Faraway

by dxkk1104

There are various battles in life. Some are won, other are lost. Sakura and Sasuke have their own. While one remains hidden from the world, the rest are visible to all. Together they will try to overcome their difficulties. How far will they go and what will they lose at the end? Doctor!Sasuke/Patient!Sakura -sasusaku-

3. Silence

The laptop screen had been glowing for thirty minutes, reflecting the text in Sasuke's eyes. Making the beginning of the article was the hardest part to write. The letters slowly blended together to form unfamiliar words.

Three years of working in Italy passed as if by a snap of the fingers. Sasuke didn't even have time to enjoy his stay abroad when he had to return to Japan - a place containing painful memories that haunted him in nightmares.

Closing the computer in frustration, Sasuke pushed it aside, propping up his throbbing head. The kitchen clock ticked, making him aware of the passing minutes; without her.

He was doing it again. He was contemplating. Sasuke had to stop to survive.

Turning the lock on the door snapped him out of his lethargy. He was struck by the distinctive smell that had accompanied Sasuke for several months now - he didn't count how many exactly, lost in working and drinking.

He heard approaching footsteps as heels bounced on the wooden floor. Not once did he raise his eyes to look at the woman. The bag rested on the table.

"Again?" she asked, slipping him the painkillers.

A diamond flashed in the light of the chandelier. The gold engagement ring suited the woman. It highlighted her black polish on her long nails.

"They don't work anymore." He said, pushing back the box.

Moving his chair back with a creak, Sasuke took a bottle of whiskey from the lower cabinet. He didn't even bother to bring a glass with him.

"Alcohol won't help you," she commented, taking out her purchases. Sasuke shrugged his shoulders, heading toward the stairs "Sasuke, wait." He stopped, casting her a look from over his shoulder "It was in the mailbox. To you."

He picked up a small package from his fiancée, communicating on the way that he would be in his office, then disappeared into the room. Settling into a large armchair, he unscrewed the cork and took a sip. It burned pleasantly in his throat.

It was just what he needed - to drown his sorrows in a disgusting drink and put up a wall around the unbearable reality.

Sasuke took a pocket knife and cut the envelope. To his eyes appeared an painting, making his breath quicken. He wanted to forget the past, but the past kept coming back to him like a boomerang.

It was like a shadow - it never left your side, even in the daytime it was lurking.

Besides the painting, there was a note in the envelope. Before reading it, Sasuke drank another couple of sips of whiskey in a draught. Sober, he wouldn't be able to handle it.

In printed letters, neatly written - 'June 25, Restaurant Den.'

Sakura's parents must have finally found him and wanted to meet after all the years he had disappeared from their lives. Sasuke owed it to them, but the stress began to eat him up from the inside.

He just hoped to have the strength to get out of bed tomorrow.

…

Morning light fell on his face. Sasuke stretched, wincing at the sudden pain in his spine; sleeping in an armchair was not one of the best. He straightened his legs, looking at the mess on the desk. An empty whiskey bottle lay overturned, a picture stood in front of the computer, and his phone was smashed on the floor.

Picking up his smartphone, Sasuke noticed an unread messages from Itachi. In the first sms he asked him to send a finished article, while in the next two he threatened him with a smaller salary. Not caring, he turned off his phone and got up to wash off the smell of alcohol and sweat.

The silence in the apartment was appalling. Karin left for work early in the morning without even trying to wake him up. Their relationship mostly consisted of avoiding each other.

Entering the bathroom, Sasuke looked at himself in the mirror. His hair was falling over his forehead and his eyes were bloodshot. How could he get himself into such a state? What was happening to him? Was it going to stay that way for the rest of his life?

He quit feeling sorry for himself, stepping into the shower. Quickly he took care of his needs. He dressed, styled his hair and left the house. The warmth of the summer afternoon was making itself known more than usual. Walking a few blocks, he found himself in front of a restaurant.

People were aplenty. They crowded in front of the entrance and inside. As he entered, he looked around, but saw no familiar faces anywhere. So Sasuke stood off to the side, almost dialing Kizashi's number - he had owned it for a long time, but had never gathered the courage to call.

Before he could do so, however, someone poked him on the shoulder.

"You're half an hour late."

The blonde looked at him irritated; although anger also hid in her eyes.

"I would have arrived on time if I had known what time I should be there." he commented, tightening his lips into a thin line.

It wasn't Ino he expected to meet here.

"Aaa. Well Sasuke, everyone makes mistakes, don't they? You know that best."

"Let's get to the point. Why did you invite me here?"

"Me? Oh, please, I wouldn't be here at all if I convinced her to forget about you."

He tapped the tabletop, running his tongue over his teeth.

"I don't quite understand. Who invited me?"

Sasuke was losing patience. He didn't like procrastination with answers.

"Are you kidding? There is only one person who would like to meet you." Ino was becoming suspicious. Sasuke drew in air loudly through his nose, making the girl realize he was in no mood "You really don't know." She grabbed his sleeve "Come on."

Ino pulled him along, plunging into the restaurant. Almost all the tables were occupied. They walked the entire hall, finally stopping. Sasuke looked around at the guests, wondering who he should supposedly be looking for. No one looked familiar to him. Black hair, red hair, pink hair...

His breath caught in his throat. The girl with her head lowered triggered another wave of memories in him. He will never be free of Sakura again, he concluded.

Sasuke pulled away from Ino, wanting to go home as soon as possible, but then the girl raised her eyes and their gazes met.

"Sasuke, there you are."

𓆙

Sakura cheated death for the first time.

𓆙

Those eyes, the facial features, the voice, the smell. Sakura in living form, with her short hair dyed pink - her favorite color. It had to be a dream, Sasuke couldn't believe it.

He pinched his forearm, but still stood in the same place. Suddenly the air, it seemed, escaped from his lungs and the restaurant. He began to run out of oxygen. Sweat ran down his face, neck, back.

"I have to leave." He whispered, taking a step back.

Ino grabbed him under the arm, holding him in place.

"You're not going anywhere. You should be glad she wanted to see you after all this time." She said quietly, in a voice full of venom, "Sakura has a too good heart, so you'll stay here for her and listen to what she has to say to you."

But Sasuke couldn't move. His legs bogged down. The floor had foul plans to deprive him of his power. It wanted to expose him to become the laughing stock of all the people sitting in the restaurant, so that they would see him for what he is - a terrible person who chose himself and his well-being over the girl he loves.

"Sasuke, are you okay?"

Sakura appeared beside him. She moved so quietly and quickly; completely different from what he remembered. She was healthy, she had to be.

"Yes." he muttered, almost returning the alcohol from the night.

"Please, sit down. It won't take long."

Was she really that calm, or was she faking it, adopting a mask? How could she stand and speak to him so casually, after so many years, when he had trouble even raising a hand?

Ino pushed him, planting Sasuke on a chair. Sakura sat across from him, looking with her green irises straight into his soul.

"Would you like something to drink?" the first question easily reached his ears. Sasuke shook his head - whatever would get into his esophagus now would quickly come out of it "... food?" the second question lost its start.

Sasuke tried to focus, but nothing was helping.

"Sasuke!" Ino snapped her fingers unexpectedly in front of his face.

The image sharpened. He perceived faces - now women's - better. Ino silently threw him a hostile look, warning him to listen more carefully.

"I don't know if inviting you here was a good idea." Sakura laughed awkwardly "I could have at least signed up, then you could have decided if you wanted to see me." she smiled bitterly. Sasuke wished she would stop saying silly things - if only he had been aware that it was Sakura who had invited him, he would have immediately rushed over "But since you're already here, Sasuke, why don't you tell me how much you already know?"

"What?"

Something didn't sit right with him.

"Um, Itachi was supposed to tell you what happened when you... you left me." She lowered her gaze to the table.

His brother was becoming, at an alarming rate, a bigger motherfucker than he already was. If only he hadn't left for a week in China, Sasuke would already be standing outside his apartment to strip him of at least two teeth.

"Sakura, I had no idea you were alive."

Sakura looked at Ino. They exchanged sentences in their minds, then Sakura placed her hands on the table. Her small, delicate hands called out to Sasuke. All he had to do was reach out and then he could touch her; see if she was really alive.

"So, I'll start from the beginning." skirted the subject of Sasuke's ignorance, for the moment adopting a mask "The day after you left, a young woman appeared in the database. It turned out that we had a match. Tsunade concluded that it was clearly my fate to stay in this world as long as possible." She bit her lip in pain "I simply think I was lucky. But it was she who saved my life."

A waiter approached the table with the pasta Sakura had previously ordered. The woman thanked the man, returning to the conversation.

"Itachi came to see me two weeks later. I asked him to inform you that another donor had been found. I wanted you to... at least know, Sasuke. That much was enough for me, at the time. So that you wouldn't think the next time you come back to Japan, you'll only be able to visit me at the cemetery." She gushed over the hot food, but Sasuke noticed the tears anyway. They appeared and disappeared before they had a chance to flow "Since then, Itachi has visited me occasionally. I don't know why, I didn't ask him. Once he would stand at the window and tell various stories, although I think most were made up. And sometimes he would sit in a chair, reading books and not even speaking to me. I think he wanted to make up for the lack of you with me. It didn't work out."

"Why-why didn't you ask him if he told me?"

