ARC 1: The Beginning
CHAPTER 1 - Future 2150
It was the year 2150. The world was probably at its most peaceful state. As if nothing could go wrong. Well, unless you count illness and total accidents and stuff. But hey, this is just my opinion.
"It's good to know relations between Japan and Harubia is going so well," my mother the queen said.
I sighed quietly from where I sat. It was super hot in the kimono I was wearing. Why did I have to be formal? I mean, I'm not even speaking.
Or can I?
"Can I use the bathroom?" I spoke up during the conference.
All of the adults looked at me.
"I'll take her," my father volunteered, standing up. He walked over to me and pulled out my chair. I hopped off my seat and took my father's hand, going out into the hallway.
"You had to go to the bathroom?" my father said to me once we were out of range.
"I do," I lied.
My father smiled at me and placed his hand on my head. "Come on, Sakushei. Really?"
I couldn't help but make a small smile. "Okay okay. I was going to sneak out so I could explore."
He raised an eyebrow and formed an amused smile. "Let me tell you this, daughter. You go explore until 12:00," he advised. "While I stay here and forget to tell your mother I let you go exploring."
"Thank you, Daddy!" I whispered happily as I ran down the hall holding the ends of my kimono.
--
Meanwhile...
"Itachi," 5-year old Sasuke whined.
"Just go," he told Sasuke as he started walking away. Itachi went to the school across the street. "You're not usually this whiny."
"So?" Sasuke asked, clearly not in the mood for school. In his inner thoughts Sasuke too agreed to his strange behavior. He wasn't this whiny about school. Must be a full moon or something he thinks.
Sasuke walked towards the front part of his elementary school's campus, where many other students were waiting outside for the bell to ring. Some were playing games like jacks, the girls jumping rope, some doing last minute homework, all that stuff.
"Sasuke!" a familiar voice shouted.
The raven-hared boy turned around with his bag and saw a blond-haired boy running over to him with a wide grin on his face.
'Naruto,'Sasuke thought.
But just before Naruto could reach Sasuke, his foot tripped on a pebble on the sidewalk and he fell face-first into the cement, right by Sasuke.
Sasuke blinked his eyes with a sweatdrop on his forehead. 'Moron.'
Naruto picked up his head. "Heheh, morning Sasuke."
Sasuke lent down a hand as Naruto picked it up. "Still as clumsy as ever," Sauske said with a motionless face.
Naruto rubbed his head to get rid of some dirt. "And you're still as crude as ever."
"I'm surprised you even know the word 'crude'," Sasuke said with his eyebrow raised.
"I don't," Naruto replied, only making the two boys laugh two seconds later.
"Ah!" a voice shouted from afar.
Sauske's head jumped and he looked around his environment. All he saw were the tall futuristic buildings and the hovars in the streets.
"Sasuke?" Naruto asked.
"Did you hear something?" Sasuke asked.
The blond replied with a shrug of his shoulders. Sasuke then saw in a distance a pink-haired girl in the distance in a kimono. Rather unusual clothing in Tokyo, unless it were for some occasion. "That girl."
"Eh?" Naruto asked, matching Sasuke's direction of gaze. "Ah, that girl."
The pink haired girl looked rather confused, and jumped at the simplest of things.
Naruto looked at the girl then at Sasuke and back and forth repeatively. "Weird.... Sasuke ya like her?"
"What?" Sasuke asked, now confused himself.
"Ah geez," Naruto said, grabbing Sasuke's wrist and running across the streets against Sasuke's inner protests. They ran towards the pink-haired girl as hovars flying through the streets screeched to a stop before they could crash into the two boys. Luckily they made it across the street safely, but just barely.
--
I was wandering the strange streets of Tokyo totally and uderly amazed by the advancement of technology. In the country of Harubia, everyone was at a limited level of technological advancement. We're like the 'old fashioned nature people' as my dad puts it.
"Hi!" a blond boy shouted behind me. I jumped when I turned around. "You look new," he said.
