So this is the somewhat heavily revised version of chap2. This time, the reasons are not the one I used last time (computer issues). My reason of doing revisions for the story is explained in my profile, if you're curious ;) . So tell me what you think about this revised version. Read the story carefully; there are many subtle hints of something important in the future XD.
Pls correct me (nicely) by review if you caught any of my grammatical or factual mistakes.
Italics are thoughts or flashbacks
The Perfect Soldier
Seven days have passed and today the subordinates of Team Kakashi are going to meet their combat medic. Right now they are in front of Konoha Military Hospital. The Konoha Military Hospital is located outside the Old City District and isn't far from the Konoha Military Base. The Konoha Military Hospital (KMH) is in an area called Medical Campus or the Medical District.
The Campus has three buildings. One of them is the Konoha Military Hospital, which is a hospital for military purposes and also where combat medics trained and worked part-time. On the other side of the Campus is the central branch of the Konoha General Hospital, a government-funded public hospital for citizens in need. And at another end is the Konoha Institute of Medicine where students as young as 14 attend the school to earn a profession in the medical field. In between the three buildings is a large space of greenery with serene plants and simple park benches.
Kakashi told the B4s to meet here at 9am. But not surprisingly, Kakashi had not shown up yet. In fact, he's two-and-a-half hours late. The three subordinates have been sitting at the park waiting for him.
"Argh! What's taking Kakashi-sensei so long?! He's never been THIS late before! We're only meeting this combat medic guy so then we can celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow!" Naruto was pacing around impatiently and bored out of his wits.
Sai had his fake smile as always. All this time Sai was using his time by sketching the beautiful October scenery with his artistic eyes.
"I recalled Captain saying about retrieving the medic's files at Headquarters, Dickless."
While Naruto made his usual outbursts and defending his self-integrity, Sasuke's mind drifted off elsewhere, looking dark and gloomy. Since entering the Campus, Sasuke haven't said a word to any of them and sat a considerable distance away from the two. Actually ever since that incident at Ichiraku Sasuke's mood had been increasingly irate and depressed. It's been so routine for Sasuke to be acting like this at this time of year that Naruto and Sai weren't surprised Sasuke was distant.
Sasuke gazed at the dying leaves and sighed. This year out of the past 4 was more depressing for him because of this place. He hated the campus and it wasn't just because of the fangirl nurses and teenagers that mingle around here. Everything here reminded him of her: the trees, the serene atmosphere of the garden, and even the Institute; the place where she'd lingered.
Everything around here reminded him of her...of her sharing her dreams to him. She wanted to be doctor and she vows to fulfill that goal as he will fulfill his to become a soldier in the military. This place was supposed to be where she completes her job and fulfill her dream.
But she's no longer here with him except in his memory.
"It's been exactly 5 years. I wonder…where you are now."
The Unusual Introduction
Sakura has been in her office since 5:30am and has already prepared the medical instruments she needed to examine her patients. Today she was going to meet her assigned team and they made an appointment with her at 10:30am. As of the moment they haven't showed up and so Sakura sat back and patiently waited, hopefully a few minutes of meditation and relaxation. But Sakura was far from relaxed.
Sakura knew aside from the fact she's now an official combat medic, she'll be assigned to a permanent team she is a stranger to. And the fact that she had no idea what sort of people her assigned team is like worried her down deep down inside even if she didn't show it.
Chances are Sakura might end up with a team who treats her like nothing but trash. The worse case scenario is when the team treats her like a toy or a slave. It would be very humanly degrading for her...but she must obey whatever they ordered her to do; that's the ultimate rule. Imagining herself being in that situation gave her a small chill down her spine. She knew her place in the military and in ROOT...and she had seen the traumatizing consequences of her gender. Despite what she'd seen, Sakura stayed in the organization. When Sakura looked outside her window and saw the falling leaves. They reminded her how her life was like for the past 5 years. Like the falling leaves, Sakura's life for the past 5 years had been a bottomless pit. As Sakura looked back in her life for the past 5 years, she's amazed at how she could still pull herself together after all she went through.
"It was the thoughts of him that helped me kept going."
Now that the subject led to him, Sakura had to find a way to find him. Now that she has been officially accepted to the Kamikaze military, Sakura tried looking into the military files to see if his name is one of the 700,000 soldiers listed in the military computer database. But that's like looking for a needle in a haystack. Once she snuck into the military archives center, Sakura had no luck finding him in the computer database.
