Author's Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. Welcome to chapter two. xD I'm surprised I'm actually sticking with something for once. I took ifItwasnt4KakashiIwouldLoveYou's advice and fixed the spacing on chapter one, as well as worked the suggestion into chapter two. So hopefully this is easier to read x3 !!!!

I love your support and insight, it has helped me to continue to write chapter two. I'm still a college student but I will try to make an update at least weekly giving me time to edit and complete long chapters for your reading pleasure :3 This chapter is primarily Sakura's POV, but will alternate between the two.

Hurrah for OOC/Made-up Genma. 8D

Chapter rating: Safe. Ox

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Sakura awoke much like she always did, early, and slowly. She was never one to appreciate the early hours of dawn, and contrary to her hyperactive teammate she did not wake up refreshed and ready to combat the day. If at all possible she felt even less ready to combat the day. Dragging her stiff body from her bed she gave a great yawn before going through the motions of getting ready for work. Bread was in the toaster, a glass of milk she would likely fail to finish was sitting there prepared for consumption. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was aware of her declining health since the night prior at the noodle shop with her former Sensei.

She had done her best to cover every cough and to finish every noodle in her bowl no matter how ill the contents made her feel. She hadn't wanted it, but it was close and she had been too tired to cook for herself. Today was likely to be a little slower; she thought almost optimistically, how could it get any busier? Sakura was sadly mistaken when she walked into the waiting room that, if at all possible, was even fuller than yesterday. Fevers were peaking and the academy had been shut down until further notice. This was an epidemic. No doubt pamphlets were already being distributed to families across the village on how to combat this. Guards were sent out on any mission possible to keep themselves healthy.

She had a meeting with Tsunade that afternoon; instructions were neatly scrawled on a note in her locker requesting a meeting in her office. She wondered if it was about their issue with overcrowding in the hospital. Tugging a hand through her rough bed head and washing her face, Sakura left the hospital and took off in quick strides towards the Hokage's office. It was a short ways but she found that her energy was considerably drained. She met with Tsunade face to face, with the entire office between them of course. The older woman was wrapped in a heated blanket holding a mound of tissues to her nose. Tonelessly Sakura listed off all the available information she had on the symptoms, the way they were treating it, and how big of a threat it was. They silently agreed that it would probably be best to quarantine the village, but there was no good way of doing so without calling attention onto themselves.

"If our enemies knew we were this weak it wouldn't take long for them to-to-t'atchu!"

"I understand Shishou that would not be a wise decision. The Academy is already down until it has run its course. It has easily attacked children, but affects adults and younger adults of age 15 to 40 slowly, but with lasting damage. I'm suspecting that it may have something to do with chakra"

"So you're saying what? That it's attacking shinobi?"

"A little bit harder, maybe, we all know a cold can hinder a mission, but that young ANBU, we broke his leg with little effort, he was severely weakened and not just his body. It felt like…A leak, or a cap. But it's just an assumption; I haven't had the chance to completely examine him."

Tsunade looked severe for a moment, releasing her nose and allowing her hand to fall to the table. She'd been incapacitated nearly a week now, fighting it off with strong sake and every attempt to cure a cold that the village had. They tried everything from herbal supplements to superstitious nonsense, even gambling; Though Sakura had a feeling that was just a lie. Realization hit the pair moments later, followed by a few choice curses from the older woman. Her fist smacked the desk scattering scrolls and tissues onto the floor spilling into a bigger mess. Shizune entered with a cloth around her nose at the sound, looking for the source expecting Tsunade's pet to be the cause of the entire ruckus while holding a scroll in hand. Instead she was met by the fierce glare of her Shishou, shrinking back into the wall with Sakura.

"Those fools, it must have been a trap. Knowing they would return to the village they first infected my men knowing it would then in return infect the village! It's brilliant, but dangerous. Shizune I want you to send word to any healthy jonin out on missions to stay away. I don't care what they do, they can go sunbath in Suna for all I care but they cannot come back."

"Tell them to send word with the messenger where they will be staying, and to expect to be called on at any moment and to be aware that this is not by any means a vacation."

