AN: I've been gone for 2 years… just as Naruto intends for himself… Kind of meta isn't it?
So, I guess I should explain myself to the older fans of mine that are still active on this site.
While this is definitely NOT the place to discuss politics, it's literally the exact, singular reason I haven't been able to write. The Trump Administration's insanity did some irreparable damage to my personal life, the details of which I won't get into, since it'll just sound like every other guy raging on the internet.
Though the Wannabe Dictator has finally been run out of town, I'm still picking up the pieces and assessing the damage his lies caused. This is the first time in 2 years that I've been able to just sit down and write something that's not for work, or college, and I miss it dearly.
Even so, I won't have much time before I have to get back to piecing my life together. With that in mind, I at the very least intend to finish 'Letters From You' before I fully retire from fanfiction writing.
Don't worry though, I'm not totally quitting writing. In the 2 years I've been gone, I've scraped and clawed my way into my dream job as a graphic artist, and one day intend to release a graphic novel of my own sometime within the next year or so. Perhaps when it drops, I'll indirectly reveal my identity by telling you all what the story's name is. I'm at a point now where I'm more interested in writing my own characters than that of Naruto. But until then…
The Long-Awaited 3rd Chapter Of: 'Letters From You' Begins
"... Two years?"
Tsunade nodded, her expression grim. "Six months there, six back, one year on the mountain..."
Sakura's posture sunk and her eyes ran like a faucet, completely stricken with disbelief. Her voice cracked as she whimpered out a response.
"T-Two? Tsunade-sensei… I have to see him… I…"
The Hokage rose from her desk and walked over to Sakura to pull her into a hug, but that didn't seem to be what Sakura wanted. With a panicked look, the girl spun on her heels and sprinted out of the office and down the stairs.
Tsunade gave chase.
Sakura bounced from rooftop to rooftop as tears streamed down her face, and wind rushed through her hair.
She clutched her chest as she flew through the air, her breathing pattern matching that of a fight-or-flight response… Not unlike her experience the night Sasuke left Konoha... Not unlike the night she last saw Naruto.
She sped across Konoha at a breakneck pace, reaching the wall in just a few minutes and expertly scaling it. Tsunade followed, close behind.
"Sakura, you need to stop! You don't even know where you're going!"
The Hokage's plea fell on deaf ears, Sakura continued sprinting up the wall, and after reaching the top, she dashed across konoha's battlements, bulldozing through several shinobi guardsmen along the way. Once she reached the outer edge of Konoha's wall, she leapt down into the forest, rolling into her fall to keep from injuring herself.
The pink-haired medic exploded forward out of the roll and sprinted along the main road for a few seconds, building up speed. She then transferred that speed into a chakra powered leap toward a large tree. She landed on a branch and began darting from tree to tree… just charging forward… no aim or direction.
Tsunade was still close behind, but Sakura was beginning to pull away, so now was likely the Hokage's only shot to stop Sakura from doing something she'll regret.
She called out. "Sakura slow down! What will you even say if you actually DO find him? You're the last person he wants to see right now, and you know that!"
The stinging truth of the Hokage's words had no effect on Sakura's panicked state-of-mind, she continued pulling away…
But in her panic, Sakura failed to realize how much of her strength she was using. She zoomed toward a large Oak tree and planted her feet on its trunk, with the intent to use it to shift her momentum to a different direction.
Sakura launched off the large tree with such force that its bark exploded where her feet were once planted, and the tree itself snapped at its base like a giant toothpick.
Sakura was going the fastest she'd ever gone, however, the next branch she landed on couldn't handle the forces generated by an object of her weight while moving at such high speeds. The branch summarily gave way beneath her feet as she landed on it, and the Hokage's apprentice came crashing into the ground at maximum speed, tumbling, bouncing and skidding for nearly 100 meters. Sakura only stopped when she slammed into the base of another tree, knocking it over.
The girl lied there motionless… A bloodied heap as she stared up at the pinholes of light coming through the leaves.
It was here that she began to cry in silence, her face a blank expression of total defeat.
"… Sorry… I'm… Sorry…"
Tsunade arrived moments later, surprised at the extent of Sakura's injuries. She hopped over to Sakura's side and began examining her.
"Sakura, are you alright? Did you hit your head at any point?"
Sakura remained silent, tears still running. Just then, several ANBU appeared.
"Hokage-sama! You can't just run off like that without telling us! We need to be in the loop when-…"
The ANBU trailed off when she saw Sakura on the ground.
