Sakura woke up with a familiar feeling of discomfort. The morning light filtered through the curtains of her room, casting a soft glow over the austere furniture. She stretched and got out of bed, trying to shake off the unease.

She entered the kitchen and found Tora meowing, demanding her breakfast. "Good morning, Tora-chan. Are you hungry?" she murmured as she filled the cat's bowl. While Tora devoured her food, Sakura reflected on the past few days.

Gojo had been showing up at the hospital with alarming frequency, and although she tried to ignore it, one can only deny reality to a certain extent.

She arrived at the hospital early, as usual. The morning bustle of the place, with patients and staff moving in all directions, used to be comforting. But over the past few days, each step she took was laden with tension. She headed to the reception, where Emi, the head nurse, was already reviewing some documents.

"Good morning, Emi," Sakura greeted with a smile.

"Good morning, Sakura. Ready for another busy day?" Emi responded warmly.

Sakura nodded and headed to the nursing station. While reviewing the patients' records, her thoughts kept returning to the man who tormented her. 'Maybe he really liked Ayumi...' she thought, trying to convince herself as much as she could.

Later, during a break, she ran into Ayumi in the break room. The cheerful girl was fixing her hair and humming a catchy tune. Sakura decided to take the opportunity.

"Ayumi-san, do you have any plans for tonight?" she asked casually.

The blonde woman looked up, surprised by the question. "No, nothing special. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, seeing you getting ready, I thought maybe you had another date with your boyfriend," Sakura said, trying to maintain a casual tone.

Ayumi sighed, a look of disappointment crossing her face. "No, he didn't call me back after that time. I guess he wasn't that interested after all."

Sakura frowned, feeling a wave of compassion for her colleague. "I'm sorry. Anyway, he seemed like an idiot. He doesn't deserve you," she tried to console her.

"Thanks, Sakura-san. Maybe you're right," Ayumi replied with a weak smile. Sakura felt relieved that she understood a man like him would never value her.

"But he was so handsome! When will I ever find someone like him again?" Ayumi suddenly exclaimed, starting to whimper.

Sakura, surprised, raised her hands in an awkward gesture of comfort. "E-eh, Ayumi-san, you don't have to be like that. You're beautiful, you can have anyone you want. There are many men out there who would kill to go out with you."

"But clearly not him" she said with a pout.

"He's not the only handsome man in the world."

"But I want him!" Ayumi insisted, like a child throwing a tantrum. "You don't understand. He was so..." She began to spin gracefully with a big smile until she stopped. "and he talked to me so..." spinning again, "and his gaze..." She finally stopped and sighed dreamily, her hands on her chest. She turned her eyes to the pink-haired girl with a determined look. "I need to go out with him."

This bordered on pathetic. Sakura understood the effects a handsome man could have; even she wasn't that immune, but come on! What about dignity?

'You're not one to talk, or have you forgotten your worst fangirl phase?' Inner spoke.

'I was a teenager! Besides, I apologized to Sasuke for that.'

She wasn't very proud of that time.

Sakura snapped back to the present with surprise when she felt Ayumi standing in front of her and grabbing her hands. She got so close to her face that all she could see were her big, wide-open chocolate-colored eyes.

"I need your help" she said with a manic voice.

"How am I supposed to help you?" Sakura asked, leaning back, trying to reclaim her personal space.

"You know him. You could talk to him about me" she asked hopefully.

"What? I don't know him. What makes you think that?"

Now it was Ayumi who stepped back and looked at her with suspicious eyes. "He said you were an old friend."

'What did that idiot say?!'

"I don't know why he told you that, but we only talked once, and it was purely by coincidence. I don't know him," Sakura broke free from her grip. "Look, I need to get back to my rounds, and so do you."

Before turning and leaving, she decided to give one last piece of advice. "Ayumi, it's not worth chasing after a man who doesn't care about you, believe me." It's something Sakura had to learn the hard way.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," she replied with a grimace.

Something told her the blonde nurse didn't believe her.

She sighed. It wasn't her problem anymore. Besides, she wouldn't get involved in anything that had to do with that man. And even less now that she couldn't deny the obvious. Gojo was there for her.

