Author's Note: Hey! I'm trying to post at least once a week now. This one's a bit shorter than the last one. Do you prefer long or short chapters? Let me know! Also I edited something from the first chapter due to continuity error; I said Spider-Man saved her, but then I contradict myself in the second chapter when I said he was currently in Germany when she first got into a coma. That's all - enjoy!

The wall is cool against the skin of her cheek.

Exhaustion dripping from her pores, she lightly runs her fingers over her ribs. They beg for her to unleash her healing chakra upon them, the pain only making it harder for her to ignore the stench of blood caking her back.

Sakura doesn't know how long she sits there waiting for the boy in red and blue.

Spider-Man.

Although familiar with his heroic deeds, it was only last night that she saw him in person. The revelation of his secret identity has her reviewing Peter's constant tardiness and shifty behavior from the past year.

Now that she thinks about it, Spider-Man did first appear just as Peter distanced himself from their group. Even Ned had complained about it. She first thought that this was due to her, that maybe Peter was getting freaked out by how quickly they became close after she transferred last year.

It was hard to talk to him about it because he often left her texts on read, and always left classes as soon as they were dismissed. Just as she decided to confront him, his Uncle Ben… perished. No, he was murdered. Sakura didn't know the details, but she had heard a carjacker did it. To this day, he's still on the loose.

She couldn't find the right timing after that.

The distance between them seemed longer than ever, until one day they bumped into each other.

Sakura waved goodbye to MJ as they separated ways at the corner of the street, right next to an electronic store. She sips the last drops in her coffee cup as she stops at an alleyway. (It was probably too late in the day for coffee, but she was planning on staying up to finish a paper.)

Launching the cup at the dumpster, she turns to leave when an indignant Hey! stops her. She turned before she could recognize the voice, but by then it was already too late.

A head popped up from inside the dumpster. Choking in the middle of his sentence, Peter dropped back inside.

Sakura spluttered in shock.

Part of her considered bolting. Part of her wanted to walk right up to him and force him to talk to her. She blurted out, "Sorry!"

"It's fine," he muttered.

"What?"

"I said it's fine!" Peter repeated in a louder voice.

"Okay," she said. "... What are you doing?"

It was silent for a while. Sakura wondered if he didn't hear her or perhaps he was ignoring her. Hesitant steps took her to the dumpster, where Peter sat amidst broken computer parts.

He stared hard at the circuit board in his hands, which began to tremble when she appeared beside him.

"Peter, are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah. Of course."

He still wouldn't look at her. She was glad that he at least replied; it was the first time they've spoken to each other in weeks. She wanted to be mad at him, but after what he had to go through recently it felt incredibly selfish.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed his chin up to face her. He jerked when she did, almost hitting the back of his head on the wall of the dumpster. Like magnets, his eyes sought hers. "I'm sorry," she said, "for not being there for you."

He started to shake his head, but she interrupted him. "I was mad at you at first, because we don't walk him together anymore or talk on the phone before falling asleep. We don't smile at each other in the hallways or have movie marathons every week. I waited for you to apologize so that we could go back to the way things were before…"

Peter's undivided attention almost made her drop her hand, but he took it in his and nodded for her to continue. "But then I realized that communication is a two-way street. And I should've tried to talk to you sooner."

He gripped tightly at the softness of her fingers, kneeling atop the garbage to come closer to her. Sakura squeaked as his surprisingly firm arms enveloped her frame.

Her fabric across her shoulder soon became damp. He burrowed his head further into her neck. Blinking her watery eyes quickly, she rubbed his back in comfort while he sank into her embrace.

"I'm so sorry, Peter. Everything's going to be okay."

She had coaxed him out of the dumpster soon after and they talked it out at a nearby ice cream store. It turned out that sharing a big bowl of ice cream was perfect for a cathartic conversation. They left the store with sticky fingers, full stomachs, wide smiles, and a promise to meet up again the next day.

They never did get to meet.

That day, Peter was once again nowhere to be seen at their meeting place. And it was on that day that she fell into a coma.

Now here she is, waiting almost an hour for him.

It seems even 'Suckerpunch' couldn't escape from his flightiness.

Sweat builds up on her forehead as she breathes in short pants. That clone switch took a lot out of her chakra reserves which is admittedly not much in the other reality, moreso in this body. It's only a matter of time until her henge slips.

Where the hell is Peter?

Peter flinches when someone in dark green walks by. Chewing his lip nervously, he palms the Chitauri core through the pocket of his decathlon jacket. The other one sits in Ned's own pocket.

