Hiyo! I've wrote a new oneshot for Heaven and Earth's 10th birthday! I wasn't originally going to do anything because free time isn't something I have a lot of, but then I read the ending of Naruto and, as a NaruSaku fan, was super bummed. So here's a one shot that completely ignores that rough epilogue!

Please do enjoy... Hand in Hand

One…two… Naruto grumpily thought to himself. He was currently counting all of the different couples he could spot holding hands during the annual peace celebration. As hokage, he kept his face neutral, because it wouldn't look good if the hokage were sitting up on a small stage in clear sight of everyone scowling on a day celebrating peace.

Still… he couldn't help but be a little jealous. It had been eight years since the Great War and he was 25 years old now. In his 25 years of life, he was yet to get a girlfriend, and he had watched most of his friends pair off and find significant others. Just today he learned that Sai, SAI of all people, was getting married.

Sai, the most socially awkward person he would ever meet. That Sai was going to get married before he so much as went on one true date.

Three… He thought to himself, spotting another couple with intertwined hands. Just once, he wanted to be one of those guys. He wanted to be the one sporting a silly grin with his hand happily intertwined with a woman who he could share everything with. Really… it shouldn't be an issue for him. He was 25 years and old and the freaking hokage. Women were attracted to him.

Four… He thought as he spotted another couple. He knew full well that women being attracted to him wasn't the problem. The problem was his damned idiot heart. It wouldn't let him try anything with those other women. It wouldn't let him reach out and grab their hands. Noooooo. His damn heart was focused on one woman that it simply could not have – Sakura Haruno. His old teammate and now advisor.

He didn't understand why he still pined for Sakura. Sure, she was beautiful, intelligent, feisty, funny, caring, sexy, fun, adventurous… Ok, so she was everything he looked for and more in a woman. But he was so deep in the friend zone with her he should get his own name. The zone he was in should just be called the Naruto Zone.

For the most part, he wasn't upset about that fact. He was grateful to share such a close bond with her. It wasn't fair for him to get angry at her for not liking him in the same way he liked her. Just because he liked her didn't mean she had to like him back. That just wasn't how life worked. From the second she made one final attempt to confess her love to Sasuke before their final fight, he knew that she would forever be beyond his reach in that way. And he had both accepted and made peace with that.

But Sai, SAI of all people getting married had temporarily pushed his acceptance aside, revealing in its place a bitterness he had not allowed himself to acknowledge for years. There was something seriously wrong with him if Sai could get married before he could so much as hold a woman's hand.

Five… Naruto thought, spotting yet another couple. Every now and then, the thought flitted through his head of asking Sakura out on a date. But he quickly shot it down because there was no point. At best, she would accept because she had nothing else to do and go out with him out of pity. At worse, it would make things awkward between them. That was the very definition of a lose-lose situation.

"It's a day celebrating peace, Naruto. I don't know what's wrong, but do try looking like you don't want to punch something, eh?" A woman standing at his side playfully said.

"I do not look like I want to punch something, Sakura." Naruto quickly countered. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. The fact that she had just continued to become more and more beautiful as years passed probably didn't hurt his heart not being able to get over her at all. She wore her hair a bit longer than she did during the war, but not much. Her body had filled out in ways that caught the eye of damn well every male (and some females) in Konoha.

"Believe me, you really do. Do you want to talk about it? Or maybe later?"

"Nothing to talk about." Naruto replied. "I'm fine."

"You are not fine. You look angry about something. Tell me!"

"Look." Naruto forced a grin on his face. "Does this look like the face of someone who isn't fine?"

"Ewww. That smile is so fake." Sakura blanched. "Come on, you're supposed to be able to tell me what's wrong. How am I going to properly advise you if I don't know what's wrong?"

At the moment, Naruto was silently cursing the close bond he and Sakura shared. Their bond as teammates had led to them spending a lot of time together, and getting to know each other better than they probably know themselves. Sakura had developed a welcome (yet sometimes annoying) knack for seeing through the various masks he would put up. She always seemed to be able to tell exactly what he was thinking. Of course, to be fair, he could do the exact same for her.

For the most part, this close bond and understanding was extremely beneficial for their new roles. Sakura could easily pick out when he was getting frustrated or overwhelmed and could step in or reschedule things to let him cool down. And he could pick up on when she was starting to overwork herself and force her to call it a day. But in this instance, he was allowing himself to do something he practically never did – feel bitter about her never returning his feelings. This wasn't exactly something he wanted her pressing about.

