A Child's Fear

By: A'den Neytiri Kad

Author's Note

This was written for Usagi and Escapism for her many kind words on some of my other fics. I hope you enjoy it!

"Oh no!"

"Come on, Ino! It's starting to rain!"

"Wait, where's Sakura?"

"Who cares? She's probably home already."

"Okay..."

The dozen of children swiftly scattered beneath the falling drops, laughing and yelling at one another as they raced home.

Sakura smiled, walking out into the playground, a large pink flower in hand. "Hey, Ino, look what I found! Ino?" She looked around at the deserted equipment, her eyes watering despite her will. 'They left me...' She squeaked softly as the lightning flashed above her. 'I-I have to get home...' She ran as quickly as her short legs could carry her, sliding and slipping as the grass grew slick with water. She skidded onto the road, flailing as she tried to regain her balance. She tumbled onto the ground, landing in a heap near the bottom of the stairs leading up onto her street. She crawled over to the side, hugging her legs tightly as the thunder commenced. She cried softly as the crashes became louder, covering her ears in an attempt to muffle the great noise.

Sasuke sighed softly, wandering through the bustling crowds with ease. He passed by the park, ignoring the invitations by the other kids to play. They were so carefree... A small part of him envied them. They had a family to care for them. They had friends to play with. They didn't have the weight of their clan forced upon their shoulders, unlike him. He couldn't afford to waste time playing. He had something to do, a purpose. He needed to concentrate on that. He had to finish it as soon as he could. He turned his ebony gaze to the darkening sky, raindrops landing softly against his pale skin. He shrugged, continuing on his trek through the village. Shinobi were supposed to fight in all kinds of terrain and weather, and so would he. Something else caught his attention as he rounded the next corner, drawing him from his deep thoughts. He kneeled down next to the bush, carefully prying its branches away and peering inside.

His eyes widened slightly as he recognized the huddled figure of his classmate. 'Sakura, that's her name.' She was soaked and shivering, hands clasped tightly over her ears as she hid farther into the dense shrub. He rolled his eyes, noticing that a rather large flower was still in her one hand. He carefully crawled inside, sliding in next to her. He gently laid his hands over hers, sighing. 'Why am I doing this, exactly..?' He felt her tilt her head up, green eyes gazing up at him in shock. He ignored the girl, staring straight ahead at the curtain of rain falling outside. Of course, they were still getting wet, but there wasn't much he could do about that. So, he settled more comfortably in the shrubery, waiting out the storm in silence.

Sakura felt something warm over her hands, and she jumped. She looked up into the face of none other than Sasuke Uchiha. She gasped softly, fighting the blush threatening to overtake her cheeks. She turned back, smiling softly to herself. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the sound of her racing heart and not the feel of the cold skin of her crush against hers. She didn't know how long they sat there for, but after a while, she felt a gentle tug on her hands. She opened her eyes once more, looking up.

"Come on. The rain's stopped."

"O-okay..." She crawled after him, shivering. She glanced up at Sasuke once more before hanging her head. "I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. You must be wet.."

He rolled his eyes, offering his hand down to her. "Come on. It's getting dark."

She nodded, taking his hand gently. "T-thank you, Sasuke-kun."

"Aw, come on! We can keep going in the rain!"

"No. We're gonna stop."

"But, sensei-"

"No."

Sakura rolled her eyes at the blonde's grumbling, coming to a halt next to their teacher. "Shut up, baka. He said we're going to stop."

"Well, at least I can eat now."

"Dobe."

"Teme."

Kakashi Hatake sighed, shaking his head. "Set up your tents before it starts raining harder."

Sakura hurried, glancing up at the dark clouds above the tree canopy. 'Please let it be not that bad...'

Sasuke had his tent already up, and he was currently peering out of it at the rest of his team. He sneaked a few glances at the pinkette as she skillfully pitched her tent. 'I wonder if she ever grew out of that..'

"If it stops raining soon, we leave by dawn, okay?" And with that little announcement, their perverted sensei dived into the safety of his own dry haven to read more of his beloved Icha Icha, no doubt.

Sakura crawled into hers at last, going right into her sleeping bag. She curled her legs to her chest, the first flash of light warning her what was next. She swiftly ducked under the blankets and smothered her ears, humming under her breath to attempt to block out the surrounding noise.

Sasuke Uchiha sighed as the storm commenced. He would look out of his tent occassionally to glance over at his teammate's tent, his mind racing despite his attempts to calm it. 'It certainly wouldn't hurt...' He silently slipped from his tent, dashing to the other and crawling inside. He blinked, spotting long strands of rosy pink sticking out from beneath the blankets. He took a seat near the top, carefully pushing the fabric down until he reached the pale face of his comrade. He gently pulled her head into his lap, placing his hands deftly over hers. He glanced down, ebony eyes meeting emerald. He quickly too to staring at the other end of the tent, a faint blush creeping over his nose.

He watched as she slowly relaxed, the thunder beginning to fade outside the tent. As her breathing deepened, Sasuke smiled. He gingerly brushed a few stray rosy strands from her forehead. He 'hm'ed softly, starting to make his way to the mouth of the tent. He heard her sigh softly, turning over onto her side. He frowned, listening to the rain as it lessened, then picked up again. It fell heavily against the fabric above his head, causing him to peek out at the dark sky. He shook his head, closing and securely latching the flap down. His mind flickered through several scenarios in rapid succession, earning a small sigh from the boy. He silently moved back to his comrade, unzipping the side of her sleeping bag. He slid in beside her, careful not to jostle her as she slept. He gently placed his hands back over her ears, rolling his eyes as he imagined Naruto's face if he saw them like this. 'It doesn't matter. I'll leave before she wakes up.'

Well, you can imagine Kakashi's surprise when he peeked into the pinkette's tent and found a certain set of dark spikes inside. And in the same bag to boot. 'Oh well, kids will be kids.' Kakashi just smiled, closing the flap and moving onto the blonde's. 'Poor Sasuke. He has no idea...'

Sakura heard the flap open from the outside and smiled softly. She slowly closed her eyes again as her sensei walked away, quite comfortable next to the raven-haired boy. 'I never did say I wasn't afraid of the thunder anymore. Whoops.'

In case you didn't notice, the beginning section took place when they were small children. The bottom happened shortly after Team 7 was formed.