"What if he-…No! He can't be dead! He said he'll be the best in the military! No he has to be alive!"
Sakura quickly shook that disturbing thought about him away. She's now a combat medic and lives are in her hands; she can't afford to be distracted by such trivial matters. She had to keep calm. She looked at the clock; it's 11:30. A knock came and Sakura answered it. The visitor was a short violet-haired woman with opaque eyes and wearing a white uniform with a red cross pin.
"Good-morning, Hyuugaa-san."
The two young women politely bowed to each other as the KMH custom mandated.
"I-I heard about your acceptance, Sakura-san," Hinata smiled timidly. "I-I came to say congratulations a-and on Ino's and Tenten's behalf."
Hinata is a nurse in Konoha General Hospital and was Sakura's classmate along with Tenten and Ino when they were studying medicine together in Konoha Institute of Medicine.
"Thank you, Hinata-san. Please give Ino-san and Tenten-san my regards," Sakura smiled.
But Hinata could see the emptiness in those eyes and in her fake smile. Of all her three girl friends, Sakura is Hinata's closest friend. Hinata often wished Sakura never took the job as a combat medic. The consequences are clearly shown after these years of hard training. Sakura never gave a real smile since that day when she-…then again, Hinata recognized that she never went through the things Sakura went through. Hinata couldn't imagine what she would do if she were in Sakura's shoes.
"S-So what's going to happen, now that you're an official c-combat medic?"
"I'll still have this job as a medic, just not full-time anymore. I'll still have my current medical dorm instead of the military dorms, considering I'm the only girl in my squad."
"Will you be ok?"
Sakura noticed Hinata stopped stuttering. Hinata was always a nervous and often an insecure young woman. But right now she's still deeply worried about Sakura's well-being. Hinata knew that although she couldn't do much to help Sakura in terms of improving the stigmatism between her and the military, she believed she could still try by using her Hyuuga name to help. Sad to say, but the saying "money talks" defines the core of society and the Hyuuga clan has money.
"Hinata-san, you mustn't worry too much. The matter of concern is whether I am about to help my assigned team proficiently or not. What happens to me is a secondary issue."
Hinata was unconvinced but judging by Sakura's response, it didn't look like Sakura wanted her to press the issue further. Hinata herself felt helpless for being incapable of helping her best friend, especially when her best friend always refused her help for the sake of protecting her reputation as a Hyuuga. Sometimes being a Hyuuga was a curse, especially for Hinata.
Hinata wiped a lonely tear away from eyes and changed the topic of discussion as quickly as the speed of light. "So will we be having l-lunch together as always?"
"I'm afraid not, Hinata-san. My assigned team made an appointment with me today at 10:30am but it's almost noon and they haven't checked in yet. I have to wait for them until they arrive."
It's almost 3 hours and three men couldn't hold their patience any longer. Sai had resorted from sketching to idle doodling, Sasuke kept himself at a distance and brooding, while Naruto looked like a volcano ready to erupt.
"Yo!"
As if he appeared from a puff of smoke, Kakashi popped up in front of them.
The volcano erupted, "You're late, Kakashi-sensei! THREE FUCKING HOURS! What kinda excuse is it this time?!"
Kakashi didn't answer but gestured them to follow him. After signing in at the receptionist's desk, Kakashi handed his subordinates 3 folders.
"I was at a meeting. Commander Jiraiya suggested us that, since we need to do our check-ups, we should have our combat medic to do the job. These are copies of the combat medic's background. Read it so you can get a better idea of who she-"
"What?!" Naruto's eyes were as wide as saucers. "She? Our combat medic is a girl?"
Before Kakashi could say more, a nurse called him to go inside for his check-up.
Naruto scratched his head, "Didn't you or Sasuke-teme say that women aren't allowed to join the Army? Then how come we have a girl on our team? Can't we have somebody else?"
Sai shrugged and opened his file. He raised an eye in interest. Curious by Sai's reaction, Naruto also opened his file. His eyes grew even wider than Sai's.
"Oi teme! You gotta take a look at our combat medic's pic-"
Before Naruto could finish, Kakashi tapped Naruto's shoulder to leave Sasuke alone and go have his turn. When Sai finished looking at the file, he looked at Sasuke, who was leaning his back against the wall and looked at the floor with his arms crossed. He didn't even touch his copy.
