I
J A N U A R Y
The night seemed darker than usual through her half-opened eyes. The streets were empty save for the eerie luminance of the street lamps. The scenery was dull and repetitive, a constant blur through the glass. She was beginning to nod off behind the steering wheel in her '89 Supra. The radio faded out long ago into a distant hum to her ears, doing nothing to keep her awake.
Haruno Sakura. That's her—a long-term workaholic with ambition bigger than her dreams. On some days, she would even forget what she was working for, but she would never tire of her job.
Her pride and joy was a small coffee shop inherited from her late mother two years ago located a few streets from her small two-bedroom apartment. Life was definitely no cakewalk and fortune wasn't the most generous to her. It was a small place, and the owner doubled as its only employee. She had regulars, but her goals involved too much cash for a few customers to help achieve. Besides, no one said life had to be complicated, and it definitely wasn't right now. Some people may differ, but to her it's just simple living. She couldn't imagine not being able to spend hours at the café, receiving customers as they came and went.
However, on this night, she had drunk several coffees too many after having woken up at 5am to pick up groceries after a thirty minute drive at the only twenty-four hour market she could find. Then she rushed back to her little café to prepare for the day. She opened up just in time for the breakfast shift. The throng of customers flooded in and drowned out for a while before the noon rush started. But since she was the waitress, the chef and barista, as well as the errand-running part-timer, it was no surprised that she was virtually burnt out before the afternoon cool-down of customers. As busy as that sounded, it really wasn't as severe as one would think. She had only five tables arranged in placements of fours. Despite that, breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus always brought on a full house, and five tables were not easy to serve while working alone. Plus, there were also people who line up at the cash register for quick bites and coffee. Now that she finally obtained an alcohol license, she saw even more people—different people of different niches.
With all this, it would be such a waste if she didn't expand her hours.
She pictured in her mind the ideal setting for her little café. Navy velvet booths would replace her boring wooden chairs, and the cheap tables she had now would be a modern combination of wood and glass. She wanted to redecorate the whole place and one day buy out the fish market next door. When that day comes, she'd introduce twice as many items on the menu, an ice cream station, or maybe even built in stoves for hot pot in the winter and grills all year around. After that it would be time for the franchising. Expansion and greater development: that was her never-ending mission.
She couldn't wait to return home to her bed and catch some sleep. Four hours of sleep is a big hopeful. If she could, she could probably sleep through an entire week to make up for lost sleep these past few days. What a workaholic she's become. At least she was making money. She could worry about tomorrow to make time pass by quicker, but the cool-down of caffeine was making driving almost unbearable. Fortunately not a soul wandered on the streets because even her headlights were beginning to flicker out of her vision.
It was a strange feeling, to be almost thankful of this fatigue to keep her from thinking clearly. Nights like this wrote out her thoughts in fragments. Tonight was no different. Huuh...lunch special...mmm...shower...should I sell my TV? She thought without even stopping to think about what's going through her mind. Try that new recipe from that one magazine...Shit I threw it out...gotta do my laundry...
Suddenly, out of the corner of her weary eyes, she noticed a dark heap on the sidewalk. She drove right by the first time, pegging it as a couple of garbage bags, but something didn't sit right with her. Halfway down the block, she pushed into reverse and sat there scrutinizing the shadows. She shook her head. Then again... With a sigh, she parked the car in the middle of the quiet road and slid out of her seat to investigate. Her steps were cautious and her eyes squinted hard in attempt to focus. Now that she was closer, it seemed probable that she mistook the bushes lined up in front of the house to be something else. She didn't trust herself with all the weighted fatigue, but something told her that she should go and satiate her curiosity before it sapped more of her precious energy.
"Oh god," her words involuntarily slipped out. She quickened her pace and almost fell right next to the heap of darkness. It was a woman. She laid on her side, arms and legs tucked neatly into her body, almost in foetal position, as if she were asleep.
"M-miss, are you alright?" Sakura called out shakily. Her hand tentatively reached out to touch her shoulder, but quickly shook it off as a bad idea. She repeated her question.
The woman stirred and attempted to get up, only to fall back again. She opened her eyes and stared at Sakura blankly. "I…I'm...my...head..." she tried to say. Her throat was hoarse—she could have been here for hours. With shaky hands, Sakura reached out and gently brushed back the woman's hair. Blood.
"I'm going to call for help, okay?" Sakura told her. "You'll be alright. I'll make sure of it." Hopefully. She didn't like to lie, regardless if the woman heard her or not.
She quickly ran back to her car and retrieved her cell phone. After dialling 911, she stood around impatiently, checking the woman's breathing every ten seconds or so during the longest ten minute wait she had ever experienced. It was all she could do to keep herself calm. She didn't want to disturb anything by checking for other injuries; that has to be left with up to the paramedics. She looked around restlessly and soon noticed a paper bag a few feet away with its contents spilling out of it. A couple of sandwiches from the convenience store quite a ways down the street. That must've been the cause of her late-night excursion.
Giving in to her sense of responsibility, she followed the paramedics to the hospital and prepared herself for questioning. She had no idea who the woman was when one of the hospital staff asked her. But after a quick body check of any personal belongings, they found a wallet with a driver's license and a thick collection of receipts. The woman was identified as Yamanaka Ino, age 24. The hospital submitted her without delay and Sakura was forced to stay behind with a wary police officer to explain what happened.
"So," he grunted, obviously wanting to be elsewhere. "Go on."
"I found her on the sidewalk as I was driving home," Sakura said, and quickly gave him the address of the nearby house where the woman was found.
"You know anything about her?"
"No, Sir. Nothing at all."
"Alright then, let's look some stuff up."
After a sweep of hospital's database, it was confirmed that Yamanaka Ino was married with two children but without any other registered relatives. Records stated that she'd been here before. The officer promptly called her husband, under the name of Uchiha Sasuke. It took three full calls before someone picked up, followed by an ear-shattering torrent of drunken gibberish.
"This is the police," the officer said calmly into the receiver. "Sir, your wife has just been admitted to the hospital."
His reply was so loud that even Sakura could hear with clarity beside the uniformed man. "OH, FUCK OFF! THE BI'SH SAW IT COMIN'. WHERE THE FUCK IS MY KIDS EH?" His angry shouting continued, pausing only to consume more alcohol, evident from the sloshing of liquids on the other end. Over and over again, he demanded to see his children with rising fury.
Finally, Sakura grabbed the phone from the confused officer and shouted over his ranting, "Sorry, sir, wrong number." The officer looked at her sharply, receiving only an apologetic smile in return.
"It really could be the wrong number," she explained with a shrug. "But if it isn't, then that's all the more reason to hang up. A man like that would only prove to be dangerous."
"Uh-huh," the man replied noncommittally. He shrugged in turn. "So what do you propose we do?"
"I could check on her kids, officer. That is...if it's okay. And I kind of think you should look into it. It could be domestic violence."
He raised a brow. "S'long as you get the OK from Miss Yamanaka, that ain't my business no more. As for the crazy alky, I'll see what I can do."
"Do you want some sort of report or anything? Make sure I don't go kidnapping the kids for ransom?"
"Nah, it's all good," he yawned, and momentarily removed his cap to run a hand through his hair. "You seem like a nice kid."
"But, Sir, I think there's got to be some procedure to follow. Assumptions like that could potentially lead to trouble. I'd hate to think this is the kind of behaviour officers have towards every crime," she replied frankly.
He narrowed his eyes. "Look lady, this doesn't have to be a complicated issue. We've got a lot on our hands. We can't take every phone call to tell us that the kids have been fed, alright?"
Sakura blinked. "Of course, Officer," she said. "I'm sorry."
"It's been a long day, hasn't it," he sighed, shaking his head. He ran his hand down his face. "Anyway, I'm sorry. We need more citizens like you around." Then after a short interrogation section, he nodded and left.
