Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters and I am making no profit out of this story.
AN: Another story I wrote for Sakura Month on Tumblr. This story was supposed to take a completely different turn, oops. In any case, I hope that you will enjoy this one-shot.
"Sakura!" Ino was out of breath as she crashed through the door. Blue eyes, full of terror, were searching frantically for the green eyes of her sister. When they found them, she fell to her knees and whispered.
"They are here."
It has been decades since her people settled down in these parts of the world. They were surrounded by mountains and forests, as well as plenty of pastures where they could let their sheep and cattle wander and plant crops. A small settlement was built and soon after a village stood where there once were only wild animals.
They had no name for their home, but that did not stop them from engaging in trade routes in the bigger cities around them, even though it took almost two days of travel with a horse and a cart. It was more common to travel to sell their goods, but sometimes a wandering merchant would stop by and buy their products as well. Travelers like these were their biggest source of information. About dynasties in the East, building palaces and staircases to the heavens, as well as strange tales of gladiators and temples for gods that they've never heard of in the West.
One of the families living here was Yamanaka. Inoichi and Noriko Yamanaka were one of the few travelers from their village who ventured outside of their safe home. During their lives, the couple has seen more than most in their settlement – they've been to the sea, climbed mountains with peaks white even during summer, seen cities bustling with life.
When their daughter was three years old, they left for what they promised was a short trip. Putting the goat skins and different types of vegetable on the cart, they bid farewell to their daughter and to the neighbor who'd take care of her, whilst they were gone.
They did not know their life was about to change.
"Goat and sheepskins and vegetable!" Inoichi shouted over the voices of other merchants in the market. People were passing by, some would stop and inspect the quality of the hides, before moving on.
They've arrived last night and they were hoping to do all the trading today so that they could get back to the road, missing little Ino already. There was still plenty of merchandise in the cart, however.
"Goat and sheepskins, good price!" Yamanaka men were proud and they refused to give up until the very end, so he kept shouting, while his wife was rearranging the display they've set up that morning. Normally, she would raise her voice as well, but during their travel, she caught a cold and currently it was hard for her to speak above the level of a whisper.
Finally, a man approached their make-shift stand.
"How much for the goat hides?" His accent confirmed Inoichi's suspicion that this man was from the Far East.
"The big ones are one gold piece per each, the smaller ones are seventy-five silver pieces each, Da Ren." He smiled as he presented the variety of colors they had to offer.
The foreigner narrowed his eyes at the way Inoichi addressed him, but then he grinned, making it visible that he was missing two front teeth.
"That sounds like a good deal to me. I'll be taking these two and three of those." He said, pointing at different skins. Noriko swiftly rolled all of them into a tight bundle and secured them with a piece of thin hemp rope.
"Any news from your home?" Inoichi asked jovially as they exchanged the goods for money. A quick glance told him that the amount given to him was correct.
"Only that Rugila is growing restless on his throne of corpses. There is a storm brewing and once it hits, we will all feel it." After that, he turned around and left, disappearing in the crowd. Noriko looked at the husband, frown on her face. They've been hearing stories about Huns, taking what they pleased and conquering city after city. The village got lucky the last time, but this news was unsettling, especially since they were parents now. They had to make sure that their daughter was safe.
It was already evening when they finally managed to sell everything they had, but tired from the previous day, they decided to stay in a nearby inn and depart in the morning. Leaving the horse with the stable boy, they rented a room for a few silver pieces and dined on a simple dinner. They've discussed what to do, even considering leaving the village. In the end, the sleep crept up on them and they fell asleep.
Noriko was the first to wake up, however, she quickly noticed that the reason for her interrupted slumber was a cry. There was a child crying somewhere. At first, she thought she might still be dreaming - after all Ino stopped her nightly cries just recently. Then she realized that the sound was coming from behind the door. The crib with her baby girl would always be in their room.