There was a short silence, at least until the Hokage spoke up. Her voice was soft, but it was concise. "Captain. Get me another medic and a stretcher."
The ANBU officer nodded and disappeared while the remaining ANBU operatives moved over to assist in treating Sakura for the time being.
Tsunade expertly assessed Sakura and instructed the ANBU. "She took a full-speed tumble and collided with this tree. Definitely broken bones."
The Hokage used the X-Ray technique, and grimaced. Ribs, ankle, forearm, clavicle, Sakura was a mess. Tsunade immediately tore one of her sleeves off and looked at the ANBU agents behind her.
"I'm going to need you all to hold her down while I re-set the bone in her forearm."
The squad of ANBU nodded and held Sakura's shoulders and arms.
"Get ready, she's strong." The Hokage warned.
Tsunade gently began to wrap Sakura's crooked arm in the beginnings of a knot. She gradually tightened the sleeve down before signaling the ANBU. She then jerked the knot tighter and there was an audible pop, but Sakura didn't so much as flinch. She merely stared upward; her expression still blank.
The Hokage used a small make-up mirror to reflect some sunlight into one of Sakura's eyes. The pupils shrunk, a good sign.
"No concussion then… but I suppose her mind is… elsewhere at the moment."
Tsunade looked down at Sakura and snapped above her field of vision. Sakura's miserable-looking eyes remained fixed on the leaves above.
"Sakura? Can you hear me?"
Sakura remained silent, prompting Tsunade to once again check her head for any trauma… light bruising. She sighed, reaffirming that Sakura was fine… relatively speaking. The Hokage went through a few hand signs and then pressed her thumb to Sakura's forehead. There was a soft swooshing sound associated with chakra and Sakura's eyes gradually closed. Tsunade then rose to her feet and motioned for the surrounding shinobi to carefully load Sakura onto the arriving stretcher.
As they carried Sakura down the road, Tsunade looked up into the sky, frowning.
"What a situation this is… eh, Jiraiya?"
In the days following Naruto's departure, Sakura found herself lacking in motivation to do… anything really… The extended stay in the hospital didn't help. Between the broken bones, bruised muscles, and her general indifference toward eating, the medical staff wasn't confident that she was ready to leave.
According to the patient "rap-sheet" attached to Sakura's hospital bed, she had: 3 broken ribs, a broken forearm, a broken ankle, a fractured clavicle, several bruised leg and abdominal muscles, and a slipped disk… Hard to believe all that could come simply from falling.
Sakura looked at the clipboard detailing her ailments and growled, cracks began to form on the plastic surface where her fingertips were pressed against it.
"I could be in here for over a month with all of this." She deduced, muttering to herself.
*KNOCK KNOCK*
The sound echoed from the hospital room's entrance. As the door slid open, The Hokage stepped through the opening. She leisurely closed the door behind her and then, looked to Sakura.
The woman placed a hand on her hip, observing her apprentice. "It's good to see that you aren't sleeping all-day anymore."
Sakura shifted in her bed, sheepishly. "You know, Tsunade-sensei. This is up there for worst injuries I've ever had. Top three even… But I suppose that's because I've had such great teammates…"
Tsunade smiled. "It is… I'm not here just to treat you though. There's something I thought I should give to you today. Perhaps it'll make you feel better, perhaps it won't, either way, you'll want to see it."
The Hokage produced a rolled-up piece of paper from her sleeve and handed it to Sakura, who was initially apprehensive about taking it, until she saw a familiar-looking orange ribbon that held the piece of paper in its cylindrical shape.
The girl swiftly stretched her good arm out and took the item from Tsunade's outstretched hand. The outside of the paper read; 'For Sakura-chan – 10 Days'.
Tsunade patted down some of Sakura's frazzled hair. "I know it's only been about 8 days but… but since you won't be at risk of going after him anymore... I thought it'd be okay to give it to you a bit early."
Sakura glanced down at her bandaged arm. "Right... Thank you, Tsunade-sensei."
Pulling the ribbon from its knot, Sakura took a deep breath before unfurling the rolled-up paper.
'Dear, Sakura-chan
I'm really sorry about disappearing on you the way I did, but I hope this letter will help you come to understand why I've made the decisions I have…
I'm sorry for kissing you like that, I gave in to my emotions without considering your feelings, and I acted without thinking. Lately, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you, even more so than before, and it's starting to hurt more each day. Because of that, I decided to commit to my extended leave so I can put these feelings behind me.
