Sakura limped ever so slowly up in a staircase, with Sasuke cautiously trailing behind her. Every step was a dispute. Never had she appreciated the fact that she could walk effortlessly until her right leg got injured. Now, she has to get used to taking a step on her left, followed by a hobble on the right.
"I didn't know you stay here. I do too but I haven't moved in yet," Sasuke said lightheartedly.
The girl was so stubborn, Sasuke said to himself as an afterthought, frowning invisibly. She refused to take a cane, a wheelchair, or whatever that might help her ease off the burden of walking with a plaster cast on one of her legs. She walked from her hospital room down to the lobby without a nurse's help, taking the entire excruciating process for about two hours to just reach the reception area. That's why Sasuke had to endure a fifteen-minute wail inside his car when the girl felt the after effects of her stubbornness. The last of her pain killers went off, now Sakura could feel the extent of her injury.
But just as Sasuke thought that the girl had learned her lesson, he learned pitifully when they reached the exclusive dormitory for pro-medical students that Sakura still insists on walking alone, or in definite terms, wobbling alone.
"Is that so?" Sakura asked in between pants, her hands trembling as she took another step up. "I guess you were pretty popular here, seeing that every girl that crosses your path knows you," she added as a joke but even she failed to be humored by it.
"Whoa. Don't get the wrong idea. I've known them when I was in pre-med," he answered honestly. He looked up when he saw the girl stopped, taking deep breaths. It was still a long way up, considering that the girl was situated in the third floor. At this rate, it would take forever.
"Uchiha-san," Sakura called up. "You don't have to escort me all the way up to my room. I don't want to waste any of your time. I can do this… eventually."
Sasuke frowned. See? This girl had so much pride she'd rather die than to accept her incapability. How could she be so optimistic when she hardly made it to the second floor?
"Uchiha-san?" Sakura looked over her shoulder and saw him staring. "Uchiha-san, I said—whoa! Hold it! Hey… hey put me down at this instant! HEEEY!" Sakura practically screamed, her body being lifted up against her will.
"If you hadn't noticed, straining your body would only prolong your recovery. I supposed you are aware of that, you are a budding doctor to start with," Sasuke said before he brushed away her stubborn attitude. If the girl had been this cooperative from the very start, they could've save a lot of time and a lot of effort, effort that she should be conserving if she wanted to get well soon.
Sakura slumped back in defeat, fatigue already taking its toll on her frail body. She knew she could do it all alone; just a couple more steps and everything would be over. Well maybe it wasn't just a couple more steps but the point is she doesn't want people to think she was weak, even though it was just as simple as this. Even though the Uchiha has a point, he doesn't understand anything about how she feels right now. No, Sasuke had no idea.
"But this had nothing to do about my recovery. This is called being independent," she spat out.
The Uchiha raised his brow. "This is called being stubborn. Alright, we're here. Room 301."
"Stubborn?" Sakura repeated with wide eyes.
"See? You're doing it again," he replied before he set her down gently. Sakura first stepped her healthy leg before she laid down the injured one. She winced a bit, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
"Anyway, thanks for keeping up with me." Sakura bowed politely, her long hair falling on her sides.
"Don't mention it," he shrugged before he fished his car keys. "See you at school," he added before he walked down. When his padding footsteps disappeared, Sakura sighed in fatigue. It was hard trying to prove your point, but it's worth it, though Sasuke prevailed in the end. Anyway, Sakura brushed off unwanted thoughts and knocked gently on her room door. She was well aware that Ino had a well-prepared speech ready for her arrival. Then, the knob turned and finally Ino's head popped out.
"Ino!" Sakura smiled genuinely.
"Sakura! Where have you been? Why haven't you called? Are you insane? What were you thinking? Are you aware of how worried we were?" Ino started out, her gaze falling down from Sakura's cheery face. "Do you know that we have to answer numerous calls from your family? Where could you possibly stay? And why haven't you bothered to think about your friends who weren't able to get a decent sleep last night because when I called you up, listen, a guy picked up! Where you with someone last night? What possessed you to do that and why is your leg like that…?" Ino's voice trailed and looked up with questioning eyes.
Sakura's smile widened that it resembled a grin. "I'd rather explain inside, Ino," she answered casually.
Ino sighed and pulled the door wider, that's when Sakura caught a bright shade of orange seated on one of the beds.
"Naruto? Naruto, you're here!" Sakura cheered before she almost jumped excitedly, almost. That was until she remembered that she had a bad leg because of a painful jot of pain that ran past her body.
"Sakura-chan, what happened to you?"
Almost immediately, the two helped Sakura up before she could stumble down. They guided her delicately towards her bed, with Ino occasionally throwing out incoherent questions.
