Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Breakaway ❯ One Time Too Many... ( Chapter 3 )

Breakaway

 

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Chapter 3: One Time Too Many…

 

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Breakaway - Kelly Clarkson

Grew up in a small town
And when the rain would fall down
I just stared out my window
Dreaming of what could be
And if I'd end up happy
I would pray (I would pray)

Trying not to reach out
But when I'd try to speak out
Felt like no one could hear me
Wanted to belong here
But something felt so wrong here
So I pray (I would pray)
I could breakaway

[Chorus:]
I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly
I'll do what it takes `til I touch the sky
I'll make a wish
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway
Out of the darkness and into the sun
But I won't forget all the ones that I loved
I'll take a risk
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway

Wanna feel the warm breeze
Sleep under a palm tree
Feel the rush of the ocean
Get onboard a fast train
Travel on a jet plane, far away (I will)
And breakaway


[Chorus]

Buildings with a hundred floors
Swinging around revolving doors
Maybe I don't know where they'll take me but
Gotta keep moving on, moving on
Fly away, breakaway

I'll spread my wings
And I'll learn how to fly
Though it's not easy to tell you goodbye
I gotta take a risk
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway
Out of the darkness and into the sun
But I won't forget the place I come from
I gotta take a risk
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway, breakaway, breakaway

 

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Sakura sighed as she picked up the few things left in the bare white room. How many years had it been since Sasuke ran away? Since the search party returned empty handed and in shambles?

 

Since the Akatsuki and Orochimaru had been defeated?

 

Sakura could count on two hands, but it felt like centuries ago. And life hadn't changed for her one whit in all that time. And she was getting pissed at this lack of metamorphosis. Pissed at herself, and at everyone else for being able to move on.

 

Oh, she had changed physically, she wouldn't deny that, but just the sensation of living hadn't changed for her. Every day was the same for her, she never experienced anything new, anything special. She just watched as everyone around her progressed through life with a vigor that she couldn't figure out.

 

She roughly threw down the blanket she had been folding onto the wheeled metal bed in a huff. It wasn't fair. She was struggling through everyday in hopes of finding this change. An empty hope to be sure, but if that kept her alive, then she'd cling to it without question. Everyday was a disappointment, and for that she clung to the hope even harder, to afraid to give up on life yet. Everyday, she felt her apathy growing though, and that little part of her that wasn't afflicted with it yet screamed in terror at the prospect of what would happen when it finally did get swallowed. Sakura knew that she wouldn't actively seek a way out of life, but she wouldn't dodge kunai thrown in her direction either.

 

“Sakura.”

 

The pink haired woman turned to face a tall man in a long white overcoat, black slacks and shoes peeking out underneath. He was rough shaven, dark-haired, dark-eyed, covered head to toe with puckered scars, and held Sakura's highest respect, for he was what she was denied to be: a medic nin. He was giving her that look again, that look she hated. It was filled with sympathy that bordered on pity.

 

Every year, on that same day, Sakura would kneel before Tsunade and plead. Plead for the chance to become a medic nin. The doctor standing before her had only been accepted a couple of years ago, and it pained Sakura to watch him excel.

 

`That could have been me…'

 

Every year she was denied. But she knew she'd come back the next to beg and plead. Sakura couldn't figure out why the Hokage kept telling her no. But Tsunade gave her that same look, that same sympathetic bordering on pity look. And it pissed her off because no one would tell her why.

 

Then again, Sakura had renounced her gennin title. She'd become a civilian again, but she didn't see that as a reason to be pitied. What was the use in pretending to be something you weren't? What was the use of being part of a profession that she wasn't skilled at?

 

Sakura locked eyes with the doctor in the doorway. He'd retired from shinobi life and was now dedicated to healing those who came back from missions. She respected him for his caring heart even after all he had seen. In reality, he should have turned out like her. He should have been apathetic or getting there. But unlike her, he had the capability to take the lemons that life gave him, and turn them into lemonade.

 

“Yukio-sensei. Do you require assistance?”

 

The tall man shook his head.

