Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto… unless Kishimoto give it to me, right?
The blinding rays of sun entered from the open windowsill of the white hospital room he is currently in. Though awake, he preferred to close his eyes and remain calm. Tch, the usual him.
Remembering the events that happened, he doesn't now either he should feel proud of his self, or feel ashamed of what had happened to him.
Though he didn't really mean to pass out, he just can't accept the fact that Naruto win by default against him. He lost; and in whatever way he looks at it, he lost pathetically at a sore loser. And, being the egoist that he is, he simply can't accept it.
Sensing a presence that entered his room stopped his thoughts.
A very strong yet somewhat familiar chakra, he thought as his brain kept racking information about the familiar chakra.
When his brain finally processed the raw information, he was surprised.
What the --, it can't be. She can't get as strong as this.
Though he is really, really awake, he preferred to fool her as if he is still asleep.
"…You're finally back." She muttered to her self. Unknowingly to her, the one she is referring can hear it.
Silence.
She inched closer to his bedside where a table is found. There, Sakura replaced the day-old flower she had just placed yesterday from her daily visits. Another daffodil.
"It's been a while since I last saw you. Hm, yesterday is quite long." She started, smiling sadly at the figure laid at the bed.
She chuckled sadly. "It's also a while since you last laid here in this hospital."
Sasuke just kept silent there. Though it was a bit out of his character, he somewhat like the feeling of just being there, listening to whatever nonsense things she talk about.
"I…I…" She started once again.
This one-sided conversation will lead me way, way out of my goal. She thought.
"I missed you," There she finally said it…uh, but not all of it.
"and I'll miss being here; being there to tend your wounds; to do whatever I used to do with you before, though I know you don't like them one bit. I'll be missing the feeling of contentment whenever you are there even to throw insults on me. I'll miss those days you usually call me annoying. I know it's weird, but at least even in that way I know that you can still see me or at least my mistakes. But most of all,"
He can now hear her sniffing, and he knew that from those sounds she makes, she is probably trying her best not to break down.
"I'll miss you, as the guy who I loved. The guy I loved wholeheartedly not because of your looks or your name, but because my heart and mind tells me that your whole personality is a very promising one."
With that statement, she stood up her seat and walked through the door. Her back facing his bed. And her final words,
"Welcome back to Konoha, Sasuke-kun and goodbye…forever." She muttered the last two words silently, as if she hesitated saying them.
And Uchiha Sasuke, the Uchiha prodigy, was only there, eyes closed, face void of emotions and betraying what he really feel.
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After she went out of his hospital room, his eyes finally opened. Well, not figuratively, literally actually. He looked around his surroundings, and one thing caught his eyes.
The daffodil.
It was the flower that he always sees whenever he is hospitalized back then. It was the flower of single wish. And now, maybe its meaning is altered.
So, no more annoying fangirl. He thought.
Before further assessing what his reaction really was, a knock from the door put his senses back to life. As the door opened, it revealed a medic nin carrying a tray full of medicines.
"Ohayo Gozaimasu, Uchiha-san!" The medic nin with golden blond hair with startling purple eyes greeted him.
What's so good in this morning when a fangirl disturbs the calm aura. He thought.
"Anyway, I'll be the new medic-nin that willlook after you since Sakura-san has some jobs to deal with. Hokage-sama said that you need three full weeks before you can finally go out of here." Though Sakura-san told me it would be better if the hospital released you by the end of the week. She mentally added as she smiled sweetly at him.
"So, we shall be seeing more of each other from now on, Sasuke-san." The girl said as she extended her hand to the patient currently lying down on the bed. And well, the usual Sasuke, just glared at her. And the usual reaction, fear crippled her whole humanity s she retrieved her arm back.
"By the way, I'm Ayame, Azusagawa Ayame. In case you wanna know, Sasuke-kun." She added as she turned her back on him to prepare cleaning his wounds.
Like the hell I care about you. Sasuke thought, well the usual him again
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A loud knock on the big mahogany door of the Hokage Office disrupted the peaceful slumber of the most hardworking Hokage ever. She muttered a 'yes' as she wiped some drools that stained her porcelain skin.
A young woman of 17 on the verge of crying entered as the said maiden closed the big door silently. This alarmed the older woman.
To see her cry when she was still 13 was a usually sight people always see. However, to see her cry now that she is no longer a weakling, well, that seemed to be impossible. At this point, her strength can even surpass that of her mentor, who was the Godaime herself. Also, she possesses a great mind suited for a perfect tactician. Therefore, a very stupid person will surely rot in hell if he tries to pick on her.
And in this case, Tsunade's expecting the worst: "What could've happened?" She thought.
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"When I was still a little kid, I was being bullied by every children I know. They always pick on me and consider me as an outcast. I have no friends then; not even one." A pink-haired kunoichi started as both her and her mentor sat on a long couch.
