Author's Note: Hello everyone! I'm sorry that you haven't heard from me in a month but being sick and studying for a finance class in your master's program is a bitch. Anyway, I'm so glad to get so many reviews and see how most of you are enjoying the story.

It also makes me feel great to know that you guys are enjoying the newer Sakura. There are a lot of things wrong with Naruto/ Naruto Shippuden and Sakura's development was definitely a crime. I wanted to like Sakura and loved her determination, but she had a lot of wasted potential. I wanted to see her be better and grow to what she is in Boruto in Shippuden. I can't wait to see how some of you react to a newer, more developed pink haired kunoichi.

Keep up the reviews and keep reading! Love you guys!

Reviewer Shout Outs:

Lily: Thank you for your review and I love your name. Lilies are my favorite flower, apart of my next tattoo, and my new cat's name.

The Unapologetic: Thank you for your constant support and I'm so glad to know that you're still so excited about this story and what's to come.

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Chapter 33: Sakura's Answer: Part 2

Sakura's P.O.V.

"Is green tea ok?" Ino asks from the kitchen.

"Sure…" I whisper lowly.

I don't know how long she and I sat in front of her opened door while I cried into her chest. It didn't matter to her. Ino knew I was hurting, and she just held me until only tearless sobs shook my body. She helped me carry my things inside and sat me at her family's chabudai. That's where I am currently sitting, with my hands in my lap, red, puffy cheeks, and swollen, dried eyes.

"Why do I always come back here? Why is it that Ino always knows what to do when I'm hurting? Why does my body come to her for comfort? It must be the years of friendship between us… A friendship I was ready to throw away over a man who doesn't want me… How pathetic…"

"Here you go,"

A small cup, filled with green tea, is placed in front of me. Out of the corner of my eye, Ino sits parallel to me with her hands clasping the cup. She doesn't say anything. She's waiting for me to speak first, but I don't. After some time, I reach for the cup and take a small sip before putting it back down. I place the cup a few centimeters away while laying my head on top of my folded arms. Emerald green, swollen eyes look forward but at nothing in particular. Silence engulfs the room, becoming more deafening as time slowly ticks away. Eventually, she gets tired of waiting and starts the conversation.

"So, are you going to tell me why you collapsed at my door a little while ago?"

I don't say anything or move.

"Rough day at the hospital?" No reply. "Did Naruto upset you again?" No reply. "Did Sai say something insensitive again? Because I swear we've been working on that," No reply. For a few moments, she stops trying to guess the answer. Eventually, she speaks his name into the air, making it a reality. "Is it Sasuke? Did he finally speak to you today?"

My white bunny ears twitch but nothing else moves.

"You told Sasuke how you felt today, didn't you?" My ears twitch again before I force them to hide my face from her observing eyes. "I knew it. It was only a matter of time,"

"…I hate that my ears keep giving me away…" I whisper.

"They always have. Alright, Sakura, out with it. What happened," she sighs, leaning forward so our foreheads are closer together.

Thoughts, memories, speeches, voices, forgotten feelings and decisions run through my head. I am in Ino's house now. There's no escaping, not like she'd let me anyway. Deciding to rip the metaphoric bandage off, I give in, sigh, and begin my tale.

"I went to the hospital today to care for some patients and make my normal rounds. I saw Naruto and talked to him for a little. He and I talked about Sasuke and how he hasn't talked to either of us since we started seeing him. Naruto told me to give it time, but part of me just wanted him to acknowledge me so bad. I just wanted to hear his voice one time. I wanted him to know how I felt. So, I confessed my feelings for him in hopes of him either returning them or at least knew them. I figured if Lee could be brave, so could I,"

"Lee? What does him being brave have anything to do with this?"

I finally turn my gaze towards hers without saying a word. If I wasn't so depressed, her shocked, opened-mouth expression would have had me laugh and roll on the floor. But, that is for another day.

"No way?! He confessed?! You've got to be shitting me?!" she looks at me for confirmation. When she finds it, she smacks her hand onto her forehead with a groan. "Ok, we're definitely coming back to that, but continuing with Sasuke… What did he say, exactly?"

