A/N: Well, after catching up on Naruto, I find my levels of respect for Sakura fluctuate from "Woo-hoo! Finally, some character development!" to "Dammit woman! Knife him (Sasuke) in the back already!" So, this one-shot is for Haruno Sakura – who needs to stop taking angsting lessons from a certain Uchiha twat.

Disclaimer: All italicized quotes were directly from the scanlated manga, which I don't own. The copyright goes to… Kishimoto Masashi! Congratulations sir… (heavy sarcasm)

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan! I promise to get Sasuke back!" A flash of that toothy smile, and he was gone.

She watched as the blue and orange of his back disappeared into the foliage.

She shouldn't have pleaded to him; she shouldn't have begged. Looking at his bandaged face, brow furrowed in occasional pain, hurt her. She did this to him – not Orochimaru, not Sasuke but her.

And it was all because of that damn promise he made to her.

That day, in that hospital room that reeked of guilt and regret and defeat, she made another promise – a silent one, more for herself and her pride than on the behalf of another.

I won't cry, not anymore.

She ended breaking that promise (more than) one too many times.

"I swear I'll bring him back! I promise!" A foxy grin shadowed by sunlit hair.

"Don't worry! It'll all be like it used to be!" A one-eyed smile hid beneath a mask.

A poison kunai clenched in her hand, but her heart worn on her sleeve.

"I will kill Sasuke-kun!"

But she didn't. She couldn't.

"Damn it!" Sakura tilted her head back, so the tears won't fall.

Change, it was all she could do. Become stronger, she owed it to him – both of them.