"Your position is to advise me on matters relating to the village."

"Oh, so it's a personal issue that's pissing you off, eh?" Sakura prodded. "Interesting."

"I didn't say that! Nothing is pissing me off. I'm not bitter about anything. All is well!"

"Bitter? That's funny. I didn't even suggest you were bitter about anything. So, you're bitter about something. What could it be?"

"Damnit, Sakura! This is not funny. I'm not bitter. I was just trying to stop you before you suggested some other ridiculous thought."

"Oh I'm sure. What could you have to be bitter about right now? You're the hokage, you were actually just recently named the most beloved kage in any village… I'm sure you love rubbing that in Gaara's face…"

"Just drop it, Sakura." Naruto groaned. "Please."

"Fine. For now. But you have to give me a good smile in return."

Naruto sighed, but forced another smile on his face.

"Jeez. You really must be bitter about whatever it is, because your forced smiles suck right now. Just hold still, let me help…" Sakura grabbed Naruto's cheeks and began pulling and positioning them in random ways before finally letting go.

"Eh… that's serviceable I guess. Keep your face like that."

"You are the worst advisor ever." Naruto sighed, maintaining the awkward smile Sakura had pulled his lips into.

"Hey, I tried warning you I wasn't going to be that great. You're the one who created the job, and you're the one who insisted I was your advisor. And you're also the one who insisted I become your sole advisor because you had so much faith I was going to do a great job."

"Yeah yeah yeah…" Naruto grumbled.

He spotted another couple happily walking with intertwined hands. Six… he mentally grumbled to himself. Seriously though… how the heck did Sai find a woman who wanted to marry him, and the freaking hokage of Konoha, an eligible 25-year-old bachelor, couldn't land a single date? Why couldn't his heart be just a little bit smarter?

"Ugh, damnit. I worked hard on that face." Sakura groaned when she noticed Naruto's face again transform into that slightly bitter look. "Come here…"

"No! Not…" Sakura cut Naruto off by yet again grabbing his face and pulling it in random directions. He noted the amused look on her face as she did it, so clearly she was at least enjoying herself. Finally she settled when his smile was in an even more awkward position than it was before.

"Still not good, but hold that and we can get through this."

"How long do I have to stay out here? Maybe I can just go home."

"You've only been out here for ten minutes! This is one of the most important festivals of the year. You need to stay up here all day and be accessible and visible to the people." Sakura scoffed. "Honestly, Naruto, you can be such an idiot sometimes."

"Yeah yeah." Naruto sighed, trying to maintain the position Sakura had pulled his face into.

"Jeez you're being a buzz kill." Sakura teased. "I think I'm going to start calling you the Buzzkill Hokage."

"I am not being a buzz kill!"

"It's a beautiful day, our people are celebrating a peaceful world that we fought and continue to fight for, there is absolutely no reason that the smile on your face should be that hideous one."

"This smile is your handiwork!"

"Admittingly not my best work." Sakura grinned. "If you're not going to start smiling for real, I guess can always just try again though…"

Sakura grabbed his cheeks and, once again, started pulling them in random directions. She got much closer to his face this time, however, and Naruto felt his heart speed up at their close proximity. She seemed determined to set his smile into one that would work and was carefully analyzing all the little details. She seemed to be completely oblivious to the situation she was putting him in.

"Ok... there!" Sakura suddenly stepped back to admire her work and giggled at the result.

"So I just need to keep this smile up?" Naruto asked.

"Yep. That's the one." Sakura looked like she was repressing laughter, making Naruto not trust her words so much. The position she pulled his face certainly didn't feel like a good smile…

"Ummm… Naruto?" A voice from the ground called. Naruto looked down to see Shikamaru staring up at him awkwardly.

"What's up Shikamaru?"

"Could you not make that face? You're creeping the kids out…"

Sakura busted out into laughter at Shikamaru's request, causing Naruto to flash her a betrayed look.

"Sorry about that, Shikamaru." Naruto groaned. "I apparently put my trust in the wrong person. Say, you wouldn't happen to want to be my advisor, would you?"

"As if. I've seen what Sakura has to put up with. I'm sure she regrets taking that job now. I learn from the mistakes of my friends."

"I don't know what I was ever thinking." Sakura grinned. "Although it is pretty fun to whap the Hokage around all day."

"For some reason I don't think he would allow me to knock him around like he lets you."

"Probably not." Sakura said, smiling at Naruto. "He's always let me beat him around a little."

"A little?" Naruto grumbled. "I have difficulty remembering the last time I went a day without getting hit by you. You're abusive!"

