Sakura went to visit Naruto the following afternoon. She did the same the next afternoon, and the one after that. She made a point to bring him fresh flowers each time, and he seemed to appreciate it, though she could tell flowers held little interest for him. Still, it was a matter of principle for her. After checking on him and talking to him for a while, she would assume her duties as a medical ninja at the hospital.

If flowers were of a mild interest to him, Naruto made no secret about being interested in the Ichiruka Ramen take out that she had for him when came to see him for the fourth time.

"Waaaaaaah!" Naruto exclaimed as she pulled back the curtain to his room. "Sakura-chan you're the best!"

Sakura beamed.

"How are you feeling, Naruto? And don't get too excited, you're still paying for half of this."

Naruto waved her off. "Yeah, yeah. I'll pay you back when I can get back to my room." He inhaled deeply through the nose, taking in his favorite aroma. "Ooooh! It smells so good! I thought I was going to choke on this hospital food."

They began with the same idle chatter of the previous afternoons. Naruto prattled on about what nonsense his teacher, Jiraiya, was really up to, and then he began to brag about all the new training ideas he had for himself when he was healed. They discussed disturbing things like who the masked Akatsuki might be, and argued happier gossip like weather or not Shikamaru and Temari were an item. Naruto kept insisting they were, but Sakura would not believe such foolishness.

Neither of them made any mention of that night three days ago, and especially not Sakura's kiss. But the air in the room was different. It felt heavy and electrified, and even now Sakura was having a hard time not blushing every time she looked into those deep blue eyes. On the other hand, feeding Naruto ramen no longer felt strange at all. It felt normal, as if he had always needed her help with such a menial chore.

As he finished the last bite, and Sakura realized it would soon be time to help with the other patients, she remembered something she had meant to tell Naruto that day. Or maybe she had almost forgotten on purpose. In the end, Sakura decided that it would be selfish and unlike herself to keep such important information from Naruto.

"Oh! I have some good news," she told him as she got up to leave. "Hinata was moved to recovery today. You'll be able to go and see her soon if you like."

Naruto paused mid-swallow as he was slurping down the rest of the ramen broth and looked up at her with hopeful eyes.

"I'll be going to see her to aid with her treatment." Sakura continued. "If she's awake. I can pass on a message for you."

Naruto forced down the last hot swallow, looking thoughtful.

Part of Sakura still felt queasy about the simple friendly offer, but even though Sakura didn't quite understand it yet, she felt that understanding the relationshipbetween Hinata and Naruto would help reveal the truth about her own heart. As she stood there waiting for Naruto to think of something, which for him she knew might take a while, all the hard questions resurfaced in Sakura's mind.

Was Naruto right to fear her feelings for Sasuke? If she gave into her feelings for Naruto would he always just be the guy she had to "settle for"? If she loved Naruto, she would have to let go of her feelings for Sasuke once and for all. She owed Naruto that much, but could she really do it?

Part of her would always love Sasuke, of that much she was certain, but did letting go mean she was just one step away from giving up on him altogether? What kind of friend did that make her?

"Just tell her, thank you . . . for everything." Naruto said at last. "Oh, and that I knew she would pull through."

"I'll tell her." Sakura said. "See you soon, Naruto."

"Do your best, Sakura-chan!" Naruto cheered. "You'll have us all fixed up in no time!"

Sakura gave him her most heartfelt smile as she left the room and made her way down the sunlit corridors to Hinata's room.

Hinata's room had a door instead of a curtain, and was kept completely sterile. Anyone going in had to have a covered mask and rubber gloves on at all times. Sakura pulled a fresh set of gloves and a mask from a box in the antechamber and fixed her hair in a tight bun before placing a white hood over it. As she entered, a nurse clad in white coverall was just finishing changing out Hinata's I.V. drip. Sakura gathered up a stethoscope from a cabinet and Hinata's chart from the end of her bed. She glanced through the chart as the nurse checked to make sure everything was secure, and then turned to leave. The young man gave Sakura a slight bow as he left, then hurried off to his other duties.

Hinata was awake, but she made no indication that she was aware of Sakura's presence. She merely stared weakly at the ceiling, her snow white eyes half closed as if searching for flaws in the smooth white surface, her jet black hair spilled wildly over two pillows.