Sakura put down the fork, catching the chain around her neck. Only the top part was visible, but Sasuke would have recognized that specific clasp anywhere - Sakura still wore the necklace from him.

"I asked, all the time. One day he answered 'yes' and didn't show up again."

Of course Itachi fed everyone lies, as usual. He put Sasuke in a bad light, breaking poor Sakura's heart.

"I didn't expect your brother to be worse than you, Sasuke,"

"Ino, please." Sakura admonished her friend, who promised to keep quiet.

"Sorry."

The noodles cooled; hovering steam blurred in the air. Sasuke leaned back in his chair, not once taking his eyes off Sakura's face, as if she were about to disappear.

"How did you know I was back?"

"Tsunade accidentally told me." She fell silent for a moment, waiting for Sasuke's reaction. The man, however, did not open his mouth, allowing her to continue speaking, "I knew she had to write down your new address for the documents. I read it when she left the office." Sakura drew in a breath "It took me a month to invite you. I couldn't get my thoughts together. At first I understood your decision, Sasuke. Seriously. If I had been in your shoes, I would have also tried to protect my sanity. I don't know how much I would have remained sane as I waited for the known death of a loved one. But then, after Itachi's words, I began to hate you. I thought you had left me, just like that. That it was really just a meaningless arrangement for you."

"Never-"

She silenced him with a raise of her hand.

"Before coming, I considered five possible directions the conversation could take. For your confession, however, I did not prepare myself." Sakura asked the waiter for the bill, "I don't think I can come up with anything else. I've said what I should have. Do you have anything to add?"

He had, a lot, but Sasuke wasn't ready to inform her about his fiancée, soon to be wife, and the alcohol problems he'd acquired through his desire to forget her. So he shook his head once again. His fingers trembled in his lap.

Sakura took out a business card. It showed a phone number and an address.

"If you have any more questions or want to share your story, come see me." She counted off the money and left it on the table. She and Ino stood up, saying goodbye, "I wish you all the best in life, Sasuke."

The mask slowly began to drop - the tremor in her voice was easy to sense.

"Sakura..." they stopped. Sasuke would not let this be a goodbye; not like this, not now.

But he couldn't say anything else. Sakura left.

…

She ran her fingers through her hair, massaging the head. Meeting with Sasuke was not one of the best. When she saw his expression; the confusion in his eyes; the sadness, sorrow and shock written on his face, Sakura felt like crying all over. Different information she had, yet others were the truth.

She found it hard to understand how two people could be so easily fooled by the same man. But what hurt the most was the ruining of an entire relationship through one mistake.

On her way out of the restaurant, Sakura had to grab Ino's arm to keep from falling.

"Did I do well?" she asked with hope in her voice.

"Yes." Ino supported Sakura more.

Walking down the street, the sun was roasting her face. Sakura reflexively smiled, thanking her savior, whose name was engraved in her memory, her body and the doctors that she could experience this feeling once again.

The people on the streets had dwindled - they had returned home for lunch or gone to eat out, hiding in locales. Sakura remembered Sasuke again and an unpleasant feeling sat in her stomach for the second time. What if he noticed? She didn't want him to know how anxious and worried she was. She couldn't afford to show weakness in front of him - even if Sakura didn't blame Sasuke completely and understood his motives for leaving, as much as she could, she still felt hurt and had to show him that if he wanted her forgiveness, he had to make an effort.

Oh, but what a weak heart she had - she forgave her loved ones so quickly.

This made her so easy to break.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura noticed her friend's attentive gaze.

"Are you sure nothing has betrayed me?"

"Yes. You spoke with such calmness that I admire you for it Sakura."

She nodded automatically, clenching her hands into fists.

"That's good, because I felt like I was about to throw up." Instead of laughter, a sound that only meant one thing came out of her mouth, and Ino knew it well, "I still feel that way."

"Sakura..." she led her to the nearest bench, embracing Sakura's head and bringing it closer to her chest as she began to cry. Tears trickled down her cheeks, and Ino stroked her gently, trying to calm her down, "My darling, relax. He is not worth you and your pain."

"And is anyone worthwhile?"

She was soaking her friend's blouse, clinging to her like a child.

"...No." she whispered, and Sakura knew perfectly clear that Ino was speaking sincerely.

"So tell me, Ino, honestly," she wiped away a tear, looking down at her friend, "is it wrong that I loved him and still do, despite everything? Am I stupid for choosing him and not being able to leave those feelings in the past?" her voice broke with every word.

Ino embraced her face and looked at her very seriously.

"Absolutely not, Sakura. Don't ever say that again." she brought Sakura closer to herself "You had your reasons and I understand that you are looking for the old Sasuke in the man you saw today. And I don't doubt that he is still there, but remember while searching for him you should not lose yourself." she caught her hand, bringing it closer to her heart "First love will always remain here. I know this from my own experience and it's not a bad thing. We just have to consider sometimes, isn't it better to find someone who will love us as much as we love them?"

"But what if I won't be able to love anyone as much as Sasuke?"

"Sakura, Sakura." Ino pinched her friend gently on the nose "These are your feelings, I will support you in every decision. I don't have to approve your choices to respect them and rejoice with you. If you decide that you want to rebuild your relationship with Sasuke or forgive him or do anything else and it makes you happy, I will be beside, happy along with you." Sakura felt like crying again from Ino's words, "Just don't hurt yourself with it."

"Thank you, Ino." She was fortunate to have such a person by her side "But we also have another person who messed up more than he should have."

"Itachi..."

Their goal was to deal with him first. He could be the missing piece of the puzzle and guide Sakura, willy-nilly, into making a decision.

"I hate him with all my heart." she hissed, expressing her feelings toward the man out loud for the first time "This will be difficult because I don't know the exact details of the situation, but for some reason Itachi didn't want to tell Sasuke about my health. I assume he must have known Sasuke would most likely return to Japan then." She wiped away her tears, straightening up and arranging her tousled hair, "I have suspicions and a desire to do something risky."

"Oh god..."

…

The key felt heavy in his palm, and the lock blurred in front of his eyes. Sasuke tried for the third time to put it in the hole - surprisingly, he succeeded. With his shoulder, he pushed open the door and entered quietly; at least he thought so; into the apartment.

Sasuke tried a third time to put it in the hole - surprisingly, he succeeded. With his shoulder, he pushed open the door and entered the apartment quietly; at least he thought so.

He set the wallet down on the table, hitting the vase accidentally. Sasuke caught it before it fell, but the noise let Karin know of his arrival. She appeared on the stairs dressed in a bathrobe covering her pajamas. Red hair flowed down her back.

"Could you start coming earlier and not wake me up in the process? I go to work, unlike you."

"Aa."

He took off his shoes, massaging the spot between his eyebrows. Going to bars and drinking at home had terrible consequences, Sasuke realized, but he couldn't give it up. It delayed his return to the hospital.

"And maybe you should start coming in a better condition, huh?" she followed Sasuke's slow, wobbly steps "I'd rather not wonder if you're lying somewhere unconscious in the street."

He grabbed the railing, climbing the stairs.

"I've had a rough day." he muttered.

"You have a hard day every day, Sasuke." He bypassed Karin, leaving the woman behind "Don't walk away when I'm talking to you.", he paused, turning around "Will you ever stop acting like you're the only one suffering through this situation?"

"Karin, I don't feel like having a serious conversation today."

He coughed. Blinking very slowly, Sasuke started walking up the steps backward.

"Ah, yes," she snorted, "I can't understand you, Sasuke. What happened in your life to make you behave like this?"

He laughed at the woman's question. The alcohol cheered up his mood, at least for a while. Leaving Karin on the stairs alone, he returned to his room. The unmade sheets, the clothes on the floor, the plates next to the bed - they looked at him, even begging for cleaning. Sasuke, however, threw himself onto the mattress, sinking into his pillow.

The phone vibrated. He took it out and with difficulty, one eye closed, read the message from Itachi - "We'll talk when I get back.'

His memory was failing him. Sasuke ran his finger over the screen, discovering three earlier messages he had written to his brother at the bar. He didn't even remember it, but recalling the conversation with Sakura, anger again set in his mind. On impulse, he dialed Itachi's number. After three signals, the man answered.

'Why are you calling me, Sasuke?'

"Listen to me, Itachi…" he hiccupped into the handset.

'You're drunk, we'll talk-'

"I said, listen to me." he interrupted his brother hostilely "Don't come near me or Sakura ever again. I don't want anything to do with you."

He heard Itachi sigh and move back in his wheelchair. He must have just finished working.

'You're not thinking soberly.'

"I'm thinking more soberly than usual."

In the background, a woman shouted Itachi's name. It was the first time Sasuke had heard such a voice.

'I have to go.'

He hung up, leaving Sasuke alone on the other side of the phone. With irritation, he put the phone down and after a while fell into a deep sleep.

…

He was awakened by a loud curse coming from downstairs. Sasuke rubbed his eyes, feeling dryness in the mouth. His throat begged him for at least a drop of water.

The alarm clock beside him showed early afternoon. At this hour, Karin should have been out already. Sasuke reached behind him, opening the curtain and letting a bit of light into the room.

A trickle of sunlight fell on the pink glass. The room filled with beautiful color. Sasuke felt as if Sakura was standing right next to him - because she could, she was alive. And he might lose her a second time, through his stupidity.

