If one thing in this entire world was for certain it was that Sakura Haruno truly, madly, deeply, over the top was in love with, Sasuke Uchiha.
Yes Sakura had to admit in her younger days at the academy she was not in love with Sasuke. She even had to smirk and let out a chuckle thinking back then that she and Ino Yamanaka would end their ultimate friendship with one another over a simple crush. But how could you not think that you were in love with Sasuke? When the minor thought of him sent your heart beating faster than any drum and the sight of him sent your skin crawling with goose bumps and the hair on the back of your neck flying to the skies. Sasuke was handsome, no gorgeous, no the most beautiful -est man on this planet that no god could compete with. It was no wonder every girl in the academy just swooned over him like love-struck puppies.
It wasn't until a few weeks of joining team 7 that Sakura realized she was falling in love with Sasuke. Once her dream was to someday marry him and have many Uchiha children together in a big house and living happily every after turned into just having Sasuke acknowledge her not even as a lover or a friend but at the least a team mate.
Even after Sasuke became rogue and the other girls of the village got over him within a matter of weeks Sakura did not. For years after his departure she was depressed, she still dreamed of him and shed millions of tears. Sakura was simply heartbroken and only wished that where ever Sasuke was he was somewhere warm, getting enough food, and becoming stronger everyday so that perhaps he would complete his goal and someday return to Konoha and be with her- them once again. She in fact was still in love with him even after all the time apart.
Even after Sakura decided that she had to be the one to kill Sasuke after he became a threat to Konoha, her home, she was still in love with him. That day she failed her mission, not because Sasuke over powered her, not because she was weak- or maybe she, it was because she just could not kill him because SHE loved him more than anything. Even though he didn't not take a second thought to killing her twice that day without any hesitation, and surely without Kakashi-Sensi and Naruto saving her she would have been killed that day by the one she loved. That night she sobbed in her bed realizing how much Sasuke never cared about her. The look in his eyes and the grip of his hand around her neck said it all, the answer she tried to avoid and shove out of her heart was now official. She gripped her left breast as she felt that her heart would surely break over this emotional realization and heart break.
Sasuke's return to help team 7 and the rest of konoha ninja in the great war with Madara Uchiha was an over-whelming sense of pure happiness for Sakura. That yes she was wrong! He did care after all and was in fact just in a dark state of mind at the time. She was over joyed with the fact Sasuke was once again fighting on their side she then naive to believe that everything would be like their genin days. That pure happiness faded more and more as the war came to an end as Sasuke did not seem the slightest sense of worry for Sakura. Even when Naruto shouted for Sasuke to save Sakura and Kakaski from meeting their fate into the boiling lava Sasuke chose to ignore that request without even remorse. As the tears slipped down Sakura's porcelain cheeks and her konoha head band slipped off her soft pink hair into the lava below she began to realize the truth that she put in the back of her heart and hoped was not true.
As Sasuke put Sakura into the worst genjustsu she would ever experience, of him killing her that day with his chidori threw her heart, she still loved him. Before she was completely swept away into the genjustsu, while laying on the dirty ground, she recalls him saying how he had no reason to love her something that finally in her head and heart finally decided that she was done, that her hopes her dreams were just silly fantasies and that yes Sasuke had no reason to love her.
Now two years and one month later since the war Konoha seemed to be at its best. With the village rebuilt at it's finest and everyone looking towards a brighter future Sakura felt she was still in the same place as she was two years prior.
"ugh", Sakura sighed, both hands prompted on her cheek bones and elbows digging into her knees exposed from her white cotton hospital skirt she gazed longingly at the couples surrounding her at the park where she had HOPED she would have her lunch break. Her rice balls and fresh fruit forgotten as Sakura's emerald eyes darted in jealously at all the romance that surrounded her. It seems everyone in the village was truly what her mother would imply as "Twiterpated" in other words, in love. Not able to take the sight anymore of the love-sick couples making out she threw away her untouched lunch and headed back towards the hospital. Although even that wasn't an escape for Sakura from this acceptance as it seemed more and more women would fall into her operatories with that "glow" and shortly finding out that they were pregnant. Or her regular patients sending their wedding invites to her, or the wives and husbands visiting one another in the hospital while they recovered. Sakura's broken heart could barely take it. And it was not just her patients it was even her friends, every single one of them had a special someone Sakura noted as she passed the, YAMANAKA FLOWER SHOP, and saw Ino in the window.
