"Sakuraaaaaa-"
Sakura looked up from her homework, to the big clock hanging on the wall. It was playtime already.
"Sakuraaaaaa-" Naruto shouted again.
"Coming," she shouted back as she shut the workbook and jumped onto the floor from the chair. Standing in front of the mirror, she tied the red ribbon on her pink hair and rushed downstairs.
"You're too loud," she rolled her eyes at her friend.
"What took you so long?" the boy ignored her question.
"I was doing homework."
"Homework?"
"Yes, homework," Sakura scowled.
"But there's still a lot of time left before school starts again. Why are you doing homework already?"
"Because unlike you, I don't leave my homework for the last day. I'm telling you Naruto, this time, if you don't finish your homework and ask to copy mine, I'll tell auntie Kushina."
"What?! Why are you being so mean?"
"You need to do your own homework," she shouted as she ran ahead of him, heading towards her best friend's house. "Let's call the others."
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All seven were standing there in the middle of the dead-end lane. Naruto, Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Neji, Tenten and Kiba.
"So, what are we gonna play today?" Ino asked, flipping her ponytail.
"How about hide and seek?" Tenten suggested excitedly.
"I like hide and seek," Sakura chirped.
"Wait," Naruto stopped them.
"What?" Ino raised an eyebrow, a tone of irritation evident in her voice.
"You know the family that moved in?"
"You mean the family that bought the Nakamura family's house?" Shikamaru asked.
"Yes. Them."
"What about them?" Sakura placed her hands on her waist.
"Well, there's a boy. I mean there are two. The younger one looks our age. I saw him. How about we ask him to join us?"
"Sounds good," Ino was the first one to approve, "What do you all think?"
"Well, the more people we have, the more fun it is," Kiba commented.
"Yes, it sounds fun," Tenten sounded pretty excited, "Don't you think?"
"Whatever suits everybody," Neji, the boy spoken to, sounded like he didn't mind either way.
So, in the end, with everyone's approval, the gang paraded towards the house opposite to the Harunos'.
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"Oh my!" the lady exclaimed as she opened the door. She was a beauty of her own league. Her deep black eyes and long black hair had a certain sense of serenity which was enhanced many folds by her smile, "What a pleasant surprise!"
"I'm Naruto," Naruto was standing ahead of everyone else. With Sakura just a step behind him. The rest were standing in the back. "that is my house."
He pointed to his house on the other side of the concrete road.
"And I'm Sakura," Sakura stepped ahead and bowed slightly, "I live in that house," she showed the house next to Naruto's; exactly across the lane.
"We all live in this neighbourhood," Naruto said with a bright smile.
"Did you all come to say hello?"
"We came to ask if the boy wants to play with us."
"Eh?"
"We saw a boy of our age," Sakura clarified for Naruto. "We thought it'd be fun if he joined our group."
"I see. You're here to invite Sasuke to your group. That's so nice of you," she smiled again, "Why don't you all come in? I have some really delicious cakes. And you can ask Sasuke yourself."
"Yayyy, let's go in, friends," before anyone could respond, Naruto ran past the lady and stormed inside the house.
"Naruto, that's rude," Sakura gave an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry. He isn't very good when it comes to manners. He often gets scolded by auntie Kushina because of that. "
"It's alright, Sakura. You all should come inside too."
"Um, I wanted to ask you. What do we call you?"
"Oh? You can call me auntie Mikoto," her smile was warm and gentle and it took Sakura less than a minute to take a liking to her.
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"What about the mango juice I brought last night?" the man, who had just introduced himself as uncle Fugaku asked. Unlike Mikoto, he didn't have the warm or gentle appearance. He had a stern face and an overly authoritative way of speaking. But was welcoming in his own way.
"Oh. I totally forgot about it. Why don't you bring it out of the fridge?" Mikoto asked her husband as she served the cakes to the kids.
"Ah. Got it," he walked towards the kitchen.
"Bring glasses too. We need seven."
"Ah."
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"Come say hello to them, Sasuke." The seven friends were busy enjoying their little feast when Fugaku's voice brought their attention to the boy who had just stepped into the room.
Sakura turned her face to take a look at him. His appearance was very similar to his mother's. But he had a weird hairstyle that reminded her of a duck's butt. She chuckled to herself.
Sasuke looked a little uncomfortable at the sight of the crowd in his sitting room. Occupying the entire sofa and a few chairs dragged from the dining table to accommodate all of them, creating what to him was a commotion.
Naruto jumped up from his seat and bolted towards him. "Hello, I'm Naruto," he stood in front of Sasuke, grinning ear to ear.
Sasuke scowled at him.
"What's with that attitude, Sasuke? Introduce yourself properly," Mikoto reprimanded her son.
"I'm Sasuke," he didn't look half as enthusiastic as his counterpart regarding this introduction.
