A Time For Everything by Timber Wolf
This was inspired by the Naruto OVA Find the Crimson Four-Leaf Clover! I found the idea very sweet and I racked my brain to think of another pair of people to do this with, but couldn't. :) So here ya go! I hope you enjoy.
She sighed mournfully as she loped over to the Academy's tree swing. Her eyes began watering as she hopped onto the wooden plank that served as seat. Biting her lip, she fought back her tears, holding them in check.
It wasn't the time to cry now.
It was her 8th year of living; her second year at the academy; her first of liking Sasuke; it was her last year in Konoha. Her father had received a top secret mission from the ANBU that required his whole family to move to another village. Her parents had told her this right after they had her birthday dinner and cake.
This is the worst birthday ever… She thought as she stomped her foot on the soft dirt, stopping her swinging motion. With a sniff, she swung her legs to get moving again, softly swaying back and forth. Leaning her head against the rope, she gazed at the academy building sadly. The red and white paint on the walls, the trees around her, the smell of damp leaves, the prickle in the air that predicted a coming storm, everything induced a nostalgic feeling, squeezing at her heart.
Sasuke and I were supposed to get married! She thought indignantly. We were supposed to fall in love and be together forever. How can that happen when I'm on the other side of the country? A cut off sound escaped her mouth (something like a sob, but not quite) as a tear trickled down her cheek. It dripped off of her chin onto her hand as she began to cry in earnest.
"I want to stay!" She said fiercely to the night air. "I don't want to go! Why can't I stay?" She shouted the last part out to the darkening, cloudy sky. Letting her head drop, her bangs came down to cover the sides of her face. Tears came down and moistened her lap while her legs ceased their job of swaying and she stopped swinging.
A soft thunderclap sounded in the distance. She heard it before she saw it; the sound of a thousand droplets of water hitting dry dirt and rooftops. Looking up from her moping, she saw a wall of rain charging toward her. Slipping out of the swing, she tiptoed lightly out into the open square of the academy play-yard. Lifting her small face toward the opening sky, she closed her eyes and waited for the pelting rain, hoping it would wash away some of the pain, the fear, the hurt, or at least distract her for a while. The angry sound of the rain advancing on her, faster and faster, came nearer. It was on top of her…
She was dry. Opening her eyes ever so slightly, she saw a dark circle shape over her head. With a gasp she looked down from the unknown object to see a tall young man standing next to her. He held the object in his hand which she realized to be an umbrella. He looked out at the rain as if it wasn't strange that she, a girl so young should be out in the academy playground waiting for the rain to pelt her to death and it was habit for him to stand here holding an umbrella over her.
"What…what are you doing here?" She asked sheepishly, looking at her feet embarrassedly. When he didn't answer she looked up at him. He had crazy silver hair sticking out in one direction due to his headband holding it place. His Leaf-Village emblem engraved headband was slid down over his left eye, revealing only his right gray one; as gray as the clouds above them she noted. He had a half-face mask on, stuck firmly on the bridge of his nose, hiding anything below that from view. He was a mystery she wanted to solve, even if only part of the way, and she had just met him. She opened her mouth to ask him again, but he answered.
"I saw it was going to rain, so I decided to take a walk to make sure little girls didn't get soaked in the pouring rain." He said simply as if it wasn't a strange practice for someone such as him. Mentally, she shrugged. Maybe it wasn't for him. She sighed and looked at the surrounding dirt that had become mud in the minute the two had been standing there. She hadn't forgotten her cruel fate that was to befall her. Clenching her teeth and fists, she fell to her knees on the soft dry dirt. It smelled the same as it always had; earthy, musty, and fresh. Yet this time when she smelled it, she smelled happiness that wasn't hers, sadness that was, and melancholy that belonged to more than one child that had trod on the ground throughout its years.
The young man crouched down beside her, still keeping the umbrella over them.
"Are you alright?" He asked in concern, his visible brow raised. She shook her head as the tears and sobs came back to rack her body.
"No, I'm…My parents…they told me we have to…" She let out a cry and curled up into her lap letting her tears flow freely for the first time. When her parents told her the news, she had pressed her lips together firmly, nodded her head and asked them when they would move. They had told her, surprised she hadn't blown up and didn't throw a tantrum, that they would move in a week and a half's time. With another curt nod, she had asked if she could go for a walk for a breath of fresh air. Even when by herself, she had tried not to cry. She had to be brave, right? But now, here in the presence of a stranger she couldn't hold herself together.
