Chapter Thirty Three

  With her delicate hands grasping the metal rods on either side of her, and her boyfriend standing just a few feet in front of her, Sakura walked toward him with a smile on her face. "You got it, Sakura." He said to her with an encouraging smile, as she continued to use all of her strength to walk toward him.

It had been seven days since she had woken up, and they had all been full of rehabilitation. When she woke up, her vision was impaired, but it went back to normal within hours, and though it made everyone panic momentarily, sudden blindness was the least of her problems.

  By the time everyone stopped showering her in affection, the doctor advised that she get up and walk around to prevent bed sores. When she initially stood up, she would've fallen to the floor if it weren't for Sasuke catching her. Her sudden lack of the ability to walk made everyone worry, but she was assured that the weakening in her limbs was normal considering her condition.

So as she stood there, with her legs threatening to give out at any moment, she forced herself to dig deep, and find the strength to regain her power. "You're almost there." He continued to say things that made her smile, until she stood in front of him.

"I did it." Sasuke couldn't contain his happiness as he smiled at her, and wrapped his arms around her so that she could use him to balance. "I'm proud of you, Sakura. You're doing great."

  His genuine smile made her blush, while her innocent emerald eyes gazed into his. "Can we take a walk?" She asked, and he glanced to her nurse for an answer.

The man smiled at them, "Sure, just make sure that if you start to feel light-headed, or like you can't stand on your own, sit down immediately." Sakura nodded with a smile, "I will. Thank you." The young man nodded and gave the young couple a smile, "Of course. "

  "So, are you ready to head back to school tomorrow?" Sakura asked Sasuke, as he held onto her hand that grasped his bicep for stability. "Not at all." She laughed a little, and glanced up at him, "Well why not? We're just a mere few months away from graduation."

As she looked up at him, her uncoordinated steps almost made her trip, "Be careful." He said softly, while holding onto her. A blush came to her cheeks as she looked to the ground while softly whispering, "Thank you."

"No one ever told me walking was this hard." She joked to try and lighten the mood, only for her boyfriend to keep his cool facade. A sigh left her lips, "I'm never going to get better if I can't laugh at my pain, Sasuke."

He shrugged, "I don't have an issue with how you cope, I just want you to actually get better, Sakura." When he said that, he looked down at her beautiful face. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun on the top of her head, and her emerald eyes were just as gorgeous as they always were.

"I'm trying to get better." She said truthfully, still focusing on her legs as they walked around the hospital floor. Following her attempt, her doctor prescribed to her an anti-depressant, and though it helped ease the pain of any withdrawal symptoms, she still hated the idea of having to rely on them.

It had been only a few days, and she had spoken to multiple therapists, psychiatrists, and other doctors who gave her reassuring words that made her think she would be back to normal, only no one knew when.

Though everyone thought she hadn't done too much damage to herself, Sakura had extreme weakness in her legs, alongside experiencing intense mood swings that seemed to have been halted by the anti-depressant, only they left her feeling empty.

Since the hippocampus of her brain was also effected, she didn't remember everything that happened before she attempted, except for what everyone told her. Her mother just informed her that she had gotten drugs from Sasori, and was unconscious for over ten minutes.

All of her friends respected Mebuki's wishes, and didn't tell her the truth about what Sasori had done, and Sasuke felt more than guilty about it. "I know you are, Sakura, and I'm so incredibly proud of you. I just think you should reconsider what we talked about the other night." He said to her, making her stop walking, and look up into his onyx eyes.

"Will it make you stop worrying, Sasuke?" His eyebrows scrunched, "This isn't about me." She shook her head, "It is, because you keep trying to force me into going to NA when I'm fine."

Sasuke sighed deeply, "No, this stopped being about me the moment you tried to end your life, Sakura. You just don't realize how much it broke my heart seeing you there, unable to form any words, or even smile. You say you're fine, but you said that before, and you ended up in a hos-"

The tears that came to her eyes made him stop. "I-I don't want it to seem like I'm attacking you, Sakura, because that's not how I mean to come across. I just love you so much, and I don't want you to hurt anymore. I need you here with me, but you can't get sober just because of what I need."

Bringing her hand to her face, she wiped her tear away. "I know, but I don't know, Sasuke. I-I think that I'm just afraid. Why would I just randomly try that? I have always been depressed, and I-I usually would just take a xanny, and pass out. I know it wasn't a healthy coping mechanism, but it was the only thing that kept me relatively sane."

When she expressed her frustrations, Sasuke just held her closely, wanting nothing more than to tell her the truth. "I just wish that I didn't have to deal with this, Sasuke. I-I wish I could've jus-" His lips on her's made her stop talking.

Their lips on each other's made her get butterflies in the pit of her stomach, and a blush come to her cheeks. When he pulled away, their foreheads rested against each other's, and he spoke to her in a soft tone.

"The night you attempted, you left me a voicemail, and while you were unconscious, I played it over and over, because I needed to hear your voice." He admitted, making the tears fall from her eyes.

