I, GreenFantasy64, don't own anything from the Naruto series. This one-shot is for others to read and enjoy. Including being for an one-shot entry. The only thing I own is the story idea.
One-shot entry for TK Grimm's Naruto AU One-Shot Contest 2014. Check out her page, guys if you want to enter too or see the other entries in her page. : )
Steampunk/Supernatural (Little Horror/Romance)
Pairings: KonanItachi and ObiSaku
Enjoy! : D
~1-1~
The little Victorian house in the edge of Sixth street was purchase in the late 1800s by Mebuki Haruno. The house long abandon due to the missing people and murders that had occur. Mebuki discard the rumors of the house being in a terrible state of haunting status since the cost of the house was low. Plenty of space and cheap price? She couldn't resist. Even with her child coming along in a few months she needed a place to raise and care for once it arrives. She wanted to be the best mother than her own.
Being in the new area brought benefit things. One being no one knew her or her history. Two being she could make a new identity and blend in to make friends with the neighbors. Last benefiting thing was that she could relax without fear of anyone from her past coming in the area to find her.
Being born in the poor community with drunken parents made her grow cold and hard for life. She later joined a young girl's gang in her twelve year. The most trouble she would ever gotten into was skipping class and fighting anyone that messed around her gang. Or beat up a girl who quit or cheated the group with the others. Others would steal or kill in the back alleys, but Mebuki was smart. Why do those things that would get you caught and send to the prison?
It was a roller-coaster life until she meet Kizashi Haruno. He was five years older than her heading in a business college to work to study for the clockwork people that help run the stream trains or factories that provide too dangerous for humans. She happened to walking past him when she saw he had drop his wallet in the sidewalk. She pick it up and flip through to find him near filthy rich—in her eyes at least. Her friend excitedly told in hush tone to keep it. Money was hard to come by without looking in the streets for loose changes, stealing, or without low paying jobs at the age of sixteen. Yet a cop was patrolling the street and was staring at her with the single glass eye that could zoom in or out.
So biting her urge to take the wallet and runaway as fast as she could, she turned around and called out for the man. The wallet held up high in her hand. She chased him down until she got him to look at her. He had walked few blocks away. She give him his wallet back with honest words of admitting of not stealing anything from within. He believed her to which she was surprise of that. Believing a poor girl that looked like she could beat you up for anything rude that you will tell her without no hesitant…unheard of.
As a reward, he took her out for lunch. That made her more cautious of him. For all she could know he probably want something from her that she wouldn't want to give him either way. But his goofy personality didn't rub her the wrong one as she thought before. It was annoying at times, yes, but when he succeeds she had to try her hardest not to laugh out loud. It hurt her cheeks to smile too long or too wide. It just made her realize that she could smile or laugh than be cold heart with thin lips all the time. Not like she wanted anybody or her gang to know that.
The food was delicious. The best that she ever had. Better than her mother's or school's cooking. She made sure to savor each taste.
She didn't know why at first, but she continued to see the man each day after school's hours for quick snack and chatting. More than meeting the gang each day. It felt nice to walk around talking than giving each person an evil eye for looking funny at her.
Being near him brought her out of her dark shell. One time she was taken to a park outside the foggy city to admire the cloudy sky empty of the steam-power zeppelin. A peaceful walk where no one needed to use their clockwork gadgets or latest inventions in their hands or faces. Reminded her of what it was like without the silly yet useful stuffs. Not that she could afford to get her hands on one. Until Kizashi presented her a small clockwork pocket watch/weapon in shape of a cherry blossom. The shape of his last name stake and tradition family symbol. The gift being both a proposal of marriage and for her defense should she ever get trap in a room—the petals turning sharp in a press of a side button and swing of it. She had been shock of the sudden proposal.
They had only been together as friends for seven months. Secretly dating the next five months later. She called him out for it. She may wanted to leave her home city, but she didn't want to take the marriage way out for it. She could get out on her own once she obtain the hard earned money.
The next day found her crying in the dark alley in the night hours where the clockwork police didn't patrol. Her hair shattered in the light foggy by the cold breeze away from her. The blonde strands still falling down through some clutch to her white clothes. Where her hair was shoulder hair now was boyish cut. The clockwork blossom watch held between her hands. The pink color stood out in her hands that fought back the gray mist and background. How she hated the color gray.
Her muffled cries turned to sniffles she thought back of Kizashi's smiling face and funny jokes.
The time she saw him he took her to see his family. Bright and warm family that made her little envy of him. They brought the house to color and life than her own. They welcome her in despite not fully knowing her history or background. They only knew her as Kizashi's best friend.
It was like laying down in the shade of a cherry blossom tree. The sunlight peering or going through the pink petals of casting the same color down at her. The quiet air softly disturb of birds chirping and the wind rustling in the air. No fogs. No gray color. That is what Mebuki thought of as her eyes moisten and stare in silent wonder.
The next time he proposal she couldn't help but think of how the perfect the timing was.
She started to attend school in hopes of getting a chance to enter college. For a better life and to be on Kizashi's level of intelligence. She hated of staring blankly at him when he talked high vocabulary to her. Or stuttering when his parent's ask what her future was. Will now she had little of her future planned out. All good in her mind.
Until she walked into the alley that she always used to take and took a punch in her face.
Her gang turned on her for 'walking out' of them. All twelve—not even close to half of them—threw punches and kicks at her. She snapped. She hated the beating she was getting. She fought back with an old pipe on the floor. She was the toughest girl in the gang for a reason after all. She managed to kick one to knock back two more to the floor, swing her pipe to hit another in the crown of their head, and punch one in the stomach. The other seven worked together to bring her down in a rush. One knocking her out by stomping on her head twice.
