Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any characters used in this story.
They would never look back. They would never see how hard she was struggling to try to keep
Every time she took a step forward they were already twenty steps ahead.
And then, they were out of sight. They had left her behind, all alone.
But she didn't let herself cry, her tears had been wasted over so many things, she would not allow this to be one of them.
So she kept going, fixing a new goal. So instead of trying to catch up, she kept walking, going the only speed that she knew. And slowly, without her noticing, her steps became more fluid, she began learning how to walk just a little faster, but she didn't forget. She didn't forget that they were out there somewhere, running faster than ever, but instead of thinking of them, instead of blindly throwing herself into a sprint so she could catch up, she kept going, if only going a bit faster.
They came back to the village years later, each and every one of them, even the Uchiha.
They were greeted by six ANBU squads, and all of the remaining Rookie Nine. Save one.
Naruto jumped up and down excitedly, speaking as if they just been on a long mission. He yelled about Ichiraku, and spoke exuberantly about everything that had happened, and about how strong he had become, when he paused. "Where's Sakura-chan?" he asked, looking to Ino.
The blonde looked at him in confusion, until realization dawned on her. "We don't see her that much anymore, she doesn't talk to any of us, except for Neji and Shikamaru."
Before any of the Team 7 members could question this, the Rookie Nine dispersed. They had reached the Hokage Tower.
They talked to the blonde Hokage about punishment; none of their team would be sentenced to death. Oh, they were much too valuable for that.
And as the meeting was about to draw to a close, the door swung open. And there stood Sakura Haruno, waiting impatiently by the door frame.
"Tsunade-shishou! I want a mission, and I want one now! I have been on leave for a week already; I don't care if I took down a missing-nin base in Grass! I am rested now! Now give me a mission dang it!" Sakura paused. Finally noticing the four presences that had been there since the beginning of her rant.
She did not yell or get angry or cry, but instead she smiled, the kind of smile that you use when you see an old acquaintance that hasn't been around for awhile, the kind of smile that you use when you didn't honestly know the person, when it didn't hurt. "Welcome back."
She then turned to the Hokage, "Send my mission scroll to Shikamaru's, Tsunade-shishou. We're playing shogi again, and I refuse to lose this time!"
She had moved on, taken a different path, and begun to run.
And she passed them on her way, and said a quick goodbye.
Please Read & Review, this is my first story. :)