Despite his guilt at ditching Suckerpunch, he's relieved to not miss the Decathlon.

He leaves his bag with the rest of the team's personal belongings, guarded by Mr. Harrington. He almost bumps into Sakura, whose phone slips from her hold. Peter instinctively catches it with one hand, the other landing on her waist.

"Sorry!" He wrenches his hand back. "Here's your phone."

She takes it with a small upturn of her lips. "Thanks. I'd say good luck, but I don't think you'll be needing it."

"You too," he says.

His eyes follow her as they surrender their phones to the staff and go inside the auditorium. It's only when the competition starts that he focuses his gaze at the front.

Hours ago, he had woken Ned up as soon as he changed out of his suit and explained to him what the glowy thing really was. Peter had also told him about the mysterious masked person who helped him against the bird man but Ned, unlike Peter, was instantly suspicious of the masked person's motives.

Ned thinks that she wants to use the Chitauri core for her own nefarious plans. Although Peter doesn't share the same opinion, he knows that Ned's got a point and that he can be a bit naive at times.

So he left an injured person behind.

But she said she could heal herself, Peter says to himself, She's probably already up running around punching bad guys and helping ungrateful strangers like me.

The competition goes on without a hitch, with MJ securing their win. He almost feels like a normal teenager again when they all jump into a group hug, Sakura smiling at him the way she used to before everything fell apart.

If his touch lingers on her back for a few seconds longer after the hug, no one seems to notice.

Today is turning out to be one of the best days of his life.

Today is turning out to be one of the worst days of her life.

Sakura wakes up hours later, miraculously with her henge still intact but with no sign of the vigilante. The sunlight filters through the window of the fire escape. The angle of the shadows tells her that the competition must be over already.

She knows that Peter doesn't recognize who she actually is, but it still stings that he left her despite knowing how much blood she lost.

Taking a moment to reinforce the henge, she then catalogues her injuries and—after checking her chakra reserves—heals them all. She also heals that pounding headache of hers.

Sakura supposes she could give him the benefit of doubt… for now.

If he wants to do it all himself, she would let him.

She shunshins successfully back to her and MJ's room, startling a surprised yell out of her friend when she poofs into existence. Cherry blossoms swirl around her and litter the floor. Not missing a beat, Sakura dispels her clone and henge, then jumps on the bed. She almost groans as her back meets the mattress.

"Has that been your clone the entire competition?" MJ exclaims. She glances incredulously at the petals.

"Yes and no," Sakura replies. "You've been with a clone since my bathroom break last night. Which reminds me—I didn't threaten Flash! Not technically!"

MJ scoffs at this. "Then why was he glaring daggers into not only you but Peter as well? I don't think the loser even noticed. He was too busy making googly eyes at your clone. Which reminds me: why the need for the clone?"

"He was NOT making googly eyes at me! Did you see how red he got when Liz complimented him?"

"Of course I did, I even got a sketch of his face." She shows Sakura, who takes a moment to appreciate it. "But you didn't see him sniffing your hair. It's a bit creepy."

Sakura throws a shoe over at MJ, who barely dodges. "Enough about that! I had a clone take my place because I was busy stopping a guy with mechanical wings from stealing alien weapons. Then I passed out from exhaustion."

She mentions neither Spider-Man nor Peter. He has his reasons for keeping his identity secret, as did she.

"Cool."

"Congrats on winning us the competish," she says. "What's up next on our itinerary?"

"Mr. Harrington's giving us time to rest before we head on to some tourist spots. First up is the Washington Monument, but I don't feel like entering a monument built by slaves."

"Oh, I'll keep you company."

MJ shakes her head. "Nahh, you can go on ahead. Can't let your clone have all the fun, right?"

"I regain every memory my clones have, you know."

"Can't imagine secondhand memories to be all that fulfilling. You gotta be there in the moment yourself, experience it firsthand."

"I think you just want to see what happens when I'm left in a small metal box with Flash."

"You know me so well."

"Do you think Peter knows what happened? Or Ned?"

MJ shrugs as she checks her watch for the time. "Those two losers are in a world of their own."

"Do you think Peter'll get turned off?" Sakura asks worriedly. "Guys don't like girls like that, do they?"

"Looks like we'll have to find out. It's time to assemble," MJ says. She ties her jacket around the waist, while Sakura lets hers hang over her shoulders.

They both left their bags, preferring to not lug them around while they flitted from tourist spot to another. MJ carries a book along as they filter out and join up with the other decathletes.