She felt a strong arm wrap around her shoulders, firmly holding her against a warm body. She turned to the source of comfort and clung to it, clinging to the last bit of hope; of what she did not know, but she felt hope emanating from this comfort. She hardly noticed when, as she hugged the young man firmly, he lifted her off the ground and leapt across play-yard to the swing underneath the canopy-like trees. He set her down on the ground and as he closed his umbrella, flopped down on the ground beside her. She looked up at his half-covered face to see a compassionate face. He smile was visible beneath his mask as he reached his left arm to tuck her into his side firmly.
"Now," he said cheerfully. "What's this all about?" She sniffed and swiped her hand across her eyes.
"My parents told me that we have to move," she whispered fearfully. He cocked his head at her curiously before letting the back of his head fall against the fence behind them.
"That's not so bad…Moving can be a good thing sometimes…You can make new friends…" he trailed off softly as if reminiscing. She looked up at him with horrified eyes before another wave of sobs took over and she buried her face into his jacket. Sitting up with concern, the young silver haired man lifted the little girl into his lap and held her close to him.
It's going to get really cold soon. He thought. Maybe I can figure out where she lives and get her there before her parents begin to worry and help her with whatever problem she has.
"Shh, it's okay. Don't worry; I won't let anything hurt you." What a strange promise to make to a girl who he hardly knew.
What are you thinking? He asked himself. Yet he continued to comfort her, rocking back and forth slightly as she cried her heart out.
"I just met this girl…" she murmured through her tears. "Her name is Ino. She's really nice. I don't think I could have made any friends if it weren't for her. I can't find another friend like that and if I move I won't be able to make any friends." She cried some more, still cling to his side, her tears soaking his skin-tight shirt beneath the open jacket he wore. He never really had to deal with a little child sobbing on his lap before, so he was rather clueless as to what to do. Hesitantly, he raised his hand to stroke her hair while shushing her.
"Well, you made friends with me and I don't even know your name." He chuckled. "I'd say you're pretty good at making friends. What is your name?" He asked looking down at the wet faced girl. She looked up into his caring, comforting eyes while wiping away her tears.
"My name is…*sniff*…Sakura Haruno…" she said quietly. "What's your name, mister?" He looked at her with fake surprise.
"My name? Well, some people call me the Copy Ninja, but you can call my Kakashi." He smiled warmly. "Sakura is a very pretty name." She smiled through her tears and sniffed and she rested her head against his side.
"Kakashi is a nice name too…" she whispered. She snuggled closer to him as her sobs died down and the flow of tears seemed to cease. He rested his chin atop her head as he gazed out into the falling rain. It wasn't abating any and looked as if it could continue forever.
"When are you going to move?" He inquired.
"A week…and a half from now…" she sniffed sadly. "There is…another reason though…another friend I'll miss when I leave…" she whispered. Kakashi stroked her back unconsciously as he watched the rain continue to fall, pelting the earth beneath it as if it needed to be punished for some cruel deed it had done.
"Hm? Who would you miss?" He murmured, almost as if he wasn't listening at all.
"Well, I met this boy…" she started. Kakashi's interest was instantly piqued and lost at the same moment.
She's just a girl, what did you expect? He thought. Yet, he could help but wonder…
Who? Who was interesting enough to catch this little girl's attention?
"Mm?" He said merely to acknowledge he had heard her.
"His name is Sasuke…and…I…well, yeah…" she chuckled at her own self. He inhaled sharply as the name struck a chord in his memory.
"Ah, the Uchiha boy. I know him. You like him, do you?" He asked cheerily. Looking down at her with his eye closed in a happy smile. "You've chosen well, I think." She smiled sadly and shook her head.
"Not if I'm going to move. I thought I could have a chance. I should have known that we weren't meant to be together. He never would have liked me anyway…" she grumbled the last part into his shirt as she squeezed him for all her worth. He gently hugged her back.
"That's not true," he said. "You don't know that. You seem to be a pretty special girl to me. If he didn't like you, he'd be a fool." She laughed through her tears.
"Thanks, Kakashi…" her body began shaking as she silently cried to herself. He held her as close to his body as he could and enveloped her with his arms, rocking her methodically.
"You know, I read this book recently with a lot of good advice in it, but in one part it said, 'There is a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.'" Smiling to himself, he sighed contentedly, thinking how much those words applied to his own life.
"Sometimes you just have to cry. Don't be afraid to." He laughed quietly as he continued rocking her body with his. "And if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, just call on ole Kakashi Hatake and I'll be there." She looked into his eye hopefully, searching to see if he was lying. Once she was satisfied with the answer his eye gave her, she rested her right ear onto his chest, listening to his heart beat for several minutes.
"Why is your family moving?" He asked quietly, trying not to disturb the moment.
