Author's Note: This story is based loosely around my last relationship, but is adapted to the Naruto universe to fit the characters. My hope is to share my experience and hardships with those who may be going through or have gone through similar things. All character deaths (no major) are based on loved ones I've lost over the past three years, and a majority of events/conversations revolve around real events. The story will start with a glimpse of the present, before going back and telling the events of the past two and a half years. Enjoy!

"and I wanted her because I felt her.

I felt all the love she had and all the pain she shouldn't have had.

I felt her flowing inside me and by the end of the night, I was hers...

And she was mine and when we were together the brokenness meant nothing.

I was happy and she, too, was happy and there was nothing better than that."

-r.m. drake

Present:

Sakura's tears fell freely from her cheeks, soaking the thin fabric of her sky-blue kimono. A pair of calloused hands rose to wipe her tears away, tucking a stray strand of pink hair behind her ear. "Am I wrong? Should I not feel the way I do?"

The man standing in front of her looked up to the moon, deep in thought. "How you feel matters. Never let anyone take that away from you." His half-lidded eyes turned back down to hers. A pained expression crossed his face, as if he had so much more to say but couldn't.

"I don't know what to do." Her fist was wrapped tightly around the necklace hanging from her neck, "things were so perfect, and we still have our moments, but when things get bad… It gets really bad." She closed her eyes, letting out a small sob.

Arms engulfed her, trying to calm her shaking body. She nuzzled her face into his chest, clenching the fabric of his shirt. Strong hands rubbed her back, soothingly as he whispered to her quietly, "please don't cry, Sakura. It'll be okay."

Past (Two and a Half Years Ago):

"Sakura,

Given our last discussion,

I think it's best if we part ways.

~Sasuke."

Sakura stared down at the scroll in her hand, fighting back the pain rising in her chest. Their last encounter clung to her memories.

"Why must you leave again? Sasuke, it's been four years." Sakura's voice cracked. "Stay with me, please." Tears welled in her eyes.

"Sakura, you know why I have to leave."

"Let somebody else go!" Her eyes pleaded with his, and for a second she saw a flash of sorrow cross his.

"With the Rinnegan, I'm the only one who can track the Ōtsutsuki activity. You know this."

"Then let me go with you." She pleaded.

"The village needs you here."

Sakura clenched her teeth, "but what about what I need?"

After the war, her and Sasuke had maintained a long-distance relationship for nearly four years, but during their last rendezvous, she couldn't hide the fact that she missed and longed for him dearly.

She felt a twinge of guilt rise within her. Sakura knew he desperately fought to cleanse his sinful past. She knew he had felt guilty for burdening her with his long absences. Even though he had never specifically told her this, she was intelligent enough to pick up the subtle hints. And now she had pushed him away. Her words must have pushed him to believe he wasn't the man who could give her what she needed, so he made the choice. He set her free.

She silently cursed herself, but perhaps Sasuke's decision was for the best. While she loved him dearly, she couldn't deny the loneliness and longing she felt as she watched her friends happily start their families. Naruto was with Hinata, Ino with Sai, Shikamaru with Temari, and Choji with Karui.

The only ones left single from the Rookie Nine were Shino and Kiba. She slightly doubted Shino would ever find someone, and Kiba had been in a long-term relationship with Hime, the daughter of the Land of Fire's Daimyō. However, that relationship ended when Kiba discovered she had cheated on him with a man her family considered better suited for their 'royal bloodlines'.

Poor Kiba had been head over heels in love with that girl, and the news hit him hard. Even after finding out, he begged her to choose him, but she was too afraid to betray her families wishes, and chose the other man. Kiba tried to act the same, but his frequent disappearances from the village told his friends otherwise.

Setting the note on her coffee table, Sakura placed her head in her hands. What would she tell Naruto and her friends? She wasn't quite ready to deal with their sad faces and apologetic eyes. She needed time to process and accept Sasuke's letter before she could tell them.

Knowing a sleepless night was in store for her, the tired kunoichi headed to her bedroom.