"Sit," she ordered before she stood in front of Sakura, along with Naruto. Their gaze studied the cast in her right leg to her bubbly face. "Explain."
"Can I first take a nap?" she asked cheerily.
"What happened, Sakura-chan?" Naruto urged.
"Oh, Naruto. Why are you here?" she asked, dodging his question.
"Well, Sakura-chan you wouldn't believe that—"
"Naruto!" Ino reprimanded. "That is not the issue. And Sakura, for once can you get this over and tell us what happened to you? We barely convinced your parents that you were out in the library. We can't explain your lack of communication to them. Now, SPILL!"
Sakura moved a bit back, scared by Ino's persuasion. It is true that what Ino wants, Ino gets. Thinking that there's no other way but to tell the truth, Sakura took a deep breath and started. "I got hit by a car the night I disappeared," she started out but her friends' reactions were outrageous. Naruto was seething with anger and Ino was practically pissed. "I don't want you to worry about it; it wasn't that serious. Look, I only got out with an injured leg. I would've died if the case was different. I'm sorry I left you like that but it can't be helped. Besides, the person that did this to me took responsibility of all the hospital bills; he even dropped me off here. There's nothing to worry."
"But, Sakura, where were you hit? Was the driver drunk?" Ino asked, her lip quivering in fear.
"No, no. The driver wasn't drunk. It was both our fault. He took a sharp turn and I crossed the street without being cautious of my surroundings," she explained briskly.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Ino cried as she caught Sakura in a tight embrace. "I'm sorry I didn't know."
"Ino, that's alright. Besides, I owe you for keeping my parents at bay," Sakura exclaimed, patting her best friend's head. She looked up after sometime and her gaze lingered towards Naruto. "Naruto, now why are you here?" she asked innocently.
That's when Ino lightened up. "You wouldn't believe what he's about to say."
Sakura tilted her head sideways, unsure of what her other best friend would have to articulate. She urged him to go on but Naruto kept quiet, filling the suspense. "Okay!" he cheered before she grabbed Sakura's shoulders. "Sakura-chan! Guess what? I made it here!" he exclaimed, her cerulean eyes shimmering in delight.
"Huh?" Sakura mumbled, not quite getting what he said.
"Sakura-chan, I told you I failed the entrance exams, right? The truth is I was actually waitlisted. It's a 50-50 chance of getting in the Medical School. But then, I met a Professor and he assisted me in my papers, and before I knew it, TA-DAH! I'm admitted!"
Sakura's jaw dropped comically, just as what Naruto expected. "You… you mean…"
"Uh-huh! I'm here. I'll be your dorm mate, classmate, bloc mate, anything you wanna call me," he filled in, her whiskers giggling in excitement.
"For real? I—I mean you get to stay here and… OH MY GOD, NARUTO! THAT'S GREAT NEWS!" Sakura exclaimed before she tried standing up.
"Hey, watch out for your injury," Ino reminded, not wanting her best friend to realize it a little too late.
"Of course, Sakura-chan! I'm sorry I haven't told you the truth. I wanted to surprise you and all but Ino eventually found out." Naruto threw Ino a blank look.
Ino flipped her hair casually before she shrugged. "I have means."
"As expected," Sakura added. Naruto jumped up and down, dancing around the gap between the beds as Ino flicked her nails, telling Naruto to keep it low. Besides, boys weren't allowed in their room, though the dormitory was co-ed. Sakura giggled when Naruto showed her his schedule. They have a subject in common — Advanced Anatomy — which is what Sakura needed. She smiled inwardly before her thoughts drifted to someone else, to someone she wasn't even sure why she had to.
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Ino pulled Naruto's collar rather rudely as they exited the room. Making sure that Sakura was asleep, the duo sought out some private space to talk about something very important.
Naruto pouted and shifted his weight on his soles, successfully halting Ino as well. He snatched his jacket's collar and patted it before he glared the other blonde. "Why did you do that?" he asked, sounding very much offended.
Ino crossed her hands, effectively portraying a scary stance — well, to Naruto, it was kinda scary. "I didn't understood what you told me back there when Sakura still hasn't arrived."
"What? Are you stupid?"
Ino immediately smacked the blonde.
He nursed the sore spot on his head before sighing. "You don't have to do that all the time!" he spat out before swallowing. "I said I met someone… to be precise, I met an Uchiha." Naruto eyed Ino expectantly. "Does that ring a bell?" he asked, seeing that Ino wasn't harboring the reaction he wanted. "Hello, Uchiha… Uchiha Itachi, now do you remember?"
