When Winter Ends || Modern Naruto Love Story

o8

Naruto stood in front a crying Mayumi, rubbing her eyes repeatedly as she sobbed uncontrollably. Feeling like he's unable to do anything, the little blond boy listened to her cries, frowning deeply.

"Mayu, it's okay," he told her assuringly but the small blue girl didn't stop crying. This discouraged him a little, however Naruto tried to look at the positive note. "Hey, everything's going to be okay when you're gone! Don't worry."

"But..." She peeped, managing to control her sniffles and gasping. Her tiny voice reached out to him. "I don't know when I'll see you again.."

The blond boy puts his hands on his hips, looking proud and bold at the little girl who's still weeping. "Don't worry about that!" He told her. "I'm always going to be here no matter what. Just get better, okay? And then come back."

She sniffed, looking up at him with almost dried eyes. "You promise," she muttered.

He nodded with a grin, and fisted his chest. "Cross my heart and hope to die," he said. "I promise."

"I just wished I wouldn't have to leave for who knows how long...," Mayumi stared down at the ground with lowering eyes. Naruto watched her thinking to herself as he did for himself. The day he thought has came where the two must be apart.

But they both knew they're going to see each other again, one day.

"Me too."

*~*

"Naruto! Where are you going?" He ignored the pinkette's voice from a far as he continuously kept walking ahead of them. "I thought we're going to the arcade," she called.

Naruto turned around with hands in his pockets, and smiled. "Ah, sorry! I already made plans for today!"

"He say what?" Kiba poked around his head from the corner, looking curious. "Did he say he made plans?" Hinata, beside him, nodded to his question.

"Well that's a first," Sasuke implied.

Naruto waved with excitement written through his eyes, saying before turning around again. "Sorry! I just can't today. I'm meeting up with someone!"

"Who?" Lee asked, but the blond didn't answer as he hurriedly walked out of their sight and ran through the streets. After a second of his disappearance, the purple headed Hyuuga quietly murmured. "N-Naruto..."

"Who else is he talking to?" Sakura asked as the rest of the group just shrugged their shoulders. It's been a strange month to see their friend acting up this way. Especially Naruto who never turned down their offer to hang out, he made it seem like he's awfully busy.

*~*

"I'm here!" Naruto panted as he stopped in front of Mayumi who sat on the swing set. He breathed out heavily with hands over his knees, catching his breath. "Sorry... I came here as fast as I could."

She stared wondrously at him, still sitting. "It's alright," she told him. Once Naruto regained his strength, he sighed in relief and then grinning at the blue girl, dressed in her usual shawl and green coat. She looked so warm.

"Ready to go?" Mayumi's eyes lit up as curiosity filled them in.

"Go where?" She questioned. He just looked at her as if she was completely clueless.

So Naruto pulled her up from her seat. "We're going to get ramen, of course, you silly! Come on!"

There has never been a day when Naruto doesn't crave for the warm, noodle-ly goodness. But cold weathers like this, especially when it's snowing, anything that's hot and warm always sounds good to Mayumi. Nodding, she followed the blond teenager to the usual ramen shop he always go to, and sat beside him, ready to order.

"Hey, Mayu." She looked up from her bowl in the middle of her eating, with round eyes and a cold nose. She hummed in response.

The blond stared down at his own, looking back into his dream this morning. "How come you had to leave?" She didn't follow. "I mean, remember when we were kids? You had to go away for some reason. Why?"

From the corner of his eye, he caught Mayumi gripping onto her chopsticks between her fingers after he mentioned that. Concern washed his eyes and curiosity plastered his face. She didn't say anything at first as she pondered to herself. He heard her sigh, and then watched her stir her soup.

"Oh that," she said. "I was just sick, that's all." He couldn't find the emotion on her expression; he couldn't see it but her voice was calm and relaxed.

"I see," he replied and then turned to his bowl. "So you got better then?"

"Yeah, of course," Mayumi took another slurp to her noodles and drank some soup. "It was a bad cold." He nodded, smiling and took the whole bowl in his hands and downed it, sighing blissfully.

"Well, I'm glad you did!" He said, slapping some money on the table and turning to Mayumi who's half way done. "You full?" She nodded, watching the blond stand from his seat. "Alright! Let's go have some more fun."

The blue headed girl didn't budge from her seat, but eventually Naruto grabbed her hand in his and carried her away from the table and out to the cold season. From time to time, while the two stayed out in the afternoon, outside, he couldn't help himself but feel Mayumi starting to get comfortable with him. Maybe because they both realized they were childhood friends, but compare to how it was from the beginning when winter started, he has never seen her so relaxed with him.

But he couldn't ignore the moments when she looked so dazed; her eyes drooping and mouth frowning deeply. It still bothered him that he couldn't get her to smile up to this point.