Chapter 2

The door clicked shut and Sakura's hand lingered on the wood, just like it did moments ago on Naruto. They had hugged goodbye in her doorway and if Naruto noticed her hand laying on his arm longer than needed, he didn't comment. He just smiled and reassured he'd visit again soon, leaving after giving a small wave.

It didn't bother her, really it didn't.

And that was what she told herself as she picked up the trash on the table. What she repeated while she did the dishes, showered, and dressed. They weren't together, she shouldn't worry on who he spent time with while she was busy or when he was lonely. He'd end up still reaching for her at the end of the day.

She paused in throwing her comforter over her bed. What the hell was that? Shaking her head she finished making the bed before sitting on the edge. With nothing else to distract her thoughts her hands became twitchy and she felt like she was drowning in too many emotions.

She just needed to feel wanted, it wasn't any deeper than that.

That was the reason since the beginning, all those months ago. When Sasuke had left to find himself and she had reached out to her blonde teammate for a pillar of security as the back of their troubled friend had disappeared outside the village. Her fingertips brushed the back of Naruto's hand, looking for reassurance that he was still there. That he still wanted her there. But the feeling she got when he gripped her fingers, staring down in a kind of intensity that he only gave to her. It had made her cheeks flush and mouth go dry.

And had left her wanting more.

A noise outside pulled her away from her thoughts, she turned at the sound of insistent wings, pausing at the sight outside here window. She scowled at the hawk on the other side of the glass as she unhooked the latch. It landed with a squawk, ruffling its feathers as she unhooked the small scroll from the holster on its chest. Without even looking at it she opened a drawer in her nightstand and tossed it in, slamming it shut immediately.

"You can go now, you know." It squawked again before taking flight. She stared at the spot the bird had occupied for far too long before snapping the window shut.'

Getting out was a healthy activity, as a doctor she recommended it constantly to her patients that had been staring at the same hospital wall for too many days. She recommended a brief outing into the small surrounding garden usually. It was healthy to get a change of scenery, if only for a little while.

Conversation was good too. Which is why she left with the intent of visiting Ino after a long period of silence between them. It was because of mutually busy schedules, both of them were unable to make time for each other. Well, mostly Sakura, she was always busy. Too busy to answer calls, too busy to meet up.

It was her fault.

So she expected nothing less than a cold greeting when she walked into the flower shop.

"Oh, look who finally decided to visit." Ino was behind the counter, arranging a bouquet of bright red and yellow flowers. Ino not even turning to greet her was a bad sign.

"Shove it pig." Came Sakura's weak reply.

"I'm sorry what was your name again? I just can't seem to remember, you know, cuz it's been almost a whole month"

Sakura winced at that one.

"Yeah, sorry. Busy at the hospital and all…." She clammed up at Ino's sour look.

"You know, that excuse doesn't work when we both work at the Hospital," Ino smacked her lips in irritation, placing flowers into her arrangement more aggressive than necessary. "PLUS, I also work at the shop and take missions! But, despite all of that, I somehow found time to try and drag you out of that tiny apartment for some fun, or, you know, to just talk to me." She hissed the last comment, tying a large white bow around the bundle of flowers before examining her work.

Sakura let out a defeated sigh. "I know, okay I'm sorry, I'm an absolute idiot and I don't deserve your AMAZING friendship," She leaned over the counter and gave her best puppy dog eyes. "Can you ever forgive me?"

Ino stared down her nose at her, nails tapping against the wood as she deemed her fate. She waited another long beat of silence before rolling her eyes and shooting Sakura a small smile. "I wouldn't be the greatest best friend if I wasn't merciful. So I guess I forgive you, but if you ever ignore my calls again, I'm breaking down your front door." This was less of a threat and more of a promise, and Ino kept her promises. Sakura laughed anyways, leaning on her elbows to watch Ino wrap the flowers in some decorative papers.

The blonde shot her a quick look before breaking the silence again, "So what were you so busy with? You can't just disappear off the face of the earth for a month without a good reason." The underlying question felt heavy, and she fidgeted with the edge of her sleeve while thinking on it.

"I was busy at the hospital, I swear. And I was going to visit, but then there were so many scrolls, and that hawk just kept coming back again and again and I-" She cut herself off, afraid of saying much more, not wanting to open that box of confusing emotions again. Her friend's sympathetic stare said she already had though.

"Have you read any yet?" Ino's gentle prod made her feel too open and she hugged herself to ease the feeling away.

"I almost opened one last week, but I couldn't get past the seal before putting it away." Sakura reluctantly admitted. Ino gave a soft sigh before walking around her to one of the window's and pulling at the blinds. Sakura glanced outside, noting the setting sun, and guessed it was time to close.

"I think it might be good for you to read one at some point Sakura. You won't be able to get past this fear until you can find it in you to at least read his letters. You still want him in your life, right?" Sakura gave a hesitant nod. "Then it'd be better to try to sort through all this now while you both have space rather than later, where you might run into him and you know." Vague hand gesture. "Have some kind of breakdown." Her words were unhurried as she locked up, her casual tone keeping Sakura calmer than she usually was on this topic.

"I know, I know. I just… no one ever said it would be this hard, you know? After everything settled I thought I would be fine, thought all of us would be fine. But instead, everything feels like it blew up even bigger than when it happened. And I don't even know what I feel anymore, plus Naruto-."