Then why did you bring up sunbathing in Suna? Sakura murmured to herself. Before Shizune slid out the door she relayed the scroll she was holding and a whispered mission. Tsunade visibly stiffened before murmuring "Send him in" Moments later a haggard looking Kakashi came into view, raising his hand with a cheerful "Yo." That did not fit his still run down appearance. From her corner she watched as he handed over his report that was savagely stripped from his grip and eyed carefully. Tsunade asked many questions, particularly about the village they stopped in. Kakashi said there hadn't been anything out of the ordinary. The village had been aware they were ill and attempted to 'keep their germs to themselves'. It seemed legit, and yet the questions kept coming until Kakashi, out of patience, fell into an ever deeper slouch.

"Listen, my most esteemed godaime," Sakura could have sworn Tsunade had 'ch'ed'

"I know the situation was bad, but we never intended to bring you back anything than the mission objective."

"I know that you imbecile, but because of the observations of my apprentice here, we think it might have been a personal attack." Before Kakashi could ask Tsunade went into their joint hypothesis, which would hopefully turn into paranoia in the next few days. At the finish she waited for Kakashi's input.

"It's possible others could have passed through, we didn't ask any questions, and we thought it was a simple bout of the flu or a cold. The village was very convenient from where we were…Tsunade." He suddenly looked quite serious.

"I am well and prepared for another mission. Please, if you will, allow me to take my team back out to that village to gather information."

"Absolutely not!" Sakura rang out, pushing herself into standing. She walked forward looked alarmed.

"Not only is Haruki still ill, we are not sure if this disease is only affecting your body, or your body and your channels. We don't know what this is or how it could harm you."

"Sakura."

"You could be putting you and your teammates in danger by doing this without allowing us to check you out, not to mention the village. If you…"

"Sakura!"

"I'm your attending physician and I prohibit you from going on missions and will be, as soon as I step out this door, filing to take you from active duty until further notice!"

Kakashi's frame visibly stiffened, his strained muscles clenching and unclenching. He was enraged, how dare she overstep her boundaries like that? She had no right to do such a thing; he did not have the confidence to say she couldn't, however, by the calculating look in Tsunade's eyes, he knew she could.

"I agree with Sakura, Kakashi I'll be personally removing you and your team from active duty until we get this straightened out. Sakura, I want you to study this like your job depended on it. And incidentally, it does. And in the future please leave the decisions and threats to me, if you will. The both of you are dismissed."

Walking out the door the two competed for the fastest storm-out in record. Neck and neck both incensed, Sakura for being threatened and argued against, Kakashi for being held back and unable to rectify his own careless mistake. He barely registered the woman's voice beside him above their sandals hitting the hard hallway.

"Looks like you owe me a weeks worth of—"

"I don't owe you a thing, Sakura."

He hissed through clenched teeth. This thing, this woman, just ruined every chance he had to remedy the biggest mistake he'd made in his career. They could have done without the extra food; the extra time they had could have been spent training, or relaxing, not wandering into a neutral village in search of a few unnecessary packets of dried foodstuffs. He could kick himself; unfortunately Sakura was already unintentionally doing so for him. When the bright rays of sun blinded him for a fraction of a second she was already gone; using the rooftops to get to the hospital quickly. And good riddance, he thought savagely, kicking a full sized rock into the street. Perhaps he would work on this pent up energy with Naruto in a friendly sparing match. It'd been a while since he'd kicked some sense into the poor kid. With his destination in mind he disappeared in a puff of dry smoke.

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Sakura's remaining shift consisted of medicine distribution as well as pamphlet folding when she wasn't doing anything particularly taxing or when her coworkers found she needed a break. The orange and black leaflets reminded her of Naruto and that blinding suit he used to insist on wearing. She wondered idly how he was doing and if he was showing any sign of illness yet. He had been near the hospital almost daily when Kakashi had come through, constantly asking if he was alright. She had to admit she had been worried at the time too. His fever had been spectacular when it peaked; she'd spent the entire night trying to bring it down. But fever or not there were still the other symptoms, plus numerous other overlooked things such as chakra levels. Reaching to her left for a mug of warm water with lemon she popped a few cold tablets she had been neglecting over her work. Several charts lay out in front of her; a crash course in human anatomy. She marked off where possible leaks or poisoning could have taken place, writing herself notes between folding the pamphlets.

She was still upset with her former sensei, but by sunset she had forgotten her anger and instead vouched to assist in the folding of pamphlets to ease the time. She was tired and the hospital was calming down enough that they had no need for her outstanding abilities.

