II

M A R C H

Part 1

Haruno Sakura hummed along to the distant ambient sounds playing in her cafe. The afternoon rush had dwindled to a single obnoxious customer on her day off. She brewed herself a cup of coffee and sat down across from her favourite patron with a newspaper. She highly doubted she would be able to get through much of the sections, but she had to read the horoscopes if nothing else. Just for curiosity's sake of course. Haruno took a sip of her coffee and smiled. Today was just a peaceful, perfect day.

The sun flooded in the entire vicinity around the small coffee shop. Through Sakura's eyes, the whole world seemed to be standing still among the firelight. For no reason in particular, she felt relieved of her usual stress. There was a thick shroud of happiness within her just waiting to be released. To anyone who passed by the curtained windows, she offered her most brilliant smile. This was the kind of happiness that not even the greatest dead weight could waver. Temari had once said she was very easily pleased, like a child sometimes. Though she denied it then, she could now see her reasoning. Just the sunlight was enough to make her day. But who could blame her? After months of grey and rain, spring was finally here! She couldn't even remember the last time she'd seen such a brilliantly lit day.

On the other hand, with intensely focused eyes and lips pursed ever so slightly, Temari neither saw nor heard the world around her. Sakura glanced over her newspaper to see the latest in her literary expeditions. For all the years that she'd known the firefighter, she had never once seen her pick up a single book. Now, all of a sudden, she couldn't be seen without one. Her titles were unpredictable as well, with obvious outside influence. Today's winner was a Hans Christian Anderson collection.

"Fate sure is cruel sometimes," Temari said suddenly, her voice cutting through the twitter of the birds outside. "The poor little tin soldier. If they didn't have enough spoons to make exactly twenty-five soldiers, then make twenty-four and spare it the pain for god's sake! Make a pet dog or something--at least it'd be able to have all four legs!"

Sakura laughed. "I don't think that's what the author was getting at."

"But still!"

"Think of it this way," Sakura said, "if he was never created, he would've never met the little doll."

"She was a dancer. A little paper dancer," Temari defended. "It's such a tragic romance!"

"Please, Temari, yours is much more tragic," Sakura teased, arching a brow.

"Just what are you getting at this time?" She picked up the thin ribbon bookmark and slipped it neatly between the pages, then slammed it shut with feigned anger. "You of all people have no right to judge my love life," she huffed playfully.

"Well, I can see what you're doing. You're spending all your paycheque on books! And you spend all your free time reading just so you can go back to that same bookstore as soon as you can."

"I don't spend my entire paycheque okay? I make almost 73 grand a year. Do you really think I'd read that many books?"

"Sure if it'd help you pick up your dream girl. You can't tell me you're reading of your own accord and not because of a girl," Sakura said with a smile.

Temari chuckled and raised both arms above her head dramatically. "Fine. You got me!" she cried. "One of these days I will impress her with my superhuman knowledge and make her fall in love with me!"

The humour leaving her voice, Sakura said, "But it's already been three months."

"Two and a half," Temari corrected. She struck another dramatic pose. "I'd gladly wait a thousand times that amount when I think about all the great things waiting for us in the future! No wait is too long for true love!"

"Temari, I'm serious!"

"I'm serious too!"

Sakura sighed and finished off her cup of coffee. "You think everyone is your true love."

"That's not true. I don't think that way towards the girls I sleep with," Temari retorted proudly. "The one-night-stand is such a brilliant invention!"

With a resigning smile, Sakura pulled away from the table and shuffled back behind the counter. "You're such a drama queen," she said, running the tap over her cup. "You should stop fighting fires and make your way towards Broadway."

"No, then you'd have to pay too much to see me. We're friends, yeah?" Temari replied, joining her at the sink, "I wouldn't do that to you. Though I'm sure you'd come to all my shows and buy all my merchandise right?"

"Of course." Sakura rolled her eyes and added, "I'd have a whole row of Temari bobble-heads at the window."

She leaned backwards and relaxed her shoulders. While Temari went on about her fantastic Broadway self and all the romance awaiting her, Sakura smiled and nodded every so often, lost in daydreams of her own. Once the room refilled itself with calm and utter silence, she found her eyes trailing out the window again. The sun was still bright and the weather still beautiful. She felt herself smile again.

Suddenly something outside caught her eye and, in a single moment, her smile transposed into a frown. Faster than Temari could understand what happened, Sakura was out the door. Just outside of her café, a small blonde boy, probably no older than Chika, had strayed to the edge of the sidewalk. Sakura caught sight of a paper airplane lying in the middle of the empty street. Without looking around him, the boy stepped off the safety of the sidewalk. Anxiously, Sakura looked around. The mother was there, at the shop window three doors away from her own, one hand gripping the handle of a baby stroller and the other a cell phone at her ear. She was laughing, oblivious. There was a little girl in the stroller, staring straight at Sakura, flailing her arms and legs happily.

Sakura looked back at the boy. He was already on the main road. Just then a car sped by the intersection, advancing down the street like a predator chasing prey. Sakura lunged for the boy, but it was too late. The car flew by, and she saw that she had miscalculated. She let out a puff of air in relief. The car was nowhere close to where the boy stood. But the boy didn't even blink as he continued to wander over to his paper airplane. Paying no attention to his surroundings, he picked up his plane and stood in the middle of the street to examine it for signs of damage. Sakura saw his round face stretch out in a wide smile. For the first time, he looked around for his mother.