Nearly a month had passed and Sakura had yet to tell her friends about the break up. She had successfully buried herself in work and research, so she had rarely seen any of them. It also helped that Naruto had been gone the past three weeks on a mission, but she knew she wouldn't be able to hide it much longer.

"Sakura! You're needed in the ANBU ward!" One of the nurse's burst into her office.

Grabbing her lab coat, Sakura quickly headed towards the section of the hospital that was dedicated solely to the ANBU. Given the importance of their secret identities, the only ones with access to that part of the ward was herself, Shizune, the Hokage (past and current), a select few nurses, and of course, the ANBU.

Walking hastily into the room, Sakura pulling her pen from her pocket, "what happened?"

"A paper bomb went off. I didn't see it... he tried to save me." A masked man responded.

Nodding at the man, she stepped forward to pull back the curtain, observing the unconscious ANBU. The sight stopped her in her tracks. The man wasn't badly injured, but half of his mask had been destroyed, revealing a very familiar face.

'Kiba?' That would explain why he was rarely seen anymore.

She quickly went to work observing the damage and running her healing chakra over his body, mending broken bones and burnt skin. From the looks of it, he had been far enough away that the damage wasn't too severe.

Sensing the nervousness of the other man, she tried to reassure him, "he will be okay. I healed his ribs and arm, and the burns weren't major. The blow knocked him unconscious and gave him a slight concussion, but I've reduced the swelling. He should be awake some time tomorrow."

The ANBU silently nodded his thanks, as a sudden thought crossed her mind and her eyes widened in panic, "where's Akamaru?" Kiba would be devastated if something had happened to him.

"Well, the mission," the ANBU hesitated, but not for the reason she feared, "...required we be more discreet, so Akamaru is at Kiba's house."

"Oh, good." Sakura let out a sigh of relief. "I'll come back to check on him throughout the day to monitor the swelling, but everything should be fine." She checked on him one more time, before heading back to her office.

The rest of her shift passed by uneventfully as she made her rounds and completed paperwork. Sakura grabbed her purse, as she headed towards Kiba's room to check on him.

The masked ANBU that was there earlier was long gone, leaving an unconscious Kiba alone. Placing a gentle hand on his forehead, she noted the swelling had gone down considerably. Happy he was recovering, she smiled softly to herself as she jotted down a few notes. Pulling the curtain back around his bed, a slight movement from outside caught her eye.

Peering out the window, she spotted a very pregnant Ino leaving the hospital, greeted by Sai. She watched as he pulled her into a hug, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. Reaching for her hand, they walked off hand in hand. A sad smile crossed Sakura's lips. She was happy for the two, but her heart ached as she silently wished she had someone to greet her after a long shift. They were about to start a family of their own, and there she was, single and getting ready to return to an empty home.

Lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice the pair of eyes watching over here closely, "are you okay?"

Sakura jumped at his voice, surprised that he was even awake. "You're the patient, I think I'm supposed to be asking you that." She teased, but Kiba's questioning gaze didn't waver. "Yes, yes. I'm fine." She tried her best to smile.

"Sakura, you don't look fine." Shooting him a questioning glare, he quickly corrected himself, "I didn't mean it that way! You just... you look sad."

Letting her shoulders slump with a sigh, Sakura walked over and took a seat on the hospital bed next to him. She knew he wouldn't give up until she told him. "I guess I might as well tell you. Sasuke and I," she searched for the right words, "decided to end things."

Kiba's eyes widened in surprise, "I'm sorry, Sakura." He said softly, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay," she looked down at her fidgeting hands. "He's been gone for a majority of our relationship. It shouldn't be too hard to adjust to."

"He's an idiot."

Slapping him playfully on the arm, Sakura couldn't help but giggle.

"Ouch!" He feigned hurt, "what was that for? I'm just being honest." He smirked, exposing his pronounced canine.

"I just wasn't expecting that response." Her smile faltered when her eyes spotted the ANBU tattoo on his upper left arm, reminding her of why he was in here in the first place, "so, the ANBU?"

