A/N

This is a one-shot for a NS autumn contest. You can find info and the entries at http: /www. narusaku. com/ library /

I was aiming for the warm and fuzzies, so hopefully that comes across. Now a lot of NS folk probably have similar ideas about what direction to take with a NS story and an autumn theme. This probably won't exactly be a breath of fresh air considering that, but hopefully it will be entertaining.

When Naruto left the village, it was warm and full of rising scents. The typical thick potent smells of summer. Now he returned with the wind at his back, and a dark and thick overcast sky overhead. The stillness of it projected a somber tone over the village.

Sai got to him first; his greeting giving way to a somewhat subtle lecture on how a lack of punctuality had never been considered a favorable social trait amongst friends. Konohamaru was next, having spotted them from a block away; he brought Naruto down with a spirited running tackle. They cheerfully wrestled on the ground, kicking up dirt while Sai watched on curiously.

Sakura stood just out of sight, watching as the cool breeze blew softly against her. He looked tired she thought, and a bit thinner too. This only served to remind her that Naruto hadn't been away on a vacation. For the millionth time she wondered whether or not she should have gone with him. And for the millionth time she concluded that she didn't need to be there. It'd have made the situation tougher for Naruto then it already was.

He eventually wrestled Konohamaru off his body and with a laugh climbed to his feet. Without thinking to do so, Naruto turned and Sakura came into his line of sight. He greeted her sudden presence with a tender smile. Sakura smiled back but then started to feel self-conscious. She reached up and ran her hand through her hair. In the latter half of the summer she had been letting her hair grow. But it hadn't gotten to the point where she could catch a glimpse of her reflection without sighing out loud.

She wasn't sure how Naruto had gotten them to leave so soon, but when she looked back at him, Sai and Konohamaru had starting walking away. Yet with their friends gone, neither of them moved an inch. If the question asked was about the amount of time two people could stand a few feet from each other and awkwardly smile and stare, the answer would be much longer than necessary.

Naruto moved first stepping forward; Sakura then decided to meet him half way. Each step brought an unconsciously quicker pace, a little more of a curve to their smile, and then finally they were embracing.

"You're a day late-"

"—So I'm a day late"

They said it simultaneously, startling them both. Naruto laughed, slightly embarrassed. Sakura cleared her throat and went on.

"So how did it go this time?" She winced; it was an awful question, one that she regretted immediately. Clearly had Naruto's journey had been successful; he wouldn't have been standing before her alone.

"It's kinda hard to find someone who doesn't want to be found." He said.

"Well I'm sure sooner rather than later..." she replied, reaching for something positive to say.

Sensing her unease, Naruto smiled at her. She smiled back, and all was well again. He was somewhat comforted by the fact that like always, they could just pick back up where they left off. Her hand rose to touch his cheek but at the last second Sakura caught herself and tapped his chin with her knuckles.

"Welcome back Naruto." The overcast sky opened as bit of light rain came down on the village.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You've been back three weeks Naruto, and you know how much trouble you've caused in that span of time?"

Sakura began to count off on her fingers. "Last week Yamashiro-san shows up during my lunch break to tell me that he has his suspicions that you poked holes in cans of tuna fish and hid them around his house. It took him two days to get rid of the smell. Four days ago, Kiba shows up at my place and says it was you that released a ton of crickets in his room; he says he's got your lingering scent in his room to prove it. Three days ago, Chouji tells me you offered him a bag full of cream filled cookies. But instead of cream, it was actually tooth-paste. Yesterday Neji stops me in the middle of the street and mentions that someone put chili powder in his mouthwash; he claims he spotted a blond hair on his bathroom sink. Shikamaru shows up this afternoon and mentions that someone got a bunch of alarm clocks, set them for random times early in the morning and hid them all over his room. It was quite "troublesome" for him. That's how it felt having to listen to him gripe about it."

An anxious chuckle escaped Naruto's lips as he glanced over at a group of patients strolling through the hospital hallway. Perhaps he should have fought the urge to drop in on her at work after all. "Would you believe that one of my clones gained a mind of its own and turned evil?"

Sakura massaged the base of her temple with her thumb and pointer finger. "Here's the thing that irritates me. For some reason they're coming to me to complain about all your pranks. You know how that makes me feel?"

"Embarrassed that so many of our friends are tattletales?"

She tapped him none to gently over the head. "Do you not understand how much nurse's gossip?" She exclaimed.

