A Withering Flower
Chapter One
The air was cold the evening sky darkened.
No sound could be heard over the orchestra of rain and thunder.
The only audience, a girl and a man standing under some shelter.
It didn't take long for him to notice nor did it take long to realize the truth.
With a shaky breath whether it was from the cold or the flutter in his stomach, he didn't know.
"You should go home, it's getting colder." He said.
"I lost my umbrella." She said flatly as she stared somewhere he couldn't see.
He fell silent instead stood there with her watching the rain. He almost jumped when she dropped her bag.
Watching from the corner of his eye as she put her tan jacket on placing the hood on her pink head, grabbing her bag she walked away.
He continued to watch as she walked away her footsteps splashing in the water with each step.
He knew she didn't lose her umbrella rather someone probably took it.
He's known since the first day he started working as a teacher. Yet he has done nothing and looked the other way for reasons he's not too sure of.
"Sakura." He said softly as she turned the corner never once looking back.
One month earlier...
It was a very relaxing day the sky was clear with a slight spring breeze. It was his first day working as a teacher after being forced to do it. He was walking around the school grounds to get a feel for it when he noticed some girls circled around something.
"HEY!" He yelled.
"Run!" A girl yelled soon they were all running away except for a girl laying on the ground.
He ran over to her kneeling next to her. He brushed aside her pink strands but stopped when he saw her looking at him. Not a moment later she slapped his hand away.
"Are you okay?"
"Hai." She sat up.
"Are you sure?"
"Hai." She stood up.
He looked up at her. She wiped some blood from her cheek before grabbing her bag.
"Wait!" She stopped, her back to him. He didn't know why he stopped her it was an impulsive reaction. Something inside of him, a feeling, a memory, a regret he didn't know but that thing was beginning to awaken.
"You're name?"
"Haruno Sakura."
"Hatake Kakashi." He watched as she walked away holding tightly to her sweater wrapped tightly around her shoulders as her long pink hair swayed in the spring breeze.
"Sakura." He mumbled, he covered his mouth, he didn't like the way it sounded coming from him. Not one bit.
For a week since the day they first meet they have been avoiding each other. At first he thought it was just him avoiding her but one day as he was walking down the hall he noticed her on the other end of the hall. He wanted to turn around but then she had looked up and when she realized who he was she stopped then turned around with a slightly faster pace. He was dumbfounded at her actions well the way both of them have been acting. It was odd. He couldn't exactly put in words why he was avoiding her except that his gut told him to do so. The only thing he learned in his lifespan was to always listen to his gut.
"Tsk." He kept walking.
Though a few days after something changed in him or her he didn't know.
"Your face what happened?" He asked her one day as she was walking to class. She jumped at his voice. "Sorry did I scare you?"
"Nothing and no." She said not once looking at him.
"Then why do you have all those bandages on?" In a few swift movements he was standing in front of her.
She looked up at him it was the first time seeing her eyes since their first meeting. He ignored the flutter in his stomach, as they continued their stare contest. Her dark emerald eyes were cold and empty, her ivory skin was pale making the bruise marks on her face stand out along with her dark circles surrounding her eyes.
He reached his hand out brushing lightly against a bruise he pulled back when she flinched, probably from it still being sensitive. He patted her head.
"We're going to be late."
He walked away.
Over a course of days or weeks whenever she was late or ditching P.E. he would find her whether it was coincidence or by accident he wouldn't fail in finding her.
"You seem to always be covered in bandages."
She was sitting outside under the shade of some trees behind the school.
"You seem to always cover your face."
He sat next to her.
"You missed school yesterday." He mentioned pulling his book out.
"So."
"Why?"
"Why does it matter?" She replied.
"It matters to me?"
"Why?" She asked.
There was a moment of hesitation.
"I'm your homeroom teacher."
"So what? You have others to worry about."
"Hmm but none seem to miss school as often as you do."
He could feel she was becoming uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry." He said.
She took a deep breath.
"Parents are mysterious things."
"I wouldn't know. My mother died when I was young my father stricken with grief killed himself."
"Parents are mysterious things. You were left behind even though you're parents are supposed to think of their child first."
"Yea I guess."
"What if your parents did live?"
"I don't know never thought of it."
"You're lying. I'm sure you did looking at the other kids being picked up from school. Leaving you behind to go home with their parents to eat their mother's cooking."
He put his book down.
