Kingdom of Hidden Blooms
Summary: The building of a relationship, and bonds in a ninja village, told in loosely connected snippets and scenes. Or in which, Sakura realizes that the people around her are changing right with her.
Sakura-centric
Various pairings, kind of canon compliant.
Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me; Kishimoto thought of it first.
[2am, Kohonagakure, East gate]
By the time they make it back to the village, Sakura feels the past few days catching up with her, and the only coherent thoughts she feels like entertaining are the directives that will lead her to her bed.
She and Tenten turn to each other and nod; one week of working together have established enough familiarity between them that they can agree, without having to explicitly state anything; reporting to the Hokage about their findings can wait until the morning.
Just as Sakura opens her mouth to say goodnight, Tenten tenses up as if she is expecting a blow, causing Sakura to inspect the area for signs of danger.
After a moment, Sakura senses it too, and bites back a groan.
"TENTEN! SAKURA-SAN!" At an impossible speed for a normal ninja to react to, Rock Lee is upon them and envelops Tenten in a soul-bruising hug.
"The both of you have returned safe and sound as I knew you would! The power of youth prevails!"
Sakura wonders if there has ever been a more open and emotional ninja than Rock Lee. Maito Gai comes to mind, and she bites back another groan.
As she entertains the thought of Gai-sensei as the most exuberant shinobi in the world, Lee suddenly pins her with his unsettling gaze, and slips into declaration pose #2: impassioned promise. Ohh, no.
"Please allow me to escort you home, Sakura-san!"
Sakura feels a curious shifting in the region where her heart is and squashes it down viciously.
"Ah, that's okay...I think I'll be fine for tonight, Lee-san. I'm so tired, I'd make really poor company right now, anyway."
Lee's smile dims, and Sakura is irrationally sad to see it. The shifting in her heart moves more insistently at his disappointment and she nearly closes her eyes at the echoing restlessness she feels.
"I understand Sakura-san, rest well! The Springtime of youth burns brightest when the day is young and the intensity of will is new! Yosh!"
He slips into a muted version of nice-guy pose, to which Sakura bows slightly, her smile becoming more genuine in return.
As she heads in the direction of her home, the part of her heart that she smothers begins to whisper things in a language that isn't her own.
The answers are here, if you have the will to seek.
It has been a very long time indeed since I have written fiction, so any construction criticism would be welcome.
A note on Sakura: This story takes place after Part 1 of Naruto. She's grown up quite a bit, and my intent is to reflect that change and to pull away from the immaturity I found to be greatly exaggerated.
Please review and thanks for reading!
-Lisette