Original Series: Naruto/Naruto Shippuuden.

Story Title: Every Year.

Summary: [One-shot. NaruKarin] [NaruSaku, SasuKa] On this day, every year, Naruto and Karin mourn, together. Character death.

Pairing/s: NaruKarin, NaruSaku, SasuKa, SaiIno, ShikaTema, ChouIno and One-sided InoSasu.

Warning: Character death.

The pair stood perfectly still in front of the graves of their comrades.

Naruto vibrant blonde hair was dulled in the shadows of dark clouds that suggested an on coming storm. The red head stood next to him; at full height she reached his chin. The red and blue eyes held the same pain.

When Naruto was fifteen, after Jiraiya's death, he went to learn from the frog summons, to become a sage. While he was away Akatsuki attacked Konoha. He only heard parts of the story from Chouji and other shinobi but he knew that Kakashi was near death when Chouji ran to tell Tsunade of Pein's power. Sakura came and tried to save Kakashi but it was too late, Naruto came in time to see her left on the ground, bleeding, dying. Sakura had used the last of her energy to lean up and kiss him and tell him how she regretted not doing it sooner.

Sasuke had already been going to Konoha. He decided to help the village because Akatsuki was after Naruto; he wanted to help save his estranged brother. Suigetsu and Juugo were mortally injured, Suigetsu was the first and Karin tried to save him, but failed. Juugo was injured more severely; he had been protecting Suigetsu and Karin. Naruto came shortly after, Sai was right behind him. Sasuke fell when he attempted to take Pein on his own, team eight and Gai's team provided a distraction and Sai, Karin, Naruto and Sasuke hid in an alleyway as Karin tried to heal Sasuke.

Karin had cried and laid her head on the Uchiha's chest and cried about how it was all her fault, she couldn't save them, because she was useless if she couldn't save them. Sasuke told Naruto to protect her, to take care of her and Naruto had promised he would. A promise of a lifetime, this one, he would keep.

Sai, Naruto and Karin went back into battle and with the help of many other shinobi, the Akatsuki was stopped.

The three became a team, the closest of comrades and the closest of friends.

Two years later, on the same date, Sai died on a mission. Chouji, Ino, Shikamaru and Sai had left on a mission. They entered the village with Sai in Chouji's arms and Ino weeping for her failure. The team watched as Karin tried her hardest not to cry, not to make the pain worse on the three that had brought him back but she couldn't and she fell to her knees, placed her head on the ground and cried. Naruto had bent down, placed his arms around Karin and his head on her back. Ino, Chouji and Shikamaru knew he was crying, even if he made no sound.

It had been three years since that day and the pair stood, reading the names of the six head stones in front of them. Naruto turned and grabbed Karin's left hand in his right before turning and starting to walk away.

"We can go see Temari and Shikamaru or Ino and Chouji," Karin commented with a sad smile.

"They'll probably be together," Naruto replied, "we have to go back to ANBU duty tomorrow." Karin nodded solemnly, every year, on this day; the pair took a day off from duty. Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru and Temari take this day off as well. This was the day that Chouji's farther had died; this is the day that Ino had lost her very first love and then her second, the one that had loved her back, years later. This is the day that Shikamaru and Temari do not watch the clouds together because it always rains.

On this day, every year, Karin and Naruto mourn, they wake up as soon as the smallest light of the sun comes out and they spend most of the day at the graveyard. It rains every year; they always leave before it rains. The two walked hand-in-hand; they only ever spent this day with each other and the two other couples.

Karin and Naruto share the same pain, they understand each other and not many other people can understand them on this day. No one can understand how the blonde and the redhead can still keep living, they still seem rather happy. The pair knows that their old teams wouldn't want them to spent everyday of the rest of their lives mourning. They still keep one day a year, for their former teams. So Karin and Naruto spent the first half of their day, in the cemetery, mourning, together.

Author's Note: I suddenly felt like writing this? Sorry for writing something so sad and with such a strange pairing, I like this piece of writing…

Slight hints at SasuKa, ShikaTema, InoSasu, SaiIno and ChouIno.