 

“No Sakura. I'm fine. But are you? You've been coming to work everyday for the past three months and working overtime on all those days too, plus you haven't used any of your sick or vacation days since you started working here. Is something wrong?”

 

Sakura plastered a fake smile on her face. Only to keep others happy did she smile. “No Yukio-sensei. I just love my job is all. Are you done for today?”

 

Yukio nodded, shuffling through some of the papers in his hands. After selecting a few, he handed them to Sakura.

 

“As I'm fairly certain you will be here late, could you complete these evaluations and send them out for me? And file the reports for the ANBU team that came in two days ago?”

 

Sakura nodded her head.

 

“Ano, have a good evening Yukio-sensei. Tell Yumi hi for me.”

 

Yukio's face softened at the mention of his wife's name. He nodded back to Sakura, gave his goodbyes and walked down the hall.

 

Respected him, a very grudging, envious respect. But Sakura couldn't hate him. He was good at what he did and saved shinobi lives everyday. All she really did in the hospital was arrange rooms, prep for planned surgeries and do paper work. She was a nurse of sorts. She was paid handsomely, but money wasn't what she wanted. She wanted to be important, to have a name.

 

But she was just Sakura.

 

Sighing, Sakura walked out of the hospital room, down the scrubbed white hallways to the office areas in the back. Her own long white coat brushed down at her calves onto her black slacks and low black pumps. The jacket was open to reveal an unhealthy slim figure hidden by a teal three quarter sleeve shirt. Her long pink hair was up in a messy bun, held up by numerous pens and pencils.

 

Having reached her destination of room ADM132, Sakura pushed the door open and flicked on the lights to reveal a spartan room. A large desk with nothing on it but a lamp, a clock, and sheaves of disorganized paper, and a simple rolling chair. The shelves on the sides held numerous medical catalogs and encyclopedias, all in varying stages of disuse.

 

No personality to it whatsoever, just functional.

 

Letting the door swing shut behind her, Sakura approach her desk and shoved the chaos of papers to either side, clearing a space for the neat stack of papers in her arms. She clicked the desk lamp on and slid the chair out, plopping down into the worn padding with no preamble.

 

She sat for a few seconds, just staring at the papers in front of her. She typically never saw any of the ANBU patients that came in to be treated, and it wasn't any of her business to know who they were. But Yukio-sensei had asked. It wouldn't matter if enemy nin captured her anyways. She'd welcome the pain and death they'd rain down on her pathetic form, plus it wasn't like she knew anything of use. No shinobi techniques, no blood limits, no nothing. Maybe just the address to where she lived.

 

Shaking her head to clear away distracting thoughts, Sakura reached up and pulled out one of the numerous writing utensils that held up her hair. With a mental sigh of resignation that pertained to never amounting to anything but a pencil pusher and a hospital maid, Sakura started on the monotonous paperwork, hoping she wouldn't find any names she knew on them.

 

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In the years since Sakura had initially asked to become Tsunade's apprentice, and the resulting time devoid of change for the pink-haired girl, everyone else had moved on to bigger and better things.

 

Naruto had finished his training with the Toad Hermit Jiraiya and landed himself as the next in line to become Hokage. Even now Tsunade was hard at work introducing the kitsune boy to the ungodly large piles of paperwork and to the nuances of politics between countries and Hidden Villages.

 

Naruto had also had a small bout in ANBU after passing his jounin exam. It had taken Naruto two times, but he had passed, full of sunshine and smiles. He was also engaged to Hyuuga Hinata, which had shocked the entirety of Konoha. Not because she had accepted, but because her father had approved of it eagerly. Of course, some agreements and limits had been imposed. Such as Hinata would retain her clan name of Hyuuga for heir purposes.

 

Sasuke had been brought back to Konoha, but his mind was too far gone to save. He had managed to snap out of Orochimaru's grasp but his seal had driven him mad. The only thing he could think of clearly was that he needed to avenge his family. He had pursued the Akatsuki with an intensity that had shaken all the Hidden Villages. Sasuke had succeeded, but he had gone insane.