"The same exact thing I said to Lee… He told me that I was confused and that I didn't love him. He said I was too innocent to burden his sins. I told him that I loved him for such a long time and that I could make him happy. But he said that he wanted me to leave and that I should get over him to avoid eventual heartbreak. He said I didn't know anything about him to conclude about loving him. But mainly, he said it's best I didn't come back and to move on from someone who would never return my feelings,"

"Wow, that's rough… And that's when you came here, huh?" I nod. "Ok…" she takes another sip of her tea before continuing. "So, what are you going to do? I know he said that you shouldn't go back to visit, but are you going to just keep going there or do you plan to stay away from him?"

"I have to. I know that if I told someone to go away and leave me alone, I would be annoyed to see them coming around every day. But, even if he didn't tell me that, what is there for me to do? I've lost him and he's still sitting in his cell for who-knows-how-long. Hn, lucky me. I finally get the man of my dreams to speak to me about my love confession and it's the most heartbreaking conversation ever. I'm so pathetic,"

"You're not pathetic, Sakura,"

"You don't have to lie to me. I know I'm pathetic. I've loved Sasuke-kun for so long only to be rejected like the first sliced bread in the loaf; only dreaming of the day that my special person will realize that I'm good too,"

"We'll… what about Lee?"

My ears and head perk up, "What about Lee?"

"Come on Sakura. You and I both know that that boy has loved you since we were genin. He's always admired and looked up to you. Maybe, he might be what you need to help you heal?"

"Are you insane?!" I yell while tugging on the tip of my ears, "I can't face Lee, not after all the mean things I said to him…"

"What do you mean? What did you say to him when he confessed his feelings?"

"I told him… that he was confused… that he didn't know enough about me to say he loved me…"

"So, you Sasuked him?"

"Can we please not use my former teammate and eventual ex-crush as a verb?"

"I'm just saying, there had to be a point when Sasuke was telling you all these things that sounded familiar?"

While releasing my ears, I turn my gaze back to the chabudai in regret.

"Yeah it did. But, something was different,"

"How do you figure?"

"When I asked Lee what he knew about me and why he thought he loved me… he answered… with every word I wished Sasuke-kun would have said to me… It was~"

"Weird?" I nod. "Well of course it's gonna be weird, Billboard Bunny," she says, flicking my forehead playfully. I go to shout at her while rubbing the slightly sore spot but stop that the serious look she's giving me. "Of course, it's going to feel weird having the person NOT your special person saying those things to you. Especially when the person saying it to you normally is shouting about youth and should have gotten his eyebrows shaped in the womb. Have you given some serious thought to his words?"

"No… Before I left the clinic part of the hospital, he technique asked me out… I told him I'd think about it,"

"Gee, thanks for getting his hopes up," she rolls her eyes in her tea.

"I know. I shouldn't have said anything. I knew I wasn't going to take him seriously, and yet I falsely got his hopes up. I'm the worst piece of shit to ever exist," I groan while hiding my face in my hair and ears.

"Yeah, you can be,"

"Thanks for making me feel better," I glare lightly.

"Hey, I told that you that if we were gonna be friends, that I won't always side with you. I'm that bitch that's gonna tell you when you're wrong. And you're wrong on this, big time,"

I sigh in irritation while sitting up, "I know. I know, but I don't know how to fix it,"

"How about start by apologizing to him?"

"Are you insane?! I can't do that?! It'll hurt his feelings,"

"And lying to him is better?" I turn my gaze away in shame. "Listen, Sakura… you got yourself into this mess because you're too blindly in love with Sasuke that you can't even see that you're hurting the people around you. I mean, you almost threw our friendship away because you thought I was still in love with him. And that was after I told you the truth about only liking him to continue our rivalry. Sakura, you can be one of the biggest bitches I know… But you can also be one of the kindest too. I know you may not see it now, but maybe making amends with Lee will give you the kick in the ass to your recovery,"

"You really think so?"

