Warning: Strong Language

XxxxX

"I wish I'd never met you! I wish you'd go back where you came from! Everything was great until you fucking showed up! I never want to see you again!"

Sakura shot up in bed, panting and drenched in cold sweat.

Not wanting to wake Grim, she immediately pressed her fist to her mouth to muffle the scream that rose to her throat, but a few choked sounds still escaped. Her vision turned blurry as her eyes filled with tears and she did not even try to stop the wails that slipped past her lips.

With trembling hands, she clutched the covers close to her chest as she fell back on the mattress. She turned away from the empty half of the bed, pressing her face in the pillow as gut wrenching sobs wracked her spine.

"I wish I'd never met you! I never want to see you again!"

His words rang in her head, as cruel and brutal as if he were before her again, looking her in the eye as he said them. She pressed a hand to her chest, and she could swear – she could swear – she could hear her heart shattering in her ribcage, the jagged edges of each broken piece leaving bleeding wounds inside her.

She bit her lip to keep herself from crying out, the burning hot pain in her lungs almost unbearable. She'd take Sasori and his poisoned blade any day. She'd let him dig it in her flesh over and over and over again if it meant escaping this desolate emptiness that had taken root in her gut.

Make it stop…Make it stop, please!

But it didn't. No matter how long or hard she prayed, the pain never stopped, and breathing did not become any easier.

Even when she finally managed to fall asleep, hours later and exhausted from crying, she could still feel the jagged pieces cutting her.

XxxxX

"Thank you, Doctor Haruno!"

"Yes, thank you!"

Sakura smiled stiffly at the two first years. "Remember, these multivitamins are to help you concentrate and give you an energy boost, not to replace meals. Take one every morning half an hour before breakfast, and then another one with your afternoon snack. No more than that, alright?"

"You got it, Doctor Haruno! Have a nice day!"

Sakura waved after them weakly, and she sighed, turning around to get back to her medical tomes, only to find Doctor Gotrus looking at her strangely.

"Alright, chit, that's it. Your shift is over."

The young woman blinked. "What do you mean? I still have another three hours-"

Doctor Gotrus snorted. "Like hell you do. You're going back to your dorm right now. I don't know what happened and it's none of my business, but you are a mess."

She winced at his words and lowered her head in shame. "Forgive me, Doctor Gotrus. I did not mean to be a burden-"

"Is that what you got from what I said, chit?" he asked, shaking his head. "Go rest. I won't have you collapsing in the middle of my infirmary. Get some sleep, clear your head, and return tomorrow."

"But, Doctor Gotrus-"

The man sent her a stern look that made the words die on her tongue. "That's an order, chit. Don't make me say it again."

She stared at him for a few moments, before a breath shuddered out of her lungs and she sent him an exhausted but grateful smile. "Thank you, Doctor Gotrus. I'll be a different person tomorrow, I promise."

"You better. Now shoo. And don't let me catch you sneaking around. Your lot of friends can wait until you're rested."

She bowed her head in gratitude, her spirits slightly lifted. Doctor Gotrus was a strict superior, but he was by no means heartless. Despite the stern demeanor, he had his own ways of showing that he cared, and hiding his concern behind harsh words was simply one of them.

Picking up her medical pouch, Sakura bid him a good rest of the day and slipped out of the infirmary, shoulders slumming under the weight of physical and emotional fatigue.

She tried to keep her mind occupied as she made her way to the Hall of Mirrors, unwilling to let herself break down in the middle of campus. She'd have plenty of time to weep once she was all alone in the safety of her Ramshackle bedroom, but she'd be damned if she allowed anyone to witness her weakness.

Perhaps Grim will be in the mood for a late-night snack and a movie. I could use the distraction-

"Sakura! A moment!"

Huh?

Twirling around, she found Crowley walking briskly towards her. "Headmaster Crowley? What can I do for you?"

He smiled widely at her. "The question, my dear, is what can I do for you."

XxxxX

To say that Leona was in a foul mood would be the understatement of the century.

With a seemingly permanent scowl etched on his features, he walked through the hallways of the school, glaring heatedly at anyone that dared look at him strangely.

What a fucking mess…

He clenched his fists at his sides, looking desperately for an outlet, praying for someone to stir up some trouble with him just so he could have someone, something to unleash his anger upon.

He had no one but himself to blame for his state but for the love of all that was holy, he just couldn't stand it any longer-

"Do you think she'll do it? Do you think she'll leave?"

"I don't know. She said she'll think about it. I…I think she might."

His ears twitched as those words drifted to him and he froze in place. Glancing to his right, he saw Cater Diamond and Floyd Leech standing to the side and talking among themselves.

Leave?

The word rang profoundly in his mind because he knew. He knew immediately who they were talking about. After all, there was only one she in this school.

Marching over to the two, Leona glared at both of them. "What the fuck did you just say?"

