Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Rating: K
Never Ending
"I'm sorry, Sakura." My father put his hand on my shoulder. Even at age sixteen (well, almost sixteen), I am still much shorter than my tall father. "It's alright, Daddy. Good luck on your mission."
I stood at the doorway of my house and watched my father check and double-check all of his supplies.
My father nodded his head. "We'll celebrate your birthday when I get back." This time I nodded my head. "And when will that be?"
He smiled. "Six days, no longer."
"Okay. Oh! And you said bye to Momma too, right?"
"Yes." He said a little too quickly. My mother was already at work. She worked at a clothing store, where employees get a discount! Meaning, for the past six months I have been receiving many clothes as presents. It was just a part time job to keep her busy, but hey, I'm not complaining if it makes her happy.
My father opened up his arms for a hug, and I embraced him. I loved my father. I will always feel like his little girl. That is why I still call him daddy rather than dad. If I called him dad, it just would not sound right. Unfortunately, I sometimes feel embarrassed calling him daddy in public, so one day I tried to change my humiliating habit. I remember repeating the word "dad" until it made sense on my tongue. And it never did. So I am stuck calling him daddy for the rest of my life. So when I am forty years old and he is sixty-one, I will still be calling him daddy like a little girl… oh well!
My father turned his back and opened the door. He grabbed his pack and put it on his shoulder. Then I saw him lift up his pants' leg and he adjusted a large knife that was wrapped securely to his leg. My eyes widened at the sight of such a large, sharp weapon. I could imagine the damage that could be done with that knife.
"Um… Daddy, what exactly is your mission?"
My father did not turn around to face me. He simply stated, "Confidential."
My eyes drifted to the floor. "Right. Well, good luck again." I saw my father nod his head. He was suddenly his normal serious self. He is always serious when it comes to a mission.
He walked out of the doorway and started making his way to the Konoha main gates. I too walked out of my house and watched his retreating form. I looked around and no one was nearby so I yelled, "I love you, Daddy! See you in six days!" I saw him raise his hand in farewell.
Then I suddenly remembered something. How could I have forgotten! I quickly ran toward my father while yelling, "Wait! Daddy! Stop!"
My father stopped and turned around, but he looked pretty annoyed. I couldn't really blame him, I was probably going to cause him to be late. My father is not exactly the most patient person in the world. Where do you think I got my short temper from?
Once I caught up to him, breathlessly I said, "Daddy, isn't Kakashi-sensei on your squad?" My father looked confused for a moment, but then realization hit him. "Oh. You mean Hatake. Yes, he is on the squad. Along with another jounin." What is it with adults calling colleagues by their last name…? It's as if you always have to be so formal. I wonder if Kakashi-sensei calls Daddy Haruno…
"Okay. Um, sorry to bother you, Daddy." I ran back to the house while waving back to the patriarch of the house. He'll be fine. Kakashi-sensei is with him. Just six days.
I ran back into my house. It was starting to get dark outside and I know my mother would not like it if I was alone outside when it was dark outside. She still treats me like a little kid. But there is no way that I can complain about her. The amount of love she gives me is unimaginable and immeasurable. The amount is larger than infinity. I am the luckiest girl in the world to have a mother like her. I don't know what I did to deserve such a beautiful person in my life, but I am forever grateful. And again, I still feel like her little girl so it only feels right to call her Momma rather than Mom. I'm pretty pathetic when it comes to emotional attachment.
I went to my room and jumped on my bed. The comfort was very much appreciated. It was getting late, but it was still early… if that makes sense.
When I mentioned emotional attachment earlier, it got me thinking of a certain old teammate who goes by the name of Sasuke Uchiha. It is unbelievable. He is back. He has been back for about a month. Talk about a painful topic. I just want things back to normal, who wouldn't?
The details of his return are frustrating to explain. Basically, Sasuke didn't really come back because he wanted to… he was more like dragged back by Naruto… uh… who else? I keep assuring myself that time heals everything… right? I usually think it does. Sasuke is treated (ninja-wise) lower than a genin. And that obviously gets him excruciatingly upset. He can't do anything without ANBU around… I personally would kill myself. Okay, maybe not literally, but come on! They probably watch him when he changes his clothes or takes a shower… talk about Big Brother. No privacy whatsoever.
Every week, the whole Team 7, the four of us, gets together for a dinner at Ichiraku's ramen. Tomorrow is that night. This will be the fourth time having Sasuke with us. Tomorrow night we are celebrating my birthday. I prefer a small gathering; it is more personal that way. Sasuke acts like he hates being here, but I know deep down, he is happy to be back. The thing he hates is being watched.
I don't love him the same way as I used to. That is a given. I lost those feelings years ago. I love him the same way I love Naruto and Kakashi-sensei. They are my teammates, my friends, and my family. They are the brothers I never had.
I laid my head down on my orange pillow, and stared at the white ceiling. As I closed my eyes, I started humming the melody of a song that has been stuck in my head all day. I got lost in my own thought; it felt like I was not aware of anything around me. I do that a lot, daydreaming that is.