"These are my friends," Naruto pointed towards the six small people at the back, "We all live in this neighbourhood. We're all friends."
Sasuke's eyes travelled to them.
"Hi, I'm Sakura," she offered him a big smile.
Sasuke's brows furrowed a little at the sight of a pink haired girl with big green eyes. She was a little too colourful for his eyes.
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"So, let's sort the seeker," Ino said with her usual tone of authority. "Everyone come stand in a circle."
Sasuke hated being ordered around like that. And he wasn't at all enthusiastic about playing hide and seek with these people he had met barely thirty minutes ago. But he didn't have much to do at home. His brother had gone to their uncle's place and they weren't done unpacking yet. So, playing video games wasn't possible. Therefore, after a healthy amount of consideration, he complied.
When everyone was gathered, Ino started, "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe…"
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"Haha," Naruto pointed towards Kiba and laughed, "It's you again."
"Don't worry. I'll find you first and make you the next seeker," he challenged back with a proud smile.
Kiba was sent behind a lamppost to count till hundred.
"No cheating!" Tenten shouted as he tried to peek at his friends. Then she ran with Neji looking for a good hiding spot.
"Aren't you hiding?" Sakura asked Sasuke who was standing in the middle of the road. Looking like he had no intention of finding a hiding place or whatever.
"I don't know where to hide," he confessed.
That made sense. He was new in the neighbourhood, he wasn't familiar with the usual hiding places.
"You can hide with me," Sakura smiled brightly, "I'll show you the best hiding places."
Before he could respond, she took his hand and dragged him along as she ran ahead.
"It's someone's house," Sasuke panicked as Sakura opened a gate.
"Yes, uncle Asuma and anutie Kurenai's," she rolled her eyes at him.
She didn't understand his point. If there was a house, of course it was going to be someone's. It was common sense.
"But-"
"Just come with me," she pulled his hand, denying him any chance of speaking another word, "This way Kiba will be here before we even get to hide."
She went to the main door and opened it confidently. They entered the house and she shut the door. Then, she settled under the stair case with Sasuke.
"Who's there?" a woman's voice came from inside the house. Making Sasuke panic.
"Auntie, it's me, Sakura."
"Oh, you're hiding here?"
"Yes. I also have a friend with me."
"Oh. I see."
Sasuke was beyond dumbfounded.
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"It's unfair," Naruto shouted, "You saw Neji first."
"But I didn't say 'you're next' to him. I said that to you first."
"It's cheating."
"It isn't."
"It is."
"They're at it again," Sakura sounded irritated, her ear pressed against the door.
"What happened?" Sasuke had very little idea regarding the commotion outside.
"According to the rule, the first person the seeker finds is supposed to be the next seeker. But he has to say 'you're next' to him. Kiba saw Neji first. But didn't say that to him because he wants to make Naruto the next seeker. He said that to him although he saw him after Neji."
"So, what are we going to do now?" Sasuke was finally starting to get interested.
"I'll save him," Sakura declared confidently.
"What?"
"Another person will become the seeker only if he manages to find every single one of us. But if any of us manages to catch him first, then he has to be the seeker again."
"How are we supposed to catch him?"
"You take him by surprise. You get near him without him noticing, and then you touch him and say 'you again'. Remember, you have to touch him but he doesn't have to touch you. The seeker is always at an advantage."
Sasuke nodded. This was more complicated than the lessons they taught in school.
"So, you stand here. Kiba will come looking soon. He'll open the door and see you. He'll think you are the one hiding here. Then, I'll jump at him from behind the door and it will be game over for him. Do you get it?"
"Yes," Sasuke finally realised the weight of the mission he was being entrusted with.
"Good," she gave a satisfied smile.
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"Thank you, Sakuraaaa," Naruto cried as tears streamed down his face, "You saved me again. Kiba just hates me."
"Cut it out, Naruto," Sakura pushed him away, "You do it to him too." She sounded like an older sister scolding her mischievous little brother.
"Everyone, let's go hide again," Tenten was as cheerful as ever, "And Kiba, you go back there and count to hundred. Go."
He looked extremely dejected as he dragged his body back to his spot behind the lamppost.
Sakura looked at the old wooden clock on the peach coloured wall. It was almost time to close the shop. She started to tidy things up. Not that they were really untidy.
It was a normal day in terms of sales. Most of the doughnuts were sold, just a few old-fashioned ones remained.
She packed the leftovers in a paper box. A white box with two cherry blossoms printed on the front side. And the name of the shop written in a pretty pink shade: Sakura Doughnuts.
It used to embarrass Sakura when she was a teenager. Why couldn't her parents pick a different name for their doughnut shop? Why did it have to be her name? There were other much better ways of showing your love for your daughter. But by now, she had gotten used to it. If she were to be honest, she had even come to like it.
