The Return

Chapter 36

True Strength

Sakura watched as a young Sasuke and Naruto forged ahead, making their own path whilst leaving her behind, watching them helplessly. Don't go, she pleaded. I'm not the useless little girl I used to be. I'm strong now! I'm strong. Curling up into a ball, she cried, changing back into the child she used to be.

Footsteps slowly caught up to her, cutting across the ground. "Sakura. Sakura...Sakura!"

A hand landed on her shoulder and she turned to face the voice she heard. "Sasuke?" she gasped. Before her eyes he changed from a child to an adult, evolving through the years.

Blinking she realized she was staring at the real Sasuke. Concern was etched on his typically stoic face. "What's going on?" she asked, wearily rubbing her eyes. She looked around, realizing she was in a hospital bed.

He breathed a sigh of relief. He reached out as if to caress her face then stopped and turned to go.

"Wait, Sasuke!"

He paused at the door.

"What's going on? Why am I in a hospital bed? Did you bring me here?"

He clenched his teeth before responding curtly. "Shizune will explain. I have to go."

"Shizune? Wai-" she watched as the door clicked shut behind him. What on earth was going on? She remembered finishing up at the clinic last night and then going back to the reception area to wait for Sasuke to pick her up. Everything else was a blur. What was he talking about? Shizune? Whatever was going on, she knew she couldn't sit around here all day.

Walking through the halls, she searched for Shizune. There was no sign of Sasuke as she went. She only hoped that whatever was going on wasn't too serious.

She arrived at her office a few minutes later and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" a voice rang out.

"Shizune, tell me what's going on!" Sakura demanded, swinging open the door and marching inside.

"Sakura! I'm glad to see you're alright!" she exclaimed. "We were worried about you."

"Would someone tell me what happened?! I'm completely in the dark here!"

Shizune sighed and motioned for her to sit. "It started last night. I'm not entirely sure what happened to you, myself. All I know is that Sasuke found you, in a chair in the reception area. I thought you might just be tired, but your heart rate and blood pressure were abnormally low. It seemed that rather than simply falling asleep out of tiredness, you actually passed out. Tell me, has this happened before?"

Sakura thought for a moment, then frowned. "It seems I always blackout during key points and moments when others need me. I thought...I thought I'd overcome it by getting stronger, but nothing seems to work." She closed her eyes, cringing at the thought. Why am I so weak? No matter what I do, nothing is good enough.

"Sakura" Shizune reached over and placed her hand on hers. "It's not a sign of weakness, not at all. You're a jonin for a reason, you know. But besides that, I believe it's actually a medical condition."

"Oh?"

Shizune nodded. "I think you have mild anemia. It can cause you to be more prone to fainting at times, particularly when stressed. I would recommend that you allow yourself to take more rest times, otherwise you're going to overdo it like yesterday."

"I see" Sakura looked down. To her, this just seemed like another flaw.

Shizune gave her a sympathetic smile. "Sakura, you are probably the strongest kunoichi in the Leaf right now. Don't be so hard on yourself."

"What about Sasuke?" she asked worriedly.

"Oh right," Shizune looked away, smiling nervously. "Well, I think you gave him quite a scare. He was the one who called me to come over. He found you first and was worried because you wouldn't respond when he tried to wake you up. You'll be happy to know that your fiancée refused to leave your side though."

Sakura looked down. It seemed she'd caused him trouble yet again. Seeing her like that after the Akai Hebi incident couldn't have been easy. She only hoped that he didn't turn from her because of this. She didn't want him to view her as weak.

"Thanks, Shizune, I've got to find him and sort everything out. I have a feeling I've caused him to worry more than I realized" she smiled.

"Okay, but be sure to rest up today! You've been working yourself to death. Don't strain yourself so much."

"I know, but there's a reason I'm doing this too."

"Oh?"

Sakura smiled and winked before she closed the door and ran back down the hallway.

She had to find him quickly before he did anything stupid. She ran past the entryway and into the streets of the Leaf, searching wherever she could. He has to be somewhere! Thoughts of the day he left the village floated into her mind, but she shook her head. Sasuke was different now, he wouldn't do that...she hoped.

Gasping and out of breath, she reached the cliffside where he had taken her on their first date. Her heart raced as she found his shadowy figure looking out towards the horizon. She gathered her courage and stepped towards him.

"Sakura," he said before she could get any closer.

"Sasuke...what are you doing here?" Sakura asked tentatively. She longed to reach out to him but sensed that it wasn't the right time.

"I...I just wanted to remember a time when things were simpler."

Sakura looked down, she knew how he felt, and she recognized that his path in life was very different from hers, but even so... "Even so, we can fight past all the obstacles. We'll be partners, right? Unless..."

Sasuke paused, nearly giving her a heart attack. "Sakura, seeing you yesterday...it made me feel...so helpless against my emotions. You can't understand how it felt for me to see you like that. All those times I hurt you or saw you suffer, it felt like I was breaking my own heart. I can't do it, not again. And yet, I just want you to be happy."

She smiled. "Sasuke, I am happy, more than you will ever know. You're the best thing that ever happened to me. I'm sorry, I always cause you to worry. It turns out that last night I had a touch of anemia. But even so, I am stronger than you realize! I will fight for us and I will fight for your happiness too. You're not getting away from me that easily. It's going to take a lot of work to pull everything together in the month before you leave. But we can make it happen if we just work together, shannaro! Just give me a chance to prove to you how strong I've become!"

He turned back to face her. "Honestly, what am I going to do with you?" he smirked and pressed his forehead against hers. "Sakura Haruno, you are without a doubt, the strongest woman I've ever met. You have to know that by now. You will never be weak in my eyes. I simply don't want to see you in trouble. And I don't want you to feel weak either."

Sakura smiled. "I don't feel weak, not when I'm with you. When we're together, I know we can face anything."