Categories > Anime/Manga > Naruto > Thinking About You
(8.3)
LOW
"/He's gone now."/
…
…
…
'THE PREVIOUS LETTER WAS YOUR LAST WARNING
HOPE THAT UGLY BITCH WAS WORTH IT
DON'T KEEP MY GUY WAITING
IF YOU DON'T COME TO HIM HE WILL COME TO HER
HE IS JUST DYING TO MAKE HER FEEL AS UNATTRACTIVE AS YOU MADE ME'
…
"This is…"
Sakura re-read the letter.
…
/"Sakura-chan. Ino-san is not here with you? … So you're now brave enough to talk to me like that even without Ino by your side. My, how you've grown. Your hair's longer too. But you're still as ugly as ever!"/
/"The only one making an unattractive face right now is you."/
/"D- Did you just call me ugly?! Do you have any idea who I am?! Who my boyfriend is?!"/
/"Hn. Someone who's neither a certain Hyuuga nor a certain Uzumaki, unfortunately."/
/"Y- You heard that?! … Fuck you Uchiha! You're nothing!"/
/"You and I aren't done yet."/
…
/"You don't have to do this every time you know. You don't have to wait with me until the bus gets here. Don't you have to take a nap before you go to your night job?"/
/"I'm just making sure you go home and don't follow me back to mine."/
/"What?! I would never! Hmp! And all this time I thought you were just trying to be nice."/
/"Sakura… Get home safe."/
…
Sakura remembered how she would often see Ami and her friends hanging around the convenience store across the overpass that wasn't far from the bus shelter.
…
/['Those girls are everywhere.']/
…
/"What are you doing out this late? And… in only that?"/
/"I- I was just with Ino. Then, I decided to buy some... stuff before I go home."/
/"I- I gotta get home… Goodnight."/
/"I'll walk you to the bus stop."/
/"No! There's no need to. I'm-"/
/"I can tell you want to be alone right now. But you don't have the right to ask me to take a hint and leave you be."/
…
/"You're walking her to the bus stop right?"/
(Sasuke nodded at Ino then turned away.)
…
/"Sasuke-kun! … Sasuke-kun! … If you're in such a hurry then don't bother! Just go home-"/
(Sasuke suddenly stopped…)
…
/"Where exactly did Karin bring you that she had to asked you to change out of your uniform?"/
/"To a Karaoke bar… where Ami was supposed to meet her boyfriend after he beats you up."/
/"You confronted her?! … What was Karin thinking? And why did you go along with it?"/
/"I... I had to confront her at some point. And Karin created the opportunity to do just that. She had to stop. Whatever problem she had with me, she shouldn't have gotten other people involved. And why didn't you tell me that she was the one who wrote that letter? You could've gotten seriously hurt because of me-"/
/"Was it just your group and hers?"/
/"There were a bunch of boys there with her-"/
/"Sa-Sasuke-kun?"/
/"Are you really okay? Did anyone hurt you?!"/
/"I'm fine! None of us got hurt. Temari scared them off. They ran as soon as they learned that she was from the Sabaku clan-"/
/"But what if that wasn't enough?! … What if who she was, hadn't meant anything to them?! What if there was no one there who could stop them from harming any of you?!"/
…
Sakura's hand was shaking as she read the letter over and over.
.
.
.
"Sakura-chan?"
Sakura looked up. "Naruto."
"Ino went looking for you. Were you up here all morning?"
Sakura nodded then lowered her head down to her knees again.
"Erm… Here." Naruto raised the plastic bag he had with him. "Want to have lunch together?"
"No. Thank you. I'm not hungry."
"Oh… Uhm… C-Can I eat it then?"
"Go ahead."
Naruto sat down on the floor beside Sakura.
"Erm… I'm just gonna scoot a little bit closer so I can also stay under the shade okay?" He then moved closer to Sakura then leaned his back on the wall. "There. Much better. Hm~ This isn't so bad. I totally understand why you'd feel like this is such a nice place to hang out. Sure you're not hungry?"
Sakura gave no response.
"Okay then." Naruto started eating bread. "You know Sakura-chan-"
"Naruto?"
"Yes!"
"Tell me something."
"Err…"
"That afternoon that Sasuke-kun was brought to the infirmary… Did he- Did he ask you to walk me to the bus shelter?"
"Y-Yeah."
"I… see. I... thought so."
"Funny you should mention that time… actually… Sakura-chan… The thing is…"
Sakura looked up again and turned to Naruto.
Naruto blushed at their proximity. "I- I… S-Sakura-chan… Back then… I was actually planning to tell you that…"
"What is it?" Sakura had a blank expression.
"D-Do you remember when I talked about meeting you for the first time? Back when we were still kids. Near the… Near the hospital?"
"What about it?"
"The park near the hospital. Behind it there is a… pond."
"…"
"E-Eleven years ago, you saved a boy who drowned in that pond. Y-You performed CPR and resuscitated him back to life. That… boy was… /me/."
Sakura's eyes widened.
…
..
.
Eight years old Sakura kept her head low as she made her way to an empty playground near Uzumaki General Hospital. She sniffed and rubbed the back of his hand along her eyes.
['Okaasan no baka!']
She looked up at the orange sky - nose red, eyes wet and right cheek swollen.
...