The shop was small but tidy. Located just at the spot where the lane bent like an L. It was the favourite doughnut shop of everyone in the neighbourhood. Especially the kids. The doughnuts were delicious, made with best quality ingredients and they always made sure that proper hygiene was maintained.
Sakura grabbed the box and turned around to take a last look at the shop. To see if she was missing anything. The three tables and twelve chairs were all properly lined up. The glass display case was clean and empty. The white floor tiles were perfectly clean, not a crumb was to be seen anywhere.
Ensuring she was satisfied with everything, Sakura switched off the lights and closed the shop for good.
She walked towards her house, her flat plastic sandals making little noise against the concrete surface of the lane. She stopped in front of a two-storeyed house and rang the bell.
"Sakura?" Kiba appeared as the door opened.
"I had some leftovers today," she held up the paper box containing the doughnuts.
"Oh. Thank you," he smiled contentedly, "My dogs really love your doughnuts."
"I know," she smiled, "Thank you for always buys from us."
"Come on. Like we'll buy doughnuts from somewhere else. These doughnuts are the taste of our childhood," he grinned.
"Well, they are. But ever since I started working at the shop, dealing with doughnuts all day has made me somewhat less fond of them," she smiled.
"Then I'm happy I don't work at a doughnut shop," he laughed. "Oh, by the way, did you hear? I heard Sasuke's coming. Man, it's been so long."
Sakura felt as if an electric current just passed through her entire body. That name… his name… it brought back memories. Way too many of them. Some happy, some sad, some very mundane, all sorts of emotions entangled together creating a… 'mess' was probably the most appropriate word.
"Sakura?"
"Oh," she snapped back to reality.
"Did you hear?"
"No," she hadn't.
"Naruto didn't tell you? That's strange. He told me. Sasuke and I weren't even that close," he scratched his messy brown hair.
Sakura knew why. Naruto knew things Kiba didn't. Very complicated things. Although she wondered how useful it was in the end. If he was indeed coming back, it wasn't like she won't get to know.
"I think he was going to tell me later," she smiled. "I'll get going now, Kiba. Goodnight."
"Night. And thank you for this," he held up the white box with a smile.
"You're welcome," Sakura turned around and left.
Sasuke, huh?
After seven years?
She continued walking towards her house under the yellow light of the streetlamps. Lost in her thoughts.
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Before opening the gate, she glanced at the house across the lane. The metal nameplate on the outer wall read 'Uchiha'.
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"I'm home."
"Ah. Welcome home, Sakura," her father greeted, taking a break from setting the table.
"Get changed, dinner's ready," Mebuki said from the kitchen.
"Yeah."
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"By the way, Sakura. Mikoto told me today, Sasuke is coming for the wedding. You must be very happy, right?"
The father-daughter duo looked at her. One with confusion and the other with uneasiness in their eyes.
"Why would I be happy?" Sakura asked, swallowing the rice that was in her mouth.
"Why? Your friend is coming home after how many years again?"
"I don't remember," she cast her gaze down to look at her bowl of rice, her face getting hot already, her heart rate accelerating.
"What do you mean you don't remember? Isn't he your friend?"
"Well… we haven't been in touch," Sakura poured herself a glass of water. Anything to look busy.
"That's strange! You two used to be really close."
"Time passed, we got busy with other things. Like they say: out of sight, out of mind."
If only it was that easy.
"That's a terrible excuse," Mebuki spoke while chewing on a piece of omelette.
"Whatever," Sakura kept eating without looking up. She didn't have the courage to meet her mother's gaze.
Mebuki and Kizashi continued with their small talks.
"Can you believe, that Itachi is getting married? I still remember when they moved in. He was such a small boy."
"He wasn't that small to be honest. Can you believe how older our Sakura has gotten? The day when she gets married and leaves us isn't far away," Kizashi sounded really heart-broken.
"What's with that, Dad? I'm not going anywhere."
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She was sitting at the window frame, staring into the darkness outside. A few raindrops were striking against the pale skin of her face. It wasn't a heavy downpour. It wasn't what people long for after long, hot, intolerable summer days. It was more of an irritating kind of rain. A drizzle that goes on for hours but barely manages to drench the earth's surface. Creating inconvenience for people and getting on everyone's nerves. But still, it was the messenger of the rainy season.
Monsoon is almost here.
"Sasukeeee," Sakura shouted.
The door opened after a while, Sasuke's face appearing on the other side.
"It's raining. How can we play?"
"We're not playing outside today," Sakura informed, "We're going to Shikamaru's house. Uncle Shikaku has brought a CD. We're going to watch a film."
Sasuke scowled. Watching a film wasn't among his favourite activities.
"It's a really interesting film. It's got dinosaurs," Sakura sounded way too excited.
"Dinosaurs?"