"I talked to you endlessly about my brother, and though you don't realize it, you really helped with my grieving, and I can't thank you enough for that."

Though his words were nice, she wondered why he was telling her any of it. "I need you here with me, Sakura. If you ever find yourself in that position again, and you feel like there's nothing left to live for, live for me, Sakura. Please?" His words made her tears falls as she peered up into his eyes, and saw the tears in them. It surprised her to see him so worked up, though it shouldn't have.

Bringing a hand to his cheek, she spoke to him quietly, "Okay, I'll get help. I-I'll continue my rehab, and try NA." He hated feeling as if she was only getting better for the sake of him, because he didn't want the pressure of her sobriety relying solely on him, when he was the furthest thing from stable; However, he'd endure that stress if it meant she'd get help.

"But, Sasuke, are you okay? I know we've talked about it, but really, are you doing okay?"

Their eyes looked into each other's, and they both knew that they were close to reaching their individual breaking points. Sasuke thought that their relationship was enough to keep them afloat, but Sakura knew better than to rely on something that could change with the wind.

  She knew that he loved her, but she couldn't shake the feeling that they would ruin each other if they continued to depend so much on each other. Really she just wanted things to go back to before; To when she pretended to be fine, and eased his racing mind, but she knew that it would never be the same.

  "I'm doing the best I can, I guess. It's not good for you to stand on your feet for so long, so let's head back to your room." Sakura nodded in agreement, before moving her hand back to his bicep, so that she could walk alongside him.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke." She said to him, with her head still looking down at her sock covered feet. "I can't imagine what it was like for you to see him that way, and I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you."

Truthfully she felt so guilty. Not only had she attempted the night his brother died in his arms, but she also wasn't there for him when he needed her the most.

"Don't be sorry, just being in your presence was enough." He said honestly, but she still couldn't shake the feeling of being a burden.

"Are you sure? Because you could always try talking to my therapist." She said to him, looking up at his handsome face. "I'll keep that in mind, Sakura." Her eyes averted to the floor again, while his went to her face. Seeing her pained expression he asked, "What's wrong?"

"O-oh, nothing." She answered, though she was starting to experience severe nauseous from all of the medication she was being given. "Are you sure?" He asked, unconvinced that she was actually fine. "Yeah, I think I just need a snack."

"Are you feeling nauseous again?" She nodded, "Yeah, I guess I'm just not used to all the medicine just yet." Though she felt sick, she looked up at him with a smile. "Thank you for coming by the way. I'm sure it's not comfy sleeping on a hospital couch."

"It's fine really, I've gotten used to it." He said, "Were you there the entire time I was asleep?" She asked in disbelief, "Of course I was."

Her bottom lip pouted as she looked into his onyx eyes, "That's so sweet, you really shouldn't have." He just shrugged his shoulders in nonchalance, and continued walking, instead of admitting to his girlfriend that he stayed so close in order to ease his mind. Truthfully he couldn't sleep without her hand in his, and the thought alone made him blush.

"Aw, you're blushing, why?" She asked while her finger gently poked her cheek. He just shook his head with a small smile, and grabbed her hand to kiss it softly, before placing it back to his bicep.

In a few minutes, Sasuke was helping Sakura into bed. "And here's a snack. It shouldn't upset your stomach, but if it does, I'll grab something else." She took the applesauce from his hand with a smile, "Thank you, Sasuke." He leaned down to kiss her forehead, and as he parted his lips, they were interrupted by their friends that knocked on the door.

"Come in." Sakura called out while opening the plastic of her snack. "Hi, Sakura." Her friends said with a smile, making her smile brightly. "Hey, you guys. You should've been there, Sasuke and I walked around the entire floor, and I like actually did it."

Seeing her so proud of herself brought a smile to everyone's faces, "That's great, Sakura. Do you have any news on when you'll be discharged?"She nodded with her spoon in her mouth, "They're saying by the end of this week. Hopefully I can start walking normally again, because if not then I'll need a cane, and that's just embarrassing."

A laugh left her lips at the thought alone. Her friends glanced at each other, unaware of what to say, and she looked at them with a smile. "It's okay, you guys can laugh, it's funny." Sai laughed, because she said to, but Ino nudged him. "What? She said to lau-" Speaking over him, Ino placed her hand on Sakura's covered leg, and smiled at her. "Well can I show you pictures of little Mirai? She's the absolute cutest."

Sakura nodded with a bright smile, while patting the spot in her bed for her to sit down. "Of course! I always want to see cute babies." She said as her friend unlocked her phone, and their friends gathered around to see the baby.

"Well she seems to be in a better mood." Naruto said to Sasuke as they stood a few feet away from their girlfriends, "Yeah, she is." Sasuke said with a smile, as he watched her smile at Ino's phone.

"Have you been home at all?" Shika asked him, and he answered, "When she falls asleep at night I go home to shower and stuff, before coming back." His attentiveness surprised all of their friends, but in a good way.

Since one of their closest friends had been admitted for a suicide attempt, they all started to think about life itself, and how much the young women they were with had shaped them into better men. "I miss you." TenTen said to Sakura making her laugh, "We see each other more than ever."