Quick as the last had come, another car surfaced on the horizon. A blue minivan glinted viciously under the sun. As fast as her reflexes allowed her to, Sakura ran.

What happened next was a blur. The fair-haired boy felt the ground below him disappear for a single terrifying moment. The next thing he knew, he had one cheek against the asphalt, crushed by something bigger himself. Behind him he felt a violent torrent of wind slice through the air, tossing his hair and clothes as it pleased, like a great force washing over his body. All the while he saw behind a shadow, for a split second, a towering obscurity of blue. Then he heard his name from what seemed like world away. Feeling the horror well up inside him, he began to cry.

Sakura carefully manoeuvred herself off the boy. Her heart thumped loudly in her ears after coming face to face with almost certain death. She lifted up the little boy by the waist and positioned him into a standing position before pulling her arms over him. "It's alright now. Everything's okay," she said softly. "Don't cry." She heard his mother's horrified shouting behind them and picked up his hand. His cries died to a snivel as he followed her back to the sidewalk.

As soon as he approached, his mother rushed forward and picked him up in his arms, sobbing into his shoulders hysterically. Once the long moment passed, she turned to Sakura and began to thank her profusely. Trying to be polite, Sakura told her not to concern herself with it so much and pay attention in the future. Then, with a smile, she invited the small family into her café for a free drink. At this, the woman's eyes welled up again and guaranteed she would come back next time.

"Good job, Superman. Probably the most extreme way of promoting your business yet," Temari teased as soon as the woman and her children left.

Sakura blushed in spite of herself. "Oh be quiet. You would've done the same."

Temari cocked a brow. "I saw it too, you know. Not as quickly as you, but you didn't see me running out there. I'm sorry to say I put my life on the line often enough at work."

"Well, maybe you just don't have enough good fibres in your body."

"Maybe you just have too many," she said. "You gotta be careful. You can be pretty vulnerable sometimes."

"What's that supposed to mean? You don't think I can defend myself from all the big bad things in the world?" Sakura said with a wounded expression. She flexed her arm and patted her biceps, toned and sculpted twice a week at the gym. There used to be a time she put all her effort to upgrading herself physically, which left her a body to be proud of even though she spent progressively less time maintaining it. "See?" she said, defiantly to Temari, "nothing to worry about."

"If you wanna compare muscle, you know you'd lose," Temari laughed. She brushed past her and sat down in her usual seat closest of the cash register. Sakura rolled her eyes, but didn't argue. "And you know that's not what I'm worried about. Mentally, I don't know...you're like Snow White." Holding an invisible apple in her hand, Temari mimicked in a quivering voice, "One bite and all your dreams will come true." She withdrew her arm and pulled a serious face. "I can definitely see you falling for that. Then you'd have to wait for your true love's kiss."

Sakura straightened up and crossed her arms over her chest. "Glad to know you think so highly of me."

"It's not—" Suddenly the words stopped in Temari's throat. Her eyes widened, glued to the window ahead, and a sly grin began to emerge. "I'd like to be her Prince Charming any day," Sakura heard Temari say to herself. She followed her line of sight, knowing full well who to expect.

But the vision that met her eyes instead brought her such a shock that she thought her legs would give way. She gripped onto a chair behind her for balance, jaw unhinged.

Across the street, with a piece of paper in her hand and a little girl by her side, was a familiar blonde woman. Her face was not quite as Sakura remembered. Her delicate features were troubled just like before, but this time there was a certain contortion of panic hidden beneath. Anxiously she stood at the edge of the sidewalk, glancing around and biting her lip.

"Christ, I haven't seen a gorgeous thing like that since forever! Oh, besides Tenten of course," Temari said loudly. She turned to Sakura and waggled her eyebrows. "It's a shame I'm in a relationship already."

"You're not," Sakura said quickly with a shake of her head as she hurried out from behind the bar. "Anyway, this can't be a good thing, so I better—"

"Oh really now?" Temari interrupted, pulling her down into an empty seat beside her as she passed. "You're a pretty cunning little thing, aren't you?" Sakura didn't like the grin plastered on her face at all.

Trying to pull out of Temari's grasp, Sakura snapped, "What are you talking about? I think she's in trouble—"

Temari's grin fell instantly as realization dawned on her. "That is the anonymous chick you spoke so passionately about? The one you broke and took to the hospital?" she said disbelievingly. "Blonde hair blue eyes. Seriously? I don't know whether you're truly lucky or you're just that amazing. Oh, oh! She's coming!"

The moment Sakura looked up, her eyes met with Ino's clouded blues. In that instant, a sliver of hope shone through the ice. Sweeping Chika up in her arms, Ino hurriedly crossed the street. Once they arrived on the other side, Sakura let out a breath of air she hadn't been holding.

Inside the cafe, void of customers, Ino allowed herself a moment to examine Sakura's little world with stoic eyes. Chika broke away from her mother and felt around for Sakura. But the room was silent, leaving her no indication of where Sakura might be. Her sightless eyes compelled her to the closest presence. She shuffled awkwardly around empty chairs until she found the warmth she was looking for and clung on. Instantly, she muffled Sakura's name.

Sakura paid no attention to Chika. She could not bring herself to avert her eyes from Ino's intense gaze despite how uncomfortable she was beginning to feel. There was something behind those shielded eyes. An emotion...perhaps fear?

