Sasuke's POV

After we had breakfast together, a strange experience, I had to get Sakura back to the hospital.

She seemed happy and she smiled a lot, but I know for sure she still remembers last night.

Damn, last night.

I was such a fool. How could I let my feeling ruin me like this?

I can't believe I was so close to her, I can't believe I did what I did.

I can't believe we're not kids anymore.

C'mon now, we're seventeen. That's enough right? For a relationship…

What the fuck, here I go again, with my God dammit future plans…

We're too young. Still, we are kids no more.

I miss those days. When I only liked her.

I hate today. Because I love her.

"Um, Sasuke, you know, I have to get back to the hospital…" I can hear her voice. I only then realize how late it is. She must think I'm a freak, how long have I been just staring at the wall? Three minutes? It's enough to go crazy. I mean, she can make me wild in less than a second, I shouldn't be surprised.

"Hn, you're right." I say snapping out if it. "You ready?" I question her getting up from my seat, right across hers.

She remains silent, a little disappointed maybe, I can't tell.

"Yes, let's go." She says getting up with that fake smile on her soft lips. She's about to fall to the ground again, that poison sure takes out the best of her. I mean, c'mon, I saw her training; she's in their natural habitat. I don't know with whom I should compare her with; let's just say she beat the hell out of Hyuga-guy. But enough of this (I gotta train with her one of these days), as I said, she was about to drop o the floor again. Good thing I caught her right in time.

"You know, I can manage to walk, I really can. Stop treating me like an eight-year old!" she tries to sound annoyed, but it's not her type. I on the other, look more confident. I carry her outside and start running towards the hospital. Seriously now, she's light like a feather. She should definitely eat more. I manage to see, as I look down at her, that she's really pissed of.

I think I made a habit in clinging into her. When I carry her, I find the need to touch her cloth material and when she tries to break apart, I hold her even tighter. She can't blame me for finding her stunning, as I said before, there are some things I just can't control.

For example now, she's giving me that 'you're-such-an-ass' look. I think I smirked too widely, she slightly turned around and I think she blushed. It's good some things don't change.

We reach the hospital too soon, if you ask my opinion. I don't think bringing her inside through the main entrance is such a good idea so I decide to climb up the walls and towards her room.

"What are you doing?" she says as she grabs onto me with her delicate hands. I try not to smirk, but I'm too concentrated opening her window with just two fingers. I bring her inside her room, now cleaned up and with no Suigetsu in it, and I lay her on the bed.

The alcohol smell is gone, the flowers look faded and the sun illuminates the room giving her a wonderful look, just like this morning.

Damn, I realize how much I liked holding her like that.

"Thank you or bringing me here…" she smiled honestly. "I'm curious in seeing the nurse's reaction when she'll find me here…" she is suddenly interrupted by a door slamming itself towards the wall.

The old nurse enters exclaiming words I can't seem to understand. Her way of speaking is fast and confusing but Sakura only smiles when the old lady hugs her.

"Sweetie, I though something bad happened to you! I'm so glad you're alright!"

"I'm alright, Mrs. Harushi. You shouldn't have worried, I was with Sasu…" but she was interrupted once again by the screaming voice.

"You young man, had no right to barge in on this young girl's room nor did you have the right to take her! I swear you will be penalized!" that old hag yelled turning towards me. I must admit, she looked even more aggressive than Karin.

"No, Mrs. Harushi! You got this all wrong! Sasuke didn't do this!" Sakura said from over her bed. "It wasn't his fault! If that creep Suigetsu hadn't come in the middle of the night to… em… to…"

"Take advantage." I said boiling with anger as I remembered.

"Yeah that's right…" she whispered ashamed "Then none of this would have happened. Sasuke is the one who saved me. He stopped Suigetsu doing whatever he wanted to do…"

"Didn't you find anybody here this morning?" I asked the nurse.

"No, only a strong alcohol smell. We had to spray the whole room to get it to fade away." The hag admitted. "I see there has been a misunderstanding. I'll leave you kids alone. And darling," she turned towards Sakura before closing the door behind her "you know what they say, keep your friends close, but your enemies even closer."

Sakura only sighed and gave away a sad smile.

"I have to say, I don't know what would have happened if you didn't show up."

"Don't mention it. I have to go." I said sounding cold again. Her sad smile became a sad straight line.

"I understand." She turned her head down.

Damn, I hated to see her like this. But nor did I like it when I fell for her more than I wanted to.

