A/N: Sorry, I just had to write this, I couldn't resist. My sis was listening to that new Taylor Swift ft. The Civil Wars song "Safe and Sound" and I just felt inspired. I don't even like Taylor Swift but that song was just...wow. Take a listen as you read to set the mood if you want. I got to say, I'm a little nervous that no one will like this chapter. Please tell me what you think

I don't own Naruto.

Today was quiet-too quiet. People were bustling around, shopping and laughing. Kids were playing and out on the yards and enjoying the day. But it felt as if there was something missing from the noise. Something was very wrong with this picture. The sun was slowly setting, its beautiful colors painting the sky. The air began to chill and breeze through the village. It ruffled soft pink hair as Sakura sighed, turning to go back into Konoha's Shinjii Hospital. The receptionist, Yuna, smiled and beckoned for her to come over.

"Hey, you look a little down, is everything okay?" She asked in concern. Sakura smiled softly and nodded.

"Yea, just tired, that's all." She closed her eyes and leaned back onto the counter. She tried her best to hide her concern really, but her efforts failed. The truth was she was worried. The village seemed so empty without his presence. She hadn't seen Naruto in days; no one had for that matter. At first she brushed it off as him being busy but now it was ridiculous. She found herself missing him even more with every day that passed. Contemplating whether to go to his apartment or not, she'd always decide against it. She didn't want to be a nuisance and bother him while he was busy. But now she was determined to go see him once her shift was over. Smiling, she opened her eyes and sat up.

"You know, I haven't seen Uzumaki-san around for these past days... are things with you guys okay?" Sakura grimaced at Yuna's lack of tact.

"Were fine. He's fine, everything's fine." She answered shortly, leaving no room for questioning. Yuna raised an eyebrow, unconvinced, but decided not to pry any further. Sakura looked at the clock; her shift was over. She bid farewell to the receptionist. She hurried out of the hospital and began the trek to Naruto's apartment. The whispers along the way unnerved her. It was as if everyone could tell just how much Naruto's absence affected her. Five minutes into walking, she'd already received five "are you okay's" and three "why so down's" Her encounter with the children didn't help much either. As she was walking, she felt a slight tug on the bottom of her shirt. She looked down to see a boy, no older than seven, looking at her with sad eyes. A group of six other kids stood behind him, the same sad and nervous look. She put on the nicest smile and crouched down next to him.

"Hi there, is everything alright?" The boy fidgeted nervously. He turned red, closed his eyes, and started.

"W-w-w-well I was wonderin' if you knew where Naru-nii was? Monday, me and uh, my friends were playing soccer with our mommies and then one of them hit it realllllyyyyyyyy hard! And my mommy yelled at us and said we coulda hurt somebody. But then, somebody said 'oww' but it wasn't us. So we looked and it was Naru-nii who got hurt. So we said sorry and he said it was okay and my mommy asked him if he was alright, then Ginnie asked if he wanted to play and Ari begged and our mommies even wanted him to play for fun so he did. And he promised he'd come back today but he ain't here...and I was wonderin' since you're his friend if you knew where he was? We really want him to play with us!" Sakura blinked and stared. The kid's long ramble was a lot to take in. But once she got it, she pat his head.

"Don't worry, I'll go see where his, he'll play with you guys." The group of kids cheered and the moms smiled.

"Good," one of the moms stated," he really is great to talk to and a joy to have around. Not to mention he's amazing with the kids." Sakura nodded and waved as she continued on.

She was outside of his apartment, afraid to knock. After five minutes, she gathered her courage and knocked. Then she waited. And waited. And waited. She began to get impatient and turned the knob...it was unlocked. Slowly, she stepped in. It was eerie and quiet. All the lights were out, the only light source being the open window. She closed the door and walked in.

"Naruto...you in here?" She shuffled down the hallway and stopped at his room door. She pushed it open and looked in. The room was unusually clean, everything in its perfect place. Not the mess she was used to seeing. Naruto lay on the bed, staring out the window. Red tear marks stood out against his cheeks, and fresh tears brimmed in his eyes. Sakura gasped and walked over to him.

"Naruto, are you okay?" She felt dumb asking that question when the answer was so obvious. Of course he wasn't. But it was the first thing that came to mind. He looked up at her, just noticing her presence.

"Oh! Sakura, um hi!" He said feigning happiness. His voice was hoarse from lack of use. Sakura frowned.

"Don't hi me, what's wrong?"

"Oh nothing, I was just uh, reading a sad book." He smiled widely.

"For two days?" She asked, unbelieving.

"You know how it is, once you pick up a good book, you just can't stop." He sat up, trying to smooth out the overly wrinkled t-shirt.

"Naruto, stop being an idiot. You're a horrible liar. What's really going on?" he looked away, sighing. Sakura stood at the foot of the bed, waiting.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong." He answered shortly. Sakura scoffed.

