There had been a time in her life, where she had believed good things will come to those who wait. So she waited, patiently.. she waited for 3 years. And when he came back, it wasnt him, not really.

He lunged towards her, hands still bound behind him by the chakra chains. Snaraling, Sasuke snaped his jaws at her like a rabbid dog.

"Filth!" he cried. "Trash! Give up like always little Sakura-chan! Run away!" he was pulling strings one by one, and if it had been 3 years ago, she would have danced to those strings like a good little Marionette. But in Sasuke's last moments before his exicusion, she saw who he realy was, what he was really saying. "leave and never look back at me!" thats what he meant. All he seemed was a man in his last moments, knowing his death was coming.

"Move it." Ibiki said, pushed Sasuke past her and down the grimmey stone passageway, and into the council chanmbers. Sasukes exicusion was to be a privite one.

"i'm sorry Sasuke." she whispered.

And after that, she had said nothing. She had said nothing for a very long time. Untill the second time she had fallen, nearly 2 years later.

"Sakura.." he whispered to her, but as expected, she only looked at him. "sakura.. its okay.. to be angry.. to be sad.. it dosent make you weaker.." he said the words with guilt, pain, conviction. He seemed angry at himself, and Sakura could only guess why. He had abandoned her, just like Naruto had. Forgoten, left to sink inside herself. The result? What she was now.

Sudenly, without warning, and totaly unlike him, he had swept her in his arms and held her to him.

"Sakura.. cry for him" she broke within the arms of her former teacher, her former companion, and spoke her first words in two years.

"I didnt mean to! Everythings my fault! If i had been a better person, if i had been stronger! He would of stayed! HE WOULD BE ALIVE!"Her voice was horce from dis-use. Kakashi didnt care though, he had goten what he had come to her to get.

After that, they had started requesting their missions together, and everything was fine.. untill.. an S ranked mission took a turn for the worse...

"KAKASHI! BREATH!" sakura cryed, and pushed more chakra into the cold form of the Sharingan user. He had been dead for an hour now. She ran her hands through his silver hair that defied gravity. It seemed to droop now.. She soothed it, and her tears droped from her eyes. She knew he was gone.. gone.. everyone gone..

"Please come back.. please.. i never got to tell you.. i never got to say.. how much i love you kakashi.. please.. dont leave me.. not again.." her words went unheard, and with an empty heart, and empty eyes, she half-carried, half-draged the body of her dead love, all the way back to Konoha from Hiden waterfall contry. Silence once again. with the added empty eyes of a broken woman.

She had attened the funeral, she had watched as they added the name - "Hitake Kakashi" to the momrial stone, right under the name of "Uchiha Obito." Kakashi once best friend and team mate. After that, she had gone back to work at the hospital, trying to save the lives that would just die later anyways. But she used everything sshe was, all of her talent as a medic nin to save them, to save herself. But fate struck angain, and she thought little of it when her name had been called over the intercom, a critical case that needed her attention.

Sakura made a small noise of suprise when she entered the room, Ino laying on the ground inside the medical seals, the room was thick and heavey with incense. Ino coughed sudenly from her sleep, and blood dribbled from her mouth. Then against all odds her eyes snaped open and locked on her.

"Sakura! Please, take care of Choji and Shikamaru for me! promise me!" She looked desprite, the same looke Sasuke had when Ibiki had been walking him to his death.

"I promise" Sakura spoke. Ino smiled

"Looks like you beat me.. but just this once big-forehead girl.." and she closed her eyes, Sakura ignored the yelling of the other medics. She knew Ino was gone too now.

"Alright Ino-Pig.. just this once then.."

That had been a year ago. and Sakura kept her promise, she watched Choji and Shikamaru from the shadows, tailed them on missions, making sure they were all put together in many cases.

And one day, when Sakura had been doing what she dose with most lulled days; staring at the sky, Shikamaru had apeared.

"Why?" he asked. She said nothing. He pushed himself up onto an elbow to watch her.

"You know.. I loved Ino.." his voice betrayed him, and cracked pitifuly. Sakura sat up now, and watched him.

"So did i." she whispered.

Shikamaru sobbed that day, and the sky had mocked them with its blue shine, and happy Aura. And then.. again.. Sakura fell.

"Shikamaru.. fate is a twisted thing.. it ties its strings to you, and makes you dance to its tune.. like a little Marionette.."

"Your starting to sound like Neji." the man comented quietly. They were both like that now. quiet, reserved.

"Shikamaru.." her voice sounded pleadding to his ears. He looked at her, silent encouragement to continue.

"Do you remember.. a year ago.. you asked me why.." he nodded, remembering the time well. he had asked her again on some occasions, but never recived and answer.

"I made a promise to Ino.. before she died.. that i would look after you and Choji." He blinked, well.. that made sense.

"but.. now.. its more than a promise to me.. you and choji.. are important to me.. i wont lose any more of my precious people.. i cant lose you.." it was probably the longest thing she had said in a few months.

That had been the day everything had changed.. and she broke the stings that fate had tied. Haruno Sakura had loved twice, and lost twice.

She smiled ruefully out the window, looking down and the moonlit yard from the second story.

"Come back to bed Sakura..." a soft voice called to her, even though they had found happieness, the pain still lingered, and they spoke softly now, the two of them.

"I'm coming.." Sakura replyed in her own whisper soft voice.

Haruno Sakura had loved twice, and lost twice, no.. not lost.. had been cruely riped from her grasp by fate, and broken beyond repair.

But Nara Sakura has loved once, and still lives happly with that one fall. She would protect him to her own death, Sakura promised fate revenge, and her stings would no longer be pulled. Shikamaru wouldn't be taken from her. Never.

OWARI

l