Cater threw his hands up in surrender, pressing his back to the wall to put some distance between himself and the seething lion.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Kingscholar-"

A loud growl rose to Leona's throat, making Floyd flinch. "Cut the bullshit with me. Where the hell is Sakura going?"

Cater gulped uncomfortably. "I came across her earlier. She was coming out of Headmaster Crowley's office. She told me…She…"

Eyes narrowed to slits, Leona slammed his hand on the wall beside Cater's head, baring his teeth. "You better keep talking, Diamond, or the cat really will get your tongue and I freaking swear you're not going to enjoy it."

"Crowley found a way to send her home!"

It took a Leona a few seconds to register Cater's words, but his blood froze in his veins when he finally did. "What?" he asked breathlessly, his voice failing him.

"It's true!" Cater insisted. "Sakura told me herself. She said she has a lot of thinking to do. She said…She said perhaps it would be better if she simply went back."

Beside him, Floyd shook his head and frowned, looking genuinely upset. "I don't want my little pink starfish to leave. Can you imagine not having her around? How are we supposed to accept never seeing her again?"

Never seeing her again? She…She will leave…forever.

Staggering back as the true meaning of his own thoughts hit him, Leona turned around and ran faster than he had ever run before, chest heaving as he struggled to control his breathing.

No…No!

XxxxX

Alone in her room, Sakura sat beside the window overlooking the unkempt but oddly charming backyard of Ramshackle.

She leaned her head against the glass, her breath fogging it every time she exhaled, and for a moment she wished Grim hadn't left in search of something to satiate his hunger. She didn't quite want to be alone with her thoughts.

What to do, what to do…

She sighed, pushing herself up and intending to go take a shower to calm her nerves when someone burst through her door with such ferocity that the hinges rattled in protest.

Overcoming her momentary shock, her eyes widened at the sight of her visitor. "L-Leona? What are you doing here-"

He closed the distance between them in two large strides and grabbed her shoulders. "Tell me it's not true! Tell me you're not leaving!"

She blinked up at him, startled by the wild look in his eyes. "W-What-"

"I overheard Diamond talking to Floyd Leech."

"Oh," she breathed out, her heart clenching in her chest. "I…Crowley found a way. He…He can send me back."

Leona's breathing hitched, his hold tightening. "Will you…Will you go?"

Sakura wanted to cry. She wanted to break down and beg him to hold her as she wailed, because his arms where the only place that made her feel safe. She wanted to show her weakness to him because he was her weakness. She wanted to bare her soul and show him just how much his words had hurt her and how much she still loved him. There was nothing he could say that would ever douse the fire he ignited in her heart.

"Crowley said I only have to say the word and he'll do it. I'll walk inside his office and never walk back out. I said yes."

Leona's expression crumbled as if she'd just ripped his heart out, and she could swear she felt his heartbeat stop in his chest.

He shook his head, his braids swishing with the movement. "Sakura. Sakura, no. You can't go. You can't leave. I…I can't lose you."

"Lose me? Leona, you said you never wanted to see me again. What makes you think you haven't lost me already?"

She flinched as their fight came to the forefront of her mind again, and she tried to pull away from him, but he held her firmly in place.

"I'm a fuckup, a selfish bastard. I'm a fucking rotten creature for daring voice those revolting lies. I can't even remember why we got into that bloody fight." He took deep breaths to put his emotions under control and looked her in the eye. "I swear, I swear I never meant a word. I'll do anything for you to forgive me. Anything. I'll spend the rest of my worthless life making it up to you. Just…Don't leave me."

Sakura stared at him with wide eyes, taking in his form as if she were seeing him for the first time. Leona was a lot of things but proud and unwilling to show emotional vulnerability were at the very top of the list. She never thought she'd see the day he'd beg or so openly bare his soul to anyone even if his life depended on it.

She searched his face, drinking in his handsome features, and the pain she saw in his green gaze almost made her weep. "I told Crowley…I told him yes."

His nails dug in her shoulders, and Leona's green eyes grew as wide as saucers. "Sakura, no. Please, no-"

"Would you have come?" she asked tentatively, her voice trembling. "Had you not overheard Cater and Floyd…Would you have come here?"

"I was already going mad from not seeing you for three whole damn days when I found out. I would have returned to you even if it meant taking on this whole damn school-"

"I ended up saying no to Crowley."

Her words stopped him abruptly. "What?"

"At first, I told him yes, but my final answer was no," she confessed, looking away from him. "My friends, my teachers, my family…They are all in Konoha. When Crowley told me the news, I expected to feel at least a little happy. Yet, all I could think about was you."

"Me?"

She nodded, focusing her gaze on him with a bittersweet smile splitting her lips. "Konoha is my home and that won't ever change but it doesn't have you. I decided I could live with you never coming near me again as long as I was somehow near you. I know Doctor Gotrus wants to keep me around. I'd live here even after your graduation and I'd live contentedly knowing that I'd only be a single portal away from you if you ever needed me. Had I gone back…It'd be the end. There would be no turning back. Forever is an awfully long time to be away from the one I love."