If only he had stopped her from leaving, maybe... What was supposed to change? From beginning to end, she believed that their relationship was a fake and there were no feelings - at least not on Sasuke's part. He never tried enough to make her think otherwise.

She suffered, and he suffered. Sakura thought he left her because he didn't care about her, and Sasuke thought she was dead.

They were stuck in a mess and didn't know how to get out of it. Should Sasuke fight? Does Sakura still love him? What chance does he have of rebuilding their relationship?

What does he really feel at this point, now that he has learned Sakura is still in the world of the living?

Stopping his pondering for now, he gathered himself from the bed, took off the sweat-smelling shirt and went downstairs. In the kitchen, Sasuke found the sight of Karin cooking dinner. The woman had piled her hair up in a bun and threw on an apron over her clothes. She didn't notice his presence until Sasuke approached and poured water into a glass.

She turned her scarlet eyes on him, running her gaze over Sasuke.

"Why aren't you at work?"

"I didn't sleep enough." She checked the rice, "I called my mother and said I would be gone for a week. I'll be working from home."

"What a pity." He muttered under his breath, sitting down at the table.

Karin looked at him, putting food on a plate.

"If you want to eat something, you have to cook for yourself." she said, as if she inferred this from Sasuke's attitude.

Uchiha rarely stayed in her company for more than ten minutes, and even more rarely had meals with her. Sasuke didn't blame Karin for their engagement; the woman was in as hopeless a situation as he was, because of her mother; but that didn't mean he should act as if he really was her fiancé. There were limits - he could only pretend for one person.

"I'm not hungry."

"Of course," sarcasm dripped in her voice, "your meal will be alcohol, I assume."

"Are we going back to this topic again?"

"No..." Karin sat down "We have a more important matter to discuss." She slid the latop over to Sasuke "Your father sent an email with a piece of the contract." Sasuke looked at her questioningly "Comical, isn't it? But to the point, he began to insist on completing a part that is quite controversial for us."

"A child."

"You managed to postpone the wedding date by a year, try to do it this time too, because," she hung up, lowering her gaze, "I have no intention of sleeping with you. I'm still hoping to get back to him."

"I don't see myself going to bed with you either, Karin." Sasuke stood up, setting his glass down in the kitchen. His phone vibrated again. He had received another message from Tsunade. The doctor had been trying to reach him for a month, telling him to show up at the hospital at least once. For the past thirty days, he hadn't had the strength to go back, but now that Karin was staying at home and Sakura had reappeared in his life, maybe it was time "I'm leaving.", he communicated.

Sasuke only had time to get ready in the bathroom and get dressed and comb his hair before he left the apartment.

…

Sakura held Naruto and Gaara's hand. The evening promised to be pleasant. She and her two friends decided to go to the hospital to fulfill the beginning of the task - it threatened serious consequences, but if everything goes their way and the plan she came up with Ino doesn't fail, Sakura won't have to worry about tomorrow and will have in her possession the documents that are the key to unraveling the mystery.

"Why couldn't you take Ino with you?" said Naruto in a pleading tone, as if Sakura was about to change her mind because of him.

"Ino has a date."

"In the middle of the week?"

Sakura looked at her friend, asking him to end the discussion. Naruto knew Ino's boyfriend very well and was aware of what he could come up with.

Turning the corner, they found themselves on the straight road to the hospital.

"Tell me Naruto, how is Hinata?" She pulled him gently by the hand "It's been a long time since I talked to her."

"She is currently visiting Central Europe. She plans to propose."

Sakura smiled broadly at her friend's confession. Hinata suffered after breaking up with Naruto, but six months later she met a girl with whom she became fast friends. They decided to go on a journey, disregarding the displeasure of Hiashi and the rest of the clan. Both women were happy with their choice, not only for the sake of exploring the beauty of the world, but also for the sake of getting to know each other better and finally having a relationship. It had been a long time since Sakura heard her friend so happy.

"That's wonderful! I wish her all the best."

"Yes, she deserves the best, dattebayo!"

"You guys too, of course."

"Thank you, Sakura." spoke up for the first time Gaara.

They passed patients who had already left the hospital; those who were just heading to it with their families; and groups of people gathering on benches in front of the entrance. Nothing had changed here, except perhaps the new color of the walls and roof. The rest remained the same - it still overwhelmed Sakura.

"Before we go in," she stopped, pulling her friends with her, "I'd like to ask you one question. I talked to Ino about it, but I need to know from you guys. Do you think I should rebuild my relationship with Sasuke if I still care about him?"

Naruto didn't take his eyes off her, and Sakura noticed that he was arguing with himself. It was obvious that he wanted the best for his best friend, but he also reckoned with the unpleasant reality.

"And he wants it, Sakura-chan?"

"I don't know." she answered honestly, and that hurt her the most.

"You made the first step, let him make the second." Gaara said, resuming their walk.

Sakura lowered her head. It was this fear of Sasuke's lack of interest that frightened her. She fell in love with him and was unable to stop, which was her weakness. She could try, but she had no idea if Sasuke ever returned the same feeling, or if he still wanted to have something in common with her.

"But give him just one chance. The last one." interjected Naruto "If he hurts you again, he'll have to deal with me." He clenched his fist, squinting his eyes.

She laughed, placing a hand gently on her friend's shoulder to cool his emotions. Gaara shook his head at his boyfriend's behavior, calmly walking into the hospital.

"I didn't want to give him any more chances." She commented, letting go of the redhead, "Gaara, you know what to do."

They separated.

Doctors and nurses greeted Sakura with big smiles. The oldest medic, obviously after Tsunade, bowed to her gently. Almost all the staff knew Sakura, or at least had heard of her - a smiling girl who always made the day pleasant and caused a small scandal by getting into a relationship with an apprentice, the son of the owners. That's what they remembered her for, and Sakura didn't complain. Anyway, the most important thing for them was that she survived. She had overcome her illness.

Together with Naruto, they moved smoothly, not getting caught up in any conversation. Sakura knew Tsunade very well - the woman would make her rounds of the hospital in the morning, eat lunch in the afternoon, and in the evening she would go to see patients, complete files and drink tea with the receptionist. During this time, she was not in her office. Tsunade was only there for two hours at most during her twelve-hour duty period and left the door unlocked, always.

"I'm a little stressed." Naruto's hand began to sweat in hers.

"Relax. Gaara will keep Shizune busy long enough."

They reached the office. Sakura looked around and pushed her friend in, after making sure no one was around. The room was practically at the other end of the hospital, where not many doctors went.

"I've already forgotten our excuse." Naruto spread his hands, standing at the door "We'll be in trouble if—"

"Stop panicking, Naruto. Nothing will happen."

"I'm about to faint."

Sakura sighed, leaving Naruto and heading to the desk. She knew the password to the computer by her overly nosy nature. She watched Tsunade's fingers glide across the keyboard once and memorized the short code.

She typed it in, unlocking access to all important documents. However, only one folder interested her. Sakura opened the one with her name, noticing a subfolder at the bottom - donors. Sakura entered it, and three files appeared to her eyes. She didn't have time to look through them now, so she printed them out and quickly shut down the computer.

"Are you sure Neji won't tell anyone and will be able to solve it?"

"Yes." Naruto couldn't afford anything else. He kept looking at the phone, as if he expected trouble. Sakura looked through the documents, and at one breath froze in her chest, "God, she's coming. Sakura-chan, come on!"

She only had time to fold the papers and shove them into her friend's pocket when Naruto pulled her out into the hallway. Tsunade ran her eyes over them, with Sasuke walking at her side.

The atmosphere, it seemed, had changed. Sakura stood as if paralyzed, staring uninterruptedly at his face. She couldn't take her eyes off Sasuke's tired eyes and greasy hair.

"What are you doing here?"

"We— Sakura-chan and I..."

Naruto's words sounded like meaningless chatter. Opening her mouth, Sakura tried to make any sound, but the sentence stuck in her throat. From behind Tsunade's back came Gaara.

"Kakashi told Sakura to bring a book of yours to the next class. Unfortunately, it's no longer available at the library, so she went here."

A silent thank you finally flowed from her mouth. Gaara shook hands with Tsunade, treating the woman with respect. Their families knew each other and the young man admired the woman for her determination and knowledge. Tsunade helped him a lot in writing his own science and psychology books.

"Ah, yes?" she asked, and Sakura nodded, wanting to assure her former doctor that it was true - or at least half true, since Kakashi had ordered her to borrow the book, only that Sakura managed to do so before they all disappeared from the library. Tsunade didn't look convinced, but, surprisingly, decided to let it go, trusting them "This whole Hatake is getting better and better ideas." she commented only and entered the office to give Sakura what she came for.

The four of them were left alone. Sasuke stood saying nothing, never once stopping to look at Sakura. His apron was missing, Sakura observed.

"Naruto Uzumaki."

Sakura's friend stood in the way between her and Sasuke, greeting the man.

"Uzumaki?" he turned his head to the side.

"Any problem with my last name?" Naruto, as usual, misinterpreted the surprised tone. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the blond man's comment, and seeing this Naruto turned to Sakura "How did you last so long with him?" he whispered, ignoring Sasuke.

Sakura bit her lip, recalling her words to the black-eyed man three years ago. She smiled in spirit at her friend's question.

"Uchiha Sasuke." interrupted their silent conversation.

Naruto squeezed his hand a little too tightly, sending Sasuke a warning glance. Their little eye fight was stopped by Tsunade.

