Prelude:

I came from a small, unremarkable clan and became a medical ninja, whose expertise rivaled the Legendary Sannin, Tsunade.

I went from being teased for my looks, to being known as one of the most beautiful kunoichi in Konaha.

I went from being helpless and weak, to obtaining strength that could kill a man with one punch.

Despite all that I had achieved, I still didn't have the one thing I desired the most – Sasuke.

I had spent so many years fighting for his love. I was willing to die for him.

When the war ended and he returned to us, I thought this was it. I thought our relationship would finally begin, but he left me to be alone. Again.

I was broken until someone came along and showed me what true love really was.

My name is Haruno Sakura, and this is my story.

Kakashi let out a sigh as he walked through the streets of Konoha. It was a beautiful night, with the moon shining plenty of light for him to continue reading his favorite book, Icha Icha Paradise. It had been a year since the Fourth Great Ninja War had ended, and so much had changed since then. He was now the Hokage, Naruto was studying to become a Jonin, Sasuke was traveling to atone for his sins, and Sakura had become the Director of Medicine. Despite attaining the highest rank a ninja can receive, Kakashi still felt as if something was missing. He sighed as he flipped the page, perhaps he'll never fill the hole that had been made with the loss of his sensei, Obito, and Rin. He would probably never know true happiness until he met them again, on the other side.

He was quickly pulled from his thoughts at the sound of glass shattering. Kakashi's eyebrows furled when he realized the sound came from Sakura's apartment. Instinctively, he jumped to her window, ready to jump in and protect her, but he was stopped in his tracks when he saw her. She was on her knees, with tears streaming down her face. Her hand clenched the fabric in front of her heart, as her body shook from the silent sobs she refused to let out.

Kakashi knew Sakura would be embarrassed if she realized he had saw her like this. Pulling himself away from her window, he slowly made his way to the front door. Knocking quietly, he heard her swear under her breath, and a few moments later the sound of her footsteps approached the door. Sakura opened the door slightly, "Oh, Lord Hokage, what brings you by?" She offered up a bright smile, but the red eyes and puffy cheeks gave away that she had been crying.

"Please, no need for calling me Lord Hokage. Kakashi is fine," he placed his hand behind his head as he closed his eye, smiling sincerely. "I thought I heard shattering glass and wanted to make sure everything was okay."

"Oh," Sakura dropped her guard a little, before putting on another fake smile, "it was nothing. I just tripped and dropped one of my mugs. Clumsy me." She let out a small laugh. If he had been anyone else, they probably would have bought the act, but Kakashi had known her for years now. He could tell she was faking. "Would you like to come in?"

His eyes widened slightly, not expecting her to be so welcoming after what he had seen, but he graciously accepted. Kakashi closed the door behind him, and followed her into the kitchen. A mug lay shattered on the ground, as if it had been pushed off the counter top. "Would you care for some tea?" Sakura asked quietly, as she dug through her cabinets.

"Yes, thank you," he responded. "How do you like your new apartment?"

"Much better than living at home, and it's nice being so close to the hospital." She cleaned up the shattered glass and took a seat across from him as the tea brewed, "it makes the walk home after a long shift a little more bearable." Sakura smiled lightly before letting out a giggle, as she rested her head in her hand.

"What's so funny?" Kakashi raised his eyebrows, wondering how it was so easy for her to be smiling and laughing, after the heart-wrenching scene he had seen moments before.

"It's just odd seeing you here in my apartment. It feels so informal compared to talking with you in the Hokage's office." It was true, it did feel odd sitting with her in this setting. With everyone traveling different paths in life, he only talked to Sakura when she came to his office to report on the hospital and the occasional missions she was assigned to.

"Does this help?" Kakashi playfully asked as he placed the Hokage's hat on his head. Sakura let out a genuine laugh and shook her head, as she rose to grab the tea.

They continued to talk for a little while, catching up on the things that had changed over the past year. Kakashi felt comfortable sitting with her, watching as she described Naruto's antics and how oblivious he was to Hinata's feelings. She described her work at the hospital, and he noticed the way her eyes lit up as she described her most recent research. The way she talked, the way she smiled – he never would have known the pain she was hiding, if he hadn't accidentally spied on her earlier that evening. 'What are you hiding, Sakura?'

Sakura let out a tired sigh as she left the hospital and made her way back home. She had been working constantly the past couple weeks. Most nights she didn't make it home, and passed out at her desk instead. She probably would have passed out at her desk again if Ino hadn't angrily shooed her out of the hospital.

"Honestly Sakura-chan, it's not healthy to be working this much. Take a few days off. I'll handle things here." Ino's eyes were filled with concern, but after Sakura refused, the concern was quickly replaced with anger, "I'm done asking nicely, forehead! Don't make me bring Tsunade-sama into this."

Sakura was snapped from her thoughts by a familiar voice, "Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan!" She turned to see Naruto jogging up to her, waving his arms wildly to get her attention. His smile was infectious and she returned the smile, glad to see his childlike demeanor still hadn't changed. He placed his arm around her shoulder, "come on, let's go get some ramen. I'm starving!"

"I'm so tired, Naruto-kun. Maybe next time. Besides, aren't you just returning from a mission? Kakashi-sensei won't be happy if you don't report to him right away."

Naruto pursed his lips as he scratched behind his head, "ehh, Kakashi-sensei can wait. It was just some stupid diplomatic mission, nothing that pressing." He returned his arm around Sakura's shoulder, "and I'm not taking no for an answer! I feel like we haven't had much time to catch up, Sakura-chan."

She looked up at him, exasperated. "Alright, but you're paying." Sakura teased, with an innocent smile on her face.

After a few bowls of ramen, Naruto paid the bill as promised and offered to walk Sakura home. "That's okay, Naruto. You better go report on your mission." He pouted slightly as he pulled her in for a hug.

She watched as he leapt off in the distance, a large smile plastered on her face. He was her best friend. It never mattered what hardships she went through, Naruto was there, always finding a way to bring a smile to her face. He just had that charm to him. It drew everyone to him, and she was proud to be his teammate, to be his best friend.

After a short walk, Sakura reached her apartment. She opened the door and paused, staring back at an empty apartment. There was no one to welcome her home, no pitter patter of feet, no smiling husband to ask about her day. She placed her back to the door, slowly sliding down until she hit the floor. This wasn't what she imagined. She thought she would be with Sasuke by now, but she hadn't heard from him since he left. Every time she saw his falcon carry in a message to Kakashi or Naruto, she would silently hope that there would be a message for her, or that he'd ask about her. But he never did, and each time it felt like a knife was being dug deeper and deeper into her heart. Haruno Sakura felt broken.