"I haven't hit you yet today." Sakura pointed out.

"It's only noon!" Naruto countered.

"Well if you want it to stay that way for the rest of the day, you'll start smiling so people don't think there's something wrong with our hokage!"

"She's right. I'm not sure what troublesome thing has you down, but people are noticing." Shikamaru added.

"Nothing has me down. I'm fine." Naruto sighed, forcing a grin to his face. "See?"

"Right… very convincing." Shikamaru sarcastically drawled. "Look… just don't make any weird faces that creep out the children, alright?"

"I won't." Naruto replied, rolling his eyes. That seemed to satisfy Shikamaru who took off to enjoy the rest of the day with his family.

"We are going to talk about this later you know. I don't like you not being able to smile. It just doesn't feel right. You are going to tell me exactly what's upsetting you."

"Nothing is upsetting me, Sakura. Just drop it, ok?"

"For now." Sakura hummed. "…Maybe."

Naruto groaned, but kept a forced smile fixed firmly on his face. Seven… Naruto's smile dipped slightly when he spotted a young couple walking hand in hand. They couldn't have been much older than 13. A 13 year old was going on a date before he did…

"So what do you think about Sai's fiancé?" Sakura asked. She saw the smile slightly drop from Naruto's face for some reason and decided to distract him with a happy topic instead. If he wouldn't smile for her, she would trick him into smiling by talking about Sai's wedding. Surely he was as pleasantly surprised as she was that Sai actually managed to find someone. He was so socially awkward she thought he would be single for his entire life!

"She's great." Naruto practically growled out without thinking. His eyes widened when he realized the tone he had let that slip out in. "I mean, really. I can't believe Sai managed to get someone like her to fall in love with him."

"Right? I'm glad he did though. Our Sai is growing up!" Sakura smiled. She definitely caught the angry growl at first. She wondered if that was the source of Naruto's frustration. Maybe he had a thing for Sai's fiancé? That would surprise her, as he hadn't really shown any interest in any women since the war.

"Yeah…"

"Naruto… do you like Sai's fiancé?"

"I just said I did, Sakura. She's great. Sai's a lucky man."

"No, I mean like like."

"What? No! Why the hell would you ask that?"

"You practically growled when I first asked you about her. I thought maybe that's the reason you're not your usual, happy self."

"No! That's definitely not it."

"Then what is wrong with you right now? Is there some secret threat to the village you're keeping from me?"

"Of course not." Naruto scoffed. "I already learned what happens when I keep things like that from you." A memory of Sakura secretly enhancing the sensitivity of his nerves before challenging him to a sparring session drifted through Naruto's mind. He had made the mistake of not telling her about an assassin who was taking out high profile medic nins throughout fire country. Sakura was the assassin's ultimate target. He kept her in the dark, because he didn't want her to worry, and he didn't want her trying to take the assassin on. The man had specifically trained himself to take out medic nins. A squad took care of the assassin before he could make it to Konoha, but when Sakura found out about it she was furious. That had been one extremely painful sparring session…

"Then tell me!"

"I thought you said we were going to talk about this later?"

"It is later!" Sakura pointed out.

Naruto sighed. Sakura was being extremely persistent today. He collected himself and thought carefully about what he was going to say next. He needed to tell her what was bothering him so she would stop pestering him, but he needed to convincingly withhold the part where he was bitter about her not returning her feelings.

"It's just… Sai is getting married. Sai of all people."

"That's a good thing, Naruto. He's our teammate and friend."

"I know it is… but Sai… The most socially awkward person I have ever met… He's getting married, and I haven't even been on a date!"

"Well we went on a date right before Sasuke abandoned Konoha." Sakura pointed out.

"A real date, Sakura." Naruto sighed. "We both know that wasn't a real date. Your mind was on Sasuke the whole time."

"Err… well… fine. So that's why you're all bitter? You haven't been on a real date?"

"I haven't even freaking held a girl's hand!"

"You held Hinata's hand during the war." Sakura pointed out.

"To transfer the Kyubi's chakra and shield her with Kurama."

Naruto glanced away from Sakura. He certainly didn't want to be having this conversation, but so far so good. He spotted yet another couple walk by hand in hand. Eight… he bitterly thought to himself.

Sakura stared at Naruto silently, studying him as if he were a page in a text book. She followed his eyes and found him staring at a couple with interlinked hands. It suddenly dawned on her why his smiles kept falling. There were all kinds of couples out enjoying the afternoon. She decided to boost his ego some to cheer him up.