What a crazy day, she thought to herself. Before she could call it a night and go home, the doctor came out to greet her. There was a peculiar look in his eyes, looking out of place on his emotionless face. "Sakura," he said. "Did you bring that woman in?" The doctor was an old friend of her grandmother, usually familiarly referred to as Grandpa. Since both grandparents died, he'd watched over both her and her mother. Now it was just her.
"Yes, but I don't actually know her. We just checked and she doesn't seem to have family. Just two kids at home."
Grandpa sighed, his wrinkles creasing with ever movement. "Unfortunately, if that's the case then I'm can't to give you any information on her current state."
"I'll watch over her in place of her family, wherever they may be. Her husband is a raging alcoholic judging by our short conversation over the phone. I don't think it's safe to leave her and her kids alone. So please," Sakura said.
After a long pause, he finally sighed and gave in. "We found a series of bruises all over her body. Very recent from what we can see. One likely situation is that she was mugged and beaten quite severely. Fortunately nothing is broken, but we will keep her here for a day or two and see how things go from there." Immediately Sakura wondered if her drunken husband had a role to play. "Hopefully, you'll stick around. Understand that I'm only letting you do this because I know you can help her. This is just a town after all. She looks like she'll need someone," he added without the professional stoicism. "Maybe you can track down any friends or something. I don't know. You shouldn't feel obligated though. Sakura, I've known you since you were just a baby, and I know you're trying hard to make up everything, but be careful alright?" He smiled, "Whatever happens, I'm sure your mother and your grandmother will be very proud of you."
"Don't worry," Sakura said, "I'll drop by tomorrow."
X
The next morning, after a sleeplessly bleak night, Sakura decided to fulfill her promise as soon as she possibly could. She wanted to check on the children first, but it didn't take the whole night to figure out that she didn't have the woman's address or the keys. Although at a loss, she knew it wouldn't be a good idea to open up the shop today. As much as she disliked losing profit on a spontaneous day off, she understood her priorities well.
Sakura directed herself on the instructions of the nurse at the front desk to Yamanaka Ino's room, coffee and a fruit basket in hand. She felt a tinge of nervousness in approaching the stranger, but she was even more afraid of seeing what kind of state she was in. C'mon what are you afraid of? She told herself, you're just being a nice stranger caring for someone in need. What happens to her is not your responsibility!
The wards were spotlessly clean, as expected. Each room had two rows of three beds lined up against the walls, opposite to each other. The white lights illuminating the building only added to the appearance of cleanliness. However, the place was packed with bodies moving around the hallways and darting in and out of rooms. It was seven in the morning and there were already countless busy staff running around. This was the only hospital in this town, so there was no surprise.
Upon entering the room, Sakura quickly scanned through the numbers on the beds and saw, to her surprised, Yamanaka Ino sitting upright with a newspaper in hand. She stood out among the others in the ward, untouchable and alone. Her head was bandaged, but she didn't look otherwise harmed. Sakura stood at the doorway, staring at the woman, dumbfounded. Even in the dreariness of the white hospital lights, she was clearly a beautiful woman. It was a little hard to believe that she had given birth to two children. The only real evidence of that was the air of chronic fatigue hanging about her features.
Sakura didn't know how to approach her, and mentally kicked herself for not thinking of this last night. What should she say? What could she say to not look like creepy person who followed her in the middle of the night? Worse, what is she suspected her of the crime? No, that wouldn't happen, she's got to have some common sense. She spent some time staring at her blankly as Ino's eyes roamed the newspaper. She took a deep breath in attempt to ease her nerves. Ino looked up from her paper and looked directly at her. Sakura smiled sheepishly in return, but received only an awkward and unimpressed stare before she hid her face behind the newspaper. She was obviously not in a good mood.
I think I can die of embarrassment right now, Sakura thought woefully, giving herself a mental slap in the face. Curse it! I didn't do anything wrong! Why should I be afraid of...of a beautiful woman! Just go up to her and tell her you're her white knight!
Realizing the other patients were watching her, she quickly bundled up as much of her courage as possible and marched right up to her bedside with her lips pressed in a thin line. Sakura stared at her hard, but still couldn't find the right words. She felt an unexplainable tension pressing against her, but it might have just been the powerful aura the other woman gave off. After a minute of silence, the blonde woman folded her newspaper and frowned. "Can I help you?" she asked, keeping her confusion minimal.
"Uhm, yeah. I mean no! Er, sort of, not really?" Sakura replied a little too quickly. "What I mean to say is that," she took a deep breath, "this is for you." She placed the basket on the surface at the foot of her bed.
"I think you've mistaken me for someone else," Ino said politely. Sakura shook her head vigorously. Ino's confusion, along with her curiosity, only increased. "Forgive me for asking but…have we met before?"
Sakura stared at the coffee in her hand. "Y-yeah, yeah we have. You are Miss Yamanaka Ino, correct?" She nodded slowly. "Yeah…uhm, we kind of met…last night. It was dark, so I guess you couldn't see me. But I don't blame you. It was very late. At night." That sounds wrong! Sakura panicked. "Plus you were—"
"You're the reason I'm here." She interjected more to herself than Sakura. It wasn't even a question and she spoke in monotone, making her difficult to decipher. Positive or negative connotation, Sakura didn't have a clue.
Sakura cleared her throat, composing herself. "Yes. I'm the one who found you."
"Oh, then why are you here? Usually that's as far as heroes go. Do you want a medal of honour or something?" Her voice was bitter, cynical. Sakura wouldn't be surprised if she was trying to frighten her away. That's one technique she was definitely familiar with in her childhood.
"I came by to see if you're okay," Sakura smiled.
"Well you've seen me, now what?"
Sakura pulled up a chair and sat down beside her, and scanned the newspaper headlines with feigned interest. "Pity about that woman. It's scary when you can't even trust the man you love anymore." Ino looked down at the article about a woman butchered by her husband. Nothing either of them hasn't seen in the headlines before.
"She'll just be another nameless, faceless person in the newspaper archives by the end of today," she replied.
"True. It's the message that's frightening though. You're married--you should know a thing or two about trust."
Ino scoffed. "I don't know how you managed to find out about the bastard, but I'd really rather not talk about him"—she suddenly shot Sakura a sharp look—"you didn't tell him about me did you? Where I am or anything?"
"The cop yesterday told him you were in the hospital. But I made him hang up as soon as it became obvious that he's a psychotic alcoholic. Hopefully that'd mean you're safe for now."
"Shit! Did you tell anyone else? My kids are still at home alone!" The woman went from composed and cool to neurotic and desperate faster than Sakura could blink. She clawed onto Sakura's arm and held on as if it was the one thing she had to hold on to before she slipped into insanity.
"Do you...have any friends we could call?" Sakura said, nervously stroking her hand to ease her grip.
Ino looked ashamed and her eyes sunken, as if she aged ten years in the span of a single second. "We moved here not too long ago--my kids and I."
"Are you...divorced?"
"No. He won't sign it without bea—getting angry. That's why I'm trying to stay away from him for the next year for the automatic. Then I'll be rid of him, even if it's only in the eyes of law."
The whole room seemed to have held its breath. There was noise everywhere but to the two women, there was only thoughtful silence. "Don't worry," Sakura suddenly grinned, "I'll do whatever I can to help. I won't let him near you or your kids."
"Why?" Ino asked.
"Just because. It's hard to stand by while someone's life is in potential danger. Don't wanna die with the guilty conscience that says 'I could've saved her'. I understand if you don't trust me."
"I don't have much of a choice," she murmured, averting her eyes.
"Then don't worry about a thing and just get better. Shall I...bring your kids here?"
Ino smiled and shrugged, lifeless and forlorn. "Thank you. And...my son needs to go to school."
"Don't worry about a thing. I'm just happy I can help," Sakura blushed. She dug into her coat pocket and pulled out a stack of cards. She found a pen on the bedside table, probably for Ino to do her crosswords, and scribbled down her information onto one. Grinning, she placed the card into the blonde woman's hand, and squeezed it reassuringly before take a step back.
