Disclaimer: Can't think of a clever way to express my lack of ownership.

Rated M for: language, violence and adult themes(for later chapters).

A/N: I would like to throw a huge thanks to everyone who's been kind enough to express their support, and a warm welcome to new readers. I wish you a good read.

This chapter has been rewritten.

Chapter one: Aching words.

"You never know what you have until you lose it, and once you lose it, you may never get it back…"

It had been nearly three days now. Two days, twenty-two hours and seventeen minutes to be exact. But who was counting? Counting how many steps the Uchiha would be able to take in said amount of time. How long it would take the guilt-stricken blond to catch up to him. No, he was definitely not counting.

He tried to ignore the feel of his own blood turning colder with each passing second. The anxiousness that suddenly took over. Soon, it would be too late. He would be out of time.

The incident that had taken place at the infamous Valley of the End had been burned into his memory forever. It would remain in the back of his head as a silent reminder. Haunting him for the rest of his life.

He had always known that he was the weaker one, even if he refused to verbally admit it. Thinking that the raven would be convinced by foolish words had been stupid. Sasuke's mind didn't work like that, so why had he been expecting differently?

It had hurt. It still did, like a fresh wound refusing to heal. He never thought anything could affect him to this extent. Not anymore. He was stronger now, a lot stronger, he wasn't supposed to break, not even slightly crack.

The pre-teen had nearly lost his life battling that one person he almost regarded as a brother. It had been his first real bond, which only served to increase the feel of defeat, and the fear that accompanied it.

The blond felt abandoned. Those eyes he'd seen, the words he'd refused to listen to… had it really been him? To say it bothered him would've been an understatement.

There was just no avoiding this crushing pain he felt in his chest. It angered him to no end. He was usually able to shrug off insults and what would be considered hurtful comments, but now…

Now…it was different. When it came to people he actually cared about they had the power to make him hurt just by the simple use of words. Of course, a chidori through the chest wasn't exactly a caring gesture either.

A frustrated sigh escaped bruised lips. Naruto realized now, more than ever, that happiness wasn't meant for him and his team. Was he cursed or something? They'd been happy, hadn't they? No, there was just no way around it.

They'd been through hell and back, watched out for one another, and yet, yet their paths in life showed to be too different.

This was his family, who the hell had given the Uchiha the right to take that away from him?

The blond kicked the unfortunate rocks lying peacefully on the ground in front of him. A loud groan was heard as he resisted the urge to pull his hair in pure frustration.

"Damn it, Sasuke… I don't get it... "

How could he even think about doing this to them? They were his friends, right? His idea of logic was as screwed up as him.

He'd been serious. He'd actually tried to kill him, and for what? To break all ties between them so he could get stronger than his brother? Again with the logic. Naruto just didn't get it.

How could taking a friend's life make you stronger? And then there was the fact that he'd decided not to do it. There were so many questions Naruto was afraid he'd never find the answer to. If Sasuke had just asked, Naruto wouldn't think twice about helping him.

His thoughts then wandered to the rest of his team-mates, particularly the pink-haired one. Suddenly there was another pained sound extracted from his lungs. The guilt was overwhelming.

He'd screwed up. He had failed to accomplish the promise he had given to Sakura. The blond had been so confident in the task of bringing Sasuke back that he'd carelessly given her his word.

No. It wasn't just his word, it was his nindo. It meant more than anything to him, he defined himself by those words, but now… Now they seemed meaningless. This one thing she'd asked from him, he hadn't been able to do it.

Naruto then turned his gaze upwards, pushing his failure aside. There was nothing but dark clouds covering a helpless moon. Was this really it?

An unexpected smile painted itself across the slightly swollen lips. Jiraiya was right, he really was a fool. Since when had he allowed anything to take away his hope?

A familiar determination settled in his eyes, pushing away any previous doubts. He wasn't going to let this get to him. No, like hell if he was going to give up now.

He just had to get stronger than the bastard and drag his arrogant ass back to Konoha. Easy enough, right?

But that would mean…

Naruto's smile wavered at the realization of the catch that came with his resolve.

He knew what he had to do. He had to leave her. Leave his team. Leave Konoha. It would hurt, but there was just no other choice. He'd have to sacrifice to succeed, and he'd make it all worth it.

The talk he'd had with Jiraiya had been surprisingly enlightening. Sure he'd been scolded for acting like a complete idiot thinking he could save the raven, but he'd also learned that he had three years to do so before Orochimaru would be trying to invade Sasuke's body. Maybe he still had time?