"It's funny how there are kids who would want nothing more to have parents when there are kids who would want nothing more but have them disappear."
"Do you?"
"What do you think decides our parents?"
"You didn't-"
"A game of fate, something we have no control over something we can't fight against."
"Sakura."
Green eyes wide as saucers looked at him in utter shock. It was a moment before he realized what he just said.
"Sakura tree. The one behind you it's looks quite beautiful right?"
She glanced behind her.
"Yea it does. It sprouts such beauty for all eyes to see but then withers away."
A few days after that she missed school again but she came back covered in bandages like usual.
It was during lunch when he went to the roof there he found her there sitting in the shade eating a bento.
"Yo."
She looked over at him.
"Hey." She replied as she continued to eat her lunch.
"How's your day going?"
"It's the same."
He felt so giddy it's has been a couple days since he last saw her.
"Oh I see."
Silence engulfed them.
"Do you mind if I join you?"
She looked up at him.
"Why ask?"
He stood there for a moment before sitting next to her. Pulling his book out as he started to read he could feel her eyes on him.
"Is there something I can do for you?"
"No. The question is what can I do for you?"
"Eh?" He looked up at her but she was looking into the sky above them.
"I guess I should re-phrase that. Why do you bother with me?"
"Should I not?"
"It's been up to you I just want to know why in the first place?"
He looked away.
"I don't know."
"You do know."
He was silent for a moment.
"I can't say it."
"Why?"
"Cause the bell is ringing you need to go to class."
She said nothing as she gathered her belongings before walking off. All the while he watched her every movement listened to the sounds she made, he knew why he kept trying to reach her.
"I...like." He stopped himself words like that were so foreign to him and seemed to hold little meaning in his heart.
After that day girls in his class seemed to make things harder for her. They had left her alone for quite some time but they started up again. At first they were petty things bumping into her making snide comments as she walked by. But slowly things seemed to get worst until one day after school he saw them.
"HEY!"
"Shit! Run!"
"You can run but I'll make sure you all pay for this!"
The girls stopped probably in shock seeing him so angry, but at the moment he could care less.
"Sa-Haruno-san are you okay?"
Her back was to him as she leaned against the wall of the school building. She was holding her side as he listened to her ragged breathing.
"Hai." She finally spoke as she stood up.
"I don't know why I bother with that question you're not okay." He stood as well putting his arm around her shoulders. "Let's go to the nurse."
She broke from his hold looking him in the eyes.
"Why bother with me?" He looked at her face already littered with bandages he thought faintly she's going to become a mummy covered in bandages never seeing the light of day again.
"It's not just the girls doing this is it?"
"Parents are mysterious things."
He knew for some time even if the girls did nothing to her, she still would come to school covered in bandages.
"They are."
He reached a hand towards her this time she didn't flinch she just stared at him with those empty green eyes. He bite his lip was it too late for her to feel was she already numb to these emotions...to his feelings.
"Sakura."
He hugged her tightly.
"I like you."
Even though with all his might he hugged her, her arms remained at her sides like she forgotten how to hug.
Even though his heart felt like it was going to burst he could feel it wasn't the same for her.
"I'm tired sensei."
Even though his heart was closed it desperately attached itself onto the only person incapable of loving him.
"Please I'll take you away anywhere you like just please stay by my side a little longer."
"Sensei let me go."
He squeezed her tighter to him.
"Just let me go."
His eyes widen, he arms dropped back to his side. He refused to look at her, he refused to move, even after she walked away from him.
The next day it was raining.
He was leaving earlier than usual, he rushed to finish work, before rushing to the entrance only to stop when he saw her standing by the entrance. His whole body relaxed.
He loved the way her long hair swayed slightly in the wind, the way she stood like she was in the army, the way her voice sounded. He learned from yesterday no matter how many times his hand reaches for her she'll never be in his reach.
"You should go home, it's getting colder." He said.
"I lost my umbrella." She said flatly as she stared somewhere he couldn't see.
He fell silent instead stood there with her watching the rain. He almost jumped when she dropped her bag.
Watching from the corner of his eye as she put her tan jacket on placing the hood on her pink head, grabbing her bag she walked away.
He continued to watch as she walked away her footsteps splashing in the water with each step.
He knew she didn't lose her umbrella rather someone probably took it.
He's known since the first day he started working as a teacher. Yet he has done nothing and looked the other way for reasons he's not too sure of.
"Sakura." He said softly as she turned the corner never once looking back.