"Those are all three of my available phone numbers," she explained. "I numbered them in order of priority. The printed number, obviously, is for my cafe. I might take your kids down there for some food if you don't mind. It's better than the fast food you bought for them last night. My cell phone is first, then my home phone just in case."
Ino gaped at her. "I know you don't trust me, and why would you," Sakura continued a little more sheepishly, "so I thought you would want to know how to check up on me."
Ino let herself go just enough to squeeze out a tiny smile and thanked her again. Up until now, Sakura hadn't noticed how fast her heart was racing. With the discovery in mind, she forgot how to puzzle together coherent sentences. So she just nodded.
X
Wow, how…clean, Sakura thought as she stepped into the old flat. It was simple: an open living room with a wooden door to the kitchen. The appliances were out of date and the furniture looked second-hand. However, the toys concentrated in front of an old television, the glass balcony doors peppered with stickers, and the artwork-covered refrigerator gave the home a warm glow. With teeming curiosity, Sakura slowly moved around the living room, examining things with unexpected interest. The size and layout of the apartment was similar to her own. The main difference was that Sakura's flat was newer and didn't have the appearance of being on the verge of collapse. Neither did it have the life that this one had. This place actually felt lived in.
Sakura traced the old watermarks on the wall absently upon wandering into the tiny kitchen as she stared across at the prehistoric microwave. Nothing in the house bore its original colours—some places were even brown with mould. She walked over to the refrigerator and contemplated on whether to open it or not when she felt a pair of eyes on her back.
She turned around at briefly met a mirroring image of Ino's eyes. The little boy, with a messy head of jet-black hair, had pink cheeks and handsome features. A real chick-magnet when he grows up, Sakura mused as they silently stared at each other. If he isn't already. Probably gets chased all the time.
"You must be Chikao," Sakura said, remembering Ino's descriptions before she left.
"Who are you?" The boy asked. "You're not Mommy."
"No," Sakura smiled gently, "I'm a friend of your mommy. My name is Sakura. She asked me to take you to school."
"Really? Where's Mommy?"
Sakura blinked. Quick, think of something. "She's, uh, helping me, er, paint my house. Yeah." Good one, idiot.
"Oh, you're not very smart," he said without hesitation. "She sucks at drawing pictures. She helped me draw a dog for homework and all my friends laughed at me." He crossed his arms and pouted. "I only got a silver star instead of a gold star. And I really, really like getting gold stars!"
Sakura couldn't help but laugh at his story and the seriousness etched across his face. "Really? Well, next time I'll help you with drawing. I'm pretty good at it if I do say so myself."
The little boy beamed. "Okay," Sakura said as she glanced at the wall clock behind the boy, "we should get ready for school."
"I'm ready, but Chika is still sleeping. I'll call her for you, Saku-nee!" he said happily. Before Sakura could reply, Chikao bolted off into the hallway shouting his sister's name even after he disappeared from view. Sakura followed him.
"…But Mommy says we're not supposed to talk to strangers," Sakura heard a childish female voice say as she approached the room Chikao ran into.
"But she's Mommy's friend. And she's nice. Come on, Chika, wake up," he whined in reply.
She softly pushed open the door Chikao left ajar and peered inside. The two children both turned to look at her. Chikao grinned. But Sakura's attention was fixed on something else. Chika was sitting up, turned to face her. Her fawn-coloured hair was tousled from sleep, but there was something distinctly different about her that distinguished her from other children. Sakura took a cautious step into the room.
"Chikao?" Chika said, breaking the silence. She stared straight at Sakura, and Sakura returned the look with a pang of sympathy. Her eyes were grey, both iris and pupil. Her world was black.
"Hello Chika," Sakura said warmly. "My name is Sakura. Your mommy asked me to take your brother to school. You'll come with us right? We're going to pick up some food on the way there. You two must be starving right?"
"Food!" Chikao cheered. "C'mon Chika, let's go!" He threw her blankets off her and threw a few articles of clothing onto her lap. Both he and Sakura were then sent outside to wait as she changed. As they waited, Chikao demanded that Sakura draw him a dog to prove her artistic abilities to him. Sakura laughed his amazement when her drawing turned out to be more than just a few circles for the body and lines for the legs. In fact, he was so impressed that he went into the kitchen and stuck it onto the fridge with a magnet, but not before telling her to sign her name on the corner because "all famous people do that. It's a rule of being famous."
Once Chika was ready, she called her brother who, in the middle of showing Sakura his own drawings, thrusted everything into Sakura's hands and immediately ran back into the room. They both came back out into the living room with Chikao tightly holding onto Chika's hand. The innocence of such a spectacle forced a smile onto Sakura's face. Even though she grew up in this same little town, Sakura had never in her life witnessed such gentleness within children. That Chikao would drop everything at any moment to help his sister was astounding to her.
"How old are you?" Sakura asked the hyper boy once they had all piled into her car.
"I'm six! Chika's five," he replied happily.
"Really now," she replied in an appeasing tone of wonder, "I thought you must have been at least eight."
"People tell me that a-a-a-all the time! But Mommy always calls us her babies. I don't really get it. It's not like I drool all the time anymore. And I can go poopy by myself!"
"I'm sure she's very proud of you."
Chikao looked thoughtful for a second. "Yeah, but she only says that when I'm sad about not getting gold stars. So I don't really think that counts."
Tentatively, Sakura decided to approach the subject that had been bothering her since last night. With a small smile, she asked, "What about your daddy?"
Chikao's eyes grew wide. He clasped both hands onto his mouth and shook his head vigorously from side to side. Even Chika turned to face them, her features expectant. "Mommy says we're not supposed to talk about him," was his muffled reply. "Mommy said that Daddy is --Ow! Don't hit me! Keep your hands to yourself!"
"Chikao! We're not supposed to talk about the bad man!" Chika said in her strictest voice, abruptly turning her attention back outside.
I expected as much, Sakura thought. At least it's not as dysfunctional as last night's phone call suggested. Nonetheless, I can't even imagine how Ms. Yamanaka managed to pull through. Better not talk about that anymore.
During the rest of the ride to the café, Chikao spoke nonstop about random things from his friends to school to things he liked. By the end of the car ride, Sakura learned that he loved Toblerone chocolate, that he believes Santa is really a woman, that he can play the triangle, and that he knows all the lyrics to old Kelly Clarkson songs, at least in his mind.
"Are you a big fan of Kelly Clarkson?" Sakura asked him after he had sufficiently showed off his vocal talents (screaming the first few lines of the chorus and mumbling the rest of the song).
"No," he said, his chubby cheeks flushing in embarrassment, "but Chika is! Mommy likes Kelly too but she won't admit it. She has her CDs so that's what we listen to. Mommy's other CDs are boring. Well…Mommy says a lot of songs are bad, so she doesn't let us listen to the radio even though she listens to it every morning. It's not fair that she gets to listen to old men speak very fast and we can't listen to Kelly. And, and, Mommy doesn't let us watch any music channels on TV." Suddenly, he shot up in his seat with a wide triumphant grin on his face. "But since Mommy wasn't home yesterday, me and Chika watched it! They say a lot of bad words," he spread his arms as far as the small space inside the car allowed him to in order to emphasize. When he said "me and Chika", Sakura couldn't help but glance into the rear-view mirror at the blind girl, now hiding her eyes behind a pair of wide sunglasses.
Even as they stepped into the fresh aroma of Sakura's café, as Chikao ran excitedly to the display of cakes, Chika did not speak a word to them. She was taken by the hand by her brother, but she only followed along with him showing little to no emotion at all.
"What would you like?" Sakura addressed the two of them. "You can have anything you want for lunch."
"Really?" Chika exclaimed, his eyes glimmering as he eyed the menu.
"Of course, I run this place."
"That's so cool! Can I see the kitchen?"
"I don't see why not."
