Why did she have to run into them?

Sakura was hurrying from the sight. Her ex teammate and ex best friend cuddling on a park bench.

Sasuke had come back from sound with his brother dead 4 months ago.He choose Ino over her.Of course Ino thought he wanted to be with her for obviouse reasons , but he loved her and they were both happy.She was happy for them sure, but it was sickening to see them together and she hated herself to think like that. She couldn't help but feel jelous when she saw what could have been her ,what could have been her happily ever after. She was starting to give up hope about her happy ending it just didn't seem possible.

She was now on the other side of the park, she sat on the cold bench and looked at the last leafs as they fell. It was october ,she remembered last october when it happened.

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Hiashi slowly entered the hokages office and shut the door behind him. "Hokage -sama"

she jumped up and in a failed attemp to look like she was not just sleeping."what is it?"

"I have a suggestion i would like you to consider"

'this is concerning it must be big if he came out of his way for a suggestion' she mulled over this for a few minets before she adressed him.

"shoot"

"Its about your apprentice , she progressing fast but I belive someone who would learn more quickly is needed in that position. My nefew has a female ninja on his team that I have seen fight and belive that she would progress faster and more efficently."

"and what would happen to my student?"

"It is not that i wish her training to stop just to be postponed for the war with sound is drawing nearer and sasuke and naruto will not waite for her to catch up"

Tsunade looked out the window, he was right she would probably never catch up to naruto or sasuke. it was just hopeless.

"I will take tenten as my new apprentice"

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She scraped her black sandel on the concret walkway. it was pointless to try eveyone keep telling her ,but it hurt so much to not be able to do anything and watch as everyone around her kept progressing.She stood up and started to walk without a purpose and her feet took her to the ninja memorial she looked at all the names and felt grief wash over her, her eyes landed on two recentaly added names .

Temari

Chouji

it was a shock that they died on the mission, they were ambushed and the mission was wrongly ranked they never saw it coming.

who took it the hardest was Shikamaru, Temari and him were starting to warm up to each other and Chouji had been his best friend.He had started to keep his distance from people ,and he stopped carring about a lot of things.

She was sad for him, she wasn't the only one having a hard time.she heard a sniffle behind her,she turned slowly and met face to face with the guenuess

"shikamaru!"

"sakura."

they stood in an akward silence looking mourning the two names on the stone.

"sakura?"

"yes?"

"why do you let it happen and still smile?"

she turned to look at him.

"let what?"
"people replace you."

"I...I just know they will be happier with them instead of me." her voice was starting to crack

he looked at her truly looked at her, her hands red and calloused from over training, too skinney to be eating right, and her hair lay mousy and almost in her eyes.she hadn't been sleeping well because she had bags under her eyes, yet she still managed to smile and tell everyone around her she was fine and they belived her, it was easier then realizing they were leaving her behind.

"how do you do it, let Tenten take your place, Ino take your crush, how can you smile at them and wish them well!"

"I...I...I kn-now they c-can do it and th-hey w-will be-e happy."she was breaking into sobs

"But what about you?"

and the rain fell

XxXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXxX

The sun was all the way down now and Shikamaru was leading Sakura to his house,it was pouring, and her house was to far away.she called her stepmom and told her she couldn't come home yet.

he sat down at the table with two cups of hot chocolate.

"how troublesome, theres nothing to do"

"how about we uh...play a game?"

"is chess ok?"

"sure"

they got out the game board while Sakura choose the white peices and Shikamaru picked the black peices.

they played in silence for a while and then suddenly started talking.

"your good" Shikamaru commented

"I used to play this with my dad alot."

"used to?"

"my mom died and he remarried so now I have a stepsister and a stepmother, my step sister is only six but they spend time giving her just enough attention and planning for her future while he nondded his head when i graduated from the academy ,and my stepmom is nice but gives me these piting looks like its to late and my mother already currupted me so I dont spend a lot of time with my dad anymore"

"Sakura you keep everything inside its not good for you"

"YOU KEEP EVERYTHING INSIDE TOO!"she screamed ,he was no one to talk , how he handled Chouji and Temari's death.

"are you going to play or are you going to contiue screaming at me?"

she sat down numbly

they continued to play the game in silence untill

"shikamaru?"

"yes?"

"thank you"

"you welcome"
they continued playing both smiling

"cheack mate" sakura stated

"you can't be a woman"

sakura was taken aback

"and why not!"

"your not troublesome"

shikamaru leaned over the table and lightly kissed her forhead

sakura blushed hard and then felt something hard in her hand

"wha...shikamaru!"

"cheackmate"
she smiled her king peice was in her hand.

"thats cheating you know"

"who said we had to play by the rules"

"no one"

her life was falling to pieces

and she really didn't care