"It's been 5 years now, hasn't it?"
Sasuke didn't answer that question but quietly gripped his sleeve. Unable to notice the growing anger and rage inside him, Sai continued casually, "You should find someone else, starting with this female combat medic."
"Shut up, Sai," Sasuke hissed. "She is none of your business."
Kakashi watched carefully, his eye now away from the book.
Sai just shrugged, "It doesn't matter. She's probably uglier of a hag compare to our combat medic."
If it weren't for Kakashi in between the two of them, Sai's skull would've been bashed into a million fragments by Sasuke's wrath. Kakashi quickly reacted and clutched Sasuke's fist from meeting Sai's head. Though Kakashi never pried into his subordinates/former students' private life that deep, he knew exactly what set them off. He wasn't their teacher for nothing.
"You will not talk about her in that way ever again. Next time you say that I'll rip your head off your neck."
Sai had his fake smile on, "I'll be more than pleased when that happens, Emo-pansy."
For an immeasurable amount of time the two men gave each other the deadliest of deadly glares. So scary, that fangirl nurses kept at least 35 feet away from the two. Kakashi had a bad feeling something was going to snap-
"-Ow that needle hurts! Hey Sai it's your turn."
In the nick of time, Naruto came out of the office and inadvertently ceased the bloody tension among the team. When Sai disappeared Naruto pouted and sat down next to Kakashi.
"Man looks could be so deceiving. She's pretty yet she ignores everything that came out of my mouth! She said as much as Sai-teme and Sasuke-teme!"
Kakashi began to read, "She's not being intentionally cold in order to make you upset. She's just disciplined to be that way."
By looking at Naruto's expression, it was clear that further explanation is needed.
"You were asking me earlier on why we have a female as a combat medic. Women are not allowed to join the Army, but are allowed to be combat medics though very rare. Combat medics have a brutal regimen, perhaps more than your military training back in Konoha Military Academy. One needs to have a large amount of dedication and perseverance, not to mention the smarts, to do this job. Not many have what it takes. When I registered for a combat medic, she and another combat medic were the only ones available. Asuma got the other one."
"But why is she the way she was in front of me?"
Kakashi sighed and put his book down, his eye emitting a solemnly soft glow. It's as if he was reminiscing a distant painful memory.
"You might not know this, but combat medics are inferior in the military system. Although she's officially a B5 in rank, she's considered as a B4 rank in the military…and she's well aware of that. She has no authority for reassignment even if her teammates were to treat her like garbage. That she's also aware. And she's also aware that society shuns women such as her for doing such un-womanly and 'dirty' job.
"Anyhow, the military prohibits fraternization of all levels. In the military, soldiers are considered not only as comrades and compatriots, but brothers sharing the same racial blood and restore the fatherland. Therefore fraternization is considered as incest and a crime. If caught, then the perpetrator would be publicly disgraced and discharged from the military, while the partner in the affair would be permanently demoted. She was being cold to you only just so you would understand the disparity between her rank and yours. She was trying to protect you and herself from being too attached. A soldier having an emotional relationship with her would be committing social suicide for both of them.
"But there is an unspoken tragedy in this scenario. Remember, the combat medic is the inferior party. Therefore when there's fraternization, the soldier could place the blame entirely on the medic to have his hands clean of the crime and could get away with it. Combat medics, on the other hand, could not defend themselves when being involved due to their inferiority; they have no political voice. Therefore combat medics have also been used as scapegoats....or even worse sex slaves…and it's perfectly legal."
Naruto's eyes turned from shock to pity. It was true he had always been treated as an illegitimate son of the great soldier Namikaze Minato, but he was never treated as subhuman. Kakashi continued,
"To counter such an emotional problem, combat medics were taught the mantra: 'Our purpose is to keep our team alive, not ourselves. That is our sole purpose. We're only an instrument at the team's disposal.' As a woman, they would take extra precautions on her to prevent anything messy. She'd probably been taught the military conduct book repeatedly, memorize it, and live out what she memorized word by word-"
"Wait, Kakashi-sensei! Are you saying they brainwashed her?!…That they took away her emotions?!"
Kakashi's visible eye softened, "I guess it's something like that. As I said, a large amount of dedication, effort, and perseverance is needed for this job. These people have a hard life… we owe them a lot more than our lives."