That way, once I return, we can be friends again, just like you asked. The downside of this is… It should take me about 2 years to return to Konoha from Mt. Myoboku. 6 months there, 6 months back, 1 year stay with the toads.
You know, Ero-Sannin loved Tsunade, right? For the longest time, she didn't feel the same way and he carried that pain with him all his life. That's not something I can handle doing for the rest of mine, that's why I had to go. All these years, I wished more than anything that you'd look my way, even though on some level, I knew that wouldn't happen, but it's okay. We can't help who we fall in love with, you and I know that more than anyone.
While I'm gone, make sure to hang out with Sasuke as often as you can. He's still having a lot of trouble re-adjusting to life here in Konoha and you're not scared of him like everyone else is. If you're having trouble talking to him, ask him about his cat, or his favorite books. He's hard to read, but there's still a person beneath all the antisocial-ness! Maybe he'll let you in if you ask him the right question one day.
Well, goodbye for now, Sakura-chan. I'll be back before you know it, and when that happens Team 7 will be truly united! For good this time.
Your Friend, Naruto
Sakura gritted her teeth and held her forearm over her eyes in an attempt to keep herself from crying again.
Tsunade looked on, frowning. "What did it say? Is everything alright, Sakura?"
"No! …It'd be so much simpler if he could just say he hated me! I deserve that at least."
The Hokage embraced Sakura, attempting to comfort her. "Don't say that, Sakura. You know Naruto would never feel that way toward you."
"I-I know, it's just… I've been placing burden after burden on him all these years without realizing and *sniffle*… I didn't mean for it all to… No, I deserve this."
"Sakura, beating yourself up over it won't help. You love Sasuke, don't you?"
Sakura nodded. "I do."
"Well, he's going to need someone to keep him company if Naruto's gone now, won't he?" Tsunade replied.
Sakura blubbered back; the sound of her voice muffled by Tsunade's kimono. "But I can't even hold a conversation with him without Naruto's help! … More than anything… I missed the feeling of Team 7 being together again, and just as soon as we got it all back… it's gone again."
Tsunade paused, looking down, her thoughts; of her own genin team… and where it all ended for each of them. Focusing her mind on Sakura's struggle once more, Tsunade spoke in a melancholic tone of voice.
"Sometimes, Sakura… that which we cherish has to stay in the past, in our memories. Perhaps because… As the world around us changes, it no longer propagates the conditions that allowed such things to exist."
Sakura sobbed back; her voice still muffled. "But we had it! Just a few weeks ago, we were all sitting at Ichiraku Ramen and… and… *gah!*… -sniffle-…"
The girl trailed off. Now, instead of words, out came quiet whimpers.
Tsunade exhaled softly. "The only way to go is forward now, Sakura."
"You need to take some time to think about what 'forward' actually means for you…"
"Sai's pretty cute, don't 'cha think? His abs are amazing... how many crunches do you think he does?"
Sakura looked at Ino, a blank expression on her face. "Well, I suppose he can be considered cute… in a sort of… strange way..."
Ino furrowed her brow, appearing slightly worried. "Are my tastes really that weird? Do you think I have some kind of undiscovered fetish or something? Like one they haven't made a name for yet?"
"Well Ino, the jury's still out on that one…"
Ino laughed for a spell, but her laugh faded quickly when she realized that Sakura wasn't so much as smiling along with her.
"Sakura, you've been in here for nearly 3 weeks, with all kinds of broken bones… You still haven't told me what's going on with you… or even how you ended up in here!"
Sakura looked at Ino, a nervous expression on her face. "Promise not to laugh… okay?"
Ino made a cross pattern with her finger over her heart and clapped her hands together, shutting her eyes simultaneously.
Sakura raised her eyebrow for a moment, but relented, taking a deep breath before speaking.
"So, Ino… you know how Konoha's felt a lot quieter lately?"
"Yeah, now that you mention it…"
"Well, Naruto went on extended leave a couple of weeks ago..." Sakura continued, looking down and away from Ino's gaze.
Ino crossed her arms, making a confused expression. "Huh, that's why… What's that got to do with all the injuries, Forehead?"
Sakura nervously gave her account of the tumble. "I um… Well… Naruto didn't tell me he was going, and I sort of… freaked out and… tried to go after him… I-I was going at full speed and a branch I landed on gave way… I ended up falling and smashed my ribs on a tree."
Ino stared silently, though instead of the laugh Sakura expected, the platinum-blonde merely scratched her head and returned a worried look.