"Yeah." The look in his eyes made it clear that he didn't want to talk about it, "could you keep that between us? It's supposed to be a secret." A smirk returned to his face, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"As long as you don't tell anyone about Sasuke and I. You're the only who knows so far."

"Really?" He asked surprised. "Why haven't you told anyone yet?"

"I wasn't ready. I knew I'd turn into a blubbering mess if I told everyone right away." She looked at the ground, suddenly becoming very interested in the tiled floors.

"We've all seen you cry, Sakura. That's nothing new." Kiba laughed, earning another smack on the arm.

"Jerk." She mumbled, hopping off the bed with a smile on her face.

Instantly switching into work mode, she turned to Kiba, "how are you feeling? I didn't think you'd be awake so early."

"A little stiff, but I feel fine." Kiba stretched his arms, before hopping off the bed to grab his bag. "Thanks for patching me up, doc."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "I didn't discharge you yet."

Sliding on his replacement mask, Kiba made his way to the window, "I won't tell if you won't." She could hear the amusement in his voice as he disappeared from her sight.

"Men." She huffed, a small smile reaching her lips.

Walking into her apartment, she dropped her belongings at the door and flopped face first onto her couch. She was exhausted, and her cream-colored pillows were just too comfortable to ignore.

'Maybe I'll just take a quick nap.' She thought as she sprawled out, slowly relaxing into a much needed nap.

Crash!

Sakura jumped at the sound of shattering glass.

"Damnit!" A familiar voice yelled from the other room.

Sprinting around the corner, she spotted a familiar blonde in her windowsill. "Sakura, you can't start putting stuff on here! You know this is my window!"

"How about 'sorry for breaking your vase, Sakura'?" She folded her arms across her chest.

Naruto grinned, scratching the back of his head as he mimicked her. "Sorry for breaking your vase, Sakura."

"I have a front door, you know." She placed her hands on her hips as Sai crawled in behind Naruto.

"Where's the fun in that?" Pulling her in for a hug, Sakura let out a defeated sigh as she wrapped her arms around him. How could she stay mad at him?

"I thought you were on a mission, shouldn't you be at home with Hinata?"

"Uh, well. I actually got home last night." Naruto scratched his whiskered cheek, trying to act innocent.

"Working on baby number two, huh?" Sakura elbowed Naruto playfully.

His eyes widened as a telling blush crossed his cheeks.

"So, what are you two doing here?" Peaking over Naruto's shoulder, she smiled warmly at Sai.

"Well, Naruto was visiting, and Ino said you should be done with your shift by now, so we brought you some dinner." Sai lifted the bag he was holding.

"Thank you!" Sakura took the bag and instantly started setting up the table, "Ino couldn't make it tonight?"

"No, she said to tell you sorry. She was just feeling tired after work today and passed out." Sai took a seat at the table as Naruto cleaned up the mess he had made.

"I can imagine. She looks like she's ready to burst!" Sakura laughed softly, "how's Boruto?"

His eyes beamed with happiness, "he's doing great! He does this really cute thing where every time he falls asleep in my arms, he'll wrap his hand around my pinky and if I try to move it, he just squeezes tighter." Naruto proudly held his pinky up with a smile.

Sakura returned his smile, glad to see her friend so genuinely happy after everything he had gone through.

"Sooo…" Naruto grinned mischievously, "when are you and Sasuke going to start having little Uchiha's running around?" He winked at her.

Sakura choked on her soba, completely caught off guard by his question. Panicked, Naruto started patting her on the back, trying to help her as Sai couldn't stop laughing. Ino's mannerisms were staring to wear off on him. Managing to grab her tea, she took a big gulp, regaining her breath.

It suddenly dawned on her that she would have to tell them the truth, as she nervously twisted her tea cup. "Well, actually, there's something I need to tell you guys."

Sai and Naruto watched her intently, noticing her sudden mood change.

"Sasuke and I are no longer together."

They sat there quietly, staring at Sakura in shock, before Naruto slammed his fist on the table, "I'll kill him!"