Ino's face paled. "Uchiha…? Of—of course I do," she stammered. How could I forget that person who could affect Sakura with just a mere thought of him?
"And he looks exactly like Itachi-san, they're practically carbon copies of each other," Naruto added.
"Sssh!" Ino reprimanded. "Not too loud, Sakura might hear us!" She pulled Naruto's head lower before she continued. "Is that true?"
"Yes," he whispered excitedly, feeling so ecstatic because he was the first to know. "I dropped by the library and I saw him. He's practically with a lot of girls — just like Itachi's fan club way back when he was an assistant teacher seven years ago. The difference was the length of the hair since this guy I met sported a shorter one. But the face and all, even his rude attitude, it was all Itachi!" Naruto exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement.
"This isn't good…" Ino added with a frown.
"And since practically everyone in the college library knew him, it wasn't that hard to ask about him. Look, he happens to be a freshman pro-med too!"
Ino shifted uneasily. "Naruto, I think we have a problem…" Ino looked up with worry on Naruto's blue eyes. "We can't let those two meet! I mean, when Sakura and I got here, the first thing she did was to visit Itachi's memorial! I wasn't stupid not to know what she was up to. If she meets him then she'll retreat back on her shell and wallow in self pity again! We can't afford to lose her again!"
Naruto sighed. So it's true. Sakura still hasn't moved on even after seven years. She was so stubborn, even when they were still in high school. She never gave Itachi up even though she knew that he would be leaving them in the end. Even death hadn't hindered Sakura from loving the Uchiha that she can't even accept the fact that he was gone… forever. The past seven years were hard. She hadn't smiled for two years since Itachi died and it took five years to fully see her half of the cheerfulness she portrayed when he was still here. It was all so complicated and now, another Uchiha crossed their path. Is all of this bound to happen? Will Sakura have to face the same pain again?
No. The answer is final. They cannot let her fall in that state of solitude.
"What's his name?" Ino asked anxiously.
Naruto bit his lower lip.
"Uchiha Sasuke."
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"Haruno Sakura?"
Ino's head shot up.
"Is Haruno Sakura here?" asked a female assistant professor.
Ino elbowed Naruto who was seated beside her. "Where is Sakura?" she asked lowly.
Naruto shrugged. "She had classes before this at the fourth floor, remember? She might be stuck around the stairs or something; she still doesn't want us to help," Naruto answered, his eyes downcast.
"She's crazy! We have the greatest doctor in Japan as our professor and she doesn't show up in the first meeting?" Ino's eyes rolled heavenward. Sakura was way out of line! Why would she have to be prideful and resist any help from them? This is not even a question of pride, it is all about stubbornness. It is practically written all over Sakura. "She can't afford to slack off. Even though she was stuck somewhere else, Sakura would still see to it that she doesn't miss a class." Besides, this is the only class the three were classmates, Sakura can't just leave all things behind and not show up.
The two just sighed when the assistant professor marked their pink-haired friend absent. It can't be helped.
"That's it. We have to escort her in between classes from now on. If we have to drag her all the way we would!" Ino exclaimed, slightly angered by her friend's absence.
"Uchiha Sasuke?"
The duo froze in their seat.
"What?!" they chorused silently. Ino whipped her head towards Naruto in a flash, her eyes full of concern. "Naruto… what should we do?" she asked fearfully.
"Wait," Naruto interrupted and urged Ino to look at the back.
"Present," they heard from the back.
Despite the huge lecture hall, Ino was able to see a clear view of the Uchiha's face. Truth be told, he looks exactly like his brother! The resemblance was scary that Ino was sure that Sakura's heart would melt from then and there upon seeing it. He was wearing a white tight shirt, a blue cap and Itachi's usual stoic face that Ino almost fell off her seat.
"I told you," Naruto pointed out.
"Oh… my… god…" Ino gasped, her breath hitching. "Naruto…"
"See? I told you they look like twins. Maybe he was Itachi's lost brother or something," Naruto added confidently.
"No, Naruto!" Ino gasped out. She began frantically grasping Naruto's sleeve, her face horror-stricken. "Why is Sakura with him?" she almost yelled out, before Naruto told her to keep quiet.
"What are you talking about?"
"LOOK!" she hissed under her breath.
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"You haven't been resting your leg, I suppose," Sasuke exclaimed, looking down at her plastered leg to her sweaty face; just as he thought. The girl never admits that she was having a hard time, even though he found her at the staircase, panting and almost fainting in fatigue.
