A/N: Uh...oops? :) I've been a bit preoccupied with school, sorry! And this chapter is kind of short...oh well, now I will know better for next time!
This had to be one of the worst days of Sakura's life ever. Her feet hurt, her head hurt, her eyes hurt, her brain hurt. Suffice to say, Sakura hurt everywhere, and she only had herself to blame. Leaning against a wall in the hospital, she glanced at the clock.
It was only 3?! She didn't get off until at least 5! Sakura was going to have to kill herself at this rate. All morning she'd had whiny patients coming in with minimal problems, and for some reason she was the medic chosen to care for them. What about the serious injuries? What about the people with diseases? She could treat them and actually use her (aching) brain, instead of wasting her (throbbing) brain cells on people with the flu or a headache.
Yes, Sakura would admit it was glaringly obvious she was hungover. But was it really necessary to make her suffer for it? She was already suffering enough!
"Sakura, Tsunade wants to speak with you." She groaned and looked at Shizune.
"Are you for real? I was so hoping I could fly under the radar today…" With a sigh she pulled herself off the wall and trudged towards Tsunade's office. Was the hospital always this bright? And so…loud?
She slowed as she reached Tsunade's office. Why did she want to talk to her today of all days? She'd been doing relatively well, excluding the obvious hangover. Sakura really hoped Tsunade wouldn't make her explain why she'd been drinking heavily the night before she had a hospital shift.
"Sakura, hurry up!" Tsunade barked from her office. Squaring her shoulders, Sakura walked into Tsunade's office and sat down.
"Yes, Tsunade-shishou?" Sakura said demurely.
"Don't take that innocent tone with me, Sakura. So are you going to explain to me why you seem to be suffering from a hangover in the middle of the week, or am I going to have to force it out of you?" Tsunade looked at her seriously.
Damndamndamn! Sakura was so hoping this wouldn't happen! She really, really didn't want to have to explain to Tsunade why she was drinking all day yesterday.
"It's not affecting my job performance in any way, is it? I know I've been avoiding bright lights and loud voices all day, but I've helped all of my patients just as politely and efficiently as always. Does it really matter?"
So, yes, she was trying to shirk out of it.
"Yes it does matter, Sakura, because you never drink during the week, let alone the night before work. This is completely unlike you, and I was hoping you would clarify so I wouldn't have to piece together what happened myself."
"Look, Tsunade-shishou, I don't feel like mentioning the reasons that caused me to drink myself into oblivion last night. Honestly, I barely remember yesterday's events as it is, so I'd like to know why I was drinking just as much as you."
This was, of course, a complete lie. Sakura could recall with startling lucidity the reason she had found herself in a bar on the far side of town, downing drink after drink after drink…
She wished she couldn't remember. She would sell her left foot to forget what had happened yesterday with Sasuke, if that's what it came to. Better foot-less than knowing everywhere you went that your childhood troubles had been laid completely in front of the last person she wanted to see them.
Sakura mostly wished, however, that she could be a better liar.
"Do not make me play this game, Sakura. Everyone knows what happened yesterday with Sasuke, and Naruto has been moping around all day like someone shot his favorite pet. What the hell were you thinking, challenging Sasuke to a spar? Do you have some sort of death wish?" Tsunade demanded.
"Why does everyone keep thinking that? Yeah, okay, so Sasuke is just oh-so-strong and oh-so-dangerous, but I am too! I have been training for just as long as him, and no one ever recognizes that! My entire life, I have been seen as less than Naruto and Sasuke. For once, for just fucking once, I wanted to try to prove everyone wrong. Was that too much to ask? Give me some goddamn credit, Tsunade-shishou. Maybe I'd have lost to him, but I certainly wouldn't allow him to kill me."
It felt really good to get that out of her system. She'd expelled a lot of pent up frustrations in the past day, and it was giving her a nice tingling feeling in her brain. Or maybe that was the alcohol wearing off?
Tsunade looked a little taken aback. She blinked a few times, and sat higher in her chair.
"Well, Sakura, I hadn't realized you…felt that way. I'm sorry for being too critical on you, but I don't want to see you hurt if it can be prevented. Do you understand that? The second I heard Sasuke was back I wanted to warn you, but then I'd heard about how you broke up his fight with Naruto and I thought maybe you would be okay. And then I hear about yesterday's events, and I'm worried again. He was always your weak spot, Sakura, and I don't want you getting hurt by someone like Sasuke."
Sakura was shocked. Tsunade was worried about her? That was so touching! Sometimes she couldn't tell if Tsunade cared about anything besides her booze and gambling, and now she knew for sure!