"My dad's a ninja, an ANBU Black-ops…he got a mission and he has to move to another village for two years for something…he couldn't tell me what…" she whispered lazily, her eyes crossing. All that crying left her physically exhausted.
Kakashi has really strong arms… she thought off-offhandedly. And he's so warm…so warm… Kakashi felt her small 8 year old body begin to grow limp in his arms. He recalled a lullaby his father had sung when he was very little, a lullaby he had said his mother had sung to him. He'd never been one for singing, but he could give it a shot.
"Hush now my baby," he sang softly. "Be still love, don't cry. Sleep as you're rocked by the stream." Her stiff body slowly melted to form against his side and her breathing became slow and regular.
"Sleep and remember my last lullaby so I'll be with you when you dream." He whispered in her ear. Looking down, he saw that a smile had graced her lips when she had slipped from consciousness. She had a really beautiful smile that melted his heart when he saw it.
Kakashi couldn't find the willpower to get up quite just yet. He sat there with the girl sleeping in his arms while he gazed out at the abating rain. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply before exhaling slowly. If only he could have gotten to know her more. He felt there was something special about her. Suddenly, he felt Sakura shiver in his arms.
I gotta get her home.
Standing up carefully, he took off his jacket to wrap around the girl before taking off across the rooftops in the rain, his umbrella forgotten.
Haruno… He thought. That should be down on the east side of the village. Skipping across the slippery roof tiles with the nimbleness of a cat, he ran through the soaking rain. He ran with the wind so only his back got wet, the girl remaining dry and warm against his chest. When he found the apartment that he knew to be the ANBU member Haruno's he slipped into the doorway with a quick knock to announce his entrance.
"Sakura, you should have been home sooner! It's been raining for a while…Oh!" A woman came out of what Kakashi assumed to be the kitchen. He laid the girl on a couch, letting the woman fawn over the sleeping girl.
"Is she hurt? Where did you find her? She doesn't have pneumonia does she?" Kakashi shook his head.
"No, she's fine. I tried to keep her as warm and dry as possible. I found her at the Ninja academy playground." Looking around the room, his gaze came back to the kitchen. There were the leftovers of what appeared to be a special dinner laying across the table. In the center was a half eating cake with an eight mounted atop it. The silver-haired jounin looked back at the little girl.
It was her birthday today… He thought sadly.
"I'll leave her in your hands," he said quietly just as a man emerged from a bedroom. The man looked up at Kakashi after analyzing the scene and gave his thanks with a nod. Kakashi gave him a two-fingered salute before zipping out the door. He made his way to the memorial where he had been headed in the first place before he got sidetracked. When he thought about it, he really didn't mind all that much. It wasn't often people sought his comfort and it wasn't often he gave it. Looking at the cold stone with the names of heroes past engraved upon its surface, he breathed in deeply the scent of the rain. He closed his eyes and smiled.
The dripping from the tree's leaves set the tempo, the pitter-patter of the free-falling raindrops was the harmony and his voice was the melody.
"River, oh river, rock gently for me. Such precious cargo you bear. Soon you'll go somewhere she can be free. River, deliver her back…" He sang quietly to the crying clouds.
The next day, Sakura's father received news from the Hokage that something had come up and they need him on a more urgent, temporary assignment that would last only a week. When her father returned, he was then told that another Jounin had taken his place in the long term assignment so he didn't have to move. There was a party at the Haruno house that night, but little Sakura didn't even suspect the young man with whom she had talked the week before for having any hand in it. In fact she could hardly remember speaking with him at all. She only knew that she felt relieved and that she wasn't nearly so scared about the future any more.
If someone were to ask her why she had lost her fear, she would vaguely say something about someone telling her that there was a time for weeping and a time for laughter.
If someone were to ask the silver-haired copy ninja, now hidden on a two-year assignment in an obscure village why he had done such a thing for a little girl, he would mumble something about her time for weeping and mourning needed to end and she needed more laughter and dancing in her life before he would suddenly say he was late for something and running off.
A/N: The song is from The Prince of Egypt (Moses' mother sang it to him when she sent him off in the basket to save him from the Egyptians) The verse reference 'There is a time for weeping, and a time for laughter, a time for mourning and a time for dancing' is Ecclesiastes 3:4. Also, Kakashi is about 22 years old here and Sakura (obviously) is 8. Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed! If any of you have any feedback, suggestions, requests, I'm happy to listen and oblige if my schedule allows. To God Alone Be The Glory! ~Timber Wolf
P.S. A/N: Kakashi's and Sakura's relationship is kind of like a father-daughter's, but it could be interpreted as more. Especially if a sequel were to exist, then in the future it could develop into something. I know, it's whacked out, but I kinda like this pairing. :}