"Thank the Gods." A slow breath shuddered out of his lungs, and he pressed his forehead to hers, wrapping his arms around her. "Oh, thank the Gods."

Enveloped in Leona's comforting warmth, Sakura's lips quivered, and a few stray tears slipped down her cheeks as a tremendous weight finally lifted off her chest. Burying herself deeper in his embrace, she fisted her hands on his yellow vest.

"I wish you could see yourself through my eyes, Leona. I wish I could show you what I see every time I look at you or what I feel every time you hold me. You'd love yourself more that way."

He took her face in his hands, wiping her tears away with his thumbs. "Love myself? I have never loved myself. But you…Gods, I love you so much I can't even remember what hating myself feels like."

He pressed his lips to hers, and Sakura melted against him like she always did, losing herself to the way his mouth moved on hers slowly, lovingly. He pulled her closer, molding her body to his, holding her tightly as if he was afraid she'd disappear if he let go.

"Wow, Leona has gotten really sappy."

Pulling away from each other, the lion pushed her behind him to shield her on instinct. His momentary surprise quickly turned to annoyance at the sight of the faces peaking inside from the half-opened door. Cater, Ruggie, Floyd, Trey and at least another couple of people stood staring at them unabashedly.

"What the hell are you morons doing here?"

"Don't get mad, Kingscholar. We were just worried about Sakura. None of us wants her to leave," said Cater with a grin.

"So, you thought you'd spy on us?"

"It wasn't spying per se-"

"It was more information gathering, really-"

Sakura gasped, noticing a pair of obsidian horns in the back. "You too, Malleus?"

The dark-haired fae coughed awkwardly in his fist. "Apologies, Sakura. I was quite anxious to find out if the rumors about your departure were true."

"So, is the little pink starfish staying?"

Coming to stand beside Leona and slipping her fingers between his, Sakura beamed at Floyd. "I'm staying."

"Yes!"

"Alright! That's what I'm talking about!"

With a charming smile on his face, Cater winked at her. "So, since you're staying, wanna go on a date with me, doll?"

Feeling Leona tense, Sakura fought the urge to giggle. The fact that he still fell for that even though Cater only did it to rile him up was all kinds of cute and amusing.

"What the fuck did you just say to my woman? You and those idiots behind you better start running, Diamond."

"Aw, come on, Kingscholar. We could share-"

"You lot have five seconds to get the hell out of here or I'm biting your throats off."

"Really, Kingscholar-"

"Four."

"You don't really mean that-"

"Three."

"Don't be such a spoilsport-"

"Two."

"Alright, alright, we're going!" Cater exclaimed, throwing his hands up in surrender. "Show's over, people. Back to your work, peasants. Ugh, sorry, Malleus. Back to your work, peasants and uh, prince?"

Leona growled as he watched them leave, baring his teeth at Cater, who wasted no time in slipping out of the room and shutting the door behind him. "Damn those fools…"

Giggling, Sakura wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest. "Give them a break, they mean well."

The lion scoffed, but a moment later his eyes softened, and he nudged her chin up. "I guess you're stuck with me then, huh?"

"Oh my," the woman said, pretending to be deep in thought. "Perhaps I should reconsider Crowley's offer."

His tail wrapped around her waist and his hand slipped up the back of her shirt to stroke her skin. Smirking down at her in his usual suggestive way, the lion captured her lips in a searing kiss.

"Not a chance."

Tangling her fingers in his hair, Sakura cocked her head to the side. "Convince me."

Leona's green eyes darkened hungrily, and his mouth curled up in a roguish grin. "With pleasure."

TBC

I like my Leona cocky and emotionally vulnerable.

Leona is such an interesting personality, and I see so many people misinterpreting (in my humble opinion, at least) his character, saying "he's uncaring and rude, it's just the way he is, let him be" and "a character like that won't change".

No, people. He was neglected by his family as a child, he was called the inferior son, he was not given proper care. He's talented but no one nurtured his talents. He was looking for validation from his family, but when the only thing he received was scorn, he turned into an angry, insensitive child. He is starved for affection.

You're telling me that someone who's just 20 years old can't change their attitude? Anyone can change when they find the right reasons. I'm so peeved because Leona might be just a fictional character, but there are actual people out there who treat others like lost causes without giving them a chance first.

I used to volunteer at a center for troubled youths, and there were so many adolescents who simply thrived when people finally paid the right kind of attention to them and their feelings. People make mistakes, and people change.

Leona, my poor lion baby! Don't worry, Saki and I are here to give you all the love in the world!

Rant over!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

I'm planning something a little different for the next chapter so stay tuned!

Reading your thoughts always makes my day so drop me a review if you have a minute to spare.

Until next time,

Lots of love!