"I don't understand, Kakashi-sensei. Why would people still join this agency if they are being treated like animals?"
Kakashi's eye softened in sympathy. "A majority of combat medics are drafted from orphanages, so they don't really have a choice. Either that or they enlisted because of their desperate situations in their personal lives. Despite the drawbacks, this occupation does have some financial benefits just as we soldiers do. One way or another, our combat medic must've had a hard life before joining this program."
"But Kakashi-sensei, this is unethical! Why would Neo-Parliament allow something like this to be legal? What was that old hag thinking, advocating for something so degrading to people?"
"General Tsunade did advocate for having combat medics for each team. But she didn't create this system; someone else did. You and I both know General Tsunade isn't the type of person to degrade other people like that, especially to those of her own gender."
"Then who did? Who would have a sick mind to create something like this?"
"Not much is known about his past before his military career, but his name is Danzo. Ever heard of him?"
Naruto shook his head.
"He was a military commander until his squad was wiped out during an A-rank assault mission in Yokohama. He came back barely alive and his disastrous mission created catastrophic consequences for Konoha. Hence Governor General Sarutobi, the previous ruler of Konoha, gave Danzo a dishonorable discharge. It was the right choice: Danzo was too callous, sacrificing his subordinates like tools and thought only of the mission. But Sarutobi was a kind man. Too kind. Even when he discharged Danzo, he allowed Danzo to take a Parliamentary seat.
"It was here where Danzo attempt the unthinkable. He proposed a bill to initiate a military draft, a secret police, create a private military hospital branch, and even subsidies for unethical scientific experiments on soldiers. Danzo was only trying to wipe out the Chimeras as quickly as possible, which is what most people wanted. But what Danzo was doing was creating an absolute military rule; he was insane. Unfortunately, Danzo was a cunning speaker who managed to obtain a sum of NP members who support his scheme. As a result, NP was deeply divided between the Absolutists and the Loyalists, who remained loyal to the original draft of the Emperor's constitution when the exodus began.
"Trying not to stretch his constitutional authority, Sarutobi tried to stop Danzo's policies from being approved. But he also had a lot on his hands: the Chimeras were at their aggressive stage, and the Emperor was in ailing health. Sarutobi managed to push the Chimera offensive away from the Triangle and a suitable successor had been chosen. But Sarutobi died before solving the issues in Neo-Parliament.
"General Tsunade was placed with that burden. She also had a lot on her plate while dealing with Danzo. Tsunade campaigned hard to make sure NP won't buy into Danzo's radicalism. In the end, most of Danzo's policies were turned down once the Loyalists obtained the majority in NP.
"However, Tsunade had to compromise with the Absolutists and passed the Military Hospital Act. After a long bitter battle against the Chimeras and many lives lost, almost all politicians thought that a combat medic should be assigned to each team as Tsunade had advocated years back. And once Danzo took control of the military hospital, he used the radical policies he tried to enact in NP into this institution. The Military Hospitals are not entirely the government; it belonged to Danzo. In the Military Hospital sector, Danzo organized the Combat Medic Agency, or Root. To this day, there have been rumors about Root conducting unethical scientific experiments in the labs...but that will probably remain a rumor."
Naruto was silent for the first time, trying to digest all the information Kakashi had given him.
"I've heard of that name before. He drafts all the orphans into Kamikaze or work here. I don't like him."
Naruto turned around in surprise to see Sai sitting next to him. Sai had his arms crossed and his eyes appeared to be in deep thought. His face showing an expression nobody has seen before: Hatred.
"You were drafted because you were an orphan? Then how come I wasn't drafted?"
"You were probably in an orphanage funded by private institutions. You were lucky, having given the choice to join or not. I could've done something more worthwhile rather than an occupation I do not enjoy. But I did not and it was all because of that man."
Sai's words had drips of venom in them and spoke scathingly about Danzo. Kakashi knew he had to change the topic to avoid another touchy subject.
"How long have you been here?"
"Long enough to know you were talking about him."
"Then has Sasuke gone in yet?"
When Sai didn't even respond, Kakashi sighed, "Naruto, go find Sasuke and bring him here." Kakashi didn't want to stop reading or want Sai (whom Sasuke might still have bitter resentment towards) to fetch him.
