Chapter 5 - Surprising Discovery
Tsunade looked over her afternoon schedule, wondering if she had time for a break before her last appointment. Dragging her red nail down the list to the last entry — "Sasuke's reassignment" — she saw that it was almost upon her. Whereas Naruto and Kakashi could be relied on to be late, giving her time for a quick tea, Sasuke was unfailing punctual.
She didn't have much use for people like that. But they were good for filling in schedules.
The door quietly slid open. Tsunade frowned at the sound. Was Sasuke early?
But it was Shizune carrying a much needed tray of refreshments. Tsunade was just pushing back from the desk, inhaling the fresh, leafy aroma of hot green tea from the pot and thinking of how Shizune was just the right kind of reliable, that she could always tell just what she needed, when her assistant interrupted, puncturing her good mood.
"Sasuke is on his way up," Shizune said as she poured a cup of tea. Face tipped away, she didn't see Tsunade's small smile of thanks.
"Sakura is with him," she added with quiet gravity.
Tsunade's smile fell.
This wasn't a refreshment. This was a paltry offering to soften the blow of loosing her apprentice.
The tea had suddenly lost its appeal. Tsunade made a low noise of disapproval just as a sharp knock sounded at the door. Sakura's knock.
Concern brimmed in Shizune's eyes as well as sympathy, much to Tsunade's irritation. She slugged back the tea, ignoring Shizune. "Let her in. Let's get this over with."
Taking the tray with her, Shizune pulled back the door to admit a smiling Sakura and a stoic Sasuke.
At the moment, Tsuande had no generosity toward the Uchihas and their implacable nature. It might serve them well on the battlefield, but he had no concern for what upheaval he was about to cause by stealing away her apprentice.
She had developed a real affection for Sakura, much like she felt for Shizune, and that would not soon be replaced.
"Uchiha, Sasuke," Tsunade began, trying to keep the bite out of her voice, "you have petitioned the council for reassignment?" She had to follow formalities.
"Yes," he nodded.
She pulled out a very official looking scroll, festooned with tassels to reinforce that point.
"It is hereby granted from the Konoha High Council. You will be tasked with assisting the anbu, working as a diplomatic liaison to the the five great nations as well as," she sighed, "the territories, provinces, islands and their villages, hidden or otherwise, towns, cities—" She shot a look of exasperation over the top of the scroll. "Oh, you know what this says. It's exactly what we discussed. You can read it yourself." She pitched the document, flying tassels and all, at Sasuke who caught it with the fluidity of a shinobi twice his age, the scroll flipping neatly into his open hand as if a he planned it. His eyes never left Tsunade. His hair didn't even ruffle at the movement.
Sakura smiled faintly at his unintentional display of prowess. Tsunade's scowl deepened. She knew what she had to do next. Even though she hated it.
Tsunade schooled her features and turned her eyes to her apprentice.
"Sakura, there is a position open as a guard, if you would like to apply. It would function like a normal mission, although I cannot guarantee the when you might return. Though that might not be such an issue here…." Her eyes drifted to the teapot, its lid still damp from steam. She didn't like to delve into personal matters. But she felt it was safe to assume…. "Selection of the guard is at the discrepancy of the Hokage, so it is not open to everyone." She sighed. "Sakura, you may accompany him, if that I what you wish."
Tsunade pursed her lips and waited for the answer she didn't want to hear.
This was a knife that cut both ways. Tsunade was so fond of her and hated to lose her. But because she cared, she would not deny her the choice to leave. To choose love. Tsunade knew, more than any of them ever would, how fleeting those chances were.
Sakura smiled, a pretty blush rising in her cheeks. She slanted a look at Sasuke that seemed to communicate something. But Sasuke watched her closely, his dark eyes serious and intense. He had feelings for her, that was clear.
Sakura nodded to him once, curling her hair behind her ears. Sasuke accepted her unspoken decision and turned to look ahead, his face a mask of calm.
Naruto was been right, Tsunade thought with a sigh. Something had rekindled between the old teammates.
