"Bye, Mizuki. Have a good night! " Sakura flashed a smile at the light-haired woman at the receptionist's table before making a beeline for the bathroom door to freshen up.
After all these years working as one of the village's best doctors succeeded only by her master and Shizune, she had got to admit that working in the medical field has made her a person who scrutinized more about personal hygiene and cleanliness.
It wasn't a bad thing, really. It just took up a lot of time and effort. Not that she minded an extra 15 minutes of washing her hands and face thoroughly and then changing into a freshly laundered pair of clothes which smelled less like the hospital and more like the scent of her blankets.
That way, she wouldn't be feeling like her only longing after work was to die on her bed for an hour or so, then resurrect herself and head into the shower. She would not be feeling completely rejuvenated after work, but she would be in a decent mood after her mini makeover in the bathroom at least.
The fact that she had to attend Hinata's soirée later that night seemed to tire her even more. Sakura was already feeling wearisome with her dreary routine of running around the hospital and attending to grumpy elders in the morning. Trying to socialize along with a glass of pungent alcohol in her hand didn't really sit well with her.
She had considered bailing, but then she had chastised herself for even thinking of escaping from her good friend's perfectly planned event because of her bleak mood. After all the her emotional conversations that she had had with Hinata, and the times when Hinata managed to calm her down and cheer her up after a depressing session of voicing out her thoughts on a certain male who had defected from their home to embark on his insane journey for vengeance.
It wasn't until she felt a tap on her shoulder did she feel herself being pulled out of her trance. Sakura turned around to face her conversation partner for the next few minutes, a tall masked man with that tuft of dry white grass he called hair.
Kakashi held up a gloved hand with his signature eye-creasing smile.
"Your pink hair is very eye-catching, Sakura."
"Kakashi-sensei, you have white hair. At least I could blend in with sakura trees as a background."
The older male let out a sigh of defeat. " How are things at the hospital? Is Tsunade-sama working all of you poor hospital employees to death?"
"Ahh, ditch the smug smirk, sensei. You know she's nice,"
"All right, all right. I'll see you later," Kakashi held up two fingers in the gesture of a peace sign and walked ahead of her.
Sakura turned in the direction of her own comfortable apartment to prepare herself for the event later. Her bipolar moods were exhausting.
"Let's hope it'll be a good night." She muttered darkly.
Letting out a relieved sigh after emerging from the warm, calming shower, Sakura quickly dressed herself in a black shirt and plain white shirt and was out the door in no time.
The mixture of colored hues which decorated the heavens instilled a sense of tranquility in her, along with the frequent gentle breezes which carried fragrant scents of the towering trees that surrounded her beloved home.
Sakura felt her previous foul mood dissipate as she heard the joyous sounds of laughter emanating from the Hyuuga compound just a few steps ahead of her.
The sight before her was definitely something to behold. Of all the things to see as a first impression, she saw Naruto landing a soft peck on Hinata's cheek while the heiress blushed a dark shade of crimson. Her friends who were scattered all around the large compound burst out in cheers as her blonde friend and his shy sweetheart raised their glasses as a toast to their 1st year together.
After the commotion subsided, she proceeded to walk around the spacious compound to mingle around with the guests.
The setting was that of a usual soiree with a long table draped with white cloth, holding up numerous delicacies and drinks. The decor inculcated a feeling of pleasantness and relaxation within Sakura. Gazing around, she noticed that the colorful paper lanterns that hung around the house perfectly complimented the tapestry of stars suspending above all of them. It looked like a landscape extracted straight from one of those intricately painted works of art that hung in her master's private library. And her master was definitely a connoisseur of fine art.
Around the place, she spotted her friends enjoying themselves. There was Neji looking his usual cold self, Ino going around yapping wit her high pitched voice, Shikamaru leaning against a pillar snoozing, Chouji stuffing his face at the refreshment table et cetera. Nothing out of the blue. Well, at least her friends were having fun, right?
A sudden shift in the air indicated that someone was behind her and she subconsciously spun around in one swift motion, grabbing both her intruder's wrists, encasing them in a deadlock.
A groan of pain followed by a long, hard stare bore into Sakura as she released her grip from Sai's now reddened wrists.
Stifling a giggle at her teammate's contorted expression, she patted the artist's shoulder. "Don't attempt to surprise me, Sai. Sorry about the wrists, habits are hard to kill."
"Don't worry about it," The latest member of Team Kakashi said in a nonchalant voice.
Sakura raised an eyebrow at the boy who fell into step next to her as she responded. "Please tell me you're not offended by what I just did."
"Didn't I say not to worry about it?"
"Hm."
"You don't seem satisfied with my response. Was I supposed to give a different answer? Because my books stated that I should say something like 'It's okay' or 'Don't worry about it' if someone apologized,"
The puzzled look on his face led Sakura to smile. Sai's look of cluelessness was definitely one of the more amusing things being in Team Kakashi.
The both of them walked in silence around the yard, flashing pleasant smiles at anyone they came across. The silence dragged on without either of them saying a word, until they heard a high-pitched squeal behind them.
A miniskirt donning Ino headed straight for the pair, smirking at the both of them and trying to conceal her giggles with her manicured hand.
"Aren't you guys a walking a little too close?" Her giggle escaped from her barrier of a hand.
