Disclaimer: i do not own naruto!, happy now? sniffle

The Kunai

Haruna Sakura silently walked passed the flower field she and Ino jused to sit in. She was silent, not singing of humming, or even smiling like she used to. She was silent and refusing to look at anyone. All becasue of Uchicha Sasuke decided to go after his broher. It's been two years now. Two years since she last saw him, two years since she smiled. She was 15 now. No longer a smiling, cheerful, optimistic schild, but a kalm, cold medical ninja. All becasue of him. Because he left, she Haruno Sakura, slipped into depression.

Unlike Ino, who was hardly effected at al, although she had always claimed to love him like Sakura did. A bitter expression set itself on Sakura's face

Like Ino knows anything about love.

The girl was head over hiels with Shikamaru, and she didn't even know it. Sakura knew. She knew because she lisened to Ino's stories. She knew because she saw how Ino did, and acted, in Shikamaru's presence.

At least one good thing came out of Sasuke's leaving. Sakura reasoned, her old optimistic side coming up. She and Ino we're friends again. Since Ino felt no need to pretend anymore. Yes, Ino had shyly confessed, it was the truth that the only reason why Ino had liked Sasuke that long was because she could use him to get attention from her former friend.

Sakura sighned. If only she wasn't affected to Sasuke's leaving the way she was. But no, she still cried at night. She still brushed of her worried mom and friends. She still poured out all her emotion in training every morning till she almost blacked out. At leased she could eat again...

"Kuso"she swore quetly under her breath. She needed a mission, she needed a mission NOW.

Mission's kept her sane. With no time to think about Sasuke, or anything else than the target for that matter.

"SAKURA-CHAN"came Naruto's cheerful voice from behind her. She stopped and directed her haunted eyes on him,waiting untill he caught up.

Even you have recovered, ne Naruto-chan?

Like her, Naruto was affected by Sasuke's leaving. The day Naruto found out his former team mate was missing he trained non stop, vowing to get him back. He didn't smile anymore. He hardly got out of his house, and if he did it was only to grab some ramen(wich he didn't enjoy like he used to) and go out on the field, to train some more. She remembered the day she joined him, not to cheer him up, but to train. It was the day she refused to be weak anymore, to protect instead to be the protected. It had been a normal morning, only that morning she had looked in the mirror, saw a weak broken-hearted pathetic person, and instead of crying some more, decided to do something about it. It had been the day she had grown up. She had never cried in anyone's precense since that day.

Naruto caught up and smiled at her. She didn't smile back. Yes, Naruto could smile again. And it was Hyuga Hinata who made it possible. Sakura's eyes softed, Naruto wasn't alone anymore now. Another person who didn't need her. Her eyes hardened again.

"How are you Naruto?"she asked.

Her old self flinched to the sound of her own cold voice, it used to be warm, kind, even gentle at times. But then again, she used to smile too, didn't she?

"Fine Sakura-chan, you got to report to Tsunade, the old woman said she had a mission for you"he replied, not impressed be her cold voice. She had been this way for over two years now afteral. Sakura inwearly smirked. He didn't even dare to ask how she was, but then again who would want to hear the awnser?

"Thank you"she simply said, and quickly turned to see what for mission Tsunade had for her.

"Take care Sakura-chan"Naruto wispered to her retreating form.