Getting up from the bed, she wondered how her husband did not even stir. When she opened the door, the crying subsided. Instead, there were two emerald eyes, curiously staring at her. Noriko peaked her head into the hallway, however, there was no one else. She was alone with the child and the inn was still, almost as if it was holding its breath, anticipating her next move.
She picked up the baby and tiny hands immediately grabbed her loose brown hair. After one more inspection of the hallway, she closed the door. Walking to the window, she gently rocked the baby in her arms. The streets were by no means empty, but no one looked like they misplaced a child, either.
Sitting on the bed, she nudged Inoichi, who mumbled something in his sleep and turned to the other side.
Noriko sighed and poked him harder. Her husband woke up with a soft yelp, which thankfully did not disturb the baby, who was content with playing with the strands of hair.
"What is this?" Said Inoichi, also wondering if he is still sleeping. His wife considered her husband a very smart man, however, at that moment, she had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.
"This is a baby. Someone left it at our door. There was no one else. I got woken up by its cry." Noriko whispered, mostly because it was easier on her voice right now, but also because she did not want to frighten the little human in her arms.
Inoichi studied the baby for a quick second, his brows furrowed in confusion. Who would leave their child on someone else's doorstep? In an inn nonetheless! He was very protective of his little girl and he simply couldn't understand what could drive a person to do this.
"She's from the Far East." He noted after a while, almost to himself, as if that would explain all of this. But it didn't.
"I don't think anyone will come looking for her, dear. What should we do? We can't just leave her here." Noriko tenderly touched the small head. The baby cooed happily.
"Noriko, you can't just keep a random child that you found." Her husband tried to reason with her, but even he knew that if they'd leave the baby here, it would most likely die or was raised as a slave. It was a fate that he would not wish on anyone, especially defenseless child.
His wife knew him well enough to understand that uncertain tone. When he said something that he knew might be true but want to do something else entirely. She smiled at him and handed him the baby. He took it without hesitation and at that moment, his heart melted. Toothless smile and emerald orbs were looking up at him. There was no going back now.
"You do understand that if we keep it, we won't be able to leave the village. We can't bring such a small child on the road with us, not if we want to travel for longer than we have ever done before, to outrun the Huns." He glanced seriously at his wife, who nodded.
Not long after that, they set out to travel back home. Not before they fed the baby, which is how they discovered that it was a baby girl, just like their Ino.
Since they no longer had their merchandise with them, traveling was quite a bit faster. During their way back, they discussed the name of the baby. In the end, they settled on Sakura.
The first time Ino met her new sister, Sakura was sleeping. She poked her head, thinking that it might be a new wooden toy her parents got for her. However, the wooden toy made sound and moved! Her parents were observing the exchange with smiles on their faces, before they took pity on their firstborn and decided to explain, as simply as possible, that this is her new sister.
Ino, who inherited the intelligence of her father, fell in love with her sibling almost instantly after that. There were some things that she did not fully understand, however, this tiny thing would be her friend. And that was all that mattered.
From that day she would be helping her mother with whatever little Sakura needed, often talking to her to soothe her cries or to share her laughter while making silly faces at the infant. There were very few moments when the two girls would not spend together. Soon after that, Noriko and Inoichi started traveling again, confident that their four-year-old daughter would take care of Sakura for the days they'd be away.
It was at one of these occasions that the two girls found out that Sakura is no ordinary person. Although their parents were the merchants, they still had few sheep and animals to take care of, as well as a small field with crops. They've been weeding out the herb garden when the younger girl shrieked. Ino, seven years old at that time, rushed to her sister, to see what was wrong. What she saw almost had her screaming as well, but she kept her cool, being the older out of the two and all that. When her parents left her with her grandmother in the past, she told her stories about witches and other creatures. Mystical beings who could summon and command the power of elements. She always just saw them for what they were – stories.
But when she saw small amounts of water trickling down from Sakura's fingertips, she knew that they were true. And her sister was a witch.
