Sakura Haruno was dying.
She had known of her condition for months before anyone else found out, had hidden it out of necessity. But secrets weren't easily kept in Konoha, no matter how hard one tried.
It had been an ordinary day, the temperature mild, the village bustling. Sakura was doing her routine patient checkups around the hospital when a wave of acute pain had her doubling over, gasping for air. She had immediately been admitted under Tsunade's care, against the younger girl's very loud, irate will. A simple scan of her body by the medical expert had revealed the spine stiffening news.
Sakura was sick.
It was fatal.
There was no cure.
Her world, which she had been cautiously holding up by a thread, crashed down around her. She hadn't wanted them to know. She hadn't wanted them to worry. She just wanted things to go on as usual; needed them to. But now that was out of the question.
Everyone looked at her with their watery, sad eyes, and murmured their sorry, sad words, in their soft, sad voices. It made her want to scream. But worse than her loved one's ridiculous attitudes was the fact that she had been relieved of her hospital duties. It was a memory she wasn't exactly proud of.
She had shown up to work for her shift the day after her secret had been unceremoniously exposed, only to be told to go home and rest. To enjoy an extended vacation from work. To conserve her strength. Sakura had began snarling obscenities and rioting before being escorted out by an admonishing Tsunade.
Forced into an early retirement, she had begun spending her days outside, determined to enjoy a normal life despite everyone else doing their damnedest to prevent it. With spring in the air, the weather was majoritaly sunny and warm, making her meandering walks pleasant. She discovered new shops tucked into corners and alleyways that she had never seen before, her favorite being a cozy bookshop-cafe combination that was hidden amongst all the larger buildings around it. She frequented it almost daily.
Along with her exploration of the market place, she had also begun to wander into the woods around the village, taking naps, reading, simply sitting and enjoying the beautiful scenery of the woodland coming alive in front of her eyes. She didn't bring her friends with her, though they shot curious questions at her about what she spent all her free time doing these days.
"Living," she had replied softly, though she doubted anyone even heard her.
Despite her lack of purpose, life was good. She wouldn't waste what she had left of it laying in a bed and being catered to like a frail child. Death wasn't knocking on her door quite yet.
Though they had never seen a case quite like hers before, Tsunade had still been able to figure out the exact problem in a matter of hours.
"It's an interesting condition," Tsunade had said, folding her hands onto the desk in front of her and furrowing her brows.
"Your cells have become…confused. They're attacking, slowly beating away at you, breaking down organ walls, constantly damaging essential parts of your body," Tsunade paused here, allowing the information Sakura already knew to sink into her mother and father, who sat on either side of the girl. A tear slipped down the red haired woman's face as her brave front crumbled. Tsunade wordlessly handed the woman a tissue before continuing.
"Sakura could live," her parents jerked at this, having believed their daughters fate was set, "but she would have to be admitted into the hospital to receive daily healing sessions- permanently. From what we could deduce, the longer her condition continues, the faster her cells seem to break down her body. If she were to be admitted under my care here, it would only be a temporary life extension. I'm unable to say how long it would last," the older medic sighed heavily at this, rubbing her eyes to dispel the frustrating moisture that wouldn't seem to disappear. Silence stretched before them for several moments, broken only by sniffles and uncomfortable shifting. Tsunade grimaced before continuing.
"At some point, Sakura will begin to feel slight discomfort internally and externally, which will develope into pain of varying degrees. This will continue until…" she trailed off, tensing, before sighing again.
"No decisions need to be made today, or even within the next few weeks, but by the time she experiences the internal pain, you will need to know what course of action you wish to take. She will need to be brought to the hospital, and myself notified, immediately upon feeling these pains. Once the cells deteriorate too much of a vital organ, it is unlikely we will be able to mend or replace it in time. Do you understand?" The trio in front of her nodded faintly, each holding a different expression. Unabashed grief, rigid control on the verge of snapping, and…defiance. Sakura's emerald eyes sparked fiercely as they met Tsunade's amber ones. They seemed to challenge the woman, making her smile despite herself.
"Do you have any questions?" she asked the group softly, eyeing each one momentarily.
"H…how long?" Sakura's mother whimpered, wiping away more tears. Tsunade met Sakura's gaze again, asking a silent question.
What do you want me to say? It was obvious Sakura was unhappy with this meeting, not wishing to burden her family with her poor health. Sakura had known all along what was wrong, and what her fate would be in the end. She stubbornly refused to discuss it, but Tsunade had been adamant about Sakura telling her parents, and then allowing them to hear from Tsunade exactly what was going on. But this question was one she would tread lightly to answer.
"I think Sakura would like to discuss that with you in private," she murmured to the woman, handing her another tissue as tears continued cascading down her pale face. Said pink haired girl gave a barely perceptible nod of thanks to her mentor before rising and guiding her grieving parents from the vicinity. A long moment of silence passed after the door closed behind the small family. Tsunade took a long pull from the bottle of sake she had been keeping under her desk.
Sakura.
Her pupil.
Her friend.
How long? That was easy.
At the rate her cells were working,
she'd be on her death bed in a matter of months, if she was lucky.
Tsunade took another sip of the burning liquid, this time smaller, before finally allowing her tears to drip down onto her desk, pattering like the rain outside.
It's been a few years since I've written a fanfiction, so I'm not sure how to feel about how this turned out.
However, I hope you guys enjoy this short introduction into our tale (the following chapters will be longer!).
I'd love some reviews and constructive criticism, just to help me get back into the groove of this!
Thanks for reading,
WanderLust.