Temari did not miss the charged atmosphere in the room. There as a current not to be tampered with, a delicate balance that threatened to snap any moment. Her eyes cast down at the little girl crushing her face against her leg. Impulsively, she reached out and brushed back her fawn-coloured hair. Immediately, Chika recoiled. Being impaired, her other senses were sharp. She felt the warm hand, but it didn't feel the same. They were rougher than Sakura's, worn from years of fighting fires. A different kind of rough compared to Sakura's years of frying and mixing. In a frightened moment of realization, she stumbled back to her mother's side. The moment Chika collided with Ino's leg, the spell between the two women broke so abruptly that neither could quite comprehend what happened at all.

Sakura got up and approached the quivering child, kneeling down so she was eye-level. "What's wrong, Chika?" she asked soothingly. Comforted by the familiar voice, she all but threw herself at Sakura in response.

"I think we better sit down." Ino nodded, and hesitatingly took a seat beside Temari. Sakura picked up Chika's hand and put her in the seat beside her mother. She quickly retreated back behind the bar and filled up two glasses of water. Seeing their grave faces, she knew this wasn't just a friendly visit.

"I...I got a phone call this morning," Ino began once Sakura sat down across from her. Ino's eyes nervously darted several times in Temari's direction and a long silence followed.

"I...I know I said I didn't want you to...I didn't know where else to go," she finally said. Sakura watched her fingers restlessly tracing the rim of her cup.

Without meeting her eyes, she replied, "It's okay, I understand. If there's anything you need...I said I'd do whatever I can to help. The offer is still there if you need it." She smiled sheepishly, still afraid to meet her eyes.

"I didn't want to take advantage of your hospitality, but I don't have a choice," Ino took a deep breath. "I got a call this morning. From my husband. He found us." By the time the last phrase left her lips, a trickle of saltwater had already found its way to the tip of her chin. Seeing this, Chika shrank a little in her seat as well. Sakura reached over and held her hand.

A breathless silence seized the room. Sakura felt she could almost see the fear creeping up the strong woman she had seen on the first day. Cautiously, she spoke in a soft voice, as if wary of provoking this invisible monster, this crippling fear. "What do you plan to do?"

Ino said nothing. She watched the sole teardrop on the back of her hand. With subtle unsteadiness, she picked up her glass of water and took a tentative sip. Chika did not move in her seat. Sight was not a necessary asset for the child to feel that fear as well. She understood well enough that there was a reason there, a reason why her mother did not reply.

Sakura reached behind her and plucked a cookie out of the basket. She knew double chocolate chip to be favoured by every child in the world. She smiled at Chika and placed the cookie into her hands. The fickle mind of a child kicked into full gear and she lit up like a bulb, obliviously bringing a smile to both women as well. She pulled off the plastic wrap and instantly entered a universe of her own.

Gazing lovingly at Chika, temporarily swept away by the bliss of childhood, Ino finally spoke as if in a trance. "I'd like to talk to you privately, if you don't mind. In the back perhaps," she said. Sakura nodded, glancing at Temari. Temari grinned and patted Chika on the head.

"I'll watch over her so don't worry." Ino bit her lip and hesitated. Sakura stood up and motioned for her to follow her. Inside the back room, Ino didn't stop. Almost mechanically, she pinpointed the location of the pantry and led herself inside. Unsure of what to do, Sakura followed.

Sakura's automatic response was to think something horrible had happened. She fingered the cap of a nearby jam jar, anxiety pouring into her through a pinhole. The pantry was long and narrow, lined with shelf after shelf with enough space for one person to walk through. Ino stopped in the middle of the room and turned one-eighty, stiff as a soldier.

"Right now," Ino said, "I'm probably willing to do anything to get away from him."

Their gaze locked on again with pretentious intensity. Ino dug deep within her own reflected eyes to gather every last thread of courage. The courage she found stripped away her dignity. Sakura could see her wrestling with herself, her body couldn't keep still. Yet, she did nothing but watch the war.

"I still don't know what you were looking for when you helped me on the streets, but I have a favour. I...I don't know anyone else in this town...and I've haven't got any money. So there's...only one thing I can offer in exchange. I just...I just hope...it's good enough. Because I've got nothing else."

Sakura took a step back, alarmed in an alien reality. The war she'd been watching had ended long ago. What brought her back down to absorb her words was the new landscape: Ino's liquid resolve. Her eyes zoned in on Ino's hands, trembling with fright as she tried to undo the third button down her blouse. "Oh god! Christ, what are you doing?" Sakura exclaimed, panic-stricken. She flailed her arms forward and grabbed her hands, just in time to catch a glimpse of the pink lace beneath. "Please, don't do that. I...I don't think it'd help you much if I should...you know...change my mind. About you, I mean. And...and honestly, I don't think you're ready for that kind of thing."

Ino blinked. "I-it's true I've never been with a woman before, but—"

"I'll be happy to grant any favours from you without charge. So please don't do anything rash like that again."

"But this is...kind of a big favour."

"Anything. We'll work it out, okay?"

"I want...to live with you. So I can maybe...put my mind to rest. Just for a short time...hopefully."

Sakura dropped her hands and grinned. "I understand. You should've said so in the first place. I would've offered my place to you anyway."

She hadn't been expecting such a steadfast response. She knew she needed a place to hide, but she was convinced there needed to be catalyst in between. There wasn't going to be a silver platter handed to her, she thought of that much before she came. The disparity of her situation called for the extreme. Anything she wanted she was willing to give—there was nothing worse than being discovered by her husband. Even if it was sex, she wouldn't have refused.

But this woman had a true heart of gold, or she was just masterful in the scheming arts. Ino scrutinized her carefully, looking for any signs of malice. Sakura's green eyes glowed brilliantly, in all honesty and purity. She was accustomed to the distrust, Ino noted. And that was all there is to it.