"What about Naruto?" Ino interrupted. "You're not still stuck in that dumb flirty thing you're both doing, right?" She let out a noise of frustration at Sakura's silence. " Oh my god, you're both so dense. You like each other so why not just date already?" Her chastising tone made Sakura freeze up, immediately going on the defensive.

"I do not like him." She snapped back, getting irritated. Ino rolled her eyes as she shrugged off her apron.

"Alright, but just, I don't know, don't string him on then? He's loved you for forever Forehead and if you don't like him back, then let him find someone else."

Sakura suddenly wanted to leave, her gut churning in an unpleasant way. They've had this conversation before, and it always left her feeling guilty. She didn't want to think of Naruto's feelings for her right now. Ino didn't wait for a response, instead she grabbed her medical skirt from under the counter, and clipped it on. She made her way towards the backroom behind the counter and Sakura followed.

"I'll never be able to understand how you deal with your team. You all have so many problems, but none of you want to talk about it. Shika and Cho feel like a blessing next to your guys." She laughed as they walked past the fridges that held flowers not placed out front. She seemed almost simultaneously entertained and annoyed by the topic, and Sakura gave her a weary look from behind, clearly wanting to not be the subject of their conversation any longer. They reached the back door, which Ino flung open, and Sakura hurried out letting Ino turn back to lock up the shop.

"I talk to them… sometimes" Sakura puckered her lips as Ino snorted.

"Well, you better start talking more, cause you and Naruto seem to have gotten worse instead of better. You know he's hanging out more with Hinata right? Not that it matters, I guess." She turned and gave Sakura a hard stare. Sakura folded her arms defensively and looked away to avoid giving Ino the chance to see the hurt on her face. "Look Forehead, I'm not saying that you do have anything going on, but if there's even the slightest chance, you better start acting on it before he gets involved with anyone, okay?"

Ino gently placed her hand on Sakura's arm. The gesture so familiar and innocent that friends as close as they were, wouldn't think twice about it. But the feeling made her tense up, it brought back the morning's memory of Naruto pulling away from her touch and she really didn't want to linger on that thought anymore than she already had. She pushed down the urge to remove the hand.

"Anyways, I gotta head over to the hospital, back to back shifts never seem to get any more fun." Ino sighed, breezing over the tension that followed whenever she tried to help with the mess of team seven.

Sakura knew Ino was only ever trying to help. So, she forced a smile. "I get what you mean. Let's get dinner soon, okay Pig?"

Ino smiled back. "It's a date!"


Sakura waved off Ino at the hospital with a better mood in place once the subject of their conversation shifted away from Naruto. The sky had turned dark, the sun already below the horizon and the moon's glow illuminating everything. She inhaled the crisp air and decided to take advantage of the emptying streets before the night life woke up.

She continued down the street of the hospital towards Ichiraku, her mind wandering off to simpler times. Before the war, before the feelings, before promises of a lifetime. When all she had to worry about was if Sasuke liked girls with long hair. She touched the tip of her short locks in thought.

Sakura thought back to the growing pile of scrolls in her drawer. She hadn't meant for her lack of response to go on for so long. When the first scroll had arrived she had thumbed over the seal all night deciding whether to open it or not. It was only when she was called into an emergency surgery that she put it away with the promise of opening it once she returned. The next letter came and the same thought process continued.

I'll read it later.

It was when the fifth letter came that Sakura knew she was just using it as an excuse.

The seventh letter was when she knew she was actively seeking out Naruto's reactions.

The rate at which the letters arrived at her home slowed down, but never stopped. Counting today's, Sasuke had sent her seventeen letters and each one brought more dread than the last. She could lie and say she didn't know what she was scared of. That maybe the trauma of pre-war encounters had left her scared of her ex-teammate so much so, that she hadn't even been able to look him in the eye since his return.

But it wouldn't be the truth.

She turned on the pathway to Ichiraku's, hearing the sound of laughter from behind the curtains. Purple and orange caught in the corner of her eye.

Was that...?

She turned her head just as a voice she recognized too well began to talk.

"Thanks again for coming with me to Rain, Hinata-chan! It would've been boring as hell without you there."

And with that thought, she turned on her heels and dashed over to the nearest rooftop.

She tried not seeth about the sight of them together, fist clenching and unclenching repeatedly as she attempted to not knock her front door off its hinges.

Because it wasn't supposed to bother her.

Stomping over to her room, she pulled the drawer open, grabbing the latest scroll from the top of the pile before ripping it open. She wasn't being petty, and this most certainly wasn't because she was jealous. It's not like reading Sasuke's letter would bother Naruto, he wouldn't even know she had finally opened one. This was just another one of those things.

Another part of this game they played.

She skimmed through the top, most of it about the area he was in and hoping that she was doing well. The rest filled with more adventures during his 'atonement', seeing as he had most likely given up on asking any questions since being met with no response. It showed Sasuke was painfully making an effort to stay on good terms with her and that made her feel a prick of foolishness at ignoring him for so long. Her anger fizzling out as she read though the bottom paragraph about the scenery, the last line giving her pause, a gasp slipping past her open lips as she stared down with a new mixture of emotions flashing over her face.

'I'll be home in a week. I look forward to reuniting with team seven once again.'

Fuck.


Why is this story so fun?

R&R