Author: Kiki (me)
Word Count: 427
A/n: This is a little fic I wrote up quite some time ago. I left it sitting because I wasn't exactly proud of it, but I like it more now that I'm looking at it. This is meant to be a bit vague and not give many details. I, personally, don't like any of the pairings implied in this fic but I like the way it turned out. Please enjoy, and feel free to leave a review.
Edit: It seem like there was some confusion. Any and all implied relationships are not canon, and I don't claim for them to be IC. The pairings were not mentioned by name because they're supposed to fade in the background, they're not a huge or important part of this story.
This is not a NaruSaku, but the main characters are Naruto and Sakura, thusly the character categories will reflect that. Which, I might add, is the entire point of the character categories. Thank you, and have a nice day.
Naruto thought that Sakura was beautiful.
Beautiful from the width of her forehead to the tips of her toes and to the very last strands of her uneven pink hair. He thought she was beautiful even when his heart broke slightly after she told him that he was nothing more than a nuisance, even when he went home and wanted to cry but didn't because he's heard worse and felt worse; and even when he feels this sickeningly curdling feeling in the pit of his stomach that he doesn't know what to call.
When Naruto left for his three year training session he promised himself that he would always think of Sakura as cute and lovely and pretty and ravishing and stunning and all those other words ero-sennin uses to describe women that he never really remembers.
Even when Sakura turned up her nose at the candy he always bought her for Valentine's day with his ramen money, and at the ill-wrapped present he always gave to her at Christmas; Naruto still thought she was beautiful, because it was his ninja way and Sakura really did look like an angel when she was smiling and happy and trying to make Sasuke accept the bento that she'd beat Ino to making.
And now that Naruto is fifteen and he feels so grown and he's going out to save the world and drag Sasuke's sorry ass back home, his feelings haven't changed. Even when he actually succeeds in his mission and has kept his promise of a lifetime, his feelings have not waned.
Even as he grows older and gets married and is the best man at Sasuke's wedding where he teases him about having stoic blonde-haired little babies, the feeling is strong in the back of his mind.
And when he's finally made Hokage and he's sitting in his office with his white-eyed son tugging at his shaggy blonde hair, he's never been happier in his entire life.
The village recognizes him and he's the strongest ninja there is.
He doesn't see too much of Sakura anymore, she's taken to traveling about the country like her master before her and she never bothers to write. Sakura has a habit of showing up on Valentine's Day and Christmas, despite, and Naruto always gives her a small bag of candy and a nicely-wrapped present.
And when she turns her back on him yet again, Naruto merely smiles and watches her hair swing back and forth in a graceful arc.
Sakura was a fool, Naruto thought, but Sakura was beautiful.