Hello, minna! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! I know that I have been gone a super long time, but I honestly did not have time to write these past few weeks. I was on vacation in Europe and was out everyday until midnight, and then when I get back the teachers felt the need to bombard us with homework, and it's been a really hectic week. Plus, you guys should be happy I'm doing this in the middle of history class when I'm supposed to be working on an essay. So anyway, here is chapter 7!

            Sakura heard the whispers as she walked through the village, but blocked them out as she had learned to do over the years. She took the time to buy the necessary food and supplies Sasuke and Naruto would need before she went home, and came back to her house loaded with bags.

            She looked up at the house she and Shizune shared. It wasn't much, just a wooden house that was split in two: one corridor led off to the area where they received patients, and the other led off to the living area. Sakura balanced the bags in her hands, opened the door, and walked down the right corridor, walking into the living room separated from the kitchen by a small counter. It wasn't richly furnished, but it was comfortable with two, worn red couches, a small coffee table, a tattered rug, picture frames here and there of Sakura and Shizune (although her village was poor, it at least had cameras), and four vases with blooming flowers scattered across the room. The kitchen wasn't anything special either, just a counter with cupboards, a pantry, and a fridge. Sakura put all the food away in the fridge and pantry, and set to work drying the herbs she'd picked.

            She was so focused she didn't hear the light footsteps approaching until a frail, feminine voice spoke up, "Sakura." Sakura started and turned around to see Shizune leaning against the wall of the corridor leading to the area of the house where the bedrooms were.

            "Shizune!" Sakura said surprised, a hand on her chest. "You scared me!"

            Shizune smiled a thin smile. She looked almost ghostly pale in the light coming from the bulb above her. Shizune had lost a lot of weight the past few months, because of the disease she had, and it was starting to show: her cheekbones were bulging out, and her skin was sagging, as if she were only skin and bones. Because of her illness, Shizune often had fitful sleep, and so had dark circles under her eyes. She was but a shadow of the subtly beautiful woman who had taken Sakura in, and it terrified Sakura to look at her sometimes.

            She averted her gaze and turned back to what she was doing; careful not to let Shizune see the expression she was wearing on her face.

            "How are you feeling today? Did you get any sleep?" Sakura asked in fake nonchalance as she cut and laid her herbs out on a piece of paper to take out to dry later.

            "Yes, I was able to sleep a little. How was your day? You were gone so long; I was starting to get worried," Shizune's voice sounded, as her footsteps got closer.

            "I was just out in the forest gathering some herbs," Sakura said. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't exactly the truth either.

            "I think we have enough, Sakura. You shouldn't stay out in the forest too long; it can be dangerous, especially when it gets dark. I don't mind you going in the forest because I trust that you can take of yourself, but I'd prefer you don't stay out past dark," Shizune said, coming up next to her.

            "Ok," Sakura said, biting down on her lip. "No problem. Anyway, it is late so why don't you go back to bed. I know you get tired when you're up for too long."

            "I'm fine! Stop worrying so much," Shizune said, slapping Sakura on the arm, but it didn't have much force behind it. Sakura knew that Shizune was as stubborn as she was though so she didn't push the issue.

            "I brought you some flowers," Sakura said, suddenly remembering the bouquet she had gathered. She went over to her basket and grabbed the flowers out. They were bright and a myriad of colors. Shizune's eyes lit up as she saw them and she took them and put them to her nose, inhaling deeply.

            "They're wonderful, Sakura. Thank you," She said, smiling at her.

            Sakura's heart felt warm on the inside, and her constant worrying for Shizune temporarily disappeared. This was the Shizune she knew: healthy, caring, gentle, always paying attention and taking the time to appreciate beautiful things, always smiling the most genuine smile. For a moment, everything felt right in the world, and then Shizune started coughing violently, shattering everything. The bouquet of flowers fell to the ground as Shizune doubled over with one hand against her mouth. Sakura was next to her in a second, worry and anguish knotting her stomach tight.

            "Shizune! Just lean on me, okay," Sakura said in a quavering voice.

            She looped one of Shizune's arms around her shoulders, and pulled her upright, then looped an arm under her legs and lifted her with ease. Sakura had always been exceptionally strong, but Shizune weighed nothing. She hurried down the corridor and stopped at the second door on the right, somehow managing to twist the doorknob and pushing the door open. She put Shizune in her bed, and rummaged around in the nightstand. When she found the bottle she wanted, she shook out two pills and rushed back to Shizune's side, putting them in her mouth. Shizune gulped them down, and soon after the coughs racking her body subsided.

            Shizune lay limp in her bed, her chest barely rising and falling. Her hand that had been clamped against her mouth was now lying on her stomach and Sakura saw that it was stained deep red. She looked away and pulled the covers over Shizune. She was about to turn and leave when Shizune firmly grasped her arm. Sakura paused, and turned to look at her.

            "I'm sorry," Shizune croaked.

            "What? Sorry for what?" Sakura asked, startled.

            "For making you go through this."

            "Shizune, don't..."

            "I know that I don't have much time left, so I want to say-" Shizune started.

            Sakura didn't know what was wrong with her, but hearing those words made her heart contract in her chest, and made her feel like vomiting. Before Shizune could finish what she was saying, Sakura hurriedly said, "Don't talk anymore, Shizune. You're just going to waste your breath. You can tell me tomorrow, okay? When you're feeling better."

            "Sakura, wait!" Shizune protested weakly.

            "Good night!" Sakura said, and slammed the door behind her.

            She walked numbly back into the kitchen to the sink, turned the faucet on, and splashed cold water on her face. She stood there for a couple seconds, her face dripping with ice-cold water, trying to calm her erratic breathing. She moved to grab a towel when her foot brushed something soft on the floor. She looked down and saw the flowers Shizune had been holding. She crouched down and feathered the petals with her fingers. They were no longer soft and beautiful, but torn and starting to wilt. Something broke within Sakura then and her knees gave way from under her, and she cried and cried while holding the flowers to her chest. She cried for all the things that were no longer beautiful and she cried for the things that were broken, but most of all she cried for herself and Shizune; for their perfect life that could no longer be put back together.

I hope you all enjoyed that chapter! Well, enjoyed... doesn't really seem like the right word now that I write it...but anyway! Who else feels like crying after this chapter?! I mean I wrote it, but I still feel like crying! For those of you who also read Dragon Boy and Princess,  I won't update that today because to be honest I haven't written the next chapter yet, and I need to kind of figure out the direction of my plot for that one, so it will be a little longer for that update. Sorry, but if you guys want quality work, then you'll have to wait a bit. Anyway, I will see you guys next time, and I promise you guys to try my best to get back on my updating schedule. Ja ne!