Since when did he know? How did he know? It couldn't have been because of the hospital; she was always very careful. He couldn't feel her chakra in the amounts she used there, and she constantly suppressed her cursed energy. Her belt only manifested it for a few seconds when she healed someone. But she really didn't know how much his eyes could see.

Did he know about her that time they met? But she couldn't understand why he would decide to do this more than a month later. Did he find out about her fight with Getou? She didn't think the idiot monk would disclose it; if there was something she knew about men, it was that they didn't like to tell when they ran away like chickens from a fight. Besides, it wasn't convenient for him that his enemies would join forces.

And how did Getou find out about her? Just from that exchange of glances they had on the train? She never had any other contact with him. Was it the same with Gojo? By a simple coincidence in a pastry shop? Her bad luck was from another world.

Sakura snorted. She almost laughed at her own joke.

Walking down the hallway, she passed by a large window overlooking the back street of the hospital. She stopped for a moment and looked at the view before her.

She had felt it again.

Her eyes scanned from left to right until they saw him. Leaning against a post again, but more secluded, almost hidden. Knowing about Ayumi, she now understood why he didn't bother to dress casually anymore. He wore his school uniform, and instead of his glasses, white bandages covered his eyes.

But even with that and at a great distance, Sakura knew he was watching her. She could even see his damn mocking smile. That bastard!

What did he gain from this? Did he seriously expect her to confront him? For her to admit she was a curse user?

Oh, that idiot was very wrong if he thought she would give in first. Screw him. She wouldn't give him that satisfaction. He would see her every day acting like the simple human she pretended to be. She didn't care that he already knew it wasn't true; clearly, if he kept stalking her, it was because he wanted to see something interesting. Too bad, it wouldn't happen.


The papers she held in her hand were at risk of ending up torn to shreds or, at best, in a crumpled ball. She could already see Emi's scolding coming, but she didn't care. Her steps were quick and heavy; anyone who saw her would think she resembled a bull about to charge.

One week.

One damn week.

That's all she could endure. With anything else, she could have held out longer, but not when it came to her job, not when it came to healing. Her job was already frustrating for her on its own, but now that she couldn't even afford to use her chakra to find at least a little comfort in her situation, well, it pushed her to the limit.

The last patient she attended to, a sweet and kind elderly widower, spoke to her about his adventures as a young man and his lost great love. He constantly complained about the pain in his bones and the pills that didn't work. Sakura knew the pills could only alleviate his pain to a certain extent because the dosage given was what was recommended for his condition.

It broke her heart to see his grimaces of discomfort and how sometimes he struggled to sleep because of it. This was the last thing she needed to realize that her stupid stubbornness wasn't worth it. She would simply confront that idiot sorcerer and tell him to go to hell.

That didn't mean she wasn't furious for having lost; it didn't matter if Gojo didn't know about her game, but she bet he did. When she felt his annoying presence again, because that's how he wanted it, she took advantage of a free moment. Finally, upon leaving the hospital through the back exit, she saw Gojo leaning nonchalantly against a lamppost. He seemed relaxed, using his mobile phone as if he didn't have a care in the world.

He was a teacher, wasn't he? Or at least that's what she had guessed last time. That meant he taught students. Sakura didn't know what schedule the Jujutsu Academy followed, but lately, she felt and saw him at random times of the day to the point where she started to believe he simply abandoned his students in the middle of class. Somehow, that wouldn't surprise her.

She couldn't take it anymore. She approached him with determined steps, her gaze fixed on his hidden eyes.

"Gojo-san" she said firmly, trying to control her anger. "Let's meet at the same café where we met the first time, at the end of my shift."

The man looked up, a playful smile playing on his lips. "Oh, are you asking me out on a date? I'm flattered" he teased sarcastically.

'God! I want to punch him.'

Sakura looked at him sternly. "Stop playing games. You know very well what this is about. See you there."

Without waiting for his response, she turned and returned to the hospital, feeling his amused gaze follow her until she entered through the automatic doors. Her heart was pounding, a mix of anger and determination fueling each step she took.


