A/N: Another installment.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the quote.

Jealousy

"Jealousy would be far less torturous if we understood that love is a passion entirely unrelated to our merits."

-Paul Eldrige

Sakura liked to think of herself as a magnanimous person. She liked to believe that she did not feel hatred or jealousy. Her patients found her to be firm, yet kind. Whenever they confided in her or told her their stories, Sakura did not judge them. In their death throes, Sakura was called "angel" and she was called "mother."

And for a short while she became that magnanimous person.

She became the mother of the dying and their guiding angel through their pain because that was what was required of her.

Outside of the hospital the illusion that she was compassionate melted away. Sakura knew that she was not capable of compassion. She was incapable of magnanimity.

Sakura had set herself on the path to kill her friend and the boy she loved because she could see no way to save him.

Sakura hated the brother of the man she loved with her whole being for driving the man she loved to brink of insanity.

Sakura hated her best friend for loving the same man she did.

Sakura hated her team mate because he was all the things she was not.

To herself, it only seemed she was capable of feeling jealousy and hatred.

Ino had the ability to turn Sakura into an ugly girl who only thought of her appearance. She was jealous of her long platinum blond hair and sky blue eyes. She was jealous that Ino was admired. It was jealousy that had destroyed their friendship and it was jealousy that had put it back together.

Sakura envied Naruto. He was admired by the villagers, but he had a power over Sasuke that she did not.

And she hated it because she wanted that power so much.

Naruto had cleared Sasuke's name.

Naruto had brought Sasuke home because of a stupid promise.

Naruto was taught by Sasuke because he could not read.

Naruto made Sasuke smile.

Naruto had made Sasuke laugh.

Naruto had been there when Sasuke cried.

Naruto refused to kill Sasuke and had stopped her when she was on her way to end his life.

Naruto believed in Sasuke even after all the crimes he had committed.

Naruto saved Sasuke from a horrific fate.

And Sakura had done none of these things. She only healed his physical wounds and sent him on his way. She was of no comfort to him. Emotional wounds could not be fixed by the medical training she had received from Tsunade or all the jutsu in the world. Sakura did not know how to fix them, but Naruto did.

How she envied him.

So when Naruto comes to Sakura to ask her opinion on what he should do if Sasuke does something to hurt himself, Sakura plasters a fake smile on her face when she greets him. She patiently waits for Naruto to finish, interrupting him every now and then to ask questions. She tells him what she thinks as a medic, and Naruto listens.

Naruto cannot tell that her smile is faked when he tells her that he plans on moving in with Sasuke because he is worried the villagers might try to kill him. Sakura knows that Naruto decides to move in with Sasuke because he is more worried that his friend will kill himself.

And rage and envy are boiling under the very surface. Sakura has no outlet for them except when she decides to train and demolish a few boulders with her fists.

Sakura knows she is not a magnanimous person, but she is wonderful at faking it and she likes to believe that she is.

Sakura is a jealous person.

And she knows it.

A/N: I have a strong dislike of pre-Shippuden Sakura. Unfortunately, that strong dislike is coming back due to her recent actions. I do not dislike Sasuke. I just think he's an idiot that deserves to be whacked over the head a few times and then forcibly dragged back to Konoha. In fact, this reminds me of a parody someone did of Harry Potter...."Remeber, all Voldemort needs is a nice big hug." While that would be impossible because (let's face it) Lord Moldy-shorts is one screwed up, megalomaniac, Sasuke does, in fact, need a nice big hug and good helping of humble pie. Maybe an semi-inspirational speech a la Yankumi and a slap over the head a la Leroy Jethro Gibbs as well. Oh well. Rant over.