Hello! I decided to upload this chapter today instead of last saturday as a little gift for all of you. Happy Valentine's! If you don't have a valentine of your own, then you can join me today and read tons of fanfiction of your otp. Who needs a significant other when you can fantasize about your favorite characters kissing?

Also, I promise Shika will make his appearance soon. In the mean time, enjoy my favorite scene of some sasusaku friendship here, because I'm a firm believer Sasuke isn't that much of an ass deep down

Enjoy!

v

The chair was shoved back from the table and she slapped a pencil on the bright cover of the crossword puzzle magazine. Alone in the break room, Sakura set her forehead on the tabletop and groaned in frustration, wishing for a strong cup of black coffee or for the opportunity to sip on some alcoholic sweet drinks. It was going to be a long day, she could feel it already. It was barely ten in the morning when two men she recognized from the gym arrived, both sporting a broken leg each and bruised in various spots of their body. A brunette had brought then, her teacher from the muay thai classes she took every other day, and Sakura had to wonder how the woman could keep up with two... Vivacious and... Loud men every day.

She had never had so many problems with people and their broken bones as she had today. Sakura had seen kids that patiently sat still waiting for her to finish the cast, and kids that cried but let her do her work, but these two were relentless and would not stop coming up with competitions, yelling as they passed each other on the wheelchair from the x-ray room to another. Tsunade had come around eventually to reprimand them, but their silence did not last for long. With a consenting nod from Tenten, both were sedated.

Afterwards, there was a rush of kids with food poisoning that she had to check. She had yet to eat lunch, but found herself without appetite. Sakura wanted nothing more than to go home and collapse on her bed so she could sleep after a warm shower. If Naruto invited her over for dinner she would go, but otherwise would forego that meal as well.

"Sakura-chan?" A groan was the only reply she gave to the nurse calling from the doorway. Sakura felt like she could fall asleep as she was and only wake up next week. "Tsunade-sama needs you on surgery room 3 on the east wing."

If there was one thing that could get Sakura up on her feet again despite being so exhausted, it was an order from Tsunade, direct or not. Before the nurse even registered it, the pink haired woman had already brushed past her, headed for the designated wing in a brisk pace. Sakura knew well what that meant. The surgery room was close to the maternity ward, so it was likely that she would have to assist her boss and a mother to bring a child into the world. It was not an activity in which she enrolled often. Caring for babies and children was under her jurisdiction, but the birth process was usually left in the care of other medics.

Tsunade herself rarely was the lead medic when that happened, choosing instead to focus on more serious cases in the ICU, so if she was readying to assist someone in childbirth, then this person was most likely important.

She heard the distressed noises of the woman and her husband coming from inside the room before she entered the next door. Tsunade had a disposable mask and apron on, both consisting of a thin, faded sea green fabric that surely was not flattering. She scrubbed her hands vigorously as Sakura hid all her blonde hair beneath an ugly cap of the same material before returning to the cabinet to retrieve the same items for her as well.

Tsunade led the way to the adjoining room where a woman was writhing on top of a bed and a man was firmly clasping her hands, most likely returning the same iron grip in hopes his bones would hurt less. A fellow nurse had prepped everything and nodded at both women to signify that, easily falling into step as Tsunade barked orders at them.

It was a bloody, loud process, and Sakura was so absorbed in it that she did not pay attention to anything else. She assisted the blonde in whatever possible and checked the machines, whilst the other nurse wiped off the mother's face and spoke encouraging words. Tsunade was being as loud as their patient, telling her to breathe or push in firm, commanding tones that could drive anyone to tears.

The woman let out an enraged, loud screech and turned her head to her husband. "Don't tell me to be calm, Asuma!"

Sakura halted in what she was doing at the moment at the name mentioned. Tsunade snatched the towel away from her hands and the shrill cry of the baby was engulfed by the white noise that rang in her ears. Her feet stumbled back, bloodied gloves hands gripping the edge of a small cabinet where they kept some supplies. Her vision tilted and swam and her balance threatened to give out. The other nurse whom now she recognized as Suki brought their boss's attention to her, as well as the parents', and soon she was being ushered to the cleaning room they had been prior to that.

Tsunade tossed her gloves into the bin and tugged the mask away from her subordinate's face, washed her hands quickly and touched her wet palms to her face. "Sakura?" She called loudly and splashed more water on her face.

The younger woman gasped and tried to regain control of her breathing, beads of water dripping down her face to the tiled floor. She was panicking. Asuma. Asuma and Kurenai were there.