"Thank you Tsunade-sama," Sakura said with a deep bow, "but I have to decline."
Tsunade tipped her head to side, lips parted in silent question. Sakura smiled.
"I couldn't leave my responsibilities here, my work, my training…Naruto…." She laughed softly at that thought, and Sasuke even broke into a smile for a moment.
Tsunade blinked, not sure what she was hearing. She picked up a pen from her desk and put it down again.
There were not many times she was surprised, and even less when she was wrong. But her apprentice had done just that. Her apprentice. Her brilliant, powerful apprentice — the scrappy child who had become the vessel for all Tsunade could teach, bearing it all and blossoming into the radiant woman before her. The one who, Tsunade had always hoped, would outshine her teacher. She wasn't leaving after all!
Sakura had chosen her village, her duties, her self. She would not give up all she had worked for just for love.
Tsunade knew it must have been a hard choice, but her affection for Sakura soared.
Sasuke cleared his throat. "I will accept anbu protection for as long as you deem necessary."
Tsunade looked at him with newfound sympathy. He must have known this was coming. Perhaps he had already asked her, and she declined. But he had accepted her choice. Tsunade was proud of them. Both of them. If there was not love there, then there was certainly respect.
Tsunade unrolled the large scheduling scroll across her desk. The parchment, lined in a grid marking the comings and goings of nins over the weeks and months, flopped over the teapot. Tsunade pulled it the steaming vessel, feeling much better about everything, including the tea.
"Care for some," she asked, holding up the pot. This was cause for celebration after all. But both declined. Tsunade shrugged, poured herself a cup, then drew her finger down the maze of lines and names, dates and places.
"There is an opening for you here." She tapped at an open block on the page. Sasuke leaned forward. "But that's little over a week from now. Is that enough time to—"
Sasuke nodded. "More than enough."
Sakura stepped even with her teammate. "Tsunade-sama, I know Naruto is out…. Will he be back by then?"
Tsunade shifted papers, finding one with a several long lists on them. She drew her finger across one line. "No," she said quietly. "He will not."
Sakura frowned. Sasuke straightened, his face returning to its mask.
"Unfortunately, that is your best time to go for the next month or more," Tsunade said, returning to the scroll. "I'll leave that decision up to you. Get back to me when you—"
"I'll go," Sasuke said, looking straight ahead, eyes fixed resolutely at a point beyond Tsunade's shoulder. "Next week is fine."
Seeing Sakura turn with concern to Sasuke, Tsunade hesitated. They both watched him for a moment, until the emotionless calm of his features broke. He sighed and his shoulders sagged just slightly.
He turned to Sakura, revealing something of his true feelings as his mouth hooked into a frown of frustration…and regret.
"Maybe…. Maybe I could leave him a note," he said quietly to Sakura.
Her face brightened. "That's a great idea," she said quietly back. He nodded, and they turned back to Tsunade with the issue satisfactorily resolved between them.
Sakura smiled, but Sasuke's facade, Tsunade was pleased to notice, did not have the shadow of tension it had when he came in. He was worried about his teammates, she realized, both of them. But now he could move on.
Tsunade's pride surged anew for Sakura, having reached out to this boy who seemed so unreachable.
From under the schedule Tsunade pulled another scroll, a mission contract, and Sasuke stepped forward to read over and sign it.
"Tsunade-sama, I was wondering about something," Sakura asked. "With Sasuke leaving and me at the hospital and Naruto out so much…does this mean— Will you disband our team now? I know it's silly, but—" She laughed, but it was nervous. Sasuke's hand stilled on the contract.
"No," Tsunade answered immediately and Sakura smiled. "Well, actually it's complicated," Tsunade clarified. The corners of Sakura mouth slowly fell.
Tsunade continued. "You are still a team, in name. But you cease functioning as a team, they way you did when you first came out of academy. Everyone goes their own way, gets assigned individual missions based on their skill set and need." Sasuke's hand resumed writing. "Some members continue their partnership, especially if there's an established harmony. Like Team 10, for instance. So no, there's no formal end to a team. It just…ends…."