"Hey! What if I was the one who ended it?" Her brow twitched in irritation. Naruto looked at her as if he were saying, 'come on now', which only managed to increase her irritation.

As if realizing he was making things worse, Naruto grabbed her hand, "but really, Sakura. I'm sorry. Are you doing okay?"

She turned to see the happiness that had been filling his eyes moments before was now replaced with sadness. Her heart ached at the sight.

"I'm fine. Don't look so worried." But her words only increased the concern in his eyes.

"I've read that when going through a break up, ice cream or wine helps ease a broken heart. Shall I get some?" Sai asked innocently.

Naruto and Sakura turned to stare at Sai before bursting into laughter. He sat there, shocked and confused by their reaction. He hadn't been making a joke, perhaps he had read that wrong?

Without saying a word, Sakura stood and walked towards her refrigerator. "Way ahead of you, Sai," she said as she pulled out a carton of ice cream.

Looking at their smiling faces, she realized how silly it had been of her to wait so long to tell them. No matter what the circumstance, they always knew how to cheer her up.

Sakura let out a frustrated groan. "We're so close!"

Her apprentice, Kiyoshi, quickly dodged her pen that was haphazardly thrown in her frustration. For a few months now they had been working on a jutsu that could reverse brain damage but, with the brain being an incredibly complex organ, it would probably take them a few years to master it.

"Perhaps we should try again tomorrow?" Kiyoshi asked hesitantly. Sakura turned a suspicious glare in his direction, "it's date night." He grinned, sheepishly.

Sakura's glare quickly disappeared, "of course, of course." She waved him off, "go enjoy your night."

He thanked her repeatedly as she watched him grab his belongings and leave.

Even though Kiyoshi had only been her apprentice for a year, she had known him her entire life. Growing up, he had been her neighbor. She had always thought of him as the 'annoying little boy next door', but he had grown up to be a fine medical ninja and she was proud to have him as her apprentice.

"I guess I should head home as well." She mumbled to herself as she locked the research lab.

Listening to the familiar click clack of her heels echoing off the hospital floors, she made her way towards the exit. Stepping outside, she reached to grab her keys from her purse, but stopped when she noticed a figure leaning underneath a lamppost, watching her.

"Kiba?"

"Hey, Sakura." He approached her, a slight nervousness in his step, as Akamaru excitedly ran to her, begging to be pet.

Anytime Akamaru had been hurt, Kiba had always brought him to her. Next to Kiba and his family, Akamaru probably liked Sakura the most, which was always evident whenever they ran into each other. Smiling, Sakura ran her fingers through Akamaru's fur, "what are you guys doing out here?'

Kiba scratched the back of his head, "well, I was wondering, if you wanted to grab some dinner with me?"

Her hand stopped as his question sank in.

'He was waiting for me.' Sakura smiled at the thought.

Akamaru's tail wagged in anticipation. "I would love to." Her smile eased his nervousness. "Where were you thinking?"

"I was thinking Yakiniku?"

Sakura giggled, "of course you were." Kiba was notorious for his love of meat.

"We can go somewhere else?" He sounded somewhat panicked, "that was just a suggestion."

"No, no. I was just teasing." Sakura nudged him playfully.

They walked side by side, making their way to the restaurant.

"How have things been at the hospital?" Kiba smiled down at her.

"Well, since we're in a relatively stable time of peace, things are slow, thankfully, which gives me plenty of time to focus on my research or to tend to ANBU who go around getting themselves knocked unconscious." She smirked.

Kiba laughed, "low blow, Sakura." She shrugged her shoulders innocently. "So, what are you researching?"

"Thank you," she said as he opened the restaurant door for her. "Well, right now I'm studying the effects of brain damage, whether it be from combat, old age, or an illness like dementia or stroke. My hopes are to develop a jutsu that can effectively reverse the damage that has already occurred to the brain, but reversing something like that has proven to be a bit more difficult than I predicted." She pursed her lips in disappointment.

"Eh, knowing you, you'll figure it out in no time." He smiled confidently.

"What makes you say that?" She asked, curiously.