"You know, you really shouldn't feel bitter. Any woman who is single in this village would be ecstatic if you made a move on her. Hell, there's probably a decent amount of married women who would think twice. If this is something that bothers you so much, all you need to do is make a move on a woman."

"Right…" Naruto half-heartedly replied. The tone of his voice made Sakura believe he did not buy into her words.

"Seriously! Just try it. Ask a girl out." Sakura pressed.

"I…uh… can't." Naruto awkwardly replied. He was doing so well with his conversation. He got Sakura to stop pestering him about what was wrong, and he pulled it off without letting her know that he still hadn't gotten over her all these years later. And then she went and pulled this.

He wasn't actually mad at her; with the information available to her, Sakura was doing what she thought would cheer him up. She had no idea she was the main part of the problem, so she was trying to boost his ego and get him to ask out a woman. If she knew that the reason he couldn't ask out another woman was because she was the only woman he wanted to ask out, she would surely stop.

"You can't? You're one of the most confident people I've ever met. How could you possibly have trouble asking a woman out?"

"I just do. Let's drop this. Look, I'm smiling for real now!" Naruto tried to put the most convincing fake smile he could muster on his face. It was a long shot, but if Sakura thought he was cheered up, she would stop pressing him on this.

"Please, like I'd be fooled by that smile. Look, it's ok to be nervous about these things. I haven't asked a guy out since Sasuke. It's hard! But I, a single woman, am telling you that you, Naruto, have nothing to worry about."

"You're a woman, you're not expected to make the first move!" Naruto deflected. He desperately hoped he could figure out a way to shift this conversation to anything else.

"You're right. You're definitely the one who's expected to make a move here." Sakura hummed.

Naruto had to fight to keep his jaw from falling open. He was sure it wasn't Sakura's intention, but one could interpret her words as encouragement for him to make a move on her. He sat there in stunned silence for a few seconds, frantically searching his brain for something to say. This was getting dangerous.

"So… uh… lovely weather we're having, isn't it?"

"You're hopeless." Sakura sighed, but she flashed him a smile. "Fine. I'll stop pushing you on this. Thank you for telling me what was wrong. Maybe next time it's something like this, don't make me badger you over and over before spilling the beans, ya?"

"Ok, Sakura." Naruto said, breathing a sigh of relief. He had never been as grateful for silence between Sakura and him as he was that exact moment. He dodged a huge bullet right there. He could only imagine the damage to their friendship that would result in him admitting to Sakura he was currently feeling bitter about her not returning his feelings.

He spotted yet another couple walking hand in hand with happy smiles on their faces. Nine… He idly wondered what it would be like if he was one of those people. What if his life changed ever so slightly and he never got hung up on Sakura. How would it feel to…

His eyes suddenly widened when he felt someone grab ahold of his hand. He glanced down to see his hand interlocked with Sakura's.

"Sakura?"

"Now you've held a girl's hand." Sakura smiled.

"It's… this isn't what I meant." Naruto sighed. He really liked having his hand intertwined with Sakura's. He didn't think it was possible, but simply by holding her hand he felt a jolt of excitement and warmth surge through his body. But this wasn't his. Sakura wasn't doing this out of any romantic feelings. She wasn't getting the same feeling of warmth and excitement simply by holding his hand. She could only get that from the man she was waiting for.

"How is this not what you meant? You grumbled about never holding a girl's hand. Well, that's changed now."

"You're just holding my hand out of pity! That's not what I want."

"And who said I was holding your hand out of pity?" Sakura raised an eyebrow at him. "Did I say that?"

"No! But… you're waiting for… someone." Naruto said. He didn't want to have to say it out loud.

"I am… I'm glad you've finally noticed that." Sakura evenly replied. "Still waiting for an explanation on how I'm currently only holding your hand out of pity though."

"Because you're waiting for freaking Sasuke!" Naruto groaned. "You've always been waiting for him."

"I did spend a lot of my life waiting for Sasuke." Sakura said. "Some might say too long."

"No… you didn't wait too long. He's the one you want, and when he gets back I'm sure he'll be worth the wait. He'll give you everything you wanted."

"The last time I saw Sasuke, I was a teenager."

"I know. He's been a way for a while, but I received a message from him last month saying he would be home soon. He said he has done just about as much that he could only do while traveling to repent for his sins. You don't have to wait much longer."

"That's great! Really, it is. But that's not the point I was making. Naruto, want to know a funny fact about teenagers?"

"Umm…sure?"

