Without That Smile

A Naruto One Shot

By: BreadCrumbs21

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

One Year. It's been one year since the end of the fourth shinobi war. There is peace throughout all five of the elemental nations. With this, you would think life would be great for the hero of the war, Naruto Uzumaki. Unfortunately that is not the case.

Naruto was in pain. It's easy to fake a smile if you've been doing it your whole life. He tried to make it seem like everything was fine to his friends. But his closest one knew better. How long can a man chase after a woman before he just gives up? Well Naruto Uzumaki never gives up. But for the first time in his life, he couldn't see himself winning this one. And it killed him.

Sakura. That woman. He always believed that she would be madly in love with Sasuke for the rest of her life. Naruto tried so hard to hide the jealousy he felt towards Sasuke, but it was getting harder to control. Even with this, she is and always will be his everything. Even with all the pain and suffering she's put him through, he loves her like no other.

Sakura noticed her best friend, Naruto began to change around three months ago. That was a significant time in all of their lives because it marked the day Sasuke came back from his "soul searching" trip.

Naruto came around less and less after he returned, but she didn't understand why. No one did.

"Naruto! Naruto are you in there?" Shouted Sakura as she pounded on the door to Naruto's apartment.

A few minutes after some loud knocking, Naruto finally decided to open the door so Sakura wouldn't break it down.

"Hey there, Sakura-chan! Long time no see!" Naruto said in his usual cheerful tone.

"Don't 'hey there' me, mister! I've been banging on your door for almost five minutes!" Said Sakura in a somewhat annoyed tone.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan. I was in the shower," Naruto Lied. He simply wasn't in the mood to talk.

"It's fine. I just wanted to check up on you. Sasuke and I were getting concerned. You've been M.I.A for a while y'know?

'Sasuke and you huh? I doubt he was concerned about me,' Naruto thought to himself.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan. Really. I've just been out of it recently. But I'm fine, I swear," Naruto had just lied again. He wasn't fine. Far from it actually.

"If that's true you'll come by ichiraku's tonight. We're having a get together! Everyone's going to be there, and we all miss you," Sakura said happily. She really did miss her goofy, blonde friend.

"Sakura, I don't know if that's a good idea. I haven't been feeling like myself recently. And I-"

"Please!" yelled Sakura much louder than she had intended to as she interrupted Naruto.

"Wha- okay. Fine. I'll go. Happy now?"

"Very."

"Be there around 8:00, okay? And don't be late!" Shouted Sakura as she walked away from his apartment.

"Don't Worry. I won't," said Naruto mostly to himself as he shut the door.

He was never any good at saying no to his favorite girl.

7:55. That was the time on Naruto's watch. He wanted to get there on time. After all, Sakura made him promise her he would.

As Naruto lifted the curtains to get into Ichiraku's ramen stand he was greeted with a sight he hadn't seen in a while. The Konoha 11. All together in one place. He would be lying if he said that didn't cheer him up on some level. Although he did miss Neji, he knew that Neji would want everyone to continue to live there lives.

"Hey, Naruto!" shouted everyone as they greeted their blonde friend whom they hadn't seen in a while.

"Hey Guys! Its great to see you all," shot back Naruto.

Naruto walked to the stool and sat down. He was then greeted by Ayame who asked if she could take his order.

"Hi, Ayame. Thanks. I'll take three orders of miso ramen with pork please," said Naruto as he placed the order for his favorite food.

After he had settled in, he heard people coming up behind him, so he turned around. It was Sakura and Sasuke.

"Thanks for coming, Naruto," said Sakura gratefully.

"No need to thank me, Sakura-chan. I'm happy to be here," replied Naruto.

Sakura then tapped Sasuke on the shoulder to get him to acknowledge Naruto. You see, Sasuke was still a very unemotional person. That hasn't changed.

"Dobe," said Sasuke unimpressed after some persistent poking from Sakura.

"Missed you too, teme."

"Thank you. Now, can you two please get along? You're both grown men and still act like children. Don't do anything stupid while I'm not here. I'm gonna run to the bathroom really quick. I'll be right back," said Sakura slightly annoyed that those two would still be bickering with each other despite being apart for so long.

After Sakura had walked off to the bathroom, Naruto decided to spark a conversation with Sasuke.

"So, teme, how have you been?" said Naruto in a slightly awkward tone.

"Hn. Fine," replied Sasuke.

Naruto sweat-dropped and scratched his head. "Good talk."

"I said I'm fine. And you look fine too. I wonder why Sakura was worried about you."

"She was worried about me? I'm surprised she had any time to even think about anyone else other than you," replied Naruto. He cursed himself for saying that out loud.

