AN: Hello! And I'm back with an update, probelly the quickest yet.

Anyway, this is the climax part of the story...after this, it hits the fan...so...I hope you enjoy this. Also, please do what you do best and leave a comment. To be honest, it is so encouraging...so keep it coming. Enjoy!

Disclamair: I don't own Naruto...

Collide: A Deidara and Sakura Story ch 5

The sound of feet hitting the branches of trees echoed though out the forest. Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke were well into their travel to the tea country. The time they left had come and passed, right now the moon was out and Sakura was starting to get a little tired.

"Ne, Naruto, Sasu-Nii-chan…" Sakura spoke up as she continued to jump from branch to branch, looking at the two ahead of her. Both boys turned their heads slightly, not missing a beat as they waited for her to continue.

"Do you guys mind if we rest for a bit? We've been traveling since morning." She said as she breathed heavily.

Both Naruto and Sasuke looked back to her with confused looks. It was Sasuke who asked the question. "Are you ok Saku-Amoto-chan?" He asked out of concern. It was at that moment he took a quick glance over to Naruto and noticed that he shook his head with a sad look. This action of course concerned the young Uchiha even more. He was about to talk again before Sakura spoke.

"I'm fine," She said with a warm smile. "I just would like to rest up for a bit, if it's not too much of a problem for you two."

There was a short pause before Naruto spoke. "Well, we can't force you to continue if you really are tired. If you could hold on for a bit longer, I know of a clearing that's not too far away from here. I usually past this area every once in a while when I go out on missions in this area…I think you'll like it." He said with a smile as he turned to look at Sakura.

Sakura could tell that he was as concern for her as Sasuke was and it made her feel good that both could understand her needs without prying too much on it. She nodded her head in agreement and the three continue out ahead to the location Naruto directed them.

Meanwhile at the lake:

A pair of blue eyes slowly opened only to look up at pink colored petals of the tree in which he distasted. His eyes narrowed slightly as he slowly sat up and noticed a few things. For starters, it was dark out now. The full moon above shone brightly and reflexed on the lake clearly. There were some scattered clouds out and the way that the moon reflexed against them almost gave the clouds a 3-D affect. Some of the petals continued to fall to the ground creating a "Pink" Shower. When he looked himself over, he frowned to see that he was COVERED with those pink petals. The second thing he noticed was that his partner was missing.

"Where the heck did he go? Yeah" He whispered to himself in slight agitation. As he stood up and stretched, he took the time to look around the area….since he was too tired to do so earlier. The lake was huge…about half a mile from one end to the other and it was an oval shape. On the side of the lake where he was at, there was a small wooden cabin, about 100 feet away from where he stood. There were plenty of flowers surrounding the lake of all different shapes and sizes. There was also a few weeping willow trees scattered here and there. With the way the moon looked that night, the whole scene looked as beautiful as a painting. It was a sight he knew that his former partner would have liked if they still worked together. He silently cursed to himself that the leader recently gave him the responsibility show Tobi the ropes while is old parter, Sasori was assigned to work with someone else.

"So you're finally awake!" As if on cue, a familiar voice came from behind Deidara, causing him to cringe slightly.

"I'm going for a walk." He said flatly as he turned around and walked past the masked young man.

Tobi's eyes widen slightly from his attitude. He frowned behind his mask. "What's wrong?" He asked with concern as he titled his head.

Deidara stopped in his tracks for a second without turning back to look at him. "It's non of your business. If you follow me, I'll kill you. Yeah" Was all that he said in a dark tone as he continued to walk away.

Tobi stood alone as he saw his partner walk away. He was even more puzzled then he was earlier that day. The thing was that he could act stupid and be clueless on many things but he was not oblivious to the fact that Deidara simply was not himself. Sure towards him he acted cold, that was understandable…somewhat (he still couldn't figure him out on that issue)…however…these past couple of days the way that he was acting, seemed as if something was bothering him.

"Deidara-senpai…" Tobi said sadly as he turned around and walked towards the tree

With Sakura and the Guys:

"We're here Sakura-chan." Naruto said as they landed on the clearing. When Sakura finally landed behind the guys, what she saw took her breath away. The full moon shone brightly on a huge oval lake which had flowers of different sizes and shapes. There were cherry blossoms all around the lake with a few weeping willows here and there. Across from where they stood, Sakura could barely see what looked like a small wooden structure.

Her eyes widen as well as her smile. Both Naruto and Sasuke saw this and smiled as well. Naruto walked towards Sakura as he spoke. "So, what do you think?" He asked with a boyish smile.

Sakura was left at a lost for words as she just nodded her head and walked up to him, giving him a hug. "It's beautiful….the cherry blossoms….they are so beautiful." She whispered after she parted from him.

"I figured that you'd like it. I remembered the Sakura trees and…" He paused as the smile on his face faltered, he turned his head slightly to look away. "…I figured that you've had a stressful day, I wanted you to be happy."

