In the dead of night, Sakura sat on a high limb over looking Konoha. She loved to sneak out at night and climb up into the towering tree next to the high walls around the village. During the day her whereabouts were always known, but during the night she could sneak away from her scheduled life. She loved her life greatly, but somehow the thought of her own little secret escape brought a little thrill into her mind.
Sakura gazed up at the beautiful stars overhead. They gave her a feeling of hope and faith. She did not know what she was hoping for, or even what she had faith in, but the fact that it was there, was enough for her.
The wind swiftly blow through the trees, causing the limbs above to shift, the leaves to dance, and slowly one by one fall off then drift away. She just sat there with her arms wrapped around her legs and her head resting on her knees, while the cool winter wind gently kissed her cheeks. Sakura was most peaceful on nights like this.
Konaha was asleep, and other than the watchmen walking back and forth on the walls surrounding Konaha, it seemed like Sakura was the only one awake. All the lights were off except the street lights that illuminated the silent streets below. The only sounds that were to be heard were the ones of nature.
Her mind was at rest. The problems that normally were buzzing through her thoughts were pushed away for a later time. All that she had to think about was herself and how calm Konaha looked at night.
Breathe
With this thought Sakura slowly took a deep breath fully filling her lungs with the cool air then slowly letting it escape through her nose. She repeated this a few times with her eyes closed just taking in all off the peaceful essence around her. Finally after finishing her little peace ritual she opened her eyes taking one last look at the village that had been her home for the last 17 years. She slung her legs over the side of the branch and slowly slid off then landing on her legs.
Sakura turned and looked up at the giant wall that her favorite tree grow next to. The wall was built to keep harm out and to help shield the village, but sometimes Sakura felt more like it was keeping her trapped in.
She loved missions because they usually were outside of the walls. The pay was small and the work could range from rescuing a missing cat to tracking high level criminal ninja. No matter what the mission was though she could find happiness in the thought of a little adventure.
Turning back towards the village Sakura began her walk home. Sakura knew well that she could be home quickly if she just ran while using chakra, but she enjoyed her late night excursions and saw no good reasons to rush home. She just stared up at the sky not really thinking about where she was going.
"Sakura, I think you are standing on my foot."
At this unexpected awakening from her thoughts she jumped back and looked down from the sky to a familiar face.
"Shikamaru? I'm so sorry I didn't see you there."
Damn it Sakura. Why can't I ever watch where I'm going? Now I've almost smacked face first into Shikamaru.
He smiled and nodded. "No problem, we were both not paying attention. Why are you out so late?"
Sakura was happy to see he was in a good mood, well as good of a mood that Shikamaru could be in. She quickly smiled back. "Well why are you out here? If I'm going to tell you my reason for being out so late I want to hear yours too."
When she said this he just grinned. Shikamaru was very skilled at games and tactics and though he was a little on the lazy side compared to most ninja he knew better than anyone that he could read her and outsmart her in any game. "Oh so you want to play that game, eh? Well I asked first so in turn you must answer first."
Great know he wants to know details about where I've been. If I tell him my secret, it will be lost and I will have no more time for myself.
Quickly she decided a simple while lie would be enough to keep her secret place safe for now. "I'm gathering pants and herbs to be made into medicine. Tsunade said that we were running low." As soon as Sakura said this she knew she had picked the wrong answer. It sounded almost believable in her head, but like many things, when she said it out loud it just sounded awkward. Would he notice how fake it was though?
"So let me get this straight. You are out in the middle of the night, alone looking for plants and herbs to be made into medicine for Tsunade, yet my eyes tell me that you have none on you."
Nope. He noticed that it was fake.
Sakura tried her best to stay calm. She did everything in her power to keep herself from stuttering or blushing. "These plants glow during a full moon so it's easiest to find them on a night like tonight. I don't have any right now because during the winter the glow is very dimmed and eventually it gets so dim that it becomes impossible to find them until spring, and I'm afraid I'm a little late to find them."
I don't think I have ever said or heard so much bull in one sentence.
He just smiled and nodded. He could easily tell that she was lying and didn't want to talk about this anymore so he figured he'd end the conversation and let her get on her way. "Well, I'm sorry that you couldn't find your plants. I was just on a walk admiring the stars. Aren't they beautiful this time of year?"