"Sakura, listen to me, it's all okay." She took her sisters shaking hands into her own, forcing her to look in her eyes, rather than stare at the water coming seemingly out of nowhere. There was confusion in the emerald orbs and a lot of fear. Nothing like this has ever happened.
"I think that you are a witch," Ino whispered, squeezing the hands a little harder. For once, she was relieved their parents were not at home. In the stories from the old lady, witches were not always welcomed and she was not gonna take the risk with her beloved sister.
"We have to keep it a secret, do you understand me?" Ino embraced Sakura in a tight hug after the younger girl nodded. She whispered reassurances to her sister while stroking her back. Slowly but surely, Sakura stopped shaking.
"Ino, I am very tired." The pink haired girl said slowly, barely able to keep her eyes open. Ino took her back inside and sat on the seat next to their shared bed. For a while she just watched her sister sleep, trying to make a sense of everything that just happened. Then she headed out to finish taking care of their work.
In the upcoming years, Sakura would try to practice her gift, as Ino called it, but without any guidance or understanding, it was hard. The two managed to keep it a secret from their family and the whole village. They'd do their daily chores, help out with whatever was needed that day, and then they'd head out to the forest. Everyone assumed that they were just playing, after all - they were still just children, right?
"Maybe we should try a new approach, I don't want you to start leaking water from your hair like last week, mom almost saw!" Ino sat on a stump with a deep sigh.
"I know, but she didn't. And if she did, so what, I am sure mommy and daddy would be okay with this." She said, pointing at her palm, where water just started appearing, magically. This has been their "favorite" argument. No matter how long they'd discuss it or how upset they'd sometimes get with each other, they always ended up with the agreement that it is safer not to.
"Don't even start, Sakura, I do not feel like it today." Ino groaned and rubbed her temples. She was twelve years old now, almost a grown-up woman. As much as she loved her sister, she absolutely refused to have the same childish argument over and over.
"Okay, fine." The pinkette shook her hand, getting rid of the water, then wipe it in the simple skirt. It has been late fall and it was not very pleasant to be holding cold water on her bare skin.
"Are you absolutely sure that when grandma was telling you stories, she did not explain how all of this works a bit more properly? We've been doing this for four years now and we are not getting close to me being able to fully control it." Sakura huffed and sat on a fallen tree. She fell a water droplet forming on her earlobe and she groaned, very much like her sister not too long ago.
"No, you know that if there was anything more specific, I'd have told you already. It is not exactly amusing for me to wake up with the sheets wet because you can't control your magic. But that doesn't mean that we've not made any progress in the years, right? We now know that sometimes the water comes when you are emotional, sometimes when you think you need it, like the first time when you wanted to water the basil, because it looked dry." Ino listed things that they've figured out already.
She stood up and started pacing around the little clearing they've been occupying almost every day. Her thoughts were swirling in her brain, but no matter how much she tried, nothing new or useful came to her mind.
Sakura herself grew restless, watching her sister lost in her thoughts, not able to discover something that has eluded them till now.
"Ino, this is not helping," Sakura grunted through gritted teeth. Out of the two sisters, she was always the one with a short fuse. As she grew angrier at their current situation, she noticed that her breath became visible, like a small white cloud, escaping her lips every time she exhaled. It was definitely cold outside, but it was nowhere near freezing. She looked down at her hands and saw that they were covered in thin layer of ice.
"Ino…" She uttered mindlessly, not able to pull her gaze from her hands. The blonde looked curiously at the other girl, knowing full well that Sakura simply did not calm down that fast. She was left speechless for a second, before recovering.
"Is that ice?" The blonde asked, dumbfounded. Her sister simply nodded, not trusting her voice. Raising her hands to the eye level, she watched them reflect the sun. When she'd flex her fingers, the ice would reform instantly with her movement. She could feel the coldness of the frozen water, however, it did not hurt her.
She imagined the layer growing thicker and it did. Soon it was as thick as a thumb of their father. Even then, her movement did not become restricted. She smiled at her sister, feeling a sense of wonder at what was happening. When she glanced back, the ice cracked and fell to the forest floor, until there was none on her hands. Sakura frowned.