("Dobe!")
-she heard a distant voice cry out.
"Who's there?!", she yelled as she looked around the playground.
She saw no one.
("Dobe!")
-she heard it again.
"W-Where are you?!" She looked around again trying to pinpoint where the disembodied voice was coming from.
("Oi! Wake up you loser!")
-came the seemingly wobbly voice again.
Sakura walked towards and beyond the trees.
("Dobe! Wake up! Hurry up and open your eyes!")
-the voice was getting louder and clearer.
Sakura was now sure that whoever was shouting was extremely distressed so she quickened her pace.
On the other side of the park, she saw the stairs that lead down to a pond.
She approached the stairs and saw two boys around her age down, near the pond.
Sasuke and Naruto were soaking wet. Naruto lay still on the grass while Sasuke was trying to shake the seemingly unconscious boy awake.
"I said, wake up! Idiot! Wake up already!", said Sasuke as he slammed his fist on his unconscious friend's chest - hard.
He then attempted to give his friend CPR.
And that's when Sakura knew what was really going on so she quickly descended the stairs.
"You're doing it wrong!", she yelled at Sasuke as she ran towards them. "That's not how you perform CPR!"
"Do you know how to do it better then?!", Sasuke yelled back at her. "Who are you anyway?!"
Sakura ignored his question. "Get back!", she instructed as she got closer to them
He backed away and Sakura kneeled down beside the unconscious boy. Sakura placed one hand on his forehead and put her fingers under his chin. He then tilted the boys head backwards and leaned her ear close to his mouth.
"The hospital is just close. Hurry up and call for help!", she told Sasuke as she drew herself back.
"But, I don't want to leave him alone."
Sakura pinched the boy's nose and opened his mouth.
Sasuke watched her as she covered Naruto's mouth with her own.
Sakura gave him one slow breath until he saw his chest gently rise a little.
"Dobe!", called Sasuke..
She pushed herself up to check him. But he was still not breathing.
"One... two... three", she counted then gave him another breath.
After checking him again for signs of life, she placed the heel of her hands above Naruto's sternum. She then started counting as she pressed down gently.
"...nineteen... Don't... just... stand... there... twenty four... twenty five...", she told Sasuke. "Twenty six… Get help! Twenty eight... twenty nine… thirty."
Sasuke quickly ran towards the stairs as Sakura gave the unconscious boy another breath.
She repeated the process.
~BLAAACH, BWEHH, Uggh-huggh, Uggh-huggh, Uggh-huggh~
"It worked!", Sakura beamed. "He's breathing! I did it! I actually did it."
...
Sasuke was already at the top of the stairs when he heard Naruto coughing. He stopped and looked back.
...
Naruto turned to his right as he emptied his lungs of water.
"Are you okay?", Sakura asked him.
Gasping for breath, Naruto laid his head back on the grass and sniffed. "What? What happened?", he said weakly as he glanced at Sakura.
"DOBE!", yelled Sasuke as he ran back to them.
Naruto seemed like he suddenly remembered something important. "TEME! You dummy!"
Sakura had to move back as Naruto suddenly shot himself up.
"TEME! I'm coming! I'll save you!" Naruto stood up and tried to run back to the water.
"Hey!", Sakura shouted. "Stop right there! I just got you to breathe again!"
Naruto realized he was still weak and collapsed down on the ground.
"A-Are you okay?", asked Sakura.
"Leave me alone!", Naruto sneered at her. "Teme! I need to save my friend! He's drowning."
"I'm right here Dobe!", Sasuke alerted him.
"Teme?"Naruto turned to Sasuke. "Y-You're okay?"
"Aa."
"W-Why did you do that Teme?!" Naruto found his strength again and jumped on Sasuke.
Sasuke grunted as his back hit the ground and he felt Naruto's weight on top of him.
Naruto grabbed him by his collar. "Why did you try to drown yourself?"
"Eh?!", Sakura was shocked.
"I didn't try to drown myself!" Sasuke wrestled his way out from under Naruto.
Naruto put up a fight. "But I saw you jumped into that pond. You didn't resurface."
"I wanted to see how long I could hold my breath."
"Liar!"
"Excuse me but… you really shouldn't be moving about just yet.", said Sakura
Both boys turned to her.
"Who are you?", wondered Naruto.
"I…"
"She saved your life idiot!", said Sasuke.
"Saved me?" Naruto was confused. "How? When did I need saving?"
"Idiot!" Sasuke finally pushed him off. "You jumped into the water after me even though you don't know how to swim. The one who ended up drowning is /you/. I pulled you out of the pond and she did mouth to mouth on you!"
"M-Mouth to mouth?!" Naruto blushed as looked at Sakura. "So… You and I k-k-kissed?"
"What?! No!" sakura retorted. "That was not a kiss! That was just CPR! CPR! C!P!R!"
"R-Right.", Naruto straightened himself and bowed to her. "T-Thanks for saving me."
"Yeah well. You're lucky I remembered how to do it just from reading it in a book."
"R-Really?! You're amazing!"
Sakura was a bit embarrassed with the praise. "Oh. That's nothing!"
"That was the first time for you then?"
"Yeah."
"I'm your first kiss!" Naruto said bashfully as he pointed a finger at himself.
