The cart moved slowly down the road. The sky, cloaked in darkness, shone with bright stars. The full moon allowed her to see better than the darkness had. Her long, dark brown hair fell around her ivory face. Her eyes were red, puffy, and still filled with tears. She wiped them as she looked up to the stars; her eyes shone a bright blue.
"Onegai, Kamisama… Don't let it end like this…" she whispered to the heavens above.
In her small hands, she held a picture. She gazed at it once more. There were four people: two boys around her age, her, and an older man. One boy had raven hair and brown eyes; the other boy was silver-haired with yellow eyes. Both were about her height. The man, who had been their sensei, was taller than all three of them. His hair fell to his shoulders, silver in color. His eyes, covered by glasses, were a gentle blue. All of them were dressed in simple shinobi attire. In addition, sitting on her lap was a small, black kitten. She put her finger on the raven-haired boy and cried harder. As much as she would have loved to forget them, she couldn't. She allowed her tears to fall on her red, silk, Chinese dress. Today, she looked like a normal girl, not a shinobi. Today, she would start a new life in a new village.
"Kai-kun…Rai-kun…Tanaka-sensei... Save me from this nightmare…"
Haruko-chan Presents:
"Eternally Yours, Haruko"
A "Team Yamamaya" Story
The sky was cloudless, perfect weather for training. Deep within the forest of Konohagakure, the hidden village of the leaf, four people sat under the tall trees. Three of them were children, the other was an adult.
"Nee, Tanaka-sensei? Kai-baka won't stop being mean to me! He tried to throw dirt in my bento!" the girl whined.
"Kaizen, why must you continue to bother Haruko? She's only been nice to you. You need to get along!" their teacher commanded.
The raven-haired boy just sat cross-legged with his arms folded. The silver-haired boy beside him glared.
"Kai, he's right. Be nice to Haruko-chan, she's new to the cell," the silver-haired boy said.
"Rai, she's always mean to me! She calls me 'Kai-baka' for god's sake! Why are you on her side?" Kaizen asked angrily.
"Because Haruko-chan is our angel. She's only poking fun at you," Tanaka-sensei replied.
Kaizen stood up; his expression was angry.
"I understand. I'm not wanted here," he said before walking off.
"Oi, Kaizen!" Raisuke yelled.
Haruko stood up and ran after him. She grabbed his hand.
"Kaizen…" she said worriedly.
He turned to face her; her eyes already began to water. He sighed and gave in.
"Okay, I'm sorry! I'll stay, okay? Will that make you happy?" he asked.
Haruko smiled and nodded. They both came back to sit down.
"That was so cute! But, it was mean to make Haruko cry, Kaizen," Tanaka-sensei said.
"I came back, didn't I? She's not crying so stop sticking up for her!" he yelled back.
Haruko looked down; she didn't dare speak for fear her mouth would betray her. Raisuke hugged her.
"It's alright, Haruko-chan. Don't worry about Kaizen, he's just warming up to you, that's all…" he said.
"He really hates me doesn't he? What did I do? Do I remind him of someone bad?" she asked Raisuke.
Kaizen looked at her and then looked away. She did remind him of his mother. He missed her a bit, since both of his parents were deceased. It always made him feel a bit sad, but he wasn't one to show his true feelings.
"He doesn't hate you, I promise." Raisuke assured her.
"I don't know…" Haruko replied softly.
"I put my life on it."
"Do you have a death wish, Raisuke-san?"
"Eh? You really think he hates you that much?"
Haruko nodded.
"Oi, Kai! Tell her you don't hate her!" Raisuke yelled.
"But then, wouldn't that be lying?" Kaizen asked.
Haruko and Raisuke looked at him with wide eyes. They were speechless.
"I was kidding…I don't hate you, Haruko-chan," he said.
"That wasn't funny, Kai-chan," Tanaka-sensei said seriously.
"How can you call me 'Kai-chan' with a straight face?" Kaizen asked.
"I'm talented."
"I'm creeped out."
"But, you're so cute, Kaizen! Right, Haru-chan?" Tanaka-sensei asked.
Haruko pointed to herself as Tanaka-sensei and Kaizen looked at her, waiting for her reply.
"Ahh! Well…I…umm…err… Oh, look at the time! The sun is setting so I must take my leave!" Haruko replied frantically.