The rest of her shift passed in a blur of frantic activity. She attended to the patients with her usual diligence, but her mind was fixed on the upcoming meeting. Finally, her shift ended. She bid farewell to her colleagues and left the hospital, feeling the fresh evening air on her face. The café where she had agreed to meet Gojo was not far, and she walked there with slow, deliberate steps.

She even continued with her English course on the way; she would take all the time in the world to get there, not only because she wasn't excited about the meeting but also to annoy him. So, a trip that normally took 15 minutes took her over 30. With a certain satisfaction, she entered the familiar place, her nostrils flooded with the delicious smell of sweets.

Her gaze swept the entire place. Again and again, making sure she was seeing correctly. Her expression was blank.

He wasn't there.

...

...

'That son of a...'

Was he serious? He arrived later than her! After stalking her for days, when she finally agreed to talk, he had the audacity to be late!

Sakura took a deep breath, calming herself. Well, she was already here; better make the most of it. The same young man who attended to her last time was there. Hopefully, he wouldn't remember her, so she could get a free treat.

"Excuse me, I'd like the house specialty, please." They were definitely her favorites at this place.

The young man looked up, his eyes shining when he saw her. "It's you! I-I mean, welcome back!" he exclaimed in a slightly loud tone.

Sakura didn't let her disappointment show and smiled. "You have a good memory. Can I have the house specialty, please?"

"Y-yes, of course, right away." Quickly, he grabbed a bag and tongs, only to freeze with his hands about to open the candy display.

"Um... I'm sorry, I forgot. We don't have any more 3-color dango; someone ordered everything we had a moment ago" he said, embarrassed.

She barely managed to disguise the small tic in her eye.

In the end, she settled for a strawberry cake, Ino's favorite. She went to sit in the same spot as last time, facing the large window overlooking the street.

After 15 minutes, and on the verge of breaking her plate, the famous strongest sorcerer in this world made his entrance. His tall, relaxed figure moved with the same nonchalance as always, and a playful smile crossed his face when he saw her.

Sakura watched him approach the counter and talk to the young man who attended to her. The latter disappeared behind a door to reappear a while later with a plate full of 3-color dango.

'What the hell? Was it him?'

If he ordered it, then it meant he had been here not long ago. He made her wait on purpose!

"Dango girl, I see you've arrived early" he teased, sitting across from her.

"Gojo-san," she replied through clenched teeth.

"Always with your dry greetings. Don't you like your dessert?" he asked while putting an entire dango ball in his mouth. She could feel his eyes shining with amusement.

'Breathe deeply, Sakura.'

She wouldn't fall into his games; she would try to be as civilized as possible. "Gojo-san, let's put aside the trivial talk. I've tolerated your constant visits to the hospital, but I can't go on like this. I need to know why you're really here."

The bandaged man leaned back, crossing one arm behind his head with a nonchalant smile. "So direct. Can't we just enjoy a good dessert together?"

"No. I want answers. What do you really want? How did you find out about me?" she insisted, impatient.

Gojo observed her serious expression for a few seconds before letting out a theatrical sigh. "Well, if you insist on knowing... it was pure chance. Or, as I like to say, destiny." His mocking tone was unmistakable, but there was a hint of sincerity in it.

"Destiny" Sakura repeated skeptically. "Seriously? Is that the best you can offer me?"

Gojo raised an eyebrow, smiling even more broadly. "Hey, if you don't like my poetic explanations, that's not my problem." He shrugged while chewing his sweet. "Call it instinct. I have an eye for these things, literally" he added, amused, his voice muffled.

She just rolled her eyes.

"Alright, that's not important anymore anyway." She grabbed her own dessert to finish it; she had lost her appetite but hated wasting food. "You didn't answer my other question. What do you want?" she asked again while analyzing which layer of filling to eat first.

"Relax, I'm not here to harm you. In fact, I'm here to offer you something."

Sakura didn't look up from her dessert, first separating the strawberry and kiwi pieces from the filling. She didn't like cakes with fruit pieces. She liked fruits but not in cakes. "And that is...?"

She felt his gaze fixed on her for a moment. He seemed to adopt a more serious expression, although his smile didn't disappear completely. "I want to offer you a job at the Jujutsu Academy. We need someone with your healing abilities. You'd be working under the supervision of a very capable doctor."

