Steps of Life
Frog-Wallet
A Series of Vignettes
A soul strays constantly from the path, only to meet another one each time. "What do you want?" he snaps. She just keeps trying to embrace him, though her life is no worse than his. He can never evade her. Canon.
-THE FIRST TWO MEMORIES-
Too Young for Boys
Sakura is a little older than six years in this day of April, having been born in March.
She has tiny hands just a bit bigger than a large pebble, each long finger slightly plump from the remaining baby fat of birth. Her nose and mouth are also small, which her mother assures that they will grow in time.
However, her eyes are a completely different matter. They are a bright shade of the forests that thrive outside of Konoha. The young girl dreams of being a full-fledged Shinobi and take missions requested by her Hokage. Someday, she will climb those trees and jump from branch to branch.
Today, it is her first day at the Academy. Families, guiding their children to their designated class, crowd around the various rooms of the building. She feels fearless, save for the fact that she can hear the others whispering to their parents about her abnormal forehead. Her mother ushers her through the doors of the looming School and tells her to ignore them.
"Okaasan, why must they be so mean?" Sakura asks anyway, her eyes shifting from each jeering kid.
Her mother's dark blue eyes look down at her as she explains, "Because they want to cover up their own flaws by pointing out the flaws of others. It is easier to bully someone else rather than yourself, understand?"
Sakura nods.
"Good, my flower. Now come."
She grips her mother's outstretched hand with delicate fingers in understanding. Her mommy is so beautiful, strong, and intelligent—everything the young girl wants to be when she gets older. Smiling as they pick their way through the barrage of people, she allows her mother to guide her to Classroom 1-A.
At Classroom 1-B, just across a few feet from their destination, the dense crowd begins to part to the side to allow someone through. It must be someone important. Sakura is thrown against the wall with her mother as parents force themselves to the side and try to get a peek at the important newcomers.
She can hear some of them say, "Look, it's the two members of the Uchiha Clan! They're the ones doing Konoha good!"
Standing on the tips of her feet, she sees two males—one tall, the other short. The shorter one is clinging to his older brother like a leech, his eyes as wide as saucers and cheeks pink with both embarrassment and pride. He swivels his head from side to side to observe his surroundings.
For a split second, his gaze meets hers. Sakura notes that they are the darkest, gentlest shade of black she has ever laid her eyes on and blushes. Before she gets the chance to wave at him, he turns away and buries his head into the side of his brother, who stops to ruffle his hair. They seem to be having fun, paying no heed to the spectators in awe of their brotherly relationship.
"Okaasan," she questions for the second time, "Who are they?"
"Uchiha Itachi and his little brother, Sasuke of the famous Uchiha Clan," the woman responds cheerfully, grinning at her little daughter's curiously. She definitely does not regret telling the young girl to be inquisitive and to gather as much knowledge as possible. The informative tone in her voice changes into a teasing one. "Oh, is my Sakura-chan in love?"
Sakura cocks her head to one side. "You mean how I love you, Okaasan?"
"Not quite. I guess it's a bit too early for me to tell you," she states, poking Sakura in the nose as if she were pressing a button.
Her delicate flower is still too young to fully understand what love is—and much too young for boys.
The Best
Sasuke is the coolest.
He is strong.
He is smart.
He is wonderful.
Sakura thinks these thoughts as she watches him hurl a kunai at a target. She wants to jump up and clap when it hits the dead center of the target with a 'thud', but she is too shy. The other girls in the class are bold, crowding around him and congratulating him. He closes his eyes and tries his hardest to imitate the cool look of his brother yet fails as the teacher praises him.
Among the circle of girls is the popular Ino. She wears the most stylish clothing—bright pink tops and blue skirts—and no one dares to oppose her, for the words that come out of her mouth when angry are explosive and scary. By a chance made by fate, she spots Sakura, sitting alone under a tree wishing that she could be braver.
"Hey," the blonde calls, "Why aren't you here with the rest of us?"
The cheers of the girls die down into silence. It is as if they are testing her. Sasuke merely glances at her with disinterest, returning to his kunai practice. Sakura can feel her heart drop with sorrow at his lack of attention towards her.
Ino witnesses the two's short eye contact and experiences a pang of sympathy upon hearing mutters of "Sasuke-kun will never like her; her forehead's too big!" or complaints like "How did she get Ino-chan's attention?"
With a flip to her short hair, she runs up to the loner and reaches out to her. "I'll teach you how to be the best in the class… next to me, of course."
Sakura wipes the tears forming at the corner of her eyes on the sleeves of her pink sweater. "Sure," she answers to her new, first friend.
"Okay, your lessons start tomorrow at the flower shop," Ino commands like a Hokage sending her Shinobi to the frontlines of battle. "Don't be late!"
Sakura is nods. She is determined to be the best; the best and only person for Sasuke.
--
Never the Same
Sasuke enters the classroom alone. Itachi is not by his side nor is the silly smile he usually wears in the morning. He just sits a dismal corner of the room, frowning and glaring at the board with disgust.
"Hi, Sasuke-kun," Sakura greets. Her voice is confident—much different than a few months ago—and she is ready to interrogate him about last night's events, only to receive a heartbreaking view of his hardened eyes. If she were to touch them, they would be as cold as glass.
Shooting murderous glances at anyone daring to follow him, Sasuke ducks to the training grounds of the Academy. Outside in the autumn air, he flicks his kunai at the floating red leaves. They all land in a red heap on the ground, staining the ground like blood in which he clenches his fists and falls on his knees, now out of weapons.
The Uchiha, wallowing in his grief and misery, does not notice that Sakura is slipping a handkerchief into his bag. She has a feeling that he will cry at one point.
And she knows he will never be the same again. The statement also applies to her—she is morphing into a person she is not and the real Sakura is starting to disappear, like the handkerchief she is tucking in between his books.
A/N: I just posted something that I wrote some time ago and edited, just to let all of you know that I'm alive. Yes, my SasuSaku fics are on hiatus, but I will think of ideas soon. For the time being, don't be surprised if I write Kingdom Hearts stuff.
Thank you all for reading. Criticism is appreciated.