She stood up, bowed, and ran off.
"Ah, Haruko-chan! Matte!" Tanaka-sensei yelled.
She stopped and turned around.
"Ee?" she asked.
"We'll be at your house at seven in the morning! Be ready!" he yelled.
"Haiii! Jya minnasan!" she replied before running home.
"Haruko, we're here. Are you still crying? Snap out of it, child! You've never cried when we've moved before, why start now?" a voice said.
Haruko slowly moved out of the cart.
"Hai, okaasan," she replied quietly.
She examined the house; they were all beginning to look alike. She walked inside and quickly ran to her room; she had an idea of where it would be, and there it was. Most of her things were already there including her bed. She flopped onto it, enjoying the softness and warmth. She reached under her pillow, laying the slightly crumpled picture there.
"Kaizen, what are you doing without me?" she whispered, gazing out her window at the moon.
She must have been tired; she could already see illusions of her dark-haired friend smiling at her and holding out his hand. She reached for it, wishing he were really there. Soon after, sleep took hold of her. He invaded her dreams as well. She couldn't get him out of her head. The next morning came; she was expecting her sensei to be there to wake her up, but of course, he never came. She took a shower, got dressed, and gazed out her new window as she brushed her hair. Another Chinese dress, only this one was blue. She watched as the children played happily; how she wished she could be just as happy back with Kaizen, Raisuke, Kuro, and Tanaka-sensei.
"Haruko-chan, wake up," a voice said.
Haruko slowly opened her eyes. She squinted as she saw the bright sun.
"Otousan?" she asked sleepily.
"No, try again."
"Niisama?"
"I'll give you one more chance, Haruko-chan."
Haruko sat up and opened her eyes. She saw her sensei smiling over her. Her eyes widened as she pulled the covers over her. His smile was scary.
"Tanaka-sensei, why are you in my room? Why are you in my house?" she asked frantically.
"Wake up call. I knew you wouldn't be ready by seven, so I came at six thirty," Tanaka-sensei replied. "Now come on, you must change. You have to graduate today, right?"
"How did you know?" Haruko asked, taking the blankets off her head.
"It's on your calendar. Now, I'll leave you alone to change."
He left suddenly, closing the door behind him. Haruko sat in front of her mirror, brushing her hair. Quickly, she dressed herself in a fishnet shirt, followed by black shorts and a short, blue kimono dress with a big bow in the back. She braided her hair and slipped on her shoes.
"Tanaka-sensei, I'm ready!" she yelled as she walked out the door to her room.
"I'm outside, Haru-chan!" he yelled back.
She ran outside to look for him. He sat on her roof, looking towards the horizon.
"Any second now, the rest will be here…" he thought.
Soon, Haruko could see two figures speeding towards them.
"I'm going to win today, Raisuke!" Kaizen yelled; he was ahead by a little.
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Raisuke yelled back as he sped up.
The two boys suddenly ran past Haruko; making her fall to her knees. Any closer to her, they would have slammed her into the wall of her house.
"Never race against a hyper Kaizen. He always wins…" Raisuke panted.
Kaizen smiled and gave the thumbs up to Tanaka-sensei, who tried to help Haruko stand.
"They both hate meee!" she cried. "They were trying to kill me!"
"It's alright, Haruko-chan! Raisuke doesn't hate you. He missed you on purpose because he would never hurt you!" Tanaka-sensei replied.
Haruko looked to Raisuke with a tear-streaked face.
"He's right," Raisuke replied with a smile.
"Oi! What about me?" Kaizen asked.
"Anata wa baaaka desu!" Haruko yelled as she stood up.
Raisuke followed Haruko and Tanaka-sensei as they headed to the school, leaving Kaizen behind.
"Oioioi! Wait for me guys!" he yelled, running after them.
The field behind her house was more peaceful than her room. She picked flowers and played with them like a child. Her feelings of uneasiness and worry were gone. Maybe it had something to do with the talk she had with her mother. She could only remember saying a few things to her before falling asleep. When she woke up, she couldn't remember what she was crying about. Her mind told her to go outside and pick flowers, and so she did. A memory tried to break through her happy thoughts, a memory of two boys and a cat. Their faces were blurry and still getting blurrier. Their mouths moved, but no sound came out. However, it didn't bother her, not one bit. She continued to play without a care in the world.