Sakura's Point of View

Over the years, I had changed so much that I could now barely recognize myself when I looked back to what I used to be: scared, emotional, insecure.

There was nothing left of that girl. I was a woman now, confident and independent; I was even famous, to a certain degree. I had worked hard, but I had also managed to reach the height of success. Now, people relied on me, and I never disappointed them.

Although… there was something about me that had remained the same despite all my attempts at changing it: my need to be around people. Of course, I wasn't overly social, like Ino was, but I needed to feel the warmth of the people who loved me, who appreciated me, who respected me. I had that in Konoha. That was what my village meant for me—security, comfort, and love.

From that angle, Otokagure offered nothing to me.

That being said, I couldn't deny the fact that I felt alone and almost scared, now that Naruto and Kakashi were gone. I had nobody here. No one greeted me when I walked on the streets, like I was accustomed to back home, and the atmosphere at the hospital—the place where I had loved being in Konoha—was anything but welcoming. For the first time in a while, the future looked uncertain, and although I had never really cared much about being in control of every single detail, that thought scared me more than I was ready to admit, even to myself.

Some would say I had Sasuke. Some would say he hadn't actually done anything to upset me since I arrived there. I had been the one to provoke him, or else he would have been as aloof about this whole situation as he was about everything. I would readily admit to that, but the truth was that I didn't need him to do anything to upset me. I had promised Naruto that I wouldn't reject him if he wanted to take a step in the right direction, and it hadn't been a lie said to appease him, but the way I saw it, Sasuke couldn't look to the future without making peace with the past.

So, until that Uchiha didn't come to me and apologize for every single little thing he had wronged me in, no progress would be made in our relationship.

I was also sure he would never do something as petty as apologize to an insignificant old teammate, so I had an excuse to continue to give him exactly what he deserved. It was annoying how people could be left off the hook with a simple apology they didn't even mean half of the time, and I was glad that Sasuke didn't fall in that category. He was capable of many, many things, but ass-kissing wasn't one of them.

Regardless of everything else, though, I needed to focus. I needed to turn this mission in a resounding success for more than one reason. Determined, I dove straight into work.

The week following my teammates' departure was so busy I didn't even make it home on a few occasions. I did the full checkup and, with the help of Keiko, arranged all the information neatly in the archive room. I tested my students, answered their hesitantly asked questions, and gave them another stack of papers to study. I lost count of how many injuries I healed.

On the bright side, I received a couple of smiles from some of my most non-judgmental patients.

They made everything worth it.

Another two weeks slowly passed, and as I was swimming in paperwork, the weather was steadily becoming colder.

That particular day, I was glaring at my reflection in the mirror as I pulled half of my hair behind my head to avoid it falling into my eyes. I was wearing a deep red blouse that emphasized my waist and a pair of black pants, as well as the killer heels I had bought myself as a present—or therapy, it depended on the way you looked at it—the day before.

The amount of work at the hospital had dwindled down a small fraction, not enough for me to claim I was almost done, but enough to sleep in for another hour in the mornings.

I seemed to be in a foul mood despite that. The truth was I was much more homesick than I cared to admit.

When I arrived at the hospital, I made my way to the canteen; I could make it through an entire twenty-four hour shift with almost nothing, but I never managed to last even a couple of hours without a bottle of water by my side.

I was surprised to enter the room to chatter and laughter and a fairly large group of people. I could recognize a part of my students and the two women that worked behind the counter almost every day. I thought about approaching, but stopped in the doorway.

"What are you doing?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"We're thinking of baking a cake!" one of the women that worked in the canteen, the one who I knew went by the name of Aiko, answered.

She and her colleague were always in a cheery disposition. Aiko had two children at home and a husband who loved her, while Katsumi was engaged—and also to someone who loved her very much, if the glittering ring on her finger was any indication. They always smiled at me, and because I often opted for a quick lunch in the hospital, they had even learned what I most enjoyed and prepared it beforehand when the day was slow and the orders few.

In rest, I was greeted with the same hostility of always. Their rudeness or rejection didn't bother me as much as their mistrust did. I knew I had done little conscious effort to earn their respect, but I was there to help—and after nearly two months of my being there, normal would have been if they had realized that.

"There's that group of children that were admitted over the week—"

"With the flu," I completed, knowing what Aiko was talking about. The situation in Oto was so messed up that children developed complications even because of a banal virus.

"Yes," she agreed. "And because they'll be released soon and because they don't have any interdictions when it comes to food, we want to bake them a cake—to make them smile."

A small smile curled the corners of my lips upwards as I pushed away from the doorframe. "How about we bake them some cupcakes?" I suggested.

My entire day brightened in an instant at the thought of doing something good for someone else. I worked in the hospital day and night and yet nothing seemed to give me the satisfaction I was used to having back in Konoha. Was it because of the environment? I often wondered. Was it because Otokagure was the last place I wanted to be? I didn't know. But at this point in my journey, I was willing to make a change.

"That's a good idea," Katsumi remarked. "We can make them more colorful—and different."

My smile widened until it took over my entire expression. "Then it's settled! I'll help."

I was sprinkling the finishing details on my batch of colorful, chocolate cupcakes when I was approached by someone I least expected. I sensed her presence beside me and I glanced up at her for a brief moment, but because she kept silent, I returned my gaze to my decorating task.

It was a long minute before she opened her mouth to speak.

"I… I just want you to know that I thought you were a bitch," she declared.

I paused my activity to grant her my full attention.

She shook her head. "Scratch that, I still do. I thought you came here thinking of yourself all high and mighty and—and everything. But what you've been doing… it's amazing. And when you work… you're amazing. And right now… I don't think there's anything wrong with thinking you're superior… when you really are."

I blinked in surprise. I remembered Ayame. I'd had to snap my fingers and distract her from Sasuke's presence the very first day I entered the hospital, and she'd never once addressed me since.

She was quite a beauty. She had sleek, dark hair that was almost always caught in a high ponytail and the lightest blue eyes I had ever seen to contrast with it; her cheekbones were sculpted and her lips full, and her body was slim, fit, and tall.

"I… am a bitch, too," she admitted. "I'm standoffish, I guess. And maybe I do have a thing for Uchiha-sama—who doesn't, right?" She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

I desperately wanted to roll mine, but I suppressed the urge.

"But I give people what they deserve. And you deserve my respect. You've earned it."

I blinked, before averting my eyes from hers. It took me a moment to come to terms with what I had just heard and formulate my own response. It was the last thing I had expected to hear and she was the last person I had expected to come forward and say it.

"…We are a bit alike," I eventually offered. "I've learned—the hard way, you can say—to give people what they deserve, too. And… I admit, being here wasn't my choice. Maybe that was one of the reasons why I seemed so unreachable in the beginning. But I've accepted it now, and I want you to know that it was never my intention to make you feel any less of the amazing persons that you are… for being here and going through everything you've gone through and still want to save lives. I do respect you. It may have not seemed like it, but I do."

A/N: The chapters are short and will remain short. That's exactly the reason why there's no significant interaction between Sasuke and Sakura yet. I'm not going to rush the content of the story just because the number of chapters is high.

Thank you for your support! Please review, I love reading your thoughts!