I'm not pleased with the title. The title upsets me. I usually have a better imagination than that.

Besides the title though, I'm altogether pleased with this. Sort of. There are a few things that always irk me.

But hopefully, this is decent enough for you.

This one-shot takes place Shippuuden era. Read at your own risk.

Basically, Sakura examines Team 7 and what it used to be, and what her teammates mean to her.

Hehe. Some Naruto/Sakura pairing. :D

It's also very short. Sorry, about that. After I wrote the previous chapter for Bend, I kind of . . . went on the fritz. /

Thanks to these musical amenities: Jaded - Aerosmith; Get It Right - ?.

Anyway, enjoy. And review if you read! Hahaha! :D

Disclaimer: M.K. owns all, yo.

Stronghold.

A part of me was gone when Sasuke left. He . . . and Naruto were my stronghold. To have that taken away so shortly tore me apart.

When Naruto returned from his training with Jiraiya, I felt, at least a little, whole. I had missed him . . . . far more than I felt comfortable admitting.

Same old Naruto. . . . Well, for the most part.

He had gotten taller, even taller than me. That was . . . strange, but in a good way, of course.

Naruto had been right when he told Konohamaru that he wasn't a kid anymore. In fact, we both weren't kids anymore. We were both stronger, mentally and physically, however surreal it seemed. I was Chunin, and even though Naruto wasn't, he was more than classified for it. Even I could see that.

When Lady Tsunade said that Naruto and I would be fighting Kakashi-sensei once again, I was admittedly a little nervous. But I was even more ready. It had been a while since I had actually fought someone, and even more time had passed since I'd seen all of my teammates together again. I sometimes wonder if Team 7 will ever be reunited the way it was before. But then I remind myself that as long as Naruto and I were living, we would fight to bring Sasuke back. No matter what. We were bound together by that. Now, we were each other's stronghold. The rest of the puzzle. Together, we could do anything.