"In my defense Sakura-chan," Naruto groaned, holding on to his head with both hands. "Everything I did was pretty funny."

"Forget it!" she said in a huff as she turned to walk away.

"Wait!" he called after her. "I should apologize for tomorrow."

She stopped in her tracks. "Tomorrow?"

"Just in case Konohamaru shows up tomorrow. And he probably will since I-uh... Put yellow hair dye in his shampoo."

Sakura blinked at him, waited a beat and said, "No way."

Naruto reached into his pocket and plucked out a picture. "You want to see it?"

Sakura hesitated for a moment before reaching Naruto in two quick strides. Mischief gleaming in his eye, Naruto held out the picture and she received it graciously. It didn't take more than a single glance. Under the light of a low hanging Harvest moon Sakura Haruno flew into a fit of irrepressible laughter.

She had never noticed it before, but with enough focus the peripheral sounds of autumn would come to her as crisp as the air itself. Or maybe she had noticed before, but had never appreciated it. Now she found something absolutely amusing about being treated to the crunch and rustle of leaves with every step she took. There was something surreal about having your slightest movement reverberating throughout the wooded area.

"I thought we were going to visit Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked from a step or two behind her.

"We are." They were, however they happened to be cutting through a bit of the Nara Clan's forest to get there, adding fifteen minutes or so to their walk. Naruto had been distinctly aware of this when he followed her off course. They were apparently taking the scenic route, but he wasn't sure why.

"It's just a fifteen-minute walk, is that alright?"

"Yeah, sure." he answered.

She looked over her shoulder and he turned his head. It never seemed to amaze her how obvious things could be in hindsight. Since her conversation with Sai just about two years ago, Naruto's glances got easier to pick up on with every passing day. When they were alone there would seldom be a time that Naruto's eyes didn't suddenly dart away from her whenever she glanced at him. And a little after she turned her attention elsewhere, she would feel his eyes again. Sometimes she didn't look at him and simply let the feeling wash over her, like the warming spray of a hot shower. Slowing down some she gave Naruto a chance to match her pace.

They walked abreast and when their shoulders brushed, Naruto felt a familiar burn in his cheeks. He made a conscious move to straighten up his posture and the singular question on his mind concerned the freshness of his breath.

"Naruto, how do you see yourself in the future? Like in twenty years?"

"Hmmm?"

"Can you imagine what your life will be like in twenty years?"

Naruto scratched at his face. "That's a really random question."

She shrugged. "Autumn is the time for random question don't you think? Summer is in the past winter is in the future. This is the time when people turn inward, both physically and mentally."

Naruto tilted his head thoughtfully. "OK... But I kinda have more of an eye on the present."

"I can easily imagine you in ten years."

"Can you?"

"Yeah I can do it right now. First of all, I do see you as the Hokage."

Narutochuckled, stretched, and then placed both hands behind his head as
they walked. "Yeah that's not really hard to imagine is it."

His enthusiasm brought a smirk to Sakura's face. "Yes you are the Hokage. But that's not the title you are the most proud of anymore; in this point in time you're also a father. And I see you lifting up a little blond girl to face level and covering her with kisses. Then you put her up on your shoulders. You both start whistling something-some tune-and then you take off happily down this very path we're walking down right now."

They stopped talking for a moment. Naruto wasn't exactly sure what to say.

"You really see that?"

"Yeah, I just did" she replied her voice just above a whisper. "Can you see me in ten years?"

"Sakura-chan I haven't really thought about things that far in advance for a while now."

"That's no fun. Just close your eyes and tell me the first thing that comes to mind. And quickly, no second guessing, tell me the first image you see."

"Alright" Naruto closed his eyes.

"Quickly, what do you see?"

"Well, uh... I see you, and there's a guy - I think he's your husband..?"

"Who is it? Where am I, what am I doing?"

"I don't know, it's really kind of hazy. He's gone anyway."

"Come on, alright who is the guy?

"I didn't get a chance to see his face because you just punched him into the sky..." He took a long pause. "Sakura-chan?"

Naruto opened his eyes to see Sakura lean down, scoop up a large armful of gold, brown, and red leaves in hand. He managed to get his arms up right before she threw the leaves all over his head like over-sized confetti.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The entire village is looking forward to the Yatai floats.Sakura mused to herself. The intricately designed and meticulously decorated floats had been lined up since dusk waiting for the village to be veiled in darkness. As many as a hundred lanterns would be lit on each float and the Yatai would then be wheeled around the village by people wearing traditional kimono or hakama. Radiating in the night the floats would tour the city delighting the old, the young, and everyone in between.