"Here it is, Sakura." She handed her the book, "Remember to come in two days for a checkup."

"I don't forget such important things, Tsunade-sama."

Saying goodbye to the doctor, she grabbed Naruto's hand. Without looking at Sasuke, she slipped past him, but he caught her arm. Sakura froze in place, feeling a piercing shiver through his touch.

"Can I walk you home?"

She was not prepared for that. In fact, Sakura wasn't even ready to meet Sasuke and be alone with him.

"I came with my friends and -"

"Exactly. It's not nice-" interjected Naruto, but was silenced by Gaara.

"Actually, Naruto and I have an important matter to discuss. We have to leave you, Sakura, sorry."

The redhead pulled the blonde man along with him before he could protest, disappearing behind the beige walls of the hospital. A lie, one big lie, which Sakura sensed before he even started talking. She will keep that in mind.

Turning to Sasuke, the man's face was still turned toward her. The gentle gaze evoked old feelings in her - he was the same Sasuke she knew.

"I'm not forcing you, Sakura, to come with me."

She took air in lungs, not letting her emotions take over. This was her chance to slowly stabilize her friendship with Sasuke. Since it had been given to her, let her take it.

"I have to go shopping. You'll be useful." she muttered, quickly finding justification for her agreement.

Sasuke put his hand on her back for a second, as if to make sure she was definitely here. They left the hospital, chatting briefly with Shizune along the way - the woman was concerned about further price increases. The city streets were illuminated by lanterns and headlights of passing cars.

They walked the path in silence. Sakura searched in her mind for topics to talk about, but unfortunately she realized that it wasn't as easy as it used to be. There were so many things she even wished to know the answer to, but they all hooked on private topics, and Sasuke didn't seem willing to talk about his past three years.

"So," unexpectedly, Sasuke's hoarse voice reached her ears. The man put on a small smile on his face, "You're studying with Kakashi?"

"Yes," she replied briefly, putting her hands deeper in her pockets. Sakura heard nothing from Sasuke. She looked at him and noticed that he was waiting for the next part of the story, "In two years I caught up on my education and finished school. I talked to Tsunade about my fascination with medicine and she suggested I would continue my studies with Kakashi. Unfortunately, my results were not good enough for me to get into the university." She cringed at this memory. Sakura shed so many tears then, "The other option was private classes, on weekends. They last longer and are more expensive. Normally I wouldn't be able to afford them, but I worked for a year and had money left over from treatment. Yours, sorry."

Sasuke at first didn't understand what Sakura meant. When it finally reached him, he poked her lightly on the shoulder, tilting his head. Sakura looked at him uncertainly.

"You're fulfilling your dreams. I'm glad I could help at least a little."

Her eyes brightened.

"I started studying two months ago and it's great. I've learned so many new things. Kakashi is a good teacher, but sometimes I feel like I do more at home than with him."

"I assume he's still lazy?"

"I knew he hadn't changed a bit!" she tossed her hair back, raising the corners of her mouth from ear to ear "Once he even asked me to give him a glass of water while I was writing an exercise. He is impossible! For that, a week ago..."

Sakura became more talkative. When she wasn't thinking about painful events, and focusing on the fun, joyful ones, she talked better. Words even flowed out of her mouth on their own.

Sasuke, from time to time, even interjected a few sentences. He was fascinated by Sakura's stories and became increasingly amazed with the old teacher.

Crossing the lanes, Sakura met a neighbor. She greeted her, and moments later they arrived at a store. The local market was small and modest. Only people from the neighborhood came to it. Sakura stopped her conversation before entering.

Sasuke was walking close to her, holding a shopping basket.

"Do I talk too much? If it bothers you—"

"I like listening to you."

"Oh... Ohh," before she hid her face behind her hair, Sasuke noticed a slight blush on her cheeks.

She was acting like a lovesick teenager who can't even get a single letter out of her mouth after hearing any kind word. She had to stop, she admonished herself. Sakura had to maintain her facade.

"What do you need?" he asked, unconcerned with her earlier reaction.

Sakura coughed, straightening up.

"Lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, olives, mayonnaise, spices." she put a finger to her chin, wondering what is lacking in her kitchen "Maybe some bread and butter." Sakura turned to Sasuke and noticed that he had already started packing vegetables into nets "And do you, Sasuke, need anything?"

"I don't think so."

"Then what are you going to eat for dinner?"

"Probably nothing."

She stopped, pulling down her eyebrows.

"Nothing? Sasuke, dinner is one of the most important meals. Why don't you do anything?"

"I wasn't planning to go home tonight."

"Why?"

Three items went into the basket. Sasuke moved between the aisles, and Sakura walked right behind him, waiting for an answer. Sasuke's prolongation was starting to make her nervous - she felt anxious; she was afraid to hear the truth, which would make her upset.

"Sometimes I like to go out and sit in a bar,"

She couldn't say she was relieved. It meant that Sasuke was going out drinking, and Sakura didn't know how much alcohol he was consuming. She always disliked people who drank without moderation. And she didn't want Sasuke to be the same.

Sakura came up with an idea.

"If you want, you can come over to my place for dinner."

He hesitated. It was visible in his eyebrow movement.

Taking a step closer, Sasuke bent down, taking the mayonnaise from the bottom shelf. The perfume reached her nose. There was a hint of something sweet in its distinctive scent. Sakura inhaled it.

"Sure."

He dropped the product into the basket, resuming his walk. All joyful, she grabbed his wrist and, bouncing slightly, walked at his side.

"I was planning to make a salad. Which you may have already deduced." She took out two kinds of olives, "But we can do something else, for you."

"Salad is the best choice."

Further they didn't discuss. They bought all the things they needed, paying in half, since Sakura refused to let Sasuke pay for everything. She finally had her own money and could do what she wanted with it.

Taking the shopping net, Sasuke mussed Sakura's fingers wanting to take it from her. A simple help, but she moved her hand away from him.

"I'll carry it myself." she sounded a little more unkind than she intended.

Sakura pressed her lips into a thin line, pleading for him not to take it the wrong way. When she was sick, she usually needed someone by her side, and could only dream of doing other, harder activities, so even such an easy task was important to her - she needed to make her brain aware that she was already full strength and healthy.

Sasuke pushed his hand away, not looking hurt. They left the store and were hit by a cool breeze. Summer was slowly giving way to autumn, taking the warmth with it. The starry sky attracted with its beauty.

Lifting his head up, Sasuke's black irises reflected the glow of the evening. His eyes no longer rivaled the night, they were more beautiful than it.

"Over time, I discovered that you just love to look at me." he joked, lifting just one corner up.

"Not at all!" she turned her face away, biting her lower lip hard.

"Did I ever tell you, you can't lie? Your face -"

"Becomes all red." She finished for him, sticking her tongue out at Sasuke.

Sakura saw that the man was trying not to laugh. His face brightened, and she remembered that she still had his camera. Sakura took it out of her small purse - she carried it with her, as she often found places, people, animals on her path that caught her attention with their beauty, and she longed to capture them; maybe one day show them to Sasuke.

"Do you still have it?" he was surprised.

"Mhmm, now look at the sky."

"I'd rather—"

"Please, Sasuke..." She made sweet eyes at which he only sighed and obeyed the request.

A flash of light flickered in the alley. Sasuke's face appeared on the small camera screen, nicely lit and highlighting his beauty.

"And what will you do with it?"

"I'll print it out and hang it on the wall." it sounded like the confession of a person crazy about someone, making Sasuke look at Sakura questioningly "I'm kidding!" she poked him with her elbow "I'll add it to the album."

Small copies of the photos she tucked into compartments, adding captions underneath them. Sakura treated it like a little diary she could share with her children someday, if she had them. She imagined before bedtime taking out the album and spreading it out on her lap, with a little girl or boy sitting next to her, delightedly pointing a finger at each photo and asking her to tell its story.

The room would then be filled with quiet giggles, so as not to wake the third household member, and tears of emotion. This was what she dreamed of - living in peace with her family.

"When you're done, will you show it to me?"

"You'll be the first to see it, I promise."

'Especially since there's a lot of your face there, you don't even know about,' she said in her mind, keeping this information to herself.

They arrived at a modest apartment complex. Most of the householders were elderly and asleep at this hour, so there were maybe ten lights on throughout the housing estate. Sakura led Sasuke to the staircase, slowly walking in. Her condition had improved considerably, but not enough for her to climb up the stairs to the fifth floor without losing her breath.

Opening the door and lighting the chandelier, a humble hallway appeared before them. Sakura put away her groceries, took off her shoes, instructed Sasuke, and finally washed her hands. In the kitchen, she opened the windows, letting the stale air pour out.

Somewhere in the living room, Sasuke was perusing the library. He was looking at romances, fantasy and medical articles.

Letting the water run, Sakura washed the vegetables. She had already prepared a knife when Sasuke appeared next to her with an outstretched hand.

"In this I think you'll let me help you."

She looked at the knife, then at him.

"You're a guest, you should..." she handed him the cutlery "Never mind."

"You never wanted to cook together with me?"

"... I wanted to."

He said nothing to this confession, tying his hair up in a ponytail. They got to work - Sasuke cut the vegetables, while Sakura took care of the lettuce and dressing. In conversation, they only talked about memories of their time together and Sakura's friends. She talked about Lee's adventures in the hospital; he'd been there six more times since Sasuke left; Naruto and Hinata's breakup; what he deduced by the two boys' overly affectionate gestures; and Sai's ever-better dating ideas.

