Hello again! Just a little something for the pure inspiration moments in between writing 'Revenge' and 'Hurt'! I'm a person who believes that Sakura's past may have been a little too normal for her to be a member of Team 7, a team full of traumatised children and adults, so I like to randomly create sad pasts for her, so she can… fit in more. Most re over exaggerative, like a clan massacre or a kidnapping, but this seemed subtle enough that it was close to normal, and this one just had to be written. Tell me what you think.
Sakura never knew her Father. He was never around. It was only on her sixth birthday, that she discovered more about him.
It was the only birthday that he had ever showed up at. She stared curiously at him, for he was nothing more than a stranger to her eyes. She watched, as her mother rose from her seat to greet the man. She hugged him, kissing his cheek, and welcoming him into there house. Sakura sat there silently, waiting for her mother to introduce him.
"Sakura, dear, this man is your father." Her eyes widened upon discovery. She had assumed that she did not have a father. Her 'father' regarded her with no emotion on his face. He slowly walked over to her, holding out a hand.
"Pleasure to meet you." Sakura was unsure of what to do. She had seen other children hugging their fathers, but this man did not seem like the hugging type. She settled for shaking his hand and repeating what he had said.
"Pleasure to meet you too, Father." He had an approving look on his face as he dropped her hand. He turned to face her mother.
"I need to speak with you, Tsukiko." He nodded towards Sakura and exited the room. Her mother turned towards her.
"Finish your cake, sweetheart, and open the rest of your presents upstairs. I'll join you later." Sakura nodded, doing what she was told.
About three hours later, Sakura was playing silently in her room with the teddy panda her mother had brought her, when she entered the room.
"Where's Father?" She inquired immediately. Her mother smiled and sat down next to her.
"Your father has just finished a very important mission. Unfortunately, he has bee called on another one, and will be leaving immediately after resting." Her mother explained. Sakura looked confused.
"Mission?" Her mother laughed at the expression on Sakura's face, who blushed in embarrassment.
"Your Father is a Shinobi. Doing missions is his job! Unfortunately, he is called away on a lot of long term missions, but it is to provide for us. Where else would we get the money for all your lovely things?" Sakura looked at all her toys, her bed, and at her new clothes. Her face lit up as an idea came to mind.
"I want to be a Shinobi to mother!" She cried out, smiling. She had expected her mother to be as happy as she was, so her smile faltered as she saw her mother falter.
"No. Absolutely not!" Her mother stated shakily. Sakura was perplexed.
"Being a Shinobi is a dangerous job, Sakura. You could be killed at any moment if you do not kill your enemies when on a mission! Do you really think I would send my only child off to do such a job…?" She trailed off, closing her eyes. Sakura reached out to hold her mothers hand.
"But I want to help provide for you, mother. What if father was to be killed when on a mission? Who would provide for us then?" Tsukiko opened her eyes and stared at her daughter.
"I just want to help, mother." She whispered, pleading. "I want you and father to be proud of me." Tsukiko contemplated this for a few minutes. Finally she stood up, picking Sakura up with her.
"I shall think about it, my dear. For now, go to sleep, and I'll see you in the morning. Sakura was lowered into her bed, where she bid her mother goodnight. She sat up quickly, remembering something.
"Mother, what is father's name?" Her mother looked shocked, before smiling softly.
"Atsuo. Goodnight Sakura."
Sakura lay back down, smiling, and drifted slowly to sleep, imagining her becoming a great Shinobi, with her Father and Mother in the background, smiling proudly at her.
It had taken two months of persistent pleading and convincing, but her mother had finally enrolled her in the academy. She would be starting in September. She smiled giddily every time she thought about it. She wondered when would be the next time she would see her father, and how he would react to the news.
He came again, a month before she would be starting the academy. She could hardly contain her excitement, as they sat together, eating there dinner. She took a deep breath, before deciding to speak.
"Father?" He turned to look at her, acknowledging the fact that she was speaking to him.
"In a month, I will be starting the academy, to start my official training as a Shinobi." She held her breath, waiting for his reaction. He watched her, silently. Finally he nodded his head, and turned towards her mother.
"Are you sure she will be able to handle it? She is rather small, even for a six year old."
With that statement, Sakura felt her excitement disappear, and be replaced with doubt, and surprisingly, anger. He didn't think she would be capable.
"I'm not weak! I'll be able to handle it, you'll see!" They turned to stare at her, shocked at her outburst. They both looked at her disapprovingly. She looked down, suddenly feeling ashamed.