"Sakura, I'm home!" I heard my mother's sweet voice. I smiled and quickly got up from my lazy state. My feet met the soft carpet of my room and I hurriedly made my way to the kitchen where I knew my mother was. Every night when she comes home from work, she starts to prepare for dinner. It is nice to have a routine, something that is 100 percent guaranteed. It is nice to have assurance.
I entered the kitchen and saw my mother's back. She was facing the kitchen counter and she was holding the phone. "Hey, Momma." I took a seat at the table and put my forehead on the cold top of the table. "Hey, Sakura. Is something wrong?" She asked because she saw I had my head down.
"Not really… I'm just tired… I have a headache."
"Oh. Do you want me to get you some Tylenol?" My mother actually looked genuinely concerned that I had a headache. But that is one of her amazing qualities. No matter how little the problem is, she will get worried over it and want to fix it
"No, I'll be alright. Anyway… what's for dinner?"
"I just ordered take-out."
I smiled. "Cool." Whenever my father leaves on a mission, my mother and I always order the food that we can't have when my father is here. And that means take-out… or anything that can be prepared in one minute… or anything that can be delivered to your door. For some reason, Daddy does not like fast food; he just won't eat it.
"So I'm guessing your father is already gone?"
"Um… yeah. He left about an hour ago." Then I remembered my father's terse reply when I asked him if said good-bye to Momma. "He did say good bye to you? Right?"
"Of course he did." My mother pushed her long pink hair behind her shoulder and adjusted her golden hoop earring. My mother is very beautiful. My father should be grateful.
With my head still down on the table, barely above a whisper, I asked, "Did something happen? Did you guys have a fight?" My parents fight a lot, and sometimes I worry about their marriage, but Momma said not to worry about their problems.
"You know what… your father is… sometimes just so… uh! He gets upset at nothing! But never mind that! I'm going to get our dinner." My mother walked to the doorway in the kitchen and opened the door. I could see the dark sky, but there were no stars out yet. "Do you need anything while I'm out, Sakura?"
"No," I shook my head.
"Okay, I'll see you in a couple of minutes." She turned around and left, closing the door behind her. I had a frown on my face. I hated it when my father hurt my mother. When she is hurt, I am hurt too. I can feel her pain.
Daddy is tough. I have my mother's pink hair, but I have my father's eyes, intelligence, and personality. And whenever the three of us go out together, anyone who sees me and my father immediately see the resemblance of our faces and they always say, "Oh, I can tell she is your daughter." But honestly I don't see the resemblance. I am a girl and he is a man. I do not look like a man!
But the strange thing is, every time I see my father, I see myself in the future. And sometimes that scares me. I don't want to be like him. My father is a very difficult person to get along with, and he takes great pride in intelligence. I am lucky that I am so smart! He has much enjoyment in telling all of colleagues about his successful daughter. And that gets pretty embarrassing. But I know that he loves me, and I guess that's all I need to know.
Even if he does love me, I still get a strange feeling in my stomach when he is mean to my wonderful caring mother.
I sat there waiting for my mother to return with our dinner. The dinner that my father would hate to eat, actually he would not even bother eating it. It is the small way that my mother and I rebel against him I guess… plus, we just really want fast food!
Dinner was short, but sweet. The conversation mainly consisted of a discussion of my day, her day, the weather, and so on. But after dinner, when we were cleaning up, my mother asked if I was excited. At first I really had no idea what she was talking about, but then I put two and two together, and I figured out that she was talking about my birthday tomorrow. My response was, "You bet."
Then we went our separate ways. Momma went to her bedroom to go to sleep. She had a long day. I had a busy day too at the hospital, but I was not tired. I stayed up reading an old medical journal that had some interesting research conducted on the eye, but eventual the interest died down, and a couple hours later I fell asleep with the book still in my hand.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Busy, busy day, even if it is my birthday. But it's my own fault. I promised Tsunade that I would work at the hospital all week… and a promise is a promise… unfortunately. I groaned as I sat at in the Lounge where only employees were allowed to enter.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, as I thought about the six patients I still had left. Three of which are cancer patients. Cancer… Cancer is the number one death in the country. Both of my grandpa's died from cancer. So much money and research has been spent on trying to find a cure for cancer… and yet there have been no break throughs. Not even the greatest medic in the world can help save a victim of cancer. No one deserves to have no chance at survival. Sure, there is chemotherapy, radiation, and surgeries, but none are guaranteed to work.
I didn't get up from my seat because I still had a couple minutes before my next patient. I closed my eyes to get a moments rest, but then I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I groaned. Who dares to disturb my one-minute of rest?
"Hey, birthday girl!"
I didn't bother turning around to face the intruder because I already recognized the excited voice. The all-to-familiar voice of Dai. And if it is Dai, that means her twin brother Daisuke is around. As I opened my eyes and turned around, my thoughts were confirmed. There, standing side-by-side, were the Watanabe twins. Both had goofy smiles on their faces.