As Naruto looked for Sasuke, he collected his thoughts about this whole situation about the combat medics. Even now it was hard for him to digest the hard fact that such depravity could exist in his generation. It was simply wrong. The military system is wrong; Danzo and those politicians are wrong. Naruto closed his fists, determined.
"Now I have another reason to work harder and become Konoha's next Governor General. Not only will everybody finally respect me but respect the combat medics that were never honored. I will make Konoha a better place! Believe it!"
Naruto blinked when he noticed his surroundings, "Now where am I?"
Sasuke splashed some water onto his face in the men's lavatory sink, hoping this would cool off the surging emotions of anger and frustration. He's often furious whenever his comrades talk about her so liberally. Even though Shikamaru and Sai weren't really talking about her back at Ichiraku, their words about women hit a sensitive spot. To him, it felt like they were directly insulting her. They don't understand her. Hell, they've never even met her and they're already making assumptions of her being a selfish bitch. Sasuke had known her even longer and closer than the members of his team.
"But how do I explain why she left?"
It was so sudden, uncharacteristic, and unprecedented of her. She gave no exact reason why or where she went. He thought he knew her inside out and she knew him just as well, but that event puzzled and haunted him even till this day. But one thing's for certain: he wasn't the same after that. Sasuke wiped the water off his face and looked at himself in the mirror. This reflection is of a young man that is cold, bitter, and distant to those around him.
This was all because of her leaving him without a word but a succinct letter. Sasuke felt his life was confused and messed up. He wanted to see her again and understand what had happened between the two of them, because they were absolutely inseparable until she unexpectedly wrote her goodbye to him and left without a trace.
He didn't know if he should angry with her or be worried about what she'd done. She had left a huge imprint on his life before he enlisted. She was the reason he even considered being a soldier in the first place. If she's not there, he has no reason to work hard as a soldier, except the mere fact that his family had been joining the Army for generations and just following the Uchiha tradition, rising to the top of the military ladder. So in a twisted kind of way, she turned him into the almost antipathetic person he is now.
"Oi teme!"
Sasuke tersely looked at the hyperactive blonde.
"What do want?" Sasuke asked dryly.
"It's your turn."
Naruto inwardly grinned, couldn't wait to see Sasuke's face when he sees his new and pretty teammate.
"Whatever."
Sakura, so far, was very grateful. Her captain, Hatake Kakashi seemed friendly but there was something familiar about him. Sakura couldn't really pinpoint where and when, but she was certain she'd met the man somewhere before. Either that or all of this was purely coincidental.
Uzumaki Naruto was also friendly, yet strangely called her "Sakura-chan." Sakura had to keep herself away from his advances to make him clear of the lines drawn by the military. She was surprised at how soldiers not knowing their place. Nevertheless, this man had a good heart and Sakura was relieved. Right when she saw him, he was already proclaiming his lifelong dream to become Konoha's next leader. Though she didn't show it, Sakura admired the man for being so determined to pursue his own dream like she does.
Sai was obviously an orphan since he had no surname. Sakura knew a lot of her colleagues were from orphanages. And unlike her, Sai had no clue what feelings and relationships are and therefore had difficulty expressing them.
Sakura wondered to herself as to the reason she was such an "eye candy," as the way Ino describe her as, for the male species. Sure, Sakura knew she wasn't ugly like a troll, but she wasn't beautiful either. Who would normally have long cotton-candy pink hair and find it attractive?
When Sasuke closed the door and turned to the medic, Sasuke's world was completely frozen. The Uchiha's eyes and mouth were gaping. The Goosebumps on his body quickly grew and so did the pace of his heartbeat. The hairs on the back of his neck stood straight from the sight in front of him. Nothing registered to him except, "Could this really be her?"
Sakura, who was sitting on her desk and writing some last piece of information on Sai's medical report, hasn't looked at her last team member/patient. But everything stopped when she heard that voice:
"Sa-Sakura?"
Sakura, using all her efforts to keep her stoic face, slowly turned towards that familiar masculine voice, half hoping this isn't him. When she finally faced the caller, Sakura's eyes were just as wide in recognition as his. Spring-green meets onyx.
"You."
