you."

She lazily threw her head back over her shoulder, eyes lidded with skepticism and sarcasm written into her smile. He nervously rubbed the back of his neck as he avoided her gaze. "Well, I haven't been doing it on purpose."

She waved her hand nonchalantly. "No, it's okay. I know you haven't. I understand." In the light she looked more fragile than usual; it was almost as like if the wind blew just right she might turn to dust and fly away.

"It's weird to think you've already been Hokage for a year now, isn't it?"

Naruto scuffed his feet into the patio, looking down as he rested his hands in his pockets. "Yeah…Yeah, it really is. Sometimes I wish I could go back to before."

"This is what you wanted, isn't it? I mean, this is your dream."

"Yeah, I know. I love it, I do. It's just life was a littler simpler before. I thought I knew what all I wanted."

"Is that why you don't want to be here? Why you're out here with me instead?"

He let out a small laugh. "Heh, yeah. A little."

They paused and took a moment away just to breathe. She continued to fiddle with the ring as he stood dejected on the patio.

"That, and I've had the worst migraine all day." Hearing this, Sakura quietly twisted her back to face him. Her eyes had wilted from before. "Come here," Sakura gestured softly. "Let me help." Naruto sighed as he wandered through the grass toward her, and gently eased himself onto the grass between her legs. His back was pressed up against the edge of the chair, and for the first time today, he released the tension from his muscles "Is there really anything you can do?"

Sakura smirked to herself. "Of course there is. Just relax."

Wisps of his hair loosely wrapped around her delicate fingers and she gently massaged his scalp.

"I would understand if you didn't want to do this anymore," she muttered. She softly stroked his hair back as she gingerly held his head in her hands. "I know you probably feel guilty. You and your word, and all."

"I just…" His voice trailed off as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm just not happy, Sakura. But I should be." She continued to attentively listen as she massaged his head.

"I have a loving wife, I have two healthy, beautiful children, my dream job…but I'm miserable." The pulsating of the veins in his temple was a strong indication of his stress. His hair brushed between her nimble fingers as she lowered just below his ears. She felt him disturb her hands as she spun around to face her. "But I'm happy when I'm with you." The two of them looked to each other with sad smiles; years and years of wasted time lingered between them.

"Mama?"

They quickly jerked around, and found Sarada standing curiously in the middle of the garden. "What are you two doing out here?"

Sakura quickly found her voice and turned herself completely around to face her daughter. "We were just getting a little fresh air, is all." She smiled widely at Sarada to placate her. "Are you having fun with the other kids?" Sarada nodded her head up and down, but she was incredibly inexpressive; her black eyes were fixated on her mother's hand still on top of Naruto's hand. Sakura, having quickly noticed this, clandestinely lifted her hand into the air. "Oh, and Nar—I mean, the Seventh had a headache, so I was helping him get rid of it."

"Oh. Okay."

Naruto, trying to look as friendly as possible, found himself staring uncomfortably outward in an attempt be as inconspicuous as he could. Sakura warmly suggested, "Sweetie, why don't you go back inside? It's a little chilly out here, I wouldn't want you to catch a cold." Sarada stood there, loosely holding her hands out in front of her. Her eyes followed her mother, then Naruto, and back to her mother before she meekly mumbled, "Okay." She stole one final glance over her shoulder as she trudged back to the house, and through the sliding door inside.

The both of them breathed a sigh of relief before they returned to their previous positions. "Maybe it was just me, but was Sarada acting a little…strange, to you?"

"Something seemed a bit off," Sakura nodded, "I think that maybe she was tired, or wanting to go home. These atmospheres can be a little overwhelming for her."

"Not one for lots of people and lots of noise, is she?"

"No, not really."

"I'll probably take her home in about twenty minutes or so. It is kind of late anyway."

"Well, let's just stay here for a while then."

Sakura smiled. "I'd like that."

She shut her eyes, running her fingers daintily through his hair, parting and smoothing it every which way. Her thumbs circulated the back of his head, and he withdrew to back against the end of the chair, comfortably resting between her legs.

"Oh, and please don't ever call me 'The Seventh' again."

"Trust me, it was just as weird for me as it was for you."

Twirling the handle of the blinds in her fingers, Sarada discretely watched her mother through the window. She watched her mother's hands move softly and diligently through his hair. Every couple of minutes they would snicker and bend their heads toward each other, smiling widely. But there was a lightness to her eyes that Sarada had not seen in some time. The thin smell of sake lingered in the air, and despite being surrounded by people, no one else seemed to notice them. She thought of not that long ago, the way he embraced her mother and held her, gently whispering in her ear. In the pit of her stomach, she had a sneaking suspicion that something was very, very wrong.