"Oh yea, if nothing was wrong, you wouldn't have been locked in your apartment for the past few days. Tell me what's wrong."

"I'm fine, really, it's nothing."

"Naruto-"

"I said that it was nothing!"

"Naruto! Stop being stubborn, everyone's worried about you!"

"It has nothing to do with you!"

"When one of my friends locks themself away for days and disappears, it has everything to do with me." She glared, matching his own glare, her eyes showing anger and annoyance. He averted his eyes and sighed, running a hand through his wild hair.

"It has nothing to do with you." He said again, tiredly. "Besides, I'll be fine, back to my old happy go lucky self in no time." Sakura could hear the bitter sarcasm in his voice. A choked sound escaped from his mouth. He turned his head sharply, covering his face. Sakura went over to his side. She started to reach out, but then stopped herself. He was shaking.

"Naruto..." She slowly moved his hands away. A fresh stream of tears poured down his face. She wiped them away. "Tell me what's wrong...?" She asked softly. She sat, waiting for him to regain his composure. Once he did, he let out a shaky breathe.

"I-It hurts," He started, wiping his face. "I've been having nightmares Sakura. About the war, about death, about everything. I hate it so much. It hurts so much to be alone in the silence. I can't stop thinking about it. All the people who died. All the people I killed. Everyone's happy now." His voice began to get louder, angrier. "Everything's over and done with and everyone else gets to go home to their families. But I'm left with the guilt and the weight of all those lost lives. I have to come back to this empty place and sit in silence by myself. Listening to this too-loud silence. And I'm stuck listening to my own thoughts. I'm just so tired..." His voice trailed off as he closed his eyes. "But I'll be fine. I have to be strong. I bet I look stupid crying like this." He laughed dryly.

"No Naruto, you don't have to be strong...It's okay to cry. None of it was your fault; you did what you had to do. We all did." She sat down next to him and sighed sadly. He looked so broken. "And don't you ever say you're alone when you have all of us."

"You don't understand. I can't cry. I'm supposed to be strong, I'm supposed to be the happy one. You could never understand what I mean. Especially with being alone. You have parents and people who love you." Sakura frowned angrily, standing up.

"Naruto...what the hell!" She started angrily.

"I'm sorry, but it's the truth. You can never understand how I feel." Somehow, hearing himself say those words, he felt a strong sense of irony and deja vue. Words that had once been said to him.

Sakura could feel herself practically shaking with anger. She clenched her fists and stared him down. Finally, she took a deep breathe in.

"Naruto, get over it." She demanded. Naruto stared at her, dumbfounded. She threw up her hands. "You are being ridiculous right now! No one told you to be strong or happy, you don't owe anyone anything! We all breakdown at one point! Stop being such a fucking hero! You say that we can't understand your loneliness, but a family changes nothing! You know how many times I've felt alone in my own house? And it pisses me off to hear you say that no one loves you or understands you because we do! I do! I love you so much more than I could ever say and the fact that you go and say crap like that just pisses me off! You have a family Naruto. This village is your family. Your friends are your family. Hell, my parents adore you as if you're their own! You have so many people who love you and care about you, and for you to say something like that is awful. It's okay to cry Naruto. Suffering in silence is an insult to all of us." She took a breathe, trying to keep it together." We all want to see you happy. Genuinely happy. Not a fake smile and fake words. It hurts all of us when you're hurting." They stood, staring at each other. Naruto felt so many different emotion; pain, anger, happiness...but most of all love. Sakura sat back down and pulled him into her arms. Naruto felt whatever composure he had slipping. The tears started again and he felt himself shaking.

"Sakura...i-im so s-s-soo-"

"Shhhh," she cut him off, "you don't have to apologize to me. Just let it all out. Remember that you're never alone...you have family... I'll be you're family. You've been so strong for so long for me and everybody else, so it's time for me to be strong for you. Let it all out Naruto, please. I hate to see you hurting so let it all out. I love you Naruto, you better not ever forget that." She felt him nod as the sobs wracked his body. "And if you ever say that I don't again, I won't forgive you." His sobs grew louder as he nodded into her chest.

She placed a kiss on the top of his head and ran her fingers through his hair.

"It's alright. You're fine. Everything's gonna be fine." She placed one last kiss and let him cry his heart out. He needed this; she could tell that it was way past due. She closed her eyes and patted his back as he drained all the pent up anger and sadness and pure frustration out of his system.

She'd always thought of him as strong, he'd always been her rock...always there when she needed him. But this, this didn't make him any less strong in her eyes.

A/N: Aw snap, it just got deep. I'm in a good mood from tennis practice and was feeling particularly deep at the moment so yea…here ya go. Please, feel free to request something for this story. Like topics you want me to write about and stuff…I'll do them all! I promise! Thanks for reading!