What a contradictory personality Sakura Haruno was.

Underneath those boisterous emerald eyes laid a passion greater than that of any wildfire, passion accompanied with a mind ever so rationally tactful. Oh, how unusual it is to see that combination - the wit and the vividness of oneself rarely ever got to work together. Yet it all came through in Sakura. She was life, she was power, she was strength, she was it all, and God help whoever tried to lay a finger on her. The girl could easily snap a bone in half, her brute force capable of not only that, but also laying waste to the surrounding terrain. Neither she nor the others ever deemed herself all that special, but look at her now, look at those bruised fists - they can smite anything.

Yet those same hands were capable of aiding, healing; of giving life. All she had to do was to place them above any kind of disruption, and the wound would be no more. It came so naturally to her; her chakra was so deeply connected to her conscious that she could easily mold it into either devastation or salvation.

And the girl herself, she was pretty, you had to admit. Living up to her name, Sakura's hair strands were colored like petals of the cherry blossom, and her eyes were as green as the healthy leaves of a tree. Her pale complexion often turned red at the slightest of the embarrassments. It was adorable, to say the least, to see her temper get ridiculed by anyone.

In so many ways, she was considered ordinary, but to you, she was unique, with her many flaws and many virtues. You'd consider anyone who was unable to notice that completely and utterly blind.

Never would you, ever, admit that you were going overboard with your admiration. Evidently, you liked her - no, you loved her. A feeling you grew accustomed to over the years. You hoped that someday, it'd disappear, that you'd break free from this curse, but every time you thought you were no longer trapped, Sakura would do something and shove you back into your lovesickness.

Everyone knew how much she liked Sasuke, and who would blame her? Every single girl liked him, he truly had a special kind of Uchiha charm. At the time, you didn't quite understand what exactly was the reason why they all went crazy after him. He was cold and even rude to some point. Those dominant traits weren't to be liked. He didn't have a personality, all he did was act like a snob... and you were even somewhat relieved tha he left the village. He only showed his true face back then.

You, on the other hand, were a much more... well, lively person. Objectivelly speaking, that was much more admirable than being a depressed sag, wasn't it? Wasn't that also a showcase of one's strength? To be able to encourage themselves and others to move on even in the darkest of times, instead of falling into desperation?

Yes, yes it was, but Sakura didn't exactly fall in love with you. Instead, she kept her thoughts directed to Sasuke. She might not have shown it that often, but you knew what was on her mind. You understood her love for him, just as you understood that the feelings you grew for her wouldn't be returned easily.

For years, your hopeless state pushed you deeper into the widest array of emotions. Every time you swore you'd confess to her, doubt and fear would fill you, leaving you paralyzed. In the end you settled down with staying just friends. You had no other choice.

But there was still some hope left.

You've found an outlet of some sorts - while training, you had noticed you had plenty of weakpoints in controlling and stabilizing chakra in general. Your attacks were much more impulsive and risky than that of other shinobi. That could have also been considered a good thing, as it resulted in many, many surprising surges of power which eventually would decide the outcome of a battle. And as soon as you realized you should take better control of it all, you sought help from your teachers, who were more than eager to aid. However, none of their training regimes helped you much, sadly. Years after and you're struggling with various techniques that require precision in chakra flow. It didn't hinder you one bit though. You made sure of it - and you stood side to side with your generation, unique and promising as every one shinobi of your age.

But what a shinobi you could be...! If only you were capable of resolving that one flaw, that one silly thing! You'd be capable of so much more, even though now, as well, you were quite formidable. Was it too much to ask for just a little more?

There was another person that could help you, though, and her name was Sakura.

. . .

Perhaps it'd be too much to ask of her - she had her own troubles already, her own training lessons and most importantly, you didn't wish to trouble her.

You were aware that you alone could hardly master your skill, but with someone to teach you and guide you it would be far easier. Sakura was however a talent beyond measure when it came to chakra control, so maybe it could also be a problem for her to help you? She probably found it natural to seep out and channel chakra perfectly, so describing it to a total dumbass such as you are would present her a problem. Certainly.

To set things straight - shyness wasn't the deal. You simply didn't want to bother her. She had enough on her mind anyway. So you just let it be.

However, the day came when your sensei began urging you to change. Random surges of power in your jutsu couldn't possibly be relied on. True, they were welcome from time to time, but usually your attacks were average or even below average in strength. You wanted to stand out, of course, and improve yourself, so you began training on your own. It didn't work, not one bit. Improvenment was so small that it was negligible, if there had been any at all.

So in the end you had to resort to Sakura, not having any other options left. All you had to do was ask her and simply get it done.

And every time you spoke with her, you were, without a single doubt, nervous. It was incredible, the way this familiar sensation never changed during the years. You took care not to embarrass yourself, you waged every word and joke - oh, those silly, stupid jokes; you tried to be as amusing as possible - and you certainly managed to hide from her the heavy anxiousness that burdened you. You had years of practise behind you, after all.

You headed to her home to find her or at least ask her parents where she could be. However, on your way there, something unexpected happened. You found Sakura sitting on a tree, reading a book. What an unusual spot to stumble upon a person. You probably wouldn't even notice her if it weren't for the red suit she was wearing, that was such a stark contrast to the sickly green leaves.

"Hey, Sakura! I need your help!" You got straight to the point. You found out a long time ago that beating around the bush never did good, especially when it comes to her.

She widened her eyes and looked down, moving the book aside so that she could see you better. "Oh hey, (Y/N)-chan, I'm coming!" And when she said that, she did something you found impressive.

She stood up, still, on the branch and walked down the tree as if it were no big deal. For you it was a painful, embarrassing struggle.