It was settled. He would take the pervy sage up on the offer and learn as much as he possibly could during the upcoming three years. It was his resolve and he would stick to it. He couldn't afford to fail a second time.

Truth was, Jiraiya would be leaving the first thing in the morning, meaning he would have to leave then as well. It was soon. Too soon. But this was something he had to do. For Sakura. For himself. And for Sasuke.

Falling only meant one thing, he had to get back up. Stronger and more confident. That's how it was.

He'd show Sakura that he would indeed stick to his nindo. Keep his promise and bring their team-mate back no matter what. Everything would be alright. Somehow, he would make everything alright.

Naruto's thoughts settled on the girl he admired once again. He had yet to speak with her.

He recalled Ino telling him that his team-mate had locked herself in her room not long after she'd heard about Sasuke not returning. She was as predictable as always when it came to the Uchiha.

Naruto grit his teeth as his eyes drifted towards the very ground he was walking on.

Sasuke had hurt her. Crushed her heart into tiny pieces. That was one thing Naruto couldn't forgive.

He'd never seen her cry like that before, and now… now his actions had probably only served to add even more tears to the river she was drowning in. He couldn't forgive himself for making her cry. Her smile was her best feature after all.

There was no way he could blame her for being upset. She did love the guy, as much as it pained him to admit it.

All he ever wanted was for her to be happy. He was quite aware that she would never find such happiness with him, but it didn't stop him from hoping. He would never dream of forcing anything on her. He could wait. Giving up was something Uzumaki Naruto rarely did, and his feelings for her was no exception.

Naruto laughed bitterly at his own stupidity. No, he definitely shouldn't be thinking like that…

The streets of Konoha were quiet and empty. It didn't surprise him. After the first drop of rain had hit his forehead it hadn't taken long until his clothes were soaked.

It had just been a few hours since he had been let out of the hospital. Not fully recovered, but good to go, in his opinion anyway.

It was a well known fact that he was a fast healer. Even fatal injuries did not stay visible for more than a week.

Naruto shivered as the memories pierced him, and he fought the urge to lift his hand to feel his chest. The severe wound Sasuke had inflicted on him only a few days ago had almost completely healed as well.

Still, he was lucky to be alive wasn't he? That hit should've killed him and yet, here he was, soaked to the bone and very much alive.

Pushing the negative thoughts aside Naruto picked up his pace. There was just one last thing he had to do before leaving the village.

More precisely, it was someone important he had to say goodbye to, no matter what current state she was in.

Naruto paused in his steps as his feet had automatically taken him outside the Haruno household.

He had to do this. She had to know.

He figured entering through her window would be the better option, in case her parents would freak out if he knocked on the door at this late hours. Besides, he'd always had this feeling of being unwanted in their presence.

Luck was on his side for once, the window was open and he could hear a faint, almost muffled sound coming from what he supposed was her bedroom.

It was weird, they'd been team-mates for quite a long while, but neither of the members of team seven had ever visited each other's houses. Not that he complained, he felt more comfortable on the training grounds than in his own excuse for an apartment.

The blond took in a deep breath and pushed himself off of the ground, landing on the roof just below the window. 'Here goes nothing'

He pushed the wooden frame slightly more open for more access as he gently climbed through the small entrance, entering the room.

The sight that met him caused his chest to clench. The petite, shaking form that was located on the bed was a side of Sakura he hadn't seen before. Unfortunately, he was starting to see a lot more of those.

Her back was leaned against the wall as her shaking hands circled her knees as if trying to hug them. Her hair was a mess of pure pink chaos and Naruto had a feeling that she hadn't moved from her current position in quite some time. If it wasn't for the fact that she was crying her heart out for his rival he'd dare say she looked somewhat adorable.

The heartbroken girl didn't even bother to face him as he entered her bedroom. If it was because she didn't want him to see her cry or because she simply didn't care he didn't know. If she'd been her usual self she probably would have punched him through the wall for stepping on her carpet with soaked shoes anyway.

Naruto took a few steps towards the sobbing figure, unsure of what to do.

It truly hurt to see her like this. He knew that lending her a shoulder to cry on in a friendly embrace would be the most common way to approach a situation like this. And he wanted to, he really did, but he didn't know if he was allowed to do such a thing. Not to her. He'd never been allowed to touch her. Not that he'd given it a fair shot, but even he was afraid of rejection.

He guessed this wasn't the time nor place to find out.