"… Sakura? Why… would Naruto want to leave without telling you? Is everything okay with your team?"
Sakura hid her eyes, shaking her head. "No, not exactly… A few weeks ago, Naruto confessed to me… he told me something that made me question my feelings toward Sasuke-kun. While the details of that are personal… I will say that… After the celebration for the war's end, we met in Konoha Park and… I lost my composure and started crying so... he kissed me and… I didn't stop him."
Ino gasped, sliding her chair closer to the hospital bed.
"WHAAAAT?! Why'd you let me spend so much time talking about my stupid crushes? This is way more interesting! ... So, is Naruto a good kisser? Did you work this out with Hinata, or did you have to fight her?"
Sakura made a 'simmer down' gesture with her hand.
"No, no, nothing that crazy... I-It was just on my forehead, I really don't think Naruto would go any further than that unless you explicitly told him to…"
Ino cocked her head to the side, worried again. "So… why exactly did he leave, then?"
Sakura's words got caught in her throat for a moment, she had to stop and take a few breaths. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, successfully maintaining her composure.
"Ino… he loves me. Possibly more deeply than I feel for Sasuke-kun. Naruto wrote me a letter before he left, he said he's doing it so he can put his feelings behind him… and to give me a chance to get closer to Sasuke-kun. See, I thought that scene he and I made in the Land of Iron was the end of Naruto's feelings for me, but it turns out…"
The pause filled the room, but just before it overstayed its welcome…
"I was asking the wrong question at the time... I thought Naruto was chasing Sasuke-kun because of his feelings for me, when instead…I should have asked if those feelings he had for me had changed over the years… They didn't. At all."
Ino's expression signaled sympathy. "But Sakura… you rejected him. Wouldn't that be the end of it?"
"I know, I know! … But that was before he kissed me!"
"Wait before? Why'd you let him kiss you if you're not interested?"
Sakura's train of thought derailed as soon as it processed the question. She stared down at her bedsheets, stunned.
"Like I said, I… um… got emotional and… lost my composure. I was crying, and being a fool so he held me for a little and wiped my eyes… Then, when he kissed me, it felt like… like… everything was… going to be alright?"
Ino rested her chin on her hands. "Hmmm. Well Naruto's been like your human shield for quite a while, are you sure you're not mistaking one emotion for another? Maybe you just feel safe when you're with him?"
Sakura's eyes bulged as she obsessively ran her hands through her pink locks. "That's just it, Ino. I don't think I understand what I'm feeling at all anymore."
"Interesting… So when's his mopey little vacation supposed to end? Maybe you two need to talk when he gets back?"
Sakura's previously stunned expression gradually contorted to a grimace as tears pooled in the corners of her eyes.
"T-Two years…" Sakura croaked out, nearly choking on the words. She slouched over, burying her face in her hands.
Ino's eyebrows shot upward, though her expression remained mostly neutral.
"Holy crap, Sakura…"
Naruto walked down a stormy country road, the occasional passersby giving a silent nod as they all continued on their own journeys, but he paid them no mind. The look on his face was blank, listless.
As of now, he'd only been on the road for a little over 2 weeks, though to him it felt like an eternity. Nearly every night, he dreamt of the last time he saw Sakura, signaling little in the way of progress as far as letting go of those feelings.
"Always on my mind, even though you're out of sight." He whispered to himself.
The blonde shinobi stopped beneath a tree and produced a map from a storage seal, etched onto a scroll he carried. His eyes scanned the laminated paper, tracking his current route. He let off a partial smile.
In two weeks time, he'd reach a popular tourist site. A small town situated near a lake, called Kimobuchi. Perhaps there was some joy to be had in a place like that, as opposed to the mostly-empty backroads of Fire Country. He placed the map back in its seal before raising his umbrella once more, trudging on through the rain. However, as he walked on, his partial smile faded once more, back to an expression of ambivalence. He walked for nearly an hour, but over the course of that hour, his pace would ever so slightly decrease, eventually coming to a stop.
He looked over his shoulder, back the way he came… but only for a moment. He closed his eyes, grimacing before turning and continuing on his way toward Kimobuchi.
Another week, another agonizing rehab session...
Sakura sat in her bed, exhausted and in pain as she tried to calm her mind. However, given her still tender ribs, relaxing breathing exercises were out of the question. Her stomach growled and she turned toward the half-eaten (now cold) soup sitting on her nightstand. It was gross. Overly salty, and had far too much liquid in it, she may as well have just been drinking sea water.
