The next day, Juugo was bedridden with a fever of 104 degrees. He constantly faded in and out of consciousness and could barely keep anything down his throat. Sakura ran a hand through his damp hair.

   "I'm going back to the pharmacy to see what else I can get to help you. Is there anything you want me to get while I'm out?" she asked. He managed to shake his head no and offered a small smile before going back to sleep. Sakura tucked Juugo's blanket tighter around him before popping some pills into her mouth and making her way out into the city.

   Unlike the night before, the streets had plenty of people, all civilians. She made her way to the pharmacy and approached the counter.

   "Good morning, Rin-san."

   "Sakura-san! Good morning! How's your friend doing?" asked Rin.

   "Not too well." Sakura sighed, "He's running a fever now. Do you have any remedies for that?"

   Rin nodded and motioned Sakura to follow her into the back. She followed cautiously and was met with the most extensive supply of herbs and chemicals she had ever seen. A steel table stood in the middle of the stock room and was covered in various tools and scrolls.

   "It'll take me about thirty minutes to make it. I thought it would be boring for you to wait out there by yourself so I brought you back here." Rin said. She turned around to grab some of the items on the upper shelves. "So where are you from, Sakura-san?"

   Sakura lifted her eyes to gaze at the woman's back.

   "Konoha."

   She saw Rin tense slightly.

   "Oh, really? I've heard that's a really nice place. Very green and has numerous medicinal herbs around the village. Are you a shinobi?" the woman questioned.

   "Hai. I recently turned chuunin. After that, I went to Hokage-sama, asked for a leave of absence as a Konoha shinobi to train myself, and he let me go. My hitai-ate's with him and my teammates are training with strong shinobi. My genin sensei is on a two year long mission, though I'm a bit worried about him."

   Multiple questions raced through Rin's head as she laid her ingredients on the steel table and began to work. A leave of absence? Didn't that make her a rogue? No, it couldn't because she had the Hokage's permission, right? Then why did she give up her hitai-ate? Rin settled on something milder.

   "You're worried about your genin sensei? Why?"

   Sakura sat on a stool on the opposite side of the counter and rested her head in the palm of her hand.

   "It's just that everyday, he goes to the Memorial Stone we have in the village. He spends most of his free time there because his teammate's names are engraved on the stone. He's told me stories and how he blames himself for their deaths. I don't think it's his fault, but nothing will change his mind about it." explained the girl. The rest of the time Rin spent making the remedy was spent in an easy silence. Once she was finished, they walked back up to the cash register and set everything up.

   "Thank you for everything, Rin-san." Sakura said. She turned to walk out of the store with the medicine in hand.

   "Sakura-san, if I may ask... what's your sensei's name?"

   Sakura looked over her shoulder, a knowing look in her eyes.

   "Kakashi Hatake. And you know, Rin-san, he really does miss his teammates."

~

   The very next day, Juugo was in high spirits with his fever completely gone and his temperature lowered back to normal. Him and Sakura packed their belongings and were completely prepared to head out into the world again.

   "Are you ready to finish more things on your list, Juugo?"

   "Definitely!"

4) See the ocean.

5) Walk on the beach.

   They headed Southeast to the tip of Yu no Kuni. The country was blessed with wonderful hot springs everywhere you went and a beautiful coastal line complete with white sand and crystal clear waters. They stayed there for a week. The first two days, Juugo was alone and Sakura was out delivering a bounty. The next five days, though, the two spent their days playing in the water and their nights walking along the beach.

   They both tanned at least five shades darker.

6) Try chocolate.

7) Try dango.

   On October 1st, Juugo's sixteenth birthday, there was a festival in Port City in Fire Country. Sakura and Juugo tried everything the stalls had to offer.

   "Juugo, here! Try this!" Sakura exclaimed. She held up a chocolate covered strawberry to his lips and let him take a bite.

   Sakura was enjoying herself with Juugo. He was extremely fun to be with and she was glad that she took him along with her. She vaguely remembered her time in Konoha with Itachi and winced slightly when she recalled leaving him on that bench.

   'Kami, I hope Itachi doesn't hate me.'

~

   His heart was heavy, and he didn't know why.

   It had been three months since Sakura had left the village and Itachi was sure he had gotten over the initial shock. He carried on missions like normal just days after that. There were no problems in his work or in his actions, but something felt off.

   During dinner, Itachi was silent and calmly sipping his black tea. He ate in precise, measured bites as per normal, yet he stared down at the table as he did so. Fugaku and Mikoto exchanged glances.

   "So, Itachi-kun, isn't it a little quiet without Sasuke-kun around?" his mother questioned as she poured him some more tea.

   "... Perhaps." he answered in his usual, distant tone, "But he is becoming stronger. It is payment enough for the silence."

   Okay, so it wasn't Sasuke he was upset about. A gleam flashed through Fugaku's eyes.

   "Then Sakura. Would you say the same for her?"

   Itachi paused at his father's words. The answer should be 'yes', but he couldn't bring himself to say it. Mikoto reached across the table and patted her son's hand with a soft smile.

   "It's okay to miss her, Itachi-kun."

   It's okay to miss her.

   The ANBU Captain, strong and reserved, looked up at his parents with eyes filled with sadness.

   "... Is... it?"

~

8) See a rainbow.

