No Longer Weak

Mind Games

"Ino maybe you really don't understand what happened while you were away, but don't assume that I only married him because he was always there. Yes that's a big part, but you don't know... you don't know..." she took a shuddering breath.

"What Sakura? That both of you almost died before you could tell each other that you love each other? Is it that Sakura? I know that already!"

Sitting down again Sakura looked tiredly at the chaos on her desk. "No Ino, I mean the part after that where Itachi was the main character in his disgusting mind game," she said bitterly.

* * *

Ino jumped back as if she was burnt and fled the room. Racing through the hospital she only wanted to find Chouji. What the hell had he left out? Itachi's mind game? Damn, she really needed to know all the information before confronting Sakura again or she would always feel like a bitch who ruined more than she could fix.

Knocking into somebody she ushered a hurried apology and stepped around him. Hurrying further along. Finally standing in front of Chojis door she knocked loud and hard.

"Yes?" asked Choji when he opened the door and was surprised to see Ino standing in front of him looking more than frazzled. "Ino! What-" but he was cut off and left speechless when she opened her mouth. "What mind games did Uchiha Itachi play on Sakura and Shikamaru?"

He blinked at her before he pressed his lips together. Looking around and seeing nobody he ushered Ino inside. "How do you know about that?" he grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly. "Sakura told me! During one of our fights, she told me! And I want to know! Choji what happened?" she shouted and threw her hands in the air. Puffing angrily she watched his facial features twitch. "Choji?" she asked quietly after a dark shadow crossed his eyes.

"It's confidential Ino. If you really want to find out you will have to ask Tsunade-sama or Sakura. I don't think that Shikamaru would be able to tell you anyway."

* * *

Sasuke who had been listening and following Ino since she ran into him in the hospital was frowning. Maybe with this information, he could win Sakura back. Maybe this was the only way to get her to come back to him again. Smirking he began plotting how to go about this. Yes, she would be his once again. And no one, not even the genius Nara could stop him. Allowing himself a dark chuckle he left his spot and set out to get his plan into motion. He couldn't wait until this evening when she would be his, and his alone.

* * *

Those horrible long days in the hospital were the most draining, thought Sakura and closed her office door. She just wanted to go home to Shikamaru. A beautiful smile lit her face. She was engaged to her boyfriend. To the love of her life. Whistling slightly she walked with bouncy steps towards the exit. Screw Tsunade for being stubborn, screw the hospital for being so damn exhausting, screw the idiots that came back and believed that everything would be the same. Screw them all cause she was getting married! Laughing freely the nurses looked at her as if she was crazy but who cared? They would always gossip about her behavior since she had been here the last time... Shaking her head furiously she took a deep breath. Those nightmares weren't going to happen again.

"Haruno-sama! Please wait!" said a nurse and hurried after her. "What is it?"

"Somebody left this note for you." The nurse smiled and walked away after giving her the small paper.

Unfolding it she only read the words "Training Ground". These notes should have never appeared again. It was just like then. He would leave notes for her to find to torment her. But he was dead so who had started to think he or she could play with her?