"Sakura, that was uncalled for. Go to your room." Sakura nodded and got up from her seat, running to her room. She closed the door, grabbed her panda off her bed, and entered her walk in wardrobe. She sat down in a corner, hidden by many dresses, hugging her panda, feeling ashamed and angry at her father's doubt in her.
'He doesn't believe in me! Why not? I can be a good Shinobi, I just need to train." She felt tears welling up in her eyes. She rubbed at them furiously, refusing to cry.
"He's an idiot! We'll show him, we'll become a better Shinobi than him, and then we'll take him down. Teach him to have little faith in us. He'll probably die on a mission anyways!" Sakura gasped out loud at this. She didn't even know where it had come from, but it had basically said what she had wanted to, but didn't have the courage to. She decided to ignore it. She exited her wardrobe, resolving to become a strong Shinobi, to prove her father wrong.
…
It was her first day at the academy. Her sensei, Iruka, had decided that they would spend that day introducing themselves. They had gone in order of family names, and she was next. She stood up addressing the class.
"Hello. My name is Sakura Haruno, and I am six years old. My birthday is on the 28th of March. My favourite colour is Blue, and my favourite foods are Anko dumplings and Umeboshi. I hope to become a strong Shinobi, to make my father and mother proud of me." She finished determinedly. She opened her mouth to continue, when someone cut across her.
"Is your hair really that colour, or did you do something to make it that way? And is your forehead really that big?" Everyone started laughing, and she blushed.
"Ami! That was uncalled for, now be quiet and wait your turn." He said sharply. The girl smirked and was quiet, staring at Sakura.
"Go on, Sakura, carry on introducing yourself." He encouraged, smiling at her. She shook her head, refusing to speak. He waited for a few more minutes. When it was clear she wasn't going to continue, he called out the next person. After a while, it was the turn of the girl who had embarrassed Sakura.
"My name is Ami Murakami and I am six years old. My birthday is the 15th of November. I enjoy playing with my friends and my parents, and getting presents. I hate freaks." She put emphasis on the word and looked at Sakura, who averted her eyes. "I hope to become a strong Shinobi, just like my mummy and daddy!" She finished arrogantly. Iruka nodded and called out the next person. For the rest of the day, Sakura felt the eyes of Ami upon her. She had a sinking feeling that this was only that start of something bad.
…
It was New Years Eve, four months after starting the academy. Sakura was standing outside her house. She had been out on an errand for her mother, when she had run into Ami and her gang.
"Well, look who it is guys, it's our little pink haired, big fore headed FREAK of a friend!" Sakura flinched as everyone laughed at this. She tried to edge around Ami. This was pointless, as she stepped in front of her.
"Why don't you some and play with us, Sakura." She dragged out Sakura's name. She winced, as if she had been hit. Ami gripped her upper arm, and dragged her towards the shade of some trees. She was flung into a tree. She refrained from crying out, knowing this was what they wanted, so she bit her lip. Unfortunately, Ami noticed this.
"Oh, did I hurt the little freak? I'm sorry; maybe I didn't hurt you hard enough!" She reached out quickly and grabbed her hair. Sakura cried out at the painful tugging sensation. Ami and her gang laughed at her as she attempted to pull Ami's hand from her hair. Ami smirked, pulling her arm back and forth, watching as Sakura stumbled, moving with her hand, trying to lessen the pain.
"Let me go, please. It hurts too much!" She cried. Ami let go, frowning at her.
"Hm, it seems as though the freak hasn't learnt that this is what she deserves. Let's give her another lesson guys!" And with that, they all began to beat her, some punching her, some pulling her hair, and others punching and kicking. She curled into herself, screaming, hoping that someone would hear her. The others were laughing cruelly. Ami sat back watching and laughing with the others.
Tears of pain and humiliation slipped down her face. She couldn't understand what was wrong with her, or why they insisted on hurting her every time they saw her.
"Guys, stop!" Everyone ceased, and Sakura lay still, waiting for them to begin again.
"Quick, let's get out of here, someone's coming!" she heard them running again. She began to relax until she felt someone pull her head up by her hair.
"Don't think this is over, freak! The lesson may have ended for now, but it will continue next time." Ami whispered sinisterly. Sakura was dropped again. She lay there, still.
She heard footsteps approach, and an arm reached out to shake her. She shot up and scrambled away, thinking it was someone else who had come to hurt her. She looked into the soft black eyes of a teenage boy. A complete stranger.