The autumn festival wasn't officially underway until the Yatai came around. But upon second glance, Sakura wondered if perhaps the spirit of the festival itself provided enough fascination. Maybe no else had noticed, but perhaps the concentrated essence of autumn may have been right here in the village square. She breathed deeply of the sweet smells coming from various vendors. Autumn, of course, is a time of harvest. So many ingredients were now in season. The scents of steamed rice with chestnuts mingled with that of mushroom soups caused her mouth to water a little. The sights and sounds of the excited children at play lifted her heart with bittersweet nostalgia. And the slight nip in the air that forewarned of future chills to come sent goosebumps running through her body.

"Young lady with the pink kimono and matching hair!"

Sakura unconsciously took a brief look down at her clothes before turning to her right. She caught sight of one of the festival vendors enthusiastically waving her forward. He stood behind a booth featuring dozens of styles of silver charms. Having always loved charm bracelets, Sakura was drawn to the display.

"Suzuki Akio at your service." The vendor said bowing slightly. He was a ruddy-cheeked, middle-aged man wearing a very loud checkered hakama.

"Haruno Sakura."

"That is a bright smile you've got there Miss Haruno! Perhaps your life is fulfilled, but may I ask if your love life is fulfilled?"

"Ah," Sakura said reading the sign of the booth out loud. "Autumn love charms."

"Indeed!" Akio proclaimed proudly.

"Y'know Autumn is not usually associated with love. It's a bittersweet season at best and people usually associate it with decay."

Akio grinned broadly. "Ah, but my lady, how can you understand life without seeing decay? How can you comprehend the true value of the sweet without understanding the taste of bitter? Autumn is the perfect time to recognize matters of the heart."

"Even if what you say is true..." Sakura glanced around; most of the other booths in the immediate vicinity had lines of people awaiting service. From her vantage point it seemed as if she were the only one interested in the Akio's wares. "You might have better business with the young girls selling charms in the spring."

"Bah," Akio said waving his hands in the air dismissively. "I've had enough of the young girls. Youth is just like the spring and summer, an overrated period of time, remarkable only for superficial reasons and forced sentimentally. There's no depth, no complexity, no substance beyond a mere glance at the big picture."

Akio drew in a breath an opened his arms out wide. "Autumn is the season of genuine emotion. And I will only sell my autumn stock to people who can appreciate them. By that I mean mature, romantic, capable women such as yourself."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "If you knew anything about my history regarding romance, you wouldn't be so quick to toss out words like mature and capable."

Akio smirked. "Luckily Autumn is also the season of change. The children lose the flowers, but the harvesters gain the fruits. There's change all around us, what is gone is gone and can no longer be; what we have is perhaps all we really needed."

"I thought you said autumn was the season of love. Now it's the season of change?"

Akio wagged his pointer finger in Sakura's direction. "I said autumn was the season of emotion. Love, changing hearts it all plays a part."

"You have a silver tongue Akio." Sakura said with a sigh.

"I also have excellent products, especially for VIP clientele such as yourself." Akio's right hand reached beneath the booth and returned with a black leather box. He laid the box down on the display table before deftly popping the box open, revealing a sparkling yellow and pink crystal double heart charm pendant necklace. "I guarantee this charm will bring love to your life."

"It's adorable," Sakura said with her eyes on the necklace. "But what If I'm not looking for love, or what if I'm the type of person who is not necessarily deserving of it?"

"Everyone is looking for love during the autumn whether they know they are or not. And it can find it whether you deserve it or not. See when the days grow colder, passions grow with the greatest heat." Akio said, wagging his eyebrows suggestively.

"Hey I saw that!"

Before Sakura could turn around, she felt a gust of wind and suddenly Naruto was standing between her and Akio's booth.

"I saw what you did with your eyebrows." He proclaimed while glaring at the merchant.

"What's wrong Naruto? Did something happen." Sakura asked

He turned from Akio to Sakura. "I was coming to tell you I couldn't find any vendors selling fresh Kabocha, but then I saw this guy do the thing with his eyebrows when you weren't looking."

"I was aware of the eyebrow wagging Naruto."

