A/N: this story might be a little strange…

…

...

I know, I shouldn't be like this.

I'm a bit depressed. Everything is difficult right now, I don't seem to find time to do anything of what I have to do. And at the same time, I have so many things to do.

Not to mention the things I would like to do. Those have to be forgotten.

I don't have time to be with my friends. I don't have time to relax. I don't have time for anything. And why is that?

Work, maybe? Yes, partially, I have long working hours and I do work a lot.

But it's not because of work that I'm so depressed. It's because of a boy I fell for.

Yeah, that's correct: I fell in love with a guy who is using me and treating me like shit. Oh, and I'm fully aware of it. Yeah. And I still let him. Why? Because I love him.

How foolish I am. I'm just being used by him. And still, I don't act. I prefer to drown in self-pity.

I walk to a bench near the end of Konoha and sit down. Still thinking about that jerk I call "love of my life".

"Heartaches?"

I almost fall off the bench. A young woman is standing near me, with a kind look on her face. She has long pink hair and is observing me with curiosity.

She smiles. "I don't mean to be intrusive, forgive me. It's just… I think I know that expression on your face."

I don't know what to say. "Well… in fact… yeah…"

The woman smiles again. "Can I sit down?" she asks politely, looking at the bench.

"Sure." I nod.

She looks at me with kind eyes. I notice they are a bright emerald green.

"I'm Sakura," she introduces herself.

"Nanami," I say.

"If you wish to talk about something…"

Before she even finishes, I have already begun. "It's actually kind of a long story…" And on I go, rambling about the guy I met, fell for and am now suffering about. I tell her everything, even the fact that I know that he's cheating on me and that he's using me but that I can't let him go. The woman, Sakura, never interrupts me, but lets me speak until I don't have anything more to say.

Then she says, "Nanami, what do you do with your life?"

Confused, I look at her. "I already told you that my job is…"

"No, no," Sakura smiles. "I don't mean that. I mean your purpose, your goals in life."

I think about it. And realize I have no answer.

Sakura is looking at me. "Nanami, you are young and beautiful. I'm sure you won't like to hear this, but I will say it anyway. You deserve better than a cheating boyfriend. You are wasting your time with him and you are damaging yourself by continually thinking about him. He's not worth it. Look for a relationship that will give you something, a balanced relationship, where love is given and received by both parts. Do not make yourself miserable about one guy."

I stare at her for a moment. "I believe all you've said is true, but it's also all easier said than done," I say, not really looking at her.

Sakura shakes her head. "No, it's not that difficult. You get all your stuff and pack, and then go look for this guy and tell him to his face that you are breaking up with him. If he tries to argue, you shut him up. Done," she states simply.

I'm impressed. "It sounds good," I admit. And when I think about it, I realize I really like this idea, and that it was already lingering in my head.

Then I look at the woman again. "But why are you so certain about what you say?"

Sakura looks up at the sky, with a faraway expression. "I was in love, once, and I know when your love is worth sacrificing everything else. Believe me, if I thought this guy was worth it, I would tell you."

I observe her. She is a strange woman, but I find myself liking and trusting her.

Just then, a black-haired man comes near us. "I'm sorry to interrupt," he says politely. "Sakura, it's time for us to go." And he gives her an endearing look.

The pink-haired woman looks at the man, and I realize how full of love both their gazes are. I feel it's time for me to go, too.

I stand up. "You're right about what you said. Thank you. I'll follow your advice. Goodbye, miss Sakura." I bow a little to both.

The woman looks at me and smiles. "I'm not much older than you, you know. Call me just Sakura." The man smiles a little when he hears this, and places a hand around the woman's waist. Sakura continues, "And trust me… everything will turn out well, Nanami."

She was right.

I dumped that cheating bastard. And I've never been happier. A huge weight was lifted from my shoulders when my life was free from him.

He wasn't worth my time. Without him, everything seems better. I have a more positive outlook on everything. I'm more optimistic, too. And I find myself organizing my time better, so that I'm happier.

I sometimes think about that young woman, Sakura. If she hadn't told me, quite bluntly, what I needed to hear, I wouldn't have snapped out from my self-pity in order to dump the guy.

So I decide to look for her. I go to the bench again. But of course there is no one around there.

I remember that near here there is also the cemetery. Momentarily forgetting Sakura, I decide to visit my grandparents.

After seeing their tombs, I'm about to exit, when I get a strange feeling. The wind begins to blow a little. It seems to come from another side of the graveyard, where there are the ninja tombs. Those are specially made, in order to remember and honour their best qualities and abilities.

I usually don't go there, because ninja existed long ago; today there are no shinobi, they aren't needed anymore.

But this time I feel I have to. I don't know why. As I get nearer, my eyes get caught by a black, red, green and pink engraving on a double tombstone, the biggest of the whole graveyard.

The dates are of about sixty years ago. On the left there is the name of a man, whose surname I only read in history books. I recall some tragedy about it. His name is funny, it's an animal name. I smile. There is also a strange symbol, which looks like some sort of eye, but is red and black. Oh well. About him there are many praises and honours written, but time has erased the complete inscription. I can only read the words "enormous self-sacrifice" and "courage".

And then my eyes fall on the green words. My eyes widen. And I understand. Even if most words are gone, I still understand.

…

Uchiha Sakura

the one who healed hearts

and who never stopped caring

…

…

A/N: Sakura and Itachi died a long time before. As you can guess from her surname, they were married. And they were married because they loved each other very much.

They were killed during the last shinobi world war, sacrificing their lives to obtain peace. They died heroes. And their love was so strong that it still helps those who are in need.

I guess Nanami's heart needed help.

Note: this story, set in the war-free future, was told in the main character's point of view, and the main character is an OC; her name, Nanami, is random.

For those who don't know, 'Itachi' in Japanese means 'weasel'. That's the name that Nanami found funny. And the engraving next to his name is the Sharingan, of course.

I hope you liked it. Thanks for reading!

KitsuneMiyuKendraHyuga