"I heard someone screaming. Are you okay?" He asked softly. Sakura stared at him. He had come to help her. Her chin trembled as she tried, and failed, to hold back a sob. She ran towards him, flinging her small arms around his neck. He fell back, startled, before wrapping his arms around her small frame, and lifting her up.
"What's your name?" He asked. She looked at her feet.
"Sakura."
"Are you okay?" He repeated. She shook her head.
"They hurt me, because I'm a freak." The boy looked at her.
"You're not a freak. Why would they, or you, think that?" She looked at him as if he was crazy.
"Because I have a large forehead and pink hair! It isn't natural." He shook his head, smiling at her.
"I think it makes you look cute." She blushed.
"Thank you." She whispered shyly. He smiled.
"Now, I think it's about time, you should be getting home. Where do you live?" She whispered her address, and he took off at an inhumane speed. She gasped, looking at him excitedly.
"You- You're a Shinobi!" She exclaimed. He smiled at her, nodding.
"I'm training to be a Shinobi." She stated proudly. He chuckled at her sudden change in demeanour.
"Is that so? Well I think you will be a brilliant Shinobi. My little brother is in the academy. Do you know him?" She frowned, thinking.
"What's him name?"
"Sasuke." She smiled as she recognized the name.
"I know him! Sasuke Uchiha. He's in my academy class. He's your brother?" The boy smiled, nodding.
"What's your name?"
"Itachi." She smiled
"Itachi… Your name means 'weasel', I think Weasels are cute!" The boy chuckled again as he began to slow down, until he finally stopped.
"Well, we've arrived, Sakura. Would you like me to come in with you?" Sakura shook her head hastily.
"No, I'll be alright. Thank you for helping me get home Itachi! See you later!" He smiled at her, ruffling her hair.
"See you around, Sakura." And with that, he left. Sakura waited a few minutes, straightening out her clothes as best as she could. She entered her house and ran into the kitchen where her mother was preparing food.
"I'm home, mother." Her mother hugged her, before pulling away in slight disgust.
"Sakura, what on earth were you doing? You're covered in dirt. Go upstairs and wash yourself, and change into those new clothes I got you for Christmas. Your father will be joining us tonight, and I want you to look your best. And none of that rude behaviour like last time, do you understand?" Sakura nodded in understanding, running up her stairs to wash and change.
Two hours later, and they were all sitting around the table. It was quiet and her mother was attempting to make conversation.
"So, Sakura, how are you doing in the academy?" Sakura spared a quick glance at her father, who she noticed was listening.
"I'm one of the top in my class!" she stated proudly. Her father nodded, and she felt her chest swell in pride at his acknowledgment. Her mother was staring at her.
"Out of curiosity, Sakura, who was that boy you were talking to, earlier outside the house?" Sakura froze.
"Just a boy who helped me."
"And why would he need to help you?" Sakura jumped as her father spoke. She averted her eyes.
"I fell earlier and hurt my leg. He was just someone who offered to help me get home." Her mother nodded. Sakura sighed silently in relief that the subject was not pushed further. She was about to continue eating, when she heard her father mutter.
"And she wishes to be a Shinobi…" She tensed. That tone suggested that he was disappointed. She felt sick. She pushed her food away.
"Mother, I don't feel well. May I go to my room?" Tsukiko looked at her strangely, nodding. Sakura ran quickly up the stairs and into her room. Repeating what she had done last time, she grabbed her Panda bear, entered her walk in closet, sat down and cried.
Later that night, after her parents had gone to bed, she snuck downstairs. She walked into their sitting room and opened a cabinet where she new her mother kept photos. There were only three small boxes. She picked them all up, and snuck back upstairs into her room.
Closing the door as silently as she could, she set the boxes down on the floor. She opened them and spread them all over her floor. She frowned as she realised how little there were. She scanned them, looking for pictures of her and her father.
She couldn't understand their relationship. There was nothing there. She thought back to the days after the academy had finished, where children were picked up by their parents. She remembered the Yamanaka girl running towards her father, and she found another thing to be envious about. The Yamanaka girl, Ino, had everything; she was popular, she was smart, she was pretty, she had loads of friends, and parents who loved her. She remembered watching as Ino's father scooped her up, swinging her around, smiling.
Sakura knew her mother loved her; she just wasn't as open with her feelings as other mothers. She hadn't even known she had a father until nearly a year ago. She had come to the conclusion that her father did love her, he had just spent so long away, that he was awkward around her, and the photos would provide the evidence.