"Yeah, well then- just trust me on this. Ero-Sennin did the eyebrow wag all the time and when he did it, he was never thinking or talking about something innocent. Only perverts wag their eyebrows, Sakura-chan!"

"I take offense to that!" Akio sputtered.

"Akio has only been friendly to me." Sakura declared.

Naruto looked incredulous. "Well I bet this guy probably does that to all the girls who pass by."

"Well, he's a salesman."

"Exactly" Naruto turned to glare again at Akio.

"Sir, I was merely trying to showcase this lovely necklace to the lovely Miss Haruno."

"She doesn't want it." Naruto's head snapped towards Sakura. "You don't want it do you?"

Sakura stared at the necklace. "Um let me take a better look at it." Its alleged magical abilities aside, she couldn't deny the charm had its, well, charm. She brushed past Naruto, stepping closer to the booth. Picking up the box, she ran her hands across through the beautifully crafted hearts.

"I do think it's kind of cute." She said handing the box back to Akio. "I don't know if it's for me though."

"Perhaps you'd like to try it on?" Akio asked.

"Can I?"

"Of course." Having said that Akio extended the box in Naruto's direction. "Don't just stand there, help the lady out!"

Naruto glanced over and Sakura, with neither of them knowing what to say there was an abrupt and awkward moment of silence.

"Go ahead." Sakura said eventually.

Wordlessly, Naruto picked up the necklace. Sakura pulled her hair back and he slipped the necklace over her neck, clipping it on in the back. Pulling his back his hand, he brushed her cheek with such gentleness that she wondered if he thought she had porcelain beneath her skin.

When Sakura turned, Akio was waiting with a mirror in hand. It wasn't the fanciest piece of jewelry in the world, but it seemed to compliment her. In fact, it felt like the necklace was made for her.

She turned to Naruto. "What do you think, does it look good?"

He scratched the back in head in embarrassment. "It- It looks like it was made for you."

"You think so?"

"Yeah-You look beautiful-but you looked beautiful before it too so-" Embarrassed he let his words trail off.

"Thank you." She blushed.

"I also think it looks good on her." Akio crowed breaking the sudden silence.

"Well how much is it?" Naruto asked Akio.

"Hey, I can—"Sakura started.

"I know," Naruto interjected. "But I want too."

"I-" Sakura stopped when she saw the sparkle in his eyes. "OK."

Grinning, Nartuo dipped into his hamata and the legendary Gama-chan made an appearance. The night had taken an unexpected turn, Sakura thought to herself. But not an unpleasant one. She could easily say the say about their relationship. Heaven only knew that their relationship had been far from perfect over the years. Admittedly, she had done more than enough on her part to contribute to its imperfection. Looking back at how their relationship started off… Well somewhere along the lines things had taken an unexpected turn, a very pleasant turn.

"Sakura-chan, I got it."

She blinked at Naruto before shaking the fog from her head. "Sorry about that, I got a little distracted. Thanks."

"No problem." he said grinning happily.

"Thanks again for your business, "Akio said bowing. "I hope the rest of your date is an eventful one."

"It's not a date," Naruto corrected. "We're just friends."

"Ah... That's too bad" Akio noted.

Naruto gave the charm dealer a puzzled look. Leaning gently into him Sakura took her platonic friend by the arm and started to lead him away from the booth.

"Let's go find something to eat." She said. "Maybe something ramen-related."

XXXXXXXXXXX

It seemed that there were couples everywhere, civilians and shinobi alike, holding hands and kissing. Everyone around them seemed nestled into their partners, it wasn't cold enough for winter clothing but it was cold enough for people to seek and enjoy the warmth of another person.

"I'm feeling like Miso ramen with roasted pork fillet." Naruto said.

Sakura sighed. "How about a change of pace? A little diversity is good for you."

"Red bean soup?"

"So you're idea of diversity is not having your favorite meal, but having your second favorite meal?"

Through the corner of her eyes, Sakura watched a couple walking in the opposite direction. They slipped their arms around each, their whispers caught in the icy air. They breathed in each other's breath; an unconscious moment of intimacy.

"If a change of pace means having a less delicious dinner than I usual have then I don't get the point?"

She did her best to stifle a chuckle.

"What's funny?" he asked.

"Sometimes Naruto you make me laugh."

"I do?"

"Every once in a while."

They resumed walking and Sakura continued to study the couples around them. Life and vigor filled their faces. They were in the midst of a season of decay but they were living.