 

He snapped and tried to kill all that approached him. It had taken both Nara Shikamaru's and Yamanaka Ino's fathers to stop him. Ino's father had managed to paralyze and Shikamaru's had managed to bind the Uchiha's limbs. It had been a race to get home before their chakra died out and released a livid Sasuke.

 

Upon arrival, Tsunade had declared Sasuke an official missing nin and unfit for service, and accused him of treachery to Konoha. On all these grounds, Sasuke had been executed that very same day.

 

Sakura could have sworn that everyone in the village had breathed easier that day.

 

Ino had become a respectable jounin teacher for rising gennins, and occasionally dabbled in ANBU interrogations while still helping her mother with her flower shop. And she had married the tactical genius Shikamaru.

 

Shikamaru had become deeply involved inside of ANBU and Tsunade's close circle of advisors. Which mainly meant Shizune and Shikamaru.

 

Not all of Sakura's classmates had risen so high, but they had certainly made a name for themselves, which was more than the ex-Haruno could say for herself.

 

Now the only people who acknowledged her existence were Naruto, Hinata, and Yukio-sensei. Not even Hatake Kakashi waved at her anymore. Apparently he had become ashamed to have called her one of his students, so he now ignored her presence. That had also been one of those soul numbing blows that Sakura was quickly becoming used to.

 

Now Sakura just had to wait for Naruto to give up faith in her. But he was as stubborn as they came. Sakura knew she should have felt warmed that at least someone cared who she was, but for some reason she felt that Naruto's caring was forced.

 

Che, he should just stop. He didn't owe her anything, so she didn't understand why he felt obligated to show that he gave a shit. And that aggravated Sakura the most. She'd rather be looked at in disgust than be looked at with pity or forced compassion. Nothing was worse than knowing that someone was trying to pass something off on you.

 

Growing weary of her reminiscing of the past few years, Sakura groaned as she sat up from her fretful sleep on her desk. Noting that she had completed the paperwork while avoiding names, Sakura collected the paper and walked to the door, not caring for her appearance. She'd go home right after taking turning in her work, then go home, tidy up, and return for another shift.

 

She strutted with a blank look down the hallway until she reached the nurse's station. With little preamble she began to sort the papers into their appropriate folders and cabinets. She was surprised to hear a female voice call her name. Only Yukio-sensei bothered to talk to her. The other nurses avoided her because Sakura was apparently `neurotic.' Che…just apathetic.

 

Looking up, Sakura was even more surprised, to the point where her eyebrow quirked up in question. Standing there, looking guilty and ashamed stood Tsunade.

 

“Hokage-sama. Do you require something?” Sakura couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice while addressing Tsunade. All the years of rejection were beginning to add up.

 

“Sakura-chan. I need to speak with you.”

 

Sakura halted her sorting and gave the medic her full, undivided attention, making sure Tsunade could look into her eyes and see every disappointment she had ever suffered.

 

She was gratified to see Tsunade gulp, but Sakura took this to also be bad sign.

 

“Sakura-chan, you can't work here anymore.” The Hokage met a blank, unfeeling visage at those words. Groping for words to keep the dialogue going, she moved on to explain. “Yukio-kun has brought it to my attention that you've not taken any time off in the past few years and that you have become increasingly unhealthy.”

 

Tsunade pointed to the ribs which were beginning to show from beneath Sakura's teal shirt.

 

“You've become very unstable over all this time and I'm afraid to say that I cannot have you working in a place like this. You'd be a hazard to the patients in your mental and physical condition.”

 

Sakura felt the workings of true anger rising in her chest. She hadn't felt such rage since Naruto had tried to kiss her when she was four. So she wasn't taking care of herself? Should it concern Tsunade unless her performance had decreased noticeably during that period of time? Sakura knew for a fact that her performance over all these years had been above the norm, and that they had not declined in any way.

 

But all Sakura could manage in acknowledging this horrific turn of events was a nod. Without giving her rage a chance to lash out, Sakura turned walked calmly out the front door, leaving the paperwork strewn all about at the nurse's desk.

