He stumbled drowsily through his apartment door, the toes of his shoes scraping against the concrete. Still inebriated from copious amounts of alcohol he had ingested not an hour prior, the objects in his living room began to blur together. Differentiating between the walls in the dark was hopeless, and he warily stuck his hands slightly in front of himself to get a feel for the layout of his own home. The placid coolness of the wood beneath his feet kept him agile and helped to jolt himself more alert. Geez, I feel like I'm going to puke… there's no way I can make it to my room. Sickness set in with every footstep, stomach churning in pain, and he decided on settling for his couch instead. It was only a couple more steps to the side as he relaxed into the soft, airy cushions.

Sakura-chan…Sakura-chan…Sakura-chan… he mumbled her name in the dark to himself over and over again. It rolled off his tongue as it had millions of times before, and still found himself unable to drop the suffix from her name. Sakura-chan…Sakura-chan… He couldn't get the image of her in her dress out of his mind. Light curls of hair rested on her dainty shoulders, her eyes were clear and bright, every curve of her body accentuated by the fabric of her gown. It was as if she was born to wear that dress. And her smile. She had never looked more beautiful, more overjoyed in her entire life. After watching her suffer for years on end, he wanted nothing more than to revel in her happiness. But he couldn't do it. She never really was mine, was she? His sniffling began to drown out the white noise of his fan. Naruto tried his hardest not to cry, but it was inevitable. The tears burst from his eyes with irreparable force, white-hot with anguish, and he lazily lifted his wrist to wipe them away.

While he sat crying in his empty apartment, the happy newlyweds were departing on their honeymoon. He knew what soon would take place: Sasuke was eager to consummate the marriage and impregnate her, and he knew Sakura was zealous and trusting enough to believe it was because he loved her. The thought of him laying his hands on her made him sick. Knots tied in his stomach and it felt like he was spinning at a hundred miles a minute. He remembered all the times that Sasuke had tried to kill her, nothing but malice in his heart, and his tears only increased. Sasuke's hand around her throat was a particular gruesome memory to recall, and he wanted nothing but for the image to disappear. That bastard…that fucking piece of scum. It was foolish of him to have ever considered Sasuke his friend. Memories of his own brushes with death at Sasuke's hand came to mind. The Uchiha had never wanted him for anything other than a rivalry to further his own ambitions of power. He elected to bring him back only because he could never break his promise to Sakura. He loved her; she loved him. But she loved Sasuke more. I can't do this anymore. She's married. She's out of my life. It's over. I can't keep doing this. Naruto winced and shut his eyes closed as he fell over onto the arm of the couch. He was surrounded by reminders of his loneliness: the stacks of dirty dishes, the trash strewn on the floor, the piling laundry. The cloth of the couch absorbed his tears, as well as his sorrowful wails, as he let his exhaustion overtake him into sleep.

Bright sunlight seeped through the curtains and striped across Naruto's face. A grimace lined his face as he struggled to avert his face. Having cried himself to sleep, his eyes were crusted shut, swollen and puffy with redness. Every muscle in his body ached. He couldn't hear his own thoughts over the pulsing in his head. He struggled to catch his breath, overwhelmed with how horrible he felt. Ugh…why did I punish my body like this? I feel like shit. Naruto reluctantly eased off the couch, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and he glanced at the ruin his apartment stood in. Sakura had always been around to help him tidy his house as she hated the idea of him living in so much clutter. Without her help he had turned into somewhat of a slob. He agonized over how he would get on in her absence. Thinking quietly to himself, he let out forlorn sigh. I need some fresh air.

The sun was high in the sky during the afternoon, beaming brightly on the village. Citizens went about their usual business happily. Naruto no longer bumbled through everyone laughing loudly; he kept to the side of the path and lowered his head. He would have preferred to see, or be seen, by anyone he knew. The only thing he focused on were his feet. Watching them go back and forth, back and forth, like a routine machine. Each click of his heel on the ground anticipated. Although it was brief and unsubstantial, this bit of stability calmed him. The force of his shoulder colliding against a stranger jolted him out of it.

"Sorry."

"It's okay… wait, Naruto?"