"Sakura-chan, you've changed-I think." he suddenly.

She thought this over. "Not really-I haven't...Well; you know I've been growing my hair out again."

"No, I'm not talking about your looks. I don't know what is, so I can't really describe it. But something's changed."

She looked over at him and he shrugged. The conversation ended there. Later on that night, a chilled breeze wafting in from an open window roused Sakura from her dreams. Caught in between wakefulness and sleep, she lay still allowing the wind blanket her. Sakura drifted back to sleep with the sense that the wind hadn't simply brought a briskness into the room, but a different mood.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The occasional warm spell interrupted the flow of cold days and colder nights. Beneath the warm autumn sun, the village was lovely. The sky may have been a deeper blue than it had been all year, and the surface of the Naka River shone like grass. Sakura really couldn't have picked a better day to invite Naruto to the riverside. Under any other circumstance it would have been the kind of afternoon that created memories they could both look fondly back on.

"I don't understand why you're brining this up again." Naruto sighed as he tore a handful of grass from the ground and released it to the wind.

"I've been thinking about it lately."

"We talked about this like two years ago." He frowned keeping his eyes on the river.

"I apologized, but we never really had any kind of discussion."

"That's because there's nothing to talk about." Naruto said. "I understood what you were trying to do."

She knew that it wasn't going to be easy and she had almost balked, opting to stray the conversation to the safety of village gossip. But as they rested beneath the autumn sun together and the sunlight caressed her face, she drew courage from their closeness.

"Maybe, but it still hurt you didn't it?"

"Sakura-chan-"

"Naruto, if I had a chance to go back and change only one thing-"

"Sakura," Naruto interrupted, the firmness in his voice now appeared in his eyes too. "Listen. It's OK. I'm OK."

She thought this over, studying his face, carefully weighing her choices. "Naruto, I've known you for most of my life know and I've rarely seen you pay heed to formality or most social settings. You might be the brashest person I know, and the most honest. It's something I do admire about you. You know you can be as honest with me as you are the rest of the world."

Without saying a word Naruto lifted his hands arms up to his head interlocking his fingers behind his neck.

"Did it really come off as such an obvious lie?" she asked.

He flinched, slightly. "I did believe it, for like a second, a half a second"

"And then?"

He was quiet, frowning, thinking. "And then it didn't make any sense to me."

"It didn't make any sense that I would love you, or that I was no longer in love with Sasuke?"

He blew out a breath as his answer, keeping his gaze on the river. She decided to go a different route.

"What would it have taken to convince you?"

The question clearly surprised him, but he answered it truthfully. "It wasn't about convincing, it just didn't feel right. And it didn't feel right for a very good reason."

She found that she had no response to this.

Naruto stood up smiling brightly, "But it doesn't matter since we're still friends. Hey, I'm actually in the mood for some dango, I'll go get some and be right back."

The finality in his voice meant that this particular conversation was over. But she wasn't buying his smile; his mask. He hadn't taken a step before Sakura grabbed his sleeve.

"I'm sorry. Really, truly sorry." Without looking directly looking at her, Naruto gently removed her hand from his sleeve. He made a move to leave, stopped abruptly and then dropped back down beside her.

"It didn't change anything." he said after a long pause.

They turned their attention to the nearby trees. The sunlight had caught the red of the leaves turning them to gold.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Nothing's changed.

Moonlight beamed in through Naruto's bedroom window illuminating the entire room. Rolling onto his side he glanced at his clock. It didn't give him any information he could use to reign in his wandering mind, so he shifted onto his stomach. A moment later he was staring back up at the ceiling.

It had been a few days since the talk about the confession. If he were allowed five memories to be ripped from his head, cleansed by a priestess and buried beneath a sacred temple, her confession would definitely have made the list. No, it would have made the list if he were only allowed three. Was he annoyed that she had suddenly decided to reexamine an old wound? Yes, but his annoyance made sense. It made sense that he wouldn't want to drudge up that issue. What didn't make sense was his weakening resolve.

Naruto sat upright in bed, feeling baked. The room couldn't have been anymore sweltering if there was a fire blazing from wall to wall. Sighing softly he attempted to refocus.

He could say with all honesty that he had never felt the compulsion to prioritize the goals of his life. For as long as he could remember if one ambition ever threatened to supersede another, his first and last resort was to try and achieve both. However, he'd known for years that he couldn't talk... To her... Without a certain peace of mind.