'As if I needed supervision.'

"I see." Sakura continued to focus on her task, which, in her opinion, was more important than the proposal she already expected.

When she finally separated all the filling from the fruits and decided to eat the mousse layer first, she took a big bite, thoroughly enjoying the soft, sweet texture of the chocolate. Refocusing on the man in front of her, she noticed Gojo observing the window and slowly curving his lips. She tried to see in the same direction, but there were only cars and people passing by. When she turned back, the man was already looking at her again. Strange.

"If that was all you wanted, why the harassment? If you already knew about me, wouldn't it have been easier to tell me from the beginning? Was it necessary to give Ayumi false hope?" She tried to ask calmly, but they both noticed the undertone of anger.

"Hey, how do you know she didn't leave me?" he questioned, pointing his dango at her.

"She told me" Sakura replied expressionlessly.

"Oh." He remained silent for a moment and then looked down at his plate. "Why don't you eat the fruits?"

'He doesn't even bother to subtly change the subject' Inner complained.

Sakura sighed in resignation. She was beginning to understand his behavior, and it wasn't worth stressing over.

"I don't like them. I'll give them to a dog or cat I find."

"Why do you order something you don't like? Were there no more dangos?" asked the stupid man with the most shameless smile in this world.

'Is he trying to make me his ally or enemy?' she thought irritably, looking at him with narrowed eyes. She didn't respond.

Gojo, seeing her expression, let out a laugh. "Now we're even!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

Sakura rolled her eyes again. How petty.

He continued laughing for a few more moments because he found Sakura's seriousness too amusing.

"Alright, alright, that's enough" he said, calming down while grabbing another dango. "Regarding your other question..." now it was Gojo's turn to carefully examine his dessert before deciding on a color to eat, clearly imitating what she had done a moment ago. How childish.

"Let's say I was curious" he said while eating the green ball.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at that.

"About how you healed" he clarified, looking at her intently. "Although you certainly didn't give me many opportunities to see it" he pouted slightly.

She felt he wasn't telling her everything. "If that was it, then there was no need to let me know you were there. You wanted me to know."

"Obviously! One of us had to give in, and you wouldn't be able to if you didn't know I was there" he explained as if it were obvious.

"That doesn't make any sense."

"Oh, please! Are you going to say you weren't aware of our little game?" he asked with a shit-eating grin. "You seemed pretty dedicated to winning once you knew I was there" he continued with a hint of mockery. "And just for the record. I won" he finished, boasting proudly.

She felt her face heat up, full of embarrassment. The idiot was right, but she wouldn't admit it.

"Well, I've heard what I wanted to hear. As for your offer, I'm not interested" she said bluntly, grabbing her things, ready to leave.

"Really? I thought after saving so many people, you'd want to do it on a larger scale. Imagine, you could be the miracle nurse of the Jujutsu world" he said the last part with a mocking smile.

'I knew that nickname would cause me trouble.'

"I said: I'm not interested. I'm fine with my current job."

Then why wasn't she leaving already?

Gojo leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Are you? To me, if that were true, you wouldn't have lost our little game. You could have ignored me and continued your life, but you decided to confront me." He leaned back in his chair again. "You decided to have this conversation."

Her body was tense at his last words, which no longer contained any mockery. Sakura didn't want to think about that; she really didn't.

"I just wanted to know your motives and make it clear once and for all that you should stop bothering me."

He snorted, not believing her excuse. "I'm sure what I offered wasn't a surprise to you. You knew my motives."

Sakura was becoming increasingly irritated. Why wasn't he leaving? Why was he staying?

"And what if I am? That doesn't change anything."

"I think it does. Do you want to know what I think?" He grabbed the last dango from his plate and continued without letting her respond. "I think it's clear you have your reasons for working the way you do, but it's even clearer that it won't be enough for you, and you know it. I bet this last dango that you must feel very frustrated, don't you?" he asked while taking a big bite.

Sakura watched him eat, unable to respond because she knew she wouldn't be able to deny it.

Seeing her silence, Gojo decided to keep coaxing her. "You'd have an environment where you could use your abilities without restrictions, you'd be very well compensated. You know the annual death toll from curses is around 10,000. You'd be contributing to a greater cause."