Sasuke stood and handed the scroll back to Tsunade. Sakura had grown quiet. This was clearly not the answer she'd hoped for.
Tsunade smiled kindly at her apprentice. "Don't worry. If the team still chooses to work together, then it's still a team. There's no time limit. But teams are not a requirement for after your genin years."
Sakura beamed. That was what she needed to hear. Satisfied, the two made their farewells and left.
Tsunade poured herself another cup of tea and sat down.
Teams were a delicate thing. They could pull and fray irrevocably. Or they could stand the test of time, growing stronger with each passing year. The dynamic on Sakura's team had certainly shifted. But maybe it wasn't as simple as jealousy. Maybe they were growing apart. Or maybe it was a little time away from each other that was needed.
At any rate, the outcome had been positive, for everyone. She was not loosing her apprentice. What a pleasant surprise.
Tsunade kicked back in her chair, crossed her ankles at the edge of the desk and savored her tea, thinking that today she was glad to be proved wrong.
The pink paper stuck to his door fluttered at Naruto as he approached. He sighed and tugged it off without reading it. It crumpled lightly in his hand while he worked his key into the stiff lock.
He was only in the village for a few days. And he really didn't want to think about her—
Pushing the door open, Naruto's eyes dropped to a long white envelope on the floor. It glared up at him from the cracked tiles. Naruto recognized Sasuke's firm, dark handwriting in an instant.
He grit his teeth. He didn't want to think him either. Naruto snatched up the letter and slammed the door.
Dropping his pack, Naruto strode purposefully across his apartment to the trash bin, telling himself there was nothing Sasuke could say that would make any difference. The damage was done.
He'd already heard that Sasuke had left town. He was surprised the Sakura hadn't joined him…not that it mattered.
He fisted the letter threateningly over the bin, the edges of the pink note just peeking out beyond his fingers.
But he found he couldn't let go of the letter, let it just drop into the empty metal bin. It felt…wrong. Weak. Like he was hiding from it and that he should be somehow stronger than this. He should be able to read it, feel no pain and move on.
But he couldn't read it. Yet he still couldn't throw it away.
Naruto relaxed his fingers and looked at the envelope. Sasuke's measured bold strokes spelled out his name. Naruto could almost hear Sasuke speaking the words as he read it. But the speaker was someone Naruto no longer knew. And he could not guess what the contents held.
It was probably some paltry explanation, he told himself as he thumbed over the upturned lip of the envelope. But he thought of this new, unknown Sasuke — like the one at the fire, so emptied out, vulnerable and lost — softened his resolve.
Naruto's thumb slipped beneath the edge, slowing peeling it open.
He had no idea what this new Sasuke might want to say to him. Must be something important if he wrote it down and made sure to get it to him, slipped it under his door where he was sure to see it, all before he left—
Naruto stopped. The flap was almost all the way open and several pages of folded letter were already edging out.
What the hell was wrong with him! Sasuke still left! Whatever was in this letter, it wasn't important enough to hang around and say it to teammate's face!
Naruto crushed the envelope in his fist. But instead of dumping it in the trash were it could torment him the rest of his time off, he stalked to his bedroom to bury it in the first thing he laid eyes on, his dresser. Wrenching back the top drawer, Naruto shoved the envelope and the pink note down into the bottom, beneath the shirts and socks and shorts, where he could forget about it. He skidded the drawer shut with enough force that it rocked the whole dresser.
Stretching his neck, feeling strangely triumphant, Naruto strode back to the kitchen and poured water into the kettle for instant noodles. He pushed all thoughts of Team 7 from his mind. In two days, this would all be just a memory. He'd be out with Team 8 again, for a nice long two-week stretch.