"They're usually wrong and overdramatic. Back then, before and during the war, and even for a little bit after, I loved Sasuke Uchiha. But… I'm not a teenager anymore Naruto. Things change. Being with Sasuke is now closer to my grasp than it has ever been, but I don't really care. I'm not a teenager anymore."

"But you just said you were waiting for someone."

"I am. The same guy I've been waiting the past five years for actually."

"Who? Did you meet someone during the war?" Naruto asked. If she wasn't interested in Sasuke, who could she possibly be waiting for? Most of the people she knew were in Konoha or would visit Konoha somewhat regularly.

"I met lots of people during the war." Sakura smiled. "None that I have any romantic interest in of course." She watched him and rolled her eyes when he still didn't put two and two together.

Naruto wracked his brain for any hint of who Sakura could be waiting for. Since Kakashi made him Hokage a few years ago, she hadn't really been out of the village much. Did she go to any medical conferences or something when Kakashi was the hokage? Or did she do any solo missions without him?

"Sai's wedding… do you have a date?" Sakura asked, shifting the conversation ever so slightly.

"Huh? Of course not."

"Wrong answer. Try again."

"I don't have a date to Sai's wedding, Sakura…"

"Yes you do."

"No I don't!"

"I'm your date, and you're mine." Sakura shot back. "Yes. You. Do."

"Oh… uh… ok…" Naruto replied. That was unexpected. Whoever Sakura was waiting for must not be getting back in time for Sai's wedding. Friends went with friends to weddings all the time though.

"What are you doing next Thursday?" Sakura asked, seemingly switching topics again.

"Uh… don't you already know that? You're the one that's usually telling me my schedule."

Sakura rolled her eyes. Naruto had to be the most clueless person she had ever met.

"The correct answer, Naruto, is that you're going on a date Thursday night."

"I am? With who?"

Sakura resisted the urge to slap her forehead. She was trying to be patient and goad him into making a move. She was trying to show him that she was, in fact, waiting for him. But the idiot couldn't put anything together!

"Me, you dumbass!" Sakura groaned. "You are going on a date with me."

"Oh… OH! I see what you're doing. You're trying to do all the things I was bitter about not doing before Sai's wedding. Look, it's nice of you, Sakura. But I don't want pity, I…"

"I'm waiting for you! I've been waiting for you for the past five years!"

"But…"

"No buts! Naruto, I can't say that I've loved you for as long as you've loved me. Because, in this one rare occurrence, you actually figured something out before I did. But that doesn't make this any less real. I'm not going to tell you I regret my decisions as a teenager, because I don't. They helped shape me into who I am today and they helped push me here. Every tear, every heartache, it all taught me something. It all helped prepare me for this. I'm waiting for you and no one else."

Now Naruto's jaw hung open in shock. He certainly wasn't expecting that.

"But you… why were you waiting? I've always been here."

"For the first few years, you were always training to become the hokage. It was all you really focused on. Then, when Kakashi-sensei finally made you Hokage, you devoted everything you had to be the best hokage Konoha has ever had. Honestly, I didn't think you were interested in a relationship, because you never showed any interest in me or any woman. But I was fine with waiting. We spent a lot of time together anyways, and I would be ready to settle down when you were."

"You're the only woman I've ever been interested in… I just assumed you were waiting for Sasuke." Naruto quietly replied.

"You assumed wrong." Sakura smiled. "Now, let's try this again from the top. Naruto, do you have a date for Sai's wedding?"

"Yes – you!"

"Good answer. And what are you doing next Thursday?"

"Going on a date with you!"

"Much better. Now here's one final question that I haven't asked you yet. So let's see how much you learned. Naruto, do you have a girlfriend?"

Naruto stared at Sakura, his stomach felt like a thousand butterflies were fluttering around inside. "Yes? You?"

Sakura squeezed his hand affectionately. "100 percent!" For the first time that afternoon, a true smile broke out on Naruto's face, and there were few things in the world that could get rid of it. All the feelings of uncharacteristic bitterness that had been plaguing him were long gone.

Naruto glanced down at their hands and noted that theirs were the tenth pair of interlocked hands he had seen so far today. That thought only made his grin widen. He gave Sakura's hand an affectionate squeeze back and watched his villagers, now thoroughly enjoying the beautiful day right along with them.

Fin! Hope you enjoyed. Happy 10th birthday H&E! Here's to not thinking about that ending! Please do leave a review!
Ciao!
-ND

Edit: whoah! Just noticed this is my 20th story. Neat!