Sakura scoffed, flinging the bowl at the door, shattering it and spilling the soup everywhere. Just then, the door slowly creaked open, revealing that her visitor for today was... Sasuke?
Sakura sat up slightly but winced at the popping noises emanating from her torso and fell back into her pillow. Sasuke looked down at the glass shards and the soup.
"… I can come back later if it's a bad time."
Sakura shook her head, gesturing for the young man to come in. Sasuke silently nodded and stepped over the puddle of soup and glass. He then noisily dragged a chair up to Sakura's bedside, sitting down but remaining silent.
"I didn't expect to see you so soon, Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke, ever difficult to read, remained stoic. "I've been busy with court hearings; I had some spare time, so… I also came to see you when you were first checked in, but you were asleep."
Sakura sputtered, mentally cursing herself for being asleep so much, though it was likely due to the rarity in which she'd been eating in the past couple of weeks. She pouted, feeling slight pangs of regret as she glanced down at the shattered soup bowl on the floor.
Shifting her attention back to the situation at hand, Sakura smiled sheepishly. "You seem different today, Sasuke-kun. Has something changed?"
Sakura's smile faded quickly at the grim expression Sasuke was making.
"Yeah... I've had a lot of time to think about what my next steps will be. Speaking of… I've been wanting to tell you the truth about what was going on with me and Naruto… but given what you tried to do when he left, I'm having second thoughts."
"I… I can see why… but to be honest, I don't think I can feel any worse at this point. You can tell me if you want, or you can wait for a 'better time', assuming that moment ever comes..."
Sakura slowly began to lie back down, entirely prepared to hear that Naruto wouldn't be coming back at all, or some other terrible news. Sasuke shifted in his chair, pausing for a moment. Sakura pouted, looking toward the window. There was a long pause, that for once, Sasuke opted to break.
"So, you noticed that I'd been talking a lot with Naruto… before he left that is. I know we keep a lot of secrets from you, but Naruto saw how happy you were when I came back. He thought it was better to cross that bridge when we all reached it, you know... take a break from it all."
The girl shifted nervously as she replied. "Are you really considering telling me what's going on then?"
Sasuke shrugged. "Perhaps when you're not refusing to eat, or otherwise… acting erratically."
"O-Oh, I see then… So, while you've still got time, should we talk about something else?"
"Hm... Sure."
Sakura looked toward the window, trying to come up with something they could talk about. Shortly after giving it some thought, an idea came to her.
"What was… your favorite memory of our Team 7 days?"
Sasuke answered immediately, as if he'd thought about this before.
"Our first mission... After you went inside to eat dinner with Tazuna's family, I spent the evening climbing trees with Naruto. Things were simpler back then… I miss it."
Sakura smiled for a moment, chuckling to herself.
"It's happening again, Sasuke-kun…"
"What's happening?" Sasuke replied.
"Have you ever noticed how… whenever we're together… we always end up talking about Naruto?"
A look of stoic realization creeped over Sasuke's features. "That does happen a lot… but it makes sense."
Sasuke paused for a moment, thinking as he stared down at his feet. For a short spell, the only thing that could be heard in the room was the sound of the ticking clock affixed to the wall.
"Think about it, Sakura… Naruto's the one thing that holds Team 7 together. You don't have much in common with Kakashi, and he and I aren't exactly on good terms since I tried to use the technique that he taught me to murder Naruto. I've tried to kill you on multiple occasions as well, and it's only been a couple of months since we started having any semblance of a positive relationship."
Sasuke continued, looking down at his stump.
"But… then you look at Naruto's relationships with all of us. Naruto is the son of Kakashi's master. I never thought that cynical husk of a guy would put his faith in anything, yet he'd sing Naruto's praises from the rooftops if the need ever arose…"
"As for he and I… Naruto just … understands... In a way, both of us are a single decision apart, that's why I felt so compelled to defeat him back then. He made the right choices where I couldn't, and deep down, I think I knew that."
Sasuke turned to look at Sakura as he began to make his final point.
"… And the two of you… Based on what I've learned about the time I was away; it sounds like Naruto is your best friend as well… with the key difference between us being… the nature of his feelings toward you..."
Sasuke trailed off, losing himself in thought, while Sakura pondered this new information. Nearly a minute passed before Sakura deigned to break the silence, with more questions of her own.
"Sasuke-kun?"
"Hn."