"Yay!" He exclaimed throwing up his hands. Before Sakura could say another word, he ducked under the wooden panel at the side of the bar and disappeared behind the curtain to the kitchen. Sakura glanced at his sister beside her, who stood frozen on the spot.
"Chika," Sakura said gently, kneeling down so she was eye-level to her, "are you hungry?"
"No," she said hesitantly, telling her otherwise. She defiantly turned her head away from her despite her betraying features.
Sakura, although taken aback by the little girl's stuffy behaviour, tried again. "Do you want to help me bake something?"
She momentarily brightened up, but decided to continue on being uncooperative.
"Let's do it this way," said Sakura cheerily as she got up. She took Chika by the hand. "I'll take you to the kitchen, to see what Chikao is up to first. Then we'll drop Chikao off at school and come back here to make something for your mommy. How does that sound?"
"I want to see Mommy," Chika replied quietly. Sakura could tell that she was beginning to give way. And she was truly thankful as to how easily pleased children were.
"Saku-nee! Saku- nee!" Chikao suddenly cried from the kitchen. He ran right into the curtain and had a bit of trouble before finally finding the opening. After successfully escaping, he jumped up and down behind the bar, waving his arms around frantically. Sakura could only see a tuff of his black hair riding with the momentum of his excitement. "Saku-nee! Saku-nee!"
"What is it? Is something wrong?" Sakura asked worriedly. I hope he didn't break anything.
"There's so much ICE CREAM in there!" He exclaimed at the top of his lungs, eyes stretching more than Sakura thought possible.
She stared at him and just couldn't help but grin. Looks like he found the freezer. "Yes a lot of desserts have ice cream in them."
"Like what? Like what?" He asked incredulously, bouncing on his heels with impatience.
"Floats, ice cream cakes, and stuff like that."
"What's a float?" Chikao asked. "You mean a goat? I don't think goats would taste very good. Even with ice cream."
"No, no." Sakura laughed, "Here, I'll make you one very quickly. I'll make one for both of you so you can try. Have you found anything you want for lunch yet, Chikao?"
For a brief moment, the raven haired boy looked thoughtful. Then, throwing his arms up in resignation, he cried, "I can't choose!"
Sakura placed a glass under the nozzle and filled it with root beer. Her work was so routinely done every day that she didn't even have to look at the cup anymore to know when to stop the flow to get a reaction from the children. "How about a sandwich? We don't have a lot of time before we have to get you to school," she suggested. Her eyes were focused on the younger sibling as she filled a second cup. Chika had seated herself on a chair close by. Boring a sulky expression, she seemed to have completely tuned the world out as she drew circles on the table with her finger.
"Mommy says sandwiches are good for you and that if I eat more I'll grow big and strong. But Mommy can't cook, so she just says that to make us eat more."
"Cake?"
"My teacher says that cakes are full of evil things that make your teeth disappear," he replied plainly. He took a seat across from his sister and propped up his head with both hands.
"Do you like cinnamon rolls?" Sakura said as tirelessly as she could. She took out two plates and placed them under the cups. Then taking two massive scoops of ice cream in one hand, and both cups in the other, she placed them in front of the children with the skill and balance of overworking. She flashed a sly smile at Chikao and handed him a spoon and a straw. She knew Chika wouldn't give her the same bouncing anticipation, but she smiled nonetheless as she gave her the utensils. "Get ready," she whispered loud enough for the two to hear, touching Chika lightly on the back.
The ice cream fell carelessly from the scoop, first into Chika's cup, then Chikao's. Chikao stopped moving and held his breath as he waited. Then, without an ounce of warning, the ice cream reacted with the root beer, and the fizzing liquid overflowed like magma over a volcano, clinging onto the side of the glass and pooling beneath it. Chikao squealed with delight, and bounced vigorously in his seat. He then proceeded to imitate the booming sounds of volcanoes as he tried to re-enact the moment with his hands. Even Chika looked stunned as the room went silent save for the fizzling noises and betrayed an expression of shock and amusement at her brother's reaction.
"You're gonna lose your drink if you don't suck up all the bubbles," Sakura grinned. To her surprise, both children gave a small gasp and immediately grazed the surface of the glass with their straws, Chikao giggling away having the time of his life. The question of cinnamon rolls had long escaped everyone's minds.
"This is so cool, Chika!" he exclaimed. "It's ice cream! In root beer!"
Curiously, Chika felt around for the spoon dislodged on the side of the cup and poked around. With the spoon within her tiny hands, she could feel the resistance of the scoop of ice cream as she tried to push it down. After a few more attempts to sink it, she finally gave up when it began to melt and brought the spoon to her mouth, regretting the overflow of Coke she caused.
"Its fizzy ice cream," she said, making a face. Chikao reached over and swirled the straw around the rim of his sister's cup until Chika showed signs of acknowledgement. For the first time that day, Chika smiled, and fell into the trance of her own little world with her ice cream float.
"Saku-nee! Saku-nee!" Chikao shouted over at Sakura, who remained behind the counter as she watched the siblings. "Do you have any cookies? Chika really likes cookies, but Mommy says cookies have too much sugar and that sugar makes your teeth fall out by the time you're thirty!"
Sakura laughed. She bent over the counter, cheek resting in her hand. "That's a shame because I love sugar. A lot of things here have lots of sugar and thirty years old isn't far away."
"Woah! You're so old!"
"Now, now, you're never supposed to tell a woman that. You have to respect girls. Remember this because soon you'll start finding girlfriends and you don't want to get slapped across the face."
"Girls have cooties!" He cried defensively, but Sakura noted the shifty look in his eyes and knew exactly how he really felt about girls.
"Anyway," Sakura said, clearing her throat to avoid making Chikao uncomfortable, "yes I do have cookies. You'll have to forgive me though because I didn't have time to make a new batch this morning. These are from yesterday." She grabbed the entire basket from behind the display case and placed it in the middle of the children's table, satisfied when she saw the joyous look on Chika's face. She also handed them menus for them to pick and choose from.
"Saku-nee," Chikao said, eyes staring hard at the list of print before him, "what's a saw-full?"
"Its soufflé, hun."
"Oh. English is so screwed up." He made a face.
"That's because it's a French word."
"What's lemon meh-ring-gew pie then? Sounds like fish. Is it fish? Fish pies? Eeeeeew..."
"Meringue. It's probably French. Or Italian. I don't really know. It's not fish--it's a pie with lots of sugar."
"Oh! Oh! Tiramisu!" Chikao said, completely dismissing her explanation. Ah the fickle minds of little boys, Sakura thought with a smile. His energy must know no bounds.
"I don't think your Mommy will allow only desserts for lunch. How about a wrap?"
"Oh I like presents!"
"No it's like a…sandwich, except the bread is very flat and wraps around the filling. Like a burrito!" Sakura replied. She found herself making hand gestures a lot whenever she spoke to Chikao.
"What's that?" he asked with all the forces of wide-eyed innocence.
Sakura stared back at him incredulously. "Mommy doesn't take you out to eat often, does she?"
"Nope! She says it's too expensive and unhealthy. We always eat at home besides lunchtime at school because my teacher says we have to bring healthy lunches to school. I don't know why, but all my friends eat at school too so its lots of fun!"
"What does Mommy make you for dinner then?"
"Rice. Sometimes we have soup too."
"Don't tell me she just gives you plain rice."
"No we have soy sauce too and usually veggies and stuff. But when we lived with Daddy, we ate a lot of things like fwah-gwah or something...and steaks and lots of fancy stuff that didn't taste very good. I like steaks though. Mommy calls it man-food. We never ate at home...and me and Chika were too small to get menus. So we don't even know what everything is called. It was so unfair!"
"Foie gras…really… that's interesting. Does your Mommy work?"
"Yeah, she's a full-time mom. That's what she tells people anyway. I don't know if it pays well, but I don't think I want to be a full-time mom when I grow up." Sakura smiled, but only half-heartedly as she listened. How does she manage? Sakura thought as she absentmindedly watched the children kick each other playfully under the table. I doubt I can do it for more than a day. It seems exhausting enough just to babysit.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, Sakura abruptly straightened herself up in panic. "Oh my god, we're late! When does school start?"