"Hello, Hinata." Sakura said as she came to Hinata's and slid the earpieces of a her stethoscope into place. "How are you feeling today?"

Hinata turned and smiled thinly, and the small action was clearly taxing on her fellow Kunoichi. A quick check of Hinata's vitals and the sound of her labored breathing told Sakura everything she needed to know.

"S-Sakura-san," Hinata whispered with some difficulty. "I've been better."

Sakura nodded at the obvious understatement.

"You have some scaring forming internally from the result of your wounds and the surgeries. I'll be attempting to clear some of that up some this afternoon. It will allow you to breathe easier and hopefully get a good night's sleep tonight."

Hinata nodded her understanding.

"This is going to take a while," Sakura warned, "But it will only be slightly uncomfortable. Can I get you anything?"

Hinata shook her head.

"Then let's begin."

Hinata had been stabbed with a kunai cleanly through the abdomen. The weapon had pierced intestine, ruptured the spleen and caused abrasive damage to other organs. The weapon had cut almost completely through, but even worse, it had burned her on the way through. Five surgeries complete with a full regeneration ritual involving a lock of her own hair had been necessary to repair most of the damage. Now Sakura set about the difficult task of coaxing her organs to heal quickly and safely without further scaring. That meant getting the blood to move, platelets to stick, and not letting anything clot too much. It also meant Sakura would have to fight infection off with her own chakra, as a high white blood cell count in the area's needing healing would complicate the process.

Sakura slid the bottom end of Hinata's off-white hospital gown up slowly to reveal her bare belly and fresh stitches. Placing her hands there, Sakura began the treatment.

"By the way," Sakura said as chakra began flowing through her hands into Hinata. She was suddenly grateful for the mask that partially hid her expressions. Perhaps Kakashi Sensei was on to something. "I just came from visiting with Naruto. He says he wanted to tell you thank you, for everything, and that he never doubted you would survive."

Hinata's eyes flickered, and her tired stare suddenly came to life, if only for a moment.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata whispered. "So he . . . won?"

"No." Sakura said simply, and left it at that. Hinata did not pry any further.

Sakura's hands had glowed with blue-green healing light for half an hour when Sakura, having never denied being the talkative type, just couldn't stand the silence any longer. Every now and again Hinata would grimace and make a small noise like a whimpering puppy, but the lack of anyone to talk to was driving Sakura crazy. Plus, there was so many things she wanted to ask Hinata, but didn't know how. Naruto had obviously told her what Hinata had said during the battle in confidence. It wouldn't do to casually say, "So . . . Naruto says you love him, that true?"

"Hinata," Sakura said at last. "Is something wrong? You look . . . troubled."

Hinata looked at Sakura as if she had just entered the room, her chin actually lifting her head up off the pillow for a moment. When Hinata relaxed again she looked thoughtful, but still distant.

"It . . .that is I . . ." Hinata stammered and steepled her index fingers together nervously. "Its nothing really."

"Hey," Sakura encouraged. "Woman to woman. I promise I'll understand."

Sakura thought she saw Hinata try and smile.

"I . . .I didn't expect to live through this injury." admitted Hinata.

Sakura felt her brow furrow. "And that troubles you?"

"No!" Hinata squeaked. "Well, yes, actually . . . but . . . well its just that . . ."

Hinata couldn't seem to finish what she was thinking, and even an encouraging smile from Sakura only seemed to make her bury whatever she was going to say deep down. The dark haired girl closed her eyes as if exhausted by her own thoughts. Sakura knew she should just leave it alone at that point, but the questions of her heart were burning in her now like a wildfire out of control, and so she tried another tactic.

"Naruto would have been devastated if you had died." Sakura said. "You should have seen him after you were, you know, hurt. I've never seen him fight with such intensity."

Hinata gasped. She tried to sit up a little, but the pain drove her back down.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata breathed. "He, he really was? Sakura-san, you really think so?"

"I know so." said Sakura.

Hinata sat quietly for a moment, a small smile creeping onto her face,

"Sakura-san," Hinata said after a moment. Her voice was crisper, and color was rapidly returning to her face. "Can we raise the bed up a little, so I can sit up?"

"Sure." Sakura said with a smile. "But not too much, I've still got a little bit of work left."

