Leaving Her Alone

*Chapter 1*

It was an overcast and uneventful day in Konoha. A constant breeze swept over the village, drawing its inhabitants out of their homes to relish in the fleetingly cooler temperatures whilst carrying the warning of impending rain. Naruto, being one of the many drawn outdoors by the suddenly bearable weather, casually walked through his neighborhood, making his way toward the Ichiraku Ramen Shop. It was Team 7's day off, and everyone - he assumed - was likely out and about doing their own thing.

"Tch...everyone but Sakura, that is..." he thought aloud as his mind haphazardly wandered to the pink-haired kunoichi. "Knowing her, she's probably running around looking for Sasuke..."

Releasing a semi-frustrated sigh, he shoved his hands into his pockets as he continued his unhurried trek toward his favorite food stop.

"I have no idea what she sees in that jerk, but if that's what she really wants...then maybe I should just suck it up and grin and bear it. Our teamwork would be all the better for it."

He paused in his trek then, a look of determination suddenly glinting within his coral blue eyes.

"That settles it then. When I see Sakura again, I'll see what she thinks about just being friends. Then she can stop being so abrasive toward me and maybe we'll all get along better."

Pleased with his new idea, he continued his trek toward Ichiraku with a bit of a skip in his step.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Five grueling minutes passed before Ichiraku finally came into view. Naruto's stomach growled with excited anticipation as delicious smells began to waft under his nose. He contemplated jogging the rest of the way, more eager than ever to satiate his growing hunger, but stopped just short of taking off when he spotted Sakura walking in the opposite direction on the other side of the street. He smiled lightly, albeit sadly, at the sight of the girl. He loved her, and he hoped beyond hope that one day, the feeling would be mutual. Until then though, he'd be more than happy to simply be her friend.

"Well...I suppose now's as good a time as any to get this over with." he muttered internally.

Releasing a small, determined sigh, he jogged to catch up to the pink-haired girl.

"Hey, Sakura!" he called out as he approached her.

Jade green eyes were on him almost immediately, and he fought the urge to chuckle at the bored glare she was currently pinning him with. When he got within a couple steps of her, he shoved his hands into his pockets, his own expression set in his usual grin.

"So listen, Sakura...I was wondering if -"

"Save your breath. The answer's no." Sakura interrupted coldly.

Naruto cringed slightly. "...But you didn't even let me finish..."

Sakura released an overly exaggerated groan as she flung her hands up in dramatic frustration. "Seriously?! Why the hell do you even bother?! Is it because you're blind, stupid, or a combination of the two?!"

"Sakura -"

"I don't like you! I NEVER liked you! So why don't you just take a damn hint and bug off, you disgusting little troll!!"

At that she turned and stormed off, leaving the blonde boy standing there in a dejected haze on the sidewalk, wincing at the new tears ripping into his heart.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The rain did no good in washing away the pain Naruto felt as it seemed to do all the other times he'd endured ridicule. Rather, all it seemed to do, aside from making him cold, was successfully hide the silent tears that leaked morosely from his eyes. He presently sat against one of the standing logs near the center of the third training ground, his gaze turned skyward, allowing the rain to cascade over his face without much care.

How long had he been sitting there? Tch...he couldn't remember. It had been three hours - maybe four? - since his..."run-in" with Sakura, and maybe two hours since it started raining. With a shaky sigh he closed his eyes, mentally staving off another wave of tears as his drenched body shivered against the persistent onslaught of cold rain.

"Sakura...I already know you don't like me the way you like Sasuke." his raspy voice barely breached the air around him; his hands clenched into weak fists at his sides, closing around the wet grass beneath them. "...But...is it too much to ask...for us to just be friends?"

As the escaped words drifted from him, the sound of the incessant rain slowly began to fade from his consciousness. And before he knew it, he had fallen asleep...