Chapter One: My Dear Friend

"I can't believe you actually did that! I...I HATE YOU!"

There was a pregnant silence that ensued. It was as though everything was in limbo and only a tense atmosphere could be felt.

"She is still a child! How could you do that? What did she ever do to you? You...you...you disgust me."

He could see her emerald eyes flash at him furiously. There was an unfathomable rage within her, and was that a glint of sorrow he saw in her eyes? Her words had pierced his heart unknowingly, and he could feel it ache slightly. His eyes followed her as he felt her last wintry stare at him and shoved past him.

What had he done?


I never knew that he was so bitter inside. I thought he had that tiny shard of kindness in him, deep down, buried under all that coldness. The same thoughts unfolded in her mind repeatedly.

She felt really exhausted inside. And she could still feel the warm touch of the little girl.

"Neechan? I would like to see the rainbow someday. Do you think I can see it one day? Maybe...just maybe a little glimpse? I wouldn't want it to let me draw it. Do you think it'll let me? I really hope so."

Makino chan. Sakura felt herself murmur. She threaded her way slowly away from the wretched place. It was beginning to drizzle, she realised. The raindrops were gentle, trickling on her just like the gardener so caringly water his seedlings. Just like tears.

Tears, from the heavens.

Then, she too could no longer stand the clawing sadness in her. She began to cry. Her tears slid down her cheeks, onto the ground. The rain grew heavier, but they still felt soft on Sakura's skin. It made her cry much intensely.

Her gait was unsteady but she was determined to get away from the place. That place where he was and where he would always have the authority. She detested him. No, more than that, he was scum to her. He deemed himself as a god, always claiming he had to protect what he held precious. The life of a young girl was not worth his belief. His crooked belief.

Rain had made the pavement wet and slippery. She was oblivious, and began to run. She sprinted as fast as she could, in a speed that she hadn't knew she was capable. It was all her fault. Why hadn't she stopped him?

My fault...my fault…

I...would rather die.

Sakura felt her legs grew weak and jelly-like. They gave way under her. She could feel the rainwater on the ground against her skin now. She was drenched to the core. Drenched from within.

She cried again. For Makino, for the innocent souls, for everything that she had held dear. She dragged herself up with her hands, scraping her elbows against the rough ground. They grew red, as her skin was exposed to the rain, she felt a biting pain.

But she was too hurt to care. For anything, anyone... Sitting up, she gazed into the distance. Rain and mist clouded her view. She could see nothing, feel nothing. Then, the rivulets of tears came again. She hated them, they made her feel weak. She had vowed not to cry anymore. Never again, after Sasuke had left Konoha.

What was she doing now? Trying to dry her tears with her arms, she felt the rain pattering on her, wetting her. Stop, stop, stop! Stop your crying! Enough! Why are you crying? Stop it, you weakling!

A part of her wanted to cease her sniffling, but another wanted to continue. It was a way out, of everything that had happened in the past 3 days. A beast in her was tearing at her sanity.

She yelled with anguish and with sorrow. Clenching her fists so that her knuckles turned white, she pounded the ground beside her. She could feel the sediments cracking and breaking, but she did not stop. She persisted, feeling a bone in her fist fracture and blood flowing from the bruises that were forming on her fist. She stopped when she had not an ounce of strength within.

Then, she felt her limbs weaken and slacken. She wrapped her bloodied arms around her knees and buried her head into her legs. Blood was covering her legs now, and she felt herself growing weak.

"Sakura!"


She could feel her body dreading to awake. Her muscles in every single part of her body were refusing to operate. She was afraid, terrified of what she would face when she opens her eyes again.

Where was she? A room. She could smell the gentle fragrance of a jasmine flower. It was comforting and she lay there, listening. She could hear a distinct sound of paper against pencil. It seemed to come from her left. The intensity of the pencil against the paper fluctuated now and then.

Summoning her strength, she opened her eyes. So it had been him. She had not been mistaken.

"You're awake." The artist continued with his art piece, unperturbed, with his back facing her.

"Sai?"

Sakura inquired, appalled. It had been four days since their last meeting. Why was he here in Suna?

Sai was solemn. His hands moved across the canvas with perfect strokes. He had pained himself to highlight the sunrise which was peeping across the sandy terrain from the window of the room. With thicker lines, and thinner ones, then a slight shade in certain areas. Sakura did not interrupt him, instead, she allowed him to finish his art.

After an hour, Sai replaced his pencil on the table beside him. He turned his back towards Sakura. The smile that he had always plastered his face with remained on it.

"Good morning, Sakura."

"Good morning."

He gave a wider smile, and proceeded to opening the windows. Instantly, Sakura could feel a dry wind blowing from the deserts. The sun had fully risen now, and Sakura could see its gentle rays shining against the great many windowpanes of the village's houses. There were indistinct cries from the distance, undoubtedly belonging to the children of the village who had arose and were already frolicking about.

The enthusiastic shouts and laughter of the children resembled knives that stabbed Sakura's heart mercilessly. Makino chan...

"It is a beautiful morning, don't you think?"