They were also classmates on the class before, which is Human Psychology; and the class before, which is General Physiology. They were also lab mates in Advance Biology. To top it all of, they were even classmates here in Advance Anatomy. Talk about super classmates yet Sakura acted like she never knew him. She hadn't shown anything that she was able to recognize him at all. To think that they spent a whole day in the hospital together, Sasuke can't help but to be puzzled by the girl's antics.
"I insist in doing this alone," Sakura pointed out. She raised her hand after her name was called twice for the attendance before she placed her small duffel bag and her bottle of honey water on her armchair. She sighed before she picked up the metal clutches Sasuke gave him the class before. "And, I don't need this," she exclaimed.
Sasuke raised a brow. "Aren't they so convenient awhile ago?" Sasuke mused, thinking about her relived expression when she found out that it was a lot easier walking with those a while ago.
"I don't need it. Besides, it doesn't look good on me," Sakura insisted, picking out her Anatomy notebook as the blonde professor walks in. Everyone nearly felt silent as the teacher walked flawlessly on the platform, towards the huge desk in the middle. When she reached the assistant professor, she nodded before she lifted her brown eyes lazily towards the packed out lecture hall. Her brows creased. "Shizune, are they all students enlisted here? I highly doubt that," she exclaimed with outmost easiness.
"Uh… Chotto…" Shizune walked towards the microphone and spoke. "Those who weren't part of this class, please leave. Tsunade-sensei doesn't entertain those who weren't enlisted. You can leave now," she said calmly.
Sakura almost gagged when she saw half of the class standing up, some scratching their heads in frustration. "Eh? Why are they so many?" she asked, mostly to herself.
Sasuke spared her a glance before he cupped his chin, feeling pretty bored. "If you hadn't known, Tsunade-sensei is the most popular professor here. Students are practically killing each other just to attend her lectures. For the past semesters, she used to entertain those who weren't even part of the official class list but now I guess she wouldn't."
"She is Tsunade-sensei? Oh my god, this is the first time I saw her!" Sakura gasped. She straightened her back to get a nice view of her idol. She heard a lot of successful operations pioneered by her; Tsunade-sensei was definitely the Japanese doctor of the decade.
Sasuke watched her lazily as she reverted to her childish attitude.
"Wow! This is so awesome. When I enlisted in this class, I never knew Tsunade-sensei would be the professor," Sakura smiled lopsidedly.
"Of course. The online enlistment conceals the name of the instructors," he explained but Sakura was too excited to hear him out.
"Wow. This is so great…" she said cheerfully until she finally sat back to her seat. Her features were incredibly lightened, Sasuke noted. Just then, her attention fell on Sasuke. "Why aren't you happy about this? You said so yourself that students were killing each other just to get enlisted in this class."
Sasuke grunted. "She once became my professor when I was still in pre-med. Besides," he paused a bit dramatically. He smirked before he continued. "She's my intern adviser until I graduate."
"What?" Sakura exclaimed, shocked! Now she knows where Sasuke got those good books. Every class, Sasuke got these awesome books that Sakura even found so hard to find in the library. She hasn't even found half of them while Sasuke here got them all from his every trusting adviser. She sighed. Just then, a thought hit her. "Why… Why were you her advisee?" she asked rhetorically.
Sasuke just smirked.
"What?! Don't tell me you were—" Sakura cut herself. Her voice was a bit high that students in front of them got startled. She bit her lip in embarrassment and regret before continuing. "You were the one who topped the Tokyo Medical School's entrance exam?" Sakura almost fainted in disbelief. "Oh my god…"
"Who was your adviser?" Sasuke asked, turning to her.
"I've never met him since he was out of town last week. He's Hatake Kakashi, the famous heart surgeon," Sakura replied.
Sasuke nodded for sometime before smirking. "He was my adviser when I was still a Psychology major."
Sakura pouted. This guy has a lot of connections and gets the best of everything while she was practically alone. The ones she got were also from Yokohama University; they don't have any connections here too. No doubt that he was able to top the exam; the books needed for the review was practically at his fingertips! Her blood almost boiled upon seeing Sasuke pulled out his Anatomy book. From its cover, it looked vivid and Sakura could tell that this is the most detailed in town. Seeing the publishing place, her thoughts were confirmed. It was even bought from abroad! Lucky, lucky Uchiha.
"It'll be quite hard to find Kakashi-sensei. He has a habit of playing hide-and-seek with his advisees; you must be cautious. Knowing him, he will be out reading his perverted book while his advises were all dying to see him. Being out of town was one of his lamest excuses. Check out the roof top at the Faculty Center, he'll be there for sure," Sasuke said before he opened his notebook, ready to take down notes.