She woke to in a bed staring up at a white ceiling with bright lights. She blinked once, than twice more. She moaned shut her eyes in despair. None other than the hospital she was recovering at. Her parents were going to kill her. They couldn't afford to pay the large bill when they could barely buy food and pay the house including the gas bill with her father's money.
The one that came was none other than Kizashi. He happen to waiting for her a block away from the back alley when he grew worried for her. He rushed toward her school when he heard commotion in the alley. Fearing the worst, he brought a police with him to find her laying facedown looking dead to the world with people running off. He took her to the hospital and paid for her bills when her parents didn't came for her.
Without warning she started to cry. She, Mebuki, who never cry—hated doing in front of others the most—was pouring her tears out. She had always thought of it as a sign of weakness to be taken advantage of. Or maybe it was from the fact that her parents hated hearing her cry, especially when she was at a younger age. She had to last a day with no food for whining of a fear too hot in her forehead. Yet, Kizashi took it calmly and made to cheer her up after letting her cry in his shoulder. They talked serious matters after her thanks. He proposed and she agreed to it. A chance for new life and happiness.
She started to grow her hair, hoping that it will past shoulder length someday. They started to plan where to live that will be perfect for raising their first child. But the chance with happiness and new life with him didn't last long in her eyes.
Giving birth a year later she glance at her baby girl for the first time in her arms. The tiny eyes closed with her fists close to her heart. When she open her eyes it was light green. Green eyes and dusty pink hair she knew the perfect name for her before the doctors could ask her.
"Hello Sakura…"
~1-1~
Sakura Haruno bitterly drove away from the graveyard where her father was laid to rest to her mother's house. The raindrops hit her front glass window in repeated beat and the dense fog that didn't admit defeat to her high beam. God, how she hated this town. Even the city nearby was no better condition of the weather. It must have been the effects of watching too much horror movies with the setting of this type of weather. Her new high heel boots were ruined of mud in a bad chance too.
She missed the warm temperatures and sunny with chance of light clouds in Erman country. By now it was already snowing over there while here was just heavy rain with a side dish of fog. Joy. Few times as before, Sakura couldn't understand why her mother haven't moved to a better place when she always complain of the weather and dull color. Sakura had found one or two places of apartments that had cost less to live in but still comfortable than run down with infestation. Of course, her mother couldn't afford to move due to the minimum wage she could earn from her two jobs combine. Even after Sakura had swallowed her angry—from their last fight—to offer to buy it and pay off the two months for her. Her mother decline, being too prideful to accept other's money when she could just save some of her own to get the right amount.
She would move when she could later.
Her fingers started to tap with the beat of a rock song that had begun to play. Today had been the anniversary of her father's death. It was also time to apologize and make-up with her mother. Seven months was too long to hold a grudge on her only parent. Looking back on it, it was a stupid fight. Sure, they had butt heads as Sakura past the age of twelve few times, but this fight almost split them up forever.
She had 'started a fight' with a rich girl. Through Sakura knew that wasn't the honest case. The rich girl had pushed her luck too far after she started to bullied her and Karin again. This time in front of the cafeteria. That rich girl had always bullied Sakura during the younger years for her big forehead, but over the years she grew to accept that she can't change her looks and won't do it either way. She stood up for herself over the tough years than meeting Karin who suffered the same thing as bullying—her having bite marks that left scars over the years in her arms, shoulders, and close to the neck area—for being a youngest prostitute with scars to prove it. Karin, being self-conscious tried not to care as the rich girl's boyfriend offered to pay her some good money for a quick sex in the band room—being all empty at this hour— as he waved the money in front of her face. She ignored him as tears threaten to fall down her burning eyes, her hands shaking.
Soon other rich boys joined the chat that when he slapped her cheek with the cash with a disgust name calling, Karin snapped and punched him in the nose. A soft crack that silenced the popular group. Sakura, who had already stepped in to stop them, flew to Karin's rescue to punch the rich girl's cheek. The rich girl's fingers that had reached for Karin's eyes clutched her injury cheek and cried. The sound that broke the shunned silence, the security guards taking all four of them to the principal's office. Karin and Sakura were suspended for a week. She knew that her strength was strong, but she knew for sure she held back most of it. A light punch in other words. Yet the rich girl managed to fool the principal.
It would ruined her school perfect record, but at that time she didn't care.
Her mother did.
The weather, the bullying, and her mother's angry pushed her to leave the house—her earnings from her summer jobs taken with her—and leave with Karin to live better lives in Erman. There they meet Ino, a bright and clever girl at the same age as them, who offered both of them jobs where her family ran a flower store—both of them had been looking for jobs right away when they arrived before searching for apartment. Luckily for them, she also happened to be looking for her own place. All three rented an apartment, splitting the bills between them, and lived comfortable with each other. At night it was when she realized she was once best friends with Ino in her childhood before she left as her family was moving away. The morning she sheepish apologize for not recognizing her right away before thanking her.
Sakura snapped out of her memory trace to steer the wheel away from hitting a little girl that was crossing the street. She muttered out a curse but was happy to know that since she was driving at thirty miles per hour she didn't lose control of her steeling wheel because of it. Or hit the girl also.
She glance at her mirror above her head to find the girl long gone. Through seeing the girl seem oddly familiar to her. She shook her head. I must have imagine seeing a girl crossing the street. I need some iced latte in my system… She let go of the brake and drove off.