Though their familiarity with each other was sometimes a little too painful, too much of a reminder of what he'd lost, Team 8 was a good fit for him. Kiba was always ready for a fight or a laugh, often both, Shino was quiet but dedicated and loyal, and Hinata was…well sweet was always the word that came to mind. She was sweet, doting on her teammates, encouraging them and soothing their frayed nerves. And her ready acceptance of him smoothed the way for him to join their team. He was really grateful for that.
Team 8 had proved to be a balm when nothing else had, distracting him from the constant heartache that was his own team. His old team.
The kettle whistled, interrupting what was sure to be a downward spiral of thoughts.
He plopped the noodle cup on the counter, ripped open the lid and poured in the water.
No more thoughts of them, he told himself. It was time to relax. This was his break and he'd earned it.
It had been nearly three months since Sasuke left and Sakura still had not seen Naruto. It didn't worry her, though. She had a feeling they were just missing each other.
Sakura was making great strides as a med-nin, but that required she keep a full workload at the hospital, often arriving before dawn and clocking out after dark. Shinobi missions were not much different, with missions often running days and even weeks over their allotted time.
She kept an eye on him through Tsunade's assignment scroll. It wasn't classified information and the scroll was always open on her desk, so Sakura never gave a second thought to searching out the familiar kanji of his name among the scribbled grid of teams and assignments.
These days it was often attached to Team 8's mission roster. But Sakura was pleased, it was a good matchfor his boisterous personality. And it made her rest easier knowing that he was with their friends rather than the few times he tagged along with the anbu squads.
Those missions she had kept a closer ear for the injured reports. Some anbu missions could be brutal. So she was please he had found a fit with Team 8.
Sakura always knew when he was coming home, and she'd drop by his apartment, hoping to catch him. But she was always missing him.
She blamed it on the caprices of schedules — hers and his — oversleeping, even the wind, thinking it could have blown her little notes away.
Her pink notes had become somewhat of a signature thing. She began carrying that little pink pad back when they were still genin and she was just starting her med-nin training. Now on the nurses board, among the fluttering white, yellow and blue notes of the doctors and nurses, Sakura's stood out in a pleasant pale pink. She knew that Naruto would know it was her just by the color of the notes taped to his door.
Never long, she would ask if he was okay, and that she missed seeing him. Maybe he could stop by the hospital when he came in. They'd get ramen.
But he never came.
Whenever Sakura dropped by his apartment, the old notes were always gone, so she knew he must be getting them. But one day she decided that wind or childish pranksters might be stealing them. So she dashed off another note and slid it under the door. But if he saw it or not, she'd never know. He still didn't come.
So it was on a night like any other that Sakura found herself staring at the clock above the nurses stand, tapping her pen against her stack of clipboards piled on the counter and wondering if Naruto was home from his mission yet.
The mission notes on Tsunade's scroll said it was a simple errand into the territories, escorting a dignitary. Dignitaries were very punctual, and assignments revolving around them tended to be very well-planned. And almost never ran late.
Unlike her.
She dragged a hand through her bangs and bit back a sigh just as Ino rounded the corner.
"There," her friend wheezed, dropping her own sizable stack of patients' clipboards on the counter. "I think that's the last of them." She turned back to the clock, squinting tiredly. "Only two…er, three hours after we were supposed to be off. Thanks so much Sakura, I never could have done it without you! I would have been here all night!"
Sakura smiled wearily. "It's no problem."
They grabbed their bags from behind the counter and left together, walking out into the soft Konoha night. The fresh air was rejuvenating after hours of being confined in the hospital.
Talking quietly, they rounded the familiar streets towards their homes. But Sakura did not turn off at her road. Instead she walked on with Ino. Ino smirked, guessing why.
"Going to see Na-ru-to," she said teasingly.
Sakura grinned. "Yeah. I keep missing him when I know he's coming back. But maybe since so I'm late, I'll have better luck."
Ino smiled. "Any word from Sasuke?"
Sakura shook her head. She'd never said too much about it. And Ino wasn't too much of a gossip about her, but she always liked to know the inside scoop from her old friend.
"What has Naruto had to say about it?"