He looked up to see none other than Ino Yamanaka gleaming at him.

"Oh, hey Ino."

"Geez, Naruto, you look terrible."

Naruto scoffed sarcastically, "Thanks, Ino. That's exactly what I wanted to hear from you."

"Oh, you know what I meant."

She gave him a sympathetic squeeze on the arm.

"You must have went home and beat yourself up pretty bad then, huh?"

Naruto stayed silent, avoiding her imposing glance.

"I noticed how hurt you looked during the wedding. Especially during that toast. That couldn't have been easy for you."

He didn't particularly feel like opening up to anyone, especially to Sakura's best friend of all people. Naruto continued to stay silent, kicking the dirt below him.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm…I'm fine. Really."

"That doesn't sound very convincing, y'know."

Naruto shrugged.

"You can trust me, Naruto. I'm not going to blab to Forehead if that's what you're concerned about."

"…"

"Hey, how's your appetite?"

"Huh?"

"Are you hungry?"

"Oh, it's fine, I'm—"

"C'mon. Let me take you to Ichiraku's. My treat."

"…Okay. Thanks."

…

"Naruto, it's not like you to not devour your bowl immediately."

"I'm just not that hungry, I guess."

Ino propped her elbow on the table, laying her head on her hand. She watched as he continued to watch the steam of his bowl. He hadn't even broken his chopsticks yet.

"Naruto, were you and Sakura ever even close like that? Like, did you ever actually think that you took could have ended up together?"

"I thought so. I really did. Sakura-chan and I…well, we had a very…intimate…relationship."

"How so?"

He sighed as his mind raced. Should I tell her? Ino, of all people? I guess I have no choice now.

"We…we had sex."

Ino nearly choked on her noodles and coughed to catch her breath. "You what?!"

"It was right after the war. After I almost died. I guess she thought she wanted to be more than friends, but…"

He watched as Ino ducked her head even further in his direction, ears peaked in interest, as she waited for him to continue.

"…Never mind, I don't really think I should tell you."

"Naruto," Ino began, laying a hand on his, "You can trust me. And I really think you should talk this through."

"Well, when we…you know, finished…she called Sasuke's name."

"She called his name?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Geez…I had no idea, Naruto. That's terrible."

Naruto absentmindedly stirred his pork in the broth, losing his appetite with each word he confessed to Ino. Remembering the heartache was a little more than he could bear. He watched her face contort into a sad, pitiful frown. She thought to herself, I didn't think Sakura had it in her to do that to someone.

"I know I'm Forehead's friend and all, but if it's any consolation, what she did was wrong. She shouldn't have used you like that."

Naruto hardened his expression and looked at the girl before him. He had never been particularly close to her before, and they hadn't even really spent an extended amount of time together before. But it was like a weight was lifted off his shoulders to have his pain validated by someone. It was as if his suffering was finally being acknowledged. He squeezed her hand and nodded. "Thank you, Ino. That means a lot." Ino smiled warmly. "Y'know, I think you should forget about her now. What else do you want to talk about?"

The two blondes sat inside Ichiraku well after they had finished their bowls, snickering and gesturing wildly at their table. To Naruto's surprise, he found got along with Ino quite well. She had the same fiery personality he did, as well being attentive and charming to boot. She even threw in a couple stories of her own. He wondered how it was that they seemed to only butt heads in the past, and now considered her a good friend within a matter of hours. Coming down from their current laughing fit, Naruto leaned in closer over the table. "Ino, I've had a lot of fun with you this afternoon."

"I have too, Naruto! I'm kind of shocked to be honest."

"Want to do it again sometime? Maybe Saturday night if you're free."

Ino gaped in awe, fluttering her eyelashes. "Naruto Uzumaki, are you asking me on a date?" He nonchalantly shrugged, but with an air of confidence. "Call it what you like," he smiled. She pressed a finger to her lips and thought on it. Of course she would; she was practically waiting for him to ask. But she didn't want him to know that. "Saturday night, eh? Why not. Sounds like fun." The two gazed at each other across the table, and for the first time in months, Naruto felt happy. His heart was as light as a feather.

Maybe things are looking up for me.