Naruto x Sakura

One Promise to Another.

I wasn't sure what to say.

"Naruto what are you doing here?" Sakura asks.

I was speechless.

"Naruto?"

I took a deep breath. "Sakura. Can I come in? We need to talk." I ask. She nods and lets me in.

I sit down on the couch and she sits next to me.

"What is this about Naruto? Is there something wrong?" She asks.

"I'll start at the beginning." I say.

Few hours earlier~

"Naruto! You cheated!" Lee and Kiba shouted.

"No I didn't!" I shout back.

Shikamaru, Sai, and Shino laughed.

"Who wants chips!" Choji called. All of us ran over.

"Cheers! To Sasuke's return!" Everyone was happy. Even Sakura was happy. Or at least that's what I thought.

"I'm not staying long. I'm going on a long mission after this." He says. I look over at him. "What?! What about your home?! Us?! Sakura?!" I asked. More like demanded.

"Naruto. I'll talk to you later about that." He says to me. I raised an eyebrow about it.

"So Naruto, Shall we try another round?" Lee challenged. "OH Your On, Bushy Brow!"

It was only another hour before Sasuke snuk away.

"Sasuke!" I called running after him. We stopped at the gate, leaving the hidden Leaf.

"Naruto. I'm going to be leaving." He said.

"What?"

"Look here, Naruto. I don't know what you promised her. But Sakura didn't get what she wanted." He said.

"I brought you home! I promised her to bring you back to her!" I shouted.

"But you didn't. I changed way too much." His voice was low.

"I almost killed her. If you didn't show up...She would be dead. Her blood on my hands." He was having regrets.

"Sasuke. She cares for you! She'll forgive you!"

He turned his back to me. "Naruto. I will never forgive myself. It's better this way. Take care of her for me. Treat her the way she wants to be treated." He looked over his shoulder at me. "The way she should have treated you. The way I... Respect you." He paused. "As an equal." That was his words.

I stood stunned. "I...I don't know what to say."

"You love her still, Right? Then show her. That she doesn't need me. She didn't need me." He added before leaving.

I couldn't stop him. Crap! What am I going to tell Sakura?!

Present time~

Sakura sat there staring at me.

"I'm so sorry Sakura. I don't know what I could have done." I looked down at the floor.

"I can find him again. I made that promise. I will make it again. I will bring him back home. Back to-"

"No." She whispered.

I flinch for a second.

"Sakura?" Not looking at her.

"No. Naruto. Please don't make that promise again."

I stared at her. "Sakura."

"It was torture. Waiting for him. Waiting for you both to come back home. So we could be a team again. But then the war happened. And Sasuke wanted to kill everyone. Me included. I tried to get you to stop. But you knew I was lying. So I went and did it myself." She went silent.

"Sakura. I knew you liked him. Loved him even. So I wanted to...I just knew you would never...Fall for me. No matter how much I tried. Even after that one date." I chuckled a little.

"Naruto. If it wasn't for you...I wouldn't be here. I would be dead." Then she did something I never thought she would do.

Sakura kissed me on the cheek. I froze up. What was happening? Why was it? Now of all times?

"Thank you, Naruto." She said. I wanted to say something. But nothing came out.

"I'm sure he will come back. But...I'm not going to be waiting. Ino moved on." Since Sai was new and called her...

Never mind.

Anyway, Ino and Sai got together.

"I can move on too." Sakura finished.

I smiled at her. "Sasuke told me to take care of you. So I'm not going to let him down. I kept my promise to get him back for you. And now I am going to keep you safe." I told her.

"Thank you again Naruto." She smiled. "Hey how about some ramen?" She asked.

"I'll buy." I said. So we two went and and had some fun like the old days.

Hoping Sasuke would be safe and sound. Waiting here to welcome home.

The End.