"Uh, sorry for kind of exploding like that. I've just kind of been letting a lot of feelings I've been holding in for awhile out in the past few days, and I'm having a hard time stopping. So does, you know, everyone know about what happened with Sasuke yesterday?"
Please let her say no. Please let her say no.
"Yes, unfortunately. Or that's how it will be soon, anyway. I just want to say, Sakura, that you should never feel inferior to Naruto or Sasuke. You each have different areas of expertise, and where you lack in strength and fighting ability, they lack everywhere else. They have all their strengths piled in one place, while you are not only a strong kunoichi, but a strong medic. Most of all, though, you're a strong woman. You make me proud to know that I made you this way!"
Sakura sat, transfixed, as Tsunade's eyes filled with tears.
"Oh, when you came to me you were just a lost little girl, and now you're grown and so capable! It warms me to know that it's all because of me that you ended up like this!"
Was she serious? Tsunade could not be serious. Sakura sighed and rubbed her forehead.
"Tsunade-shishou, have you already been drinking today?"
Tsunade hiccupped and smiled at her tearfully. "Why yes, Sakura, yes I have."
Shizune took this chance to slip in. She bent over and whispered in Sakura's ear. "Today is one of her happy days, you're very lucky. If she'd been angry she might've fired you!"
Didn't Sakura know it. She couldn't count anymore how many times Tsunade had threatened to fire her when she was drunk and raving, although usually Sakura hadn't done anything wrong to deserve such a punishment.
"Also, I'm very sorry to hear about the situation with Sasuke. Everyone had been rooting for him to be changed in some positive way…"
Sakura looked at her, surprised. She'd always thought she and Naruto were the only ones who thought about Sasuke coming back! That was interesting.
"Uh, Tsunade-shishou, I think I'm going to come back later. I have rounds to finish."
She pulled herself out of the chair and started backing towards the door, but not before Tsunade interrupted her escape.
"Sakura, just go home. If you're half as hungover as I'll be later, you need it."
Then Tsunade promptly fell asleep.
"I worry about her sometimes." Shizune muttered as she took the bottle at the foot of Tsunade's desk and walked out.
Sakura was overjoyed and would've cheered if she wouldn't have doubled over in pain. It hurt her to think about making some kind of noise right now. She honestly couldn't believe Tsunade was drunk enough to give her the rest of the day off, but who was she to complain?
All she wanted was a nap. A nice, soothing nap. With the blinds drawn and complete silence.
It figured that she would have people waiting in her apartment.
"Get out, both of you. I am going to sleep. I have been working all day, and Tsunade was drunk enough to let me out early, and I am going to take advantage of this even if it requires me killing you two to get there."
Kakashi looked at her with one eye and shrugged. Then he disappeared with a poof and Sakura was left with Ino.
"Pig, get the fuck out. I am not in the mood for another discussion, since the product of our last one didn't have such amazing results." She started her mission of shutting every set of blinds in her apartment while attempting to drown Ino's voice out.
"Look, Sakura, there is really no need to get so nasty with me. I just figured, you know, that you might want someone to talk to about this whole Sasuke thing. And yeah, I know our last conversation about him didn't end too well, but who knows? Maybe this time something good will happen!"
Sakura would've believed her if she hadn't called her Sakura.
"Why are we even friends? You just want me to spill everything to you so you can spread it around town because this is the first big news that's hit Konoha since Hinata stuck up for herself in an argument with Kiba."
"Damn you, Forehead! You know why were friends, and that's because you looooooove me! You can't deny it, I know it's true. And, yeah, I want to spread some juicy gossip around town. Is that so awful of me?"
"Yes, because it isn't any of your goddamn business to spread it around! Could you just back off for a day? I'm not going to be telling you anything now, and I swear I will kick your ass out if I have to. Come talk to me tomorrow and maybe I'll have something to say then."
Slipping off her shoes, Sakura pulled the covers back on her bed and laid herself underneath them.
Aaahh, glorious!
The only thing that would make this situation more wonderful would be if Ino left.
"Forehead, don't be selfish! You know you want to talk to someone, so why not me? I AM your best friend!"
"Ino, come here. I am going to whisper something veryvery important to you, and I want to make sure you hear it."
Ino at least had the brains to look uneasy before she inched forward and placed her face by Sakura's.
WHAM!
"FOREHEAD I AM GOING TO KILL YOU! IF YOU BROKE MY NOSE YOU ARE A DEAD WOMAN! YOU OWE ME FOR THIS!"
Punching Ino was one of the most satisfying things she'd done in her entire life, and it certainly trumped every moment of her accidental confessions over the past two days. Plus nothing could beat the way Ino desperately clutched her face and cried while sprinting out of her apartment. Sure, she slammed the door on her way out but, as Sakura drifted to sleep, the nap would make it so worth it!