CHAPTER TWO

Sakura stood there in shock, she couldn't believe what had just happened. How-Why? He said her assistant, did he mean Keiko-? But how did she know? She could feel a panic attack rising and she stopped to take several deep calming breaths.

'I just won't think about it,' she thought, 'it'll all go away. Soon Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi will be back. Until then I have to remain calm.' She somehow managed to pick up the paperwork she was filling out and shuffle out of the room. She was nearly at the exit when she caught site of Keiko.

Numbly she felt herself giving the papers to a nervous Keiko and giving her instructions and then walking out. It was a struggle but she managed to keep her mind completely clear until she reached her house. Not caring what anyone thought she climbed up the side of her home and went in straight thru her window. She couldn't walk through the front door, the bloodstains were right there on the floor and the sight of it would send her over the edge.

She couldn't even find the strenght to lay on her bed so she just dropped on her floor and curled into a ball and slept. But her dreams weren't a place for her to find solace, they only contained terror and never-ending pain, and at least she was unconcious while she dreamt.

Neji stormed into the Hokage building with a purpose in mind. Sakura Haruno was too unreliable and unstable to be on any team of his. She needed to stay in the hospital, he had found out she was good at it so she should be happy she could at least be useful instead of trying to go places she didn't belong.

He knocked briskly on the Hokage's door and he got an abrubt enter. Tsunade was sitting at her desk staring at some papers in a manner similar to Sakura, but she looked up when he walked in. She looked relieved when she seen him.

"I'm glad you're here," she stated. "Did you give the mission to her," she asked.

"Yes," he started but she cut him off.

"Good," she said, "I should have been straightfoward with you earlier but I wasn't sure if I wanted to betray Sakura's confidence. But until her normal teammates get back she's going to need some extra support now." She sat back and clasped her hands together, "I'm not sure if you've heard but Sakura's mother died a couple of weeks ago and she's been having a hard time dealing with it. What the public doesn't know is that she killed herself and Sakura is blaming herself."

She reached in her desk and placed some papers in there, "So what I wanted to do was send her on a mission that I think would actually be good for her well-being."

Neji was confused, "Excuse me," he interrupted, "You gave me this assignment specifically for Sakura?"

She grinned, "Yeah, she must have seen right thru it, huh? I think this is the perfect beginning assignment for her. With a village full of sick people and kids the time away from Konoha will help her clear her head, and as she cures others hopefully it'll heal whats hurting her. Sakura is one of my favorite subordinates, if not my favorite," she aimed a sharp look at him. "I want you and Ten-Ten to keep a sharp eye on her and don't codle her unless you want a severe scolding. If she needs longer than a week find a way to divert her. I'm counting on you two, I want to send the both of you because I know you're not gossips and the two least likely people to overwhelm Sakura."

She grabbed an envelope perched on the corner of her desk and handed it to him. "Sakura's mission is to heal the village and you and Ten-Ten will be getting compensated for being her companions during her mission. This is coming out of my pocket and I trust you won't let me down. You're dismissed," she waved him off.

Too shocked to say or do anything Neji walked out of her office with the information in his head swimming. 'She wanted Sakura for the mission-No, the mission is to watch over Sakura.' He shook his head in disgust, she was so pathetic that the Hokage was paying money out of her pocket to help her. A true shinobi didn't let anything get to them. He wouldn't be surprised if she managed to botch up this mission and nearly get them all killed.

Now he had to go find Sakura and tell her he had no choice in coming on this mission, and he wouldn't hide the fact that he didn't want her along. As he walked down the hallway he passed Shizune who was carrying a stack of papers, and he waited until she was close enough to speak.

"Shizune," he called and she looked his way. "Do you know where Sakura lives?" She got a big grin on his face and he quickly clarified, "For a mission." Never in a million milleniums could he ever imagine himself with Sakura.

"She's actually not that far from here, she lives in the house right next to Shin's Herbal Medicine," she replied. He nodded his thanks and made his way to her house. In no time he was there and he knocked on the door.

He didn't get an answer but he could sense her chakra inside but he assumed she was sleep. She looked like she was ready to collaspe at the hospital and she was probably too frail to handle too much work and pressure. Getting quickly fed up without an answer he just forced the door open and stepped into the eerily quiet house.

It was a nice simple home, but it looked untouched and unlived in. He let his eyes glance over his surroundings and noticed the pictures of a young Sakura with her family and her teammates. There was a picture of her hanging off of Sasuke's shoulder. He had forgotten she had somehow managed to convince Sasuke to date her. But it obviously didn't last since they weren't together anymore.

He looked towards the living room area and what he saw there made him pause. He didn't know why he didn't notice it before. Maybe because there was no smell, and the simpleness of the front room had distracted him. There was blood spatters all over the floor and someone had obviously tried to scubb it up but they were the type of blood stains that couldn't come up from a srubbing.

He knew the exact moment she wakened because he could feel her chakra rising as she checked her house for the other source of chakra. He heard movement from upstairs and the sound of a window opening. A few seconds later he felt her come to her front door. He turned aound and shot her a questioning look.

She just wrapped her arms around her waist and looked somewhere near the doorframe, "What do you want Neji? Didn't you say all you needed to earlier?"

He walked over to her and stiffly handed her the papers, "Tsunade said it was mandatory for you to go on this mission. Be on time," he ordered and walked out and past her.

"Wait," she called and he looked her way. "I thought you said she said you could choose. Why'd you change your mind?"

"She felt this was something you could do," he said not wanting to go into details with her. It Tsunade wanted her to know she could tell her herself. And if Sakura wasn't prepared for something like this it wouldn't be his responsibilty, the Hokage shouldn't be coduling a ninja anyways.

Sakura stood there for a moment longer just staring at the scroll, and then she climbed back up to her room. She didn't stay in there, she just grabbed her equipment and some clothes and stuffed them in her pack. Leaving her house she made her way to Naruto's place. Going thru his front entrance she dropped her stuff to the floor and immediately ran to his room and fell asleep in his bed.

It felt lonely without him there with her but it didn't feel as empty and lonely as Sasuke's compound was. Also she knew she couldn't just leave on a mission without either one of their help, so sleeping in Naruto's bed brought her some comfort. And for the first time in days she didn't have a nightmare, but nor did she dream.

AN: Okay, things are going to start getting interesting soon. This is one of my stories where I don't have any back-up chapters (yet) so updates are when I finish a chapter. But I will be updating at least once a week sometime before Mondays. But I will update with chapter 3 on the 22nd.

Ja ne