After the gathering ended, Sakura walked home in a daze.
The lively laughter and well wishes still seemed to echo in her ears: the bright, happy look in Ino's eyes as she announced the wedding date, Hinata's shy but firm addition, and Naruto's embarrassed yet warm smile...
Every scene pricked her heart like a needle.
She had worked hard to keep smiling, join the conversation, offer her congratulations, and even make a few jokes. But only she knew how the ache and emptiness inside her had grown clearer as the gathering drew to a close.
The moonlight was cold, stretching her shadow long. The warm light spilling from the homes on either side of the street stood in stark contrast to her mood.
She kept her head down, her steps unsteady, as the scene on Hokage Rock replayed uncontrollably in her mind.
The confession she had mustered all her courage to make, Naruto's unexpected answer...
At the time, his acceptance had made her heart pound.
Yet at tonight's gathering, Ino and Hinata had announced their wedding date in front of everyone, while she had felt like an outsider.
Her parents did not even know about her relationship with Naruto, so naturally, they had not visited him to discuss things as the Yamanakas and Hiashi had.
So... had Naruto really agreed that night for any reason other than to comfort me?
Or had he simply gone soft for a moment, or meant it as some kind of declaration that he wanted them all, while I... was never really included in his plans for the future?
Once that thought arose, it wound around her heart like a vine, leaving her barely able to breathe.
"Why the hurry? Something on your mind?"
Just as Sakura absentmindedly passed a familiar street corner, a familiar