"You don't have to offer me a thing," Sakura said gently, "but you'll be safe." Still, Ino's eyes were unrelenting. Sakura smiled without a single remote hint of malice. "Let's go back outside. I'll tell you a story. I think...I think you'll understand."

X

"There's a girl I know from a long time ago. A misguided girl, but she never meant any harm. She grew up changing foster homes faster than her emotions. Not that she had much of that then. Every family she went to just couldn't handle her. There was one who even beat her after every other option has been exhausted...so it seemed to them. Whenever her foster families sent her off to school she would get the attention of the principal the very first day for beating up a kid or throwing things at a teacher or randomly leaving the classroom, ignoring the teachers' incredulity. All that lasted till grade six anyway. Then she began to hang out with older kids. Tough kids who she stupidly thought she could relate to. One guy told her his parents were junkies, so he got abused all the time, but he had to keep his mouth shut so adults don't find out. Adults are nosy things, y'know?" Ino accidentally freed a smile on her lips. Of course she knew.

"But the girl," Sakura said, ignoring the triumphant flutter of her heart, "she believed everything he and his friends told her. She only found out later that his story was a lie—he was just a rebellious kid—but she didn't mind. Because she'd longed for this mutual empathy for so long, you could probably say she was hypnotized by her new friends. She took up cigarettes and alcohol, and joined in mindless beatings. They asked, she gave. But this savage fun was short-lived. Soon, her foster parents gave her up and she was packing up again. This time to the other side of the country, in another city. She was alone again.

"Still, miles and miles away, she never stopped her mischief. She drank, she smoked, she fought. Same ol' dirty routines. At first, her new foster parents were nice to her and did everything. But she knew it wouldn't last long. So she sped it up, and became cockier and more demanding. They lost it of course, and starting fighting with her more often. Then came the gradual violence. Her foster mother's slapping her across the cheek became a weekly routine, and her foster father gave her a black eye once. It just made the monster inside her even angrier. Every time she was slapped, she slapped back. Every time she was punched, she punched back. It was an endless exhausting cycle. Finally she couldn't stand it. One night, she tore up her textbooks and notebooks and threw it all over her room, packed up her backpack with clothes and her foster father's wallet, and crept out. At thirteen, she wasn't allowed to drive anything but a bicycle. So she stole her neighbours and booked it out of her old miserable life.

"She drove for days and days and had no idea where she was going. There weren't a lot of gas stations, but she filled up her backpack with food whenever she could, and bought herself a map at one point. She picked a town closest to her location and drove her stolen bike over there. It took a long time, but she made it. She stayed at an inn for two days. On the third day, while buying breakfast, she learned her ex-foster father's credit card had been cut, and she'd emptied out the cash ages ago.

"So she slept on the streets, in a narrow alley with a discarded mattress she'd covered with cardboard. It took her a couple days to finally decide that she was too hungry to care about integrity and whatnot. She was already sleeping on a rotting mattress anyway. For the first person who passed by the opening of her alleyway, she decided, she'd take their belongings and buy herself dinner. Just jump someone, she thought, just like old times. Her first victim was a young man on his way home. The girl sprang up from behind him, grabbed the wallet sticking out of his butt pocket and ran with everything in her. Of course she lost him and managed to buy herself food. And that's how she survived. For the next two weeks anyway."

Sakura took a deep breath and surveyed their faces. Both Ino and Chika had an identical expectancy in their features: furrowed brows, pursed lips, and pink cheeks. Ino's eyes were no longer searching for the relevancy in Sakura's story to her own, nor did she care for the doubts she still harboured. She wanted to hear the end. The intensity Sakura felt from her told her she empathized for the girl, that the girl in her story fascinated her. At this, Sakura smiled.

She continued. "On the third week, the girl went into a slump. The streets became emptier now as Winter came overnight in a snowfall. There were less and less people coming by her alleyway. However, one woman did come by. If only she knew then that this woman would be the one to change her life... Anyway, she was an average woman, around her forties. The girl confronted her as usual and threatened her with a knife she found. The woman didn't move. She smiled, unafraid, and confused the girl. She said hello like it was the easiest thing in the world. The girl just tried to threaten her again. This time the woman took out her wallet, and emptied all her bills. She gave them to the girl, roughly $200 in all, with a warm gentle smile. The girl took it with uncertainty and hid back into the alley. Yet...the woman didn't leave. She followed her into the dark alleyway and stopped in front of her mattress and asked the girl to join her for dinner, treating her as if she was an old friend meeting up at a reunion. The girl agreed of course, since she hadn't had a warm meal in a few days to save money.

The woman took her to a small restaurant on the other side of town. During the meal, she asked all sorts of questions. The girl didn't answer a single one of them but her smile did not waver. After dinner, she asked if she cared to stay the night at her house. She was having a movie night with friends at her house. The girl reluctantly agreed, looking forward to an evening away from the cold.

Then somehow, before she knew it, she started going over to the woman's house once a week for a meal. Then it was twice a week, three times, four times. Free food, heat, and she even bought her clothes. Plus she didn't have to run from cops as much. Remember, there was a lot of stealing she did. Eventually, she practically lived there and it wasn't long before she actually did. The woman enrolled her into school and, though she caused quite a bit of trouble at first, her kindness melted her heart. With her help, the girl slowly pulled away from cigarettes and alcohol. It was a tough process, but it worked.