"Sakura-chan?" He called in his most gentle voice, silently waiting for a reply.

Nothing. Maybe she hadn't heard him?

"How are you doing?" He tried again, putting on a small smile he knew she wouldn't see.

No, she still wouldn't look at him. She wasn't even acknowledging his presence as far as he could tell. Maybe pushing her wasn't such a good idea.

He would've given her the privacy she deserved if it wasn't for the fact that he had to tell her about his travelling arrangements today.

He had to tell her everything now, because she wouldn't be able to contact him for the next two or three years. As much as he hated it he had to accept that this was how Jiraiya worked.

Still not making an effort to speak to him, Sakura hugged her knees even tighter to her chest as silent tears kept falling down her pale face, landing softly in the sheets of her bed.

Was she ignoring him on purpose? Or was she really that upset?

There was a long moment of silence. Neither one of them uttered a word. The only thing audible to Naruto's ears was the harsh rain outside and the pink-haired's constant sobbing.

Naruto was unsure if she even wanted him there right now. He wasn't good at these sorts of things. How was he supposed to approach her when she was in such a fickle state? She looked as if she could shatter if anyone were to touch her.

How was he supposed to tell her?

Naruto was about to open his mouth, but was forced to shut it as Sakura suddenly spoke in a surprisingly calm, soft voice, still staring down at her exposed knees.

"You promised. You said you would bring him home. You told me not to worry. Why would you say such things if it weren't true?"

"Sakura… I-" Naruto swallowed. He wanted to explain himself. But how?

"You promised! You-… Damn it…" The pink-haired clutched shaking fingers in the sheets, struggling to breathe evenly.

The blond froze, not daring to look at her anymore he averted his gaze down to the floor. She was angry.

He actually didn't know how to respond to this. He understood her pain, but he'd really tried. Sasuke was just too strong.

"I'm sorry…" He said softly. "I know it's not what you want to hear. I tried, I truly did. But even if I failed this time it doesn't mean that-"

Sakura suddenly faced the jinchuuriki with one quick movement, making the blond shot back, a bit frightened at the piercing look in her tear-filled eyes.

"You should've tried harder! I believed in you for nothing… You gave me hope, only to tear it all away…" Her voice then turned calm again as she spoke bitterly, her eyes still focused on the blond, "…It's cruel… a-and I thought you were better than that. It's all just words and promises you can't live up to. Lies. That's all you're good for…"

Her eyes wore a look of anger and agony. Maybe even… no. Definitely not.

That calm feeling he used to get when looking into those beautiful emerald eyes were nowhere to be found at this moment. She'd never looked at him like that… Like the rest of the village used to. Why would she stare at him with those eyes? As if he was the most disgusting thing alive.

No, not her. Please, not her too.

Naruto took a few steps backwards, confused by her words.

He'd fought for his life. For their team. And now… that wasn't good enough? What did she expect of him? Fight until death so she can live happily ever after?

He figured that she didn't mean it, but she should've known better than to say things like that so carelessly.

She knew how he felt about her, didn't she? He'd do anything, and he'd tried.

The girl was vulnerable right now, right? He'd just have to calm her down and everything would be fine. The blond swallowed.

"Listen, Sakura-chan… I know you're upset, but he almost killed me-"

"I don't care!" She snapped back, fresh tears filling up her eyes. "I don't care… I just want him back home…" The last words came out as a mere whisper as she went back to her constant sobbing. Rocking back and forth.

Naruto felt the words pierce through his heart the very moment it went past her lips. What… you really don't… Why would you…

So that's it?

"Is that how you really feel?" He retorted, disbelieving. 'Is that how it's always been?'

Naruto didn't know how to react, so to his surprise, he just smiled, looking down on the grey carpet that covered her bedroom-floor.

'You really wouldn't care… would you?' Those words… coming from the girl he loved. It seemed surreal. He'd never imagined that… Just… Not her. She wasn't supposed to be like that. She was different, that's why he liked her.

Everything was falling apart... Not only his team. If she didn't care for his existence there was no point in him hanging around. The blond turned to face the window, ready to leave as he stole one final look at the pink-haired.

There was no point in telling her now, was it? It wouldn't make a difference to her either way.

"It's okay, Sakura... I think I get it now. I'll still keep my promise, I told you… I won't go back on my words," Naruto swallowed as he tried his best to hide the hurt.

He doubted she would even notice as he leaped out the window.

