46 places to go?
She loves her job. She's amazing at her job. She's nearly the boss at her job. Everything revolves around her job, but an article changes the sun she revolves around. "Whether you travel to eat or shop, surf or ski, new adventures await." And her life is turned upside down, for the better
Chapter 1
"Okay, Kagura-chan, I need you to breathe in slow and deep, then push!" A woman then screamed "That's good Kagura-chan, again!" another scream resounded then a soft cry was heard.
"Is it, is it my baby?" an exhausted voice asked meekly. The cry then becomes louder and louder. Behind a certain mask, lips smiled in pure happiness and adoration towards the newborn baby. "Yes Kagura-chan, it's your baby, your daughter."
The new mother just smiled while the baby was being handed to her. "My daughter, she – she's so pretty." The mother then laughed softly. "Ka-kagura-chan?" A male voice asked from the door. "Shin-chan, look, it's our daughter." The male then went near the bed and kissed both his wife and new daughter on their foreheads. "Just like you Kagura-chan." He said fondly. "How about a name then?" The attending doctor asked.
"Satsuki" They both replied.
"Satsuki Shimura it is." The doctor pulled down the mask and smiled genuinely at the couple. "We will transfer you and your baby to a different room so that you may recuperate, and congratulations on your new family member!"
The couple returned the doctor's smile " No! Thank you Doctor Sakura for taking care of my wife and daughter," Shinpachi said. "It is my pleasure to help such a lovely woman. I must go then and I shall send a nurse with the necessary paperwork, ok?" "Ok" She then left the operating room.
"Good job, Sakura." said a woman while signing her name on some papers. "Just doing what I love shishou." Mumbled someone from another table.
"Yes, you love your job, albeit too much." The woman then raised her head from the paper work "Sakura, you never take a break" She said with voice full of worry "and where the hell are you?"
A hand raised up from behind a big stack of books. "You're going to read all of that?!" the woman could not believe it. "Yup! There's nothing better than acquiring more knowledge!" The owner of the hand said happily from behind the books. "Sakura, I know how much you're devoted to being a doctor but can you at least lessen your workload!"
Sakura retracted her hand and looked at the older woman. Sakura stared for a while and then went back to her current paperwork while saying "Nah, I'm fine with this much Tsunade-shishou." Said woman took the pen that Sakura was using and glared at the younger woman. "I'm not suggesting, I'm insisting." The younger woman tried to match Tsunade's stare but in the end just gave up. She raised her hand in exasperation and just shouted
"Fine! I'll take a break. One day! I'll take a break for one whole day!" She looked at the older woman's smug grin.
"I am very happy with your decision Sakura, in fact so happy that as your boss I'm giving you a whole week to take a break!"
Sakura just looked at her shishou incredulously, as if she's just grown another head. "Yep! In fact I've already processed it a while ago, so off you go now! Ta – ta!" Tsunade said while making motions with her hand signaling Sakura to leave.
'What am I supposed to do in a whole week?!' I thought to myself while lazily browsing the internet. 'Ah whatever, I'll just use this time to catch up on my other readings.' Sighing, I decided to turn my laptop off. As I was about to close the internet window, an interesting headline caught my eye.
46 places to go this year
Intrigued a clicked on the link and it redirected me to the main site. "Whether you travel to eat or shop, surf or ski, new adventures await." 'Traveling? I've never been too fond of that.' Since I was born I've never left my birth country Konohagakure. 'I'll just bookmark this site then!' I still have six more days to think about this travelling stuff. 'Though this is definitely more interesting than just sitting around reading.' Having bookmarked the site, I finally turned my laptop off.
Standing up from the floor I went to my kitchen to make myself some well deserved hot chocolate. Waiting for the water to boil my mind wandered back to what I read. "Whether you travel to eat or shop, surf or ski, new adventures await." 'New adventures huh?' The kettle then started whistling, signalling that the water is now hot enough. I quickly turned off the stove and made me some hot chocolate.
I had been reading an atlas when a sudden knock on my door caught me off guard. I moved the atlas from my lap to the bedside table and went down to the front door. Looking throught the door's peephole I saw an all too familiar face.
I immediately opened the door and hugged my visitor. "Naruto!" he then grinned from ear to ear "Sakura-chan, I heard you finally took a break from baa-chan so I came to visit you!" He said and then returned my hug.
'Ah, Naruto, my ball of sunshine!' I thought to myself while silently giggling. "Come on in. Would you like to have some ramen?" I asked, knowing well what his reply would be. "Do you have to ask!'' We both laughed at that.