Sakura shook her head again, but this time a frown line creased between her eyebrows. "Well…I haven't actually seen him," she said quietly.
Ino's jaw dropped at this confession. "And Sasuke left like…months ago!"
"He's been busy," Sakura said in quick defense, "and so have I!"
Ino looked skeptical. "I've been busy too, but even I've seen him."
"Really? When?"
Ino scrunched up her nose. "A few weeks ago. He was coming in with Team 8. Kiba, Shino and Hinata's unit. He was pretty chummy with them too." She slanted a look at Sakura as if she should understand what that meant.
Sakura shrugged it off. Ino had a tendency to see things that weren't really there. She swore that Sasuke carried a torch for Sakura when he returned, even after Sakura promised they were just teammates.
"Tsunade-sama's loaded him up with assignments. That's all," Sakura said confidently. "And I think it's good. He hates hanging around with nothing to do. And after Sasuke got back, I think it's been hard on him. Finding Sasuke was his purpose for so long. But if he's happy, then I'm happy for him."
Ino breathed a low "Uh-huh," like she didn't really believe her. Crossing behind her, Ino turned off towards her street. "Well, don't stay out too late looking for him. We've got another long day tomorrow."
"Don't worry Mom, I won't," laughed Sakura, and Ino stuck out her tongue before waving goodnight.
Sakura continued on alone through the darkened residential lanes that skirted Konoha's business district. Noise and light from the broad avenue spilled down the side streets, and Sakura turned toward the bustling road to take the quickest route. Even though it was late, the restaurants and bars were still open to patrons. So it wasn't a surprise to hear the occasional hoot of a reveler on the street.
But as she approached, one echoed laughter was achingly familiar.
Sakura heart jumped to her throat when she heard Naruto's voice carry down the darkened lane. There was a spring in her step as she picked up her pace toward the lit intersection. His laughter warmed her, reminding her just how much she had missed him. The excitement of seeing him made her almost giddy.
He was probably just getting in, and she could picture him, tired, dirty, pack still on…but laughing. Happy to be home, and spreading his infectious joy to everyone around him. A smile spread across Sakura's face just thinking about it.
At the corner of the building, in the angled darkness of the narrower lane, Sakura stopped and looked for the sound. Sure enough, a boisterous Naruto was coming down the avenue, pointing out the restaurants to the rest of Team 8. He sent up another belly laugh.
Naruto was clean. Refreshed. Damp hair curled over his collar. He'd even…showered.
Sakura's smile slipped.
He'd been home.
Then…he'd seen her note. But he still didn't come.
Sakura's hand somehow found the edge of the building. She gripped it hard. Her feet rooted to the spot. Unable to move, Sakura watched from the shadows as the truth unfolded before her.
Naruto clapped Kiba hard on the shoulder, and they all laughed at some shared joke. Even Hinata seemed to be carried away. Naruto saw her laugh through her her fingers, and delightedly bumped her shoulder with his. She rocked with him, but was clearly flattered.
Sakura almost felt the gentle bump on her shoulder herself, Naruto had done it so often to her. But now, the memory twisted like a knife in her gut.
Naruto pointed to a noodle shop, a new one, and the rest heartily agreed. Swinging the door open, Naruto gallantly held it back with his arm. The rest of the team entered in a line, laughing and chattering. Kiba mock punched him in the gut.
Hinata slipped in last, pausing to smile up at him. There was a delicate blush in her milky cheeks which Sakura had never noticed before. She wasn't sure if Naruto noticed it now. But when he patted her shoulder as he turned in behind her, his hand hand lingered there, sliding down her shoulder blade and brushing her hair with the tips of his fingers.
Sakura didn't remember Naruto ever doing that to her.
The door closed firmly behind him.
Sakura sucked in a ragged breath, as if the air had only just returned to the world. But she didn't move. She simply stared at the door, processing and doubting. Reeling.
He was here in the village. Right in front of her. But he might as well have been in another country.