The time she reached her mother's house the clock blinked in green lights: 7:45 p.m. She parked her car on the side of the sidewalk and stepped outside. The seatbelt sliding back in place. Locking the door she closed the door and walked toward the front door. The mat of 'Welcome home' signed in big black letters with doves flying in the corners design. The door showed big signs of creaks of the dark green and white paint. Grabbing the doorknob, she knocked three times and took a step back to scan the surrounding.
No children were outside playing, the streets and yards empty of life. Not even the birds wanted to be here. The fog lifted to the point of being a damp blanket that blur your eyes. The night sky dark and cloudy that poured down drizzle in the area. She catch a woman glancing out of a curtain to stare at her before disappearing.
Sakura rolled her eyes. Same old, same old. The place is still too haunted for the neighborhood.
She made to knock again when the door creaked open to show crystal blue eyes staring at her. The door widen to reveal her mother looking surprise yet happy. "Sakura!" Sakura was grab into a warm hug that hold her mother's strength in her arms. The same strength that Sakura inherited and gotten in advance power.
When her mother finally let her go, Sakura shivered on feeling the coldness against her damp clothing and through her few revealing bare skin again. "Hi, mom," she said through chattering teeth.
Her mother stepped aside and ushered her in. "Come in, come in Sakura. You'll catch a cold if you continue to linger outside."
She walked inside and followed her mother to the living room, taking in her old house. Seven months and the house was same. The same picture of a landscape of a sunny day rested in a crock fashion on the staircase wall near the entrance. A small stand holding a thin pot of roses that looked to be few days old on top. The wallpaper in patterns of light green and white in up and downs, side by side. The carpet underneath her feet light brown. The light flickering from a light bulb on the ceiling. The gray shadows being cast from her, the roses, the stand, and the staircase.
When she was child, everything in the house was scary to her. Shadows playing tricks on her, the house sounding alive—day or night it didn't matter, and something else that she couldn't quite remember. When she turned a teenager it became annoying, but got somewhat used to it. Just a silly old house. But now… it was as if both feelings had merged together.
Going inside the living room, where the hearth had a fire going, she found two people sitting in the sky blue couch. Their backs toward her. She didn't realized them. Taking her time to enter the room her mother already sat down on the other couch facing them all.
"Konan, Itachi, you remember my daughter, Sakura?" Mebuki motion where her daughter was to them. Only the one with short blue hair turned to look at her with a set of auburn eyes. "Sakura, this is Itachi and Konan. Don't you remember them? They are one of the only neighbors here that don't believe in that this house is haunted."
Sakura shook her head. Their names didn't ring a bell in her mind.
She sat down next to her mother and felt the heat warming her up behind her. She wrap her arms around herself to speed up the progress.
Staring at the couple she saw they both had a symbol of a red cloud with white outline engraved into their pocket watches that they hold from the chains in their hands. She didn't realized what the symbol could be for. For sure she never seen it before today. A new thing for fashion now? A red cloud? Will expect for the symbol and for the woman's hair color they wore all black in their clothing. Konan's clothing being a corset and flat skirt that hugged her legs. Long boots with multiple straps reached past her kneecaps that had few inches high heels. A black with gray laces parasol rested near her right leg.
Itachi wearing a cozy tailor coat and a top hat with his hair tied to a low ponytail in back. That didn't stop his bangs to hang from his side of his face. Red buttons that was shade darker decorated his coat in a way. A dark cane rested underneath his other hand.
Both of their clothing looking they were made from the best tailored companies. She looked down at herself to see that she was wearing a light brown corset with green designs of swirling patterns that even had shoulder pads. A skirt of brown bustle that touched her kneecap and her brown boots covered the rest of her legs.
She felt a nudge from her mother that when she looked up her mother was motioning with her head to Konan.
"Sorry, I didn't catch that," she told her, being honest on her words.
Konan smiled and that when Sakura saw that she miss that the blue-hair woman had a labret piercing underneath her lips and a large baby blue paper flower resting in front of her high bun. "It is a shame that you don't remember us, Sakura. We used to visit here all the time before you left middle school for high school."
She shrugged and said, "Sorry."
Her childhood was blurring. Dreams mixing with reality that she couldn't tell what was real and fake. Several things way forgotten during her young age. The couple was one of the many things to the list.
Itachi spoke up only to make an 'hm' sound. She looked at him in the eyes and found that he wasn't really seeing at her. As if he was blind.
Konan leaned over the low polished table and pop open the pocket watch. Inside there was a tiny paper crane on top of the glass. She picked it up and hand it toward her. "Here you go, Sakura. This little crane will help you in a way should you ever need it to." Sakura took it, puzzled on her words and gift. Konan satisfied rested back on the couch.
The woman than addressed her mother, "I'm sorry, but we must get going now."
"You sure you don't want some tea before you go?" Her mother politely asked.
Konan shook her head and patting Itachi's leg—
The atmosphere shifted to a cold degree and the lights from the chandelier turned low. The flames flickered in a frenzy dance behind Sakura and her mother. The sound of its popping picking up speed and sound. The flash of lightning appeared in their wide window before the clap of thunder rumbled on the house. Sakura jumped in her seat, the thunder affecting her heart that it pick up its beating tempo.
She, without thinking, glance at the odd couple to find Konan staring behind her shoulder. Itachi's eyes for a moment had a hint of red strokes in his dark eyes that the bright color was spreading. Worried, Sakura looked over her shoulder to find… nothing. Just the flames calming down. She turned back to see Konan giving her a reassuring smile and Itachi's eyes normal.