"When was the last time I saw or even spoke to Ino?" Sakura said allowed reaching her hand towards the entrance handle when hesitation came of her. There in the shop window she saw good old teammate , Sai, come out of the back of the shop with a hand full of flowers clearly talking to Ino and then gave her a small embrace. Sakuras eyebrows turned downwards and her eyes spoke of a disappointment. Yes, that's right Ino and Sai have had a "Thing" going on for a few months now. After the war the , YAMANAKA FLOWER SHOP, became quite busy with loved ones in hospital, and funerals it was in high demand. Additionally Ino's father had passed and her mother becoming older Ino took the responsibility of running the shop full time on her own. However, that became a struggle at times especially when missions came up and that's when Sai, prince charming on his white horse, came into the store one evening and insisted that he be employed at the shop to help Ino. A few months ago, "Yes, that's about the last time I spoken to Ino." she was greatly informed by her of how great Sai was, how he only would refers to her as "Beautiful" rather than her name, and made her feel butterflies in her stomach (And other places). Sakura did not want to interrupt this moment, and simply walked away.
Down the road Sakura passed more shops and restaurants in the streets of Konoha but it was , Ichiraku's, that made her stop. Ah yes the memories that flooded her mind of all the lunches and dinners that team 7 spent there together was now a big restaurant with more than six bar stools. After the war it seemed for a long time that Naruto and herself would eat dinner there almost every other day. However has Naruto grew closer to Hinata she seemed that her stool was replaced. Hinata and Naruto became very close after the war as they both dealt with the death of, Neji Hyuga. The two shorty blossomed into love and only a couple of months ago they announced their engagement and were to be married under the Sakura trees in the spring.
"Good for you Naruto..." Sakura softly spoke. Truly she was happy for Naruto and for the shy Hinata, they deserved each other. Oh but how she missed Naruto, he was always busy either with his new fiancee, or training to be the next hokage that she it seemed she barely saw Naruto anymore. When was the last time? Three week ago and that was just an hour spar.
Yes it seemed all of Sakura's friends were under that wonderful spell of love. Shikamaru, even with his attitude of carelessness was dating Temari and were often seen getting a bite to eat with one another. Choji, after fighting along side Karui in the war, became close and was often visiting her hours away in her village. Kiba was also away a lot visiting the beautiful cat ninja, Tamaki. Not all found love for example like Shino and Tenten but, they were also busy moving on with their lives. Shino becoming a sensi and Tenten traveling to learn about new weapons it seemed they were out as reach as well.
There was only one person who seemed to be stuck on the same point in their life and that was no other than, Sasuke Uchiha. After being in prison for a year in a half Sasuke was finally released from the Konoha prison on special terms. One begin that he would remain on a strict probation and was only allowed certain missions, two he had to take an oath that he would never betray the village again (Or he would be killed and not given anymore chances) and three that he help Konoha by using his new , Rinnegan, to help protect the village. Speak of the devil, as Sakura passed the training grounds there she saw Sasuke training as usual. Without evening thinking Sakura stopped in her tracks and watched Sasuke for a moment, his fighting was incredible and did it with such confidence on the way he magically moved his arms and legs. He was strong there was no doubt, and it was hard to believe how much stronger he was becoming. His black raven hair looked soft has his moved in the wind has he continued to attack the old wooden dumpy in front of him and beads of sweat fell from his brow. Sasuke was as handsome as ever, he was muscular but was not body- builder big, he had "kissed by the sun glow" on every inch of his skin, he wore a shirt similar to his favorite genin top however it was gray instead of blue but still had the Uchiha symbol sewed on the back, and his pants were long and tight right where they met his ankles in a black coloring with a few white lightning-like markings, his hands had rubber black training gloves, and his shoes were enclosed unlike the traditional Konoha blue sandals. Sakura was knocked out of her daze when Sasuke had stopped his training and began turning his head in her direction has he must of felt her ogling eyes on him. Immediately Sakura spun her head forward so quickly she feared she surely given herself whiplash and continued on her way back to the hospital holding her lunch pale tighter in her hands, hoping Sasuke did not catch her in her trance.
Later that evening, around 10pm, has Sakura was returned to the hospital signing patients charts, filling prescription slips and updating medical sheets on her desk she pondered on her relationship with Sasuke and where it stood. After the war and his initial return Sakura was over joy yes however, made the hard decision that when you love someone you must let them go...Sakura knew Sasuke never loved her or would (He made that perfectly clear) but she also needed to accept that he would not see her as a friend or as a teammate ever...she was annoying to him, a nuisance, a bother, etc. Her dream of his acknowledgment was too far out out of reach. So when Sasuke did return to the village, when he was released from prison, she chose to stay in the background. Even during team meetings and team dinners in the past she would be polite yes but would choose to sit or stand far from him and only spar with Naruto or Kakashi-sensi, as well as only talk to him if need be but still often waited for him to speak first. Did she still love Sasuke? More than anything! She thought of him daily, everything around her reminded her of him and she still dreamed sweet dreams of him and her together happy...but every dream you had to wake up from eventually and that's what Sakura did she finally woke up and not gracefully either but dreary as if she only slept for a couple hours and then was awoke with a screeching alarm and a cold bucket of water thrown on you, not to mention an uncomfortable mattress with the springs digging into your spine...but never the less Sakura was awake, just barely.