Sasuke at present was no longer the boy Naruto had known during his childhood; neither was he the hate filled man Naruto had fought with everything he had during the war. Despite the odds, Naruto had reached the last living Uchiha and in a brief moment of clarity; they were brothers again. Their connection, their bond, recast in the heat of their battle. To his surprise however, in the aftermath of the war, Sasuke promptly disappeared. A missing-nin and a wanted criminal.

If he found Sasuke again, he could set things right between them all. Him and Sasuke, their team, Sasuke and the village. He had been close, he was still close, he couldn't ever reset the clock but he could still make things right again. After that he'd either have to come to terms with moving on, or on the chance that she reciprocated... Well now he was really getting ahead of himself wasn't he?

But

There was a different feel. He couldn't deny there was something different. In the way she talked to him, the way she looked at him, the way she touched him when they were close…Her touch it lingered on his skin leaving behind a slow burn.

Naruto made a beeline to the nearest window, opened it, and shivered slightly against the cold drifting in over him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was still raining, cold for the second day in a row. Every few hours, lightening flashed across the sky just to keep the villagers on their toes. The weather had cast the village in gray, the vibrant colors of the season in the process of fading away. Thanks to this late autumn rain, the Ichiraku hadn't seen much business that afternoon except for Iruka and the ramen bar's number one customer.

"Well Naruto, many people don't know how to fully appreciate the subtle beauty of the autumn season. And I'm not just talking about the colors of the leaves and all that; I'm talking about the beauty of life. When the leaves and fruits fall off the trees most associate that with death, but nature is actually spreading seeds. See the new growth in spring is planted in the autumn. So Naruto you really shouldn't let autumn depress you, the world is not dying, the world is preparing itself for a brighter future. Sure you can focus on the decay, but isn't it better to see the possibilities in the seeds that will bear fruit in the future?"

Iruka ended his speech with a satisfied sigh. He nodded to Naruto, signaling that he was open to any questions, but closer inspection revealed that his former pupil's eyes were glazing over.

Iruka slammed his hand onto the bar. "Naruto are you listening to me?"

Startled, Naruto fell off his stool. "Yes-No-Wait, why are you lecturing me?" he asked climbing back to his feet.

"Huh? I-I thought the weather had gotten you down."

"This is what's getting me down." Naruto parted his hair revealing a lump like a bird's egg.

"Sakura or Lady Tsunade?"

"Sakura-chan" Naruto answered returning to his seat.

"Girl trouble, that's a bit more complex"

"Tell me about it! I went to see her hoping that she was free for the day."

"Ah, so you were asking her out?"

"Yeah-no it wasn't for a date; I wanted to go out as friends."

"Hmmm I heard you two were dating?

Naruto did a double take. "Where did you hear that?"

Iruka averted his gaze. "Never mind all that. Go on with your story."

"Half an hour before I got to her place, Lee was there accusing me of putting itching powder in his jumpsuit."

"Did you?"

Naruto briefly glanced up at the ceiling. "Iruka-sensei can I finish the story?"

"Sure."

"She said no Hokage had ever been known for pulling pranks on the villagers, I said it was just harmless fun because I was bored. She didn't believe me. She said I was frustrated with myself… About Sasuke."

"Are you frustrated?"

Naruto looked at him warily. "I was bored."

Iruka offered an apologetic look than he said "So she got mad because she felt like you weren't being honest with her?"

"Well there was this other thing too. She got really close like she was going to tell me something important, but my nose started to tickle and well… I sneezed in her face."

Iruka shook his head. "Things do not come easy for you, eh Naruto?"

"Nope." Naruto said with a heavy sigh.

He gazed down at the bar until Teuchi placed a piping hot bowl before him. Even then, Naruto couldn't even muster up his usual enthusiasm. The first slurp did nothing for him, the second slurp he actually tasted the flavor. It wasn't until the sixth slurp that he felt the familiar sense of joy spread through his body.

He was eating on automatic when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. He looked up just in time to see Sakura come out of the cold rain with water dripping from strands of her hair. He was surprised at how much the sight of her startled him. She caught his gaze and his heart and stomach somersaulted for contrasting reasons. She was probably still mad at him, but the sight of her in the clinging wet clothes warmed him in a way a steaming bowl of ramen could never do.

"Hey" she said in a tentative voice.

She slid into a free seat three stools away from Naruto. Iruka stretched his limbs out and then stood up. "I guess I should go."