Sasuke looked at Naruto with a cocked eyebrow before he replied. "What exactly does that mean, dobe?" Said Sasuke. Wanting an answer.

Naruto tensed. He was in a bit of a predicament. Sasuke was a very observant person, and he most likely picked up on the fact that something was bothering Naruto.

"Uhh, nothing," Naruto offered as a weak response.

Sasuke just continued to look at Naruto strangely. The tension in the air was almost visible.

"Ugh, fine. It's just – don't you think she stresses over you too much? It's like you're her world or something," Naruto said. Finally giving Sasuke a valid response.

"Okay. And? If she does, it really isn't any of your concern," Sasuke knew where this was going. He knew very well that Naruto was still in love with Sakura. So he decided to push the blond, future hokage's buttons.

"What is that supposed to mean, teme?" Naruto shouted at Sasuke.

"If you weren't so dense, I'm sure you would be able to understand what I mean. All I'm saying is that yes, Sakura is close to me and she cares about me a lot. And I think I feel the same way about her. I mean, she's a strong, beautiful kunoichi," Sasuke said straight to Naruto's face.

Rage began to boil within Naruto. He knew there was always a possibility of this happening, but now that it was becoming a reality, it made him more mad than he had

ever been in his entire life.

Naruto looked at Sasuke for a few brief moments before storming out of Ichiraku Ramen. He knew people would begin to suspect that he still had feelings for the pink haired kunoichi after that little altercation. But at this point, he didn't care anymore. It hurt beyond belief to think of Sasuke and Sakura, his Sakura-chan, in a relationship. The blond haired future hokage knew he was being selfish, but when you've been selfless your entire life, it's understandable to finally want something all for yourself.

Naruto approached an old swing set, when he was younger, he would always come here to cry away the pain that the villagers would give him. He felt so alone at that point of his life, and right now, he feels the same way he did when he was younger. Alone.

Sakura had just walked out of the restroom. She headed back to the area that she, Naruto, and Sasuke were seated only to notice that the blonde goofball was no longer there. Sakura walked up to Sasuke hoping that he knew where Naruto had gone off to.

"Hey, Sasuke, where did Naruto go?" asked Sakura. Not knowing about the small argument Naruto and Sasuke had just been in. Well, it wasn't really an argument. Naruto stormed off before things got worse. That was probably for the best.

"The dobe stormed off," replied Sasuke in his usual uninterested tone.

"Wait, what? Why the hell did he do that?" Sakura said, feeling slightly upset. He had promised to go to the get-together. They even arranged it at his favorite place in the whole world just so they could sweeten the deal a little more. Sakura wasn't lying when she told Naruto they all missed him. What she didn't tell him was that she was the one who missed him the most.

"I said something that he didn't want to hear. You know, Sakura, that idiot really can't take a joke."

"What did you tell him?" Sakura asked in an icy tone. She was getting upset. If memory serves her right, Sasuke's definition of a joke was a lot different than most.

"I basically told him that you weren't interested in him. That you cared about me more. I was joking, but am I wrong? I didn't lie to the idiot," said Sasuke to Sakura. It honestly looked like he was being dead serious.

"You what?" Sakura shouted before continuing. "Why the hell did you tell him that I cared less about him than you? You know damn well that's not how you joke around Naruto. After the awful childhood he had he doesn't deserve that. He needs to know that we all care about him. A lot," said Sakura very sincerely. The last part though was but a whisper.

"Some care about him more than others, Sakura. You know that better than we all do."

What did he mean by that? Was Sasuke implying that Sakura had more feelings than just friendship for the blond doofus named Naruto?

"Sasuke, are you trying to tell me something?" Sakura said to him. Oblivious to what he was insinuating.

"Yes, Sakura, as a matter of fact I am. It's pretty obvious that you care for Naruto."

"Of course I care for him! He's my best friend!" Said Sakura. She had cut Sasuke off. At this point, she knew what he was going to say next, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to hear it.

"Come on, Sakura, you know what I'm saying. You're in love with the dobe. We can all see it."

"Sasuke, I'm sorry, but that isn't any of your business." Sakura said mostly because she didn't want to continue this conversation with him.

She had turned around and prepared to walk out of the Ramen stand, but she had a few more things to say.

"Oh, and Sasuke. Don't flatter yourself. I care about you, but you're out of your dark, little mind if you think I care about you more. Take care!" Sakura told Sasuke before smiling and walking out.

Sasuke lightly chuckled. "Hn. I know, Sakura. I mean, you do love the guy," Sasuke said mostly to himself.