Every hour a nurse came to check on her progress and by the seventh hour she came in to find a sleeping Sakura facing the ceiling in her chair, a half folded paper in her hands. Her notes, tedious and dark against the plain white map blended with the changing light, the faint orange and red hue of twilight casting rectangular shadows across her body and desk. She was pushed forward with a blanket draped over her shoulders; the nurse knowing full well that no matter how hard she pushed Haruno would never leave the hospital if there was work to be done. She had been working so hard this last week caring for all the patients as well as the few that trickled in with mission related injury. The woman was exhausted and deserved a nap, and in her personal opinion, a weeks vacation somewhere nice.

The night passed in a relatively easy manner, the staff was slowly getting used to the idea of treating one disease and sticking to a predictable course of action. Every once in a while they were interrupted, but with those who were on duty ceasing to cross into the village their work was a lot easier.

Around nine, however, they had a crisis on their hands. Sakura was awoken with a start as a nurse hammered on her door. A young child of around five years of age refused to wake, heavy with fever, and was crashing just down the hall. In a flurry of papers and blankets Sakura broke into a run. Her eyes were blurry and pained, and it hand nothing to do with her pounding headache.

One hour, a pile of cooling cloths, and one exhausted team later, the attending looked to the clock ticking on the wall. The minute seemed to be stuck on the second like the final morbid swing of a life's pendulum. It had been their first loss to the illness and to a child no less. It was devastating, but Sakura learned long ago to never cry over a life lost. That is, until she was in the safety of her own living room. Lifting the sheet to rest over the little boy's face she fell back a step, correcting her stumbling to stride largely from the room.

A hand fell on her shoulder from behind, startling her into dropping her clipboard.

"Sakura, go home. We have enough to worry about with the patients. We don't need one our finest medics to worry about too. Go home, get better, and then you can come back. There will be plenty of pain and suffering for you when you return." And to finalize this, the older gentle man gave her a polite shove towards the entrance.

She merely smiled at the kind gesture before brushing the hand from her shoulder, "I'm fine I can assure you, I just woke up so I'm a little groggy, and that's all."

He looked down at her through a veil of dark hair, his handsome stoicism boring into her. Shohei was known for being quite the lady-killer, finding more pleasure and excitement in his job than he ever did in the bed of a woman. Granted, she had gotten over her school girl crush ages ago, but that look always did wondrous things to her. She could not resist his subtle charm or his soothing presence. Even though she knew he was only telling her this because of the job Sakura couldn't help but will herself into believing he actually cared.

"Don't fool yourself. You look like shit." He blatantly murmured, his deep monotone voice filling the otherwise quiet corridor, reminding her exactly where she was. Sakura could not concur, but if she looked at all how she felt she was certain his judgment was correct. Unable to get out of this without arguing she merely nodded before promising to head home for the night to get some sleep, and to 'see how she felt in the morning.' Shohei, apparently mollified, merely nodded and strode off in the other direction.

Sakura slipped back into her office and closed the door. Shrugging into her jacket while looking out the window she brushed her hands down the front of vest. She wondered what time it was and if Ino was awake. The woman was the only person she knew she could go to at any time. But she was married now; it was harder to catch her alone. She took a side long glance to her desk in the dark to view the wedding picture that sat in its still iron frame. Chouji looked handsome in his non-descript formal attire standing sheepishly next to his ecstatic bride.

At the time Sakura had found it maddening. 'Why Chouji?' she had asked the bachelorette one afternoon at the hospital. Ino had stated that while she found both her men to be annoying beyond belief, Chouji's quirks were endearing and that he cared more about her than her one night stands and failed romances. He was more than just a body on a barstool. She was horrible, Sakura had to admit, leading the poor man along for months before agreeing [after realizing that 'he really does care for me' to be with him.

And even while they were still dating it was acceptable to spend the night on her couch talking till the sun came up. However it was different now, they still saw each other plenty, but Sakura couldn't help but feel as though she was losing her best friend. Deciding instead to just head home and eat whatever the hell she wanted she escaped easily down the halls, lingering near nurse stations and rooms hoping someone would request her attention. Sadly she made it through the doors and into the streets with no less than five goodnights and one medical cart rammed into her side. Rubbing her sore hip she descended the steps and towards home, attributing her depression and newly damp eyes to her health and recent events.

