Aimelaire: Yay! Next Chappie is up! (A day before I promised, because I have a French test I want to ace, so I'm studying tomorrow.)

Sasuke: -Rolls eyes-

Aimelaire: Darn…I think I'm going to portray you as a wimp though…Oh well…(Bear with me readers! I love you!)

Sasuke: Oh well??!! I'm not a wimp!! You baka! Stop writing this already! You're a worthless writer!

Aimelaire: -Tears- …But, writing is fun…though, I am pretty useless when it comes to writing... -sigh-

Sasuke: Ahh…I'm sorry! You're an awesome writer! -hugs-

Aimelaire: Awwsss, Sasuke-sama! I love you! Spleee!

Sasuke: WTF? Why the hell did I just do that?

Aimelaire: Heh…oops. Guilty:)


Anyways, here is the next chapter. Hope it's good enough for my awesome readers; love you guys! Thanks for reading….and reviewing! hearts


"All of my regret
Will wash away some how
But I can not forget
The way I feel right now"

-Rob Thomas

"Little Wonders"


I had ended up in our bed, the tears not stopping. Pain, confusion and hurt revealing all of the lies I had told to console myself with.

My life had been perfect but with Sasuke back, my perfect life was now crashing down around my ears. Everything I had ever told myself concerning Sasuke was a lie. I hadn't stopped loving him. I was still in love with Sasuke Uchiha.

The last Uchiha, an s-wanted criminal, our team mate and former friend who we had grown up with, laughed with, felt pain with and who had betrayed us for his revenge, was back.

It was an inescapable truth. Nothing in any way, shape or form could possibly change that.

Hearing the phone ring in the kitchen, I pulled myself together and picked up the phone. It was Naruto.

"Sakura? Are you okay?" He asked me with sincere concern ringing throughout his voice. "Yuki-chan called me and said that you suddenly left."

"I'm fine…" I whispered hoarsely into the phone.

"Should I come home? You sound terrible." He said, not believing my lie.

"No…Naruto?"

"Yes?"

"It's Sasuke…He's back." I said, as more tears sprang to my eyes,

"Back?" He asked rhetorically, his voice full of confusion that his face no doubt showed.

"…He's in room 105 at the hospital. It's a guarded room, but they'll let you in. I can't go back there," I said, hoarsely, "I'm going to ask Tsunade for a different patient"

"Okay." He said, the shock still evident in his voice. "Sakura?"

"Yes?"

"I love you, and…Sasuke does too, he just won't admit it to us or himself, yet. Know that."

"I love you too…" I said, trying in vain to ignore the last part.

"I'll be home as soon as possible tonight."

"Ok, Bye Naruto"

"Bye, Saukra-chan."

I hung up as a feeling as resolve has strengthened within me. I left the house and started down towards the road to the Hokage's tower.

I definitely would not be the one nursing him back to health.


"Absolutely not." Tsuande told me slamming a huge, dusty book closed.

"Please, Tsunade-sama! Please give me a different patient. Anyone but him! I don't think I can handle it…" I pleaded her, as I walked toward her, around stacks of long overdue paperwork.

"Sakura," She said, sighing as she pulled a pile of forms out of one of the stacks. "This is important. You have to face this and not run away from it. You don't realize it now but could change your life. You'll thank me later." She added with a smile.

"…Ok…" I said, despair clouding my voice. "I'll be there tomorrow. Could I have the day off at least?"

'I need to at least mentally prepare for this…I have no idea what to say to him', I thought, inwardly sighing.

"Yes, I suppose for…" She replied with a hint of disapproval.

"Thank you Tsunade-sama…I'll do my best." I thanked, though with agony still in my voice.

"Good, I know you can do it, Sakura."


Back in Tsunade's Office…

"Are you sure this is best for Sakura-chan?" Shizune asked Tsunade, with doubt written on her face, "Maybe you should get someone else to look after Sasuke?"

"No, I'm sure that if she can face this, everything will turn out for the better. She has to do this. Not just for Sasuke, but for herself."

"Ok, Tsuande-sama." Shizune replied with some uncertainty in her voice but knowing that Tsunade had Sakura's best interests in mind.