"It couldn't hurt. I mean, you only have yourself and your friends to lose,"

"You're right. Next time I see Lee, I'll apologize to him first,"

"Good…"

We continue to sip our tea in silence. Time seems to stand still while we enjoy each other's company. A lot of what Ino said made sense to me. All these years of loving Sasuke has clouded my judgement. Everything I have done so far was so he would acknowledge me when he came back. But, maybe life has different plans for me… for both of us…

"Hey," Ino calls out. I look over at her in confusion. He smile isn't the biggest or brightest, but it's warm. "I'm proud of you,"

Hearing these words, my grip tightens around the cup as a smile spreads on my lips.

"Thanks, Ino-Pig,"

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Several hours later, I left Ino's house to go home. The sun is setting on the horizon, making a red, gold, and soft glow. My dark shadow is longer than earlier, and a sense of renewal fills my chest. My talk with Ino didn't heal my broken heart, but it made it more bearable. I know I have a long road of recovery ahead of me. I know it'll be rough. I know I'll probably never get over this feeling, but I have no choice. Sasuke made it clear that we have no future together. Usually I would try to convince him otherwise, but both of us are older now… and those were kiddy feelings. Now, all I must do is figure out where to go from here. Where will life take me? How long will I suffer with this suffocating feeling? I don't even know if this road will end, but at least I have a start.

"I wonder if I should wait until Lee follows up? No. If I'm going to make amends, it's gotta be sooner. But not tonight. I'm too tired to deal with anyone else's emotions right now,"

Just as I say that, I look up to see Lee hobbling his way down the street.

"Damnit,"

With a vein pulsing in my forehead, I tighten my grip on my bag while tapping my heeled foot.

"LEE…"

His body nervously shakes before turning around to greet me with a nervous wave and smile.

"Oh, hello Sakura-chan. I didn't know you'd be out so late? How's your evening going?"

"Cut the bullshit, Lee. What are you doing walking around on your injured ankle? Did I not tell you that you needed to rest for a while? Do you want to get hurt again?"

Lee's smile fades as he shifts his weight onto his crutches. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I just wanted to get out for some fresh air. I couldn't stop thinking about our conversation earlier. I was so happy you agreed to think about my offer earlier,"

"Double damnit,"

With a long sigh, I bring my hand up to massage my throbbing forehead, "Lee… we have to talk about that,"

"What's the matter, Sakura-chan? Something bothering you?"

"Yeah… it is… Can I talk to you for a moment?"

He nods and jesters to nearby bench for us to sit. I walk over to help him sit before placing my bag down and folding my hands between my knees.

"Lee… I'm… sorry…"

"What are you sorry about?"

"I… lied… about earlier… I was so shocked by everything you said. Your love confession, how you wanted to show me that you could love me like I deserved to be loved, all of it. It was just too much for me. Lee, you know I love Sasuke, right?"

"I know,"

"Then why would you confess your love to someone when you know you're going to get rejected?"

"Would rejection stop you from telling Sasuke?" My mouth refuses to open but my heart cries out. "If you'd know he'd reject you, would you never tell him?"

"I… would… at least… try…"

"Exactly! Sakura-chan, I have loved you with all my heart for a very long time. I know you didn't take me seriously when we were younger. But, I was hoping that as we got older, you would maybe see me differently,"

The sadness in his voice made my heart break more. I could feel this cold wind blow through my chest and tighten around what was left of my heart. Was Ino right? Have I been so focused on Sasuke that I ignored everyone else around me? Have I really been that self-centered? I'm I really that terrible?

"I truly am a bitch,"

"Lee…" I started, trying to gain the smallest amount of courage, "I truly am sorry. I never meant to hurt you or make fun of you. I wish I could say more, but it's all I can do for right now. I shouldn't have told you I would think about it when I knew I wasn't going to. I should have known that you would take me seriously and try to chase after me. I'm… not in the right state of mind to be anyone's special person. But, right now… I just want your friendship. I hope that's ok?"

Shock hits my senses like one of my punches. With a gentle hand, he places it on top of my head and smiles at me with such warmth. I can feel his glow surround me in a loving embrace. But, it's not one of love or desire. But it's full of kindness and compassion. It reminds me a lot of Naruto.

"You'll always be my friend, Sakura-chan. Nothing will change that,"

With heated cheeks and a gentle smile, I nod and stare into carefree eyes. The eyes of a true friend.

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To Be Continued…