   "Eh? Hemophilia?" Sakura questioned. Hemophilia was the condition that blood doesn't clot normally. Juugo nodded and Sakura chuckled. "You're kinda fragile, aren't you?"

   He stuck his tongue out and laughed along with her. The rain they were sheltered from slowed to a stop and the skies cleared. Juugo suddenly pointed up excitedly to the colorful arc in the sky.

   "There's the rainbow!"

9) Witness a snowfall.

   In December, they went to Lightning Country to spend Christmas together. Sakura had sent gifts to Zetsu, Kisame, Suiren, Kana, Kakashi, Ibiki, Tenzou, Itachi, Lee, and Anko. Sakura and Juugo were sitting in front of the fireplace in their inn room, snow falling softly in the outside. They were wrapped in a blanket with mugs of hot chocolate in their hands. The clock ticked by softly with only thirty-four minutes left until Christmas.

    "I'm really tempted to give you something tomorrow." Sakura said, taking a sip of her drink.

   "Don't. I already told you, you've already done so much for me. You staying by my side is all I want." he grinned.

   The next day, Juugo gave her a necklace with a bright, orange gemstone. It had been passed down in his family for generations. Sakura didn't know what to say and hugged him tightly, thanking him for trusting her with something so important.

10) See a blood moon.

   When February rolled around, they were in Wave Country on the Great Inari Bridge. Up in the sky was a large, red moon stared down at them. Juugo cocked his head to side.

   "Sakura."

   "What's up?"

   "Why does the blood moon look like a tomato?"

   Sakura didn't know why she found that so funny, but she broke down laughing.

11) See the Aurora Borealis

   "This is the second to last thing on your list, right? To see the Aurora Borealis?" asked Sakura.

   "Yeah, but why are we here in Water Country? Isn't it always misty in this country?"

   "It's misty year round except for one hour around this time in late March. In that one hour, the skies are completely clear and the Aurora Borealis can be seen by the entire country! You're definitely going to love this one, Juugo. It's a sight to see." she grinned. "It might be tonight, it might be tomorrow night, but who knows, we'll have to wait and see."

   It was eleven o'clock at night and Sakura and Juugo were walking down the dark road. There weren't any nearby towns or villages, so there was an almost 100% chance that they had to camp in the forests for the night. While Sakura was looking around for a suitable place to set up camp, she felt it.

   "Shit!" she cursed. She grabbed Juugo's wrist and pulled him closer to her. Ten people leapt from the trees and surrounded the duo.

   "Juugo... avoid getting hit. They're higher ranks, B-ranks, to be precise. Just dodge, don't attack, understand?"

   "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

   The attackers recognized the girl immediately. Sakura Haruno was listed in the Black Market version of the Bingo Book as extremely dangerous with a wonderfully high price on her head. She was young for such a title, but it was well deserved. Nine of them charged her way while the last one went after Juugo. Sakura's hands flew into the snake sign.

   "Doton: Domu."

   Her entire body turned dark gray and her skin hardened to near impenetrability. She ran at her opponents with her katana and Inner bubbling just under the surface.

   Five were down.

   She slashed, spun, and stabbed, and these shinobi were dropping like flies. It was like... they were so easy to take down. They posed no threat to her... so why...

   All the blood rushed out of her face.

   Sakura whipped around in time to see Juugo struggling against his pursuer. Time seemed to slow down as she bolted towards him.

   "JUUGO!"

   His attacker took out a tanto and rammed it through Juugo's abdomen and drove the blade to the right before fleeing.

   She ran as fast as she could to his body and collapsed on her knees next to him. His chakra was so low, like it had been sucked out of him. Seeing him in this state made Sakura's eyes well up with tears as she dumped out her backpack and took out the bandages.

   Shallow breathing and quiet sobbing filled the area. Sakura's eyes had grown red and puff as she bawled atop the form of her friend. Her hands were stained crimson as she tried to patch up his wounds. His damn hemophilia. It was no use. He was losing too much blood too quickly.

   "Juugo... J-Juugo, stay awake! I can f-fix you... don't worry!"

   His chuckle came out in dry rasps.

   "It's al...alright, Sakura. You and I-I both know that I won't last much... longer..."

   Her tears only came out faster as she bawled into his chest.

   "I-we-we couldn't finish your l-list. You still ha-haven't seen the Aurora Borealis."

   "Look up."

   Sakura slowly picked her head up and turned her eyes towards the sky. A soft mix of color lay above them, glowing faintly. A weak hand raised and rested on Sakura's tear-stained cheek.

   "I'm gl-glad I met you... and... and I'm so ha-happy that you were the p-person who helped me com... complete my list..." he murmured, "... please, b-before I die... won't you smile fo-for me?"

   She grabbed onto his hand and let a wobbly smile make it's way onto her face, tears still falling. Juugo's very pale face lit up faintly as he gently caressed her cheek with his thumb.

   "A-Ah, I almost... forgot..." he muttered. She looked down at Juugo's heartbreakingly cheerful grin. "Happy B-Birthday... Sakura... I w-wish I... cou-could have g-given... you... m... ore..."

...

   "... J-Juugo...?"

   She waited minutes for an answer, but none came. And at that moment, Kakashi's words rang through her mind.

    "No matter how strong you are, you cannot save everyone."