A vein popped in Sakura's forehead. She narrowed her eyes at Naruto. "If you call it a kiss one more time, I'll throw you back into the water."
"I won't! I won't! I'm sorry!" Naruto ran behind Sasuke.
("Sakura!")
-they suddenly heard a voice calling out loud.
The three of them whipped their heads towards the top of the stairs and saw a blonde girl around their age and an older boy with ginger hair.
"There she is!", the older boy pointed towards them.
"Forehead?!", the blonde girl called her as she ran down the stairs.
"Ino! Sasori!" Sakura waved at them."
Sakura's friends descended the stairs.
"What's going on here? Who are they?", wondered Ino.
Before Sakura could explain what had happened, a nurse appeared at the top of the stairs.
"YOU TWO!", she yelled.
Naruto and Sasuke were suddenly restless.
"What are the both of you doing down here?!" The nurse implored as she walked down the stairs. "You're both soaking wet!"
The nurse paused when she saw Ino "Aren't you… Yamanaka-"
Sasuke and Naruto panicked when they heard the name. The two of them suddenly scrambled up the stairs."
"HEY! YOU TWO!", yelled the Nurse as she went after them. "WAIT FOR ME!"
Sakura and her friends were left alone by the pond.
…
.
..
…
"It was you!" Sakura recalled.
"Yeah."
"Didn't you said you didn't remember?"
"I… I lied."
Sakura wrinkled her forehead. "Why?"
"I wasn't ready to tell you then."
"You weren't ready to tell me that you were the boy I once saved?"
"No. I wasn't ready to tell you that I couldn't get you out of my mind ever since-"
"…"
Naruto shot himself up from the floor. "W-What I meant is… You… You're my hero. Y-You… You're my number one. I… I've admired you ever since and… I couldn't stop thinking about you."
"Naruto?"
Naruto started to fidget. "But… I never got the chance to speak with you again and I was starting to lose all hope. So I was really happy when I found out that we were going to the same high school. I… I tried to get close to you but… Sasori… /But then/… you said that you two are just childhood friends so I… I thought maybe… I could finally… I could finally tell you how I really feel about you."
Sakura slowly stood up.
…
"Sakura-chan. I…" Naruto mustered the strength to tell her. "I like you!"
"Sasuke-kun…"
"Huh?"
"Did he… know?"
"…"
"Of course he did.", Sakura concluded.
…
/"Kakashi asked you not to bother with me. He didn't ask you that for my sake. If it weren't you-
…You're worried about the wrong person."/
/"Huh?!"/
/"Naruto's the one who's... lonely. He's the one y- everyone should be worried about."/
/"What do you mean he's lonely?"/
/"He's surrounded by people who love and respect him but- Let's just say he acts as if he's got everything he ever wanted but that's not true at all. ... I... I've said too much."/
…
/"Eh?! So Naruto can read the letter but I can't?!"/
/"Yes. Because he's my best friend… and I'd let him know first-hand before I make a move on a girl or accept one's confession."/
…
/"Sasuke values his friendship with Naruto the most."/
…
"Of course he /knew/." Sakura let out a heavy sigh.
Naruto looked dejected. "Sasuke huh?"
Sakura was unable to look at Naruto. "Ino liked him back in freshman year so… I thought it was best if I avoided him. That's why… I avoided you too."
"I guess I've always known."
Sakura looked at Naruto again.
Naruto smiled painfully at her. "Sasuke was the first friend I ever made. For once in my life, I had something to look forward to everyday. Playing. Goofing around. It made me really happy when he told me that I was his best friend.
But my idea of friendship was self centered and possessive. It was always about me. My fight. My dreams. My goals. My life. And his role was… to always just… be there/. I'm the one who wanted to eat Ramen every day for lunch… I'm the one who wanted to learn Krav Maga… I'm the one who wanted to be a soldier when I grow up… I'm the one who wanted to be brothers. I- I… I'm the one who wanted to ask /you out."
Sakura lowered her head.
"That guy! He keeps doing this… He keeps giving and… I'm always taking. Were both idiots. We're both really /big idiots/!" Naruto turned away from Sakura and looked up at the sky. "But he's definitely the bigger idiot. He's the biggest idiot of them all. What was he thinking letting go of his chance to be with you just like that."
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.", she told him.
.
.
.
Sakura found Ino near the soccer field.
She quickly made her way down to her.
.
.
.
"Sakura? There you are! I've been looki-"
"Ino~" Sakura couldn't hold her tears back anymore.
Ino moved closer and allowed Sakura to cry on her shoulders. "T-There, there." she started rubbing Sakura's back. "I-It's okay. It's gonna be fine."
…
['Was it true or was it all just a lie? None of that matters anymore. He's gone now.']
…
…
…
~Been shut down one too many times
I'm embedded in the ground
These critics don't know how to lie
I just wish I could mute all their mouths
And I know, we all get low
But I don't know how I'm gonna get up from this one
I really don't
The peaks and troughs they hit us all
We all live in the waves we've created
Wouldn't know we're flying without the falls
But I'm underground screaming for something
And I know, we all get low
But I don't know how I'm gonna get up from this one
No I don't know how I'm gonna get up from this one
No I don't know how I'm gonna get up from this one
I really don't
Too deep to see the waterline
Too young to know that I'll be fine
The fragile always fall apart
You made my ache your art
Too deep to see the waterline
Too young to know that I'll be fine
The fragile always fall apart
You made my ache your art
And I know, we all get low
But I don't know how I'm gonna get up from this one
No I don't know how I'm gonna get up from this one
I really don't
I really don't
(LOW - Lauren Aquilina)~
.