The hands of the clock moved from minute to minute, changing the hour from the meeting to more than two now. Laughter and jokes could be heard in the room, interrupted by the putting of ingredients into the bowl.

A piece of mayonnaise landed on Sakura's nose.

"Even in the kitchen you don't know how to behave?" she joked, taking off the sauce with her finger.

"I'm trying, Sakura." he emphasized each syllable of her name clearly.

"Like with a child. Give me that spoon." she almost grabbed it, but Sasuke lifted his hand up "Sasuke!"

She tried to jump up, with poor results. He was too tall. Sakura could try endlessly. However, there was one way - she tickled Sasuke, and without expecting it, he bent down. She started laughing at the look on his face, taking what she wanted.

To others, it may have looked like a silly game between two adults who haven't yet grown up, but that's what Sakura's illness and Sasuke's father took away from them - youth.

They had no chance for a normal teenage life - she locked within the walls of the hospital, he at home with his nose in books. While their peers were experiencing that innocent first love, they were crying from pain, exhaustion and loneliness.

That's why they decided to make up for it now, together.

Sasuke pulled Sakura by the waist, intending to take her prey, but before he could do so the melodious laughter reached his ears again. He stopped his movements, gazing deeply into her eyes.

"I missed you."

Time seemed to slow down. Sasuke held out his hand, only to take it back, not wanting to cross that invisible boundary just yet.

"Me too, Sasuke, very much so." she whispered, not needing to raise her voice. He heard her loud and clear.

Sasuke leaned against the countertop, sighing tremblingly.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything, Sakura." he looked at her with such sadness and sorrow that her heart sank "I should have thought about all this more, and that kiss..."

"Shh..."

She embraced him, holding his fragile body tightly. Sasuke put one hand gently on Sakura's back, squeezing the woman's shirt with all his strength.

"Let's have this conversation at another time. The food won't finish itself."

…

Birds chirped in the trees, leaves were falling to the ground, the morning drizzle was in the air. The last rays of summer warmed the faces of patients. Sakura sat on the roof of the hospital, taking pictures. She even captured a mother feeding her chicks.

Beautiful views stretched from every direction. Sasuke didn't lie when he said it would be beautiful here. The Uchihas did their best. Children as well as adults found solace in this place. They came here to sit, read, play.

"What are you doing here so early?"

She raised her head noticing Sasuke. He was walking toward her wearing an unbuttoned white apron and hands in pockets. His hair reached before his shoulders, so he had to cut it. Sakura didn't complain about his previous appearance, but now he looked more elegant and handsome.

"I like sitting here." She shrugged her shoulders, hiding the truth; and more her fears "And you? Are you back at work?"

"Yes. It had to happen eventually." He leaned against a tree "When you have a check-up?"

"In an hour."

The baby's chattering caught their attention. A middle-aged woman was cuddling her son, talking to him and kissing his cheeks. Sakura smiled at the sight, leaving it solely in her memory.

Checking the time on his watch and something in his notebook, Sasuke approached Sakura, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"It's still here." With a finger, he pointed to the heart they had attached there together.

Sakura immediately snapped a picture, not understanding how she hadn't noticed it.

"This is my favorite memory."

"Aa." he straightened up "I have an hour free, I can take you in now. If you want."

She looked at him, parting her lips. She had purposely come here early to sit, calm her nerves and prepare for another twenty minutes of sitting behind closed doors, listening to the doctor's orders. Sakura hated it, and hated the results even more.

Without knowing why, she nodded in agreement. Sasuke then removed his hand and headed for the exit, but Sakura remained on the bench, as if glued to it.

"Sa—" she paused, feeling cursed tears under her eyelids. She drew in three breaths. Sasuke stopped, looking at her from over his shoulder; his eyes asked her what was going on "I'm coming."

Joining him, she hid her fear, burrowing it into the far corners of her head. This is not the time for him.

She grabbed Sasuke's wrist, but he broke free from her grasp, squeezing her hand.

"Just a basic check-up?"

"Yes." they passed people on the stairs who were just heading to the roof after breakfast, "I do the rest once every six months with Tsunade. So far there have been no complications or suspected recurrences."

"And may it stay that way."

They walked out into the hallway. On weekends, the hospital was at its busiest - irresponsible teenagers as well as adults often ended up in the emergency room through stupid ideas after alcohol and other stimulants, also caused by the influence of friends.

As they walked past the reception desk, they encountered Tsunade. The woman stopped, looking at them quizzically.

"Uchiha..."

Sakura noticed that she looked at their joined hands for more than two seconds. She hid her red cheeks under the collar of her turtleneck sweater.

"They're not there,"

"People are gossiping."

"Then let them gossip."

Sasuke pulled her away, leaving the doctor disappointed, and perhaps a little worried, though Sakura didn't understand why. The exchange of words between the two was... bizarre.

"What was that about?"

"Nothing big, Sakura. Don't worry."

It sounded so unconvincing that Sakura hesitated, but left the subject. Time would still come, Sasuke promised her, and he would tell her his part of the story once he had put together in his head what to say and how to say it. She trusted him and decided to wait.

Leaving her for a while, Sasuke approached Shizune, asking for the patient's chart. Arranging everything and apologizing for taking the patient, they went to the doctor's office. Sasuke prepared a needle with a tube, and Sakura sat in a chair, rolling up her sleeves.

Rubbing the inside of her elbow with gauze, he applied the needle to the skin.

"You can turn your head." He said in a monotone voice.

"Really?" she looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

Sasuke rubbed the spot between his eyebrows, leaving the topic of his learned formulas. He drew blood, closing the three tubes.

He looked into Sakura's ears, mouth, eyes; asked a few questions, then took the stethoscope, dropping it around his neck.

"Take off your sweater."

She followed the order, staying in only black bra, making Sakura feel chilly. Taking a wheeled chair, Sasuke strode over to her, inserting the tips of the tool into his ears.

He auscultated the front, the back and the front again. Sakura followed his movements, as if she wanted to read something from them. However, they betrayed nothing, not even a facial expression, so she decided to ask a question that she should possibly leave for herself.

"Was I attractive to you?"

"What kind of question is that?"

Sasuke wanted to avoid answering, but Sakura wasn't giving up. Since she threw herself in at the deep end, she's not going to stop until she finds out.

"And now I am?"

"Sakura, I'm doing a checkup."

"Quick answer. Yes or no."

"Why do you need one?"

She sighed, leaning dangerously close to his face.

"Because I've always wondered if at least once, when you saw my body, flashed through your mind what you would do with me and—" he covered her mouth.

"Sakura..." he felt her smile under his hand. He sent her a meaningful look - so that's how you want to play "Once."

"Once? I was hoping for more."

"I'm not the one with only one thing on my mind." He put a finger to Sakura's belly and slowly rode it upward. Shivers ran through her body; this was something she hadn't factored into her plan to extract information from Sasuke, "What were you thinking about?"

He stood up, resting one hand on the window sill behind her and running the other over the breastbone, still heading higher. Sasuke leaned over Sakura.

"I wasn't thinking." she mouthed.

"Who are you trying to fool?" he caught her chin, lifting her head.

How did a simple question turn into this? Should Sakura complain? What would happen if she kissed him? Was this the right time? Did she need to know that, or was it enough to listen to her heart and do what she thought was right; best for herself?

"... Nob—"

"Am I interrupting?"

They jumped away from each other faster than they found themselves in this situation.

"Shizune."

Sakura got up from her chair, putting on a sweater "It's not what you think, really!"

The doctor ignored the explanation, walking over to the countertop and looking at the results Sasuke had written down. With red cheeks, Sakura closed her eyes, begging in her spirit that no one would ever meet her in such a situation again. It was embarrassing.

"Everything normal."

Straightening up, she took a more appropriate posture in front of the doctor. Her health was now a priority.

"And when will the morphology results be in?"

"Tomorrow." Shizune approached Sakura "I wouldn't worry about it, Sakura. You'll be fine." she assured, knowing Sakura's fear of bad results - she could stay up all night, eat little and cry, afraid to hear that the illness might recur.

"Thank you."

"And now Sasuke the patient in the other room needs a change of drip." The man nodded and left, bidding Sakura farewell with a wave of the hand. She and Shizune were left alone "My dear," the woman turned to her, "I understand hormones and young age, but you could at least close the door."

Sakura folded her arms "I swear, it's a misunderstanding, we—"

"Right, that's enough. I don't need to know more. Just don't do it here next time." Shizune gathered the documents into a folder. Sakura realized she was at a loss, having no way to convince the doctor of her reasons "Now go home, I have other patients."

As she left the office, she held her cheeks, trying to hide the embarrassment of being caught. And only that, because she couldn't lie - Sakura liked this version of Sasuke.

…

Walking down the stairs with coffee, Sasuke carried the papers belonging to one of his diabetics under his arm. He had been sitting over them from evening to morning, trying to figure out this convoluted case.

Crossing the hallway, he reached the living room. Sitting at the table was Karin, with her hair pinned up. Her week at home had ended two weeks ago, but she was still here. Sasuke suspected that she had argument with her mother, and since that woman spent practically the entire day at her dental clinic, Karin had decided not to show up for work, handling individual things online. And while this might not have bothered her, Sasuke was no longer so comfortable in the apartment.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you with something other than whiskey or beer. Why the change?" she took her eyes off the laptop screen, correcting her glasses.