"All I ever wanted as a kid was to have a friend who could talk to me and play with me." She giggled at the thought.
"Then that school year came. When I was still young, even though I get bullied and all, I still look forward to school opening no matter what. So I was excited to go to school. And that year, my dream came true." She said smiling half-sadly, half-happily.
"His name was Natsume. He was my seatmate for 2 or 3 subjects and because of that, he usually talks to me. And even if he knows that I am an outcast, he still treats me normally. And it means the world to me." She paused as tears waver to fall.
"However, I only lived my dream for that year. The following year was full of disappointments." Her voice is evident of sadness.
"That following year, we were on separate sections. Even with that thing on my mind, I thought we would still talk to each other or say 'hi' and 'hello' every time we meet on the school grounds… But none of them happened." A tear rolled on her cheeks as she continued.
"He snobs me whenever we get across each other. He acts like we never met at all!" Now, the pink-haired kunoichi is crying her heart out.
"He is so cold to me. He treats me like a stranger even though I'm not. But amidst it all, I continued hoping and praying that one day, he'd approach me and tell me how sorry he was for leaving me all alone." Though calmed, tears are still evident on her eyes.
"But it never happened. I know I was holding on a dream that I know is very impossible from the very start. No one loves me and he never will. I kept on holding on to my hopes when Ino came into my life. She saved me from my personal hell and made my life a better one. She also helped me on my matters about him. She told me that we were still young and there are still many people there waiting to be my friends. Through her, I came to my sense: In order for me to keep on living happily, I should leave things that I know will hinder me from moving on. In that case, to leave my 'friendship' with Natsume. It was hard at first. It was like leaving a part of me in a cobblestone path." Sakura said.
"But I have to keep on living." Sakura ended as she closed her eyes.
"Does this have anything to do with Sasuke?" Tsunade smartly asked.
"Can't change the fact that a Hokage is a smart ass…" Sakura muttered silently.
"Wait… Are you meaning to say that,"
"Yes. I'm leaving my feelings for Sasuke-kun, Tsunade-shishou." Sakura said her eyes open sadly.
"Why? Are you giving up that easily? I thought you love him?"
"It's simply pointless, Tsunade-shishou. Why should I continue to cling to a thin thread of hope when I know that it's downright impossible for him to love me back? Its' stupid."
"It's not stupid, Sakura. It's called hoping."
"Sakura, no one is actually forcing you to move on. If you can't teach your heart who you want to love, it is also the same as to who you want to forget." Tsunade continued.
"But in the end, I will still end up hurting. So why not do it earlier so I won't have any regrets when I die--"
"You're not gonna die!" Tsunade cut her off.
Tears continued to fall freely on her cheeks until her mentor cut her statement. She was touched by how Tsunade wanted to do anything just to make her live a longer and happier life.
"Listen, Sakura. I know it's hard for you to deal with your current state, especially whenever unpredicted symptoms show off. But don't let those things hinder you from enjoying your life. Live it like a normal person. If continuing to love Sasuke will make you live it normally, then don't force your self in forgetting him. " Tsunade comforted her, touching her shoulder in a comforting manner.
"… Die or live, there's nothing that will change. Still, it's impossible for my feelings for him be answered. And in whatever way, it'll all end up like this."
Tsunade was silenced by her pupil's answer. It was true, though, that all things happening between them will result into forcing her to completely forget about Sasuke and her feelings for him. From the very start, it's plain impossible. One-sided love has the slightest chances of becoming a happy ending.
"If that's what you think is the right thing for you to do, then I won't argue anymore. Sooner or later, the decisions you made will take their effects: be it good or bad, be ready for them." Tsunade said as she left the couch and went to her huge office table to continue her unfinished paperwork.
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"If that's what you think is the right thing for you to do, then I won't argue anymore. Sooner or later, the decisions you made will take their effects: be it good or bad, be ready for them."
Sakura continued to ponder things as she walked her way out of the Hokage Office. She got to pass through familiar faces and say at least a greeting or two, of course, with a smile. People will doubt if she really is Sakura if the sweet smile isn't there. But of course, the smile is just a mask of what she really is inside.
Because inside, her 'self-renovation project' is starting to commence.
"I'm going to get over him like what happened with Natsume." Sakura thought as she felt her heart explode, shatter into pieces and never heal its self.
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A/N: This is kind of weird chapter but supposedly it should be long. However, the longer it is made, the crappier it gets… so there. I think that's all right for now.
Also, I'd like all of you to take note that Ayame , my OC, she showed in the previous chapter of this fic… just for trivia's sake. :P
Anyway, I'd like to say thank you to all my reviewers and especially to those who greet me on my birthday! Thank You!
So, what do you think about this chapter? Please don't forget to leave a message by clicking that purple button there.