"8: 30," Chikao said indifferently, kicking his legs as he finished off his drink. The clock distinctly read 8: 24 in both analog and digital. Sakura quickly grabbed a paper bag and stuffed into it a cinnamon bun from the bakery-style display case, a bottle of juice from the display fridge behind her, and two cookies from one of the many little baskets on her countertop. Hurriedly, she placed the bag inside Chikao's near-empty backpack and took him by the hand, pulling him out of the chair. She picked up Chika despite her loud protests. It proved almost impossible to silence her once she's been stroked the wrong way. Once they were on the streets, Sakura had to try very hard to look like a mother trying to control her kids rather than some sort of pedophile kidnapper. Chikao wasn't helping either as he kept telling Sakura how badly she had upset his sister. "She hates being picked up, didn't Mommy tell you? You're supposed to keep your hands to yourself," he said, perfectly stressing the last few words just as a curly-haired man passed by with a young woman latched to his right arm. After that, Sakura noticed that they deliberately slowed down and followed her movements with cautious eyes. Behind her, she overheard them whispering something about the police. Sakura apologized to the two children and quickly placed Chika onto the ground and explained to them very carefully why they were rushing.
Just to make things harder for Sakura, Chika wasn't listening and instead shouted, "I want my Mommy!"
Alarmed, Sakura shushed her. She did not function well under pressure. Before she could even think about it, she turned to the couple behind her, saying the first excuse on her mind that wouldn't bring even more suspicion. "We just got married. The kids aren't really used to it yet," she blurted out with a sheepish smile. The man's eyebrows shot up, but said nothing while his companion simply nodded.
Once inside the car, Sakura sighed in relief. However, she didn't even have time to insert her key into the ignition when Chikao exclaimed, "You married Mommy?!" She had to steady herself with the steering wheel to prevent herself from dropping her head on it. How the hell am I supposed to answer that?
"Er, no, I didn't," Sakura said slowly.
"You mean you lied!" Oddly enough, Chikao was even more surprised at Sakura's lying than the actual lie itself, the two women being married.
"Yes, Chikao, I had to."
"Why? You're never supposed to lie!"
"It was just a little white lie."
"Oh, that's okay then."
Silence.
"By the way," Chikao said, suddenly bashful, "can we come back to your café? Since we didn't get to try all those yummy things you told us about."
Sakura smiled at him through the rear-view mirror. "You can come as often as you like as long as your mommy says its okay."
X
Chikao arrived five minutes after the school bell chimed to signal the beginning of class. Fortunately, the school, the district's public school, wasn't strict enough to question him about it. Sakura was able to avoid any long and very likely to be dubious explanations with his teachers or administrators. He had also insisted on being dropped off and not "led inside like a baby" because he was a "big kid", which made Sakura's life all the easier by dodging interrogation by his teacher.
Sakura turned her attention to the little girl in her backseat. She let out a silent breath of air. "You wanna go back to the café and bake cookies or do you wanna go see your mommy?" Chika didn't reply. There was no doubt that Sakura's picking her up had turned whatever progress they made sour. Sakura knew which choice would leave her with the least amount of trouble.
So, without another word, Sakura started her engine and drove towards Chika's favour.
As calm as her expression was, Sakura did not fail to notice her strenuously listening to the sounds of traffic through the partly rolled down window. She didn't know if the chirps of the walk sign and the whirring of cars flying by told her anything, but when she neared the hospital, Chika shot up in her seat in obvious excitement.
"How did you know we were here?" Sakura couldn't help asking as she pulled into a parking space.
"I'm not stupid," Chika mumbled, "there were ambulances going the same way."
"Oh," was all she could say. She vaguely recalled the distant sound of sirens, but to her, the sounds were so faint that they could've come from any direction.
Once they were inside the building, Sakura had to break into a fast walk to keep up with the excited little girl. At one point, she even received a warning from a passing nurse about hallway conduct. Inside the ward, she anchored herself outside the door and winded herself down, careful not to embarrass herself in front of Ino. She was intimidating enough without displeasing her.
Sakura walked in just to catch Yamanaka Ino beaming at the sight of her daughter. Every ice-cold part of her that was shown to Sakura immediately melted—it was a complete transformation. She mouthed a silent thank-you to Sakura and embraced Chika with such fervour that Sakura has never seen. They pulled away and the little girl immediately sent a volley of questions at her mother. Ino tried to answer them as best she could, but most of them were dismissed. Chika didn't seem to notice.
Chika crawled onto Ino's lap and flung her arms around her. "Mommy, mommy!" she exclaimed with a million-dollar smile that Sakura thought she'd never be able to see. "Guess what, guess what!" Oh no, Sakura thought. She knew what's coming and saying something at this point would only make things worse and she had nothing to hide.
"Chikao was late," Chika said happily. Ino shot a wary look at Sakura that made her reflexively want to hang her head. Sakura opened her mouth to explain, but was cut off by a blunt, "And she told some strangers that you married her." Sakura looked at her in horror, but Chika only stared back innocently.
Silence. Now it was time for her to explain. Her palms were clamming up as she rubbed them together nervously. Ino was in a speechless state of awe. Her penetrating stare only made things worse as Sakura felt the heat of embarrassment spread across her cheeks to the tips of her ears.
"They were going to call the cops," Sakura squeaked. "I didn't know that Chika didn't like being picked up. We were running late because we lost track of time. I guess we were having too much fun," Chika stared up at her mom and shook her head vigorously, but Sakura allowed for a small smiled and continued. "Well, me and Chikao were having a lot of fun if that pleases Chika. I made them root beer floats. So when I finally noticed how late it was, I grabbed the kids and tried to get to the car as fast as I could, but caused such a fuss when I picked up Chika. A couple saw me and, like I said, were whispering about calling the cops so I had to say something to assure them that I wasn't a kidnapper."
"Of all things you say, Sakura, that's very…um…different? Most people would probably say babysitter or friend. But so far, you're trying really hard not to be 'most people', am I right?"
"T-that's not true! It's just that...m-most people use those so I thought it'd be even more suspicious," she replied quickly. "An excuse like this one would be pretty solid since most people wouldn't use it." Sakura looked away in attempt to hide the pink in her cheeks. "I don't work well under pressure. Let's just consider it water under the bridge...I-I mean, there are more pressing issues at hand. Like tonight? You're going to be staying here for one night right?"
Ino sighed. "I was hoping you would help me out. I need to get out of here. Y'know, tell the doctor no, my kids need me." She stroked Chika's cheeks affectionately and she made no attempt to squirm away. Still at an age where Chika craved her mother's touch, Ino could only look at her and wonder what she would do when she finally begins to grow up.
"That's not a good idea, Miss Yamanaka."
"Ino. Please. And if you don't mind, I will refer to you by your first name as well, Sakura."
"No, I don't mind," Sakura smiled. "I think it's best if they stay with me tonight. It's only one night. Tomorrow Chika and I will swing by to pick you up after Chikao gets to school. On time."
"I really, really don't want to put you through all this trouble. Don't you have a cafe to run?"
"Don't worry, I open till late."
"And sleep? Trust me you won't get any tonight. So I think--"
Sakura shook her head and laughed. "It won't be any trouble at all. Let me worry about everything. You can call to make sure I don't screw up. I'd do it for anyone so please don't fuss over the minor details."
"Anyone huh?" Ino looked at her, eyes set hard with seriousness. "Despite everything, I don't trust you. I'm really grateful for everything up to now but..."
"It's okay. That makes sense. It's up to you to decide." Ino's back was against the wall, they both knew that. There was no decision that had to be made.
"MOMMY! I DON'T WANT TO GO WITH HER!" Chika's voice suddenly erupted. Once again, they were the centre of attention in the ward.