"I have too many things on my mind." he summarized the answer as best he could, but Karin noticed the peculiar half-second smile anyway.

"You met someone." she remarked, writing back the message by the way, "Is that why you don't come home so often?"

"Maybe." He set the mug on the counter.

"I'm happy for you, Sasuke."

Once again, Karin threw herself into her work, ignoring his presence. Sasuke went to the kitchen, taking a slice of bread, lettuce, ham, cheese and tomato sauce. He ate all five meals a day to avoid listening to Sakura's whining about his poor diet and lack of taking care of himself.

Even more so, by spending almost every day with her, he began to see the world around him and his habits differently. He still hadn't confide to Sakura about his alcohol problem, but he enrolled in therapy, which was already showing some effects. He was slowly changing, for her - though they still had his story to work through.

He bit into his sandwich when someone knocked on the door. Sasuke leaned out the door, looking questioningly at Karin. The woman merely shrugged her shoulders.

"No one comes to me."

Sighing heavily, as he didn't feel like having unexpected visitors at all, Sasuke went to open it.

"Sasuke, son," he said. Mikoto stood smiling, carrying a paper bag with her, "I was already afraid you weren't home. You know, after you finally went back to work, I thought maybe you were sitting around longer than you should have." she chattered, without making much sense.

Making way for his mother in the doorway, Sasuke watched her carefully.

"You could have informed me earlier, Mom," he said.

"I wanted to surprise you." She took off her jacket and kissed her son on the cheek "I brought dinner. Homemade food is the best, I hope you cook for yourself and not eat out."

Sasuke couldn't keep up with his mother, who was doing everything at a strangely accelerated pace. Mikoto put away the packages in the kitchen and returned to the living room, sitting down on the couch. Karin looked at the woman with amused eyes - once she admitted to Sasuke that she didn't like his mother because of the influence her husband has on her.

"Mom, could you finally say what you're doing here?"

"We haven't seen each other in a long time." She patted the seat across from her "Haven't you missed me?"

"Of course I've missed you, but you've never come to see me unannounced before."

Mikoto laughed awkwardly.

"You're right, I didn't even notice. What can I say, I came with a point." She linked her fingers together. Sasuke was not at all surprised "I need to talk to you before your father does."

"I'm listening."

"Yesterday I was with a friend for coffee. She works at the hospital and is one of the nurses, and at one point she started the topic of you and your fiancée. People at the hospital know about your relationship with Karin."

"Don't call it a relationship, I beg you."

"Sasuke..." Mikoto put her hand on her son's knee "Okay. So, she started to tell me that I recently walked with a certain woman by the hand and-"

"Why don't you tell her name?" interrupted his mother, sending an angry look.

So far he had kept his anger inside, caused by the concealment of such important information for him, but he could not tolerate pretending to be a fool.

"... I would ask you not to do it again. People see and then get surprised when they see you with another woman."

"She has a name." he hissed through clenched teeth.

Sasuke tried to keep his anger inside without unloading it on his blameless mother, but Mikoto pretended she hadn't heard his words at all.

"We can't allow any more problems. That's why you must break contact with—"

"Sakura. Her name is Sakura, as you know very well."

The smile disappeared from the woman's face. Mikoto froze in place, looking at her son in shock, while Karin listened in curiosity to the conversation.

"Oh, Sasuke, where did..." she covered her eyes "I might have guessed that." her voice faltered, but Sasuke did not feel even an ounce of sympathy "Sorry. It's... A couple of times I wanted to tell you, I swear, but then I remembered that since going to Italy you've improved relations with your father and brother this..."

"You decided to take away my chance to have a relationship with the person I really love? I didn't expect that from you, Mom."

"Your father-"

She looked at him with broken eyes, as if she had a right to feel bad. Sasuke stood up, moving away from her.

"You never stood up for me." He accusingly pointed a finger at her, "You were the one who handed me the papers. You watched me sign the contact, condemning me and Karin to marriage, already knowing that Sakura was alive. You didn't notice by looking into my eyes that there was something wrong with me."

Mikoto spread her hands, having no way to contradict her son. Sasuke said right.

"How can I fix this? I am your mother."

"Do you want to repair the relationship we never had?" he ran his tongue over his teeth. The woman couldn't say anything more "If that's all you came for, you can leave."

Mikoto left the apartment as quickly as she had come, leaving behind only a bitter taste. Little Sasuke was always trying to get his mother's attention, but he was getting so little of it that his older version stopped claiming it. He just stopped giving himself hope for a better relationship with his family - Mikoto's exit sealed it.

"Sasuke," Karin's voice sounded closer than it should have. She stood right next to him, "no matter that she is your mother, remember one thing, she deserves the same treatment she gives you. I gave mine a million chances, and in the end I was left crying alone."

He nodded, thanking Karin's words in his own way, and headed back to his room to calm his shattered nerves.

…

Laughter and the boy's chatter slowly became annoying to Sasuke. He ended up at Sakura's apartment after rethinking a few things, finally deciding to fulfill his promise. He left the apartment in a rather good mood; although the recent conversation with his mother still had a bad effect on him; however, when he appeared in front of the door and knocked, a stranger opened instead of Sakura.

Brown hair and red eye shadow first caught Sasuke's attention. The face, however, was unrecognizable to him.

After seeing Sasuke, man then bared his teeth at him, greeting him cheerfully as if he knew him. For the first few seconds, Sasuke thought he had mistaken the apartments, but upon rechecking, it turned out he was standing at the right door.

"Is Sakura home?"

"When I came in she was still asleep." The stranger ran his eyes over him, chewing food and waiting for Sasuke to say something else. He chose to stand quietly, watching the man. What was he doing here, since Sakura didn't say she was living with someone? Maybe... she had met someone? Sasuke felt weak "Should I wake her up?"

"No, you don't have to."

They stared at each other in uncomfortable silence, interrupted by a bark. A white dog appeared within sight of Sasuke. Man pointed to his pet.

"Cool, right?" he laughed, however, upon seeing Sasuke's face he stopped, scratching behind his ear "Come in." The stranger stepped aside to make way in the entryway.

"I don't know which of us should feel more concentrated. I've never seen you here, and you don't know me, yet you're inviting me in."

"Ah, you're kind of right, but I know you Sasuke. Maybe not personally, but I heard about you yesterday from Sakura." Sasuke entered, undressing "I am Kiba, a family friend." He extended his hand. Sasuke left him behind, heading for the kitchen. He heard Kiba follow him "I'm not surprised Sakura didn't talk about me. I'm rarely here. In fact, I'm only here when my parents kick me out of the house or the girl I happen to be hanging out with. You know how it goes." laughed "Last—"

"No—"

But there was no turning back. Kiba talked and talked, not letting Sasuke get a word in edgewise. He had already spent half an hour at the table, and it didn't look like he was going to leave anytime soon.

Until Sakura appeared, still in her pajamas and uncombed hair. She rubbed her tired eyes, not sensing his presence right away.

"You're so loud, Kiba."

"I'm sorry, Sakura. I had to keep a guest company."

Sasuke watched as Kiba leaned on Sakura's shoulder, and Sakura opened her eyes wider, surprised by her friend's words. She looked around the kitchen, finally coming across a figure sitting at the table. The lights of happiness shone in her eyes, and her smile widened to unimaginable proportions.

Oh, how he adored her.

"Sasuke!" she took a step forward, but stopped, turning first to Kiba "Thank you for letting him in. Now, if you could leave us alone, I'd appreciate it."

"No problem. I have to go anyway, I'm meeting up for a good..." he refrained from saying the last word, seeing Sakura's disgusted face "Have a good day, Sakura. Akamaru!" he called out to the dog, leaving the apartment with a bang.

Sakura, after her friend left, ran up to Sasuke, who had risen from the table earlier, and embraced him around the waist, putting her head against his chest to listen to his heartbeat.

Raising his hand, Sasuke hooked fingers into Sakura's hair, leaning in a little so he could be closer to her. Who would have thought that six months after their reunion, a mentally damaged boy would develop into a man who would have the opportunity to once again hold in his arms a woman for whom he would be able to give his own life and enjoy living without the help of stimulants.

"For two days you were nowhere to be found and you didn't answer my messages. I was afraid something had happened to you." she muttered into his shirt.

"I'm sorry. I had a rather unpleasant conversation recently."

"Oh," she captured his face, "but it's better now?"

Sasuke smiled gently, removing one of the woman's hands and squeezing it lightly in his own.

"Much better, Sakura." They looked at each other, simply soaking up the other's presence.

Ever since Sasuke started visiting Sakura more often, she had become his haven for the second time, a quiet place where he could go to talk, have a good time, laugh and calm down.

"Sasuke?" she whispered, seeing that he was staring at her longer than usual.

"I'm ready."

"Okay." Understanding was painted on her face "I'll prepare breakfast first." She headed to the kitchen. Sasuke watched Sakura's movements, admiring her and her strength. Every step awakened a warmth in him - Sakura was able to do things that three years ago she would have die for "I hope Kiba didn't tire you out too much. He can talk a lot." she laughed, pouring milk into a pot and taking out oatmeal "You're probably wondering why I didn't tell you about him." she stated, guessing Sasuke's thoughts "My mother is friends with his, but I've never had a close relationship with him. However, I can't say no to him when he needs help. That's why, sometimes Kiba comes when he is in need, and I host him."