Sakura managed to revert to her senses just then and replied him with a smile. She felt her eyes travelling to her hand which felt incredibly sore. It had been bandaged thickly and she could not sense her hand at all. Shutting her eyes, she recovered the memory of the events that had taken place the previous night.

"Why...why are you here?"

There was a momentous pause. Sai faced the window, answering with his emotionless voice. "I was on a mission to escort a merchant here from Mizu no kuni. Before I found you, I was on my way back to Konoha."

"I see..."

No one spoke for a while; only the gale could be heard, causing the windchime to begin tinkling. "About your mission..." Sai began, trailing off once he saw the crestfallen look on her countenance.

The awkward silence was broken eventually when a knock on the door issued loud and clear, echoing sharply throughout the room.

"Good morning, Sakura san. The kazekage is here to see you."

"I don't wish to see him." Her reply came, bitterness in every word.

"But..." The nurse sounded unsure, her tone softening.

Sai was taken aback by the situation. What had happen? He gazed at her. He saw how she struck the bedside table with her unbandaged hand and smashed the vase on the table into smithereens. She was livid with rage.

He walked his way towards the door and opened it, coming face to face with a nurse who had a blanched face. Despite her fear, the nurse blushed slightly at Sai being so close to her.

"I'm sorry, but Sakura doesn't wish to see you. You can hear her from here, I presume?" He tried on his best smile towards the red-head, who as usual had betrayed nothing on his face.

"What are you doing here?"

The question came plain as day. Sai realised that he had a bit of a trouble answering it. What was he doing here? "I came to visit my friend." He offered the explanation, seemingly dubious of his own reply. Yet he kept the smile on his face.

Gaara as usual kept his ground and did not give a hint of annoyance on his face. He gestured with his fingers, dismissing the nurse who was gazing at Sai dreamily. Stepping forward, he shoved Sai aside.

"Please respect her wishes." Sai did not succumb to his push, and instead remained rooted to the floor, obstructing his way. Gaara flashed his eyes that were filled with irritancy at him. Sand was beginning to form around Sai's throat.

"I can kill you right now if you don't get lost."

Still unnerved, Sai replied calmly, "I do not think that would be best. After all, you are the kazekage. And people of your status should be much aware of their actions." However, his hand wrapped defensively around his katana, that was behind his back. He had removed the smile on his face, and what greeted Gaara was a pair of wintry black eyes.

Gaara flinched slightly. The sand that was swirling around Sai's neck retreated, and he narrowed his eyes at him. "Why are you here in Suna?"

"On an escort mission." Sai began smiling cheerily again, though his eyes were unmistakably icy.

"You can return to Konoha right away, your mission has ended, I assume?" The young kazekage spoke, his words slow but firm.

Sai nodded his head. "I'm afraid I cannot return now, my friend is in pain. I must give her help. That's what friends are for; I've read that in a book. Though I don't really understand why she's so angered by the sight of you. Her mission..." He trailed off, expecting a reply from Gaara.

"What has happened has nothing to do with you. Now if you don't mind, I've got work to do. I've got no time for people the likes of you." With the last palpable glare, he swaggered off, leaving a cloud of sand behind.

Sai turned and found Sakura lying against the pillow, staring into blank space. She was motionless, and he could not understand the feeling that she was portraying. He had tried so hard to learn. Knitting his brows together, he pondered. What would a friend do in such a situation?


It had been a day since Sakura's discharge from the hospital. She felt empty inside, and went for a walk around the village. She chanced upon a street where simple stalls were strewn almost every she went. She paced gingerly through the street, her emerald eyes observing everything that was around her.

Her eyes stopped when she saw a bunch of children crowding around an area. Out of curiosity, she approached the place.

"A rabbit, sir! I want to see a rabbit!"

"Me first, me first! I want a carp!"

The children were making various requests. Sakura could hear loud whoops from the children. She craned her neck to see whatever was attracting the children.

An unmistakable head of black hair came into view. Sai? What was he doing here? Sakura looked on as she saw him painting a beautiful rabbit on his scroll. With a positioning of his hands in a seal formation and murmuring a string of words, the rabbit pounced out of the scroll sprightly and began hopping around with much life.

A little girl chuckled with joy and went after the rabbit at once. "Magician! Magician!" The children began chanting happily. Sakura watched as Sai smiled once again.

"I'm not a magician."

Sakura perceived with a shock that his smile was now one that truly emitted sincerity. His fake smile no longer existed. The long hours she had spent trying to instruct him on emotions, smiles and love.

"Sakura?"

Coming to her senses, she waved at him jovially. Sai rolled his scrolls, and turned to the children apologetically.

"Today's programme shall come to an end now. It's time you guys return home."

Sounding dejected, the children groaned in disappointment. However, they dispersed almost immediately, rushing away to look for their parents. Sakura gazed at their running figures.

"It's great that you have been discharged." Sai piped up.

Sakura began walking, stretching her hand before her. "Yes, see, it's all in order now." They continued strolling for a while, and there was no conversation between them. For a while, both just observed the people milling around.