Later that night, Naruto's and Sakura's Apartment…

"Sakura?" I heard as Naruto poked his head through the door to look for me.

"Naruto…" I said wearily. I had spent most of the day in bed, crying after I had seen the very picture of team 7 that I had stayed up long in the night just remembering. It had started the tears I had been crying.

"Sakura." He said in a loving tone, while crawling onto the bed and embracing me. "You can do this…he was, and still is our best friend. Sakura…He'll stay now. And we can start doing things as friends again. Life will be even better than before and you'll be so much happier after you do this…"

"…" I sighed. "I think I'm going to take a bath, I need some time to think."

"Ok," He said, hugging me one last time before getting up with me.

As I walked to the bathroom, I realized that I really did love Naruto, He was an amazing friend. Always there for me and he would never purposefully hurt me. In fact he protected me and was always there to console me. He really was the most important person in my life.

Turning on the hot and cold water, I decisively stepped quietly out of my clothes and into the steaming bath.


Finally feeling the pain and agony slowly ebb from me as the water slowly began to fill the tub around me, I felt a feeling which I was surprised but confused about. A small sense of joy flooded through me as I finally realized that Sasuke was really back. I think apart of me knew that this really would turn out better and we would be friends again.

If this had happened only a few years ago, both Naruto and I would've stopped whatever we had been doing to go see him.

But now, 5 years since that fateful night he had left, neither of us had felt too compelled to see him immediately.

Letting my light pink shock of hair down, I slid further down into the steaming water. Relaxation now replaced all of the stress that had built within me throughout the day.

As the minutes slowly turned into an hour, I finally decided to get out, my skin wrinkled and pruned from being in the water for so long.

Unconsciously, as I was drying myself off, I touched my stomach. Suddenly, worry spread throughout me as I though back to what the papers had said about Sasuke.

He had been found a mile inside the fire country, a hole almost all the way through him. A wound almost identical to the one he had given Naruto. A wound I had spent days crying and worrying over.

I felt guilty as the only reason I had been crying was for the pain and heartbreak he had caused me only to reappear, without warning, in my life. He certainly would have had to feel and still felt this heartbreak and pain over his slain family and clan. It would be selfish of me not to help him.

I decided then that I would do my best to heal him, if not for me then for Naruto. I would forget all the feelings that had welled up inside me when I had glanced at his face in the hospital room, and do everything possible to help him.

'I won't cry no matter how much it hurts.' I told myself, as I lay down in our bed, beside Naruto, as he had already fallen asleep as it was now past midnight.

Admiring how peaceful he looked when he was sleeping, his bright, blonde hair framing a smile as Naruto turned towards me, and unconsciously pulled me closer to him. A look of surprise fell onto my face which then turned into a smile.

"Thank you, Naruto" I whispered lovingly into his ear.

"Thank you for everything." I said.

As if he had heard me, he whispered quietly, "I love you, Sakura."

I fell asleep feeling confident in what I would do the next day.


The next morning…

Walking briskly towards the hospital, to have less of a chance to change my mind, all of the thoughts telling me to turn back now, were ignored with a vengeance, As I reached the front of the hospital in my dark blue scrubs, they were silenced completely.

I sighed quietly, as I reminded myself of all the reasons I should do this. Realizing that that side of me was right, I walked in, said a quick 'Hi!' to Yuki, grabbed the mandatory papers to fill out, then rushed to the door reading '105'. I stepped directly in front, holding my breath, to gather my thoughts before all thought process would be impossible.

Finally gathering enough nerve, I opened the door, sunlight filtering through the barred windows onto the bed where he laid in a pained sleep.


So there's the second chapter! Hope it was up to your standards. If not, leave! -points towards door- Have a nice day! -smiles, cheerfully- I probably should have the third chapter up by around this time next week, and according to one of my friends, it sounds really awesome…(and she said I'm an awesome writer; Yosh!) so review! ;) Oh, and sorry for any mistakes...I wanted to post right away.

Love, Aime

P.s. Review... Please? It definitly makes me feel better to know that people are actually reading this.