Odd…
The lights going back to brightness, the atmosphere lifted, and the coldness disappeared quickly.
"Sakura." she turned to find the man finally speaking up. He continued when she didn't answered him, "Whatever happens you won't be alone."
He stood up, ready to leave with Konan following after before she could ask her puzzled question of what he meant of his statement. Konan taking his right arm in her gentle hands led him. Mebuki, unaffected of what had happen and of Itachi's words, showed them out.
Leaning back on the couch, she tried not to think of what Itachi could be meaning from his words. She blinked than felt the hair on the back of her neck raising up. Her nerves alerted for anything to happen. She shifted to have her legs close to her body, her chin resting on her kneecaps. Sakura had a deep feeling that she was being watched. Scanning around the living room, she found no one staring at her. She tried to shake the feeling off, but couldn't get rid of it. For a moment she thought she could hear children laughing softy in the air.
Her mother came back in the living room. Her hands clasp in front of her and her smile strained. "So you saw your father's grave today, Sakura?"
She nodded, paying attention of how the feeling left her. The laughing gone also. "You left flowers there…there was a lot of them."
Mebuki chuckled and inched closer to the table. "Most from your father's side, but yes I left a pink and red rose for him."
Hearing the hurt in her mother's voice, Sakura changed the subject away from her deceased father. "What was that with that man giving that weird advice?"
Her mother scoffed. "Silly girl, he always give you little advices when you were younger. Always, your father would have wanted you to have this. A better mode—the way technique is rapidly evolving—probably, but the same type as he once gave me." She reached forward and saw Sakura what was inside her hands: A pocket watch in a shape of a cherry blossom with a long golden chain. One of the petals being darker pink. All the petals looking too sharp to rub your thumb against.
Sakura took it by the chains and inspect closer. She clicked open to see the time with a design of a floating petal from a cherry blossom. The faint sounds of the ticking of the machinery reaching her ears, she clasp it shut.
"You like it? Your father give it to me when I was younger. I figured I should pass it down to you now. It tells you the time and can be used for self-defense or need to cut something in a safe distance. Just click twice on the dark petal to make the rest sharp to cut through even metal. Very helpful through it was hardly used much in my time."
She nodded, taking in the information. "I like it," She answered her mother's first question. Figuring out that with the long chain she could place it around her waist similar to a belt she got up to do so. She tilted her hips side to side to admire the pocket watch dangling from her right hip. She looked at her mother and smiled. "Thank you mom."
Her mother chuckled and puff out her chest, her hands resting at her hips. Her eyes shining bright at her daughter.
~1-1~
Opening the door to her old room, Sakura found the room had only been disturbed by the hint of fresh lemon scent in the air. Everything looking the same the day she left with only two suitcases of her clothes and few other important things. Her mother had been cleaning by moping and dusting maybe sometime today. Unless she always cleaned her room everything she did to the rest of the house. Her heart give a painful beat. "Mom really cares about me."
She remembered her had left. They both had been too angry to talk to each other. To say at least a goodbye. But on the road, her mother had been calling her over and over again with desperate pleas to return home. In the end, her mother finally agreed to allow her daughter to live with her friends for a new and better life.
Stepping inside, Sakura let her backpack—retrieving it after grabbing an umbrella from her mother—slide down her shoulder, down her arm, than to fall with a thud on the wooden board floor. Sighing she drop on her bed and place her cheek on the pillow. Her hands sliding underneath it.
Downstairs, her mother was making tea and a cake for the both of them. It may be close to midnight, but that didn't stop them from hanging out and catching up with life. Her mother was especially on how Sakura may get to train underneath the famous doctor, Tsunade. Tsunade being the first female doctor in history. The doctor that was taking Sakura underneath her wings with another trainee. A great honor to Sakura, who wanted to save lives also. A dream that she discovered when she was middle school.
Her mother had told her how her father died. Liver cancer that took his life before she was born. Sakura wanted to save lives so other kids won't have to lose their parents too.
She flinched, her eyes popping open on the sound of something breaking downstairs. The sounded like delicate glass. She pushed herself off the bed and ran down to the first floor. "Mom, are you okay?" she shouted. She froze on the sight of five children holding hands in a firm of a circle. "W-what the heck?" she stuttered out, feeling puzzled and bit scared.
Did some kids break inside their house?!
For a moment as she stared at the circling children, silence developed expect for the children's softy singing an old lullaby. All four boys and one girl mixing their voices together in slow harmony that sounded eerie to her ears.
'Little petal, little petal
Gently falling down,
Into our greedy hands,
Don't mind the blood, for we don't care,
It's part of us and we don't mind it,
The red will look pretty against your fair pink skin.
As you fall down we shall rise,
Little petal, little petal won't you hurry up along now,
For we are some greedy and impatient kids,
Please, don't let us wait any longer.'
Sakura stared as they all let go of their hands to fall to their sides and focus on her with wide grins stretching toward their ears. They started to giggle among themselves. She tried to move or to call out for her mother, but couldn't. The little girl with two brown hair ponytails started to chant her name, "Sakura, Sakura, Sa-ku-ra, Sa-ku-ra it's time to play again. With stakes rise higher at the end of it."
Something clicked in her mind. A memory. Five little children her size playing with her a lot at nighttime in her room. A game of hide-and-seek and other silly little games. Her mother had thought they were her imaginary friends that will fade in time. But here they were in front of her. Their red eyes, wide grins, and giggles. Their clothes out of date with rips and tears replaced with stitches of mismatch pieces of clothing. Socks that reached close to their tiny kneecaps and dirty shoes. They definitely looked creepy in her eyes now than before.
The girl even seemed more doll-like than human.
In fact, the more she stared at them she could see through glimpses of their bodies. She paled. Oh, no this house is haunted!
They vanished, their snickering cut short as her mother's head pop out of the doorway to the kitchen. "I'm okay. I just dropped the tea kettle," she stop short and peered at her closely. "Are you okay, Sakura?"
She blinked and found her body in her control again. "I-I'm fine, mom…but I," she stopped for a second. Did I really see ghosts? Her mother wouldn't believe her if she told her. She continued on, "I just remembered how I didn't tell Karin or Ino that I already arrived here. I bet they are freaking out about me now." She chuckled and that made her mother gave her a small smile.
"You could use the phone in my room. The plug-in there is the only one working."
"Yeah, but I'm going to help you clean up the mess first."
Mebuki shrugged and said, "Alright."
Sakura went inside after her mother to find the spilled tea and broken pieces of the kettle. Her mother hand her a boom and dustpan. A wet and dry towels in her other hand. The minutes passed by with them cleaning up and Sakura pondering hard in her mind what just happened to her. The mess almost finished the sound of the phone ringing upsides alerted them.
Her mother chuckled. "It could be your friends." She stopped in thought. "Oh, wait I was waiting up on a phone call from him…" A light blush on her cheeks, Sakura perked up.
"Him?" She replied.
Her mother waved her off. "Not what you are thinking of. My boss wanted to let me know if he could be able to move me to a position in the city."
Sakura beamed in excitement. "Really? How come you didn't tell me this over the phone? There are some really nice apartments you'll like, mom."
"It's too early, but I plan on moving within six months. It just depends on my boss. I do need the change to live in the sun than continue living in the fog for the rest of my life…" Her mother trailed off, her eyes sadden. She shook her head before Sakura could try to cheer her up. "I'll be back."
Sakura rested her head on top of the boom stick. Poor mom. She sighed and sweep the rest of the floor in case of missing sharp pieces.
Just when she started to hum her mother screamed that halted in her moments in fear. Then her instinct kicked in, the boom dropping to the floor, her legs taking off with her heart pumping in overdrive.
She didn't cry out for her mother. If someone had sneaked into their house and was hurting her mother, she didn't want to alert that person of another person living here. Please, don't let my mom die. Don't hurt her, don't hurt her! I'm coming mom. I'm coming. Her breathing short, she ran up the stairway, wincing on how the creaking of the wooden bend to her weight. The burglar would hear that for sure.
She had her fists and kicks. She didn't need weapons when she had strong strength running in her blood and muscles. Just one punch and that burglar will be wishing that he haven't chosen this house.
On the second floor she saw her mother's door wide open. The sounds of her mother trying to fight back was heard. Pumping her legs harder, she dashed inside the room ready to fight. Her jaw dropped on seeing what was happening in front of her. Her body not obeying her command to move.
The little children were dragging her mother to a back and violet portal inside her mother's closet. The children were laughing as the little girl stood in the middle of the room. Her small back facing her.
Her mother screamed out to her, "Run, Sakura!"
The little girl step aside and stared at her with the wide grin tad open. Then she started to give soft claps to her. "The game will begin now. Your mother for victory. Your body for defeat," the little girl said in a cheerful tone. Her red eyes sprinkling at her.
Covering her mother's mouth she was dragged inside the portal with four children. Her wide eyes begging her daughter to run away while she has the chance just the second before she vanished.
Sakura clenched her jaw. Her body back in control again. "Give me back my mom!" She charged at the little girl, her fist pulled back ready. The little girl just waved her goodbye before disappearing. The portal the only thing left. Sakura dropped to the floor, her eyes watering. Her mother gone. Taken away from her. And she couldn't do nothing to stop it. She glanced up at the portal, the swirling circle.
I got to save her.
She stood up, ready to save her mother when ten different color tentacles reached out from the ground around her. "What now?!"
The tentacles compose of light blue, orange, red, yellow, brown, purple, black, blue, green, and white.
And they were closing in on her. Remembering of her gift from today, Sakura fumbled to unclasp the chain for the pocket watch when they strike. Grabbing a hold of her they started pulled her down when another dark portal had formed. "Gah!"
Struggling against the tentacles, she felt her fingers slipping of the clasp. Inside the portal she stared up at the peach color ceiling in fear. This really can't be happening to me. Her hand reached for the clasp again when the red tentacle grab her wrist and apply pressure. A warning?
Choking back her screams, Sakura could only stare as darkness overtook her vision.
~1-1~
"I think we killed her, un."
"Brat, she's alive—see, she just twitched her right fingers."
A short argument ensure between the two male voices.
Sakura stirred, her eyes blinking open to darkness fought back by dozen of floating candles. Clutching her head, she sat up groaning underneath her breath. She waited for a bit for her vision to clear out the blurriness. In front of her standing up where two young men. One with blonde hair tied up in a ponytail who had a long bang covering his left eye. Clear blue eyes stared down at her. At least she assumed the one with the blonde hair was a man. She did heard two male voices after all.
The other one had short with waving tips red hair that had a bored expression of amber eyes. Both wore black clocks with high and wide collars that had a symbol in the front: a red cloud with white outline.
It stood out from them. The symbol screaming out at her to remember. Remember what exactly? She groaned, her head pounding within her skull. Why am I always having something that needs remembering? I see that symbol before but when and where?
"She's a zombie, un," The blonde stated when she didn't say anything.
She glared at him. "I'm human."
The symbol pushed to the back of her mind. She shook her head and asked, "Where am I? And where is my mom?"
Were these two men with the children? She suddenly become alerted of them. If any of them made a move…
The red haired man shook his head before turning around. "Follow us, little girl."
The blonde bended down and took her elbow to raise her up. He didn't let go when he dragged her with him. She pulled back her arm to which he did let go of her. Through he watched her in case she started to run away from them. She didn't, but she moved few inches away from them to have space.
Seeing that the red hair was getting farther away from them, the other man dashed forward and shouted out, "Yo, Sasori, my man wait up!"
Sasori didn't reply or look back at him.
She stood behind the blonde and looked at him to see him rolling his eyes. "Impatient forever," he muttered underneath his breath. Catching her green eyes he flashed her a smile. "Sasori is not the type to wait or let others wait for long."
She tilted her head. "Sasori as in Scorpion?"
His smile widen. "Sakura as in Cherry Blossom?" He shot at her as he started to walk away.
She froze for a second before taking big steps to catch up with him. "How do you know my name?"
He shrugged. "We have our way of knowing, un."
She frowned. He wasn't going to tell her flat out, was he? She scoffed and asked, "Okay, what's your name?"
"Deidara."
Silence grew between them as they finally caught up with Sasori. She took in her surrounding of darkness and candles. Nothing else. She was amaze that she wasn't freaking out of how she couldn't make out the ground underneath her feet. Then she recalled how Deidara thought that they had killed her.
"I'm not dead, am I?" She voiced her concerns to the men. Her face expression showing her dread of their answer inside.
"Little girl, if you were dead you won't be here."
Finally one of them was answering her questions.
"Than where am I and where is mother? She was taken—"
"By the five young demons. You sure ask a lot of questions, Little girl."
She snapped at him. "You do know my name Sasori—is not 'little girl.'"
He whipped around, taking her off-guard that she stumbled back one step. "The reason I that call you little girl is because you sounded scared on wondering where your mother was. Plus I'm older than you."
She narrowed her eyes. He looked only few years older than her. No excuse on calling her little girl. Especially when she had her mom taken away by five kids that wanted to play a 'game' with her. She had the right to be worried about her parent's safety to ask questions. Even when ten tentacles came out of nowhere to take her somewhere else minutes before.
Furious she blurted out, "You don't what it's like to lose your parents!"
His gaze turned sharp, his voice cold and force. "Watch your tongue or else you'll become part of my collection."
Deidara got between them before it could get any worse. "Pein is waiting for us, Sasori, un."
He turned around to walk away from them. His shoulders tense and his hands clenched to fists.
Sakura crossed her arms in front of her chest and grumbled to herself. I wish this was just a bad dream.
Deidara shook his head at her. "You shouldn't get him angry. In fact, piece of an advice," He grinned to which she rose an eyebrow at him. He continued on, "Don't get anyone angry. We're not… exactly human anymore, so we have unique gifts that we can use to kill. Just saying." He smirked at her and left her with her mouth open.
He must be crazy or my dream is weird this time! I really want to wake up with my mom okay…
She ran to catch up, the corner of her lips pulled down.
~1-1~
"Sakura Haruno… A pleasure to meet you again. Maybe in a better condition that is."
Sakura stared up at the pair of purple with multi circle outlines eyes looking down at her. She swallowed and hoped that he didn't see her fear in her eyes. Keep it together! The sheer power radiated out of the person that made her skin crawled from it. The way the eyes hold her own seemed it wanted respect. No nonsense.
Konan cleared her throat that Sakura focus on her again. Sasori and Deidara disappearing in the darkness behind her. "I remember you. You were with that man in the living room, right?" Sakura asked her. How could she forgot about the couple? They just meet them an hour ago.
Konan nodded at her question, a small smile tugging her lips before she turned serious. "I did hope that they wouldn't had strike tonight after Itachi and I left your house. With my paper crane they couldn't touch you without hurting themselves, but I didn't predicted that they would take your mother in your place. It make sense now since they been known to target everyone that lives in that house in the past."
Sakura shook her head. "Wait, I don't get it! Five children took my mother because they wanted me…why?"
"For your body and vast energy. Your unique for it—the powerful strength and healing abilities. These children are evil spirits that have gifts of their own. Given to them by powerful demons in another domain long ago."
She perked up. "Than you'll help me save my mother!"
She didn't know what Konan meant on powerful strength and healing abilities. Sure, she was strong and she was learning to be a doctor, but five evil spirits looking like kids wanting her for that only? She thought back to when Ino had told her about a little boy who was used in a ritual in her house to have a fox spirit put inside him. His parents dead in the living room. He was taken to an orphanage two years before her mother moved in. Yeah, that gave her nightmares for a few nights. Did the children did that to the poor boy?
The woman snapped her out of her thoughts. "We can't."
Sakura's face fell. "What do you mean 'we can't'?"
Konan rose her hands to stop her from asking anymore questions.
A deep voice coming from the eyes spoke first, "We can only help if you summon us for a limit time. The domain is blocked to us. Only you are invited to enter. We can take many human's days to break it, however, you don't have all the time to wait." His eyes blinked slowly at her.
Than lights flashed in front of her causing her to cover her eyes. When it was safe, she removed her hands to see ten fingers sticking upward with pillars of lights cast down from unseen source. The fingers lead down to half structure of hands. On top of the fingers stood nine figures. She recognized Deidara, Sasori, and Itachi on top of the statue. Konan jumped to be between the fingers of Deidara and Itachi.
Sakura let out a whistle underneath her breathe.
The one with the strange eyes was male. A hot male. She felt her cheeks burned a little on staring at him. Ginger hair that rose in spikes, multiple piercings decorated his face and ears that added more to his looks, and with his power radiating out of him he was like a god. A hot god, Sakura thought in wonder, but clearing that out of her head. Focus, focus! Remember that my mom is in danger! No time to drool of how hot he is.
"Okay, but how do I summon you guys?" she asked him, waving one of her hands in the air. "Do I need to know some magic words or something?"
The ginger man rose his hand and pointed down at her legs. "They are inside your pouch."
She looked down, confuse. She had nothing—
On her right thigh a pouch was resting underneath her skirt. "How—I didn't feel it at all!" She said in surprise. When did she had it on? She poked it to make sure it was real. It was with stuff inside. She checked and pulled out thumb-size items. A clay scorpion, a stuff crow with a fish poking out of its' beck, black wires that formed a scythe, and a paper crane in golden paper. Underneath them was a pair of black gloves.
She opened and closed her mouth before deciding to ask, "How does it work with theses?"
"Zetsu will explain it to you once you enter the domain. Both he and Orochimaru will be your guides and spies. They alone can sneak into the domain unnoticed."
"Right. One more question." When he didn't say anything she took a deep breath to say, "Is it possible for me to get hurt or even die?"
"…Stay alive, Sakura. Because once you die your body and soul belongs to them. Including your mother's."
~1-1~
Sakura stood up and rubbed her bottom from the soreness of landing hard on the ground. She had headed straight to the portal in the closet once the people—the Akatsuki is what they called themselves—had returned her to her world. No second doubts or anything. Just a straight dash forward. She didn't expected to land hard on her bottom conscious. A smooth male voice spoke ahead of her. Half-way out of the ground a man with two odd skin tone splitting in the middle of them alerted her of his presence when seeking out where the voice was from. She had seen him briefly before never paid attention to him.
She flinched before controlling herself. He had dark green skin on his left side and other side pure white. Coming out of the ground and raising over his head was a Venus flytrap poking out of his similar to the others' coat.
"Orochimaru will tell you weakness of monsters, mini-bosses, and bosses to give you an upper-hand. I scout the land of the area, eat corpses, and give you tips if you get stuck in one room. Did I mention that I eat corpses?"
Sakura stared at him with wide eyes. He sank deeper into the ground, his body fading at the edges at the bottom. His voice also changed to a deeper pitch. Zetsu tilted his head to a side, but didn't mind her lack of answer. Is he even human? She wondered. "I got it the first time," she finally said to him.
She scan around her to find rusty gears sticking out of the ground towering over her with red shade hills in a distance in one side. Few dead trees here and there in the plains beyond and among the gears. The sky all dark that no stars or moon was visible above. In front of them in a distance was a four level castle made of faded brown bricks. Visible blacker form of birds flew around the rooftop.
Definitely a creeping place, Sakura thought as she took a step forward. But that won't stop me from rescuing my mom. "Say, how do I summon the rest of the Akatsuki members, Zetsu?"
"It will activate when one of the kids wants—to kill you—play with you. A team of two will help you out depending on which one activates and on the kid."
She stretched her arms and legs while watching the citadel with careful eyes. She had ignored the deeper voice in his talking. "Thanks. I guess I should head to the Castle now."
She looked down to find him gone. Rolling her eyes she marched ahead. Off to find my mother in this odd and scary place alone. She amusing thought to herself. The quote bit inspired by a movie she had seen with her friend Ino at a young age in the black and white screen in the theaters. She paused a second. Or was that from my dream…no, no that was real. Man, what is wrong with my mind?
Walking down a worn down trail she did her best not to be frighten of the environment or flashes of darting shadows in her peripheral vision. The voice of the strange eyes man warning her not to die constant reminded her that this was no game or a dream. This was real and she could die if anything happen to her. Then they'll kill my mom next.
She snapped out of her trace of the chorus of birds above her head. Ravens flying in circles in group of six. All communicating to each other. Staring down at her with bloodshot eyes that literally seem to spill out tears of blood. Yikes.
She couldn't ignore of a deep feeling that they were planning of attacking her very soon. She couldn't attack the birds with her bare fists or kicks out of the sky. Including if there was more than one. If only I had a weapon to protect myself…
Something started to glow in warm pink below her. She checked to find her pocket watch dangling from a chain around her hip the one glowing. She grab the pocket watch in her palm after unclasping and unwrapping it from her hip. The only petal not glowing was the darker shade of pink. She rubbed her thumb over it to feel that it could be clicked. So she clicked it. The petals split in the middle from the side to let out pink blades the size of her fingernails. A weapon, she thought in wonder than remembering how her mother did told her bits of it when giving it to her. She grinned.
Thanks mom.
The first raven strike, its beck aiming straight at her face and its talons ready to do more damage. Not hesitating, Sakura swung her weapon from bottom to side up than swinging it to the left. The petal toss further to reach the incoming enemy. It sliced its underbelly than touching its left wing the petal blades dug deep into its flesh on its side. A squeak from it Sakura brought it down to the ground before it could do anything.
A proof of gray smoke pop out where the body had crashed. When the vapors vanished into the air, no trace of the dying bird remain. That left five more to go.
Swinging the chain upward, she twirled it over her head. A form of protection and counter-attack. When three took the dare to strike together, she was ready for them. On the last twirl she swung it toward them. She got all of them in one hit by using four move combos: many done by the flick of her waist. The puffing of gray smoke Bring the cherry blossom watch back to her, she pulled her arm back too much. Resulting on her getting a cut on her cheek. She winced, but did not faltered.
And here I thought I was naturally on this…
The watch landing on the ground she watched as the last two took a chance. They did an unexpected thing by doing barrel rolls in the air, their wings tucked close to their bodies. Their twirling becks aiming for her eyes. She braced herself to jump out of the way, her chain hold tight in her hands.
The sound of the air being tear was heard from her right ear as the two birds were knocked together by something too fast to see. They were pinned to the ground ten feet away from her by one throwing dagger. They disappeared leaving only a trail of smoke. Looking away from the dagger spot she searched the person that threw that in the first place.
"Zetsu, is that you?" She called out.
She felt a poke on her right shoulder that made her flinch. She relax her shoulders, sighing a breath of relief. She turned around, ready to thank the odd man when the words died in her ajar mouth.
This person was definitely not Zetsu or any other men that she saw before. A man around twenty years old had short black hair that stick out in spikes, black eyes that studied her too, and scars in his right side of his face. His black clock that reached up to his thighs buttoned up to his collar in silver buttons. An icon of a fan of red and white was pin to his breast pocket. She glance up at his face. She didn't know why, but she wanted to touch his scars to feel them underneath her fingertips. A terrible inch she couldn't shake off. Would they be smooth or rough to touch?
Her right hand grip her left waist to stop it right away. He didn't seem to notice on her inner turmoil of what to touch him and not to do it. I wonder how he got it from.
"Who are you?" She slowly asked him.
He blinked and flash her a small smile. "I'm Obito Uchiha. I'm glad that you're okay, Miss."
She nearly blushed but she controlled herself. "Are you one of the Akatsuki members?"
He frowned. "An Akatsuki member? It sounds familiar, but no. I came here after following these damn kids after they took my sister. Did you happen to see where they went?"
She shook her head, feeling pity yet excited to know she wasn't alone on this. "I'm rescuing my mom from them, too."
"Oh… Do you know where we are at, by the way?" He stepped behind her to stare at the Castle. His hands resting on his hips.
"No clue. Just that this is from other world for spirits and demons."
He tilted his head. "My sister did mention making friends with children her age in the basement."
An idea popped into her mind at that moment. "Say, why don't we travel together. No doubt that they were the same ones that took my mother. We can find them if we work together—less chance of dying here."
He whipped around. "'Dying here'. We can die here?"
She nodded with a grim smile. "So I heard. They want our bodies and soul. Any one of them that manages to kill us keep the spoils. So what do you say, Obito? My name is Sakura by the way."
She leaned out her hand for him to take. He stared at it for few minutes causing her to be worry that he won't accept. But he did. He grab hold of her hand. A firm shake from each other, Sakura beamed at him. She let him go which he cringed his hand to his chest.
"That's some strong hand you got."
Her smile widen. "Don't underestimate my strength from my size and gender."
He nodded and said, "Noted."
Wrapping and clasping her pocket watch around her hip again, Obito fletched his throwing dagger before they headed off together in a rescue mission.
~64~64~64~64~64~
My Longest one-shot I ever written before X D Through as you can tell it's supposed to be a multi-chapter story. Rest assure, it's only an one-shot. I did plan on making this idea into a someday novel than video game creation before a while ago than writing it down as a fanfic one-shot entry. But I'm glad that I did it. Gives me a heads-up of how I need more ideas to make the novel amazing in the future. : 3
So how did I came up with this? Will one night as I was trying to sleep I was imagining a group of children signing a lullaby, Ring around the Rosie in a hallway as I was holding onto my mother's hand. We walk through them as I reassure my mother or myself that they won't hurt us. I went to the kitchen as she went to her room to put away clothes. I hear her scream as the children attack her or take her away. I rush to her room thinking and panicking of her holding on, that I was coming to save her. That's it. Later on, I started think what if the main character (a girl) went to save her mother, battling against evil spirits and each of the children (in a mini-boss and boss battle) with another person, a guy, who was there trying to save his younger sister, so they team up. Their first mini-boss was a young woman who lost her young baby boy to a young boy. She is trying to find him (telling the characters, 'Where's my baby? They took my baby!') but can't. It is revealed that they took her eyes. She turns angry and demanding of having your (the main character's) eyes, resulting in becoming a monster. After she is defeated the boy comes with the dead baby and battles you.
The last boss was going to be a girl who had a creepy smile who wants the main character's body.
Each children's soul is twisted from their past since they were together in the same era. I also imagined the girl having a sword and shield and the boy a bow and arrows or an staff. In the end before the battle of the little girl, the leader of the group, they promise each other to meet each other when they return home safe and sound. So yes, there is small romance between them growing throughout the story. ; 3
Sadly the romance for ObiSaku didn't happen as I wish it to, but I know I can't have they fall in love with each other just like that. Instead you got Sakura's parents small romance. But it was important because how else can I have Sakura born? X D There is a small hint of KonanItachi in the fanfic, and I was torn of choosing SasoSaku or PeinSaku as a minor side pairing with ObiSaku as the main one.
So you can see the differences between my novel idea and the one-shot. I didn't think of making this one-shot part steampunk genre, but I wanted to give it a shot, so how did I do for my first try? : D
Please let me know what you thought of this one-shot. Any advice to share? : )
Anyway, I do hope that you guys enjoy the one-shot. In fact, next I'll be working on the Phantom of the Opera AU for ObiSakuNaru.
Until next time...
~GreenFantasy64