The two gazed at the one that has haunted them for 5 straight years, which seems like an eternity for the two of them. Finally Sasuke, who still hasn't quite recovered from the shock, spoke almost stupidly "Is it really you?" Unable to say anything because of the shock, Sakura could only point at the profile on his jacket pocket. Numbly, Sasuke opened it:
Family Name: Haruno
First Name: Sakura
Age: 23
DOB: March 28
Blood Type: O
Occupation: Combat Medic
Military Rank: B5
Amount of Experience in Battle (in years): 0
Previous Team Members: N/A
Family Relations:
Haruno Ikichi – Father; Murdered (A4 Captain)
Haruno Kasumi, Yukishiro – Mother; Deceased (Civilian)
Combat Skills: Extremely intelligent in statistical analysis; above average in smaller arms and hand-to-hand combat; specialized in potions and poisons.
Sasuke could finally breathe. This woman in front of him is Sakura. It wasn't a dream this time; she's really here in front of him! He could finally calm down, yet the adrenaline was still running through him. As for Sakura, she won't be able to recover so soon for in a matter of seconds, Sasuke pulled her into his tight embrace and buried his face in her hair.
Sasuke hold onto her tightly as if she would vanish into thin air if he let go of her.
"Sakura…Sakura I missed you."
For the past 5 years, he felt cold without her, but now he's reunited with her by a twist of events. Hell he cared less if he was showing his vulnerability or that Sakura might not feel the same. Sasuke just wanted to feel her in his arms after being apart for so long.
But something wasn't right.
Her hair no longer smelled like strawberries and cherry blossoms but disinfectant, she didn't give the usual warmth when he's near her but has an untraceable feeling of coldness around her, and her body is stiffer than he remembered. And why wasn't she returning his embrace?
Sakura's arms were numb and limp by her sides as the man held her with a death-like grip. She couldn't breathe, surprised by Sasuke's actions and mildly suffocating from his tight hold. But after that brief second, she instinctively remembered her place in the military. She regained her composure and pushed the young man away from her. Sakura looked at him with a neutral expression and bowed apologetically.
"I apologize for the misdemeanor, Uchiha-sama. Please lie down on the examination table for your exam. It won't take long."
Sasuke felt like a mountain fell on top of him. His hope of relief suddenly came crashing down and the coldness returned in full force. Sasuke clenched his fist to control his hurt and anger.
"That's all you could say to me after 5 years, after you unexpectedly ran off?"
Sakura didn't reply and remained passive but deep down she could feel a pain in her chest; she's doing all the things that she would never do to the person she swore to protect with her life. But she was to follow the moral conduct of the military as her superiors expect her to…and her situation with him is no exception. If he wants to take a step closer to her, she must take a step back.
"Uchiha-sama, that was not a suggestion. Please lie down on the examination table."
Flattening the back of his hair in frustration, Sasuke lay down on the table and allow her to examine him. For the next few minutes, it was beyond awkward for him. There was nothing but silence; Sakura hasn't started an actual conversation with him except telling him to do such and such for the physical. Back then Sakura did all the talking…but now….
This was getting more painful and hurtful for him. Not only was she ignoring him, she was being so formal and cold with him. This is by far, the lowest point of his life; his only closest childhood companion was treating him like a stranger.
"Sakura…what happened to you? Since when did you start calling me 'Uchiha-sama'?"
Sakura looked at him for a moment and then looked away as she worked, "Since you entered my office, Uchiha-sama."
"She gave me a literal answer? Well at least she finally answered my question," Sasuke thought bitterly.
"Well at least you recognized me when I came in," Sasuke chuckled bitterly.
Sakura's eyes darkened. He has no idea he's making her feel very uncomfortable, "Uchiha-sama, you're a difficult patient. Please cooperate."
Sasuke winced when Sakura drew out some of his blood...but he wasn't wincing from the sharp needle piercing through his flesh. Sasuke watched her discreetly and inwardly sighed. Sakura's physical features haven't changed much but to Sasuke she looked a lot prettier since he'd last seen her. She was wearing a nurse uniform, which is a one-piece white dress that touches the knees and white flats, and her waist-length hair intricately tied into a bun. But with that previous interaction with her, Sasuke knew that the Sakura he was once unconditionally fond of was gone, a shell of who she was.
Just when Sasuke was about to ask Sakura more questions Sakura opened door to let the rest of Team Kakashi in. Naruto and Sai, now understood Sakura's situation, did not attempt to make her feel uncomfortable like how they treat her earlier. Sakura gave Kakashi a deep bow since she's not in her military uniform. Kakashi nodded in response as she handed the reports for him to take a look.