As she scanned them, she found that the pictures consisted mainly of her alone, or her and her mother. There was none of her and her father. She began to feel despair, until she finally spotted some. There were four. She grabbed them for inspection. Three were taken before she was before she was born, and her mother was in them. She was taken aback at the expression on her fathers face. It was one of pure happiness and love. She smiled softly at the pictures of her father and mother. The last one was also of her father and mother… and her, at least a day after she had been born.
Her father was holding a sleeping her, looking down at her, while her mother was in a hospital bed, smiling fondly at them from the background. She squinted to try and discern the expression on her fathers face. She dropped the picture, holding a hand in front of her mouth, eyes widened. His face was blank. His face was clear of any emotion, and his eyes… there was nothing but hatred. Her father hated her.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and slipped onto the picture lying before her. She brought her other hand up to her mouth to try and stifle the sobs. She pulled her self underneath her bed, clutching her bear, and cried to herself for what seemed like eternity, but was only a few hours. After she had cried herself dry off all tears, she collected all the photos back, and brought them back downstairs. All except that photo of her father. She decided to keep that for target practice.
…
It was March 28th. Her birthday. She kept a blank face, knowing that if Ami and her gang saw her happy, then they would beat her. Keeping a blank face was also easy as her mother told her that her father would be joining them for her birthday. The bell rang to signal the end of the day, and she got up and ran outside. She was the first outside, and saw Itachi standing underneath a tree. She smiled and ran over to him, waving. He spotted her and smiled softly, waving back.
"Hi, Itachi!" She cried. He chuckled at her sudden enthusiasm, as he had noticed her blank face from before.
"Hello Sakura, why so happy?" She gave him a look that seemed to say 'well isn't it obvious?'
"It's my birthday today, now I'm seven! Speaking of my birthday, I should get home before I'm late. See ya!" She went to leave but was stopped.
"Happy Birthday, Sakura." He reached into his Kunai holster, and pulled out a black ribbon. He tied it in her hair. "Sorry, if I had known it was your birthday, I would have got you something better." She blushed deeply, shuffling her feet.
"You didn't have to get me anything, but I love it, it's perfect!" She turned to see all the other academy students exiting, and Sasuke walking towards them, with a frown on his face. She bowed to Itachi, thanking him and taking off towards her house.
She ran the entire way home, hoping to get there before her father, so she could spend a little time with her mother, happy. Reached her house, when a funny feeling hit her. She felt wary of entering. She opened the door to her house, to find that everything was still and quiet. She crept into the sitting room, to find her mother kneeling on the floor, staring blankly ahead, crying.
"Mother?" She whispered. Her mother made no move to indicate she had heard her daughter. Sakura reached out to touch her, and flinched as her mother jumped at her touch.
"Mother, what's wrong?" Sakura asked, growing more and more worried by the minute. Her mother stared at her.
"Y-your father, h-he's dead." Tsukiko whispered. Sakura stared at her, shocked. That was it?
"H-he was k-killed on one of his m-missions. I'm so s-sorry Sakura, that t-this has h-happened, and o-on your birthday t-too!" She broke down into fresh sobs, and Sakura sat there rubbing her mother's back, failing to understand why she was so upset. They stayed like this for a while, until her mother looked up at her.
"Why a-aren't you crying, S-Sakura, Your f-father is d-dead!" Sakura looked at her mother in confusion.
"I know." Sakura's mother looked shocked and slightly horrified.
"So why aren't you upset?" Sakura shrugged.
"Because… I don't care." Tsukiko gasped.
"He was your father, how could you not care?" Her mother shouted. Sakura winced, but none the less, stood her ground.
"He wasn't my father; he was nothing but a stranger. I'd never even seen him until a year ago, and I had to call him father? Most fathers see there children every day! Most Fathers hug their children and smile at them! Most fathers don't stare with hate at their baby daughter!" Her mother, who was already pale, paled even further.
"How can you say something like that? Your father loved you; he just had a hard time showing it." Sakura shook her head.
"I was looking at some pictures mother. There were some of you and him, and there was so much love and happiness, it was almost unreal. When I saw that picture of him holding me… he hated me, mother, and he always has." She finished in a whisper, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Her mother was shaking her head in disbelief, which only made her angry.
"He hated me mother, and I HATE HIM!" she shouted. She opened her mouth to say something else, but was cut off as she saw a hand flying towards her in her peripheral vision. It hit her face with a resounding smack. She flew backwards, clutching her face and staring into her mothers cold eyes.