"I suppose that now's as good a time as any… You know how I feel… about you… but… I never asked what your thoughts concerning my feelings were. It feels selfish, not knowing what you truly think." She said in a soft, slightly-nervous tone of voice.
Sasuke locked eyes with Sakura, remaining stoic. He was thinking, though what that could be was impossible to discern from Sakura's perspective.
There was a long silence, but eventually Sasuke answered.
"Sakura… you're important to me... But I know what you want… A family, children… A simple life in Konoha full of love, and beautiful memories..."
"But Sakura, that's something that I'm unable to give you…"
"What I want… Is to create a world in which people like me no longer exist, and with Naruto's help, I can accomplish that…"
Sakura's hands fell to her sides as she began to slouch… unable to meet Sasuke's eyes.
"When Naruto and I finally manage to stop the cycle of hatred from repeating itself… After that… I…"
A long paused filled the space of the tiny hospital room, causing Sakura's sinking posture to rise, as if there was a tiny smidgen of hope. An out? An olive-branch? Perhaps Sasuke would entertain the idea after he finished his goal?
No…
That wasn't at all what he was going to say... not even close.
"Sakura, restoring my clan won't replace what I've lost… and I'm starting to realize that now… When I've accomplished my goal, and the world can finally move on, I'll find a hidden place to lay the ghosts of the Uchiha Clan to rest… and then… I'll join them."
She inhaled sharply, her good arm covering her mouth.
"No… no… S-Sasuke-kun, that's… Y-You can't do that! After everything we've gone through to reach this point?"
Sasuke furrowed his brow, grimacing at the wavering in her voice. 'Perhaps I was too honest with her.'
"It's what I want… I'm fulfilling my purpose, and setting right what I've thrown out of balance… I wish I'd figured this out before Naruto left, but… life doesn't wait for you to figure things out it seems..."
Sakura laughed through angry tears.
"Ha! …So now I guess I'm all looped in! … Thanks! *guh* Now you have a something to tell me?! I *sniffle* can't even… Sasuke-kun… why's this all so screwed up?! What happened to all of us?!
Sakura turned her head, glaring at Sasuke through her tears, though nearly immediately, the fire in Sakura's eyes died out when she got a good look at Sasuke's. They weren't the eyes of a young ambitious man... no. They were cold, machine-like.
A machine has a single function, and it will carry out that function until it breaks down, and Sasuke's eyes… They were that of a machine's, a singular, mindless focus.
"Sakura… Everything I've ever lived for, has gone up in smoke. My family, my ambitions… even my ideals… they were all wrong. Naruto proved to me that his way was the right one, and I'll do everything in my power to see that his ideals become the law that governs this land."
"But… in order for Naruto's world to truly exist… I can't. In a way, I still carry Curse of Hatred. Though it no longer runs in my veins, there're still many people that'd see me dead for what I've done. In a way, I've simply passed it on to the next person…"
"The souls of those I've trampled along the way, are now screaming for my blood, and the loved ones they left behind have been cursed by those screams, just as I was. How does one stop the cycle when their very existence keeps it spinning, Sakura?"
Sakura's tears started to flow more freely. "I don't know… But you'll never find an answer if you don't live on…"
Sasuke, looked down at the floor, his shoulders dipping, his face hidden from Sakura's gaze.
"I'm just… so tired, Sakura… When my work is done, I just want to rest."
Sakura, quietly sobbing, fell back into her pillow. "And… w-what will you tell Naruto? Does he even know? Sasuke-kun, he's out there thinking that you're starting to feel better!"
Sasuke rose to his feet, turning his back to Sakura.
"To be honest, I'm… worried about how he'll react. If I contacted him now, it'd mess him up even more. If I don't, it'd be irresponsible of me to keep this from him. What do I do? Either way, it's not going to end well... I've said too much as is. Sorry for hurting you again, Sakura."
With that, Sasuke walked through the door, leaving the girl alone with her thoughts…
"D-dammit!" Sakura choked out through the tears.
"Why… Why does this keep happening?"
AN: I wanted to find a way to extend this chapter so that it was the same length as the previous two… but I couldn't think of a good scene to add that didn't feel like filler. As such, I'll leave this chapter as it is.
In the meantime, while you wait for the next chapter: I'd like you to leave a review and tell me what you think of the story so far, and what you think could be in store for everyone going forward? Give me your craziest ideas, or your most tame ideas. I wanna see it all!
I anxiously await your feedback!
~ Twist