"I'm new?" I asked, blinking my eyes then looking at myself. "I'm not new I'm 5," I answered, thinking he meant I was a new born human being.
"Well, you're definitly not from around here," the black haired boy said with a half smile, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm Sasuke," he continued, holding out his hand in front of me.
I recognized this from my parents. It's called a handshake. They were usually made for agreements.
"You shake it," the blond said, taking my hand and Sasuke's hand and putting them together in what appeared to be a handshake. Sasuke and I both blushed at the touch of each other's hands. "Geez you guys are so dense."
"I'm a girl," I said to the Naruto boy, figuring he just called me a guy. Two sweatdrops appeared on the boys.
"Are you from here?" Sasuke asked, letting go of my hand. He had hoped that sentence wouldn't be misunderstood either.
I shook my head. "No, I'm not. I am Sakushei Haruno, princess of Harubia," I said politely, bowing respectfully to the two boys, for it was what I was taught in etiquette. "If I'm right, my name here in Japan is Sakura."
Their eyes widened. "P-P-Princess??" Naruto repeated.
I blushed shortly as I rose back up. "Yes. Am I a bother?"
"No!" Sasuke immediately responded, making Naruto and I stare at him.
Something with a bell-like sound rung through the air from the building across the street. The two boys stared back.
"School's starting," Sasuke said, sounding somewhat upset.
"I'll go cover for ya so you can show Sakura here around the town," Naruto grinned with a thumbs up as he ran across the street again.
"N-Naruto wait!" Sasuke shouted in a desperate call for help. He felt it'd be awkward being alone with PrincessSakura, but Naruto was already gone. 'Wait I'm gonna skip school?'
"Sorry if I'm causing you misfortune," I apologized, making Sasuke turn around.
"No, you're not. I already said that before didn't I?" Sasuke said, making me look up. "You really don't know anything about Tokyo do you, Sakura."
I shook my head. "I don't. I don't get to travel around so much. My dad lets me sneak out sometimes."
"Like now," Sasuke concluded.
"Yeah," I nodded.
A hovar passed by a created a huge gust of wind.
"Come on, we'll walk around," Sasuke said with a sincere smile, making a hand motion for me to follow.
--
In the past few hours, Sasuke and I had grown close. For a first friend, he was pretty good. I learned he had a bigger brother named Itachi, and that Naruto was his best friend, along with some others at his school. He learned that I'm an only child, and that.... my life seems very boring compared to his.
"This has been a great day, Sasuke," I said as the afternoon drew near. "I wish I could stay with you."
"I wish so, too," Sasuke replied back. "We'll meet again someday, though."
"How do you know?" I asked with worry in my voice.
Sasuke shrugged, folding his arms behind his head. His eyes faced up towards the blue sky and Sakura followed his stare. "You just do I guess."
I made a small smile. "You don't really like to think too much over things, do you Sasuke."
"Too much toruble," he replied. "Weird. I sound a lot like my friend Shikamaru." He chuckled. "Maybe that lazy guy has a point."
I looked back forward. "I wish I could take something back to Harubia with me."
Just as I said that, Sasuke noticed the toy store that we were passing by. "How about we look in there?" he asked, Sakura turning her head and looking into teh store window.
"What's that?" I asked sounding lost, only for Sasuke give me a 'come on' look.
--
"Woooow..." Sakura said in awe as she ran across the plush store. Much of the store's shelves consisted of countless stuffed animals. Not really something Sasuke was too interested in, but if Sakura enjoyed it, he thought, he was happy too.
"I've never been to any place like this before," I said, a huge smile bright on my face. Suddenly something caught my eye. "Sasuke?"
"Yeah?" Sasuke asked, leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets.
"What's that?" I asked, pointing my arm at a high shelf. It was a plush toy, but I didn't know what it was. It looked like white fur.
"Want me to get it for you?" Sasuke asked, looking up at the tall shelf.
My head jumped. "N-No it's okay-"
"No really it's fine," Sasuke assured, pulling up a stool. He climbed on top of the wheel-based stool and reached up. His hands were almost in grip of the toy as I clasped my hands together. I was afraid he'd fall.