"So, the girl got back onto her feet and led a steady, strong life. See, it takes one person's kindness to make a difference. One person to change their minds and remove all inhibitions. Everybody needs a helping hand, you know?" Sakura smiled and took a deep breath to conclude her story. She took a quick glance outside and saw that the sun had fled in the short time she ignored it. The sky, overcast and grey, poured a fine misty rain. Despite the breaks in her perfect day, she couldn't help but feel the same euphoric rush the sun gave her. If anything, her mood only brightened.

She stole a look at Ino, who was watching her intently. Sakura blushed at this. Perhaps there is a greater scheme this visit fell under, Sakura thought, even with the tragedy behind it.

"What happened to her?" Chika asked excitedly.

"The girl? She's got a life of her own, nothing to complain about, and no reason to ask for more. In fact, I'd say she's pretty happy."

This time it was Ino's voice. "And the woman?"

Sakura's eyes casted down briefly at the table. There was a flash of sorrow in them. "She died. Eight years ago."

"I'm sorry."

"Well, she had no regrets. She lived a full life and parted with a smile. That's all that matters. I want to die that way too, you know. To feel like you've done all you could and leave nothing but good intentions behind." Sakura propped her chin up with both hands and grinned. "I hope you understand now."

At that moment, the chimes at her door sang and a familiar face popped in.

Temari flashed a rugged boyish smile and got out of her chair to hold the door for the girl behind the glass. "Morning, Tenten."

"Mm, just in time for lunch is more like it," the brunette replied, shaking off her wet hood. After three months, Tenten learned to warm up to both Sakura and Temari. She dropped by more often and reserved her stoic expressions for other occasions. She had a sense of humour, as subtle as it was. The powerful and confident aura she gave off on their first meeting was still prominent, but it soon became obvious that she was easily embarrassed as well and would occasionally turn pink at the ears.

Tenten took a seat at a table beside Ino, and politely greeted her with a smile. "Hello." She stuck out a hand. Reluctantly, Ino took it. "Tenten," Tenten said with a friendly shake. Her handshake gave off a warm, welcoming feeling even though her tone was stiff with professionalism. Ino found this oddly reassuring.

"Ino," she said, mimicking her.

"Are you new here?"

"More or less," Ino replied sheepishly.

"Me too," Tenten said. "More or less. I've only been here for six months, but I've pretty much gotten used to seeing the same people around. You--if you don't mind me saying so—stick out like a sore thumb."

Ino gaped at her, puzzled.

"Oh! I don't mean anything by it," Tenten added quickly. "You're just very pretty, you know. You look like you belong in the big cities. It's just the way you present yourself I suppose."

From behind her, Temari laughed. She placed a bowl of soup and a packet of crackers in front of Tenten and took a seat beside her with a muffin. "Don't make this town sound like such a horrible place to live. Trust me," she said, looking at Ino, "it's much better out here than in those big stuffy places. I used to wear a stupid suit and clackey high heels, waving around an attaché case and a Blackberry. If you can imagine that. I helped with family business."

"I, uh, never really worked," Ino said sheepishly.

"That's alright," Temari grinned, "here, I'm sure Sakura here will take care of you."

"Anyway," Sakura broke in quickly, "there's been a sudden change of plans. So Temari, for once I need a favour. You know you owe me a lot, so regardless of your excuses...I need you to watch the shop for me. You know how things work. And I know it's your day off and you really don't have any other places to be right now." Sakura eyed her patronizingly. Temari opened her mouth to protest, but she knew Sakura was sharp enough to strike down every petty excuse.

"If it makes you feel any better," Tenten said, "I'll stay with you until they call me back at the shop. I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Well in that case."

"Tenten, make sure she actually serves my customers please."

Temari grinned and ushered them out the door.

X

The little red Toyota slid masterfully into an open lot. Sakura turned the ignition off and dropped her hands into her lap. Her eyes glided sideways at the passenger seat and she sighed. Ino looked around, examining every inch of space surrounding the parking lot meticulously. Paranoia was evident in her subconscious habit of biting her lips.

"Are you all right?" Sakura probed carefully. She glanced at the clock. There was still some time left before the school bell would ring.

Ino dropped herself heavily into her chair, silent. Finally, she shook her head. "I don't know. I just...I'm scared. I feel like he'll just pop up anywhere. It's like a bad horror movie," she confessed, rubbing her temples. "I feel like I'm going insane."

Sakura reached into her pocket and produced her cell phone. She picked up her hand and gently placed it into her palm with a reassuring smile. "It'll be okay. If anything happens...call 911. I'll watch you from here." She pointed to the front entrance of the school in full view through the windshield. "Come out through there so I know you're okay, alright?"

Ino nodded and colour began to return to her pale cheeks. "Thank you." With trembling hands and darting eyes, she opened the door and stepped out.

"Is Mommy okay?" a voice said from the backseat.

"Of course," Sakura replied. "I'm here after all." She smiled into the rear-view mirror briefly at the girl playing with the hem of her shirt, eyes seemingly focused on her hands. She turned back to Ino and watched as she very carefully made her way towards the building.

She held her breath as she waited. Unconsciously, she felt herself inch forward slowly until she was leaning with both hands on the wheel.

A few moments later, the school bell began to echo shrilly to be heard across the block. Children flooded out of every door. The older students gathered into groups, laughing as they walked home together. The younger held their parents' hand waving to one another as they passed and parted. A supervising teacher stood on the front steps of the main entrance with a smile (most likely of relief as the children left the building was what Sakura thought).That was the nature of elementary school that Sakura just couldn't quite recall.