Although Sakura didn't catch the look on his face, Sasuke did. It didn't take long for him to put two and two together. He knew both Sakura and Naruto for a long time, both of them were his best friends. But he remembered when they were little, the way that Naruto would look at Sakura and even talk about her. The thing is that Sakura and Deidara were glued to each other. She only had eyes for him. That's why she never noticed. Sasuke sighed as he shook his head. Maybe this was the perfect opportunity they both needed.

"Hey!" He called out. Both Naruto and Sakura turned to face him. Once he had their attention, he continued. "Why don't the two of you go and look for wood so that I can make a fire. I'll stay here and set up camp."

Sakura tilted her head slightly. "Are you sure about that? You don't want me to stay behind and help?"

"But Sasuke-" Naruto started but was cut off.

"Don't worry about it." Sasuke said with a smile as he waved them off. Both Naruto and Sakura didn't protest anymore and they started to walk off. Before they got far, Sasuke called for Naruto to come over. A confused look crossed his face but he did as was told.

"Yea?" He said once he reached his best friend.

Sasuke didn't say a word for a moment. Of course Naruto was starting to get a bit agitated but before he could speak, Sasuke spoke up. "Now's your chance, don't screw up!" With those few words said, he gave Naruto a small push towards Sakura but not before giving him a smirk. For a split second, he had no clue where the young Uchiha was getting at, but then when he saw him looking at Sakura and then back to him, he under stood what he meant and smiled back.

"I owe you." Naruto said with a smirk as he ran back to Sakura.

"You always do, Dobe!" Sasuke called out as his smirk widen.

"What was that about?" Sakura asked as her and Naruto walked away.

Naruto looked back quickly and saw that Sasuke still had that smirk on his face, while giving him the thumps up. He smiled as he looked back to Sakura. "Oh, it was nothing."

About 15 minutes later:

Both Naruto and Sakura were laughing softly. They had walked half way around the lake before they both stopped. They were about 10 feet away from a cherry blossom tree which was very close to the edge of the lake. It was probelly the biggest tree in the area. Sakura gasped as she looked up and walked closer to the tree. Naruto stood behind as he watched Sakura twirling and laughing under the tree. With the way the moon was shining on the tree, the shadows that were cast seemed to add an effect. Not only that, but the petals fell all around her in a pink shower. He didn't know why, but seeing her like that just took his breath away and he couldn't help but to feel as if he had fallen in love with her all over again. He was so deep in his thoughts, that he didn't notice Sakura calling out to him. He swallowed hard as he licked his lips. He ran over towards where she stood.

"Isn't this beautiful?" She asked as she twirled around some more and stopped, facing Naruto. She had bent forward slightly still laughing like a little girl. Where she stood at the moment caused the moon's light to hit her at an angle which make her appear to glow. At that moment all he wanted to do was just take her into his arms and kiss her passionately. However, he had enough control not to do so (That, and chances are she might just punch him. He remembered when they were little, he saw another boy do just that and he still flinched at what she did to him). He shook his head as he took in a deep breath.

Sakura's eyebrows frowned together when she noticed him acting a bit funny. "Naruto?" She said softly as she gave him a raised eyebrow.

"I'm fine." He said, almost as if he were reading her mind. A smile reappeared across her face as she nodded her head and turned back to the lake.

"You know…" She began in a soft tone as she sat down, rubbing a petal from the tree between her fingers. "When I was little…my mom used to tell me stories about theses trees."

"What kind of stories?" Naruto asked as he sat down next to her.

She laughed softly as she looked at him for a second before looking at the lake. "It's silly, gomen, I didn't mean to bring it up."

"Well, I don't mind hearing them. Come on, you've gotta tell me," He said with a big goofy smile as he playfully pushed her… as if encouraging her on. She laughed some more which in turn secretly made his heart flip.

"Well, I would always ask her why did she name me after a tree and I remember one day that she told me that this tree held a very special meaning. She told me that there was a story behind the tree. It started a long time ago, there was a handsome young man who was considered the sweetest person that the villagers had ever seen. He would go out of his way to help anyone in need. He'd go as far as to even risk his life. One day, he saw a young woman about he's age. She was being attacked by some robbers and at seeing this, his heart went out to her. So with out thinking about his own safety, he ran out and helped to fight off the robbers….

In the end, they left but she wasn't unharmed. She ended up unconscious due to a blow to the head. Not knowing what to do, the young man carried her away and took care of her for the night. From that day, the two became inseparable. It didn't take long for the two to fall in love, and they were both very happy. However…one night…" She paused as a said look crossed her face. Naruto noticed his and reached his hand out to touch her shoulder. When she turned to look at him, he gave her an encouraging smile and nod of his head, and she like wise did the same as she took in deep breath and continued.

"One night while under a tree, he told her that he loved her. It didn't stop there, because almost in the same breath he asked her to marry him. Of course she accepted, but there was catch. He had to go away for some time, but he promised that when he returned, that they would wed. He instructed her to meet him under that tree two months from that night. Although it was hard for her to let him go, she did with hope that he would return.