She thought about going into the restaurant and sitting down, pretending she was so surprised to see him when he was forced to acknowledge her. But she didn't think she could pull it off. The shock of it all was still surging, making her head spin, making her want to laugh and cry.
She pulled back from the corner and leaned against the cold, solid building, thankful for something sturdy when everything around her seem to be turning upside down. She folded her arms, jamming her hands under her elbows to stop them from trembling, and gulped back tears.
She wondered bleakly if she would even see him this trip. A little voice inside answered that she wouldn't. She'd finally seen the truth. He was avoiding her.
More voices of happy diners passed by the mouth of the darkened lane. Sakura wiped her face and pushed away from the wall. She walked quickly back down the way she'd came, spurred on by the fear that she'd be see someone she knew and then she'd have to explain why she was crying in a dark alley.
Walking past sleeping buildings, Sakura briefly thought about going to his apartment and waiting for him. But the thought of him with Hinata squelched it. What if he came home with her—
Sakura scrunched up her face, fighting tears. She was heartsick and confused. She just wanted to go home and crawl into her own bed. So that's what decided to do. Tomorrow, she told herself, tomorrow she'd seek him out.
But after her 15-minute shift break with Ino the next afternoon, she changed her mind.
"Did you see catch Naruto last night?" Ino said as she passed a few coins to the man who wheeled his dumpling cart by the hospital every afternoon conveniently at break time.
"Yeah," Sakura said quietly, folding and refolding napkins under the little paper bowl holding the steaming dumplings. She didn't look up. "I see what you mean about him getting 'chummy' with Team 8."
She couldn't bear to say her name. But now she understood what Ino had meant. She felt like such a fool.
When she couldn't avoid it, Sakura finally looked up, but she squinted her eyes, pretending the sun was in them, trying, and failing, to act like it was no big deal.
But Ino's face was full of sympathy, without a trace of the light ridicule she normally traded gossip with.
"Oh Sakura," Ino breathed, and pulled her by the elbow to a nearby bench. "I didn't think anything was going on between them. Honest! I would have told you—"
"I didn't see anything," Sakura said quickly, trying hard not to feel like more of a fool than she already did. She took a calming breath. "I mean, it was just him with Team 8. But Hinata," she dropped her voice a notch, "well, he just was paying a bit of extra attention to her. That's all."
Ino curled her mouth in distaste. "Yeah, she always has had a bit of a thing for him."
"Really?" Sakura peered at her friend, wondering how much she'd missed. "Maybe back when we were kids, but still…?"
Ino shook her head resolutely. "I don't think she ever got over him."
Sakura stared at the park across from the hospital without seeing it. The dumplings sat cooling in her lap, uneaten.
Maybe he had a thing for Hinata too. And maybe that's why…that day, in the snow….when she told him she loved him…. Maybe he just didn't love her back. And she was just too blind to see it.
Tears brimmed in her eyes, but she blinked them quickly away. Fumbling for a napkin, Sakura was surprised when Ino grabbed her hand, squeezing it, and offered her own.
"Thanks," Sakura said in a watery voice.
"Oh, Sakura…." Ino said with dawning understanding. "You… and Naruto…. I didn't know! I thought you always liked…."
Sakura shrugged. "Doesn't matter much now, does it." She dabbed at her eyes, actually feeling a bit better that someone else knew.
Ino squeezed her hand again. "Well he's on break now, right," she chirped with false brightness. "Maybe he'll show up at the hospital and make it right! He's always been a bit of an idiot!"
Sakura slanted her a skeptical look, like they both knew better.
The light in Ino's face faded, replaced by a more familiar jaded look. Her pretty blue eyes narrowed the way they always did when she relayed the juiciest gossip, when the boy or girl got just what he deserved.
"If he doesn't come, at least you'll know he isn't worth the trouble. Just let it go for a while. Don't think about it! He certainly knows the way to your house, doesn't he," Ino quipped. Sakura nodded dismally.
And then their break was over. Sakura dumped the cold, untouched dumplings in the trash.