"I did not wish for it to go away." She added as an explanation for Ino.
"That doesn't matter, Sakura, you've done something completely new today! I'm so proud of you." Ino hugged her younger sibling.
"We should probably go back, though, it is getting late and I am sure you must be exhausted." She smoothed out the pink hair of her sister and smiled. It has become a common knowledge between the two that after doing magic, Sakura would often be tired.
They left the little clearing, leaving the melting pieces of ice on the ground.
As the girls were growing up, words started to spread of two brothers who continued in their uncle's footsteps and started conquering more and more nations under their iron grip. Inoichi and Noriko would often remember what the man from the Far East told them that day at the market and wondered if they've made a mistake by not risking it and moving far away.
But they've stayed. Watched their children grow to beautiful young women. Ino was now seventeen years old and Sakura was almost fifteen, or so was their estimate, in any case. Soon they'd be able to find their own husbands and move out of the house. Both of them were very popular in the village, so they were not afraid that they wouldn't have plenty to pick from.
The sisters were inseparable. When they were still children, they had been shy and gawky. It was a joy to see them flourish and bloom.
Although they were afraid of what future holds, there was still merchandise to be sold, so they packed their cart, just as they did many times before, and said goodbyes to their girls. They've decided that they would travel east so that they would better understand how bad things were.
They've traveled slowly but got further into the east than they ever did before. Encountering people who were running from their homes and telling them the horrors that the two brothers did become almost a daily routine. Until one day, the warmongers crossed their paths.
The market was like any other, busy and loud. It was early afternoon when they heard screams and the ground started shaking with each hoof that dashed across the streets. People started fleeing, knocking carts out of the way and pushing others to the ground. None of them could outrun the horses that the Huns were riding. In the front, the fiercest and fastest of them all, Attila and his brother, Bleda. They were releasing one arrow after another from their bows, almost always hit their mark. And if not, plenty more arrows were fired by those under their command that it did not matter.
At their belts were fighting axes and severed heads and skulls were dangling at the saddles of their horses. They were rushing through the city like death.
Inoichi and his wife tried running as well, but their escape came to an abrupt stop when an arrow pierced Noriko in her lower back. Before she even fell to the ground, another arrow buried itself into her shoulder. Her husband tried to carry her, but it was evident that it would not work. He cradled her in his arms when more arrows flew in his direction.
He watched the horde rush through the city, unseeing eyes of his dead wife pointed at the sky. His last thought went to his two girls at home, praying they'd be okay.
It has been almost a year since their parents left. They've never been gone for so long, so the sisters knew something must have happened. As much as they were hoping that they were alive, hearing about the march of the Huns, it was clear that it was more wishful thinking than anything else.
Slowly, some villagers started leaving. At first during the night, afraid that others would point fingers at them. Then more folks braved to leave even during the day, afraid of the army that was inevitably going to reach their little paradise, hidden in the mountains and forests. Many stayed, however. Their reasoning might have been different, but they all agreed that they won't leave their home.
Sakura and Ino were those that stayed. Other than the few times their parents took them to the market in the nearby city, they've never been anywhere. They loved their home and took care of their house when Inoichi and Noriko were traveling. They were not ready to give all of this up.
The days grew shorter, as they usually do before winter. People were passing through their village even more often now. Telling everyone who was willing to listen to run.
"I was lucky enough to escape. I saw them, I'm telling you the truth! There were… so many of them. They just rushed on our village like a hawk descending on a mouse. In the night, I feel like I can hear the swooshing of their arrows, like claws digging into their prey." The traveler took a sip of ale with shaky hands.
"And the brothers, leading the rest of them. From afar their eyes were glowing red." He stopped speaking after that as if his voice betrayed him. Not too long after that he stood up and left, mumbling that he needed to go faster, otherwise the demons will catch up to him.