.
.
Mebuki barged into Sakura's bedroom. "Sakura! Sakura!"
Sakura lazily peeked from under her covers. "Okaasan~ I already told you I'm not going to school today.", she mumbled.
"Get up!"
"I haven't been feeling well since Tuesday. I can't endure another day."
"I said Get up!"
"It's a Saturday anyway. Just let me rest."
"There's a woman looking for you outside. She's very eager to meet you."
"A woman? Who?"
"She told me to call her Dr. Tsunade."
"I don't know anyone by that name."
"She says she's the Chief Surgeon at… Senju Hospital."
"S-Senju Hospital? That's the biggest hospital in Tokyo!" Sakura sat up. "Dr. Tsunade you say?! The Dr. Senju Tsunade?! She's here at our house? Why is she here at our house?"
"She said she's here to talk about your apprenticeship application." Mebuki put her hands on her waist. "When did you apply for such a thing? And when were you going to tell me and your father about it?"
"Application? Apprenticeship? I don't recall… I never applied for anything."
"What? But clearly she said… Anyway just get up already. Get dress. Make yourself presentable then come down. We can't keep her waiting too long especially if this is only some sort of misunderstanding.", said Mebuki as she walked to the door.
Sakura quickly got out of bed.
.
.
.
"Ah there she is." Mebuki had a huge smile plastered on her face as Sakura made her way into the living room.
Sakura found Tsunade standing in the corner of the room near the window. The blonde woman turned to her and removed her aviator sunglasses. "Finally."
"Good morning.", Sakura greeted the woman
"Good morning?!", Tsunade scoffed and showed Sakura her expensive time piece. "Miss Haruno it is past noon."
"Erm…"
"Do you have any idea how hard it is for me, the chief surgeon of the biggest and most prominent hospital in Tokyo, to get a chance to take time off my very busy schedule?"
"I…"
Tsunade placed her sunglasses inside the pocket of her coat. "I came all the way from Tokyo, right after a twenty two hours surgery, just to see you because this is the only day that I will be available before I get thrown into another indefinite long shift in the hospital. I went to your school and learned that you weren't there because you called in sick. And here I am looking at you… and you're obviously not sick."
Sakura and her mother exchange looks at one another.
"You either lied or… you made a wrong diagnosis about your own condition. Either ways I'm disappointed." Tsunade studied Sakura. "I can't believe I'm looking at the girl that/, people with unquestionable credibility had confidently said/… would be qualified to be my apprentice. So, which one was it? A lie or a wrong call? Answer me so I know what to tell the people who blindly believed in you, why this was nothing but a waste of my time."
Sakura tried to remain civil to their guess despite being furious. "Neither.", she answered confidently.
Tsunade cocked an eyebrow at her.
"I told my mother that I couldn't go to school because I wasn't feeling well. And I'm not. I am not at full health. I am currently suffering from an overabundance of cortisol. Too much blood is going through my muscles, causing them to tense up, ostensibly for swift action. However, my dopamine levels are low. As a result, I am plagued with swollen muscles causing headaches, a stiff neck and an awful squeezing sensation in my chest."
Mebuki was dumfounded. "What? I-Is that serious? Are you okay?"
"No mom. I'm not okay! I… I'm broken-hearted!"
"B-Brokenhearted?!"
Tsunade chortled and clapped her hands. "Overabundance of cortisol. Low levels of Dopamine. That is just… Well played Miss Haruno. Well played. But, being a smartass can only get you so far."
Tsunade was serious again. "Basically you are just experiencing depression and anxiety. All due to being… 'Broken-hearted'. Wonderful! You know, I was told that you were smart and talented but still eager to learn and grow more. Someone who won't crack under pressure. Yet here you are… shutting yourself inside your room because a boy what? Dumped? Rejected you?"
Sakura remained unfazed by Tsunade's words.
"Do you know how much women are looked down upon in my profession? For female doctors to survive the discrimination, they need to prove that they can maintain and rise up to their career paths. If they can accommodate other responsibilities outside of their career then, that's even more commendable. My advice to you… If you really want to become a doctor, then… stop wasting your time playing the role of a patient." Tsunade walked pass her on her way to the exit. "Especially one with an imaginary illness."
"I hope you don't seriously mean that.", said Sakura.
Tsunade stopped and looked at her again. "Excuse me."
"If you consider a broken-heart not a real illness, then you must've loss a number of patients to takotsubo cardiomyopathy thinking that they were making up their symptoms."
...
"Hm." Tsunade smiled. "That's the right response. Congratulations. You passed."
"Eh?" Sakura was confused.
"She did?", wondered Mebuki.
Tsunade walked towards Sakura. "I do this to everyone who asked me to be my apprentice. I intimidate them and throw in a lot of insults. The reaction I often get is crying and/or begging. But she didn't have time to do that. Her initial reaction was to point out my false take on broken heart syndrome."
"That's… good /right/?", asked Mebuki.