Ino sighed, now bearing a pained look in her eyes. "Sweetie, Mommy has to stay here. It's only one night."
"I'll stay here with Mommy then," she said, almost tearfully as she clung to her mother.
"You can't, honey, Mommy—"
"No! No! No!"
"Chika," the blonde said sternly. She pulled away from Ino and crossed her arms with a prominent pout on her lips. "You'll have lots of fun."
"I won't."
Ino turned to Sakura. "You know about...her condition right?"
"Yes, but I'm sure it won't be an obstacle." For a second, Chika looked angry, but when she couldn't figure out why, she reverted back to being sulky. "We'll be good friends, right Chika?" Sakura smiled gently.
Ignoring her, Chika went back to pleading her mother. "You said never talk with strangers, Mommy! I don't wanna!"
"Don't make this hard for Mommy...please?" Ino said, giving her a puppy-eyed look. Chika crossed her arms and turned her head away angrily, strands of soft brown hair flying. "Fine," she murmured grudgingly.
X
That afternoon, just for the rush hours, Sakura went back to the cafe to open for business. She was due to pick up the kids for dinner at five, but not before delivering Chikao to his mother. She had to close shop in the middle of the three o'clock teatime rush, but it was better than closing all day. Besides, the kids didn't want her there, and she really didn't want to impose. At 3:30, she returned to her cafe to find a familiar face loitering outside.
"First you make me miss my morning bagel then you run off again just as I'm craving a muffin," Sakura heard as she approached the front door. She stuck her key into the lock and opened the door, the familiar wind chimes tinkling her ears for a moment.
"Hello, Temari," she greeted without enthusiasm. Temari is a long time customer, and a firefighter born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She drops in every day at precise times, but never orders something twice in a row. If she had a coffee one day, it has to be something else the next, usually tea.
"Why so sad to see me, ol' friend?"
"It's not you. I'm just tired." Temari followed her inside and grabbed a seat closest to the cashier.
"Didya meet a new friend last night?" She asked with a playful grin. Sakura rolled her eyes. "Oh, c'mon, you know I'm just playing. You should think about meeting some singles though, how long has it been since—"
"Temari! Just. Order."
"Fine, fine." Temari did as she was told, but did not drop her grin. "So tell me," she said, wandering over to the counters to watch Sakura prepare her drink, "you're a workaholic. So why did you close today?"
"Long story."
"Please, that doesn't work on me. You know that."
"Alright, fine. I did meet someone."
"Liar."
"I did! I found her on the side of the road," she explained almost proudly. Temari gaped at her, then burst into loud resonating laughter. Sakura narrowed her eyes and watched as she tried to think of something to say, but kept stumbling over incoherent syllables. "I took her to the hospital."
"Wow, you broke her that bad," Temari said, but seeing her exasperated expression, she finally dropped her grin. "I knew it, you're never that exciting. That still doesn't explain why you didn't let me have my bagel though. And you better give it to me straight. You know how strong my imagination can be."
"Please don't remind me. Must you scandalize everything? And take pride in it at that. Nothing happened. I babysat for her, that's it. Then we went to see her in the hospital. Don't ask any questions please. I don't want to hear your snide little comments." Sakura slammed her espresso in front of her to emphasize.
"Wow, is she hot?"
"Temari! That's highly irrevelant!"
"There are plenty of beautiful moms out there, don't be so discriminatory," Temari said, waggling her finger at her. "Ever heard of the term 'MILF'?"
"I have nothing to say to that."
"C'moooon. You're such a prude. I tell you all my dirty secrets."
"It's not like I ask for them! Plus there's not a single person in town who doesn't know all your so-called secrets."
"Hey, hey, don't exaggerate! I don't care I'll give you the latest update anyway. I slept with that chick who hit on you last night, remember? So now you've gotta tell me. It's the unwritten law of friendship."
Sakura made a face. "I don't remember being hit on."
"Please! Girls wave their boobs in your face and you don't know you're being hit on! Don't change the subject! C'mon, is she hot? What does she look like?"
Sakura pretended to think hard. "Is she the one who looks like a porn star? Lots of hair, flings it everywhere?"
"No! I have standards you know. DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT!"
"Fine! Blonde hair, blue eyes. Happy? Take your goddamn muffin and go away."
"No-o-o-o, don't be so me-e-e-e-ean. That's the vaguest description I've heard yet! Maybe I know her. What's her name?"
Fortunately for Sakura, the wind chime sounded and a small group of customers came in. Temari stuck her tongue out at her and sat down after throwing down a five. Sakura greeted the familiar faces with a smile. The town was small, and it's easy to remember faces when they come by more than twice a week. The old woman who lived across the street—always wants a bran muffin at this time of day and a steaming cup of chamomile tea—her family has been in the house for generations, never remodelled even as all her neighbours expanded over and over. Then there's the man with the greying goatee and always sparkling eyes—most optimistic person in the world without the slightest bit of luck—comes in on weekdays and it's always a cup of coffee with exactly 2¾ teaspoons of sugar and a half-and-half (She used to use baking measures just for him, now it's all methodical). The cafe was home to many relationships and stories, which is one of the main reasons why Sakura felt so strongly for it. It was her second home, and part of the lives of others.
Today, there was someone new. A brunette, with a vaguely familiar face. Sakura kept her eyes on her as she idly chatted to the old woman. She grinned and smiled, but was too curious about the new customer to focus on her story. More importantly, she saw Temari watching her as well, and shot her a warning stare from across the room. Temari just grinned.
"...flowers?" Sakura stared blankly at the old woman and tried not to make it too obvious that she caught only the last word of their conversation. She asked her to repeat the question, and the old woman just laughed and waved it off.
"She's a cute one, isn't she, Sakura?" the woman jested in a low voice. She winked at Sakura and left, nibbling on her bran muffin. Even as the brunette approached, Sakura was still pink to the ears in embarrassment.
"Good afternoon," Sakura greeted. "What can I get you?"
The petite woman placed her order monotonously—black coffee, and nothing more. Not even the faintest smile. Temari came up from behind her, as friendly as ever. Sakura has seen enough of her tricks and bad habits to know what she's up to.
"You're not from around here, are you?" she said smoothly, holding her half-empty cup of espresso without a care in the world.
"No," she replied without looking at her.
"What's your name?"
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Please don't bother my customers, Temari," she said warily, knowing full well she wouldn't listen.
"Now she knows my name and I don't know hers. Thanks a lot, jackass," she said, picking up a straw from the cup behind the cash register and throwing it at her.
"Just ignore her," Sakura said with a kind smile, placing the drink on the counter. "She'll move on."
The woman nodded and picked up her drink. "Do you have newspapers here?" she asked as if nothing happened.
"Yeah, you must've missed it on your way in. There's a rack by the door."
"Oh," she said with a sheepish shrug, "I kind of broke my glasses."
"I can escort you!" Temari flashed an over-eager smile. Obeying Sakura's advice, the brunette ignored her and wandered over to the newspapers.
"Now look what you did!" Temari whispered harshly. Sakura grinned, without a hint of remorse. "You can make it up to me by getting her name."
Sakura stared in disbelief, but was quick to give in after a few light-hearted threats of spreading a well-imagined story featuring her mystery blonde. "Hey Miss," she called.
The woman straightened up, newspaper in hand, and looked over at Sakura. "Yes?"
"Could you just satisfy my friend's curiosity and give her your name? You can make it up, she'd never know."
The woman giggled softly, her eyes jumped from Sakura's to Temari's. She strode over and paid for her paper, standing close to the sandy-blonde, pretending not to notice her at all. "It's Tenten," she said, directing her words at Sakura. "I'll probably be back tomorrow. This seems like a good place to recommend my colleagues in the bookstore." Sakura noticed her eyes shifting to the side, but only grinned in response.
Without another word, the wind-chime played its melody again as Tenten exited.
Keeping her eyes on her retreating back, Temari leaned over the counter and whispered to Sakura, "You know, I think I'm in love."