Shikamaru. He could be here at any moment, and she would not be able to hide anymore.

"I need some fresh air."

Tsunade did not stop her as she bolted for the door and ran down the hallway until she reached the stairs, but she had a feeling she would find out what happened soon enough.

Sakura waited outside the hospital's front doors. Bottom lip caught between her teeth, her heart was threatening to burst out her chest thanks to her incredibly high levels of anxiety. It had been completely unprofessional of her to do what she had done, but at the time, she did not have much control of her body. Tsunade inquired later once she was calm enough, though Sakura had her suspicions that she already knew, and the lecture that followed that could have been much, much worse. Her boss informed that someone would be coming to escort her to her apartment, because she did not trust Sakura walking home alone when she was obviously troubled.

Many nurses had come to check on her later, and gratefully none of them asked what it was. Some were always prone to feel nauseous at the sight of so much blood, so Sakura used that in her favor and said that it was her turn to feel sickened. They seemed to buy that; the quirked brow Shizune gave her as she asked for her well-being meant that she was aware that was not the truth, but still did not know everything behind it. Someday she would explain, but not today.

The cool air of the evening was good on her skin and seemed to soothe some of her worries. If before she was looking forward for a shower and a long night of sleep, then now all she wanted to do was pass out and awake only when Kurenai had her leave. The baby was healthy, she was told and for that she was glad, but beneath the contentment she felt as a doctor, laid a selfish feeling that it meant her chances of running into any of them was slimmer. A prolonged stay would only increase the chances, and Tsunade let her know she would not be looking after Kurenai and her little girl given her personal reasons.

She sighed and checked her phone. It had been about five minutes since her shift ended and most of the people she knew left their jobs around this time. Sakura hoped her boss had called Kakashi; he would bring one or all of his dogs and they would cheer her up. Or Yamato; she found his presence comforting and his choice of songs that played on his radio would help a lot. If Naruto showed up, then she might just return to the building for a graveyard shift. Sai and Sasuke, well... She did not think Tsunade would contact any of them.

"Sakura." She cringed and looked up from her shoes into dark eyes. Fifteen minutes had passed and it was Sasuke who had come pick her up. Magnificent.

His unexpressive eyes studied her face and he motioned for them to begin walking. They did not speak, passing by a multitude of people on the sidewalk and evading those who chose to walk their dogs at that time of the day. The traffic was rather slow and some cars honked in a futile attempt to get the automobiles at the front to move. The sun was sinking, the grey sky a dull background to tall buildings of neutral colors. Dark clouds filled the space overhead indicating rain and they picked up their pace to escape it, to no avail.

The pitter-patter of water slowly morphed into a steady rain and they disappeared into a blessedly empty coffee shop on the corner of the street. The smell of food reminded her of how hungry she actually was and the warmth of the place, from the yellowish lights to the actual temperature, made her bones seem heavier. Sasuke guided her to a round table on the back and sat down without a word. Sakura cursed his elegance in doing a mundane thing like that and dropped on a chair across from him, immediately shoving her face into her hands.

She heard footsteps approaching before they quickly went away. Either Sasuke had shot the person a dirty look or they had assumed that they were a couple discussing their relationship. She weaved her hands through her hair and tilted her head back with an aggravated groan, then snatched the menu on the center of the table as if everything was just peachy.

"What happened?" He asked eventually, more precisely when the rain began to fall harder outside.

More people were entering the coffee shop then. Her green eyes racked over the food choices unseeingly. "I assisted in childbirth today."

Sasuke picked up the other menu left and looked at it with disinterest. "And how was it any different from the previous five or so?"

She took a while to answer, glad that his eyes had their focus on the printed words still. "Shikamaru's teacher was the father."

He did look up then when her voice cracked. Sakura dropped the menu and turned to stare out the large window to her right, the rushing people trying to find cover doing little to distract her. Something bumped her arm and she looked down to see him pushing the booklet in her direction, urging her to pick something to eat.

"You can't run anymore, Sakura."

"I can, watch me."

He gave her a dry look, not much different from his usual expression, or lack of thereof, and set his palm on the tabletop. "You can't and I mean it. You're waiting for it to pass, but you're not letting go. It's your chance to find some closure in whatever form it may be."

Sakura sat, stunned, mouth agape, fingers so lax she dropped what she had been holding. "You... Did you just give me relationship advice? Good relationship advice?"

The man across from her rolled his eyes and tried not to scowl. "You're so stubborn that I had to resort to that."

