"Hey Sakura! Hand the ball!" shouted a young boy a couple yards away from Sakura. It echoed throughout the large and empty canal. The sky was a bright burnt orange, streaming with pink & violet clouds, surrounding the mountains. The 5 children were ecstatic & playful. They played beneath a bridge, who's shadow enveloped the circle.
"Wait for it, Saya-kun!" responded a petite, young girl with dirty, short pink hair. Her eyes were a soft emerald and her clothes were tattered and torn. Her feet were as black as soot, being shoeless and her skin was a bright porcelain. She threw the ball to the boy, Saya, who threw it to a girl next to Sakura. The girl missed and the ball bounced beneath the bridge.
"I got it!" Sakura called out to her playmates, as she turned and jogged towards the bridge, but came to a hesitant stop as a tall shadow held their ball in its hands. All they could see from the shadow were eyes, with strange red and black shapes with in them. Sakura walked towards the shadow with an uneasy smile. The boy stepped into the burnt light, revealing a boy perhaps a foot taller then Sakura. He wore a black long sleeved shirt that slightly covered his lips. His hair was long and skin pale as paper.
"Its Freak Eyes!" yelled Saya from across the canal. All the children scowled at the sight of the young boy, as if he were a worm, but he was clearly older.
Sakura was disappointed at the reaction of their friends. "Hey Sakura, could I have my ball? Were gunna go." Sakura nodded but didn't take an eye off the mysterious boy. "Itachi-san, may I please have my friend's ball back?" she politely questioned.
He was quiet & silence grew throughout the hallow area, then he slowly began moving towards Sakura. She stood there nervously, but with a sense that she had no need to be scared. He stopped a few feet away from her, extending his arms & handing her the ball. She grabbed the ball & turned away from the stranger, heading back Saya's direction, but quickly stopped as his voice was a low melody, "I just wanted to play." Ashamed of himself, he stared at the ground beneath him.
Sakura paused in pity, & turned her head towards Itachi, then back at Saya who still held the ugly scowl. She threw the ball to Saya, watching it bounce back to him. "Kay. Bye you guys! See you later!" she yelled from afar. Saya gasped surprised & quickly walked away with the other kids. Sakura turned back toward Itachi & sent him a soft smile. "Hello, Itachi-san. My name is-" she paused as he quickly interrupted her. "Sakura." He finished. She nodded approvingly.
Sakura cheerfully skipped beneath towards a pile of huddled boxes & she called him over. He slowly walked over, his eyes motionless & cold. "Itachi-san, I want you to meet someone really close to me. All my friends love her & she knows all my friends. Her name is Kisa." Then from a box, a black kitten with blue eyes & a white crescent spot placed on the side of her stomach. She walked between & around her legs, purring & rubbing her fur against Sakura's skin. She was nervous, as though she were friends with him for years, & wanted to show him a new pet or something. His eyes were so welcoming & soft. Sakura felt as if it were friends at first sight.
Itachi remained quiet but smirked & released a soft chuckle. He bent down & extended his hand, beckoning the kitten. Kisa walked hesitantly toward the stranger, sniffing him thoroughly. She tucked her head under his extended hand, gliding her body across his palm.
"She likes you." giggled Sakura. He remained calm & still mysteriously quiet. It frustrated her, yet she was so curious, she was drawn to him.
The night was peeking from beneath the horizon & stars filled the night sky, glistening in darkness. Itachi stood up & he stared deep into Sakura's eyes that sent a deep cold chill down her spine.
"Maybe its getting late, you should go, Itachi-san before your family gets worried." Said Sakura as she bent down & picked up the purring kitten. He gave off a disturbed reaction to her statement. "Where do you live, Sakura?" questioned Itachi, blandly. Sakura chuckled softly & sighed. "Um, this is my home, Itachi-san." She responded, placing the kitten back into the box.
Itachi's eyes seemed to get colder as she turned back to face him. He was hurt & sympathetic & seemed to get a little tense, turning the opposite direction. "I-I have to go, Sakura-chan." Itachi said hesitantly, taking a leap in the air & disappearing into the night.
Sakura wanted to cry out to say good-bye but she didn't in time. She crawled into her box, laying down & draping herself with a dirty blanket. "G'night , Kisa." The kitten meowed softly as they both fell asleep.
The next morning was bright & gold. Sakura had awaken alone, with Kisa nowhere in sight. It wasn't normal for Kisa to leave without Sakura in the morning. Kisa would wake up the same time Sakura did & do search for breakfast… but not this morning. This morning, Kisa was missing.
"Kiiiisa, pst, pst!" Sakura called out to the young kitten but still, no response. She crawled from under the cardboard box & into the bright morning light. She stretched happily & began walking from under the shadow of the bridge. She stopped & took a step back, looking down toward a big puddle of fresh blood. The hair on the back of her neck stood high & she cried aloud, echoing throughout the empty canal.
Sakura's face grew pale, as she began to inch her head in upwards direction, as a drop of blood trickled down her shoulder. She quickly began to feel faint & ill.
There above her head hung Kisa's top half of her body, with her hind legs & tail missing. Sakura fell to the floor in utter disgust & tears.