Not even a full week after that, a scout dashed on a horse to the village, saying that the Huns were closing on the village. They were no fighters among them and they knew from the tales that they would not be able to defend themselves with pitchforks. However, if someone changed their mind and wanted to run, now was the last chance.
Ino was just in the fields when she heard the young boy. She ran as fast as possible back to their house. When she finally made it home, she was scared.
"We could still make it if we leave immediately. We can take the horses and run, Sakura. We were foolish to stay." She begged the younger sibling.
Sakura stood up and walked to the blonde girl. Kneeling in front of her sister, she gently stroke her cheek and smiled.
"Don't worry, sister. I will take care of everything." She then stood up and left through the door, heading into the forest. As she walked, she heard her sister call to her, to come back home and run. That was the one thing that Sakura could not do. They've shared the secret of her being a witch for their whole life. But there was one secret that was her own. A burden that she had to carry alone.
That night after she made her first ice, Sakura dreamt. In her dream, she was surrounded by white and cold. No matter how loud she'd scream, there would be no echo, the snow would devour any sound she'd make. No matter how far she walked, there would only be more whiteness. When she'd outstretch her hand in front of herself, she could not see it in the whirlwind of snowflakes.
She felt lost and scared. And then she woke up, cold sweat clinging to her body.
The same followed her for the next nights as well. She had little to no rest in those days, so Ino started making fun of her when she'd be falling asleep during the day.
Soon, the endless white did not frighten her anymore. She learned to relax and no longer would she wake up from her nightmare. That being said, she still wandered mindlessly, searching for someone or something. Not sure what was the desired outcome, but she was sure that there must have been more to this.
About a month in, she heard a voice. It was faint and sounded more like a howling of a wind, but she could have sworn that it was her name that someone called out. The next night, there it was again, bit clearer this time. Whenever she tried shouting back, it would still not be heard.
Another two months have passed of her tripping through the snow, chasing a voice calling her name before she finally stood in front of her.
"You have found us, Sakura. We're glad you are here." Her voice sounded otherworldly. It wasn't just one voice, the young girl realized. With each syllable, the sound of her voice would change, fluently, like a running water. Never the same, yet always there.
"Who are you?" Sakura was not one to beat around the bush and after weeks of being lost in the snowstorm, she wanted answers.
"We are your ancestors. Your mothers and grandmothers. We have as many names are there are rivers in the world. We are the aquamaga, the waterwitch, the wasserhexe." The woman said, in many voices. Her eyes had all the colors of blue and green, always shifting, as the voice kept changing.
"You are the last of us. We've come to guide you." The figure reached out and touched Sakura's cheek. At that moment, she felt at home. In her heart, there was absolutely no doubt that this creature was truthful to her.
"I'm listening now, mother." Sakura closed her eyes and leaned into the palm of the other woman.
"They are coming and they will destroy everything in their path. You must stop them. After that, you will join us, our daughter." The voices were sad.
"We will teach you all you need to know, have no worry." They promised. When Sakura woke up the next morning, she realized there was knowledge in her head that she did not have the night before. About her powers, about the brothers who will come for them. About the way, she would be the wall between them and her world.
She would do as she was destined to.
Sakura just reached the other side of the forest, through which the Huns would have to march their horses. But she would not let them. She could see them, approaching. They were not even galloping yet, as there was no need to tire their animals so soon. Although they were far, she could easily recognize the two brothers, leading army, for their horses had the most heads tied to the saddles.
She was about to raise her hands, already feeling the cold air on her palms, when she heard her sister behind her. Turning around to face Ino, her eyes were ablaze.
"Sakura, what are you doing? Come, we can hide, or run, but this is…" She did not finish her sentence, as the younger sister started talking.
"Go back home, Ino. Nothing awaits you here but a cold death." It was no longer her voice. It was changing, crashing from one sound to another like waves in the ocean. Then she faced the army of Huns. This time, when she started walking, she did not stop.