At that very moment, there was an alarming feeling shooting through the pink-haired's body, but she chose to ignore it in favour of producing even more tears.

The blonde left her room, landing gracefully on the muddy ground as he allowed the tears he'd been holding back to finally fall and blend in with the rain. He still couldn't comprehend why this had to happen now.

Since when had everything turned this fucked up?

The more he thought about what she'd just told him the more he felt like an idiot. They were friends weren't they? Had he been that mistaken?

The prospect of her ever returning his feelings had been futile from the start, but he'd gotten the impression that she cared for him a lot more than she would let on.

There was at times like these he wished he had Kakashi's ability to control emotion. He didn't want to care. He didn't want to love her. Most of all he didn't want to show it. Not now, not ever.

Had he really been that naive? It couldn't be just a lie… An act? He refused to believe that. It wasn't her. It just wasn't.

"I don't care!"

Naruto bit his lip in anger.

How could three little words hurt this much? She didn't care for his life, At least not compared to Sasuke's. This was something he'd always known, but…

Did she… hate him? …She did, didn't she? Why did this surprise him? Didn't everyone?

Naruto shook his head. No, definitely not. He would've been able to tell if she truly did hate him, right?

Sure, she had told him countless of times before and sure it had hurt, but he only thought it was because of Sasuke's presence. She always seemed to dumb herself down around the raven, but most girls usually did. It was the person she was without him that he loved. She was intelligent, caring and strong.

But now… Sasuke wasn't here and she still couldn't care less if he was gone.

Naruto suddenly gave a short, empty laugh.

Now what? Was he supposed to just ignore his heart's desire? Forget about her? Would his feelings for her disappear if he just gave it enough time?

Naruto could only hope that this would be the case. There was no way he could ever bear loving someone who hated him.

Was this really the end of team seven as he knew it?

Naruto shot his eyes open just as a certain old, perverted man came rushing through his window, knocking down his alarm clock which caused it to break into little pieces.

"You're so going to pay for that…" The blonde grunted, not wanting to leave the comfort of his bed. Ever.

Jiraiya laughed nervously as he sat down on a nearby chair, waiting for the brat to get out of said bed. "Sorry 'bout that, kid… Ready to leave?"

'Does it look like I'm fucking ready?' The blonde thought annoyed as he tried to stare holes into his sensei.

The genin was still dead tired due to lack of sleep, but quickly got out of bed as his quest to stare a certain person to death failed.

"Sure, just give me five minutes to get dressed, 'kay?"

Jiraiya watched the boy carefully as he dragged himself across the floor and frowned at the sight.

"What's wrong? You almost seem… Oh I don't know, depressed?" Jiraiya uttered, feigning shock.

Naruto hadn't been able to sleep more than an hour. He had a lot on his mind and when he'd finally fallen asleep his dreams would only reflecting his thoughts.

He was freaking allowed to feel tired.

"It's nothing… Just give me a second to drown my face in the sink, then we can get the hell out of this village." He hadn't meant for it to come out that way, but he just simply didn't care this morning.

Jiraiya was left speechless as Naruto slammed the door to the bathroom behind him. What the hell was wrong with that kid? If anything he should be grateful for the fact that Jiraiya was letting him tag along.

The sannin groaned. If this was the mood the teen was going to be in for the rest of their trip Jiraiya would be aging twice as fast. There was a reason he didn't have kids after all.

The white-haired sannin and his new apprentice were finally set to go and slowly approaching the gates of Konoha.

It seemed like the jinchuuriki was in a rush to get out of the village as fast as possible, as he stayed unnaturally silent which Jiraiya found quite disturbing, but at the same time hoped he would make a habit of keeping his mouth shut once in a while.

Jiraiya paused in his steps just a few feet away from the main exit. Naruto noticed and turned around to give the old man an annoyed look, resisting the urge the leave without him.

"What now?" The younger boy groaned.

The sannin hummed curiously as he tried to look past the annoyed face, wanting to figure out what the whiskered kid was thinking. It interested him and it would be a shame not to test out his theory.

"Have you said goodbye to everyone?" Jiraiya asked, giving the boy a sceptical look.

"Yeah… Everyone." The blond replied, slightly hesitating.

The toad hermit crossed his arms, not fully convinced. "What about that Sakura chick?"

The young blond didn't answer. He suddenly seemed oddly interested in the ground, but the white-haired man could've sworn that he saw the kid's eyes turn blanker before he hid them behind blond locks.