It feels like deja vu when Sakura's eyes meet with Peter, but this time she looks away and sticks close to MJ.

Her friend notices this and nudges her with a questioning look. Sakura shakes her head and twines their arms together. "It's nothing."

It's not like Peter left me behind, she thinks. Spider-Man left Suckerpunch behind. Still a dick move though.

All Sakura wants to do is sleep the rest of the day away.

Everyone else is loudly talking to each other, their morale at an all-time high. Flash seems to be the loudest even though he barely had anything to contribute. He clutches the trophy to his chest like it's his firstborn child.

"You sure you don't mind?" Sakura asks MJ.

"Need to catch up on my reading anyway."

Sakura lingers beside her until she sees Peter break away from the rest and go towards them. "On second thought, see ya later."

He opens his mouth to greet her, but she pushes past him. A mixture of hurt and confusion paints his face. She hears him ask MJ, "What's up with her?"

She goes through the full body scanner, then joins the others in the elevator just as the doors start to close. Flash scowls at her when she bumps into him. Sakura returns an even darker look. He proudly caresses the trophy.

Next to her, Ned rolls his eyes. He and Sakura exchange glances in a moment of Flash-is-a-dick solidarity.

Sakura clears her throat to get Flash's attention. "Do you know how stupid you look carrying around that trophy which you barely had to work for?"

Ned whispers to her, "He looks like a squire ordered by his knight to carry his winnings."

"I think he resembles a donkey forced to carry his owner's wares."

Mr. Harrington shushes them, although Sakura catches a glint of amusement through his glasses. "Let the tour guide speak, guys."

The tour guide in question looks like she would rather be anywhere else.

Sakura could relate. But anywhere's better than standing next to Peter, for the moment.

Her clone from earlier only had the original's memories from the point of casting the jutsu, so the clone didn't know that Peter had left Sakura behind.

He must be feeling whiplash from my shift in mood. But why should I feel guilty when he doesn't?

As the tour guide drones on, regurgitating information Sakura already read about, a purplish glow in Ned's backpack has her bristling in anger. Not only had Peter left her behind, he didn't dispose of the Chitauri cores thereby endangering them all!

Her hands curl into a fist as she takes in slow deep breaths. Calm down. The Suit Lady—Karen—said only radiation would trigger it to explode.

Her eyes widen in realization. The x-ray! Surely Peter would've realized they have radiation? But it has been a while since their items were scanned; maybe it doesn't emit enough radiation to trigger an explosion.

Just then, as if to make matters worse, the tour guide says, "The enormous volume of marble and granite that make up the Washington Monument all contain natural radioactive particles."

Fuck. This day just got a whole lot worse.

Peter scratches his head in confusion when Sakura runs away from him. He turns to MJ, who smirks at him, and asks, "What's up with her?"

"The English language cannot accurately describe the complexity of Sakura's mind," MJ replies. She gestures for him to take a seat. "Why aren't you with the others?"

"I was kinda hoping I could talk with Sak, but she seems a little annoyed with me for some reason."

He sighs and stares at the tall obelisk, admiring its sunlit visage as clouds slowly drift by. He fiddles with the straps of his backpack. "You were great out there, by the way."

"You too, nerd. See how fun Decathlon can be when you actually attend?"

Peter nods, smiling. He really does miss it. Maybe he can try to fit it more into his Spider-Man schedule?

Something nags at him. He feels like he's forgetting something.

"Did you know that Washington DC is fairly radioactive? The soil, pavement, and granite all contain low levels of radiation." MJ flips through her book as she says this little factoid.

Alarmed, Peter jumps up. "Radiation?! But it's just low levels, right?"

MJ squints suspiciously at him. "Actually, radiation levels increase with height. Don't you know about cosmic rays?"

He neglects to reply, too preoccupied with staring at the monument's full height of 555 feet. He gropes around his bag for the Chitauri cores and, when he only finds one, realizes that Ned still has the other core.

Peter whips around to fake a grin at her. "Of course! Cosmic rays—I could talk about them all day! Speaking of radiation, I gotta go take a leak."

Flabbergasted, MJ asks, "What kind of urine do you have?" But Peter is long gone, already looking for a porta potty.

He covers his face before he goes inside, just in case people see him. When he reemerges, it's as Spider-Man. (A little girl shrieks at his appearance.)

Spider-Man shoots a web at a tree and slingshots himself towards the monument as far as he can. He runs the rest of the way there and reappears next to MJ just as a rumble goes through the building. He looks on in terror while MJ notices him.

"My friends are up there!" She points upward.