"Do you do that often? With the children, that is."

Sai cocked his head and inquired," The magic show?"

She gave a chuckle, and nodded. Tucking a stray pink hair behind her ear, she watched him closely.

"I've found that they liked it when I perform that ninjutsu. It makes me happy somehow, when they laugh. It is a pretty weird feeling." He frowned.

"That's called kindness. You make their day when you bring the animals to life." Sakura explained.

Kindness. The word swirled his thoughts, causing a warm rush through his heart. It meant a lot to him, that word. He seemed to love the sound of it, and tried murmuring it a few times under his breath.

"Sir, would you buy a flower for your girlfriend?"

A pair of innocent and angelic eyes looked into those of Sai's.

Sakura blushed a deep beetroot red. Sai's poker face did not evolve, however. He squatted down and sorted through the flowers in the basket. He paid immaculate care not to inadvertently wreck the blooming flowers as he chose a stalk of flower. After a few moments, he stood up, with a purple baby's breath in his hand.

"I think I'd have this." He dug into his pockets, pressing a few coins into the tiny hand of the child. "Thank you, sir." With a grateful smile, she ran off hurriedly.

As they continued to walk on, Sai offered the baby's breath to Sakura. "I thought they're really pretty. But I'll probably sit on them if I bring them around. Will you keep it?"

There was a momentous pause, Sakura took a deep intake of breath and clutched the flowers in her hands. The pale purple of the baby's breath attracted her deeply. Sakura could smell a gentle fragrance from the flower. "Thank you."

She knew she was blushing lightly. The baby's breath was extremely pretty and swayed with the light breeze that was blowing.

"Have you had dinner," Sai asked tentatively. He had read in a book somewhere that when asking friend out for dinner, one should take a much subtle approach. He crossed his fingers behind his back. "Would you like to erm..."

Sakura gazed at him with her emerald eyes, baffled. "Have dinner?" There was another awkward silence. Sai nodded his head in a discomfited fashion. "I guess the ramen shop would be fine," offered Sakura, hurriedly walking in the direction of the shop.

What was wrong with her? She felt so uncomfortable in front of him, a friend. A friend whom she had not seen for a long while. It felt somewhat strange to see him again. He had changed so vastly that it made her querulous. Sakura turned her glance at Sai again.

He was looking around in a dazed sort of fashion. His eyes glittered whenever the light from the decorative lights reflected onto them. Sakura noticed this and stared at him gapingly. He had done something to his hair, she realised. He had had it cut in another fashion.

"Is there anything on my face?" Sai asked curiously with an unwavering smile on his face.

Sakura's face flushed red in embarrassment and she shook her head immediately. "N-Noo! Of course not!" She laughed in spite of herself. What in heaven's name was she doing here? Stay calm, relax, Sakura! He is merely a friend, nothing more, nothing less.

A friend.

Nothing more, nothing less.


It had been a whole day since Sakura had had a proper meal and she enjoyed the ramen tremendously. Although there was this throbbing pain in her heart, as though she had lost a little shard of her heart, she felt grateful for the presence of Sai. Simply having a friend there was enough.

The night air was relatively chilly. Sai had offered to walk Sakura home. An action that Sakura felt was unusually weird, as the Sai she knew never had the decency to even do that. Yet here she was, walking on his right.

She gazed up at the stars above. There were aplenty of stars scattered across the dark sky. They resembled minute glass shards that were tossed onto the ground, with the bright rays of the Sun reflecting off them.

"About your mission..." Sai begun, his voice leaden with curiosity.

Sakura stopped in her tracks. The sound of cicadas filled the air, as though trying to make up for the emptiness in her heart. "Sai, I-I don't want to talk about it just yet. Not till I return to Konoha."

Sai nodded his head understandingly. Her eyes were hauntingly sorrowful. It hurt to see her this way. This was something Sai could not understand. What did they call this? Sai wrecked his mind in search of a word for this.

Sakura gave a faint smile as they reached her apartment. "Sorry." She murmured but quickly piped up. "Well, this is the place. It's pretty small, nothing compared to what we have at home, but I get by. I was wondering, Sai-"

Before she had a chance to end her sentence, she felt a pair of lips pressing against hers softly. She widened her eyes in shock. Sai's face came into full view. Sakura was flabbergasted and did not know how to react.

She was kissing Sai.

What in the world?

"I'll see you tomorrow!" With that, he was off into the night.

She had kissed Sai. Sakura felt the aftermath of the whole thing profoundly. That was her first kiss! What had he done? SAI!! She felt like walloping him.

What did he think he was doing? She thought in anger and in shock. He must have read that in some dumb book again. The taste of him was still lingering on her lips. Sakura went red in the face as she thought of his face yet again.

She would not admit it, but she liked it.

That night, there was one soul burning with jealousy and rage. He was standing on the roof of one of the houses, witnessing the kiss. He had wanted to apologise to her. But that bastard had to enter and wreck everything. Gaara stood there so quietly but there was a storm raging within him. The only thing on his mind was his enviousness of that boy.

What was his name again?

Oh yes.

Sai.