"Go upstairs, Sakura." There as no emotion in her voice. "Go upstairs, and stay there, for the rest of the day." Sakura got up and ran.
'Great.' She thought miserably 'Now my mother hates me as well. Everyone seems to hate me, is there something wrong with me?' She grabbed her Panda, which she had named 'Akiyoshi' and receded into her walk in wardrobe, and didn't come out again.
…
"Shouldn't you be in…? Sakura! What happened to your face?" Itachi asked worriedly. Sakura flinched, moving her bangs to attempt to cover it.
"Nothing." She mumbled. Itachi knelt down in front of her, brushing her hair out of the way to get a better view of her face. His eyes narrowed.
"Was it those kids again?" He asked softly. She shook her head.
"It doesn't matter, I deserved it." Itachi shook his head.
"No-one deserves to get hurt, Sakura, now tell me what happened, I can help." Sakura turned to him, anger in her eyes. Itachi leaned away, shocked at the look on her face.
"How? How can you help? My father that hated me is dead, and when I finally thought I could feel happy again, my mother hits me for not caring and now she hates me! I can't go to the academy because I don't want to have to put up with Ami and her gang, and I just, I just…" She broke down in sobs, and Itachi held her, rubbing her back to soothe her.
"Everything j-just went from bad to w-worse." She said in between sobs. "I d-didn't mean t-to hate my f-father, but he h-hated me, and I didn't k-know why." Itachi shushed her, still rubbing her back.
"W-why couldn't I have a n-normal family, like e-everyone else? All their mothers and f-fathers love them…" Itachi pulled away from her, hands resting on her shoulders.
"Some of us… are just unfortunate in our parentage. Trust me; there are more than you know. But don't let it get to you. Use it to make yourself stronger. There is nothing wrong with you; you are a lovely girl, Sakura. Your mother is just grieving. I'm sure things will return to normal. Now go home, your mother is probably worried about you." Sakura smiled, wiping her eyes. She waved goodbye and started off home, hoping that he was right.
But of course, he wasn't.
…
The days that followed after were a somewhat continuous routine. Sakura's mother would wake her up, she would go to the academy, get beaten by Ami and her gang, she would go home, eat in silence with her mother, and she would retire to her room. Those were good days.
Other days, she wouldn't even eat. She would be late for school as her mother wouldn't even leave her bed. She would be scolded by her sensei, Ami would laugh at her, and she would return home to find her mother still in bed, clutching a photo of her father to her chest. Sakura watched her mother, hating her and the dead man even more.
She began to grow thin, which was picked up by Ami, who began to tease her about her mother not loving her. Things were only marginally better by her chance meetings with Itachi, who would ask her how she was. She would always smile and say that she was fine, that she was still one of the top in her class. Itachi would smile, ruffle her hair, and be on his way. Things got even better when Ino Yamanaka became her friend. She helped her stand up to the bullies, until they began to leave her alone. She and Itachi became what Sakura needed to carry on.
Suddenly, a year later Itachi disappeared, without a trace, and Sasuke, who had begun talking to her since seeing her with his beloved brother, had become withdrawn and cold, like her mother. She had tried to talk to him, but he had pushed her away, calling her annoying. Ino had seen them talking and accused Sakura of stealing her 'future boyfriend' and pushed her away. With that, Sakura lost her only friends, and was alone again.
She was getting more and more ill, and settled on eating instant Ramen until she could learn to cook. It didn't take long, and she begun cooking for her and her mother. The next challenge was trying to get her mother to eat. Eventually, her mother began to remember she had a child.
Sakura returned home from the academy one day to be ambushed by her mother, who was sobbing. She said how sorry she was, and that she shouldn't have let Sakura's father's death get in the way of her caring for her daughter, and that there was nothing she could say that would make up for her actions. Sakura just hugged her mother back, and thanked her for remembering that she existed. Her mother sobbed even harder.
After that, things began to return somewhat to normal, but the damage had been done. The relationship between her and her mother was never the same again, and Sakura never smiled as easily or as often as she had before. Sakura began to forget about her father, but deep down, she still harboured a deep hatred for him, because he ruined everything with his hatred.
She still used that photo for target practice.
What do you think? It took me a while to get the ending right, and I still am not comfortable with it, but I have no clue how to end it, so that will have to do for now…
Hope you enjoyed it! Please review, because I would love to hear what you think of it : )