"Sasuke be careful," I said scared.
Sasuke concentrated. "Almost got it," he said, grabbing it's leg. "Got it!" he shouted, then suddenly loosing balance and falling backwards with a thud.
"Sasuke!" I said, kneeling down and helping him up. "Are you okay, Sasuke?" I asked totally concerned.
"I'm fine," Sasuke said, shaking his head to loose a dizzy feeling. He looked in his hands and revealed a white bear.
"What is it?" Sakura asked, picking it up.
"It's a polar bear," Sasuke replied, still laying on the tiled floor.
"A, polar... bear...?" I repeated, starring at the soft plush.
"They're extinct," he told me, surprising me. "They've been gone for over 100 years now."
"Oh," I said, sad for the polar bears.
Sasuke smiled at the innocent look on my face. "Do you want me to buy it for you?"
My head jumped as a blush appeared on my face. "What? No Sasuke it's okay. You already got hurt from getting it for me and I-"
Sasuke pulled out what appeared to be the Japanese currency of money. "It's okay, Sakura. I want to. It can be the thing you can bring back to your country," he said with a sincere smile. "You like polar bears, don't you?"
I starred down at the cute white bear plush and couldn't help but smile at it's black eyes.
--
Sasuke and I walked around the town, the polar bear plush in my hands. We reached the familiar conference building and I stopped. Sasuke stopped, too.
"Sasuke, what time is it?" I asked, starring at the building.
"11:56," Sasuke replied, starring at his watch.
"I have to go," I said. "I told my father that I would be back by 12:00 exactly."
Sasuke made a small smile and bowed. "It was a pleasure escorting Princess Sakushei around Tokyo."
I giggled and covered my mouth with my kimono sleeve. "Even after the day you talk to me in formalities."
"It's only right," Sasuke remarked, holding his head up. He was still in a bowing position.
I bowed as well, holding the polar bear toy close to me. "Then it's only fair I thank you, Sasuke of Tokyo."
We both stood up straight and he held out his hand again for a handshake. I grinned and took it firmly, shaking it.
"Goodbye," he said.
"Goodbye," I replied, thankful for this day, the best day of my life. And with that, I ran towards the building as I hid the plush in my kimono sleeve, Sasuke watching.
--
Luckily I had returned with my father able to cover for my long absence. And so, my day with Sasuke was in absolute scilence from the adults.
It was morning now as I awoke in our royal suite in Tokyo. We would be leaving for Harubia in a few hours into the afternoon. I starred at the clock by the table and saw 7:40 AM.
"Sasuke might still be at school," I whispered in the early sunrise. "I can say goodbye again before I have to leave."
I quickly dressed into my kimono, for it was all I could find at the moment. After getting dressed and quietly sneaking out of the hotel, I was on my way to Sasuke's and Naruto's school.
But as I approached, I saw many hovars with red and blue sirents crowing the street in front of the school. Many of the students looked on confused and scared.
"Naruto!" I called, recognizing a yellow head in the back of the crowd.
"Sakura," Naruto said, relieved I was okay.
I stopped by Naruto and looked around left and right. "Where's Sasuke?"
Naruto looked down for a moment then turned his head. We both saw paramedics bring a stretcher onto one of the ambulance hovars, with Sasuke on it with an oxygen mask.
"Sasuke," I gasped with wide eyes and covered my mouth with my hands. This was scaring me to death. "W-What happened?"
"I don't know," Naruto started, in a calmer state than me. "Some hovar came and ran into Sasuke. He, he never woke up."
"No way..." I said, starring in complete shock.
Naruto looked to the side. "You'd think after all this time it would have been me who'd eventually get run over by a hovar but..." The Ambulance hovar flew away for the hospital. Naruto sighed. "Are you okay, Sakura?" he asked, turning around, but he saw tears falling freely from my eyes. And all Naruto could do was just stand there and shut his eyes to keep his own tears from falling.
That was how the story started.... a simple accident in modern society.
And let me tell you.... things only got worse, from then on out.
