Should I do it?
Sakura hesitated. Should she? Her hand hovered over the mailbox flap, contemplating the issue. Should she?
Sakura had come all this way after all. Her friends had told her about this place. Sakura wandered around the place - a huge field, with chirping crickets and tall grass brushing her knees. It was quiet, a wonderland of nature. Was this what people meant when they said to be in peace with nature? It was dark, the only lights being the one coming from her phone and the moon shining brightly overhead. Today, right now, the world was a beautiful tint of grays and blues, a field of richness. A subtle wind blew her hair into her face, but that wasn't a big deal for once. She could spot her destination - a lone mailbox in the middle of the field. As the rumors went, a mysterious beautiful angel came to this mailbox every night, and took messages straight to Heaven. It was magical, almost too beautiful to be true.
Almost.
Usually, Sakura didn't listen to rumors. This rumor however, had struck a chord. Tonight, Sakura had in her hand a very important letter. What might seem as a mere sheet of paper, actually held 3 hours worth of written feelings - all her love, frustrations, regrets, bitterness, everything.
By the time she had finished, her face soaked, the paper had been scattered with droplets of tears - fraction of the tears she actually held back. It may just be a rumor, but Sakura had to let her feelings known. It was a matter of her sanity. With her mind set, Sakura boldly pulled the flap and slid her precious letter inside.
There. I did it.
For the first time in a while, Sakura was hopeful, as close as possible to verging on happy. Tonight, her message would reach the heavens. Tonight, her life would change for the better. Sakura waited, half expecting a harp beginning to play or a flash of light, because was that not a sign of heavenly beings? She got neither. After 20 minutes, it became clear the rumor was a bust. Disappointment flooded her body, making her limbs feel like lead. Again. She had been tricked again. Stupid rumors. She should have known not to get her hopes up. It just left a greater distance to fall.
Sakura patted herself down, poking off the bits and grass. She frowned, tears pricking her eyes, despite Ino's constant warnings of wrinkles. Honestly, Sakura had really hoped for this rumor to be true. Despite her snorts when her friends suggested Sakura should try, to be honest, Sakura had already planted the idea in her mind.
Sigh.
Suddenly, in the corner of her eye, Sakura spotted movement. Her brain perceived the image as some wandering animal, and she simply shrugged it off. Sakura had practically lost her mind over the made-up rumor, she needed to return to her logical self. There was no one here except for the occasional animal. Said and done. But then, she heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps.
Is it the Angel?
Sakura whipped around, trying to identify the sound. She tilted her head toward the sky, straining her eyes to sight something gliding through the air, her ears for a beating of majestic wings. Instead, her ears spotted a voice beside her, and her eyes shifted to a beautiful man standing very close to her.
"Who are you looking for?"
Sakura yelped and staggered back, trying to get as far as possible from the impossibly beautiful creature. It just wasn't possible to be that perfect, not unless he was some supernatural being. Not to mention a serious dent in her self-esteem.
"I'm sorry. I was just waiting to see if the Angel Postman would show up." Her voice was tentative. She wondered if he knew she was gauging whether he was dangerous or not. Couldn't the supernatural smell fear?
He raised an eyebrow.
"You were waiting for Postman? While looking toward the skies?" He scoffed. "I'm pretty sure you need wings to fly, but that's just to my knowledge. Of course, humans don't have half my knowledge."
Touchy much?
Instead, Sakura asked, "Are you waiting for the Angel too?"
The beautiful man scrunched his features, not bothering to show his disgust. "Who exactly do you think I am?"
Sakura took a good look at him. There was no doubt he was good-looking. Actually, that would be a bit of an understatement. Ebony, unblemished skin, aristocratic cheekbones, and nightly locks, he looked... heavenly. What regrets could this man have? He looked more like the heartbreaker rather than the heartbroken.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't ogle me."
Her eye twitched. Taking a step forward, she noted half-heartedly that she only came up to his chest. Curse her 5'2 height; it didn't exactly back up her authoritive nature. She puffed her cheeks, a bad habit when she was frustrated, and gave him a piece of her mind.
"Look here Mister. I'm not asking for trouble. I think it's clear there's only room for one person here. All I was doing was waiting for the Postman, and I'm not going until he shows up. So please leave."
Sakura was grateful her voice hadn't wavered. A crack in her voice wouldn't have sounded nearly as professional.
He smirked. "But, if I leave now... How am I going to take your letter to Heaven?"
A light bulb went off. Sakura gasped. Her hand clasped over her mouth in disbelief. Dammit! She had been rude to her connection to Heaven!
"Don't worry. I'll still bring up your letter. The old man says I have to.