As he parted he placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and said "Focus on the seeds, not the decay."

Iruka's departure left a supernatural silence in the ramen bar; after a beat or two Naruto noticed that Teuchi had somehow slipped off into the back room.

Sakura spoke first. "Our conversation got cut short, because well I kicked you out."

"Closer to punched actually." Naruto remarked.

"Yeah I, uh, I was already kind of upset before I felt the snot hit my eyes and well..." She smiled, folded and unfolded her hands. "You might have noticed over the years Naruto that I'm kind of an emotional girl."

"I haven't noticed." Naruto laughed with a good nature and cut himself off with a cough.

"So you might be wondering why I'm here Naruto -"

Very gently he interrupted. "Let me say this first. Granny called me into her office today. There are some rumors about someone who might resemble Sasuke in the Land of Honey, the Land of Rice, and the Land of Flowers… Not much to go on, but she thought she owed it to me to say something. The reason I came to see you so out of the blue like that was because I was hoping to- not go on a date or anything, but to spend the rest of the day with you since I'm not sure when I'll be back."

Sakura turned slightly and looked off, "Ah, that makes sense. Let me guess, you're leaving in the morning huh?"

"Yeah." He said. Suddenly the three stool distance between them seemed daunting.

"Well the timing is-hmmm..." she chuckled softly to herself. "Alright, I guess I'll just say what I have to say. All summer long, all I did was remember. I ate, slept, worked and remembered that brief period in our lives before Sasuke left."

Naruto remained quiet.

"It still hurts a lot, it does. But what I know Naruto is that you saved Sasuke from falling deeper into darkness. You did everything in your power for him and that can't be denied. But maybe now Sasuke needs to be alone to figure himself out. I-I believe with all my heart that he'll appear before us again one day, when he Is ready to face the world again. That's what I believe."

"Sakura..I"

She stood up abruptly. "Please don't say anything OK. I don't want to lose the courage to say this other thing."

She drew in a deep breath and blushed. "Back then, everything I said about how much I respected you was the truth. Those feeling haven't changed, the admiration, the trust, they haven't changed. What has changed is that now when I go to sleep, I imagine you're there with me. Since the autumn festival, I've dreamed about us together. Together the rain, in the forest, in Tsunade's office, and on top of the Hokage Mountain. In fact, last night... I dreamed of us making love."

Naruto stopped breathing, the chopsticks that had been an extension of his right hand just moments ago slipped from his grasp and clattered loudly against the bar.

She licked her lips. "I think that I might have tainted something good. I wouldn't blame you for thinking that I insulted your feelings and tried to manipulate you with that confession. I wouldn't have blamed you for never wanting to speak to me again after. But it happens that we're still friends. I want to say I'm OK with just being friends but the thought of it, just being friends... It breaks my heart more than either of us would probably have ever guessed."

For several moments they are silent. The rain has stopped and bits and pieces of random conversations from the villagers can already be heard coming from outside.

Sakura glanced away for a second time. "That's all I wanted to say, even if it may have sounded selfish. I wish you all the luck in the world on your trip Naruto, I really mean that."

She slipped quietly out of the bar and in her wake Naruto filled his lungs like a panicked swimmer breaching the surface. He actually didn't fully recover from his stupor until a few hours later. After he had finished his ramen in contemplative silence, he wandered the perimeter of the village once or twice before staring at the front door to his house long enough to attract attention from his neighbors. It was then that he had come to the conclusion that he was being a massive idiot.

Sure, he had come to learn the value of patience and he had tamed certain aspects of his impulsive nature, but she said she dreamed about him! Patience, tact and timing were pointless in the face of that kind of information. He should have chased after her; he should have talked to her at the bar. Maybe the time wasn't right; maybe it would never be right. But he had to face it things had changed.

He reached Sakura's neighborhood in no time, his jaw set in determination he marched up to her front door. He looked up. The autumn night-sky was crisp and clear and with the naked eye it seemed as if he could see for a million miles. Drawing strength from the glittering stars he knocked briskly against her door. Perhaps she was asleep, but that wasn't going to be enough to deter him at this point. He waited a few scant seconds and knocked again distinctly aware that his heart thundered louder than his knocks.

He pounded on the door. Once, twice, thrice and finally the door flew open. Sakura stepped out under the moonlight wearing a bathrobe.