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Kakashi stared straight ahead stone faced while watching Genma drink his weight in Sake. The elite shinobi looked a little biffed to say the least while swirling his drink. Kakashi himself rarely drank; even with his friends he had enough to be polite, but never enough to leave him vulnerable like his dear friends. Tonight was different; tonight he planned on drinking till those hazy lights danced and his inhibitions thrown out the door. He was already on his second cup when Genma retracted his hand from around the bottle neck before leaning heavily into the table to talk easily across the space between them.

Somehow this was more different than he had anticipated. He had been meaning to find more than one person to drink with. With a crowd it was easy to get away with wayward behavior, but with just one Kakashi found himself under the microscope.

"So, why the sudden desire to share a drink huh? You're more frigid than Kurenai"

Well if it hadn't been apparent Genma was out of his mind drunk, it was now. What a horrible quip. With a humorous half smile he glanced cheerfully at the man across from him.

"I just missed you is all."

Genma looked perturbed for a moment as though he were debating whether or not Kakashi was just joking. It took a moment or two before he retracted his body from the table and leaned back into the booth. Indeed this would have been a better idea if there were more people to join him. The way this was going he'd be the one to escort Genma home, not the other way around. He must've been nuts to stay to endure one of his drunken pep talks.

"I know that look." He slurred sleepily, an understanding smile gripping his lips.

"That's nothing a foreign bed and warm body wouldn't cure." Ah, so it was one of those nights was it?

Kakashi had listened to the same advice only months ago from the same man, only not as drunk, and not so serious. And instead of sounding moderately poetic he had simply stated 'you need to get laid' in a joking fashion.

It was rare for Genma to look so serious and be drunk at the same time. With a hesitant sip Kakashi set his drink down with a defeated sigh. His single hooded eye looked back at him from the reflection in his sake. He distorted the image until it looked as though he were using his Mangekyou Sharingan. He wished he could use it on either one of them, anything to get away.

One night stands may be alright for someone of Genma's caliber, and surely was for the late Jiraiya, but there was too much guilt that followed the act that Kakashi adamantly refused to face. Besides, it had been years since he'd been infatuated with anyone and even then that lasted a week at best. Not to say he hadn't had his one night stands, he had, like others, taken solace in the arms of a woman somehow after war or particularly horrific missions. It was worth it at the time even if you did have to sneak away or forcibly remove the female from your quarters.

Kurenai had been both blessed and cursed to be in such a strong relationship with an equal, but Asuma's death only proved to him that it was useless to get romantically involved, even if others disagreed with him on this fact. ["There's nothing to be ashamed of in youth and love my friend!" Suddenly intrigued by his shift in attention (now somewhere over his shoulder) Kakashi shifted in his seat to too stare at what he found so fascinating, seeing it as an opportunity to tease his dear friend into taking action to leave him in peace. After all there was no polite way to leave in such a situation, regardless; he'd do anything he could to not have to walk him home.

At first he thought Genma had been staring at the bartender, a giant of a man who could give the Akimichi family a run for their money. He did a double take however when he noticed just who the man was talking to. A girl dwarfed in comparison, with hair a unique shade of pink. That wasn't his Sakura was it? Looking positively hung over and pale? Genma beside him squinted, Senbon bobbing up and down in thought.

Just wonderful, the one thing he had been trying his best to get away from. She had a lot of nerve, he had to admit, but he couldn't help by soften his gaze a bit. A part of him wanted to completely ignore her, unfortunately for him though Genma, deciding it was indeed his former student sitting at the bar, raised his arm over the table (Kakashi quickly maneuvered to miss a bottle of sake tipping over, luckily it had been empty.) The loud mouthed man shouted out loudly over the quiet hum of the room.

"Oi Sakura!"

The girl in question turned at being called, reaching dumbly for a glass of clear liquid just placed before her .With a palm raised she waved, looking both slightly miffed and a little confused at who was calling her. Was this opportunity? Kakashi didn't know. He didn't trust Genma to walk Sakura home, but he also didn't trust Sakura to make it a block out without collapsing. She looked terrible, and what was she drinking? He hoped it was water. His mind was still unmade, still seething from their earlier argument in the Hokage's office. Hesitating for a fraction of a second he eventually lifted himself seamlessly from the booth to slide easily next to her on the nearest stool. With a loss for words he resumed his laid back attitude from the other night at the noodle stand, if not a little more like Sai than he had planned.