"Here are the medical reports, Captain Hatake-sama. I will submit them today after my shift finishes."
"Thank you for your work. All I have to say now is welcome to Team Kakashi, Haruno Sakura. I hope you will do well with us."
Sakura bowed respectfully once more. "Captain Hatake-sama, my purpose is to keep your team alive, not myself. That is my devotion. That is my sole purpose. I'm only an instrument at the team's disposal. You do not need to worry."
Sakura answered it in a robot-like fashion, like her words were programmed into her head. The three men mentally shuddered from her chilling words. Already aware of Sakura's disposition, Naruto forced a smile.
"Hey, is it still ok with you if I call you Sakura-chan?"
Sakura nodded curtly at him and bowed, "I have nothing against whatever name you wished to call me, Uzumaki-sama. But please be aware of your place, sir."
Sasuke wasn't the only one taken aback by Sakura's robotic nature. Naruto, and even Sai, winced by the coldness of this beautiful woman.
"Ano…Sakura-chan do you want us to welcome you by having a ramen party at Ichiraku?"
Sakura gave the blonde a blank stare.
"Uh…is that a yes?" Naruto twitched uncomfortably when Sakura continue to stare blankly at him.
As each passing moment passed by, the more depressed Sasuke felt, depressed about losing the only friend that understood him. Today was REALLY not his day.
Only Kakashi was in a slightly lighter mood when the team headed out to Ichiraku Ramen with Sakura following them from behind just like a dog obediently following its master. If he wasn't wearing a mask, a grin would've been there. Kakashi was quite intrigued by this female combat medic.
"Sakura added 'devotion' in. It looks like she wasn't so conditioned after all. She must've had a very caring and diligent instructor..."
Sasuke was devastated but he didn't show it. Naruto told Sasuke everything Kakashi had said (albeit quietly so Sakura couldn't hear): her inferiority, her grueling training, the possible brainwashing, everything. This explains a lot, like why she treated him like a stranger instead of a childhood friend. This thought made the pain his chest stronger as he watched Sakura sitting next to him, trying to decide what to order.
"How could you let them do this to you, Sakura?"
But then something in his past clicked in his head, "Oh yeah…learning medicine was her dream. I wonder if she's happy with her accomplishments," he thought darkly.
After finishing his 4th bowl, Naruto ordered another one, "Take out, please! That's for Hinata-chan!"
Sakura immediately looked away from her menu, "You are engaged with Hinata-san, Uzumaki-san?" Naruto and the gang stopped eating their ramen (only Sakura hasn't ordered).
"You know Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked while slurping his ramen. Sakura nodded.
Naruto nodded happily. "I'll tell Hinata-chan about you then!"
As Naruto got up, Sakura boldly stopped him by holding onto his wrist tightly, which surprised everyone. Sakura looked very stern and her glare could match Sasuke's, "I maybe inferior to you and the odds are against me, but if you hurt Hinata-san even once, Uzumaki-san, I will intervene."
Everybody, even Sasuke, was startled by her threat. Naruto gulped and nodded in defeat. Like a sudden change of the weather, Sakura took off her death glare and put back on her passive persona, putting away her strong grip.
"I sincerely apologize for that sudden outburst, Uzumaki-san. Hinata-san is a kind but emotionally sheltered woman, and vulnerable to suitors such as yourself. Is it alright if you give Hinata-san my regards?"
Naruto gave a quick nodded and ran for it after she saluted, "Man she's scary. How can Hinata-chan put up with her?"
Sai left not long after Naruto while Kakashi left a few minutes later for an "appointment," but Sasuke knew that was a lie. So Sasuke and Sakura were the only ones left. Sakura looked at the menu for the umpteenth time, trying to find something that she might like. Though she didn't look it, but Sasuke could guess she's getting annoyed with this stupid menu.
Sasuke looked at her somewhat amusingly and sighed, "Mister, give her the vegetable ramen."
Sakura turned to her male companion and raised an eyebrow. Sasuke looked back at her and smirked.
"Can't order things you don't like?"
Sakura looked at the ramen instead; she hated the way her heart reacts when he smirks. Sasuke took a sip of his tea, "You know you could've told the dead-last you don't like ramen."