"Are you trying to break my door down?" she exclaimed

"I have something to say-dattebayo!" He said too loudly.

"Uh OK..?" she said confused.

Nartuo paused refocusing his thoughts.

"Alright I'm done with the pranks." He said, taking hold of her right hand. "Maybe you were right about how I've been feeling. No, I think you areright about that. I'll apologize to everyone later, but right now I-I want to say…"

Sakura stood there obviously waiting for him to say something. But he was in the process of realizing that there was a huge difference between having something to say and knowing what to say. There was too much to say, to just say it. It was better to show it, actions, she had to see it.

Naruto leaned forward. Slowly. He imagined he would never get this type of atmosphere ever again. He couldn't rush it, couldn't risk blowing the moment.

For maybe a second, Sakura watched in amusement as Naruto's face hovered just inches over her own, his lips protruding outwards like a fish.

Then she tightened her grip on his hand and pulled him to her. In the blink of an eye, she could taste residual ramen spices, while enjoying the surprising softness of his lips. Initially Naruto was too shocked to respond. But when his brain clicked back on for him he kissed her back. He didn't try to make sense of it, he leaned into it. He didn't wonder if the time was right, he let his hands grab onto her waist. For the first time in recent memory he had nothing to rethink when it came to Sakura-chan, nothing to hold back on. So he kissed her with everything he had.

Not that he could really help it anyway.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

There was no rain, but it was cooler in the morning than it had been the night before. A chilly gust came in from the north, the riverside, Naruto guessed as he leaned against the window sill. Quietly, he watched the invisible hand shake the nearly bare branches of the nearby trees.

With nothing but a blanket wrapped around her and the necklace from the festival hanging from her neck, Sakura embraced Naruto from behind pressing her body up against his bare back.

"You're going to catch a cold standing in front of the window like that."

Naruto sniffed. "I might already have a cold."

She felt a laugh bubble in her throat, "Then I'm sure to catch it."

He wondered whether Sakura was referring to their night together or the fact that he had sneezed in her face. He considered asking her, but thought better of it.

"I want to go with you." she said suddenly derailing his thoughts.

"We can go find Sasuke together." she said.

He sighed. "Yesterday, that would have been an awesome idea."

"And today?"

"Today, I'm thinking about the look that will be on Sasuke's face when he shows up and I'm the Hokage."

Sakura placed her cheek against the solidness of Naruto's back and gave him a squeeze. "I doubt he'll be all that surprised."

A broad grin came to Naruto's face. "Yeah well, I got some free time Sakura-chan. Do you want to go on a date?"

"Actually I plan to spend the day at home. As a medic, I'd recommend the same for you. The best cure for a cold is plenty of bed rest."

Naruto laughed, turned, and as quickly as that she was in his arms. "When you said bed rest I could feel your eyebrows wagging against my back."

"Are you saying I'm perverted?" she said with mock indignation.

Naruto's eyes found a spot on the ceiling. "Hmmm?"

"You are saying that!"

He looked at her. "OK, what if I said I was flattered by your perverted-ness."

She stared at him mouth agape before settling her head on his shoulder territorially. "Well if you think I'm so perverted, why don't we just spend the rest of the day cuddling?"

They stood like that for some time before he said: "Yeah we could, if we really wanted to. And I'd be-OK-with that."

She gave a low laugh while shifting in his arms, "If you haven't noticed yet your body is slowly betraying your words Naruto."

"I was hoping you didn't notice….OK, so maybe we're both a little perverted."

Another cool breeze blew in through the window, stirring strands of Naruto's hair and sending shivers through Sakura's body.

"You know, I used to despise autumn when I was younger." she said suddenly.

"Really?"

"When I was a little girl, I always wished that the summer would last forever."

The secret knowledge that he had felt the same way as child caused Naruto to smile. He wanted to say something; something meaningful. After a pause, on sudden impulse, he pressed his lips against the top of her head. She stiffened against him before pulling back a bit, staring at him intently with misty eyes.

Confused he asked, "What's the matter?"

"Nothing" she said making a preemptive swipe at her eyes with her hand. "I'm an emotional kind of girl remember? You're just going to have to get used that."

She kissed him, holding his face in her hands, knowing there would be more kisses to come, and thankful for unexpected turns.

And so ends my first NS one-shot hopefully you enjoyed. Leave a review if you dug it or have some constructive criticism. And now I turn my attention to the many incomplete ongoing-stories I've got on this site XD