"You know, Sakura-san, if you're sick you should go home, not sit in strange bars drinking."

The annoyed kunoichi slammed down the now semi-empty glass with enough force to create a hairline crack along the bottom that danced excitedly to the brim. The odorless cool spray that resulted told him he was wrong in his assumption that it had been alcohol. She gave him a long hard look, her pale skin flushing slightly in anger.

"It's not alcohol. I am heading home. And it's raining."

It was raining? Kakashi ventured a look out the grimy window behind Sakura. It was too dark to tell. He did notice, however, that her coat was speckled along the shoulders. But ah, she was still talking; he could feel his forced smile wilting with every sharp annunciation of her words. He suddenly remembered why he learned to tune the woman she took after out.

"And unlike some ninja I recognize when I've had it and don't go collapsing in the middle of the street at four in the morning."

The quip clearly directed at him caused a shadow of a grin to collect at the corner of his exposed eye. Somehow her misery made him less angry than he had been, as though her pain and suffering were payment for removing him from active duty. Somewhere in the back of his mind, logically, he knew that Tsunade would have done the exact same thing regardless of Sakura's intervention. But the way she had bossed him around back at the office, it had been humiliating. She was a full 14 years younger than himself, his former student, where had the respect gone?

"And just because you're on vacation doesn't mean you can go out drinking, Sensei. We need to examine you y--"

He stopped her with a palm, his fingers easily moving beneath her own to take away the glass before it shattered in her ungodly grip. She relinquished it reluctantly before allowing her hands to fall limply in her lap where they picked at her own nails. When he removed his hand he looked at her sullen state, it was depressing, but more than that, he knew it was dangerous, especially for a medic ninja like herself. With a roll of his eye he inwardly sighed, knowing what he was about to sacrifice. Sakura was the lesser of two evils; Genma would just have to stumble on his own way home tonight.

"Sakura, you're sick, I'll take you home. Least I can do, hm?"

Sakura nodded, holding her head in her hand while simultaneously searching for pills in her side pocket. Shocked by how quickly she accepted his offer he maneuvered back to his table to pay up and tell Genma he was leaving early. He flung a few coins down, the clatter masking his friend's choke when he told him where he was going. Genma took a moment to stare at his friend incredulously. His Senbon dangled on his lower lip, brow creased in what looked to be mild alarm and…disgust? He took another moment to look at the bar and Sakura in her current state, and then back to Kakashi.

"But…She's your former student."

Kakashi's face fell, struggling to neither laugh nor cry. He could see where his friend was going with this, but it was no less embarrassing or wrong. Pinching the bridge of his nose he fell into a low slouch, hand in his left pocket. A low sigh broke the awkward silence before Genma could continue on with a speech he was no doubt forming in his alcohol soaked mind. Kakashi reached through the haze and over to press Genma's hand back down and keeping it there, as though it would bounce back up to meet his lips if he hadn't.

"She's very sick; I think she's caught what the whole village has. Stop drinking, you have to make it home on your own tonight." He murmured to his friend.

Not even pausing at the bar to shake the kunoichi he stopped at the door to call over his shoulder, waiting until he felt her presence at his arm. With every step he could feel the brush of her coat, the search of her hands, and the grip on his sleeve, until her full weight fell into his side. They weren't even halfway down the block and already she was shutting down, points for him who saw it happening. Slightly bemused, but no less worried, he waited for her to gather herself back up again. When she didn't Kakashi bent at the knees to scoop her easily into his arms bridal style. Her dead weight reminded him of the Chunin exams. He shook the useless lump once, then twice, asking where she lived. When she didn't answer he contemplated just dropping her off at the hospital, or just plain dropping her.

The rain was slowly starting to gain in speed, leaving damp streaks across his face that traveled in rivulets across his lips and chin. There was no time to wait for sleeping beauty to wake up, he had to take them somewhere dry, preferably some place that would take care of her. And so, without any fuss from the figure in his arms, he set out for the hospital across roof tops despite knowing it would only make them wetter. When the large building came into view the mass in his arms began to wriggle away from the apparently offending place, or his wet vest, he couldn't really tell. Kakashi couldn't blame her, he didn't like it either. How she could stand to work in such a place dumbfounded him.