Sakura tilted her head in confusion. So she was tricked by her adviser? And she was so gullible to buy the lamest excuse ever made in the planet. When the assistant professor began distributing copies of the syllabus, Sasuke kept quiet, looking extremely focused. She cupped her cheek and stared lazily down the teacher's table, looking at the beautiful face of her professor. Who else would think that that pretty face was the greatest doctor and the dean of Tokyo University Medical School? Her hazel eyes were strict and narrowed as if observing her students one by one. Sakura felt goose bumps when their eyes met. Tsunade paused for a second, staring at Sakura's emerald ones before she spotted her advisee. The look of recognition was evident on her face.
She finished looking at the rest of the students before she cleared her throat and took over the microphone.
"Konichiwa. I'm your teacher for Anatomy 102: Advance Anatomy. Consultation hours are available at the syllabus. Any more questions?"
The whole class just stared at her with awe and Tsunade even wondered if they were listening to what she just said. "Okay. Moving on, there is only one rule in this class so listen up."
"Do not be late or miss a class, or else you'll be automatically dropped off the course," Sasuke mumbled.
Sakura stared at him in shock. "For real?" she asked, disbelief tainting her emerald eyes.
"Tardiness and Absences will not be accepted. Committing such is equivalent to being automatically dropped. You don't have to bother in filling up the dropping form; Shizune here will gladly do it for you. Listen," she paused until she saw everyone sitting still. "If everyone in this hall wants to be a doctor, then you must all be aware of your responsibilities. You can't be late in an operation, let alone won't be present on it. Life depends on you. If you value yours, don't tolerate tardiness and absences. Understood?"
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Sakura sighed as she plopped her elbows on top of a picnic table in their cafeteria. Her pair of clutches was resting beside her seat and her duffel bag was on the other chair. Since Sasuke still insists in helping her and she told him to drop her off in the nearby canteen; Naruto and Ino will meet her there.
Sakura began scanning her surroundings, looking flocks of students buzzing their way out of the crowded lobby. The Medical School alone was huge. It houses four buildings and the Tokyo Medical Hospital, a huge quadrangle and two dormitories. That was pretty big for her, thinking about her university way back in Yokohama. And to top it all, Sakura felt deserted and alone. The place was so big yet Sakura only have a couple of familiar faces to check out. Unlike Sasuke, she began, who seemed to know everyone in all of their classes. Maybe because he took his pro-med here, or maybe because of his brains… and looks… Or maybe because he's just Uchiha Sasuke. End of conversation. It seems like everyone in their school wants to be his friend. Girls were flocking around him, guys were all so friendly towards him. Heck, even teachers know him! It's like out of ten students, he knew three of them, then six knew him (but he doesn't know them in return, that's how popular he is!) and the remaining one student was someone like Sakura who had no clue about him at all.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto flicked his fingers in front of her as she staggered back.
"What are you doing?" she asked, pretty much annoyed.
"You were spacing out. I've called you a couple of times but you wouldn't respond. Tell me, are you tired?" Naruto asked.
Ino then followed suit, taking a seat next to Sakura.
"Just a bit," she lied. Of course she was dead tired. Imagining walking with her kind of handicap; everything was just so difficult. "To think of it, I had four classes straight. How about you guys?" she asked.
Ino raised her magnificent brow. "I bet you didn't notice." Who would if your seatmate was the gorgeous Uchiha Sasuke? Sakura, you aren't telling us everything, ne?
"Notice what?" she inquired innocently.
The two shook their heads and sighed. "I told you, Naruto. She was so busy back there," Ino mused. Naruto began chuckling.
Sakura rolled her eyes away from her friends. "Back where? Can you please tell me what's going on?"
"We were classmates back in Anatomy. You know, Tsunade-sensei," Ino pointed out as Naruto nodded.
"You're kidding! Why didn't you called me up? I was sitting at the back!"
"Of course we spotted you. Believe me, you are the only one with pink hair in this university. It is so easy to notice someone like you," Ino exclaimed as she sipped her toffee nut latte. "You were actually late, right? Your name was called twice but you weren't in the lecture hall that time."
"Hai! I got stuck in a jam in the staircase," she explained casually.
"Thought so." Ino paused before she eyes Naruto. "So, should we all go back to the dorm? I feel tired." Sakura immediately agreed and the three took the trail towards their dormitory. As Ino and Naruto watched Sakura's back, Ino remembered what Naruto told her. So the Uchiha and Sakura after all were bound to meet and it would be pointless not to let that happen. If it's Sakura's choice to open her doors to him, the two have no right to stop her. They tried to do so when they were in junior high and though it didn't went well in the end, at least it was her choice. Now, if Sakura doesn't want to say something about her new found friend, Ino and Naruto would just have to wait until she's ready.