"Very good.", said Tsunade.
.
.
.
LOW
"/He's gone now."/
…
…
…
'THE PREVIOUS LETTER WAS YOUR LAST WARNING
HOPE THAT UGLY BITCH WAS WORTH IT
DON'T KEEP MY GUY WAITING
IF YOU DON'T COME TO HIM HE WILL COME TO HER
HE IS JUST DYING TO MAKE HER FEEL AS UNATTRACTIVE AS YOU MADE ME'
…
"This is…"
Sakura re-read the letter.
…
/"Sakura-chan. Ino-san is not here with you? … So you're now brave enough to talk to me like that even without Ino by your side. My, how you've grown. Your hair's longer too. But you're still as ugly as ever!"/
/"The only one making an unattractive face right now is you."/
/"D- Did you just call me ugly?! Do you have any idea who I am?! Who my boyfriend is?!"/
/"Hn. Someone who's neither a certain Hyuuga nor a certain Uzumaki, unfortunately."/
/"Y- You heard that?! … Fuck you Uchiha! You're nothing!"/
/"You and I aren't done yet."/
…
/"You don't have to do this every time you know. You don't have to wait with me until the bus gets here. Don't you have to take a nap before you go to your night job?"/
/"I'm just making sure you go home and don't follow me back to mine."/
/"What?! I would never! Hmp! And all this time I thought you were just trying to be nice."/
/"Sakura… Get home safe."/
…
Sakura remembered how she would often see Ami and her friends hanging around the convenience store across the overpass that wasn't far from the bus shelter.
…
/['Those girls are everywhere.']/
…
/"What are you doing out this late? And… in only that?"/
/"I- I was just with Ino. Then, I decided to buy some... stuff before I go home."/
/"I- I gotta get home… Goodnight."/
/"I'll walk you to the bus stop."/
/"No! There's no need to. I'm-"/
/"I can tell you want to be alone right now. But you don't have the right to ask me to take a hint and leave you be."/
…
/"You're walking her to the bus stop right?"/
(Sasuke nodded at Ino then turned away.)
…
/"Sasuke-kun! … Sasuke-kun! … If you're in such a hurry then don't bother! Just go home-"/
(Sasuke suddenly stopped…)
…
/"Where exactly did Karin bring you that she had to asked you to change out of your uniform?"/
/"To a Karaoke bar… where Ami was supposed to meet her boyfriend after he beats you up."/
/"You confronted her?! … What was Karin thinking? And why did you go along with it?"/
/"I... I had to confront her at some point. And Karin created the opportunity to do just that. She had to stop. Whatever problem she had with me, she shouldn't have gotten other people involved. And why didn't you tell me that she was the one who wrote that letter? You could've gotten seriously hurt because of me-"/
/"Was it just your group and hers?"/
/"There were a bunch of boys there with her-"/
/"Sa-Sasuke-kun?"/
/"Are you really okay? Did anyone hurt you?!"/
/"I'm fine! None of us got hurt. Temari scared them off. They ran as soon as they learned that she was from the Sabaku clan-"/
/"But what if that wasn't enough?! … What if who she was, hadn't meant anything to them?! What if there was no one there who could stop them from harming any of you?!"/
…
Sakura's hand was shaking as she read the letter over and over.
.
.
.
"Sakura-chan?"
Sakura looked up. "Naruto."
"Ino went looking for you. Were you up here all morning?"
Sakura nodded then lowered her head down to her knees again.
"Erm… Here." Naruto raised the plastic bag he had with him. "Want to have lunch together?"
"No. Thank you. I'm not hungry."
"Oh… Uhm… C-Can I eat it then?"
"Go ahead."
Naruto sat down on the floor beside Sakura.
"Erm… I'm just gonna scoot a little bit closer so I can also stay under the shade okay?" He then moved closer to Sakura then leaned his back on the wall. "There. Much better. Hm~ This isn't so bad. I totally understand why you'd feel like this is such a nice place to hang out. Sure you're not hungry?"
Sakura gave no response.
"Okay then." Naruto started eating bread. "You know Sakura-chan-"
"Naruto?"
"Yes!"
"Tell me something."
"Err…"
"That afternoon that Sasuke-kun was brought to the infirmary… Did he- Did he ask you to walk me to the bus shelter?"
"Y-Yeah."
"I… see. I... thought so."
"Funny you should mention that time… actually… Sakura-chan… The thing is…"
Sakura looked up again and turned to Naruto.
Naruto blushed at their proximity. "I- I… S-Sakura-chan… Back then… I was actually planning to tell you that…"
"What is it?" Sakura had a blank expression.
"D-Do you remember when I talked about meeting you for the first time? Back when we were still kids. Near the… Near the hospital?"
"What about it?"
"The park near the hospital. Behind it there is a… pond."
"…"
"E-Eleven years ago, you saved a boy who drowned in that pond. Y-You performed CPR and resuscitated him back to life. That… boy was… /me/."
Sakura's eyes widened.
…
..
.
Eight years old Sakura kept her head low as she made her way to an empty playground near Uzumaki General Hospital. She sniffed and rubbed the back of his hand along her eyes.
['Okaasan no baka!']
She looked up at the orange sky - nose red, eyes wet and right cheek swollen.
...
("Dobe!")