Jiraiya figured it was girl-trouble. He'd spent enough time analyzing people's heartbreaks so he'd immediately recognized the familiar look.

The older man sighed. "Care to tell me what's wrong, brat?"

Naruto remained silent. There was no way he'd ever tell him. As far as Naruto was concerned this was a matter he would rather forget, not share.

Jiraiya shook his head. 'Better not make it harder for him I guess´.

He picked up his pace again. "Fine, have it your way, but Naruto…"

Naruto shifted his blank eyes towards nosy hermit for the second time, thinking that the sannin was asking way too many questions for his liking.

"Yeah?"

"If there's something you feel you have to do before we leave, then do it now. Three years is a long time, kid. Make sure you won't regret it."

Naruto seemed to think the sannin's suggestion over, but eventually shook his head. There was nothing left for him here right now.

"Really, I'm fine." The boy grinned.

Jiraiya nodded, but as soon as the blond picked up his steps the grin slowly disappeared.

Even if he were to regret this… There was nothing he could do about it. He'd lost her.

Sakura slowly cracked her eyes open as the sun had invited itself in to remind her of the fact that it was morning. She couldn't care less, but it was making it hard to sleep.

Her lids felt heavy and somewhat sore. She didn't remember falling asleep, as she was still sitting on her bed with her back leaning against the wall.

Groaning, she made a mental to never fall asleep in this position again.

Her gaze then wandered down to her hands who immediately started shaking. She couldn't help it. She felt worse than betrayed. Sasuke had left her. She knew she shouldn't be feeling this devastated, but she did. Her crush had left and he wasn't coming back.

A tear made it's way down her cheek as she gave a sad smile. How would things ever go back to normal? He'd hurt both her and Naru-

-Sakura's eyes suddenly widened as yesterday's conversation came back to her in a flash. The kunoichi swallowed.

"Naruto…" She knew, even when she'd said all those things, that it had been far from the truth.

She had been upset and had needed to take it out on someone. Naruto usually played that part, but this had been crossing the line.

Of course he was bound to know that she didn't mean it, but that didn't make it excusable and it had probably hurt.

How could she make this up to him?

Sakura pinched the bridge of her nose, annoyed at her own foolishness.

"It's not like I meant to take it out on you…" It wasn't like her, acting that cruel towards him. At least not like that. She'd never hurt him on purpose… And she rarely meant what she said anyway. They were friends, he was just a better one than she ever hoped to be.

Sakura groaned. She seriously deserved a terrible friend award.

Maybe… Sakura swallowed… Maybe she'd just wanted him to feel the same amount of pain that she did. So she'd said something she knew would hurt. Gone for his weak spots. Been selfish.

…But he probably already felt like crap. Of course he cared about Sasuke as well. She knew this and she'd still been a bitch about the whole thing, because that's how Haruno Sakura's mind worked, it was selfish and she hated it.

The pink-haired grit her teeth in anger. This was seriously giving her a headache.

Selfish. That's all you are.

He should already know how much she really cared for him. She really believed that he did know but at the same time she knew she wasn't all that good at telling him just that.

Sakura frowned. Well that was the understatement of the day. She never told him how much he meant to her. But he still knew, right? Of course he did. Her team was like her family, he cherished each and everyone of them.

This was something that couldn't wait. Even if she wanted to lock herself in for the next week, she had to apologize. He deserved as much.

Still having a headache, the pink-haired finally got out of bed.

Sakura hurried down the main street, walking a bit faster than necessary. Most of the villagers were already up and slowly starting the day with their daily routines.

Everything was as it always had been. Still. She couldn't help but feel that something was slightly wrong. Something seemed different… No, felt different, but she couldn't seem to put her finger on it.

Usually, her gut feeling always turned out to be right.

The female genin stopped outside of Naruto's apartment. It looked dark and abandoned. She was pretty sure it didn't usually look like that.

Sakura didn't even care to knock on the door and walked past the building. Apparently, no one was home.

Maybe he was out on a mission? She doubted it though, they weren't short on shinobi at the moment so there was no reason to mix teams.

However, she could always ask the hokage. For some reason she didn't want to wait until he showed up.

The sooner she found him the better. Getting rid of the painful ball of guilt gathering in her chest was her main priority now.

Sakura frowned as she figured that was yet another selfish way to be thinking. No, she didn't want Naruto to feel as if he'd done something wrong.

Walking down the hallway in the hokage tower she stopped outside of the Godaime's office, gently knocking on the door.