"Thank you," Hinata said as Sakura finished making the adjustments with a button on the side of the bed. The heir to the Hyuuga clan's main family considered Sakura with eyes so white that they appeared pupil-less. After a moment the eyes flickered with . . . trust?

"Sakura-san," Hinata began. "The truth is I was terrified because . . . because I didn't expect to see him again. Now he knows what I told him and . . ."

"By "him" you mean, Naruto" Sakura interjected.

Hinata nodded and took as deep a breath as her injuries would allow.

"Sakura-san, I've seen the way he looks at you and . . . and . . . how can you stand it? Sometimes I think I would give anything for him to look at me that way, but . . . but I am also terrified of it!"

It was Sakura's turn to be taken aback. She licked her lips, not knowing what to say, and was again thankful for the mask. She couldn't even meet Hinata's desperate gaze, and lowered her eyes as if in thought. But Hinata didn't stop. Her words poured out of her like a dam that had burst, and Sakura realized she'd been needing to tell someone this for a very long time, but was scared to find someone to listen.

"I . . . I've loved him all my life, admired him, believed in him. He's suffered so much, you know. Nobody seems to realize that . . . but . . . but . . ."

"But he never gives up on his dreams, no matter what." Sakura finished for Hinata, who was on the verge of tears. And it was in that moment, that at last Sakura understood. She and Hinata were the same. Both of them had loved someone they placed on a pedestal. So high was their place that they seemed untouchable. They both hoped, hurt, and wrestled with their feelings as they tried to figure out how to get the attention of the one's they loved.

Words began to march out Sakura, sounding at first like simple advise for her comrade. Yet, they resonated from somewhere deep within Sakura's own soul, and she realized she was lecturing herself at the same time.

"Hinata, you can only love for the sake of love for so long, before it begins to eat at you. You can't hide it, but can't force it either. You have to make a stand somewhere." Sakura paused, and as she met Hinata's eyes again she realized her comrade was listening intently. But Sakura had only just gotten through the easy part.

"And we're ninja. Ninja adapt. Once you make your stand if love fails you, you have to move on. You have to read underneath the underneath, and not let yourself be consumed by your own passion. That doesn't mean your love has to stop, but . . ." now Sakura felt her eyes fill to the brim as well, "but you have to find love that will be returned. Our business is too dangerous, the chances that we will die in battle too high to be waiting around for something to happen. Telling Naruto what you feel had to be done, but don't get stuck there."

Hinata smiled broadly, showing teeth for the first time that Sakura had ever seen since she'd known her. The girl had taken the words to heart.

"Well then," said Hinata. "It seems we're rivals."

"Right." Sakura said with a small laugh. "I won't go easy on you though, and I think I may have a bit of a lead."

"That's alright," Hinata said. "I'm not going to lose, either. But . . ."

Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Do you think there exists anyone else in the world like Naruto?"

Sakura considered for a moment, touching a gloved finger to her chin. Then she smiled broadly enough that it almost popped out the sides of her mask.

"I know there is!" Sakura giggled. "But just like I did with Naruto you'll have to wait for him to grow up a little bit."

Hinata's white eyes actually twinkled. "You don't mean . . .?"

Sakura nodded. "Konohamaru."

"Thank you so much, Sakura-san" Hinata said, giggling.

"No, Hinata," said Sakura. "Thank you."

The healing session complete, Sakura left the room feeling free. Free from a burden carried to long, Sakura felt like she could float. She felt like skipping, singing, anything to let the world know how happy she felt. She couldn't wait to fling herself on Naruto, ask him out for a change. She could love him with all her heart now.

She wouldn't be giving up on Sasuke either, simply adapting, and she knew that when they got Sasuke back, her biggest hardship would be to explain how she had fallen in love with the future Hokage, and hope Sasuke wouldn't be too hurt by it.

Suddenly there was an agonizing scream from down the hall that curdled Sakura's blood. A cold feeling started to gnaw at the pit of her stomach as Sakura remembered just who it was she had fallen in love with. She sensed that horrible chakra, and as Naruto screamed again Sakura could hear the horrible howl of the Kyuubi behind his voice. It was coming from the courtyard.

"This is bad!" Sakura said to herself as she sprinted down the hallway.