 

So Yukio-sensei had turned on her? No surprise really. As Sakura cleared the bottom of the stairs that led up to the hospital, she felt tears rise up in her eyes and anger fill her chilled heart. That was the last thing she had to call her own, and she had been cast out.

 

Then a thought entered Sakura's mind. If she could get away, and join another village, she could start off anew. Granted that she'd be very old by shinobi standards, but maybe she could jumpstart her life elsewhere.

 

Anything was better than this place. Here she was reminded at every turn that she was a failure. She was Sakura of no family name or clan, an orphan and outcast of Konoha. And because Sakura was no longer an official ninja, she was free to leave at anytime. No one would stop her or hunt her down as a missing nin.

 

It's not like she had anyone or anything to stay for. Her last tie had just been severed upon walking out the hospital door. Her last hope of reviving and making her name stand out again amongst her peers. Tsunade had been that hope, being a medic had been that hope. And it was gone. And now, Sakura would be also, and she knew no one would notice. At least, not until Naruto said something. And he had just left on a two week mission three days ago. She had that long to high-tail to somewhere else.

 

But where to?

 

A set of devastated green eyes flashed through Sakura's eyes, and she knew.

 

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Green eyes flashed in severe annoyance as he listened to blonde in front of him prattle endlessly. It had been like this for the past couple of years, her irritating talk of politics and his staring impassionedly at her until she ran out of steam and stomped angrily out of the room.

 

It was a daily ritual he was growing tired of. And patience was something he prided himself in now. He hadn't killed anyone since the first failed chuunin exam, and that was saying something.

 

But today, the blonde was being especially irritating. But at least she had the grace to be uncomfortable discussing the subject at hand.

 

The red head looked up boredly from his seat behind his desk. His head was propped up on an arm.

 

“Gaara-kun, you must do this! It is in the best interest for Wind Country and for the Hidden Village of the Sand. Please, Kazekage-sama!”

 

Gaara blinked and rolled the thought around his head. Temari almost never addressed him like that, much less beg him for anything. And she never led him wrong as an advisor, so what she must be asking was very important.

 

But that still didn't make him like the idea.

 

“Temari-chan, no. You may think that I am ready for such things, but this village still hasn't recovered fully from the wreckage caused by that Leaf freak when he rampaged after his missing brother. I don't have time for such trivialities, nor do I believe that anyone could tolerate me in such a capacity. The only reason no one questions my position is because they all fear me. I don't want to take a wife who is only with me out of terror.”

 

“I know Gaara, I know. But that doesn't change the sentiments of the village or other villages. The only Hidden Village that isn't pushing the matter is the Leaf, but that is because Tsunade-sama refuses just like you and just like the Leaf's last Hokage. And an arrangement could strengthen relations with less than amiable allies.”

 

Gaara shook his head.

 

“Don't even think about it until this village is stable again. We're bordering on not having a village at all. Those two sharingan siblings wiped out a good half of our shinobi, and we need to reestablish a base to make sure there still is a village to have negotiations with. It would be horrible on our part to enter a deal only to have the village disperse. Focus here first, then we will worry about external relations. We have the support of the Leaf, but it is up to us to get this village off its knees. The Leaf will not hand us shinobi, nor would I expect them too. Is my point across Temari?”

 

Temari nodded dumbly at Gaara's soft, yet emotionless logic. She hadn't thought about that. Rebuilding was taking some time, for training new shinobi to a respectable level was a difficult and long process. It would be a few years until their chuunin ranks were refilled again, and even longer to get the jounin levels up and to set up an ANBU squad.

 

Pretty much the only things keeping this village together was Gaara's watchful eye and their relations with the Leaf.

 

“Yes Gaara. I will send out scrolls to those parties interested as to your logic behind this situation.”

 

“See that you do Temari. Dismissed.”

 

Gaara snorted in his mind as he watched his sister leave the room. Why did they pick him to become their new Kazekage? He didn't know, but he thought his sister better suited to the job. She was unscrupulous when it came to treaties with other villages.