-she heard a distant voice cry out.
"Who's there?!", she yelled as she looked around the playground.
She saw no one.
("Dobe!")
-she heard it again.
"W-Where are you?!" She looked around again trying to pinpoint where the disembodied voice was coming from.
("Oi! Wake up you loser!")
-came the seemingly wobbly voice again.
Sakura walked towards and beyond the trees.
("Dobe! Wake up! Hurry up and open your eyes!")
-the voice was getting louder and clearer.
Sakura was now sure that whoever was shouting was extremely distressed so she quickened her pace.
On the other side of the park, she saw the stairs that lead down to a pond.
She approached the stairs and saw two boys around her age down, near the pond.
Sasuke and Naruto were soaking wet. Naruto lay still on the grass while Sasuke was trying to shake the seemingly unconscious boy awake.
"I said, wake up! Idiot! Wake up already!", said Sasuke as he slammed his fist on his unconscious friend's chest - hard.
He then attempted to give his friend CPR.
And that's when Sakura knew what was really going on so she quickly descended the stairs.
"You're doing it wrong!", she yelled at Sasuke as she ran towards them. "That's not how you perform CPR!"
"Do you know how to do it better then?!", Sasuke yelled back at her. "Who are you anyway?!"
Sakura ignored his question. "Get back!", she instructed as she got closer to them
He backed away and Sakura kneeled down beside the unconscious boy. Sakura placed one hand on his forehead and put her fingers under his chin. He then tilted the boys head backwards and leaned her ear close to his mouth.
"The hospital is just close. Hurry up and call for help!", she told Sasuke as she drew herself back.
"But, I don't want to leave him alone."
Sakura pinched the boy's nose and opened his mouth.
Sasuke watched her as she covered Naruto's mouth with her own.
Sakura gave him one slow breath until he saw his chest gently rise a little.
"Dobe!", called Sasuke..
She pushed herself up to check him. But he was still not breathing.
"One... two... three", she counted then gave him another breath.
After checking him again for signs of life, she placed the heel of her hands above Naruto's sternum. She then started counting as she pressed down gently.
"...nineteen... Don't... just... stand... there... twenty four... twenty five...", she told Sasuke. "Twenty six… Get help! Twenty eight... twenty nine… thirty."
Sasuke quickly ran towards the stairs as Sakura gave the unconscious boy another breath.
She repeated the process.
~BLAAACH, BWEHH, Uggh-huggh, Uggh-huggh, Uggh-huggh~
"It worked!", Sakura beamed. "He's breathing! I did it! I actually did it."
...
Sasuke was already at the top of the stairs when he heard Naruto coughing. He stopped and looked back.
...
Naruto turned to his right as he emptied his lungs of water.
"Are you okay?", Sakura asked him.
Gasping for breath, Naruto laid his head back on the grass and sniffed. "What? What happened?", he said weakly as he glanced at Sakura.
"DOBE!", yelled Sasuke as he ran back to them.
Naruto seemed like he suddenly remembered something important. "TEME! You dummy!"
Sakura had to move back as Naruto suddenly shot himself up.
"TEME! I'm coming! I'll save you!" Naruto stood up and tried to run back to the water.
"Hey!", Sakura shouted. "Stop right there! I just got you to breathe again!"
Naruto realized he was still weak and collapsed down on the ground.
"A-Are you okay?", asked Sakura.
"Leave me alone!", Naruto sneered at her. "Teme! I need to save my friend! He's drowning."
"I'm right here Dobe!", Sasuke alerted him.
"Teme?"Naruto turned to Sasuke. "Y-You're okay?"
"Aa."
"W-Why did you do that Teme?!" Naruto found his strength again and jumped on Sasuke.
Sasuke grunted as his back hit the ground and he felt Naruto's weight on top of him.
Naruto grabbed him by his collar. "Why did you try to drown yourself?"
"Eh?!", Sakura was shocked.
"I didn't try to drown myself!" Sasuke wrestled his way out from under Naruto.
Naruto put up a fight. "But I saw you jumped into that pond. You didn't resurface."
"I wanted to see how long I could hold my breath."
"Liar!"
"Excuse me but… you really shouldn't be moving about just yet.", said Sakura
Both boys turned to her.
"Who are you?", wondered Naruto.
"I…"
"She saved your life idiot!", said Sasuke.
"Saved me?" Naruto was confused. "How? When did I need saving?"
"Idiot!" Sasuke finally pushed him off. "You jumped into the water after me even though you don't know how to swim. The one who ended up drowning is /you/. I pulled you out of the pond and she did mouth to mouth on you!"
"M-Mouth to mouth?!" Naruto blushed as looked at Sakura. "So… You and I k-k-kissed?"
"What?! No!" sakura retorted. "That was not a kiss! That was just CPR! CPR! C!P!R!"
"R-Right.", Naruto straightened himself and bowed to her. "T-Thanks for saving me."
"Yeah well. You're lucky I remembered how to do it just from reading it in a book."
"R-Really?! You're amazing!"
Sakura was a bit embarrassed with the praise. "Oh. That's nothing!"
"That was the first time for you then?"
"Yeah."
"I'm your first kiss!" Naruto said bashfully as he pointed a finger at himself.