Shikamaru said this so smoothly that it almost took Sakura's breath away. All she could think about was why couldn't she have said something as simple as that? She felt like a complete fool and knew that he could tell she had been lying about the moon plants. "Yes they seem to stand out more this time of year. I love to look up at the night sky. It's like a big blue sea and the stars are like the twinkling ripples and waves, disappearing as quickly as they appear, just a twinkle caught from the corner of your eye."
Shikamaru was caught off guard by how well she answered his question. It was an honest onion of hers and he could tell by the look on her face. The way she said it, it sounded like poetry the way it flowed, almost having a rhythm to it. He would have thought her answer would be fake and awkwardly said like the other answer she gave him. "I guess this is goodnight then" he responded.
"Yes, nice talking to you, Goodnight" With that last word she hurried back to her apartment.
This time she was using the chakra. She didn't want to have to have another awkward word with Shikamaru that night.
Sakura's hair flickered behind her as she darted off. Shikamaru stood there for a moment watching her disappear into the night. Shikamaru remembered when Sakura had cut her hair to escape from a sound ninja. Since then her hair had grown long again. The last part he could see of her was her long pink hair and then she was gone.
He looked at his watch to see what time it was. The watch said that he had been talking to Sakura a while. Now he would have less time to do what he had come to do.
Man…What a drag.
Taking his time, Shikamaru walked over to the Konaha wall and began to walk by it. He stared up at the sky admiring the stars, and thinking about what Sakura had said about them before. She was right and he liked the way her words sounded in his thoughts. The night sky was like a deep dark blue sea, and the stars glowing and then fading like the ripples and waves of the ocean, disappearing as quickly as they had appeared. He smiled while he thought about the stars. He had come to like stars as much as he liked clouds. Each had something different that he liked about them but both gave him a calm soothing feeling inside.
He began to grow tired of walking and decided he rather gaze at the stars sitting down. He saw a huge oak tree growing up against the wall. A few of the limbs look like they would be perfect for sitting on so he jumped up onto one of the highest. He sat down and leaning his back up against the trunk of the tree. The view of Konaha was amazing. Never before had he seen what the village looked like from above when it was asleep.
Hm…looks like I've found a new place to watch the clouds pass by and the stars at night.
Shikamaru began to stare at the sky as he ran his hand up and down the tree feeling all its different textures. His hand came upon something that didn't feel like anything else on the tree. He looked down to see what it was. As he lifted up his hand from the strange feeling spot a carved cherry blossom could be seen.
The cherry blossom was carved fairly deep into the trunk and it was not an old carving. He could tell by the way that the tree had healed itself in the carving that it had not been carved when this park of the tree was ground level. A smile came upon his face at the thought that someone else shared this very branch with him when he was not there.
His hand stroked the carved cherry blossom and he began to daydream. Starring up at the sky while stroking the rose, Shikamaru sat. He was in a different world now, one where no one bothered him with their problems and he could just relax. Somewhere in this trance his hand found its way into his pants pocket. Rumbling around in his pocket he found a kunai. Slowly he pulled it out and played with it in his hand for a moment. Looking at it in his hand, he had an idea. Since this was now his tree too, he would leave a mark of his own like the cherry blossom. Turning around towards the tree trunk he began to carve.
Sakura reached her front door a little short of breath. Breathing heavily she leaned the front of her body against the door. The air had become colder and she could see the hot air coming out of her mouth as she breathed. She watched the air blow out white then slowly drift up and disappear. Reaching for the doorknob she began to turn it then realizing she hadn't even gotten the key out of her pocket yet. The doorknob was ice cold and her hand quickly recoiled when she had noticed it was locked.
Ice cold…why didn't I dress heavier?
She wasn't sure why she ran home so fast, she wasn't sure why she did many things really, but one thing was sure, she was exhausted. Reaching into her pants pocket she found a piece of gum and the key. Popping the gum into her mouth she braced herself for the ice cold doorknob. She unlocked the door then quickly turned the doorknob just enough to get it to open then rushed in. Closing the door before the cold air could get into the door she walked into her apartment.
The apartment was small compared to most but it was just enough for her since she lived by herself. She would admit that it was lonely living by herself all the time and rarely did anyone stop by, but she made due. When you first walked in you came into the biggest room. The room was a kitchen and living room in one.
By the door was a coat rack that had two coats, a hat, and a few scarves hanging on it. There was a closet to your left when you first walked in and then past the closet was the kitchen area. The kitchen was small like all the other rooms in the apartment. There was a stove, a sink, a refrigerator, dishwasher, and a long island that separated the living room part of the room from the kitchen. There were four stools along the island on the living room side. There were white cabinets above and under the counter. Each cabinet had a single pink cherry blossom painted in the center of it. Sakura had a few basic things like a toaster, microwave, and coffee machine on the counter. The walls were light blue and the floor was light blue and white checkered tile.