She didn't feel better, not really, but she took Ino's advice.
Sakura moved through the rest of her day, and the three days after, like a ghost. At the end of her shifts she walked home through the darkened village without seeing it. She did however avoid the broad, bustling avenue, and she swore to never eat at the new noodle shop again, no matter how many rave reviews she heard.
She didn't seek him out.
And he didn't come to her.
The next week, dropping off the hospital reports, Sakura quietly scanned the assignment scroll. Naruto was back out on a mission. That confirmed it. He was avoiding her.
Tsunade must have seen the little frown of pain as she eyed the scroll.
"Is this about Naruto," Tsunade asked, pulling her attention away from the reports she and Shizune were going over.
Sakura looked up in surprise, her despair eclipsed for a moment by the spark of hope that perhaps he'd left a message for her.
But Tsunade snuffed it out.
"He said he got Sasuke's letter, if that's what you're worried about." Her tone was firm, pleased to deliver news that must allay what were surely Sakura's concerns. "Said he saw it a while back, but just forgot to mention it."
Sakura pressed her lips into a line. "Thanks. I didn't know. I, uh, haven't seen him in a while, so…."
Tsunade nodded once, but her attention had already returned to the scroll Shizune was holding. She murmured some soft instructions and Shizune nodded.
Sakura sensed this was an opportunity to escape, dignity intact. She realized talking about her feelings here would only make her look like foolish girl in front of her powerful mentor. Sakura bowed, and Tsunade dismissed her without looking up.
But walking out into the sunlight, with the weight of this knowledge on her, Sakura felt like it really was the end.
The end of her team. The end of her friendship.
She wrapped her arms around her waist, forcing the tears to wait, and turned toward home.
Over the days and weeks that followed, Sakura cycled through a variety of emotions. Sometimes she was angry, and she imagined she'd stake out his apartment and pounce on him when he returned, demanding he explain himself. Sometimes, if she was particularly steamed, she would change the scene to Konoha's gates, where she'd yell at him in front of everyone they knew, and they would support her by frowning disappointedly at him.
Sometimes she imagined writing a long letter to him, like Sasuke did, sliding it under his door and waiting for him to read it. But she didn't want to wait for him anymore. That felt like a prison sentence. She knew now that being in limbo was a terrible place to live.
Other times, she fretted she'd run into Naruto again, laughing with his new team and showing Hinata an extra bit of attention, and she'd have no where to run and hide. She'd just have to bear it.
Those thoughts twisted her stomach and brought tears to her eyes. Sakura wasn't a jealous type. But she'd never imagined seeing Naruto shower his affection on anyone else. It had always been only for her. Just like him. And losing it…well it was like the sun had gone behind the clouds. She couldn't think of her life without him. But maybe she'd have to.
It shouldn't be such a surprise, she told herself to ruthlessly stamp out her blossoming self-pity. He made it clear that snowy day that he wasn't interested in her, though she still couldn't believe it was because of someone else. But maybe he'd had feelings for Hinata all this time.
And though she could not keep herself from peeking at Tsunade's scroll— even as she silently counted down every day he was gone and regretted hoping through every day he was home — she never left another note on his door.
She wouldn't push him if he didn't want to be pushed.
And like Ino said, he knew the way to her house perfectly well.
But she knew it was inevitable that she'd see him again. At some point or on some mission.
And for all her painful daydreams of how it would go down, she settled on the course of action that had the least drama of them all.
Sakura decided that when the inevitable happened, when she saw him again she would do nothing. She would say nothing. Instead, she would just pick up as if there had never been any distance between them. They would behave like they always had. Teammates. Nothing more. Just as he had after her snowy confession. She'd just move on.
Author's Note:
Thanks so much for the reviews, faves and alerts! While writing this one, I was thinking about how painful high school/college/work environment breakups can be. Just having to see the same person and interact with them, acting like everything is the same when everything has changed. So I was channeling that into Sakura. Told ya this was going to be angsty! ;) Hope you like it! Please read and review!