In a deeper baritone, he says, "Don't worry, ma'am, everything's going to be okay."

Spider-Man pushes through the growing crowd and jumps, sticking to the side of the building. With his enhanced hearing, the frightened screams of his classmates seem louder than they really are.

Sakura recognizes the signs as soon as the anxiety attack hits. Although not at all close with Charles, the bespectacled member of the Decathlon team, she has frequently partnered with him for projects in the past.

She motions for the others to stay close to the walls. "Don't crowd him! Nobody touch him! He's having an anxiety attack."

Charles has his head bowed with his hands over his ears, hyperventilating as the elevator screeches with every slight movement. Sakura could see him attempting to breathe evenly.

"Listen to me, Charles," she says softly. "Can you breathe with me? Let's set a rhythm, okay?"

She's closer to him than everybody else, but still maintains a few feet distance. She proceeds to inhale and exhale deeply, satisfied when Charles follows along.

"That's it, Charles. Slow and steady. The staff will be here shortly and we'll be out in no time. Do you feel cold? No? Okay, are you thirsty?"

When he nods, she glances around to silently ask for a bottle of water. Mr. Harrington throws her his tumbler in a panic, which she catches with ease.

As Charles gulps down the water, the tour guide speaks up to calm everyone. "I know that was scary, but our safety systems are working. We're very safe in here."

A voice calls out to them, "Everybody okay down there?"

Sakura locks her hands together to help the tour guide open the escape hatch. She keeps her feet shoulder-width apart.

One by one, she hoists the rest of the team up with Charles as the priority. Mr. Harrington and Liz hover nearby just in case anyone slips. Sakura can hear the loud spinning blades of a helicopter somewhere outside, along with someone shouting through a megaphone.

She makes a face when Flash rushes for his turn, briefly considering dropping him as the trophy comes close to stabbing her face. She decides on jostling him pettily.

"Don't worry about the trophy!" Liz admonishes him.

Flash's frantic climbing causes the elevator to groan and slide down further, inciting yells from everyone. Two staff members pull Flash up.

Then, the elevator drops.

Four of them—her, Liz, Mr. Harrington and Ned—remain inside, with everyone except Sakura screaming. Her brain is at an overdrive, trying to think of a solution to save everyone. Just as she's about to grab everyone and attempt to shunshin them out, something stops the elevator.

They drop unsteadily to the floor. Hair sticking to her sweaty face, Sakura lets out a relieved sigh.

Suddenly, they're falling once more. But only for a while.

Spider-Man appears through the escape hatch and lands on his back. This causes the elevator to continue its descent yet again.

He shoots a web outside the hatch and finally the elevator is suspended. Sakura shies away from him when he glances at her, unsure if he'll recognize her as Suckerpunch.

"Hey, how you doin'?" He says in a thick New York accent. "Don't worry about it, I got'chu."

Ned hollers in excitement, jumping. "Yes. Yes!"

Sakura feels queasy when the elevator shudders. She clamps a hand over her mouth.

"Hey. Hey, hey, hey, big guy! Quit moving around!"

"Sorry, sir. So sorry."

Spider-Man grunts as he pulls at the thick strands of web, slowly bringing the elevator to the closest set of doors. "Alright, this is your stop. Go, go, go, go! Everybody out!"

Sakura lets everyone ahead of her go to safety. When only her and Liz are left, Sakura hears the elevator ceiling crack under Spider-Man's feet and swiftly pushes Liz towards the outstretched arms of their teacher.

Liz screams as Mr. Harrington catches her, eyes teary when the elevator plummets with Sakura still inside.

"Sakura!"

Adrenaline causes her legs to lock up, and so her jump isn't high enough for her to grasp Spider-Man's gloved hand.

In a flash, the floor of the elevator disappears beneath her feet. She's left hanging literally by a thread. She tightens her hand around the web as Spider-Man pulls her towards him.

He takes her hand firmly in his and guides her to Mr. Harrington.

"So, uhh—is everyone okay?"

Placing her hand over her thundering heart, Sakura nods and smiles at him in gratitude. Then, her ears pick up Karen's voice.

"This is your chance, Peter. Kiss her."

Sakura freezes at this and stares into the white eyes of his suit. Would he really?

He stares right back at her.

His web breaks.

Spider-Man falls headlong into the shadows down below, followed by a little spider-shaped drone.

"Thank you!" Mr. Harrington says belatedly.

Flash pulls her away from the open doors, leaning down to yell at the disappearing vigilante, "Are you really friends with Peter Parker?"

Sakura wants to kick him.