The twins are identical, except for the obvious; Dai is a girl and Daisuke is a boy. Both have brown hair, brown eyes, and a healthy color to their skin. They have a natural glow of beauty. It still amazes me how Kami could put such remarkable beings on this planet, and then make two of them! And I'm lucky enough to be their friends!
Besides me, Dai and Daisuke are the youngest ones working at he hospital as a full time job. They are a little over eighteen years old. So they are about two and a half years older than me. I used to wonder why they would want to hang out with someone who is younger than them, and one day I actually asked Dai. She replied, "Instant chemistry!" I remember that day very clearly.
When I started taking hospital shifts a couple months ago, most of the other employees and doctors resented me. They thought someone so young did not deserve to work in their "adult" world. But really they just hate admitting that I am one of the best things that has happened to this hospital. It was lonely for a couple weeks, but then I met the twins. They had already been working there for a year, and before I came, they were the youngest employees. The second youngest were young adults about nineteen and twenty, who really had no interest in "kids." So when I started working, they were immediately attracted to my presence. Once we got to know each other, the "instant chemistry" took its place and we have been close ever since.
But neither of the twins know that I have the biggest crush on Daisuke. And it has to remain a secret! If Daisuke found out, it could jeopardize our friendship! And that could be one of the worst things to ever happen to me. The hospital would be lonely without the sparkling Watanabe twins.
The twins specialize in chemicals, which means they deal with medicines, vaccines, poisons, and other solutions; therefore, they work in the chemistry lab. Luckily, for me, the chem. lab is right next to my station in the hospital so I get to see them a lot. And whenever they take a break, they go to the Lounge so I know where to find them. It's nice knowing I can count on them to be there for me. Assurance always gives me comfort.
In a chorus, the twins said, "Happy birthday, Sakura!" They are constantly saying things simultaneously. It would seem like it would get annoying… but it actually adds to their charm. I simply smiled.
"Thanks you guys. And remember what I said about presents." I told them a couple days ago that a gift was not necessary. I was lucky enough to have their friendship, let alone force them to get me a gift. Even if it was my birthday.
I saw the twins roll their eyes, and Dai made a noise that sounded like, "Pft." She is the bolder of the two.
"Here ya go." They said.
Dai pulled a rectangular package from her behind her back, and Daisuke pulled out a card from the inside of his white lab coat. God, he looks hot in that jacket. I felt like squealing like a little girl, but I am passed that. I am more mature. At least I act like I am…
I took the two objects and put the gift on my lap. "Dai, Daisuke, I told you not to…"
Together, they both waved of my comment with a motion of their hands. "Come on, Sakura, open it," said Daisuke. I looked at the present on my lap, but the real reason my gaze settled there was because of the blush forming on my face. "Um… okay."
The twins' gazes felt like heavy metal. I always get apprehensive when people watch me. I decided to get it over and done with, so I quickly tore off the silver wrapping paper, and I was met with a box. I opened the box, only to find another box. Looking up at the twins, I was met with two mischievous faces, and they were faced with my annoyed expression. "Well, go on, keep going," said Dai. I opened the box and found an even smaller box. I stopped opening the present, and looked up again. The twins were on the verge of tears from laughter. Are they trying to be cruel!?
I gave up. "This is ridiculous," I said.
"Don't worry," said Daisuke, "there really is a present in there… and I think I should state that this was all Dai's idea."
"Hey! Shut up!" Yelled Dai.
They may be twins, but they still have their little arguments. I picked up the small box, and examined it. The twins were still arguing, but I decided to interrupt anyway.
"Guys!"
Both turned their heads toward me. "Hm?" They said in unison.
"How many boxes until I get to the actual gift?"
Daisuke looked over to his sister with a questioning look. Apparently he did not know either. Dai raised her hand and started mouthing numbers. She was counting how many boxes. Oh, boy…
"Um… one… three… four! There are four left!"
I rolled my eyes and opened the square box three more times, and then I stopped and held my breath for the last box. I opened it for the fourth time. I put my hand in the box and I felt something soft, like velvet. I pulled out the object, and I saw what looked like a jewelry box. Dai's face was eager like a little dog, and Daisuke had a smile gracing his lips. I swallowed hard and opened the, hopefully, last box. And I was right. It was a jewelry box.
I opened it and saw a bracelet. It was so simple, but so pretty. It is a silver chain and it has a red 'S' hanging from it. They remembered that my favorite color is red… It was lovely. It was perfect.
I stared at the bracelet for a while and Dai finally made me break my gaze as she exclaimed, "Do you love it!?"
"It's amazing… thank you so much you guys."
I stood up and Dai put the bracelet on my left wrist. I gave Dai a hug, because she is the type of person who loves hugs, even though I personally prefer none. And Daisuke was like me with the whole hugging concept, so we just exchanged smiles.
Then Dr. Juria Nakamura came in and started scolding me because I was late for my patient. I looked at the clock and I still had a minute. She is one of the people who did not like that I was invading her hospital.
"Young lady, I highly suggest you make your way over to room 17B or else I will make a special trip to the head medic herself and tell her about your incompetence." Then she left the room and all the employees' eyes were on me.