"Because it's you we're talking about. You're the only person I know who actually knew all of the answers during the written part of the Chunin Exam. We were supposed to cheat, but your smart ass knew all the answers without having to." He laughed as Sakura shook her head, smiling. She enjoyed the compliment.

Their conversation was only interrupted briefly by the waiter coming around to take their order.

"So, what has the great Inuzuka Kiba been up to?" She leaned forward, resting her elbows on top of the table as her chin sat atop her crossed fingers.

"Well you already know my big secret," his fingers scratched his goatee, "but after Hime and I split up, I haven't been up to much besides missions and training." He said, nonchalantly.

"Oh, yeah. I was sorry to hear about that." She gave him a sad smile.

He tried to wave off her concern, "Don't be sorry. It wasn't a healthy relationship at all."

His words piqued her interest, "what do you mean?" She asked before quickly realizing she was prying into his personal life, "sorry, I didn't mean to pry. You don't have to answer that."

"No, no. It's fine." He placed a slab of meat on the small grill in front of them, "Mostly everyone knows about her cheating, but the relationship wasn't perfect before that. I think she liked me because I was different from the guys her family tried to set her up with, but at the same time, she was ashamed of who I was."

Sakura looked at him confused, "she was ashamed of you?"

He nodded, "because I wasn't royalty and her family refused to accept me. I wasn't even invited to family events. The little things she did made it obvious she was ashamed. For example, if we were ever holding hands in public and she saw someone she knew, she'd immediately pull her hand away and act as if I were just her hired bodyguard."

"Kiba, that's awful!" She looked at him in disbelief, "you put up with that for years?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "I thought I was in love and love makes you do stupid things sometimes. I think she only kept me around so long because I waited on her hand and foot."

Sakura shook her head, "I'm sorry, Kiba. If I had known about all that I would have smacked some sense into you sooner."

He laughed at her honest remark, "I really wish you would have. It would have saved me a lot of trouble." Kiba tossed a piece of meat to Akamaru, "but enough about me. Does the newly single Sakura have any potential love interests?" He smirked as her eyes widened from his question.

A small blush reached her cheeks, "oh, no. I hadn't really thought of it. It'll probably be a little while before I get back out there, and who knows who'll even be interested."

Kiba, who was getting ready to take a bite of food, froze, "you're kidding, right?" Sakura stared back at him, puzzled. "Sakura, you're gorgeous, intelligent and extremely talented. As soon as word gets out that you're single, men are going to come flocking to you."

Sakura's heart fluttered. No one had ever called her gorgeous before. "I-I don't know about all that." She laughed nervously, knowing her face had turned beet red.

"No, trust me. At least half the guys in ANBU will be jumping for joy when they find out." Kiba chuckled.

"Shut up," she laughed, "you're joking."

He laughed even more, "I'm completely serious. Before you started working in the ANBU ward, most of them would refuse to go to the hospital unless it was life threatening. Why do you think they always seem to only show up when you're working?"

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. She had wondered why she seemed to deal with a lot more ANBU than the others, but had never given it too much thought. "You aren't joking!"

"Nope!" Kiba was laughing so hard that he had to wipe away the tears that had formed, "I can't believe you didn't know. It's cute how oblivious you are."

His laughter was infectious and she couldn't help but join in. "So it's cute, huh?" She teased him as she cocked her head to the side, waiting for an answer.

Kiba scratched his chin, as he suddenly became nervous. "I mean yeah, but most things you do are cute."

Sakura rolled her eyes, smirking, "how? I'm not exactly known for being delicate and cutesy." She laughed.

He shrugged his shoulders, taking his last bite of food.

"Oh, come on! You can't just say something like that and then not tell me!" She pleaded with him.

Kiba looked up to the ceiling, making a slight humming noise as if he were debating whether or not to tell her, "I don't know, what's in it for me if I tell you?"

"Well if you don't, there's a strong possibility you'll leave here with a black eye." She smiled innocently, acting as if she didn't just threaten him.

