Prologue: Preluding Rain

Haruno Sakura stepped out into the rain and sighed. It had been a week after the Fourth Shinobi war and there were still people with one foot in the grave; the war had done too much damage to the world and the people living in it both mentally and physically— especially mentally, she thought, running back into the medical tent as a piercing cry reached her ears, and the patient, a fifteen-year-old kunoichi who had miraculously survived and was found unconscious, limbs tangled with the corpses of the rest of her platoon, lashed out violently at the medics surrounding her. In less than a second, Sakura was there, pressing her glowing chakra infused hand on the girls head. The girl's azure blue eyes stared into her viridian ones, as her thrashing came to an end and mumbled incoherently against Sakura's spreading chakra.

"They can't be…they're not…but…not moving no matter how much I…" she stuttered, gripping onto her sheets as if she finally came to a realization, "…I…I…was useless…I'm…sorry…so…sorry…"

That's it. Sakura knocked her out with anesthetics. Stage one of denial was ending and what looked like depression was about to start, but Sakura knew better;it was stage two of loss and grieving that was starting — anger. The girl was directing all the anger towards herself and probably for the rest her life she'll be living with the anger and the taunting pain that comes with it.

You're weak, useless, a burden.

Sakura grimaced. It was a feeling she knew all too well.

"Subdue her again if she tries hurting herself." Sakura waved to the other medics before stepping out of the tent once more. She doesn't need to be knocked out! She needs therapy and human contact to heal and to move on! Her inner voice screamed her, but the problem was simple: there wasn't enough resources. The makeshift medical tents set up during the war was dangerously understaffed even with Katsuyu splitting into little replications and storing up chakra as fast as she can.

Sakura was completely drenched in the rain when she realized how utterly exhausted she was. She'd been up for almost three days straight covering for Tsunade who had left the front lines to deal with politically pressing issues and the flood of patients in more critical states who had been sent back to konoha's more equipped hospitals.

It was time for a break, and Sakura needed a dose of sunshine and naively optimistic pep talk, so she turned towards Naruto's tent.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto's voice boomed. She winced a bit at the throbbing pain in her head as she acclimated to his loud voice. "YOU LOOK LIKE A CORPSE!"

"Dickless," The raven haired nin sitting on the bed across from Naruto's smiled. "Though I don't disagree with your observation, I don't think voicing it was a wise choice.

"If so, I wouldn't have a bruise for every time I call her ugly."

Sakura sighed and sat on Sai's bed. Why did she think this was a good idea?

"Seriously Sakura-chan! When was the last time you got any sleep?"

"I fell asleep on your bed not that long ago remember?"

"That was three days ago! …And for like half an hour—!" Naruto shouted, flailing his only arm like a chicken with one wing.

"Be quiet dobe." A deep voice cut Naruto off.

Sakura turned her head, only slightly, towards Naruto's right.

Her gaze was met by soul-piercing orbs. Sasuke was a sight to behold even with bandages circling half his body. His jet back hair even covered with some filth complimented his pale skin, thin lips pressed tight as he surveyed Sakura's state with his eyes, or at least his obsidian one. His browed furrowed slightly in concentration.

"Sakura…"

Sakura tensed.

"Go get some sleep."

Beside him Naruto nodded in agreement.

Get yourself together! her inner voice continued to scream. Sasuke, though he had apologized to her when she had found him bleeding to death alongside Naruto, was still like a broken crystal glass vase, sharp, cold and will mercilessly cut you if you try to piece him back to together, but every piece of humanity he throws at you, every scrape of hope of piecing him back into that elegant, pure, and beautiful artwork he had rarely, but definitely, shown that he was capable of being, kept you trying. No, Sakura had sworn she was done with him. She needed to focus; he was Naruto's problem now that he's back.

Sakura straightened her back and smiled with the decorum reserved for strangers.

"I'm fine really, Sasuke."

He stared at her quietly but his intensity voiced his annoyance.

Of course he's annoyed. She almost rolled her eyes.

"Ugly, Ino-san has informed me that beauty sleep is essential to good skin. I would think you'd like to try it out."

"Sai!" Sakura snapped and hit him in the arm playfully. He cringed. "If I sleep, people die." She huffed.

"If you don't, people will die just by looking at— "

"Sakura-san!" suddenly a nurse burst through the door clearly in panic only to find the two most powerful shinobi staring at her and the pink haired medic strangling her third teammate.

The nurse stumbled back nervously in intimidation. "umm…Sakura-san…umm do you…"

"What is it Akimi?" She prompted, releasing Sai slowly.

"Kimo-san's heart suddenly stopped and… and we don't…" She wasn't even finished when Sakura whirled past her, exiting the tent.

—

A three-hour emergency surgery later, Sakura felt like she was ready to break. The migraine throbbed and was hitting her with vertigo, making her eyes droop and the ground in front of her blurry. In addition, she kept hearing the high pitch beep like that of heart rate monitors, only this sound was taken into her brain like nails scratching a blackboard, with her brain being the blackboard.

The hardness of the ground sent her shivering as she felt her knees hit the ground, with her arms bracing in front of her; as she tried peeling herself off the ground, the image of a lifeless Kimo, pale as paper, arms slack and drooling off the side of his face, made her arms fall against the coldness of the ground again. Three hours and she failed…again. She choked at the acidity of gastric acid as she gaged out nothing but the slightly yellow transparent liquid mixing into the puddle of rain.

In the split of a second, she felt a warm presence at her back shielding the rain, like a blanket or a cloak and a large hand steadied her shaking arm. The medic tilted her head and gasped at what she saw between her wet pink tresses. Obsidian and purple ripples glared at her disapprovingly.

"Sasuke," she mouthed.

"You going to get wet. You'll get a fever and your injuries aren't properly…" she started babbling.

"And you're going to die if you keep this up." A smooth baritone flowed through her ears. He pulled her up with his remaining arm, only withdrawing it when she balanced herself.

"No, I still need to check up on—"

"Sakura." He said impatiently, his dark aura spiking.

In that moment she was so sure she could hear chidori blazing, and then he would drive his hand through her heart again. No, he apologized remember? Sasuke wouldn't…would he? He apologized. She raised her hands to her ears and stepped away from him.

"Sakura?"

Yes, he apologized, but so what? You're not Naruto. He wouldn't care.

"Just leave me alone…" she gasped, though she felt like she was screaming inside.

Sasuke looked as indifferent as always, but started to shift towards her.

Sakura shook her head fiercely, summoning all the strength she could possibly muster, and sped towards the nearest medical tent.

—

"You got that wet from peeing outside?" Naruto scratched his head, oblivious to his choice of phrasing.

Sai looked like he was about to say something but stopped to stare blankly at Sasuke, as if anticipating a brawl to the death.

But surprisingly the Uchiha didn't even bat an eye as he slipped off his wet clothes, and kept silent on his bed.