She shrugged while wrapping his arms around her friend, "So?" A cute giggle left her lips, and she kissed TenTen's cheek, "I miss you too. I wish I could go back to school with you guys tomorrow." Ino groaned at just the thought of that, "I hate everyone there, seriously and I'm still mad that people voted for Shika and I instead of Sai." Sakura laughed, "My goodness, I completely forgot that happened." Temari laughed, "I wish I could."

"Is your memory coming back to you?" Hinata asked Sakura, and she nodded, "Slowly but steadily. Have you started the planning for the wedding?" She smiled at her while grabbing her hand, "Well I was waiting for you to feel better, but I wanted to ask you if you'd be one of our witnesses." Sakura smiled brightly while hugging her friend, "Of course!" They all smiled at them, "Well I guess it's my turn to ask if you would be the other one." Naruto said to Sasuke, and he nodded nonchalantly, though he was actually happy for his friend.

Playfully nudging him, Naruto said to him, "Hinata and I are going to be home today, with the kids, so let me know if you need anything, alright?" Sasuke nodded, "Thanks. How's Konohamaru?" He asked, "He's alright, we're having lunch with his mom next Sunday." Naruto answered, still feeling anxious about it.  It was Hinata's idea in the first place, and though he was opposed to it initially, she convinced Naruto that it would ultimately help Konohamaru.

In the last few weeks that he had been living with Naruto and Sasuke, the only contact he had with his mother was the occasional phone call, because she still lived with the man who had been abusing him. The only reason that Naruto oppesed the idea, was because he hated seeing the look on the young boys face, everytime he talked to his drunken mother, after she promised him that she wouldn't drink again. It was heartbreaking to watch, and he would put him out of his misery if he could, but Hinata knew that the only way to do so was by reconciliation.

Watching his fiancée as she smiled at her friend, he sighed deeply, "Hopefully everything goes okay." Hinata always had too much faith in people, and though it worked in his favor most times, he couldn't shake the feeling that something would go wrong. "Hopefully, he's already been through so much."

Sasuke said with a sigh, genuinely wishing nothing but the best for the kid. "Everyone just seems to be having a hard time lately." Neji said softly, still gazing at Sakura as the girls all laughed about whatever they conversed about. They all had been worried about her, and though she was alive, they all couldn't express how much the whole situation scared them.

"Right? Maybe there's something in the air." Naruto joked, and they all chuckled a little, "Thank you guys for coming to see her, I know it must mean a lot."

Sasuke said to them, and they all nodded, "Of course, Sakura is like a sister to us, I just wish I could've been there for her, she's always been there for all of us." Shikamaru said, recalling a time that they had a heartfelt conversation about Asuma, following his break up with Ino.

When she found out that he cheated on her, the girls all resorted to stopping all forms of communication with Shika almost completely, but when Sakura saw him smoking a cigarette in the cemetery, as she jogged home one evening, she stopped to talk to him. For over an hour, they listened to each other talk about any and everything, before Shikamaru admitted what was actually on his mind. Truthfully, the death of his mentor, was something that hit him like a truck, and he knew nothing about mourning.

Then on top of that he felt horrible, because after one drunken mistake, he had ruined his relationship with the first woman he ever loved, the only person who he knew genuinely cared for him at the time. For nights he didn't sleep, he just stayed awake in his room, staring out of his window as dawn went to day, wondering why the universe always seemed to let bad things happen to the best people, and why he was such a horrible person to the woman he loved.

When he told Sakura that, she gave him a much needed hug, and it made him unravel in her arms. It was the first and only time she had seen him cry, but instead of making it awkward she gave him comforting words, and told him words that she would've wanted someone to say to her; unaware of the death that would strike her father just a year later. From that point on, the two of them had reached a new level of intimacy, and it strengthened their bond, even though him and Ino's seemed to be severed.

"Right? Sakura is just such a kind person." Neji said softly, meaning everything he said about her. Due to her kindness, his cousin was still alive, and he couldn't ever thank her enough for what she had done for her.

Since Hinata didn't tell him about the abuse, he wasn't made aware of anything until it was almost too late, and thankfully Sakura was there for her when no one else could be. She was a great friend, and they all knew it.

As they all thought about the impact she had upon them, Sai smiled as he remembered the way she welcomed him to Konoha. Bringing his hand to his face, he rubbed his chin, almost still feeling the sting to his face that resulted from him calling her ugly.

Though he was socially awkward, Sakura made an effort for an entire two months to talk to him every morning, and every evening when she passed him in the hallway. He acted nonchalant, but it meant a lot to him, and ultimately she was the reason that he met such amazing people that he now called his friends, alongside the only woman he'd ever love.

Feeling their intense gazes, Sakura sat her finished applesauce down, and looked at her friends with a blush on her face. "What?" She asked, subconsciously tilting her head to the side cutely, making them blush awkwardly.

"We love you, Dude. We're glad that you're alive, you know?" A laugh left her lips, and she outstretched her arms, "Group hug, you guys."