"Guess that's a chance I'll just have to take." He smiled back at her, never breaking eye contact as he paid their bill.

Sakura's smile turned into a glare. "One way or another, I'll get it out of you."

"Maybe if you tied me up." He winked at her.

Sakura's jaw dropped, "Kiba!" She slapped him playfully on the arm, bursting into laughter.

"Just a suggestion." They stepped out of the restaurant, laughing at the direction their conversation had turned. Sakura couldn't remember the last time she had laughed this much and it felt as if the stress of her day had just melted away.

"Shall I walk you home?"

Akamaru nudged her hand, wanting her attention.

"Sure, but I'm not tying you up." Sakura teased.

"Damn." He feigned disappointment.

"You're something else." She mumbled, happily as she walked by his side.

"I'm only teasing." He pushed his shoulder playfully into hers.

"I know, I know." She smiled up at him.

'He seems to have changed.' She thought to herself, a little sad that the night was over.

They walked up the stairs to her apartment in comfortable silence before reaching her door. Sakura turned towards him, "thank you for dinner, Kiba. It was really nice seeing you again."

Kiba pulled her in for a hug, "of course, anytime." He took a step back, smiling down at her.

Sakura felt her heart skip a beat. Her eyes flickered back and forth from his eyes down to his lips as she unconsciously licked hers. Why did she have a sudden urge to kiss him? His lips formed a smirk. 'Shit!' She had been caught.

"Can I ask you something?" A glint of amusement in his eyes, "why are you looking at my lips?"

'Might as well go for it.' Sakura leaned her body closer to his, "why do you think?" She asked him, seductively.

Taking the hint, Kiba wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her body against his. He gazed into her eyes, the glint of amusement had turned to desire, as his lips met hers. His kiss was soft, but passionate. She felt her body protest when he pulled away.

Kiba smiled down at her, placing a kiss on her forehead, "goodnight, Sakura."

"Goodnight, Kiba. Akamaru." She smiled back, patting Akamaru on the head.

'When did he become a gentleman?'

Sakura opened the door to her apartment, feeling the emptiness staring back at her that threatened to swallow her whole. "Kiba." Her voice stopped him in his tracks. "Could you stay, for tonight?" She had her arms crossed behind her back, as she looked down to the ground, a blush rising to her cheeks.

He stared at her quietly, shocked by her question. The whole night had taken a strange turn. She had never viewed Kiba in an intimate light before, but something about him drew her to him tonight. Maybe it was the way he made her laugh, maybe it was because they both shared the pain of breaking up, or maybe she was just lonely. She didn't know, but she did know she just wanted to be held tonight.

"Are you sure?" He asked, hesitantly.

She nodded, "I don't want to be alone tonight." Sakura stepped to the side, signaling for Kiba and Akamaru to come in.

His furry white companion took off down the hallway, probably to find the couch. Sakura laughed at Akamaru's retreating figure before turning to face Kiba, who was now approaching her. He didn't speak as his lips crashed onto hers, pushing her slowly into her apartment. Sakura felt him kick the door shut, his lips never leaving hers.

Kiba wrapped his arm around the back of her head, pulling on a handful of pink hair, causing Sakura to let out a small moan. The sound of her moan only fueled Kiba's desire further, as he pushed her against the wall aggressively. His hands moved from her waist down to her ass before he lifted her legs around him. Sakura felt his lips graze her neck as she arched her back in response. He made her feel desired, wanted. It was a high she had never felt before.

Suddenly, his hands let go as she went flying through the air, landing on her bed. She blinked up Kiba, who was now on top of her, smirking down at her.

"You are so gorgeous." He pressed his body against hers, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. The aggressiveness of his kiss earlier was now replaced with something much more tender. "Sakura, we don't have to do anything tonight." Kiba pulled back, staring into her eyes.

Sakura nodded, thankful he wasn't pushing anything.

Kiba wordlessly crawled beside her, pulling her into his chest. His arms wrapped tightly around her. He granted her a sense of comfort she hadn't felt in a while and for the first night in a long time, she fell asleep with a smile on her face.