She waited and five minutes passed. Digging her nails into the wheel, ten minutes passed. The playground became empty. Fifteen minutes passed.

Finally, the double doors of the arching main entrance opened. Ino stepped out with a weary smile on her face and Chikao holding her hand. The boy's face was gleaming with childish innocence and a satisfying disregard. He recognized the little red car the minute he took the first step out of the building and made a move to run towards it. Ino pulled him back and gently chastised him, leading him down the stairs.

As soon as they neared the car, Chikao broke free and ran as fast as his little legs carried him. Sakura smiled and withdrew from the vehicle just in time to receive a ramming hug into her torso.

"Chikao! You've grown!" Sakura giggled, picking him up in an affectionate hug.

"I know! I get chased by girls a lot more now," he replied, making a face. "Annoying cooties."

Sakura ruffled his messy black hair. "I'm not surprised at all."

He jumped out of her arms and into the car without hesitation, making sure to give Chika a hug before putting on his seatbelt. Chika smiled at him and he smiled back as he began to speak excitedly about his day. "We had an earthquake drill today! It was so much fun!"

"What's a...errf...cake?" Chika asked.

"Well!" Chikao straightened up puffed out his chest proudly. "It's like...when the floor moves! And you feel this!" He grabbed his sister by the shoulders and shook her vigorously, trying his best to make the proper sound effects: "R-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r...duh-dum! Duh-dum! Fwoosh!" Chika shrieked.

"Play nice, honey," Ino said, watching them from the mirror with an inevitable smile on her face. Beside her, Sakura laughed.

"Anyway, then you gotta hide under a table and count to sixty with the teacher even though we haven't even learned to thirty yet! But if there's no table, then you gotta roll into a ball and roll on the floor so people will see you."

"I don't get it," Chika said, wriggling her nose.

"It's because it's weird! People will see! So you gotta do it so people can help you because earthquakes are very dangerous."

"Chikao, sorry to interrupt, but are you sure that's what your teacher taught you?" Sakura said.

"Nope! But we're gonna do a whole bunch of drills in our life anyway, at least that's what Mister Teacher said, so I guess it's okay!" Sakura shook her head, still laughing, and turned to Ino. "Do you want to pick anything up from your apartment?"

"We don't have much...but I suppose there are a few things."

Sakura turned the corner and glanced over, just as Ino's expression changed with the new scenery. "You don't have to worry about toothbrushes and things like that. I can cover clothes too. I have a business and I live by myself so I do have money lying around if that's what you're worried about."

"I don't want to trouble you, Sakura. You work hard. No, we should go back."

"Are you sure?"

"He wouldn't be here so soon, right? You can drop me off at that corner. We're almost there. Just turn left after the light."

Sakura turned onto a street of clones. The shabby buildings sat in a row, perfectly identical to mirror each building beside them. There were all kinds of litter lying around and graffiti everywhere, and not all of it artistic or intelligent. The streetlamps hung their heads the same way every other lamp did in town, yet the background gave them a sense of melancholy. There were no cars parked outside. Instead, each identical building had a gaping mouth built into their sides, the gates nothing but bars protruding from the ceiling like teeth. Every car that entered the mouths caught the glint of the teeth, like a sacrifice under a guillotine.

Each building had exactly ten verandas jutting out from its hollows. Some were empty, some were occupied by eyes staring lifelessly down at the empty streets, while others were filled with drunken or high laughter.

The town was small, but Sakura has never ventured this far at the edge of town to this part of the city. She caught sight of a few homeless men. Their eyes locked for the briefest of seconds, but she immediately saw their hopelessness. She saw their lack of interest in life, the difficulty in making through life after throwing away any shred of dignity scrounging for food and becoming savage thieves. She knew how they felt. She saw herself in them, years ago.

She stopped at the corner, like Ino suggested, but not for reasons she expected. Ino indicated where her building was located. She pulled the parking brake near the stoplight at the very end of the street, close enough to guarantee her safety, but far enough in case her husband shows up.

The last thing she needed to do was to make it known to him, in case he were to show up, her affiliation. The street gave her a chilly premonition, and she hoped she was wrong.

Ino stole out of the car and walked towards the building. Trying not to appear paranoid or suspicious, she tried to focus on what was in front of her, yet still found her eyes flitting in every direction. It seemed irrational to her that he would be here, that maybe he was in the mailbox across the street watching her in wait. He wasn't a big man, but neither was he small. Finally, she allowed herself to breathe. He wouldn't be able to fit in that taunting red mailbox.

Inside the foyer, she weighed her choices. The custodian watched her rigid slow movement across the floor towards the elevator. Then she swung back and shuffled towards the stairs like a prisoner. He shook his head and turned back to his paper. On some days she was like this, pulled in all directions by threads puppeteered by dilemma. Even on her first day, he simply could not place a finger on her character. She came into the decaying buildings wearing average thrift store clothing, but he found it hard to miss the sparkling diamond watch on her delicate wrist and the vintage Louis Vuitton suitcase in a bone-white grip. Yamanaka Ino was anything but simple. Trouble trailed behind her everywhere she went. That's what he saw.

Even as she came in now, without the child she left with, the custodian averted his eyes. He felt her eyes on him for a brief second, but it was already enough to make him feel uncomfortable. Like he would soon be part of the stalking troubles.

