Little Sakura ran down the soft green paths, overlooking the fact her mother was yelling her name frantically. The air was perfumed with the sweet fragrances of the blossoming flowers that were awakened by the leaving of the cold snow weeks back. Beautiful birds whistled their gentle songs while the bright blue sky was clear of any of the white pillows in the sky. She stopped her running and put her hands on her knees, panting and smiling. "I'll find you!" she yelled gleefully.
When only the bellow of a bear answered her, Little Sakura started to run again. This time, even deeper into the forest.
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Little Neji squatted down in his hiding place; he hadn't left it for a long time. The forest leaves and bush provided a brilliant cover-up. Even for one so young, he had quick wit. Suddenly, he heard a light crunch of leaves. His large striking eyes glittered as he heard footsteps not far away. His heart began to beat faster as he heard the footsteps walk closer. His back pressed against the hard green trunk of the tree. His ears picked up the rustle of leaves nearby. Solid metal was held tightly in his hand; he clutched the metal tighter. Only when he heard a soft step inches away, he leaped upward onto a high branch and shifted the cold metals in his hand. He narrowed his eyes as she looked up, her eyes wide with shock.
Having no hesitations, he pulled back his arm and hurled the shuriken.
A loud shrill scream startled the forest animals, including the mother of Haruno Sakura who stood on the dirt path of her backyard. Widening her worried blue-green eyes, she screamed her daughter's name once again; her voice was tight with apprehension and fear. Only having the wind as her answer she cursed herself for leaving her daughter--and her daughter's friend--unattended.
'Where did they go?!'
As wet tears fell down from her eyes, she sucked in a deep breath and yelled as loud as she could. She wanted to have the entire town to know the dread that racked her body; she wanted her fear to be known and calmed-- to have her daughter back in her arms.
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Little Sakura lay on the dirt ground , the lush green of the forest bush camouflaging her bright clothing admirably. Her bright eyes were hidden by the draping of her eyelids and her arms lay lifeless. A faint rustle came from above her, and the glimmer of metal flashed in the sun's light.
A quiet voice said, "I should have been more careful."
The person moved closer to Little Sakura; the steps were slow and furtive. As the person drew nearer, Little Sakura's eyes opened. She saw the person's back and jumped up; hugging her friend's body tight.
Little Ino screamed as she felt someone jump upon her. She flailed her arms before the weight was too much for her small body and fell into the soft dirt of the forest . Hearing excited giggles in her ear-- "I found you!" -- Little Ino realized it was only her best friend, but a sharp pain prevented her from giggling with Little Sakura.
"Ouch! Owww…!" Little Ino whined.
Little Sakura frowned and leapt off of Little Ino.
"Are you OK?" Little Sakura asked, her small voice chimed with worry. Little Ino turned over to Little Sakura. Little Sakura gasped and her eyes were starting to be wet with tears. The bloody gash on Little Ino's knee was grimy with dirt and it was also very deep.
"Did I do that? Oh, Ino! I'm so sorry!" Little Sakura wept. She brought her dirty hands up to her face and cried sadly; taking the blame for Little Ino's injury.
Little Ino smiled indifferently, even though the wide cut on her knee hurt her terribly. "Don't worry about it," she commented easily.
She lifted herself off the ground and held her hand out to her friend who was staring at her with a worried expression. "Stop looking at me like that! I'm fine!" Little Ino grumbled and glared down at her friend; her blue eyes a-blaze with anger.
While Little Sakura took hold of Little Ino's hand, she heard her own name echo through the profound tiers of the dark forest.
"Sakura!"
Little Sakura felt a pull on her arm and was forced by Little Ino to run. Little Sakura stopped and pulled her hand away. Little Ino looked back at Little Sakura. "That's your mom," she stated obviously.
She held out her arm to Little Ino, to support her with her bad knee. Ino took hold of the offer and smiled faintly. While they both walked down the familiar dirt path to Little Sakura's home, a mixture of prominent purple, warm red and stunning orange draped the skies of Konoha Village. The sun, already half-way down the horizon, glittered a low color yellow and radiated a warm, serene ambiance.
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Stepping through the dark bushes of the forest, Little Neji made his way back to town. He walked slowly, taking notice of everything around him. Close by, a young boy --who looked the same age as him-- was with his father. Smiling, laughing as his father laughed deeply and smiled broadly. Neji cut his eyes away from the sight and continued striding towards his destination.
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