Naruto and Sakura were his family. He knew that they both loved each other, so why not push the two together? At the rate they were going, nothing would ever happen. Naruto was too worried about ruining his friendship with Sakura if things did go south, and Sakura was afraid of Naruto's rejection. She also had a hard time accepting that she had fallen head-over-heels in love with the man she subjected to torture when they were younger. Besides, Sasuke felt that this was the least he could do after putting them through so much pain. Now, they were even. Well, sort of.

Sakura was walking home. Thoughts of the conversation she had with Sasuke were floating all around her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about it. Sasuke was right. She did have feelings for Naruto. But she was scared. She felt as though she didn't deserve him.

She had put him through so much pain throughout their lives. Chasing after another man for her entire childhood and most of her teen life when she had the best thing for her right in front of her face. Or, the fake confession in the land of snow. Naruto definitely didn't deserve that. If she had known any other way to try and stop Naruto from what she thought was his suicide, she would have tried it instead.

There was one thing about that confession that moved her. Sakura did have feelings for him. At the time, they weren't very strong, but they were definitely there. Now, she loves the man. Without a doubt. The only problem is; how can she tell him that she loves him when she feels like he deserves better?

Sakura wasn't paying attention to the road in front of her so she ran straight into someone.

"Ouch! Dammit, watch where you're going next time!" Ino shouted before looking up. "Wait, forehead? What are you doing out here?" Now that she had seen who had bumped into her, she was okay.

Sakura was rubbing her bum as she was getting up from the ground. "Oh, hey, Ino. I'm sorry for bumping into you. I wasn't paying attention. I have a lot on my mind right now," said Sakura.

"Hey, don't worry about it. So what's going on? You havin' man troubles?" said Ino casually.

"Wha- how did you-?" Sakura was stuttering. She didn't know how to reply. Ino's guess had been spot on.

"Oh, come on, Sakura. I'm the queen when it comes to this type of stuff so you really shouldn't be surprised. Plus, you've got that look on your face that screams man problems," said Ino in a nonchalant tone. This was easy for Ino to debunk. For Sakura, this could very well be the end of the world.

Sakura was nervous about telling Ino, yes. But she didn't really have anyone else to go to. And she wasn't going anywhere. She was just wandering around aimlessly trying to recollect her thoughts.

"Ok, Ino, you've got me. There's this guy that I really like and I want to tell him how I feel about him, but I know I don't deserve him." Sakura said this on the verge of tears.

"Sakura, shouldn't that be his decision to make? I mean, I know you're just trying to do what you think is best for him, but what if you are what's best for him? Have you even stopped to think about what he wants? Or better yet, have you even asked him?" Ino hammered Sakura with some tough questions, but that was the point. Ino wanted Sakura to think long and hard before she did anything.

"No, Ino, you don't understand what I did to this man. I put him through years of suffering. I made him watch as I chased after a lost cause like a foolish little girl. I played with his emotions and I never once thought I was hurting him. I was so stupid, Ino. What if I ruined the only chance I have to be with the one I love? What if he decides to give the other girl who likes him a chance? What if he laughs in my face? What do I do when that happens, huh?" Sakura was having a breakdown. The dam that was holding back her emotions had just broken. She let out all of her fears to her best friend.

Ino placed a finger on her chin and stared at Sakura for a few minutes. It looked as though she was thinking about what to say to the pink haired kunoichi.

Ino started off slowly. "Sakura, do you really think Naruto would do any of those things? Take a look at yourself. You aren't helping him by not saying anything. Honestly, I think you're hurting him. You need to stop making excuses for yourself, forehead. Because in the end, if you take too long, he will move on. Now, please ask yourself; can you live without him? Can you live without him loving you and all of your imperfections? Can you live without him treating you like royalty? Can you live without him being by your side? And finally, can you live without that stupid smile? The smile that you know damn well lights up your life and gets your gears going." Ino took a breath of air. She had just done a lot of talking, and yelling.

Tears welled up in Sakura's eyes. She couldn't live without any of those things. She needed Naruto. He completed her.

"No." Sakura said.

"No, what?" Ino replied.

"I can't live without him, Ino. He-he's always been there by my side. Naruto has loved me through my worst times and my best. And you're right, I'm done making excuses. I have to tell him how I feel. I have to tell him... That I love him," Sakura said this with a mile-wide smile on her face. Right now, she had confidence and hope.

"Atta, girl. Go get your man, Sakura!" Ino said happily.

"I will, Ino. Thanks for yelling some sense into me." Sakura ran up to Ino and gave her a big hug. "I don't know what I'd do without you, piggy."