Ino noticed this, of course, but the aging man was the least of her worries. She paced back and forth debating on the elevator or the narrow stairs. If the elevator broke down, then it would give him time to find her, but the stairs are time-consuming as well. Finally deciding that she was wasting time by walking in circles in the foyer, she pressed button. The wait was nerve-wracking. A man walked past her towards the stairs, rummaging in his pockets for something as he did. If it hadn't been for that one moment of fleeting rationality to see that the man was blonde, she didn't want to think about what she would've done. Kick him in the shin and run perhaps, or likely break down and threaten to call law enforcement.

Back in the car, Sakura turned up the radio at the encouragement of Chikao. He invited himself into the passenger seat and started his own wiggle dance, at the same time flying completely off-rhythm in drumming on the glove compartment. It was Kelly of course, on a station as far from popular mainstream as possible (but still popular enough to have Kelly's songs). Those stations tended to have songs that gave children ideas. Chika danced along as well as best she could in her seat belt. She was too afraid to take it off under unknown rationales. Since her mother carried her out of the apartment that day, she'd been feeling uneasy. As a five-year old, she didn't know why. All that mattered to her was that her mother was scared. But in this moment of liberating dance, Sakura knew the belts did nothing to restrain her imagination as she held her innocence in place.

As much as Sakura tried, she couldn't fall into the same trance as the children. The same catchy sounds, the same tempo and rush the song brought, had a different meaning to her. The music, blasting right beside her, felt far away, far from her mind, far from childishness. She heard but she could not listen. A pulse in her brain caused her muscles to freeze. She sat upright, rigid, though she tapped her fingers on the dashboard to ease the younger minds. There was a fear intertwined with her heart that left understanding as articulate as Chika's. Suddenly the sun wasn't as bright as it was that morning. Why? It should be brighter now that it was after noon.

Ino was taking a long time, Sakura found herself acutely aware; she could see the digital numbers even with her eyes closed. Perhaps she was being a little overprotective. Perhaps she had reason to. What will happen if the next song on the radio isn't Kelly? The DJ was back on air. Chikao stopped and listened to the tone of her voice making a paid advertisement over radio waves.

"Airplanes are cool," he declared after the ad for an airlines company, "I've seen one! It's really big!"

"Do you want to fly one someday?" Sakura said.

"I dunno...maybe when I'm a grown-up! That'd be cool!" As an afterthought, he added, "Then I can take Mommy and Chika to a place where they'll be happy all the time!"

"Mommy's not happy?"

"Well, I think she just likes to be sad by herself sometimes. Mommy used to be super happy though. I think she used to be a puppy person. Like she makes babies. We had lots of puppies where we used to live!"

"Daddy didn't like puppies," Chika interrupted with a small voice.

"I told you, Chika," Chikao replied knowingly, "it's only because Daddy was traumatized when he was my age."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know, but that's what he said. I think it means that he just likes to kick them. That's what he does right?"

"That's horrible!" Sakura exclaimed in spite of herself.

"I told you he's a bad man," Chika said matter-of-factly.

"Only cause Mommy told you that!" Chikao squealed in response.

A sudden hush marked the end of that conversation. The same hush over a natural high after an exhausted topic. Chikao grinned as the next song began to play. Country. He doesn't notice the tension surrounding Sakura as she thought about what Ino's husband might be like. Rich, perhaps, once upon a time. She imagined the couple would be match made in heaven when they were married, the homecoming king and queen type. He'd be tall, of course, muscled with sensitive facial features. Manly, but sweet. Maybe a five o'clock shadow, neatly trimmed to portray a rugged untidy gruffness. He was probably a football star in high school, and later grew from jerseys to finely tailored suits. Rich. Definitely rich. The evidence was there. He is, of course, her perfect match.

However, Sakura still couldn't put the pieces together. Perhaps her imagination missed the loophole in all the possibilities. Maybe she needs to stop thinking. She shouldn't be thinking about this anyway. She should be worrying about her, not writing a prequel in her mind to all this madness. Still...curiosity gnawed at her. The woman was filled with too many mysteries, and she felt herself drawn to them. She had a surging urge to dig deep into her and unravel every little thread of detail about her.

Among that, Sakura admitted, there was also that residual over-protectiveness she felt since the day she found her.

An eternity later, the DJ was back on the radio, talking about the weather and the lack of people enjoying it. Everything was taken for granted, really, Sakura thought lazily, inclined in her seat. The DJ was too simplistic. Her views were boring and the information was nothing new. She wanted to turn it off, or at least go to another channel, but Chikao was enjoying himself.

"Why do clouds eat the sun only sometimes? Shouldn't the sun be dead by now?" Chikao asked thoughtfully.

"No, honey, they don't eat the sun. The sun just hides behind it sometimes," Sakura tried to explain.

"Why?"

"Because it gets sad, right?" Chika joined in.

"Hm...No, I don't think so. The sun is always bright and happy. It just needs a break sometimes. It's like recess, but for a long time."

"Like lunch time?" Chikao grinned. "I like lunch time!"

"Longer."

"What about night time? Why does it always leave when we wear our jammies? Maybe it doesn't like my airplane jammies..."

"Of course not! Everyone loves your jammies, Chikao," Sakura encouraged. "It's just that the sun is kind of...off duty. You know? Like how you go home after school, the sun needs to go home in the evening."

"Where does it go?" That was Chika.

"Where there are no stars on Earth," Sakura replied, adjusting the rear-view mirror out of boredom.

"It doesn't like stars?" Chikao said. Chika followed with a quiet, almost ashamed, confession of, "But I like stars..."

"Well...it does, but they can only see each other in outer space. So that's where it goes. To meet its friends."