"That's what you always say," Sakura retorted.
X
"Read us a story!" Chikao cried, jumping up and down excitedly on her white leather couch. Sakura had taken the kids back to her apartment after picking up take-out from the only Chinese restaurant in town. The children, having never seen food from the Orients, launched into a rush of curiosity and pure glee. The paper pamphlet menu itself was able to amuse them through half the dinner as they tried to pronounce all the exotic names like chicken chow mein. At least Chikao was obviously entertained. Chika remained mute through the evening, the only exceptions being single-word replies to her brother. Chikao wasn't happy about it, but was too distracted by everything in Sakura's apartment to care. Sakura was drained to a record degree, especially with the lack of sleep from the night before. However, she fought the sleep bravely and had managed to stay awake so far.
"What would you like to hear?"
"I dunno!" he said with a mile-wide grin. "You don't have any picture books so you'll hafta make one up!" Beside him, Chika lifted her head, expectant—either she really liked stories or she's just that fond of watching Sakura embarrass herself.
"Alright, alright, let's get to bed then, shall we?" She hated to admit, but even though she'd always exhibited a great sense of creativity in elementary school, her current skills were questionable. She had no reason to utilize them in high school, and social affairs (if you could call it that) kept her away from books and art in general. Her most recent innovative thought came from trying to find ways to boost the popularity of her mother's cafe after she inherited it, and even that took a long time to plan out as well as a lot of opinions.
So, in the short time she had to think of something while the children brushed their teeth, Sakura decided on the best method to approach this: point at a random direction and stick with it.
After a series of groaning and giggling, the siblings settled in comfortably in Sakura's bedroom. She tucked them in and pulled up a chair beside the queen-sized bed. She sat uncomfortably on all her dirty laundry. The chair was where everything ended up, but she was so tired, so looking forward to sleep that she couldn't even feel the scrunched up bras under the wrinkled jeans. Chikao stared at her expectantly with his puppy-like blue eyes so like two sapphires shining carelessly under the sun. Chika, on the other hand, moved to the other side of the bed with her back to Sakura as soon as they began to get comfortable.
"What story are you gonna tell us?"
"How about the story of The Ugly Duckling?" Sakura says as energetically as she could.
"But we've heard it already," Chikao frowns.
"I'm sure you haven't heard my version. It's actually called The Ugly Swan"
"O-oh!" he giggles, "okay then!"
Sakura cleared her throat. She had to think fast and try to appear as if she knows the story. Of course she knew the original story, but what can she add to make it tick with a six-year-old?
"Once upon a time," she began slowly, "There lived a swan"—Sakura glanced over at Chika and hoped—"the most beautiful swan for miles around. Her feathers were softer and whiter than everyone else. And do you know why this white swan was so special?"
Chikao shook his head vigorously.
"Because white is, in fact, not really a colour," Sakura explained, more to Chika than anyone else, "It's blank. Clean and pure. It's anything you want it to be and everything you can dream of! It's as soft as snow and bright as light. But it's also...empty. Like the swan. Even though she could be anything she wanted to be, she was hollow and sad."
"I don't really get it, but it sounds really sad," Chikao said. Chika had discreetly shuffled closer to her brother, twisting a little more to strain her ears with interest, but still too stubborn to let it show. "Can a swan cry?"
"I don't know, Chikao," Sakura replied.
"If they cry, will they have tissues to comfort them?" His round face was teeming with emotion. It wasn't hard to tell that, as silly as it might have sounded, his question was genuine.
"I assure you that in this story they will."
"That's good. I hope you give him the brand with the kittens on the package because they're really soft!" Sakura chuckled and ruffled Chikao's hair.
She continued, "This swan, was so beautiful that it made all the boy swans fell in love with her! But she didn't like a single one of them. Some were too boring or too annoying while others only loved her because she was beautiful. She didn't like that. She wanted to be loved for what's inside her. But one day, just as she was beginning to lose hope, she met a black swan! He was different from the others, and she was very afraid at first. He was a quiet one, having been picked on all his life. She didn't understand it, but she really wanted to be friends with him, this weird creature. She swam up and introduced herself, but he would only nod and say nothing. In reality, he was more scared of her than she was of him! He thought that she must be after something, that it was all a prank and that maybe a group of swans will appear and surround him and call him names. So, before she could even start a proper conversation, he swam away as quick as he could.
"But that wasn't the end of it. The white swan kept thinking about the black swan. Why did he run, she thought, why won't he be friends with her? No boy swan had ever run away from her like that. She had no idea that the black swan was alone, deep in an isolated part of the pond, thinking about her as well. He was so sad because he'd always been in love with her. But it was too good to be true. He knew some of the other swans knew about this as well, so her appearance must have been a plan to embarrass him again. They could never be together. So he hung his head and cried."
"Wait!" Chikao said with a morose look on his face. "Can he have tissue? Will he be happier if he had tissue?"
"Chikao, you're so stupid," a new voice joined in. "He's going to be alone."
"Why?" Chikao turned to his sister with narrowed eyes.
"Because he's a black swan," she replied matter-of-factly. "And I know what black looks like."
"Saku-nee!" he whined, "she's wrong, right?"
"Black," Sakura said closing her eyes to absorb the moment and took a deep breath, "is the colour of everything. It's like white, but the opposite. It's not a colour, but the shade of sadness and loneliness. But...without it, you will never appreciate white." She opened her eyes and smiled. "In the dark, there is always light. That's what my mother used to tell me."
"Liar," she heard Chika murmur.
"The next day," Sakura went on with the story, "The white swan set out to look for him. She was so curious about him. His black feathers interested her and unlike anything she's seen. After a bit of searching, she found him near the darkest part of the pond, his head in the water looking for food. So she swam up beside him and waited patiently. When he finally looked up, he was so surprised that he choked. She giggled and he hid his face with shame.
"To his surprise, she said to him, 'Do you remember me?' He nodded, thinking of course. 'What's your name?'"
"Oh! Oh!"Chikao interrupted, "I wanna name him!"
"No!" a sharp voice shrieked, "Let me name him!" Both Sakura and Chikao stared at her, stunned at the sudden burst of emotion. Her brother nodded without saying another word.
"Alright," Sakura urged, "you can name him."
Chika thought for a minute. "Belle. From the beast story. Mommy told me it meant 'beautiful'."
"Chika...that's a girl's name." Sakura tilted her head curiously. So far, the two children seemed oddly accepting to homosexuality. Unknowingly, but still very puzzling.
"Then she will be a girl," Chika said defiantly, "I want her to be beautiful!"
"Well then! If that's the case then that's how the story will go. Belle, shy as she was, told the white swan her name. The white swan swam around her in circles with interest and told her, very boldly, that she liked her. 'You have the most beautiful feathers,' she told her. Belle's cheeks turned pink and replied, 'You must be mistaken—how can you say that when you're the most beautiful swan in the lake?'
"The white swan stared at her for a long time. This time it was her turn to blush. 'Who told you that?' she asked. Belle was confused. Did she really not know? She didn't know how to answer that, so she swam away. The white swan chased after her, of course, she was much too interesting. When she finally caught up, she asked Belle if she hated her. Belle shook her head, took a deep breath, and told her her secret.
"She was in love with her, even though she knew the white swan would only take it as a joke. However, she did not call her disgusting, or any mean names in fact. Instead, she stroked her feathers and said she loved her too. The end." Sakura let out a breath and mentally congratulated herself for the fairytale ending. At least she got through the story and Chika and Chikao seemed satisfied.
Chikao fell asleep before the story concluded. Only Chika's colourless eyes remained, staring back at her emptily. "Do you think that will happen to me too?" Chika whispered.
"Of course."
"Even though I can't see?"
"Of course!" Sakura assured, "Chikao and your Mommy loves you even though you can't see right?"
"Yeah, but that's different. They have to love me because they're family."
