"Okay, I think we can finish this up in a few minutes, right Haruno-san?"
Sakura mentally slapped herself and faced the nurse trying hard not to blink in anticipation that she might almost fall asleep in this surgery for the nth time.
"Sure…" she mumbled and finished the surgery perfectly.
Sakura had been awake for 80 hours and sleep deprivation was beginning to take a toll on her, mentally and physically. Everyone could see the black bags etched under her eyes, especially compared to her even paler complexion. No one dared mention it to the head of the hospital let alone the strongest kunoichi in the world of course, well maybe one certain doctor.
Yoshida Kenji dirty blonde with lavenders pools most girls melted into. In fact if it wasn't for her infactuation with the Uchiha, Sakura was quite sure she would have fallen for her co-worker/close friend. Kenji had been there when her friends couldn't be with Tsunade travelling now that she was out of a job, Naruto studying to replace the old woman and Ino had been stationed in Sunagakure with Choji and Shikarmaru who had been reportedly hitting it off with the Kazekage's older sister. It started off as Sakura training the new doctor to friends at work to watching movies at each other's houses while also eating dinner together almost every night. Kenji had a normal, civilian family with parents that owned a fruit store and no intention to overtake Konoha and a nice elder brother who would visit from his home in Sumo on holidays and was in no way plotting to muder his entire clan. He's everything a girl could want, everything Sakura should want yet here she was friendzoning him on the daily. She knew it was sick that she was using the 19 year-old for emotional support but he was her medication to help her get through the day, her personal temporary happy pill - it was almost like her smiles were becoming real... almost.
It wasn't that she didn't find him attractive but he knew more than Naruto about how she really felt, Kenji was the big brother she had always wanted as a child - and her heart had been stolen 15 years ago. Without Kenji her thoughts would drift back the subject that her entire being would usually revolve around. Sasuke Uchiha. It has been just under two years since she has seen the man of her heart. After he left her with an affectionate poke to the forehead she waited for the occasionally letter on how he was to come in but weeks turned to months and the seasons changed unlike Sasuke's distant personality. She expected to go on missions with him once he returned, that something would happen between them, that they might even grow closer to form an actually stable relationship but... Sakura should have known better to expect such things from the Uchiha. So as she lay with her usual teary eyes late at night, Sakura would eat herself up. Self-blame Sakura would until her insecurities chased away sleep to the next day which is why she was taking 3 shifts in a row - because work kept the mind at bay, for now at least.
Everything was different when Sasuke was confined in prison for a year. Everyday she was outside his cell, with Naruto and Kakashi accompying her sometimes. But things were simpler, easier then. Of course like normal she would do most of the talking but over that year she was able to get to know him a bit. Like because she wasn't gazing into his eyes as she would, they were blindfolded for precautions, Sakura payed attention to his mouth when he spoke and it was only now that she could see when his lips pulled at the slightest when he was amused. Or when she fed him and his blindfold was taken off she learnt to read every movement his eye made almost perfectly so even when he wasn't talking she knew what his reaction was. One of the things that he seemed particularly fond of was when she described the weather to him. She didn't know what it was but he was always more peaceful and less spiteful to Naruto after that. It made her feel special to sort of know what he was thinking, like she was in on a secret and she wasn't ever going to tell. It made her feel like Sasuke was slowly letting her in but then she was left with silence, like always.
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Sakura slumped to her office straight after the surgery to get ready her next calling. She didn't expect to see someone sitting in her chair, not when she wanted to rest. Just before she mustered her strength to knock the bastard out her eyes adjusted to the dirty-blonde and she sighed before sitting on the desk and eating the reserved apple Yoshida-san had gotten from his parents most likely.
"You need to rest Sakura. I've taken off all of your shifts so go home after you've washed up" Kenji said almost smugly to the hospital head.
"Whatever.." she said dismissedly while munching her apple.
"I'm serious Sakura-" the kunoichi held her hand up in refusal.
"I'd actually prefer Haruno-san in my office. It almost seems as you've forgotten your place in this hospital" Sakura spat. What could she say when she was tired besides insults? But Kenji just sighed defeatedly.
"Alright Haruno-san you're right, it is disrespectful to talk to superiors like that but I'm really worried for your health. I've seen how long you've been working and you told me you were going to clock off last night, it's been another 12 hours! You need to go home and rest otherwise what use is a weak doctor to our patients when a fully healthy one could do the job in just a few hours? Just recharge for a bit so you can come back refreshed, more precise and less... grumpy" he smirked at the last word which would've turned the average female's legs to jelly. But not this female. This one snorted.
"Fine Kenji how about this? I finish this one appointment and then go home?" The young man eyed the woman suspiciously.
"No," he answered with narrowed eyes, not keen to make any bargains.