The living room part of the room had a couch and two chairs. There was a little white coffee table in the middle that was piled high with books and magazines. Sakura didn't clean it off much because few people ever came by. The walls were a very light green and there were two windows each with a plant in them. The floor was wood and she admired the beauty of it. There was nothing that interesting about this room and Sakura didn't usually spend too much time in it.
There was one bathroom with a bathtub, sink, and toilet. The tub was also used for a shower. A small medicine cabinet was above the sink with a mirror on the front. There was a small window next to the sink with a pot of flowers in it. The walls were sky blue with white blotches. Sakura had painted it that way because it reminded her of the clouds in the sky on a pretty day. Next to the tub was a bench that the seated lifted up off of. Inside the bench Sakura kept some toiletries and candles. The ceiling was painted white and on the back of the bathroom door was a hook that her robe hung on.
Sakura's bedroom was in the back. It was her favorite room. The walls were a light purple and the floor was wood like the living room. She had a king size bed that was in the middle of the room. A fluffy white comforter was on the bed with two white pillows. A large closet was to the right filled with Sakura's clothes. All of these things Sakura loved, but the one thing that she loved most about this room was the window. In front of her bed was a big window with an amazing view of a 100 year old oak tree. From the window you could also see you sky clearly. The tree was very close to her window. One of the branches came right up to it. It was perfect to climb on.
During the fall the leaves would turn the most beautiful shapes of orange, yellow, red, and brown. Then in the winter a soft blanket of snow would cover it and ice sickles hung down from the branches. In the spring a family of birds made their nests on the branches. When the hot summer sunshine normally would be cooking her inside the room like an oven the lush green leaves on the old oak tree let just the right amount of sunlight in.
Sakura pulled off her light weight black jacket and hung it on the coat rack with the others. Kicking her shoes into the corner she droopily made her way into the bathroom.
Why did I run that fast? How did I run that fast?
Reaching over to turn the water on for the tub Sakura asked herself these questions over and over again in her mind. She turned the water on "hot" hoping that a steamy bath would wash away these questions. First she took off her black turtle-neck long sleeve shirt and folded it. Next came off the pink pants. The pants looked very good on her. They hugged her curves and she liked the way the fabric felt. Carefully she folded the shirt and pants then lay then on the bench cushion. Slipped off her underwear and tossed the panties and bra next to the clothes on the bench.
The water had filled the tub up a good bit now so Sakura slipped in. It was so soothing it became hard for Sakura to stay awake. She watched the steam rise up and then disappear like when she was outside with her breath. Sakura put each leg on opposite sides of the end of the tub, leaned her head back against the back of the tub and let the water flow from the facet to the tub water between her legs.
The sound of the water, the warmth, and the calmness made it impossible for Sakura not to drift off in her thoughts. Sasuke had left years ago and she had heard very little about his whereabouts. She wondered if he had ever had feelings for her.
Of course he didn't. He hated me. Why can't I get that through my head?
Naruto and Hinata had been going out almost a whole year. They were truly in love. It was fun to watch them being cute together. The way Naruto wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. Sakura wanted love more than anything.
It was December and when everyone else was getting together with their loved ones for the holidays Sakura was alone thinking about how happy everyone else was. Most of her friends were with someone or hung out with friends 24/7. There was no one who wanted to be around her all the time though, so she just stayed alone.
She got out of the tub and dried off. As the soothing water drained she felt a little sad watching it flow away. She walked into her bedroom and slipped on her silky back PJ's. The black tank top style pajama top and the long slinky black pajama pants were her favorites.
Sakura stood next to her soft bed and smiled. "Hello soft warm bed. Meet my cold tired body." She cuddled up under the comforter and got in just the perfect spot. Closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As soon as she was completely comfortable am envelope slid under the front door. Sakura opened her eyes and could see that Tsunade's seal was on it.
Great…Now what?
This is the first FanFiction I have ever written. The first chapter is a little slow and not that interesting I'm afraid. The next will be better though. I plan for this to be a romantic adventure. ShikaSaku isn't your normal paring but I thought I'd try something other than what is normally done. I hope you like it. Oh, and I'm new to this so if you have any tips that would be great.
~ Whispers