I went to my kitchen to grab three packs of instant ramen, then carefully preparing it onto a big bowl. I called Naruto over into the kitchen and he happily sat down in front of the table. I smiled as he sat there restlessly.
"So, how've you been?" I asked, while pouring the hot water into the bowl. "I'm dating Hinata-chan!" Naruto proclaimed loudly. I covered the bowl and set it aside. "Finally! Kami-sama knows how long she has been waiting for you!" Naruto just smiled sheepishly while scratching the back of his head.
Naruto then took the bowl and started eating the ramen that I prepared for him. "So, what's the deal with your vacation?" Naruto asked while pointing his chopsticks at me "What do you mean what's the deal?" I asked him back.
"Mah-ah Sakura-chan, everybody knows you don't take vacations or breaks unless it was ordered by baa-chan." 'Really? I never noticed that I was like that.' "Well, yeah, shishou forced me to take a one week vacation. Saying something like me being too devoted to my job that I don't have any time to relax at all. So yeah this happened."
Naruto then closed his eyes, seemingly in contemplation. "Well, technically she's correct, so maybe this vacation is perfect after all." He said after a while. His tone indicating that he was very serious. I giggled silently, but soon I started laughing loudly and Naruto just looked, protest written in his eyes.
"I'm sorry Naruto. It's just that being serious just does not fit you at all." I said while smiling fondly at Naruto. He returned it with a smile of his own. I sighed deeply, standing from the table and going near the stove, I took the kettle then made myself some hot chocolate. "The truth is, I read something on the net." I blurted out.
Naruto just looked at me, as if waiting. I breathed in deeply and started again. "It was entitled 46 places to go and frankly I was intrigued. I mean I've never been outside Konoha and after reading through some atlases, it just became more tempting." I explained but still I continued to talk more "but I just can't leave my job and I don't know the first thing about travelling, besides it'll take more than a week or so. There is 46 places after all."
I looked up to see Naruto flabbergasted, but soon his face of confusion turned into his signature grin. The one that goes from ear to ear.
"Why not try it Sakura-chan? I mean you have enough money anyway thanks to your doctor job, and even if you lose all your money we can always lend you ours." Naruto's insistence of this travelling made me think more. He does have a point. Thanks to my job I have enough money in the bank to supply myself in this mind boggling journey.
'They keep telling me to take a break anyway' I looked at Naruto's eyes then I smiled. "Fine, let's go ask shishou permission!"
A knock on the door awakened a blonde woman from her deep slumber. "What do you want!? I'm not here! Go away!" said woman shouted then went back to her sleep. The knocking continued though. "Didn't I tell you to go away!" she shouted again, but she heard mumbles from the other side of the door.
She strained herself so that she can hear it. "Shishou, it's me Sakura. I need to talk to you about something." Conceding defeat the woman went to unlock the door "What?" her voice clearly laced with irritation "Tsunade-shishou" Sakura inhales then exhaled "I want to travel around the world."
Tsunade just stood there and stared at Sakura. She then spotted a blob of blonde from behind Sakura. "Naruto?" she asked in disbelief. "Heya baa-chan!" she then pointed at Sakura "Care to explain" She stated while one of her eyebrows arched upward.
So Sakura explained the sudden urge to travel around. Tsunade just listened with her lips set in a grim hard line. She's also noticeably tense around her jaws and shoulders.
After about half an hour of talking on Sakura's part, Tsunade sighed, deeply. "Are you sure about this?" Sakura just nodded her head. "So is there a chance that I may be on leave indefinitely?" Tsunade leveled her gaze to Sakura's eyes. She searched for any sign of doubt, fear, confusion, and she found none.
She sighed again. "Fine! You earned it anyway." Sakura squealed in happiness and Tsunade can't help but smile too.
'Finally, you found something that can make you happy.'
Two weeks after the talk with Tsunade, Sakura has finally prepared her itinerary.
First she would go to Singapore, the second she mused would be Hong Kong and completing her top three was the Philippines. Sakura cannot contain her excitement as she double checked her single luggage and backpack that will act as her hand carry.
Wearing white long sleeves with a ¾ sleeve cut partnered with a dark brown Capri pants that stops just a few inches below her knees. She was also wearing a thin black cloth vest and khaki scarf around her neck. She then finishes it off by tying her hair into a ponytail and wearing black ballet flats. Looking at herself in a body mirror she nodded at her clothing then smiled.
'This will be an adventure of a lifetime. Singapore here I come!'
Edited (12/01/15) :)