Well, 2 months, 4 months even 6 months passed and she waited for him under that tree every night. But he never showed up. She would wait there all night despite the fact that at times it was very cold out. During the day she would hardly eat a thing. One night, as she waited under the tree, her body finally gave in and she died under the tree. What she didn't know was that he had died. On his way back home he was attacked by the same robbers he saved her from, but there were too many and he couldn't fight all of them off. The two were buried under that tree, since many people knew it to be 'their' tree. Never before had that tree produced any leaves. Shortly after their deaths, the tree started to blossom. When it did, the villagers were surprised because the tree produced flower that were pink…which was the girls favorite color and it smelled like cherries which were the boy's favorite fruit. What's more was that it only bloomed once a year around the time of their death."

There was a long silence before either one said anything. "That was…very sad." Naruto said in a low voice as he looked down.

Sakura smiled as she continued to look at the lake. "No, I don't think so." She said softly.

That answer caused Naruto to turn to her with a very shocked look on his face. "How could you say that?" He asked out of confusion.

She paused for a good while before turning to look at him. He still had that shock look on his face as he continued to look at her. The smile on her face faltered as she turned to look back at the lake. "When I was younger, I never understood the meaning of that story. I remember crying the first time I heard it. My mom asked me why I was crying and I told her it was because they both died. She laughed softly and held me in her arms as she rocked me. That's when she told what was so special about the story. Legden had it that whenever a couple expressed their true feelings under neath such a tree…that their love would last forever…no matter what. She used to call it the tree of love." She laughed softly as she fell onto her back. She then propped her hands under her head as she looked up at the tree. She sighed deeply before continuing.

"But what happens when you don't confess? When you don't tell that person who you love so much that you can't live a day with out them? That every day without them in your life feels like it's crushing your heart. It was a struggle those years I was away from him. I wrote to him everyday, but I never received any reply. I even called once in a while, but no one answered and I couldn't leave a message. I would always remember the last words he said to me before I left and I aways wondered if he really meant what he said. It was times like those that I'd remember that story." She turned her head to look at Naruto. His eyes widen when he saw that she was crying. She slowly at up and wiped away the tears as she looked at him.

"I remembered how she never gave up….and I'm sure that if he didn't die that they would have been together. Just as if I didn't leave…him and I…" She took in a sharp deep breath as she shook her head. The tears came more and more as she slowly fell apart. "…and just as she lost her strength and she died…I…I…" Her voice cracked. "I feel like I've died."

Naruto was by all means shocked. Here was the girl he was in love with and she was in such pain over the news she received earlier that day. Although his situation was exactly like hers', he still knew what it felt like to lose the one you love. She was always close but at the same time so far away. He never had the chance to tell her how he felt, because HE was always around. He didn't know wither to distance him or to appreciate him, learning what he had done for her. But seeing her like this….really made Naruto hate him. All those years…he could have been the one to be by her side…he could have made her happy and even right now…she wouldn't be suffering. He shook his head, it was wrong for her to feel like this. Without another thought on the matter, he embraced her in a tight hug. However, the force of his embrace caused her to fall back and he ended up landing on top of her. Both of them gasped in surprise.

As he looked down at her, she seemed to glow again under the pale light. He started to blush deeply as he pushed his self away from her. His heart started to beat madly against his chest and he found it hard to breath normally.

"Naruto?" She asked softly as she too sat up and leaned forward to get a better look at him. She would have continued, that is if he didn't interrupt.

"I know you don't know me as well as you know Sasuke or even Deidara. But…" He paused as he took in a deep breath and turned to look at her, he noticed that she had a concerned look on her face.

"I've always loved you." He whispered softly. In that moment, a soft gust of wind blew threw the trees causing once again for soft petals to shower down on them. It was now Sakura's turn to have a shock look on her face. She opened her mouth to speak but Naruto shook his head.

"No please, let me get this off my chest, other wise I'm never going to say it again." She nodded her head so he continued. "From the moment that I first saw you, I loved you. But I knew that you liked Deidara. So I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't tell you my feelings. I also promised myself that if he ever hurt you or never returned your feelings, then I wouldn't hesitate to express my feelings to you." Just then he paused as he leaned in closer to her. There faces were now centimeters away from each other.

"So here I am, laying my heart on the line, not even knowing if you will return my feelings….but if you do…" His voice drifted off as he closed the distance between them and kissed her softly on the lips. Thought it lasted only a second, it felt longer. Sakura's eyes were soft and her lashes flutter gently as she looked at Naruto in a dazed state. He gave her a warm smile as he took her hands into his own.

"…If you do, I'll always be around and I'll never make you cry."

Sakura just looked at him as tears feel down her cheeks. May it be the location or even the words that came from his heart. But she couldn't help at that moment to feel something for him. Wither it was love or it was appreciation that she had for him. Whatever it was caused her to do something that surprised not only herself, but Naruto as well. She leaned forwards and returned the kiss in which he gave her. This time it lasted longer and she allowed his tongue to enter her mouth. So it may have been the words, the location, the moment. However, that very moment would change their lives forever because unknown to them they were being watched.