She snorted. "Yeah, right. Knowing you, you've probably been planning this line since that day in my apartment when you found out. And you know I'm most likely right."

"If you're right or not, it doesn't matter." His tone was flat and his eyes betrayed nothing. "You faced reality once, Sakura. You can do it again."

"But can I handle another rejection?" She did not mean it ill naturedly, and he saw that.

Their gazes held, steady. Sasuke broke it in favor of looking outside. "We know you're strong. And we know that you know it." He did not see as her eyes widened and glistened under the cozy lightning of the coffee shop. "If you can't handle it on your own, which we doubt, we'll be there for you, and you know that too."

Sakura tried to swallow past the lump in her throat and picked up the discarded booklet, opening on a random page and lifting it to block the view he had of her face. "Even Sai?"

He huffed and crossed his arms, face still turned away. "Even him. And Karin. She's been annoying me a lot lately asking about you. Told me to tell you to reach her if you need."

She let out a breathless chuckle and sniffed. Her nose was beginning to run and her eyes were impossibly wet. From beneath the booklet, she saw his hand sliding a handkerchief, his initials stitched in the corner in dark blue thread. Sakura picked it and dabbed at her eyes, still hidden behind the pages, letting the soft fabric soak her tears. Once she was mildly feeling like herself again, she lowered the menu and waited until he looked at her again. His gaze softened in the slightest before the display of emotion disappeared without leaving behind any trace. Sasuke motioned for a waiter and ordered for the both of them, knowing her tastes well enough by now.

Sakura gave him a grateful smile and pocketed the handkerchief. She truly had the best friends.

The maternity ward was like a forbidden place for her, not that Tsunade or Shizune had said she should not step foot there, but Sakura herself decided to avoid the place. She did not want to risk running into anyone there. She was sure it would only be a matter of time until Ino came to visit Kurenai and as much as she would like to catch up, Sakura was not ready to talk to any of them when the conversation could steer towards Shikamaru.

Sasuke was right, of course, that much she could admit, but it would take her a while to find enough courage to either face them or let go, and right now, she did not even know what path she should follow. Asking for opinions would not help much; she needed to reach a conclusion on her own.

The kids in the playroom cheered as she entered, and the lines that marred her face smoothed out until she was smiling brightly at them. She greeted each one individually and made small talk as they lined up to show her their drawings and things they had built with plastic blocks. Some asked for hugs or climbed onto her back for short piggyback rides. Her visits were brief and she was trying to clear up some time on her schedule to spend an hour with them reading stories or just playing.

The attention they were giving her diverted to the door when it opened again and some of them ran over to the newcomer. "Hinata-san." The dark haired woman smiled at the doctor and greeted the nurse that was always present in the playroom looking after the kids and checking their IVs. "It's so nice to see you again."

"Sakura-san." She greeted with a polite bow of her head and crouched to receive a group hug from the children. "I came to visit a friend and decided to come by."

"A friend?" Sakura detangled the arms wrapped around her neck and lowered the child to the ground, only to have another one take its place. "What happened?"

Hinata shook her head slightly and picked up a little girl and her small teddy bear in her arms. "She gave birth to her daughter, a sweet little girl called Mirai. I brought some flowers."

She nodded solemnly and chose not to delve into the topic. It seemed everyone knew each other, like the soap opera that played on the tv of the break room a few days back. Hinata knew Kurenai who was married to Asuma and thus knew the trio she met at the beach. The couple was friends with Kakashi that "knew" Yamato for a long time and introduced Sai to Naruto and Sakura, who was acquainted with the two men from the gym that were admitted into the hospital and later visited by Hinata's cousin. She was sure the other people she did not think of were somehow connected to them as well. It was a small world indeed.

Sakura ruffled the brown hair of a young boy sitting on a beanbag. "These kids need some joy in their daily lives here in the hospital. I'm sure they're happy that you come see them, Hinata-san."

The other woman flushed slightly. "It must be hard for them. If I can use my time to make it a little better, then I don't mind spending less time at home doing nothing productive."

She grinned slightly and began kissing goodbye each of the kids on the forehead. "I wish more people would have that mindset." Once she was done, she gave her a tight side hug. "That friend of yours... Kiba, was it? Please, tell him that I spoke to Tsunade-sama and she's willing to consider the idea of having therapy dogs."

Her pale eyes brightened up and a large smile appeared on her face. "That's wonderful, Sakura-san! His mother will like to hear the news. I'll be sure to tell them that as soon as I leave."

With another grateful hug, Sakura bid her goodbye and returned to her duties.