Naruto was uncharacteristically quiet as he watched Sakura fade away. Her roses were already shredded to pieces, and she still hadn't finished her story. He supposed that he would have to wait for tomorrow to hear the rest of the story. But there was something bothering him. Sakura's story definitely had a sad ending. After all, she was dead, wasn't she? That meant that things couldn't have gone well for her…

Sighing, Naruto shoved his hands in his pockets and continued strolling around the cemetery. He still had a few hours to kill before his shift ended. He'd think about this later when he wasn't stuck in such a sad and empty place.

x-x-x

As always, Sakura was waiting for him on her bench. She still had her roses, and her hands were steadily working away at them. Naruto wondered why she tore up the flowers that someone lovingly left for her everyday. There wasn't much time though. He had to get the rest of the story out of her before she disappeared again.

Sakura smiled up at him as he sat down. She knew that he wanted her to finish, but she wanted some answers too.

"I know that you're waiting for me to finish, but I still have to ask my question for today." Sakura's voice was quiet and very soft. Naruto had to strain to hear her.

He nodded twice, gesturing for her to ask.

"Naruto, answer me honestly. Have you ever been in love?" Sakura wasn't looking at him anymore. Instead, she watched the wide expanse of graves in front of her.

"I don't know. I mean, I've had crushes, and stuff, but I don't know about love. Maybe I just haven't met that person yet, you know?

"I understand. But maybe, you've already met that person, but you just haven't realized it yet?" Naruto shrugged and grinned at Sakura's statement.

"My turn. Will you finish your story?" Naruto was impatient.

Sakura grinned at him. "I suppose it's only fair to finish it. You must have been annoyed that I'd left it hanging like that yesterday. Alright. So I was going to Neji's house…"

xxx

Sakura knocks quietly on the apartment's door. She felt bad for coming at 3 in the morning, but she had rushed over right after the wedding. It was time for some answers. Steeling herself as the lock clicked, Sakura finds herself looking straight at the man who had held her heart for five long years. Then she does the first thing that came to her mind. She runs.

Neji, who had recovered from his shock quite admirably, catches up to her before she even makes it to the elevator. Grabbing her arm, he drags her back to his apartment and slams the door.

"Sakura?" Neji is too surprised to be angry. After all this time, what was she doing here?

Sakura looked up at him with teary eyes. She hadn't even planned what to say to him. The only thing that had mattered was seeing him again. Sakura swore that she wouldn't leave without some answers. And she definitely wouldn't let him leave her behind again.

The tears finally started pouring after that last thought. Sakura reaches up for him and Neji reciprocates willingly. He tightens his hold on her small body. After a few minutes of the comfortable embrace, they part.

"Sakura, I know I hurt you that day. But there was good reason. I couldn't have been with you because I was already promised to another. It was the price I had to pay for leaving the clan to continue with my dream. You know that I've always wanted to be a lawyer. In exchange for my freedom from the company, I've been tied to Tenten. I should've told you sooner, but I didn't think it would have come up between us. The engagement, my career as a lawyer, my Hyuuga name; I didn't think any of it mattered to you."

"As if leaving in the middle of the night was better than telling me that your family had forced you into a marriage. I thought we were friends. For five years, I tried to pretend that you hadn't existed. If you couldn't have accepted my love, couldn't you at least have respected our friendship?"

Neji flinches as if she had slapped him. He had thought that he was the only one suffering; after all, he was the one who had to leave everything and disappear. He was the one who had to face Tenten after the broken engagement. He was the one who had been disowned from the clan. He was the one who had been broken.

Sakura's tears tell him something different. She had been suffering these past few years. Just because she had managed to conceal her pain didn't mean that it didn't exist. Full of regret and longing, he gathers her in his arms. "Sakura, I have no family anymore. I can't give you anything except for what you see before you. If you can still accept me, I ask that you accept my love."

xxx

"So that's how it was. The person I'm waiting for is Neji." Sakura's face didn't reflect her peaceful words. It seemed as if she was struggling to say something.