 

In the back of his mind, he felt the Shukaku stalking about, pressing his limits. The tanuki was pissed at Gaara's complete control over him. All Gaara ever heard from him was death treats and name calling. Something he had endured his whole life, and wanted nothing more than to end it.

 

But now he had a village that depended on him so his escape was effectively blocked. Gaara wanted nothing more than to get away and start his whole life over, find the happiness he had missed, and learn to live like a real person. Live like the happy people he saw walking the streets of the Sand, budding with joy at a fresh start. He wanted that, but he was still trapped in the past.

 

Everyone still regarded him with fear and hidden shame. Regarded him as one would regard a monster. And he was isolated and reminded of something that was not his fault every day. He wanted out, but was trapped.

 

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Sakura surveyed her sparse apartment with something akin to shock. It was because she was amazed at the amount of apathy she felt about parting with the hard-earned collection of rooms. It had been where she lived for quite a while.

 

She was even more amazed at the lack of personal things that she wanted to bring. All her stuff mainly comprised of her old shinobi equipment that she hadn't used up yet, some clothing, food, water, and one picture. It was the picture of her gennin team. She hated the memories that picture represented, and that was the very reason she couldn't part with it.

 

It was there to remind her of where she failed, and was there to motivate her to go beyond what that little pathetic girl in the picture was capable of. The little girl who put too much faith into hopes, dreams, and other people.

 

And then there was the book. She couldn't part with the book either. It was a cushion every time she fell. It gave her hope. An unfounded hope she knew, but a hope nonetheless. If not for her, then for any children she might have, for two hundred years was coming up or had already passes.

 

She stared at the backpack that held all her belongings. She had sent a note to the landowner to go ahead and sell all the furniture and items left behind. She'd also sent a note out to Tsunade stating that she officially cut ties with the Leaf Village with civilian rights.

 

Casually, she hefted the backpack, grunting a bit under the weight. She hadn't trained since she resigned being a shinobi. There was no reason to, but she wished she had least maintained what little taijutsu she had. She knew the journey would be long and hard, and that it would be even harder to get access into her target destination. But because she was not kunoichi nor a missing nin, it was possible. If they did not let her in, then she would perish in the country side.

 

She moved quickly, and with a quietness that surprised her after all this time. Leaping across buildings and dredging up the long-unused chakra to accomplish the now daunting task took a few tries to perform properly. Sakura found that her chakra reserves had diminished to an alarmingly small amount. She'd only last about ten minutes at this rate.

 

Deciding that making it past the gates was the only real concern at the moment, Sakura put the small amount of chakra to use, speeding up in hopes of leaping over the wall before anyone noticed.

 

Her chakra control was still immaculate though, so Sakura knew she could draw her small reserve out to its fullest extent. With the night covering her movement, Sakura made her surprisingly easy escape.

 

No scuffle, no pleadings not to go, no demands to go, no nothing. Proof that the Leaf could care less about what happened to one of its ex-shinobi. But Sakura didn't care anymore, and she wouldn't let their apathy augment hers. She was gone, she'd broken free.

 

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A/N: And hold until next chapter. -grins- But I've so much fanmail to answer! -swoons- Thank you to the following reviewers:

 

The Squabbit- Are you a consumer of all things sugary and caffeinated? -snickers-

EnV- Thank you!

SweetAssassin- It's a rather angsty story, but we'll see won't we?

DarkAngelB- I can't write action scenes to save my sorry life, so there probably won't be one…but once again, we'll see.

Marsgoddess1- Thank you!

The Sound of Mariachi Bands- Thank you!

Lady-Azura- Thank you!

kamilog- …calm, easy there. I can only write so fast. -sweat drops- But thank you!

em chan- Thank you!

shamantic cherry- It would be wouldn't it?

Pandora loves you!!- -smiles- Thank you.

So-kun- Maybe…My other fic she's like a freaking super woman, so I'm trying to tone her down in this one and stay closer to where she might actually be. It hurts because I like her as a character so very much. -cheers for Inner Sakura-