A vein popped in Sakura's forehead. She narrowed her eyes at Naruto. "If you call it a kiss one more time, I'll throw you back into the water."
"I won't! I won't! I'm sorry!" Naruto ran behind Sasuke.
("Sakura!")
-they suddenly heard a voice calling out loud.
The three of them whipped their heads towards the top of the stairs and saw a blonde girl around their age and an older boy with ginger hair.
"There she is!", the older boy pointed towards them.
"Forehead?!", the blonde girl called her as she ran down the stairs.
"Ino! Sasori!" Sakura waved at them."
Sakura's friends descended the stairs.
"What's going on here? Who are they?", wondered Ino.
Before Sakura could explain what had happened, a nurse appeared at the top of the stairs.
"YOU TWO!", she yelled.
Naruto and Sasuke were suddenly restless.
"What are the both of you doing down here?!" The nurse implored as she walked down the stairs. "You're both soaking wet!"
The nurse paused when she saw Ino "Aren't you… Yamanaka-"
Sasuke and Naruto panicked when they heard the name. The two of them suddenly scrambled up the stairs."
"HEY! YOU TWO!", yelled the Nurse as she went after them. "WAIT FOR ME!"
Sakura and her friends were left alone by the pond.
…
.
..
…
"It was you!" Sakura recalled.
"Yeah."
"Didn't you said you didn't remember?"
"I… I lied."
Sakura wrinkled her forehead. "Why?"
"I wasn't ready to tell you then."
"You weren't ready to tell me that you were the boy I once saved?"
"No. I wasn't ready to tell you that I couldn't get you out of my mind ever since-"
"…"
Naruto shot himself up from the floor. "W-What I meant is… You… You're my hero. Y-You… You're my number one. I… I've admired you ever since and… I couldn't stop thinking about you."
"Naruto?"
Naruto started to fidget. "But… I never got the chance to speak with you again and I was starting to lose all hope. So I was really happy when I found out that we were going to the same high school. I… I tried to get close to you but… Sasori… /But then/… you said that you two are just childhood friends so I… I thought maybe… I could finally… I could finally tell you how I really feel about you."
Sakura slowly stood up.
…
"Sakura-chan. I…" Naruto mustered the strength to tell her. "I like you!"
"Sasuke-kun…"
"Huh?"
"Did he… know?"
"…"
"Of course he did.", Sakura concluded.
…
/"Kakashi asked you not to bother with me. He didn't ask you that for my sake. If it weren't you-
…You're worried about the wrong person."/
/"Huh?!"/
/"Naruto's the one who's... lonely. He's the one y- everyone should be worried about."/
/"What do you mean he's lonely?"/
/"He's surrounded by people who love and respect him but- Let's just say he acts as if he's got everything he ever wanted but that's not true at all. ... I... I've said too much."/
…
/"Eh?! So Naruto can read the letter but I can't?!"/
/"Yes. Because he's my best friend… and I'd let him know first-hand before I make a move on a girl or accept one's confession."/
…
/"Sasuke values his friendship with Naruto the most."/
…
"Of course he /knew/." Sakura let out a heavy sigh.
Naruto looked dejected. "Sasuke huh?"
Sakura was unable to look at Naruto. "Ino liked him back in freshman year so… I thought it was best if I avoided him. That's why… I avoided you too."
"I guess I've always known."
Sakura looked at Naruto again.
Naruto smiled painfully at her. "Sasuke was the first friend I ever made. For once in my life, I had something to look forward to everyday. Playing. Goofing around. It made me really happy when he told me that I was his best friend.
But my idea of friendship was self centered and possessive. It was always about me. My fight. My dreams. My goals. My life. And his role was… to always just… be there/. I'm the one who wanted to eat Ramen every day for lunch… I'm the one who wanted to learn Krav Maga… I'm the one who wanted to be a soldier when I grow up… I'm the one who wanted to be brothers. I- I… I'm the one who wanted to ask /you out."
Sakura lowered her head.
"That guy! He keeps doing this… He keeps giving and… I'm always taking. Were both idiots. We're both really /big idiots/!" Naruto turned away from Sakura and looked up at the sky. "But he's definitely the bigger idiot. He's the biggest idiot of them all. What was he thinking letting go of his chance to be with you just like that."
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.", she told him.
.
.
.
Sakura found Ino near the soccer field.
She quickly made her way down to her.
.
.
.
"Sakura? There you are! I've been looki-"
"Ino~" Sakura couldn't hold her tears back anymore.
Ino moved closer and allowed Sakura to cry on her shoulders. "T-There, there." she started rubbing Sakura's back. "I-It's okay. It's gonna be fine."
…
['Was it true or was it all just a lie? None of that matters anymore. He's gone now.']
…
…
…
~Been shut down one too many times
I'm embedded in the ground
These critics don't know how to lie
I just wish I could mute all their mouths
And I know, we all get low
But I don't know how I'm gonna get up from this one
I really don't
The peaks and troughs they hit us all
We all live in the waves we've created
Wouldn't know we're flying without the falls
But I'm underground screaming for something
And I know, we all get low
But I don't know how I'm gonna get up from this one
No I don't know how I'm gonna get up from this one
No I don't know how I'm gonna get up from this one
I really don't
Too deep to see the waterline
Too young to know that I'll be fine
The fragile always fall apart
You made my ache your art
Too deep to see the waterline
Too young to know that I'll be fine
The fragile always fall apart
You made my ache your art
And I know, we all get low
But I don't know how I'm gonna get up from this one
No I don't know how I'm gonna get up from this one
I really don't
I really don't
(LOW - Lauren Aquilina)~
.