Above her open palms, snowflakes started swirling rapidly. She kept walking, swaying her hips lightly. As the younger sibling, she wanted to spin around and dash to her sister. But she was not just Sakura anymore. She took another decisive step towards the horde. After that another. With the next step, she was no longer touching the ground, yet she kept walking. Snowflakes were coming out of her fingertips, so many of them that she was able to step on them like stairs.
Some of the Huns were growing uneasy, she could see from the way they were stopping their horses. Only Atilla and Bleda kept advancing on this tiny woman in the air. Their eyes were glowing red and their dark hair started flowing behind them as they pushed their heels into the groins of their horses to make them run. They were too far to reach for their bows. For now.
Sakura's arms were slowly making their way to the skies. Every single time they were closer, more snow seemed to appear. Soon, her hair started turning from pink to white. A single tear escaped her eye, but instantly froze and fell from her face, shattering bellow her on a rock. Now the snow was whirling all around the girl, furiously, like in her dreams. But she was no longer frightened, she knew how to navigate it.
Ino was still watching from the safety of the forest. Throughout their time, Sakura never did anything like this. The older sister remembered her words, then. That she would take care of everything. The sad tone she said it with.
"Sakura, no…" Ino whispered as she started crying. For her sister, for her parents, for herself, she didn't know.
The waterwitch could no longer contain her power and with a high pitch screech, she erupted with snow and ice, sending it flying all around her. This would be her first battlefield, as well as her last one. Slowly, her skin started peeling away, until a female figure made of ice was floating in the air, snowstorm raging around her frosty eyes.
That's when the first arrow from Attila's bow reached her. It slid harmlessly off her body. Their commander made their first move, now was her turn.
She charged down, her form changing from ice to water, never quite the same, her arms icicles. They tried to shoot her down, they sliced at her with their battle axes. But all they would hit was water, always re-shaping.
The witch pierced the thin armor with her frost easily, killing some by puncture wounds. Some, she drowned with water. In the same blizzard that she herself wandered through, they had no chance of opposing her. They didn't even know which way to run if they decided their life was worth more. One after one, they fell of their horses, dead. Few managed to escape her white hell, but that mattered not.
She was in search of the red eyes now. She could sense them in her snow. They were also looking for her. With their army dealt with, she materialized next to Bleda. He wasted no time and slashed with his battle ax. She grinned at him when he realized he only hit the water.
"The great Bleda, missing, what would your brother say if he saw this?" She sneered at him, her frozen body moving with an agility that it should not possess.
"My brother will have your head as a gift from me, witch." The warrior screamed back, charging at the girl again, but missing once more.
"I know." She said slowly. "I'm dying - even now. I've used up all my power and I will join them soon. But you will forever know who stopped you here." She laughed at him. One of her frozen icicles hit him in the shoulder. It wasn't a fatal wound, but it would hurt. She aimed for the heart, but her movement was becoming sluggish faster than she expected.
They traded blows for a while, she stopped dodging them and instead resorted to blocking them with frozen arms. His ax chipped a piece of the ice on her arm and the snow whirled around them with more ferocity than before. Her icy hand made a move for his heart again, but he blocked it with shield, making it slide harmlessly to the side.
He is a formidable enemy, her grandmother's voices were now very prominent in her head. Sakura knew that this was it. She was so tired. So when she saw the ax coming, she did not move away, closing her eyes. Her final thought was that of Ino, hoping she went back home, safe.
Bleda used more force than was necessary, half severing the head off of her shoulders. But instead of a witch who turned into ice, there was a young woman, lying lifelessly on the ground by his feet. The snow stopped raging and slowly started descending down.
It took a while for him to be able to look around. What he saw was a graveyard, covered in snow. Horses and troops alike were dead, covered by the fresh snow. He could see his brother, Attila, still standing. There weren't many more.
He understood then what she meant. She has stopped them. This one girl has stopped the Huns. For now.
Another AN: I am toying with the idea of making this into few different one-shots where Sakura is reborn as a different type of elemental with, lemme know if that would be something that you are interested in. It would be in a different era each time.