"Aa." he sat down again at the table "It wasn't that bad."

"Since you stayed it certainly wasn't." she joked, adding strawberries to the oatmeal.

Setting down two bowls and cups, Sakura spread herself across from Sasuke. He tasted the food and cleared his throat with tea, preparing to speak.

"Sakura," he began, looking hard into her eyes. Sasuke took three deep breaths, finally sharing his story with someone for the first time, "I'll start at the beginning, quickly. Itachi, the day they found the first donor, wanted to send me to Italy. I turned him down, deciding to stay with you. I thought everything would go well, you would recover and we could... be together." he took another sip of drink "You know the rest of the story. I left because your death would have killed me." Sakura set her oatmeal aside, catching Sasuke's hand lying on the table "On the same day I arrived in Italy and stayed with Izumi, my cousin. For the first week, I didn't show up even once at the hospital, unable to get out of bed. It was bad with me, very bad."

He ran his hand almost imperceptibly over the forearm covered by the long sleeve. The memories hit him, but Sasuke pushed them out of his head, resuming his story.

"When I finally returned to work after my father's threats, I could barely stand on my feet when I saw the faces of the patients. Each of them, living or dying, reminded me of you. As I sat over the patients' charts and studied their illnesses, I wondered what I could have done differently to save you. Of course, the answer was always nothing." He looked away from Sakura, unable to look her in the eye any longer "After a month of work, I felt so terrible with my own thoughts that I went to a bar. I drank way too much there. I was slowly losing touch with reality when some girl approached me. She helped me and after that I met with her again to return the favor." The grip on his hand became tighter "I treated her like a friend. She didn't know me and I didn't know her, so I told her about you and everything I felt at that moment. As a result, she found another way to help me. Drugs."

Sakura made a sound of surprise, tears froze under her eyelids.

"I only took them three times because I felt extremely awful afterwards. But I couldn't give up drinking. I would come home in such a state that Izumi one day told me to find another apartment and move out." He drank his tea to the end in one draught, hearing his heartbeat in ears, "I yelled at her, which I regret terribly to this day, and I know I can never apologize to her enough."

Izumi's terrified face has haunted him in nightmares until now. The poor woman then wondered for a moment if she should call the police.

"She told Fugaku about my behavior. My father flew to Italy the next day and beat me so badly that to this day I have scars on my back."

"Oh, Sasuke…"

Uncontrollable tears dripped down Sakura's cheeks, and Sasuke was shaking all over, unable to control his emotions any longer. The pain his father had inflicted on him stayed in his memory. Sasuke was able to replay in his mind the terrifying screams of them both - one of anger, the other of fear.

"After that incident," he swallowed his saliva, feeling a lump in his throat, "I took the grip. I finished my practice and went back to Japan and..." I have a fiancée.

It didn't pass his throat. Instead, the unbearable tears that he always avoided appeared. Sasuke muttered a silent apology and was already about to get up from the table to move away from Sakura and not show himself in such a state to her, but Sakura stood up and crouched in front of him, bringing his hand closer to her face.

"Sasuke-kun, relax. You don't have to run away." She kissed the top of his palm "You are so strong, you know? So strong..." she whispered, making him shiver.

"I'm not."

She stood up, towering over him to hug his face again and pressed her lips to his forehead.

"You are, you really are. I admire you and love you all the same."

His throat dried up at her confession. He had heard it once and thought he would never have the opportunity again, but right now Sakura stood before him offering herself and her feelings.

"Thank you."

This time he didn't have to pull away from her. He wrapped himself in Sakura's love, accepting it and taking her as his support.

…

Phone vibration reached her ears for the fourth time. Sasuke had already received so many messages, and he was still sleeping like a log. Sakura tried to wake him up an hour ago, but he didn't move. Yesterday, after work, he returned to her after midnight and lay down on the couch, immediately falling asleep. He didn't even eat dinner.

And nothing disturbed Sakura's morning preparations until someone started writing to him, interrupting the peace in the apartment.

She approached Sasuke a second time, poking him on the shoulder.

"Sasuke, wake up."

The man muttered under his breath and turned to the other side. Sakura sighed in helplessness when another message came in. Annoyed, she picked up the phone from the table with the intention of silencing it. Willy-nilly, a text message from Sasuke's father caught her eye - 'What date change again?', 'I don't approve this...' and 'When I get home then...'

"Sakura?"

She trembled, turning her head slowly toward Sasuke, who was looking at her from under squinted eyelids. She didn't want him to think she was checking his phone on purpose.

"You didn't turn off the vibration..." she excused herself, putting the cell phone back in its place.

"Who was texting me?" Sasuke wasn't too concerned about Sakura accidentally peeping into his private messages.

"Your father. It's about some date."

"Hn, so nothing important."

He lay back on the couch, covering himself with a blanket. Before he could start snoring, Sakura woke him up again, not letting him sleep any longer. He had to help her with something.

"Alright, Sasuke, get up,"

"Five more minutes..." he said, half asleep.

"It's past noon."

He automatically opened the eyes, realizing how much of the day he had slept. Sasuke stretched, got up and headed for the bathroom. Meanwhile, Sakura prepared two blocks of watercolor paper, paints and brushes. She laid everything out on the dining room table, additionally preparing cups of water. She placed snacks next to it so that they would have something to eat during.

Sasuke returned at the perfect moment.

"Why do you need it?"

"We're going to paint." She said excitedly, but Sasuke didn't share her enthusiasm "I volunteered to help decorate the children's room at the hospital. I have to deliver a hundred flowers by 5pm." She walked up to him and put her hands on one side, leading Sasuke to the table "I know you won't refuse to help me."

He sent her a meaningful look.

"You planned it,"

"Maybe a little." she smiled wryly.

Sasuke sat down, getting a brush in his hand and a sheet of paper in front of his nose. He wasn't an artist, and his drawings always came out crooked, so he didn't participate in any drawing contests as a kid. He also refused a few times to help his mother with painting for her charges.

"I don't know if it's a good idea,"

"It's not difficult, Sasuke." Sakura grabbed his wrist, soaking the purple paint and scooping it onto the brush "A few moves and you have a really pretty flower." She showed him, and Sasuke couldn't believe that it came out so pretty "See? Nothing big."

"Aa."

More confident, he tried it himself and had to say it looked better than in his head. After three paintings, Sasuke liked it. He busied himself with drawing, talking to Sakura on occasion. Spending time with her was among the most enjoyable activities of his life.

They shared stories and joked while showing the painted flowers. Each new one was more beautiful than the last. Sakura even drew butterflies and bees on some, adding to the beauty of the work.

"Sasuke?"

More than half was done when Sakura spoke up in a calmer voice - she had been gushing with energy before, but now that lightness was gone from her voice.

"Hn?"

"I've been thinking about this for a long time lately, and I thought so..." she raised her gaze from above the page "With good intentions, of course. I would like to make you feel better, and unfortunately I won't be able to heal you fully." she prolonged, as if afraid of Sasuke's reaction.

"Sakura, you can ask me anything you want."

"Ah, I know. So," she put the finished painting back in the pile, "have you thought about going to a psychologist?"

Sasuke's hand hovered in the air. He looked at her with eyes full of pain - ever since he allowed himself to reach deep into his memories, any mention of the past years of loneliness evoked unpleasant feelings in him. Sakura saw him swallowing saliva with difficulty. She didn't want to hurt him. She even avoided the subject for two weeks, letting Sasuke take his time. He needed a mental rest because she had noticed how opening up to her had affected him over the past fourteen days.

"Several times. But I didn't have the courage to sign up." He returned to painting, avoiding Sakura's gaze "I still don't have it. This, so far, is too much for me, Sakura."

"I understand." She reached for the nuts "If you decide, come to me. I know the contact to one wonderful psychologist. A lovely woman, she helped me cope with myself during illness."

Sakura's little confession lifted Sasuke's spirits - he wasn't the only one struggling.

"I'm glad you met this woman on your path," he said and she thanked quietly, "And I will think about your proposal."

They went back to finishing the flowers - newer, more interesting, and more colorful ones were being created. Sakura happily engaged in this task. When she thought of those children, sitting within the hospital walls, her heart ached. She knew the feeling and wanted to do everything possible to make the young patients feel better among those white rooms.

She participated in all the activities Mikoto Uchiha organized - reading books, playing games, meeting idols, making laurels, Christmas and birthday cards.

And maybe being in the hospital gave her a familiar, unpleasant feeling, Sakura was fond of it; she imbibed that specific smell; and she had no intention of abandoning people in need. That's why she wanted to become a doctor; like Tsunade, Shizune and Sasuke. To bring help to others for the rest of her life.

"I'm done." communicated Sasuke, putting the utensils back in place.

Sakura ran her brush over two more times, with her tongue sticking out for focus, "Me too!" she lifted the last painting proudly.

"We still have an hour."

"Really?" she looked at the clock in disbelief. It was indicating five minutes before 4 pm "I didn't think we'd finish so quickly."

"Do you need to do anything else?"

She thought for a moment, but nothing came to Sakura's mind.

"No."

"Then get dressed. We'll leave early."

Sasuke got up from the table, walking to the sink with the cups. She followed him, taking the brushes.