She heard a faint: "Enter," and stepped inside the room.

The pink-haired bowed, having great respect for the fifth. "Hokage-sama."

Tsunade had been half asleep when Sakura had knocked on the door. As long as she hadn't brought a bunch of mission reports with her that she had to go through she was okay with a little company. Still, she was surprised to see Sakura so soon, even she knew how hard the pink-haired had taken the news.

"What is it, Sakura?" The kunoichi walked further into the office before she spoke.

But the Godaime cut her off before she had the chance open her mouth, "If you're here to ask about Sasuke I'll have to say that-"

"-I'm not…" Sakura replied, lowering her head.

"I was wondering where Naruto is." The young girl continued quietly, clearly upset by the mention of the Uchiha's name.

Tsunade barely raised an eyebrow curiously at her in response.

"Do you happen to know? I didn't mean to disturb you I just really need to find him."

The blond woman in front of her looked rather surprised at her words and it somehow made Sakura nervous, had she said something weird?

"Yeah, I know where the brat is, but I'm quite surprised over the fact that you don't. He didn't tell you anything?"

Now it was Sakura's turn to raise an eyebrow. What was she talking about?

"Tell me what?"

The honey-eyed woman sighed. "I thought you'd be the first one he'd tell."

"Tsunade-same, I don't get what you-"

"-Naruto went off with Jiraiya earlier this morning." The bleached-blond finished.

Sakura sighed as well. Guess she had to wait a while then.

"I see. Do you happen to know when they'll be back?"

The older woman's eyebrow rose even higher, more than a little curious about Sakura's lack of knowledge on this matter, not that it was any of her business.

Tsunade kept wondering why he hadn't told her about his training trip in the first place. She guessed he had his reasons, but this was odd even for him.

"In about three years, but I'm sure he's at least told you that." The blond sannin smirked, thinking that despite the rude attitude the Uzumaki really made her job as a hokage lively, she would honestly miss him.

The hokage's smile was soon replaced by a worried expression as her upcoming student was turning paler.

Seriously? She really didn't know anything about this? Why the hell would that brat put her through something like that?

Sakura was shaking again and her eyes seemed to be getting blanker by the second. It looked like she was about to faint.

"Th-three whole years? Are you sure?"

Who would have known the kid would just leave without telling his crush. Tsunade cleared her throat.

"I understand that this apparently is new to you. But I assure you that-, Sakura Is something wrong?" Tsunade asked with genuine concern.

The pink-haired's eyes were now burning with tears, threatening to fall. He had… left her too?

"No… it's just… I said something really horrible to him and… I just wanted to apologize, but now I can't. I… I didn't even get to say g-goodbye…" Her voice was starting to break. The tears were already running down her cheeks and her legs were about to give in at any moment.

She didn't know what to do. She was alone. They had both left her. This was all her fault.

Tsunade had been suspecting that something was wrong ever since this morning when she'd seen off the duo. Now she at least had a clue about what was going on.

The sannin felt bad for Sakura… If the things she'd said to the blond was really that bad Naruto would have three whole years to either forgive her or develop a bitter grudge. She was rooting for the former. For better or worse, she wasn't sure. They sure picked the right time to fight.

Tsunade got out of her chair and walked towards Sakura, embracing the crying kunoichi in a gentle hug. Lending her a shoulder to cry on.

"It'll be okay, Sakura. Naruto isn't the type of person to hold a grudge. No matter what you said, I'm sure he knows that you didn't mean it."

As much as Sakura wanted to believe the Godaime she couldn't. If he'd taken what she'd said seriously, which it appeared that he had judging from the lack of a goodbye, then…The thing she'd said… How could he be able to forgive her? Hell, she wouldn't even forgive herself.

A thought suddenly struck the pink-haired as she remember the blond's words from last night.

"Then…Is it true?" Sakura asked disbelieving in between her sobs.

Tsunade broke the hug and looked towards the young girl. "What, dear?"

Sakura took a deep breath. "Is it true that… Sasuke-kun tried to… kill Naruto?"

Tsunade's expression only seemed to sadden, a bitter sorrow in her eyes as she gave her another comforting embrace. It was a silent answer and Sakura cursed herself for not believing him.

"I'm such an idiot…"

Had she caused both her team-mate's to leave? If there was no way to contact the blond, how was she ever going to apologize? Screwing up didn't even begin to describe what she'd just done.

Author's note: Do you like waffles? Yeah I like waffles. Do you like reviews? Hell yes I like reviews.