Sakura's lips curled into a sad smile. "I wish that was true for all families, but when you're older, you'll understand. Go to sleep soon, okay? We have a long day tomorrow." Affectionately, she leaned over and brushed her coffee-coloured strands behind her ears. Then she pulled up the covers for both children, and quietly tiptoed out of the room, looking forward to the sleep that awaited her on the living room couch.
X
"RISE AND SHINE!" was the first thing Sakura heard the next morning. She looked around, suddenly alert with her blankets wrapped tightly around her. Sky is still dark, she thought to herself. Then out of nowhere, a heavy weight flew in and collided with her torso.
"WAKE UP!" The same voice screamed, followed by a fit of giggles. Chikao, Sakura's memory slowly registered.
"What's wrong? The sun isn't even up yet," she said hoarsely.
"WE GOTTA GO WAKE UP MOMMY! WE ALWAYS HAFTA WAKE MOMMY UP!" He dropped his voice and whispered, "Because if we don't she can sleep for a very, very long time."
"But why do we have to wake her up? She's in the hospital, let her rest," Sakura moaned and fell back onto her pillows.
"NO!" Chikao screeched, "SHE HAS TO DO HER MORNING EXERCISES!" He got up and jumped up and down on the bed. Sakura's head hit the headboard with the momentum. Just when she thought she could wake up later, they have to have to abide to their daily routines. She had no choice but to give in before Chikao injures her anymore.
"By the way, where is Chika?" Sakura called to Chikao, who had run off to the living room while she returned to her room to get dressed.
"Here," a little girl's voice called back. "I made breakfast."
"What?" Without thinking, Sakura dashed outside with her shirt flying behind her unbuttoned. Chikao screamed and ducked behind the couch while Chika stood there, solemn as ever with a plate of toast spread thick with raspberry jam and butter.
Sakura blushed and quickly covered herself. "You'll see this a lot when you grow up, Chikao," she said matter-of-factly. He screamed again. Sakura cleared her throat and started on the buttons. "Just forget I said anything."
"What happened?" Chika asked.
"Nothing."
Suddenly, from behind the couch, Chikao said something that left the other two speechless. "MOMMY'S BOOBIES ARE BIGGER!"
"Chikao! Who taught you that?" Sakura said without anger. If she wasn't holding back her laughter, she'd be on the floor by now. After all, she didn't want Chikao to think its okay to say to any girl he met.
"Some big kids taught me that word," he said, ducking again.
"Well, that's okay, but you should never tell a girl that another girl's boobs are bigger, alright? It hurts their feelings."
"But it's true!"
Uneasily, Sakura said, "I know." She shifted her eyes and felt a blush creeping up. It wasn't that she was staring of course, but there are some things you just can't help notice. Then she felt a tug on her sleeve. "Saku-nee," Chika said, looking up at her innocently, "will I have big boobs?"
She almost choked on her own spit. "I don't know it depends. But since your...Mommy...has big boobs, you probably will too. Alright guys, enough about boobs. You'll learn about them when you're older! Thank you both for waking me up and making breakfast. After we eat, we'll go see Mommy okay?"
"Can we make Mommy food too?" Chikao said, the high-backed chair at the dining table engulfing him as he jumped in.
"I don't see why not. What does she like?" The children's blank faces answered her question. Chika and Chikao exchanged glances, their wide-eyed expressions changing from surprise to accusing.
"She...she likes peaches!" Chikao tried.
"No!" Chika retorted. "Peaches make her all red and puffy and scary!"
"...Apples? I like apples."
"But that's not Mommy's favourite food! Don't be so selfish!" She poked him to emphasize, and he poked her right back. Before long, they were at the edge of their seats, poking each other, at first aggressively in non-stop get-backs, then playfully before fading into a big laughing fit where they both forgot why they were poking each other in the first place.
"Alright, alright," Sakura broke in, "I can't present you to your Mommy with bruises all over you. I'll come up with something with whatever I have in the fridge, okay? Now the quicker you finish your food the quicker we get to cook and the quicker you'll get to see her."
X
They found her at her bed dressed in the same clothes, decorated with splatters of dirt, that she wore when she was first admitted to the hospital. Most other patrons were still sleeping. She clutched a slip of paper in both hands, staring hard with worry etched into her brow. Without looking up, she stuffed the item into a worn leather satchel, old but no doubt a big brand name, and slung across her body. She appeared to be in deep thought. Sakura would've liked to wait a bit more so not to disturb her, but the children she held on to fled her grasp before she even noticed.
"Mommy!" Chikao cried, running until he slammed face-first into her leg with his arms wrapped around it like he would've died if he waited a second more. Chika, having just seen Ino yesterday, strode towards her coolly at first, but also broke into a run before jumping up and down in front of her with her arms in the air to be picked up.
"WE MISSED YOU MOMMY!" Chikao bawled into her pants.
"I missed you too, sweetie!" Ino laughed as she picked him up with her other arm. She had difficulty suspending them in the air, as if she expected him to be lighter, and quickly set them both down onto the bed so she could spoil them with a tight embrace.
Sakura smiled as she watched, but couldn't help but cut the moment short by asking, "Are you sure you're supposed to be going so early?"
"Yes," Ino said curtly, her eyes intimidating the other woman more than she knew.
"You didn't call yesterday," Sakura said after moments of uncomfortable silence.
"No, but it doesn't mean I trust you."
"I, uh, guess I did my job, so...goodbye."
"Wait," Ino said. The children were staring now, trying to read the situation without luck. They couldn't understand why their mother looked so grim when she should be happy right now. "I want to know something, Ms. Haruno."
"Er, Sakura. Please. And sure. Anything, just ask."
"Why?"
"I'm not sure I understand," Sakura said, raising a brow.
"Why did you do this? You could've left me in the streets, but you didn't. You must've been taking hours off work to babysit my kids. Why?" Ino was frustrated and it was becoming more apparent with every breath she took when it started to sound constraint.
"Because I thought you were going to die," Sakura shrugged. The most obvious answer.
"But I didn't."
"But I couldn't have known that."
"It doesn't matter. You didn't stop at calling the ambulance. There has to be something more to this. What do you want from me?"
Now it was Sakura's turn to be confused. A trick question? "Nothing," she answered honestly.
"Money?"
"No, I'd never want to take your money."
"Future blackmail?"
"No, I'm surprised you even thought of that."
"...Sex?" Ino said hesitantly.
"No!" Sakura flushed. "Believe me, I don't want anything. I helped you because I wanted to. Think of it as redemption. Look, don't worry about it, okay? Now that you're good and healthy again, you don't even have to remember my name if you don't want to."
"We're never gonna see you again?" Chikao said suddenly. His lips quivered. Beside him, Chika looked almost as stunned as he was.
"You never know," Sakura replied with the brightest smile she could muster and walked over to ruffle his hair.
"Thank you again," Ino said, casting a shy glance into her eyes as she pulled her children away. "There's no easy way to see this...but..."—she leaned in close so Chikao and Chika wouldn't hear, unintentionally igniting fire to Sakura's face—"It's probably...not a good idea to meet again. I-I'm happy you helped me with so much and thanking you a million times wouldn't be enough. This is probably the shittiest form of compensation I have to offer, but I have my reasons...so let's just...forget all of this."
She brushed past her with both children in tow. One of them, Sakura couldn't tell, briefly held onto her hand as they left. Neither said anything, unaware. They smiled widely at her, and Sakura found herself waving back, wondering if she'll ever see them again. Though their time was short, she knew that the small struggling family had already somehow stepped all over her life, a memory that begged for companions.
A/N: Alrighty! Those who have me on alert...this probably wasn't what you hoped for. And I promise I'll go back to SCABL now! Once again, this sort of an experimental story is another of many firsts, so I more than welcome constructive criticism. With enough popularity, I'll continue on. It's meant to be a three-parted story FYI. Otherwise, you know, no big deal. I'll find something else. Probably. OR I could just go back to SCABL, of course. Anyway! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it :)