"I must know my place, and you should know yours, Uchiha-san," Sakura answered and took a small first bite and twitched a little.
"Me, Naruto, and the rest of us are not like that. You're a part of the team, not apart from it. You're not our slave, but our friend. You matter to us, even if it might not matter to you." Sasuke inwardly applauded himself; he hasn't said such a long sentence in awhile.
Sakura's eyes softened a little by his words. "I'm sorry, but rules must be followed, Uchiha-san-"
"It's Sasuke, Sakura. You don't have to be so formal; we're off duty right now. The rules don't apply when off duty."
Sakura frowned and finished her ramen. "Though we're technically off duty, we're both wearing our military uniforms thus we're still bound by the rules of the military, Uchiha-san."
Sasuke looked at the both of them. Sakura was wearing the same thing as him, a dark-gray t-shirt with navy-green cargo pants with black army boots. Only Sakura wore a dark-green vest while he wore a jacket. Sasuke sighed and ran his hand across his midnight hair.
"You're so difficult, Sakura."
"Likewise, Uchiha-san."
After a long period of silence, Sasuke decided to talk about something lighter. "So how does it feel to accomplish your dream?"
Her reaction was unexpected. Her eyes hidden form her bangs and her hands crumpled into a fist. She answered quietly, "I haven't dreamed for 5 years, Uchiha-san."
Sakura immediately got up and walked briskly out of Ichiraku, leaving Sasuke behind. Sasuke was so caught off-guard from her words that he couldn't get up from his seat. Did she say she let go of her childhood dream she confessed to him years ago?
"Does this means…" Sasuke lowered his head, trying his best to hold back tears, "…she let go of our promise? That she let go everything?"
Those questions continued bickering in his chaotic mind as he numbly and aimlessly walked back to his quarters. Without a word the young man limply fell onto his bed and numbly looked at the blank-white ceiling. Sasuke never felt so drained before, not even training.
"I must've had a long day."
Sasuke closed his eyes yet sleep did not come. Realizing sleep wasn't going to be instant for him, he took out something underneath his large stuffy pillow. It was a picture frame. Inside was a photo of Sasuke and Sakura together. Sasuke was in his KMA uniform while Sakura wore the KIM uniform, an white one-piece dress with a red tie. Unknown to him at that time, but that photo and that meeting between him and Sakura would be the last time Sasuke will ever see her...for weeks later, Sakura will send him that god-forsaken letter.
Sasuke gripped the wooden frame tighter as the memory of that letter came. Although he banished that letter, Sasuke remembered what Sakura wrote to him. It was formal in tone yet it told him to forever forget her, without even the deceny for a signature! And then there was today, when Sakura coldly rejected every move he advanced towards her. His anger begin to boil as he looked into those large and distant green eyes in the photo.
"So even then I was nothing to you."
In an act of rage Sasuke threw the frame across the room, smashing the glass and wooden frame into pieces. He had enough. Sasuke turned away from the fallen photograph and had his blanket over him. As he mulled over his act of anger, Sasuke painfully gathered the only thing on his mind:
Sakura is really gone.
Sakura not only changed…but she is gone. Sakura is gone. Those three words continue to seep into his brain as Sasuke sandwiched his head with his pillow, ignoring the sound of his flatmates complaining outside his door. Sasuke stayed in that position until sleep came to him a few hours later. And that night the same nightmare that has plagued his dreams for 5 years had come to haunt him in his restless slumber.
End of Chapter Two
Well I hope the edited version is better than the previously rushed version! Again if some of you guys like to comment on my revision campaign, please speak - or write - your mind! Since some of you who anonymously reviewed yet don't have a ff account, I'll reply the anonymous reviews here:
BaNaNa-PaPeR435:
-I lived in Canada before so I followed the Canadian calendar, which celebrates Thanksgiving in October instead of the U.S calendar (November). But once I wrote this, I realized: "Oh crap! This isn't Canada! This is Japan!" I looked up some sources that say Japan do have Thanksgiving...but in November *damn*. I guess could make an excuse that this is AU and in an alternate reality so Japan really don't celebrate it in November ;)
-You're probably one of the best reviewers for asking the best questions! You're absolutely right about the archives. She probably would've found Sasuke quite easily So what does this say about Sakura?
Side Note:
Yokohama: A city located in the western part of the Greater Tokyo Area, not far from Tokyo.