"Maybe I'll visit." I said throughout my teeth. I didn't want to say more than necessary.

"Really?" her face lightened.

"Hn, I guess."

"That would nice of you, Sasuke." I heard her say before I jumped out the window.

Sakura's POV:

I never would have imagined that fantasies came true.

The next week I spent at the hospital.

Strangely enough, I had expected this week to be the most boring one in my whole life. I had to take medications every eight hours, the nurses were treating me like some kind of 'sweet little girl', the sun was ruining my morning sleep, but on the other hand I had plenty of visitors.

In the morning, the girls, even Ino and Karin, would come and we would have the same girl talk as ever.

In the afternoon, Neji, Shikamaru and Lee would play chess with me (I never managed to beat Shikamaru), throughout the day, Kiba would come in and out of my room like a school-kid and Shino would be the one who had to apologize for his friend's pathetic behavior and, usually when the sun went down, Sai, Sasuke, Naruto and Juugo would stay over the visiting hours and we would usually play cards or talk about 'the new shit in town'.

Once, the loser had to kiss Sai. At that point, I really felt sorry for him, and to be honest, I pitied Naruto as well. I could see that Sasuke had a hard time not wanting to laugh as loud as he wanted to; he usually tries to be calm. But at that point, even the infallible Sasuke had to have fun.

Looking back, I realize that I really liked the past week. They're letting me go tomorrow and even if the poison still runs through my veins, it's not fatal and I can move perfectly.

But, I must admit, I don't know if I like this change so much.

I'm sure that as soon as I'm out of here, Sasuke would continue to ignore me perfectly.

This past week has been a memorable one just because he has visited me. Even if we didn't have 'alone' time, I managed to see that I love him more that I have ever done before.

I think I may be a freak; I am totally crazy when it comes to him. Good thing Tsunade though me how to control my feelings, how I could mask a smile or a blush, how I can stop being that stupid fan-girl I was before.

I hope he hasn't seen behind my perfect porcelain mask.

Sometimes I usually think that ninjas are like dolls. Those glass or porcelain, white and vivid dolls.

We are like those dolls that play a dramatic opera behind the red silk curtains.

Dolls don't love.

Dolls don't feel.

Dolls don't have free will.

Dolls only move the way the puppet master plays them.

I really hope that one day I'll manage to cut those strings away. I hope that I can free myself from the puppet master.

I wish I could cut Sasuke's strings as well.

I wish for him.

I want him more that I want to be free.

I'd cut his strings first before I could even cut mine.

And I don't care if I'll never be free.

As long as he is fulfilled, I don't care if I'll be strangled by my strings.

And I don't care if I'll die. Let's just hope I can survive the tornado.

Sasuke's POV:

It's been three weeks, two days, seven hours, 34 minutes since Sakura's out of the hospital.

It's been three weeks, two days, seven hours, 34 minutes and one second since I haven't talked to Sakura.

It's been three weeks, two days, seven hours, 34 minutes and two seconds since we have both been sent to different missions.

I'm losing my mind.

Whenever I am back to Tsunade's office to report that I completed my B-ranked mission, I find out that Sakura just left.

It's already happened two times.

I'm losing my mind.

Whenever I want to talk to her, those bitches race towards me and try to convince me to go with them to a movie.

I'm losing my mind.

Whenever I see her and I walk towards her, she seems to look past me. I don't think she is able to see me. She's blind when it comes to me and there's nothing I can do.

Why? Because I'm not the type. I ignore her as much as she ignores me.

But what is making me completely lose my mind is that Juugo was always right.

'You never know what you've got until you lose it.'

That's what he usually says when I look more annoyed that I usually do on a normal day.

Or 'What goes around comes around.'

Again, he is right. I broke her heart, she breaks mine.

But then again, it may be my imagination, as Juugo tells me.

That bastard realized that I 'like' Sakura and he tells me that it may be a 'small crush'.

Sadly for him, it's not just 'liking' and I don't enjoy admitting that it's not just a 'small
crush'.

It's so much more.

I want to talk to her. But I can't.

I want to touch her. But I can't.

I want to hold her. But I can't.

I WANT to kiss her. But I can't.

There's something inside of me that tells me when to stop; that tells me when I don't act like myself anymore.

And when it comes to Sakura, I can hardly manage to not want to be what my Inner is telling me.

As long as my mind is still working, I'll never be to her more than just an ex-teammate.

I'm gonna fight for her. As Naruto told me: 'You must fight for what you want.' And I want her. I'll fight the tornado. And I'll win.