"Yes, it's about a park where dinosaurs live. And they attack some humans who go to visit the park."
Now that was intriguing.
"Let's go now. They're waiting for us."
"Wait a minute. I need to bring an umbrella."
"It's a light drizzle. Just come with me," she offered, flaunting her pink umbrella.
"Where are you going, Sasuke?" Itachi appeared at the door.
"To Shikamaru's house."
"Oh. I'll bring you an umbrella."
"You don't need to. I'll share Sakura's," and with a hop, he was with her, under her umbrella.
It was a very innocent invitation on Sakura's part. She hadn't thought it through. Sharing an umbrella wasn't a foreign concept to her. She had shared an umbrella with more or less all of her friends. Naruto and Ino more than the rest.
But the moment Sasuke stepped under the umbrella, there was a strange sensation. It confused her. She was happy, very happy, beyond happy even. And she was a little nervous. Her heart was beating fast. Having Sasuke within such close proximity wasn't something that happened regularly. And it was raining, so it was a little cold. But the moment Sasuke joined her under the umbrella, his body heat radiated to her. Giving her a strange sense of warmth. She almost blushed as the two of them started walking towards the Nara house.
These memories were over a decade old. And it surprised Sakura how vividly she remembered it. While she had totally forgotten other events that had taken place more recently.
Why do I remember it all so clearly?
She knew the answer. She knew it too well. But it was a little sad to admit it. So, she preferred to pretend that she didn't.
From her window, she looked down at the street. It was empty right now. Not like it was busy other times of the day. This neighbourhood was a rather quiet one. And sakura liked it that way. The busy city life wasn't something she really craved. She loved this life. Peaceful and familiar.
Why does it even matter he's coming home?
And if she were to be honest, she wasn't sure how to face him after all these years. They weren't in touch. But they were friends on every social media account they had. Still, they hadn't exchanged any word in several years. If she met him now, it'd most likely be a little awkward.
How shall I even greet him?
But then again, she most likely won't have to. He was coming here for the wedding. He'd be busy with all the preparations. She'd most likely see him briefly at the ceremony and then before she knows it, he'd be gone again.
After all, he wanted to see more of the world. He despised being confined in this small neighbourhood. He had big dreams, unlike her, who was satisfied with the life she had been living here, in the outskirts of the city.
Sakura sighed and stepped down from the window.
It was no use thinking about him. She had been living fine. Working at her parents' doughnut shop. Making doughnuts and seeing the happy smiles on the faces of her customers. This was the life she had wanted.
She was happy.
That's what she liked to believe.
This is what I wanted. This is all I wanted.
Not entirely true though. But is it really possible to have all you want? Maybe for some extremely lucky people. But for the rest who are not so privileged, they have to choose based on priority. And she had made her choice. So, she should be happy.
And she was happy. She was happy just hours ago sitting at the doughnut shop, selling doughnuts. She was smiling and she was contented. She believed she had everything she could ever ask for.
But now she felt bitter.
Because now she was reminded that there was once something or someone she had wanted with all her heart. And she didn't get him. But then he disappeared and she forgot. And now that he was coming back, her perfect illusion was broken. She was forced to remember once again what exactly she didn't, she couldn't have.
She drew the curtain and went to bed. A feeling of emptiness in her heart.
It was around three in the morning. The neighbourhood was tranquil. The taxi stopped in front of the black iron gate. Raising a sharp noise against the drenched surface of the road; disturbing the peaceful silence of the late hours.
A man got off. He didn't have much of a luggage. Just a small navy blue suitcase.
He breathed in. the air was moist and filled with the scent of rain. But to him it also smelled like home. He stood in front of the nameplate on the wall.
Uchiha.
He traced the carved letters with his right index finger.
The taxi was gone. He turned around. Standing almost directly under the streetlight, his pale face looked terribly yellow. But his hair was darker than the night itself. It was a little disheveled. The journey hadn't exactly been very comfortable and he looked tired. Standing in front of the gate of his house, he looked up.
At a window. White curtains were drawn. The wind was blowing, and the light piece of fabric was dancing gently with it.
He stared at it for a while. As if, his bottomless black eyes were trying to see through it. See beyond.
She's still here.
He knew. Although he couldn't see her, he knew. He could almost feel her presence. Behind that curtain, in that small room, on that soft bed. Deep asleep.
Finally, huh?
An almost smile played on his thin lips as he turned around and opened the gate. He walked inside and waited, ringing the doorbell.
Moments later, the door opened.
"Sasuke," Mikoto's excited voice shattered the quietness of the rainy night.
Note: Cheers to the amazing childhood and the neighbourhood friends I've left behind in the process of becoming an 'adult'. I do miss those days but NO, I don't want them back. I'm happy with the life I have now and I cherish all those beautiful memories.
I could use some reviews, you know?
Love, June (⌒▽⌒)