Chapter III: How Do I Love Thee?

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of Being and ideal Grace

I love thee to the level of everyday's

Most quiet need, by sun and candle light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints-I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life!- and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

How Do I Love Thee?

By Elisabeth Barrett Browning

Drugs were a funny thing, Sakura concluded the next morning as harsh sunlight heralded the beginning of another day.

Buried underneath several sheets and comforters, the only thing that could be seen of the pinkette were a few strands of strawberry colored locks, and one green eye staring with a baleful glare at the window. Sakura's entire body felt sluggish and unwilling to move even the slightest inch out of bed. The unfortunate thing was she felt no inclination, whatsoever, to leave the warm, safe, confines of her bed.

Reminding herself that the bills did not pay themselves, Sakura slowly began to inch towards the edge of her bed. She did not get very far. Sakura's memory of the previous night hit her with the full force of a Rasengan. She was almost certain she had seen a yellow flash outside her window last night.

The look on her face must have been one of abject terror.

No…oh no, not this again, she couldn't be losing it again, she couldn't.

An uncontrollable wave of panic was building in the pit of her stomach threatening to wash over her. For Sakura grief had not been kind, since she did not lose just one person she lost all of them. Whether or not everyone in Konoha perished after Madara Uchiha's invasion would probably forever remain a mystery to the pinkette. Oh, in the final hours of the Fourth Shinobi World War they had managed to defeat Madara and Sasuke but everything and everyone had been wiped out.

It simply wasn't plausible that she had been the only survivor right?

The other four great nations had not suffered as greatly as Konoha, but then since Konoha had been completely destroyed that wasn't saying much. Fortunately for Sakura the shock had lingered long enough for her to make it to the Land of Iron's border.

Her mind had shut down to protect itself from the horrible realization that she had been left behind. Everyone she ever loved was either dead or missing; they had died together fighting side by side to protect each other and their village. Every day for weeks she had wished she were dead. Not to end her own suffering. Sakura wished the end of her life because she wanted to be with everyone again. In particular she wanted to be with Naruto again, she wanted his goofy smile to light up her world again, she wanted to see him in his Hokage's robes looking every inch the great leader he was. Then everything ceased to exist.

A dark place grew in her mind, a place where she could go and "rest". Nothing existed in that place and yet everything existed there. On the outside it appeared she had become catatonic, a zombie who stared listlessly at nothing and wasted away. Inside that place she was aware of everything going on around her but it was confusing. Most of the time what was going on outside that dark place, got mixed up with her memories, to the point where she could no longer distinguish between what was going on in the present and the past. Sometimes she swore that while sitting in that hospital chair, Ino and Shikamaru's wedding was taking place right in front of her. Or while lying abed, Kakashi-sensei would be sitting on a tree outside her window reading one of his porno books.

Sometimes she wondered, during that dark time, if she had been injured far worse than she originally thought and died; which would mean that this was either purgatory or hell. It became apparent it was the latter since no matter how hard she tried she couldn't leave that damned hospital to go with them. Soon Sakura's hatred of that place, where the faces of her loved ones never left her in peace, became the key to her recovery. She began to grasp at those moments when she was aware of an attendant trying to feed her; and tried to focus solely on those moments she was sure were reality. It worked, bit by bit the ghosts ceased to haunt her and reality came into focus. For the first time in eight months Sakura spoke to the doctors and nurses.

There was a great uproar at the Jane Doe's sudden recovery. Most of the therapists believed she would never wake up. They were even more surprised to find out the young female was a doctor, an accomplished one too. Between psychological evaluations and physical therapy the hospital staff was kind enough to give Sakura a job. It wasn't long before she was released from the hospital after nearly nine months since she was first found along the Land of Iron's border.

Four months later here she was living in a small village near the Land of Iron's capital and seemingly fully recovered. But with this latest revelation on her part Sakura wondered if she shouldn't take an extended vacation from the clinic and check herself back into the loony bin. Suddenly Sakura caught sight of the empty bottle of cold medicine. The relief was immediate and so sudden she burst out in hysterical laughter at her stupidity. She prescribed that medicine to the insomniacs of her village for Kami's sake! No wonder she had seen something she should not, she must have been delirious.

Throwing back the covers and nearly leaping out of bed, Sakura skipped to her window and threw back the drapes. Sunlight poured into her room, blinding Sakura temporarily. What she saw next made the loss of sight worth it, the sky and even the air itself was crystal clear. It was as if all the rain had cleansed the world which brought it into sharp focus. The village, a slightly rustic but a traditional Japanese style, was bustling with the Saturday market. Children laughed and played in the streets, women, both young and old walked in groups, chatting and gossiping, and the men haggled for the best price on fish.

This place brought her great peace of mind. Not to mention the capital, where the Fire Nation Memorial was, was only five miles away on foot. For a Shinobi such as herself it was merely a small Teleportation Jutsu away. For the first time in twenty-four hours Sakura smiled, ready to start her day and maybe later she would visit the local school to see if anyone needed a substitute teacher. Her smile broadened at the thought of all her young kindergarten children jumping up and down, begging her to show them another one of her "magic tricks".

Peeling off her nightgown and throwing it into the laundry bin, Sakura walked lightly over to her wardrobe. Pulling out a red and white summer yukata with a cherry blossom pattern, she laid it out on the bed. Breasts bound, she dressed with care and a small smile tugged at her lips. That smile continued to grow as she brushed her teeth and hair in the bathroom. As Sakura pulled her hair into a chignon with chopsticks sticking out

She glanced at the shower, afraid of being in such close proximity with the thing that invoked old and painful memories.

But that was the only faltering moment in her good mood. Dressed and ready for the day Sakura waltzed downstairs and opened for business.

Ah yes insanity is a funny thing is it not? (snickers*) sorry if you don't like the fact that Sakura temporarily lost her marbles buuuuuuutttt what else did you expect? I wrote in my last ch. as a foot that I would tell you what happened to Naruto and why Sakura was living in the Land of Iron, well I did (sort of) As for those bunny slippers well you'll just have to wait and see ;) Sorry no cliffhangers but the question still remains was Sakura really only feeling the effects of the drug when she saw that yellow flash? Or was Naruto really there?

*To clear some things up* 1) Sakura left Konoha right after it was destroyed and everyone was already dead. 2) She never really had the chance to see Naruto's body since she was kind of distraught and obviously not in her right mind. 3) She works as a part-time teacher sometimes