Once on the ground level, she combed her hair ever so lightly and put some stray hair strands behind her ear. You found yourself capturing that subtle, unsignificant movement as if it were grace of a god, and you almost laughed at your own childish admiration. "So, what is it?" She asked and suddenly it felt as if time went back to normal.

"Well, you know I suck at controlling my chakra flow, right?"

"Of course!" She beamed and suddenly stopped, realizing what she said. "I mean, it's not that you're so terrible at it, it's just that you've got lots of improvement to do." Your heart warmed up as soon as she finished the sentence. So, she actually cared.

"Okay, yeah, thanks, so I was wondering, could you help me out? You're a natural when it comes to that!" You didn't miss an opportunity to compliment her, sheesh.

"Sure! And thanks! When would you like to?"

"Whenever you've got time, I don't mind - "

"I'm free right now, so what do you say we start straight away?"

"Y-yeah, why not? And thanks." You were caught unprepared.

"I'm always ready to help! There's no need to thank me!" She flashed a compassionate smile, the one that always made you feel loved. She was being too good towards you. And at that moment, you kind of thought, just for a second, that perhaps she cared for you more than for other people. As soon as that thought came, you had to shoo it away before you'd go swooning over her. This was not the time.

She grabbed your hand, not before adding: "After all, you're my friend. And that's what friends do, right? Help each other. So come, I'll show you how to do it in no time."

She just had to say it, didn't she?

. . .

Some time had passed, but nothing major happened. One thing was for sure, however - you sucked. It came as no surprise though, and that wasn't exactly the thing that went on your nerves.

You were aggravating Sakura who began sweating from stress; she had tried everything to help you. In the end, she suggested that you imagine you were healing a puppy instead of a leaf, but it didn't make the situation any better, unfortunately.

Poor tree you were practising on. You had plucked out at least a dozen of leaves and twigs out of frustration. Each and every time you told yourself that maybe it was, somehow, the leaf's fault that you were unable to help it grow anew. Who knows, maybe the tree is evil?

After all, you were completely aware that everything you thought of was a lame pile of excuses. Sakura didn't let you say one bad thing about yourself, though. She explained that you shouldn't let any negativity reach you. Negativity? Girl, it's a fact that you were awful. But you appreciated it anyway. And of course, you began complaining even more than before omce you realized you can't and won't make it. It didn't really reach her pretty head - she was reading that book of hers all the while.

"Can I take a rest?!" You huffed, acting as if you were exhausted.

"No. Just look at Naruto-kun and how hard he's been training," she answered immediately.

"I am not Naruto!" You protested, knowing well that Naruto was something else.

"Yeah, you're better than him. Now shut up and go back to work!" Sakura groaned, shaking her head. Then she looked back at the book.

"But I don't wanna! Lemme go!" Your voice was fake cracking up. You didn't even know how you managed to sound so honestly distraught.

"You asked for help, (Y/N)-chan, so now's the time to suffer the consequences."

"Okay! I'm a failure and I give up. Okay?" Hands flailing around you, you stood up.

"What?! NO!" She shut her book closed. You could have sworn an irk mark popped on her forehead. "Don't ever say that!"

"Say what?" You crossed your arms, staring at her. Half of you was amused by this situation, while the other half of you was hoping you don't get your ass kicked durimg the next few seconds (it's not like you probably won't enjoy being beaten up by her, you sicko).

"That you're going to give up after all this trouble you went through!" Sakura hissed.  "I'm not gonna let you do it. Try me."

"Fiiine, fiiine. I'm going back to saving wildlife..." Finally, you gave in. There was no point in arguing with her. If there had been any chance for you to win, she probably would've already given in just a little. Probably.

Sakura let out a laugh of relief, making you smile. She never had been the type to actually hold a grudge against someone, even though she appeared to be the opposite.

You simply continued failing at healing that dumb leaf. Gosh, you were taking Sakura's time - tons of it. But if she was so focused on helping you, then fine. Her efforts eased your irritated self.

You kind of got bored. Just to make the silence away, and to move on from the small "argument" of yours, you asked her what book she was reading, not without adding:

"If it's something Kakashi-sensei suggested, can I take a look at it?"

You turned away from the stupid twig so that you could watch her reaction carefully. Knowing your humor wasn't top tier, you hoped the corners of her lips would at least... twitch. But instead, she began laughing - sincerely - and you felt your chest go all warm, your own lips began forming a grin, and additionally, a state you'd rarely ever be in, you felt dizzy, as if you were thrown in a bliss.

She closed the book once again and, after what seemed like an eternity, looked at you, her eyes squinting from amusement. "I'd never say you're the type to read such things, (Y/N)-chan!"

"I'm not, I was just joking," you blurted out,"but seriously, what's the book about?"

"Oh, well, about this girl who can't be with her love because... it's really complicated, actually? I don't know how to explain it, so I won't bore you with that. Go back to work now! Focus! Practise makes perfect!" She clapped her hand against the book and went back to reading it.

"Sheesh, fine..." you rolled your eyes. Was she reading that thing because of Sasuke? You'd rather not know.

With a sigh, you stared back at your hands that were above the leaf. When will this end?

"(Y/N)-chan! Why didn't you tell me?!" Sakura suddenly yelled and ran up to you, hugging you. You made a strange yelp when she tackled you, not expecting the energetic reaction.

"W-what?" You mumbled, confused as to why she would do that.

"You healed it! You healed the leaf! And not only that, but look!" Sakura pointed at the twig. You removed your hands, which were trembling, and to your own horror, you saw not only leaves, but also flowers, plenty of them.

"You did it!"

At last, huh?