Sakura responded with a glower at the blonde. Just when she was getting used to walking side by side with her teammate, someone had to interrupt.
Halting in her train of thoughts, she reprimanded herself mentally. That thought sure came out wrong. It sounded like she harbored feelings for her pale-skinned friend. Ludicrous.
"Come on, Sakura! You don't have to be so hostile with an old friend, do you?" Ino gushed, batting her lashes at the attractive pale-skinned boy.
Sakura looked over to Sai for a response, but all he did was smile at Ino, which infuriated her even further.
Letting out a heavy breath, she gritted her teeth and turned to Sai.
"Should we leave the scene, Sai? There are some unpleasant nuisances around."
"Isn't it considered impolite to leave a conversation while it's still in motion?"
"Sai," Sakura spat the name like it was a dirty word. "Let's leave. Now." Her words indicated that there was no room for protest or argument. Sai followed his instincts and obliged. He was not going to allow his body to suffer any more external damage.
Sai bowed to the blonde and permitted his pink haired teammate to drag him further by the arm. Leaving a gaping Ino behind them, Sakura led him to a table Naruto and Hinata were sitting at, the couple exchanging looks of infatuation with each other. It was a nice sight that her best friend had finally found someone to appreciate him truly and sincerely. Naruto deserved someone to love him, and one couldn't ask for a better leading lady like sweet, polite and loving Hinata.
But at the same time, it was uncomfortable. Looking at couples drool all over each other was definitely awkward. Going up to her best friend and his lady would put both her and Sai in an awkward position. She wanted to go home. She wanted to curl up in her blankets with a hot cup of tea and drift off into a blissful rest, and wake up revitalized the next morning to tackle her hospital duties.
"Sai, I think bid goodbye to Hinata and leave. I'm not feeling rather well, have fun alright?" Sakura smiled at the boy. "And don't get influenced by that pig!"
Swallowing her saliva and starting towards the now finger-entangling couple, she prayed that she wouldn't be interrupting her friend's intimate moment, Sakura tapped on Hinata's shoulder lightly.
The blonde male and the raven-haired female both looked up at her with disappointing expressions plastered on their faces.
Sakura wanted the ground to swallow her up at that very moment. How could she even consider violating their privacy when it was clear they couldn't wait to pounce on each other?
Laughing sheepishly, she bade goodbye to her friends and sped off in the direction of the door.
When she decided she was long out of earshot, she allowed a heavy sigh of relief to escape her lips. That was definitely a screwed up moment. What a genius move it was.
Sakura fought to regain her composure as she stepped out of the door when a familiar face walked up next to her.
"I'm leaving too. There really wasn't much to do back there."
"Copycat."
"I'm assuming that word meant people who imitates the action of others?"
"Now you're catching up. Took you long enough." A laugh echoed from Sakura's throat.
Sai responded with a smile. "I guess I'll walk you home since my apartment's on the way. I've read it's a courtesy to do so."
"Hm."
The clouds that were previously obscuring the moon parted as the pair strolled along the still bustling streets of Konoha, revealing a waning moon which casted a silver glow over their home.
"Was what I witnessed back then what one calls love? When Naruto and Hinata looked at each other, it seemed like a different way to look at someone. Was that love?"
The question took Sakura entirely by surprise, especially in the course of a quiet saunter back home with a companion.
Pondering for a moment, Sakura finally answered.
"In all honesty, I don't think I'm a person who could give you a proper answer on this subject." Casting her eyes downward, Sakura fiddled with her fingers. " I don't qualify answering about the subject, seeing that I've never experienced it first hand. And frankly…" She trailed off.
"Frankly?"
She regained her composure, looking Sai in the eye. " I don't believe in it."
"Anyways, it's close to home, Sai. I think you should head back to your apartment. I'll see you tomorrow."
Sakura walked towards the stairs leading up to the apartment and stopped in her tracks.
Looking back, she walked up to her teammate again, holding out her hand. " Thank you for walking me home, Sai. You're a nice person."
Sai took her hand and shook it with a smile on his face. " Then I'll see you tomorrow, Sakura-san. Goodnight,"
And with that, the artist released his grip on her hand and turned in the direction of his home. Casting one last look at the boy's back, Sakura started ascending the steps to her sanctuary of serenity.
#
Dressed in her favorite silk nightgown, she eased herself onto her bed, relishing in the comfort of the satin sheets.
Just as Sakura was about to close her eyes, the photo took during Team 7's genin days caught her attention.
She trailed her fingers softly over the smooth glass as a barrage of emotions threatened to overwhelm her.
It would be easy to just bury herself under all the lies and denial that she had so happily indulged in, just to make herself feel a little better. But it was nights like these that she knew she would not be able to keep herself in the dark forever, to tell herself those lies over and over again, that she would happily continue her life without thinking about the past.
That handsome dark-haired boy with the piercing eyes she had claimed to love.
Maybe they were not real, true feelings. But they were friends in the least sense. And friends did not let each other to destroy themselves voluntarily.
"One day, Sasuke. We'll get to you one day. Until then, you wait." Sakura gritted the words out of her throat softly.
Casting one last look at the wooden-framed picture by her bedside, she rested her head on her pillow as she turned off the lamp, casting the entire room into darkness.
She felt her heart wrench as she slipped into a disturbed slumber.