"Why?" she asked, handing Sasuke things to wash.

"I know one place, and I want to take you there."

Sakura, surprised but very interested, cleaned the rest off the table and after fifteen minutes she was already standing in the hallway, putting on her long light brown fur coat, boots and scarf. Autumn this year was beautiful.

Tossing a small black purse over her shoulder, she picked up the box of paintings she had packed. With tape she sealed the top, signing her name.

"Ready?" Sasuke appeared in the entryway.

"Of course!"

Taking the box, she handed it to Sasuke and took out the keys, leaving the apartment. They walked down the stairs, stepping out into the cold wind. Sakura's cheeks immediately reddened from the chill.

Leaves were falling from the trees, decorating the sidewalks with beautiful colors of gold, yellow and orange. The sun was still shining, but it no longer provided warmth, only brightening the increasingly short days. Beautiful birds flew from one tree to another, catching the eye with their gorgeous feather colors.

Sakura marveled at autumn, thanking fate that she could experience it once again. They took a turn in the other direction than the one she usually walked to the hospital. It took twice as long, so Sakura didn't know what was on the way.

She walked beside Sasuke, glancing occasionally at his free hand. It was tempting her, but Sakura was skeptical of the idea of grabbing it. The last time she held Sasuke's hand was almost three months ago, and that was his intention. There was nothing wrong with trying, but...

She drew in a breath, pushing the fear aside. She gently brushed her fingers against his, watching carefully as his hand trembled. For a moment she wanted to back away, but Sasuke squeezed her hand, pulling Sakura closer.

He looked at her with warm black irises, and she was lost again.

Two blocks away, a beautiful park emerged before them. A fountain stood in the middle; turned off by the weather; yellow-leafed oak trees lined the sides, a bridge stood in the distance, and rose bushes were planted around the benches.

Older people chatted over tea brought in a thermos, young people made picnics, and children chased squirrels.

"Do you like it?"

"Sasuke-kun, it's wonderful here!"

He let go of her hand to pull walnuts from his pocket.

"I found them in the cabinet."

Sakura stood on tiptoe to place a tender kiss on the man's lips. Sasuke returned it more forcefully, craving her lips for almost four years. They were still just as soft and sweet.

"Thank you." She kissed him again "For everything."

"I'm the one who should be thanking you, Sakura."

She smiled, clashing her teeth with his. Everything was so perfect. Too perfect.

Taking the nuts, Sakura rushed over to the kids, along with them feeding the squirrels. It had been a long time since she had had so much fun from a simple outing to the park - or maybe she could have called it a date?

It didn't matter the term for this quick, unplanned outing, the most important thing was the fact it was Sasuke who took her here.

"Smile, Sakura."

Unexpectedly, Sasuke appeared next to her, looking down at her. A small smile was visible on his face. Sakura only had time to look ahead when the sound of the camera rang out. The squirrel ran off after the picture was taken.

"Ah, how nice you look." The old woman, whom Sasuke must have asked for help earlier, approached them, "I hope it came out as you wanted, young man."

"Thank you very much, ma'am."

"No problem. Enjoy life, you young ones." She said goodbye, slowly walking away into the depths of the park.

"Let me see." he propped the camera under her face "How beautiful..."

"Sasuke!" an unfamiliar voice rang out next to them unexpectedly. A middle-aged woman approached them with a smile on her lips "I've never seen you walk this way. Have you moved?" she began her usual conversation with Sasuke, as if they knew each other well.

"No, I was visiting Sakura."

"Oh, Sakura..." the woman looked at her closely, and Sakura scowled slightly under her watchful gaze. There was something familiar in that face "Well, yes, Sakura. Our former patient." She ran her hand along Sakura's arm. Now she recognized the woman; she had been her nurse a few times "How you have grown. And you have such beautiful hair. Sasuke, you've chosen a good person to be your friend."

Sakura laughed nervously as she waited for Sasuke to correct the woman. Or at least she thought he would, after all, their relationship was not purely friendly.

"It was the only right decision in my life to befriend her."

She looked at Sasuke, biting her lip. Maybe it was nothing and she was just overreacting. Or maybe she was wrong about them.

"Where are you guys going, anyway?"

"To the hospital." Sasuke replied.

Sakura raised her head, not wanting to spoil anyone's mood with her musings.

"I made a decoration for the children,"

"That's wonderful, they'll be so happy."

They moved behind the woman. This time Sasuke didn't grab Sakura's hand.

…

Out loud, she read the same sentence for the fifth time, unable to focus. Sasuke was lying on her bed, playing with the end of her dress, every now and then casually running his fingertip over the skin of her thigh.

"Sasuke, please," she said, putting on a little too much irritation.

The man stopped, raising himself to sit down.

"Sorry."

"You know, Sasuke, it would be best if you went, I don't know, to the living room. You're disturbing me."

He almost walked out; he almost set foot outside the door, but turned around at just the right moment, sensing that something was wrong. He sat back down next to Sakura, looking deeply into her eyes.

"What happened?"

Without knowing why, this question pulled the last string that had kept Sakura from speaking her fears, held inside for a week.

"You have happened, Sasuke." She closed the book with a bang and set it aside "You come here and everything is fine, and then—"

She avoided his gaze, digging her nails into the insides of her palms. Sasuke embraced her face.

"Sakura."

She tried not to say it, however, but it hadn't given her peace of mind for a long time.

"And then, Sasuke, you say we are just friends. Why can't we be a normal couple?"

"It's not like that-"

"Then how? Explain to me!"

Sakura leaned back, resting her back against the end of the bed. She waited for Sasuke to speak, explaining his recent behavior and words that she did not hide, hurt.

"My parents have other plans for my future,"

"And that's it? You're afraid to defy your parents?"

"No, Sakura. My father is unpredictable, and you are studying to become a doctor." He moved closer to her "He can take that away from you, quickly."

"And how long is it supposed to be like this?" she shook her head, shedding unwanted tears "We went from faking a relationship to hiding it from others. It wasn't meant to be this way, Sasuke."

"I know." He wiped away the rest of her tears, kissing her cheeks gently "Give me time. I'll fix everything."

Sakura didn't know what he wanted to fix, but she didn't ask him, absorbed in the kisses with which he went lower and lower, as if to apologize. And she forgave him, slowly running her hands over his bare back and touching the scars she had kissed so often.

…

Sakura's peaceful consumption of lunch was interrupted by her friends. All four ran into her apartment in strangely anxious and enthusiastic moods at the same time.

"I picked them up on the way. They said they were coming to see you." Kiba put the keys down on the countertop, pulling orange juice from the refrigerator - "Oh, and if I could spend tonight at your place, Sakura, that would be great. The last girl had enough of my presence.", he laughed, splashing his drink.

"If you won't snore so loudly."

"You're wonderful." He took a chips, going into the living room to spread out.

Finally, the others joined in. Naruto walked next to a calm Gaara, and Ino walked right behind them.

"We already know everything!" said Naruto, tossing a bundle of cards on the table.

Pushing the plate of food away, Sakura picked up the folder, looking at the evidence. She had been waiting for a couple of months and was slowly starting to get impatient. Her desire to scratch Itachi's eyes out grew with each passing day.

"It took him a while,"

"Neji was trying. It takes a bit to bypass security, and these are not just any documents. Straight from the hospital lab and Shizune's private emails."

"All right." Sakura handed the sheets of paper to Gaara, and he spread them out on the table, "I'm listening loud and clear."

"So... Well," Naruto laughed nervously, scratching his neck.

"I remember." Gaara put his hand on the boy's knee, reassuring him not to worry about his forgetfulness "The day before, the lab managed to find a person who can become a donor." slipped the first document to Sakura "Everything matched up and the very next day they called Itachi about it. He agreed, signing it." He handed another piece of paper "They announced it to your parents, started preparations and there were no problems, until late in the evening."

Printouts of Shizune's message to Tsunade appeared in front of her face. The woman wrote out three pages.

"They made a mistake." Ino said, from the couch. She listened to their conversation, sitting together with Kiba in the living room.

"Exactly. Someone made a mistake, and thanks to Shizune's watchful eye, there was no greater tragedy." Sakura trembled at the thought of what would have happened if they had let Itachi be her donor, "Shizune wrote Tsunade that she would try to find a second donor. She didn't want to let you and your parents down."

"She found Mikoto." Naruto put down the first piece of paper, "She agreed to become a donor," he put down the second, with the signature "and then she resigned." He finished the pile with a withdrawal.

Sakura grabbed it and started reading, but there was nothing more there than the usual rejection of becoming a donor.

"Why did they do that, and why didn't they tell anyone?"

"That's what we don't know."

"Wait," Kiba's voice sounded, "you want to say that they made a mistake, changed the donor and didn't inform anyone?"

"We just said that a moment ago." Ino rolled her eyes.

"That's... legal?"

"They run this place, they don't care."

Kiba muttered "Aaa..." returning to eating.

"There's one more thing." said Naruto suddenly, "We found it out by accident."

Everyone looked at him, as if trying to silence him before he said anything more. Sakura pulled down her eyebrows, seeing a look that was too serious for her friend.

"So—"

"Naruto, stop...!"

"That's not the best idea."

"Sasuke has a fiancée."

---

Chapter came out long, very long, and it's not over yet ;p

The next one will appear, hopefully sooner and will be shorter for sure

I'd love to read what you guys think 333