He ate the last ball, savoring it to the end. "I know it was you who saved the man attacked by a curse who ended up in your hospital just over a month ago," he confessed, seeing her eyes widen slightly. "What I'm saying is, you'd be able to heal whoever you want, whenever you want, without needing to hide. Doesn't all that sound better than what you have now?"

Sakura avoided looking at him, focusing her gaze on the large window next to them.

Better than what she has now? How does he know what's best for her?

She felt the pressure in her chest, every muscle tense, her hands clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white. She was sure that if she tried to speak, words that would condemn her would come out.

This was it.

This was why she wanted to stay hidden.

When her medical skills reached her shisou's level and even surpassed it, the treatment towards her changed. She became indispensable. They couldn't afford to lose her when she could do the work of dozens of doctors on her own.

They began to protect her, to prevent her from fighting on the field alongside her friends, avoiding exposing her in the fiercest battles. And she didn't blame them, because just as her reputation grew among allies, it also did with enemies. It was only a matter of time before they realized that the numbers of the Shinobi Alliance weren't decreasing as they should, that the same people they thought they had killed in one battle were fighting again in another, completely healed.

Her feats reached their ears, and every time she set foot on the battlefield, she became the main target of hundreds and hundreds of enemies.

They wanted to force her to stay in the medical tents, and the only way to heal allies in the midst of battle was through Katsuyu. Her old loyal summoning was powerful and very useful for expanding her power, able to save thousands at once. But the level at which she healed through the slug was limited; to save someone, the person needed more than just a heartbeat, unlike when Sakura herself healed in person.

So, what would happen if one of her friends was injured beyond what she could heal through Katsuyu? She couldn't bear it. She wasn't just a medic; she was a ninja-medic, damn it. Her specialty was saving lives on the battlefield, not confined to a damn tent.

She knew herself well enough to know that thought would never leave her; it was part of who she was. She could accept Gojo's offer now, working simply by healing sorcerers or whoever needed it, but she knew that wouldn't be enough. She knew she'd want to help when she heard they were dying trying to defeat a curse too powerful, unable to reach her quickly enough.

Maybe they'd refuse to let her fight, but if she managed to keep fighting on the field in a war where she was one of the main enemy targets, she could achieve it here too.

It no longer made sense to deceive herself; Gojo was right. She said she was angry with him, but she should be angry with herself. If they were here now, it was because of her. She could have rejected him from the start and continued her life. But she chose to come and be coaxed by his words. She wanted to hear him, to be influenced, she wanted to accept.

But was she ready? Wasn't there a man out there with the same goal as the man who took everything from her? Could she bear to lose everyone again?

She saved thousands of lives, just as thousands died in her hands. She carried the last words of so many.

No. She couldn't bear to see the people she loved die in front of her, not again.

Being a civilian was easier, frustrating in many ways, but she wouldn't lose anything. The affection for patients was fleeting; some she would never see again, and others, although they stayed longer in the hospital, were just people she saw for a few minutes a day, exchanging greetings or words of encouragement.

They weren't patients with whom she had ever shared water, food, weapons. She didn't fight alongside them in battles where death was the most constant companion. She didn't forge a camaraderie with them that could only be achieved through years of struggle.

Yes, it was easier. If the day came when she had to fight, she would. But meanwhile, she would live the quiet and boring life she had with Tora.

Letting out a big, liberating sigh, she looked forward again. Gojo sat up straighter and tilted his head slightly in curiosity, having noticed the change in her attitude. He was no longer smiling.

Sakura looked at him with determination in her eyes. "I really appreciate the offer, Gojo-san. But what I have is enough for me. I'd appreciate it if you don't seek me out again." She grabbed her things and stood up, heading for the exit.

Even if the pink-haired woman had bothered to turn to see his reaction as she left, she wouldn't have been able to see his eyes widen in disbelief through the bandages.

She left the café, still feeling a certain weight from the decision she had made, but completely willing to live with it.

Maybe she'd stop by a store and buy a toy for Tora; she really wanted to pamper her and play with her. If she found her house in one piece.

Engrossed in her current plans, she didn't notice the pair of eyes watching her from across the street.