"Yeah, yeah, I love you too. Now, go on! Don't keep Naruto Waiting!" Ino told Sakura as their hug ended.

With that, Sakura turned around and set off to find Naruto. Her future now awaits.

Naruto was sitting down on the old swing set. He was thinking about his life, and how he had gotten to where he is now.

Naruto sighed. 'I guess the only thing I can work towards now is becoming hokage. Yeah, that's it, I'll work my heart out to make sure I'm the best hokage there ever was. Kakashi-sensei will be retiring soon, so I could make my dream a reality. He chuckled sadly. 'If only I could make both of my dreams come true.' Naruto said to himself.

He heard the sounds of leaves crunching behind his form. He turned around to see who it was, and was shocked when he saw Sakura's pretty face right in front of his.

"Naruto, I found you," Sakura said with her voice barely above a whisper.

"Sakura-chan, hey. I'm sorry for bothering you earlier. Don't worry, though. I got the message."

"No, Naruto. You didn't," Sakura replied immediately.

Naruto looked at her with confused eyes. "Sakura-chan, Sasuke told me that you two were getting closer together. I'm happy for you. You're finally getting what you've always wanted," Naruto said this with a strained smile on his face. He was tired of being just a friend to her. He wanted more.

"I know what he told you, but what he said to you isn't true. It was his idea of a 'joke.' We're close, yes, but not in the way you think," Sakura said.

Naruto was about to start talking again, but Sakura interrupted him before he could get a word out.

"Naruto, I need you to listen to me for just a few minutes, ok?

The blonde nodded his head and began paying extra attention to Sakura.

She proceeded. "Getting close to Sasuke isn't what I want. I want to get close to you."

To say Naruto was shocked would be an understatement. Now, he was eager to hear what Sakura had to say next.

"At the end of the war, I looked at you and saw a great, brave man. I saw the man that would lead our village to a golden age and I saw a man who never gives up in what he believes in. You were standing next to Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei and you had this big, goofy smile on your face. God, that smile. Did you know that your smile melts my doubts away? It makes me feel so... Safe and complete." Sakura reached over and grazed her soft hand over his cheek. She lightly brushed his whiskers which made him purr. She giggled.

"You've gotten so handsome, you know?" Naruto's face got as red as a tomato. Sakura giggled again. "Naruto, you make me the happiest girl in the world. When you hug me, I pray that it will last forever so I could always be in your arms. You make me smile and laugh like there's no tomorrow. I don't need nor do I want anything else in this world but you. "

Naruto tilted his head sideways. To be honest, he looked a little confused. Ha, leave it to Naruto to be completely oblivious to this confession.

"Don't you get what I'm trying to tell you? Naruto Uzumaki, I love you." Sakura said with the most caring and honest voice he had ever heard.

The scene kept replaying in Naruto's mind. Sakura, his Sakura-chan had just told him she loved him. Not Sasuke, not anyone else but him. He was doing somersaults in his mind.

"You—You love me? Sakura-chan loves me!" Naruto shouted. "She loves Naruto Uzumaki!"

Naruto looked back to Sakura, hoisted her up, and smashed his lips into hers. All the love Naruto had for Sakura was pouring through the kiss that she returned just as happily as he did. Their tongues touched, their hands began exploring each others bodies. Things were getting heated, but they both needed to come up for air. Naruto separated from the kiss and pressed his lips on her charming forehead.

"I love you, Sakura-chan. I always have. I knew from the minute I laid eyes on you that I was going to marry you. You are the light in my life, the most gorgeous girl on this planet. And you're perfect in every single way. I lived my life every day to make you happy. I wanted to make sure I kept a smile on that beautiful face of yours no matter the cost. You are my everything, Sakura. I would give up everything I had to keep you happy," Naruto said with nothing but love in his eyes.

"Well, you don't have to give up anything." Sakura started. "The only thing I need to keep me happy is you."

Naruto felt tears form on the corner of his eyes. This is all he's ever wanted, and now, he finally has the girl of his dreams. "You've just made my life, Sakura. I love you.

"I love you more."

Sakura then tackled Naruto and they both fell to the floor. She landed on top of him and the newly formed couple began kissing again. They pulled apart for a moment.

Sakura started talking; "Waking up in each others arms, getting married, having a bunch of kids running around. What do you think, handsome?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Author's Note: Well, did you guys like it? It wasn't the best, just a short story that I wrote in a few hours, but I wanted to get a feel for the site and see what the responses were to this before I dive further into my multi-chaptered story. Please drop a review and tell me what you think of this one-shot, and tell me if you would like to read my multi-chaptered story. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed!