A/N: Previously called "Pink Sea Pirate". The story has been completely rewritten to fit the needs of the readers.
This chapter was taken down and rewritten for plot purposes. 8/16/18
Ino gently stirred the cup of sake in her hand as she looked over at her best friend. The simplest sight of the pinkette made the corner of her lips downcast in sadness. Sakura's own dark pastel green eyes looked out into space with the same expression of sadness of her own. It was hard to see her once overjoyed, outgoing, and smart remarked friend turn into someone that barely expressed herself. Sighing, Ino took a shot of her sake before looking at the miserable girl straight in the eyes.
"Forehead! It isn't your fault." She moved her hand onto Sakura's as she caressed it. "Besides, you are already awesome as it is. You are a medic that everyone depends on. You saved Kankuro from death and solved a poison that was so complex that only a genius could solve. One day, you will be able to get Sasuke back. I'm sure of it."
A soft smile graced on Sakura's face. This was the same speech Ino always told her when she got drunk. Instead of belittling herself like she did the first few times the speech was given, which in fact only made the blonde angry with her, she had simply changed the subject.
"Come on, Ino. Don't you think we are too young to be drinking? I mean, we are only sixteen." Sakura cooed teasingly at her. Though Ino sucked her teeth at the comment as she rolled her eyes.
"Oh, whatever. Since we are ninja's, this is the legal drinking age for us. Besides, I don't know why you are questioning me when you are drinking yourself." Ino pushed her lips together when Sakura laughed at her response. Ino couldn't help but watch the pleasantly content face Sakura gave. Though, it didn't last long when regret was written all over her face again. Ino took another shot of sake. By the time she knew it, she had finished three bottles of sake by herself.
"Pig, I think you have had enough." Sakura nudged at her.
Ino's head rose off the table to see a blurred figure helping her out of the seat. She whined at her but didn't struggle as they began to walk the quiet streets of Kohona. Ino felt her neck being tickled by Sakura's short pink lockets as she placed her head on Sakura's shoulders. The whole time they spoke nothing to each other but Ino couldn't... No, wouldn't let go of what she was thinking. Sure, it had been a year since the failed mission to bring Sasuke back but Sakura acted like it didn't bother her. Sometimes she wished that Sakura would be more open with her and not let all those feelings build up into something that would get her hurt.
"Forehead, why don't you stay at my house tonight? My father hasn't seen you in a long time. It would be a nice surprise for him to see you." Ino stammered out as she fumbled with her keys. Sakura swiftly took the keys out of Ino's hand the moment they arrived in front of the flower shop. She unlocked the door and guided her into the shop.
"Maybe next time? I still haven't seen my own parents since I came back from my mission." She gave a reassuring smile while pulling Ino into a tight hug. The strange part about it was that Ino hugged her back with more force. Like it was going to be the last time she was ever going to see Sakura again. "I will see you later, pig." Sakura sighed as she closed the door behind her and started to walk her own way home. She really didn't want to see anyone today but Ino always had a way to force her to go drinking. She indeed drank a lot herself. A matter of fact, ten times more than Ino because thanks to Tsunade's constant drinking challenges, she had grown immune to all types of alcohol. Maybe it wasn't so bad that her shishou made her participant in her bad habits.
"Sakura?" A flat tone voice spoke out from behind her. She didn't bother to look who it was. She knew full well who it was minutes before they approached her. She felt the corner of her lip going upwards into a smirk. She was happy. The training she was putting herself through to perfect her chakra sense were paying off. So far she could sense them in five miles radius without trying. It was fucking badass in her opinion.
"I wouldn't expect you to be out this late at night, Shikamaru." She turned her head slightly to see that he was now walking next to her with his eyes closed. The smell of freshly cut grass filled her nostrils in an instant. Just by that, she concluded that he was previously taking a nap in a field moments before. Chuckling to herself, she could almost reminisce on the days back when they were a genin. Some people just don't change.
Shikamaru's left eye cracked open to gaze at the girl smiling. He wasn't much of a friend to her but he had seen a difference in her since the day she came back a year ago. She was more reserved and soft-spoken than the loud and hot tempted self. He wasn't saying the change was a bad thing but maybe it was too much of a change in a short period of time. He wasn't concerned, no. He was more curious than anything.
"I was taking a nap in the fields when I woke up, it was already night." Sakura bobbed her head in acknowledgment. "It just so happened that I am walking the same way as you." He didn't know why he said that but he was relieved that Sakura didn't question him.
"You know, there is a wonderful thing they invented called a house with a room you can have for your own. Then you can purchase a bed for you to sleep on instead." Sakura laughs wholeheartedly at Shikamaru's face. He knew she was joking around with him but he never heard her use so much sarcasm in a while.
"There you are." They both stop in their tracks when he said it. Sakura turned towards him and that's when their eyes clashed against each other. Neither said anything but it was like a silent exchange of words between the two. This was the result of her own failure and he understood that this was her way of coping. In the end, Shikamaru went back to closing his eyes with his head facing the sky. He let the night air brush against his skin before turning his back to her.
"Thanks." She raised her hand halfway to wave goodbye.
"See you later, Sakura." He waved his hand lazily in the air as he walked away. Sakura turned her head to see her yard only a few feet away. She opened the gate and was greeted by the creaking noise. The sight of the rose bushes along the cement walkway was an astonishing sight to see and smell. She let her fingertips graze along it as she walked. Feeling the silk-like petals of each flower she passed, she couldn't help but love the feeling.
The moment she had got inside, she murmured to herself that she was home. In return, no one responded. This in hindsight was a good thing after all. She rubbed her eyes tiredly with the pad of her thumbs as she leans her shoulder against the lavender painted wall. Pushing herself off, she looks at the dark living room then the kitchen before jogging her way upstairs.
Opening her bedroom door, the moonlight from the balcony window shun upon her. Yawning softly, she grabbed onto the curtains and closed it with the rest of the strength she had for the night. She stood at the foot of her bed until she fell backward into the fluffy cloud of comfort. How she missed her bed after a long time away from home. It was a blissful feeling.
Immediately, her mind began to wonder about her comrade and best friend, Naruto. She wondered if he felt ten times worse than she did. If he was out there training with Kakashi and Jiraiya with whatever new jutsu he wanted to learn just to bring Sasuke back. Knowing Naruto, he probably blamed himself right now. Thinking that he failed Sakura but that wasn't the case. It wasn't at all.
If she wasn't so obsessed with Sasuke when they were younger and dedicated her time to training to get stronger... Sakura shook her head and buried her face in her pillow. It wasn't the time to think so negatively about herself. She frowned a bit before drifting off to sleep.
Minutes into her sleep, a sound of glass shattering from the hallway woke her. She quickly pushed herself out of bed while she grabs a kunai that hid under her pillow. Sakura took in a slow, deep breath as she opened the door to her room. The hall was pitch blacker than she remembered. She couldn't make out anything in the hall but she felt as if a pair of eyes were watching her. Someone was in her home but she wasn't about to blindly go attack.
She closed her door before locking it. She moved to her balcony sliding door and opened the curtains to make an exit but instead being beckoned by the moonlight, a thick black texture covered the door. Without panicking, Sakura made it to her window and discovered the same thing. By the time she turned back to her only exit, the once pale white door was consumed by blackness. Her hold onto the kunai tightened in the realization that she was going to have to fight her way out.
The door swung open with enough force that the top hinge broke off. She waited for the first attack but nothing came her way. She just watched as her room was engulfed in black, leaving nothing to see but that was alright. She didn't need to see to fight. The sound was enough for her to go by.
Sakura's head moved left to right, trying to hear the slightest noise. The 'shh' sound of a punch being thrown her way made her move into action. Skillfully dodging it, she delivered a blow of her own onto the suspect. Her eyes narrowed at the sound of a grunt, surely, it was a man attacking her. He had attacked again with a big right overhand punch. Sakura stepped out of range, but before she could bring her hands up to defend, the man drove his shoulder into Sakura's chest. Slamming her into the wall, where he started landing solid punches into her gut.
The first blow knocked the wind out of her but she managed to put out a solid layer of chakra over her gut. Sakura twisted her body while pumping chakra into the heel of her right foot and kicked the attacker off her. He stumbled back in pain and landed into furniture, breaking it in the process. He was laying on his back when Sakura slammed her foot into his stomach. She felt warm liquid splatter onto her leg but it didn't stop her from repeating the act. The floor under them collapsed and they both fell to the first floor. Unlike the man, Sakura landed right on her feet.
She tightened her fist as she smashed the spot where the man was but he had already moved. She now stood in a medium size crater with anger rolling down her body. This asshole made her destroy her room and the living area. He wasn't going to get away with it. She tried to look around but the same darkness greeted her. Cursing to herself, she rose her hands up in defense and waited for the man to reappear. Instantly, she heard a sound of a firework go off and sudden pain took over her left shoulder.
Wrenching in pain, she reached for it and felt warm blood dripping from the new wound. Too distracted, she wasn't able to avoid the hands that were now wrapped around her neck. He started to apply pressure to her throat, making it hard for her to breathe. She tried kicking and punching him to let her go but it just made him grunt and squeeze harder. Clawing at his hands, she felt herself succumbing to nothing. The last thing she felt was her body hitting the floor while the man said something to her.
::
The feeling of warm water hitting against Sakura's face caused her eyes to flutter open at the sensation. The morning sun blinded her, she raised her arm to block it while water droplets fell from her skin and hit against her face. The taste of the salt water made her face scrunch up in disgust. She closed her eyes and placed her hand back in the water to just think to herself. The events from the night before started to evade her mind.
Panic settled in when she realized on exactly what happened. She was attacked, choke, kidnapped, and dump in the middle of the sea. Why the hell couldn't they just have killed her? It wasn't going to help the man's case when she finds him and ends his pitiful life. Still, she really didn't want to move from the water but a wave soon went over her. Coughing, she splashed around in the water until she regains her composer.
Taking a deep breath, Sakura calmed herself down and thought over her situation. She had to find where she was at and get back home. The said girl frowned to herself when she remembered that her shoulder had gotten hurt. She looked over at the wound and saw that it was bandaged up and soaking wet. That man was a psychopath. Who wounds someone than gives first aid? Now, she was irritated with the whole dilemma.
It was a bit hard at first but Sakura managed to drag herself to the surface of the water. She ranged out the water from her hair and clothes before sighing to herself. The one time she just wanted to stay home and sleep, she was dragged out on an adventure she never wanted. Looking over her surroundings, she saw what to be land in the distance. She stretched a little before running full speed ahead.
When Sakura had arrived near shore, she saw a large group of people looking over in her direction. Their voices shook as if they were terrified to see someone running and walking on water. She jumped onto the dock, where everyone was gathered at. They back away immediately from her and made a clear path for her to enter the town.
As she ignored the burning stares from the group, she looked for somewhere to rest up.
The further she walked into town, the more clueless she felt on what to do. Nothing looked familiar to her. To the structure of the buildings and how people dressed, just screamed differently. Hell, there was a tall building in the center of the town that read out Marines. In Sakura's sixteen years of living and traveling since she was a genin. She never saw anywhere like this.
Eagerly the pinkette used her chakra sense skills and scanned the area around her. The presence of chakra residing in everyone that pass by was as much as a little flame within them. It was like no one ever tried using the power that was given to them since birth. Even civilians in her village hand more visible chakra than here. The information she had collected within a few minutes confirmed her doubts. She was long away from home.
Sakura's body slouched but it didn't stop her from moving. Eventually, she found a bar named 'Food for' with a picture of a fork right next to it. She didn't hesitant on open the door and taking a seat in the far corner. Unlike outside, no one gave a damn about her presence and continued with their business. Being eating or conversating with others, they just really didn't care.
Sakura's fingers tapped on the wooden surface of the table. It wasn't because she was frustrated with the group of that kept looking her way. No, her injured shoulder was starting to get on her nerves. The salt water had made the wound irritated but she was still wet and didn't have anything to dry to rewrap it with. Until then, she probably waits until she was comfortable to make up a plan.
It was strange though, at a time like this she still wondered what Naruto and Sasuke were doing at this exact moment. She wondered if they even knew she was gone. She bet that no one would actually find out about until a week had passed. Well, it was only logical to think that way since she did not see much of anyone throughout the year. No one would think it is strange for not see her for three to four days.
As if on queue, Sakura started to pay attention around her when everyone had gone silent when a group of men came into the bar. Sakura notices the white uniform and hats before closing her eyes, not caring. But, they still made a way for her until the head of the group stood only a few feet away.
"Are you the woman that was seen walking on water?" Sakura cracked one eye open to see him pointing right at her. Blinking, she pointed are herself with a questioning look. "Well?" Sakura didn't know if she should answer the man. Momentarily she thought over her options. She could run off but knowing it could get her into more trouble, she rather just deal with it now.
What a drag.
Total word count: 3,000