.
.
Mebuki barged into Sakura's bedroom. "Sakura! Sakura!"
Sakura lazily peeked from under her covers. "Okaasan~ I already told you I'm not going to school today.", she mumbled.
"Get up!"
"I haven't been feeling well since Tuesday. I can't endure another day."
"I said Get up!"
"It's a Saturday anyway. Just let me rest."
"There's a woman looking for you outside. She's very eager to meet you."
"A woman? Who?"
"She told me to call her Dr. Tsunade."
"I don't know anyone by that name."
"She says she's the Chief Surgeon at… Senju Hospital."
"S-Senju Hospital? That's the biggest hospital in Tokyo!" Sakura sat up. "Dr. Tsunade you say?! The Dr. Senju Tsunade?! She's here at our house? Why is she here at our house?"
"She said she's here to talk about your apprenticeship application." Mebuki put her hands on her waist. "When did you apply for such a thing? And when were you going to tell me and your father about it?"
"Application? Apprenticeship? I don't recall… I never applied for anything."
"What? But clearly she said… Anyway just get up already. Get dress. Make yourself presentable then come down. We can't keep her waiting too long especially if this is only some sort of misunderstanding.", said Mebuki as she walked to the door.
Sakura quickly got out of bed.
.
.
.
"Ah there she is." Mebuki had a huge smile plastered on her face as Sakura made her way into the living room.
Sakura found Tsunade standing in the corner of the room near the window. The blonde woman turned to her and removed her aviator sunglasses. "Finally."
"Good morning.", Sakura greeted the woman
"Good morning?!", Tsunade scoffed and showed Sakura her expensive time piece. "Miss Haruno it is past noon."
"Erm…"
"Do you have any idea how hard it is for me, the chief surgeon of the biggest and most prominent hospital in Tokyo, to get a chance to take time off my very busy schedule?"
"I…"
Tsunade placed her sunglasses inside the pocket of her coat. "I came all the way from Tokyo, right after a twenty two hours surgery, just to see you because this is the only day that I will be available before I get thrown into another indefinite long shift in the hospital. I went to your school and learned that you weren't there because you called in sick. And here I am looking at you… and you're obviously not sick."
Sakura and her mother exchange looks at one another.
"You either lied or… you made a wrong diagnosis about your own condition. Either ways I'm disappointed." Tsunade studied Sakura. "I can't believe I'm looking at the girl that/, people with unquestionable credibility had confidently said/… would be qualified to be my apprentice. So, which one was it? A lie or a wrong call? Answer me so I know what to tell the people who blindly believed in you, why this was nothing but a waste of my time."
Sakura tried to remain civil to their guess despite being furious. "Neither.", she answered confidently.
Tsunade cocked an eyebrow at her.
"I told my mother that I couldn't go to school because I wasn't feeling well. And I'm not. I am not at full health. I am currently suffering from an overabundance of cortisol. Too much blood is going through my muscles, causing them to tense up, ostensibly for swift action. However, my dopamine levels are low. As a result, I am plagued with swollen muscles causing headaches, a stiff neck and an awful squeezing sensation in my chest."
Mebuki was dumfounded. "What? I-Is that serious? Are you okay?"
"No mom. I'm not okay! I… I'm broken-hearted!"
"B-Brokenhearted?!"
Tsunade chortled and clapped her hands. "Overabundance of cortisol. Low levels of Dopamine. That is just… Well played Miss Haruno. Well played. But, being a smartass can only get you so far."
Tsunade was serious again. "Basically you are just experiencing depression and anxiety. All due to being… 'Broken-hearted'. Wonderful! You know, I was told that you were smart and talented but still eager to learn and grow more. Someone who won't crack under pressure. Yet here you are… shutting yourself inside your room because a boy what? Dumped? Rejected you?"
Sakura remained unfazed by Tsunade's words.
"Do you know how much women are looked down upon in my profession? For female doctors to survive the discrimination, they need to prove that they can maintain and rise up to their career paths. If they can accommodate other responsibilities outside of their career then, that's even more commendable. My advice to you… If you really want to become a doctor, then… stop wasting your time playing the role of a patient." Tsunade walked pass her on her way to the exit. "Especially one with an imaginary illness."
"I hope you don't seriously mean that.", said Sakura.
Tsunade stopped and looked at her again. "Excuse me."
"If you consider a broken-heart not a real illness, then you must've loss a number of patients to takotsubo cardiomyopathy thinking that they were making up their symptoms."
...
"Hm." Tsunade smiled. "That's the right response. Congratulations. You passed."
"Eh?" Sakura was confused.
"She did?", wondered Mebuki.
Tsunade walked towards Sakura. "I do this to everyone who asked me to be my apprentice. I intimidate them and throw in a lot of insults. The reaction I often get is crying and/or begging. But she didn't have time to do that. Her initial reaction was to point out my false take on broken heart syndrome."
"That's… good /right/?", asked Mebuki.
"Very good.", said Tsunade.
.
.
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