"No." She gasped "They won't let me leave."

Kakashi laughed at her desperation, but he stopped when she glared up at him seriously. Hunched over to protect his patient from the rain he began to ascend the steps. While wondering how much power she had in that punch of hers at the moment (in relation to Tsunade's joint hypothesis on chakra eating virus) he was rewarded with a swing of her arm and fist up into his face. He was knocked unbalanced for a brief moment, his surprised gaze forced upwards. It would have been amusing if it had ended there; instead she reeled back for another go at it. He was lucky dodge the second blow and took a step down. He regarded her solemnly with his lone eye.

"Alright, alright, Understood; then I'll take you home." Little brat, he chuckled. "Where do you live?" Kakashi asked, looking down at her with complete exasperation. All he wanted was to go home and change his sodden clothes; his visit with Genma and his walk in the rain had done nothing but annoyed him.

Looking pacified a small smile graced the sickly woman's face, emerald eyes closing slowly on sleep.

"East…Distri….Ap….floor…" And then the metaphoric curtains closed, her breath washed clean from her lungs, chest rising and falling gently while her head lolled softly against his shoulder. He shook her again, harshly, cursing the young medic under his breath. If only he knew where Ino lived then he would have taken her there. He couldn't take her to Naruto's; that afternoon he found out that the Kyubi had fallen ill as well and could scarcely take care of him self. He considered the hospital for a long while knowing he would pay for it when she got better. They would offer her far better care and support, but was it worth arguing about later? Their relationship was already strained and full of holes. He didn't want it to end over something as silly as a hospital visit. But then again, why should he care? Why did he care? He did though, he cared about never hearing the joy in her voice when she greeted him, or the way she fussed over his health like she did Naruto's, that little tear in her eye when she tells him to slow down before beating back his apathy while telling him it isn't funny.

Her smile he would surely miss, he reflected, starting to head back to his apartment. He would miss the light hearted mutual teasing. He shifted the woman in his arms firmly to take a shortcut. Her smell, clean and feminine, cruelly interrupted by the fowl stench of the hospital he would miss. He stopped with a tap at his building, climbing the stairwell sideways to accommodate Sakura, still nestled snuggly against his chest to protect from the yet chilled air and rain. How warm she is, he thought, fever? He couldn't tell. It was comfortable, and she looked so vulnerable, not at all in her twenties. With a delicate shove he stood in his open doorway, moonlight pouring in over his bed as he laid his charge over the covers.

As an objective observer, he would have had to say she grew into a fine woman. Despite her pained expression and fevered flesh she looked pretty as a woman should. Stone faced as always he rubbed the back of his head slowly, unsure of what to do with her. What would she need when she woke up? Would she be alive enough to tell him where her own apartment was? Perhaps he could just call—But no, what would they think? 'Troublesome'came to mind. Drawing her easily under the covers he remarked how smooth her skin was, and how her hair fell through his fingers like wet silk. And then, a voice flit through his mind, light beats against his brain like wings. Surreal.

"But…She's your former Student."

Kakashi stiffened against the memory of Genma's words just spoken minutes ago. He retracted his hands quickly, placing them safely into his damp pockets. Ah, this is wrong. He prayed to the yondaime that it was just the alcohol, but deep down he knew he hadn't even had enough to make the legendary drunken fist Rock Lee break a sweat.

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Ahh done. 3

Wondering if I jumped the gun here too soon, really wanted to finish this before the weekend as I'm having a birthday this Sunday. So I'll be submitting this early for you. I hope you like it, was a little rushed, but usual clichéd plot devices aside it isn't too bad. What is it with the compulsion to write in a bar scene? It's obligatory I tell you.

Thanks again for your favorites and comments, it's really helping.

Tried to not make Genma as lude as I had in the first chapter.

And in other news I'm almost to chapter 310 in the manga! D: Hurrah. I'm actually reading it now. And I'm glad I have, I'm more familiar with the characters. Even if my Sakura is a little OOC, thank you for bearing with me on this one. – 3- You guys are the best. –Hearts.-

And omg long chapter. Dx I thought about splitting it up but there was no correct place to do so.