"Come on! He's five years old and I think he might have tuberculosis!"
"I think it would be wiser if I conducted it, really," Kenji phrased it as a suggestion but he really meant it as a statement of promise.
"But they've waited for two weeks to see me. I can't just keep them waiting, he could die!"
"They will understand that you are not well and I will examine him."
"No offence Kenji but I think they are in order to receive their money's worth," Sakura hissed.
"What's that supposed to mean?" He quirked an eyebrow.
"Nothing," the pinkette shrugged.
"It sounds like you're implying that I cannot conduct a simple examination of a patient. You underestimate me Haruno-san. Just because you are in charge of this hospital does not mean you can belittle your colleagues."
"I am not!" She gasped and just before Kenji could retort three soft taps came from behind Sakura's office.
"What?!" They shouted in unison snapping their heads to face the door simultaneously.
The door swung open to reveal a white-cloaked figure and two black-clad ones trailing him with disgusted faces behind their masks.
"Hello to you too Sakura(!)" Kakashi smiled and Kenji doubled over in a respective 90-degree bow.
"I'm so sorry Hokage!" The dirty blonde stuttered while Sakura snickered.
"What can I do for you sensei?" She smirked with tired eyes.
"Nothing much I just thought I'd stop by to tell you the big news!" He chuckled with a knowing smiled.
"Well out with it then" she grinned.
Kenji, who was now standing straight, twitched and gave Sakura a how-dare-you-disrespect-the-precious-Sixth-Hokage-like-that-I-don't-care-if-you're-the-bloody-hospital-head look. He had the utmost respect for the ninja who protected his village although he had grown used to Sakura so the tanks had run out, Naruto was a different story however with the praises and endless thanks everytime the blonde would come to eat lunch with the kunoichi.
"Sasuke's coming home!" His eyes crinkled close as Sakura's widened.
"What?!" She screamed, all of her tire leaving her for the moment as if a bucket of water had woken her up from a terrible nightmare.
"He's...finally...coming...home?" Her face lit up
"I know right? I've been trying to get him to come home for months but let's say I offered him an incentive", Sakura's legs weakened and Kakashi was suddenly behind her ready to support her.
"Easy there, Miss. We wouldn't want Sasuke to come home and find his precious Sakura worn out let alone looking like the mess you are at the moment" Sakura growled at her ex-teacher.
But almost as if she sensed it her eyes turned to Yoshida Kenji whose eyes were cast downwards awkwardly. He knew there was someone else, Ino had let it slip one night after too many drinks. The name or the background of said man was never mentioned, especially his former revenge plan to destroy the very village Kenji loved. After a few more seconds of intense silence, Kenji's head tilted upwards to face the girl he admired with a tortured expression.
"Wait. You don't mean... Sasuke... Uchiha Sasuke? The traitor who wanted to destroy our village? That's who I've been competing with this whole time? This is who you've been wasting all your time crying over and waiting for? A criminal?" He strode across the office to tower over Sakura with every question and with every step her heart was being torn between her love, which didn't even make much sense, and her closest friend. But she knew deep down who would win, who always did even against herself. So she didn't answer but stared into his lavender eyes as she stood tall to face him.
"I can't believe you love a low-life loser like him! Come on Sakura! How?! How could you torture yourself like this?! After all, he's done..." his voice went from drenched in disgust and pure anger to an embarrassed choke.
"Please... don't talk about him like that. He's changed and he's here to protect the village. It's always been him Kenji so just... don't. I've known since the moment I met him and now he's finally coming home and... and eveything will go back to normal. So I don't need your shit! Just... I don't care go take of the little boy with the severe cough." She wiped the welling tears from her veridian eyes.
"So that's all I was? A distraction? Now that your bad boy is coming back to the villiage you don't need me? Well then you two would be perfect for each other, you're both scum!" Kenji cried and stormed out of the office.
"That was intense" the Sixth Hokage chuckled nervously.
"Whatever. When is he getting here?" Sakura asked as she wiped her tears and turned to face Kakashi.
"Well now that you bring it up he should be here in," he stopped to look at his wrist containing now watch," 3 days."
"Alright I'll just do another shift and then..." she smiled as she trailed off.
"Um actually... I wasn't kidding about Sasuke seeing you all ragged so I've taken some precautions" he smirked under his mask.
"What do you mean precautions?" As she yawned Kakashi's bodyguards, who were actually clones of himself in ANBU masks, appeared behind the kunoichi and knocked her out which was an easy task as she was quite drained of chakra.
"It's for your own good kiddo" he smiled sadly from behind Haruno Sakura's desk. The medic nin cursed her sensei inwardly as she fell into the clones arms and fell into a dreamless slumber.