Sakura let out a sigh of relief. With an exasperated sigh, the man plucked her letter from the mailbox and dramatically slid it into his pouch. Then, he extended his hand. Palm up, giving her the "gimme gimme" gesture. Sakura's face contorted into an expression of confusion. With another sigh, the man said in a slow voice, the you're-an-idiot tone that really pissed her off, said, "That. Will. Be. One. Million. Dollars."
Sakura's jaw dropped. Not possible! He was definitely not sane! Her fingers twitched, begging to reach up and strangle this man. She exploded. "Excuse me! One million? I'm only 24! I don't have that kind of money! I thought you were an Angel! Isn't this from the goodness of your heart?"
The man's face hardened. "Listen here Lady. I. Am. Not. An. Angel."
"Are you some kind of demon?" Sakura rushed, fear not doing a very good job of hiding itself. Her mind slid to instinct, preparing to run.
In a fluid moment, the man slid off his shirt and swiveled around. Sakura whipped around, her sprint beginning to take form, she noticed something out of her peripheral vision. Sakura gasped, her mind couldn't even register what pain could have come with those savage scars on such beautiful, otherwise flawless skin. They looked like upside-down V's.
Half surprised, half because her mind overloaded, Sakura fell to the ground.
"Can you see them?" His velvety voice was still smooth, acting like it was something he explained everyday. It was unbelievable. Sakura whimpered her confirmation.
"You could say I'm a demon in some ways. After all, it's either or good or bad, no in between. I was ordered to have my wings ripped off and be tossed to earth. I've fallen from grace. I'm a fallen angel."
Sakura was speechless, her mind numb with the sight of the vicious cuts. Her mind finally cracked, the words tumbled, "I'm studying to be a doctor. I-I could heal those. How-How? Never mind, just let me go to the car." Despite her words, Sakura stayed rooted to her spot on the ground, hands shaking.
Sasuke slid his black t-shirt on, and turned to face the traumatized girl. He rolled his shoulders back and shrugged like it was no big deal.
"They're holy wounds. You can't heal them by mortal hands."
Sakura looked up and nodded, hers lips pursed. "Okay, only if there's nothing I can do about it."
He nodded curtly. They stood quietly for a few moments, trying to persuade the awkwardness to rupture, or just go away. Sakura looked away, appearing utterly fascinated, as if she had never seen the moon before.
Slowly, ever so quietly, the man slid the letter out of his bag and deposited it into the mailbox. To his disgust, the letter landed with a plink. Sakura's head whipped upward, her gaze shifting quickly back and forth from the stranger to the mailbox. Her eyes watered, her vision blurred. Shit.
"No, no please! Just take it! It needs to reach Heaven! It has to be read!"
Sakura tore herself from the ground and savagely grabbed the letter. With pure desperation, she tried repeatedly to shove the letter into the heartless man's hands. "Please." She whispered the word over and over.
The stranger plucked out his hand and cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him. His eyes, they were so intense. Embarrassed, Sakura roughly rubbed her eyes, rubbing the tears away, "I-I lost control. I'm sorry for looking like an idiot. Just, I mean, I'm sorry. Please take the letter, and just forget me."
With a curt nod, the stranger said, "I'll take the letter. In exchange, you tell me your story. The whole story."
Sakura hesitated. Her estatic jump gone in an instant. Her story was.. too personal. Then again, he would bring it up to Heaven in exchange. Could such a thing be traded? A story for a destination?
"I-I can't. I mean, why? A long, pitiful story instead of a million bucks?"
He looked her over. A long, intense stare that made Sakura feel naked. Without lifting his gaze, he said, "You have a very plain face. Except for those green eyes and pink hair, I don't see how you would catch the attention of anyone. Your boobs aren't very big, either. But you have a very pure aura. I haven't seen a light that bright since..."
He trailed off, his eyes closing briefly.
Sakura glared. "Why'd you stop?" It came out meaner than it should have. Thanks to this idiot, her self-confidence was spiraling considerably downward. What was this man to judge her looks, body, spritual energy? Perhaps in Heaven, everyone was blunt.
And beautiful.
"Never mind. Anyway, I'm curious as to why someone like you would need to send a letter to Heaven. What could be so extremely important? "He tilted his head, soft locks falling over his face. With another calculated statement, he said, "You are a woman who cares. That enough is evident. Is this letter for a relative? Certainly not for a lover. With your temper, certainly not."
Sakura was irked. T-This! Idiot! She would prove him wrong. What did a plain face have to do with a letter? With love? With a deep breath, she slapped the letter in his waiting hand and said, "My name is Sakura Haruno. That letter is for my ex-boyfriend. His name is Naruto Uzumaki, he cheated on me behind my back, and I still love him. He was my everything."