She missed school after that day. Which is why he was now standing in front of her apartment door, waiting for someone to answer the door.
He stood off to the side knowing she wouldn't answer if she saw him.
"Hello?" It was a male's voice.
"Hi is Haruno Sakura here?"
"Ah?!" The man was lean but still overweight he was clean shaven but what made Kakashi stare at him so hard was the resemblance between him and Sakura.
"You're her father yes?"
"How-"
"Haruno-san looks just like you. The only difference is the eyes."
"Ah well yes I am her father she's not feeling well at the moment. May I inquire why you're here?"
"Yes, it's been a concern of mine-"
"Sorry but be careful with the railing it's loose." Kakashi stood up leaning off the railing realizing what he said was true. "The management has yet to fix it."
"I see ah! But as I was saying Haruno-san has been missing school quite often even with her outstanding grades I fear she might not be able to move onto the next grade level."
"I see uh well she's been a sickly girl ever since she was a little girl, surely there is something we can work out."
"Hopefully I hope you don't mind but my I come in so we can discuss this more."
"No I'm afraid not I was on my way out."
"I see this won't take long."
"Yes well surely you can come at another time then."
"I live very faraway-"
CRASH!
Both men jumped at the sound her father turned around giving Kakashi a chance to a peak his blood went cold when he saw Sakura sprawled on the ground.
"SAKURA!" He pushed her father aside making his way to her. His hands were shaking as he reached for her. Blood was dripping from her mouth and from her head as well. "Sakura I'm here-" Kakashi was pulled from her and thrown onto his back.
"GET OUT!" Her father screamed.
Anger fueled Kakashi's every movement as he lunged towards the man punching him in the face. Sakura's father was thrown into the door.
"HOW DARE YOU!" Kakashi grabbed him by the collar hitting him in the face again.
But Kakashi was blindsided by the kick dealt by the man. Knocking Kakashi to his side, landing in the entrance of the door. Her father jumped up grabbing a bat nearby raising the bat above his head.
"STOP!"
As he was about to bring it down. Sakura pushed him through the door, her father hitting the railing on reflex the man reached for Sakura.
'Careful with the railing it's loose'
He watched in horror as she and her father went over the railing.
"Sa...SAKURA!"
He jumped up looking down over the railing he could see them both laying in the shrubs below.
He pulled his cellphone out dialing 911 as he raced downstairs to where they were.
"I need an ambulance immediately to XX south XXXX Street. Two people just fell from the third floor."
Step after step.
His heartbeat pounding.
Finally.
"SAKURA!" He rushed to her side not daring to move her fearing of injuring her more.
He checked her breathing he could faintly feel her breaths coming in but he was scared.
"Please be okay."
He grabbed her hand giving it a squeeze.
"Please."
The ambulances came soon enough one for her father and one for her. He watched as they with great care removed them both from the shrubs they were both unconscious neither showing any signs of waking up any time soon.
He was asked questions.
He gave them answers.
Soon everything was over.
He went to the hospital but he was declined entrance.
So he left.
He went to the hospital over the next few weeks but like every day they declined him entrance.
So like every other time he left.
"May I please see Haruno-san?" He begged.
"She was discharged yesterday."
"What?!"
"Yes she recovered nicely."
"What about her father?"
"He was released to the police."
"Where is she...do you know?"
"No sir she left no address."
"I see."
"Oh you're her sensei correct?" It was another nurse.
"Hai."
"She left something for you."
"She did?" The nurse handed him a white envelop
He left, sitting in his car he opened it.
Pulling the paper from the envelope. He smiled softly to himself.
"Goodbye Hatake Kakashi."
Turning the paper over it was a picture of him reading in his office with a stupid look on his face.
After that last visit he never saw her again.
Five years later...
"Bye Sensei!"
"Yea yea." He said half ass.
He stayed working at the school where they meet as a literature teacher though in the beginning it was only a temporary placement he decided to stay.
To wait for her.
Even after five years his feelings for her still lingered.
So he decided to wait.
"Wow she's so pretty do you think she's a new teacher."
"That would be awesome."
He looked up standing by the entrance of the school stood a woman.
She had short pink hair wearing blue jeans with a white t-shirt, waiting.
With a steady hand he gently reached for her hand.
"Sakura."
Turning around she smiled softly her green eyes sparkling with life.
Wrapping her thin fingers tightly around his.
"Kakashi."
Fin