"What?" Naruto watched her face carefully, anticipating her effort.

"It's not your turn to ask the question yet. Let me ask mine first. How much would you be willing to give up for love?" Sakura was waiting carefully. Naruto felt like his worth as a human being was being judged by this one answer.

"If you're asking what I would do for my loved ones…well, I'd have to say 'everything'. Then again, it's hard to know what exactly 'everything' means. I mean, I could die, and give up my life. That could be something. Or I could give up my happiness. It's hard to answer. I'd like to say everything, but even I'm not sure what it really means." Naruto spoke quickly, hoping that Sakura could understand his jumbled thoughts.

"Maybe you should think about it a little more?" Sakura smiled; she had not found him lacking.

"Maybe," Naruto shrugged and inspected his hands. There was a little smudge of dirt along his right palm. He worked at it for a few moments, trying to distract himself from the confusion in his head. Looking up, he opened his mouth to ask the next question.

Sakura was gone. Her bouquet had been completely destroyed, and the small rose petals faded away with the night breeze. Naruto stared for a few moments and then shrugged again. It would be his turn again tomorrow.

x-x-x

Naruto considered telling his best friend about the beautiful woman he was meeting every night. If he phrased the story correctly, he might even make the bastard jealous. Or not. Because Naruto was no storyteller, and he was even worse at keeping a secret. And these two qualities of his would indefinitely cause him to look like an idiot.

"…and then she just vanished!" Naruto's blue eyes were wide. Sasuke's eyes were narrowed in disbelief.

"I think you need to work on your story a little, dobe. If that's your excuse for not doing your essay, I doubt even Kakashi would take it." Sasuke replaced his headphones on his head, making sure not to disturb his carefully arranged hair. Then he adopted his favourite pose of disinterest and stared off into the distance.

Naruto sighed as he rested his chin on his desk. If he worked all through lunch, he might be able to write a really bad essay. Or think of a really, really good excuse. He was just starting to drift off when a small finger poked him in the ribs. Naruto twitched once, and opened a lazy eye to glare at Sasuke, who hadn't moved an inch.

Poke.

Naruto suddenly jumped up; the second poke had been much harder than the first. Whipping around to give the annoying offender a piece of his mind, Naruto was surprised when he came face to face with a small head of violet hair.

"I heard your story, Naruto." If Naruto hadn't been watching carefully, he could've sworn that her lips hadn't moved at all. Puzzled, Naruto processed the whisper for a few seconds, and then froze completely. Looking around furtively, and making sure that Asuma was still on his cigarette break, Naruto refocused on Hinata.

"I heard your story, Naruto. And I know that you're not lying." Hinata's voice was very small and quiet, just like its owner. Naruto strained to catch it.

"He is my cousin. Hyuuga Neji, I mean. And Haruno Sakura was the name of the woman he loved. I know their story." Hinata looked up and met Naruto's gaze straight on. "I know you aren't lying," she repeated.

"Really? Tell me. What's the story? How come she's dead?" Naruto's eyes were wide with wonder. Shy little Hinata suddenly became very, very interesting.

"I will, but I want to meet her. Please?" Hinata's face started to burn red from the excitement. "I know all about her, and I really, really want to see her. I believe you because you describe her perfectly…just like Neji did. I really wanted to see her…before she died." Hinata swallowed thickly and waited.

Naruto nodded quickly and rattled off a set of instructions. She would meet him when he arrived at the graveyard, just before he started his shift. Hinata nodded her acquiescence, and smiled at him softly.

Naruto's heart thumped suddenly. The questions that had been running around his head for a week might be answered tonight. And maybe, just maybe, he could help one lonely ghost finally find her peace.

A/N: Ahem. Hi! So...it's been a really looong time since I updated, hasn't it? Sorry, you can blame real life for that.

The story is almost done...I think a couple of chapters are left. I've already started the next one, so you can expect it sometime this weekend?

Please read&review. Thanks!