"Oooooh...I wanna go to space. In an airplane!"

Sakura laughed and ruffled his hair. He smiled back, puffing with pride even though his raised brows read that he wasn't quite sure why. "One day," Sakura said, "I know you'll fly. You're a good kid. Both of you."

Just then, a blonde head bobbled out of the decaying building. Close to her chest she held onto a purse, and by her legs rolled a dusty brown suitcase. She looked both ways before descending the stairs, as if crossing the street, wary of traffic. Sakura studied her from the driver's seat, running her eyes over her form, her delicate blonde hair, and porcelain skin. She had very nice skin. Flawless even.

The next thing she knew, she heard the mechanics in the car door disengage and Chikao's whining as he was carried off into the backseat. Sakura blinked and blushed. Without a word, she turned the ignition and started the car, only to narrowly avoid a collision upon realizing she had put herself into reverse. Sheepishly, she mumbled an apology to avoid Ino's eyes. The blonde said nothing, too lost in her own dimension to notice. Her eyes kept flying in every other direction. Every direction but the one Sakura quietly hoped for.

"Sure you've got everything you need?" Sakura asked, dreading the silence. The radio was turned off long ago. It made Ino nervous, and no one questioned it.

"I believe so," came the quiet reply.

"Toiletries? Anything we need to buy?"

"Shouldn't you ask how long we will be staying?"

"Well, I'm assuming it will be a while until whenever you feel is safe."

"I don't want to impose."

"It's alright. I live by myself."

"You're not obligated to help me."

"But I'd like to. And I'll only help you as long as you don't mind."

"I don't get what you're arguing about," Chikao complained sleepily from the back. "Mommy you have to say thank you."

Ino looked over at the dark-haired boy curled up in his seat with his head on the empty spot beside him. Her face pinked up, a visible contrast to her fair-skinned face. "He's right, I'm sorry. I should be...grateful," she said without taking her eyes off Chikao. "So thank you."

In spite of herself, Sakura couldn't control a grin. "Anytime."

X

That evening, after dropping the family off at her apartment and giving them a brief tour of her quarters, Sakura rushed off to close the cafe for the day. Though they were best friends, Sakura couldn't quite trust Temari with the keys. She was cancelling the evening shift, not wanting to leave Ino and the children alone for the night. If she were to keep it open, she would have to entrust the bar to Temari, and that could prove to be disastrous from prior experiences.

As soon as Sakura drove off for the cafe, it began to rain. Ino stared out at the fat drops of pelting liquid sliding down the windows. For a brief moment, she felt safe. But right now, she was still alone. Yet...she turned and watched the children bounce on the plush living room couch. Sakura had given them permission before she left.

She placed her purse on the kitchen table and watched as the children played. Chikao apparently was tired of jumping on the couch and went off to fiddle with the massive silver flatscreen crammed into the corner. Finally, she felt restless inside the spacious apartment. She was bored even though it'd been barely five minutes since being left as the only adult in the house.

Ino allowed her eyes to wander, albeit hesitantly. It was as if it should be a crime. That she really shouldn't be here scrutinizing another person's belongings. The kitchen was closest to her, and it felt completely opposite of what she was used to, yet nothing like what she lived in during her past life. Its cabinets were all elm. Modern, with a grey solid surface. A metallic fridge stood by the dividing line between kitchen and living room with an ice and water dispenser installed into it. Beside it, across the countertops, were a mini oven, a microwave, a coffee machine, and a toaster. In the middle was a stove with a flat back surface and outlined circles for elements. Above that was a large metal hood, probably only ever used when new recipes were tested. Dangling beside the stove on string attached to the upper cabinets was a flower-like spice rack. Standing out from the rest of the many, many spices crammed onto the countertop, Ino guessed they were the only ones that ever really needed to be used. Overall, Ino felt like she was standing in a model room in a DIY store.

A short distance away was a short hallway that led to three doors. Spaced in between the doors hung photos in sets of twos, lined up vertically. From a distance, it was obvious they were all black and white with nothing much in common between the sets. Moving closer, however, Ino found that they were all taken professionally of different objects and settings in town. There was also a clock above the door at the end of the hallway, a black and white minimalistic design against the yellow wallpaper. Two of the doors were opened into unlit rooms. One framed the bathroom, and the other a mess of shadows. Probably her bedroom.

"Mommy I'm hungry," said one of the voices from the living room.

"Me too, Mommy!"

She went back into the open area and found her two children sitting quietly, swinging their legs as they diverted their eyes from the cartoons on TV to look at her. It was cute how synchronized they were, but also a bit creepy, thought Ino.

"You'll have to wait until Sakura comes back," she said firmly. Chikao pouted, and crossed his arms. He knew arguing with her would upset her. Instead, he sulkily slid in his seat, further and further until he was on the floor, a puddle, rolling around on the clean, crisp carpet. Chika, sensing the absent warmth beside her, fell sideways into her brother's previous seat. Meanwhile, the cartoons danced away, carefree and corny using every slapstick joke on the record to entertain.

Ino sighed and sat down on the carpet, beside the now spread-eagle Chikao and below the drowsy Chika. She brushed away a wisp of her hair and gently ruffled his hair. Neither reacted. She turned down the volume and watched as they began to flicker into sleep.

X

The blur that met her eyes, the ceiling she realized, was...sparkly. She shifted her arm and found the warmth that'd been there the whole time. Miles away she heard a noise. Metal against a hard surface accompanied by a blitz of crackles. Her eyes roamed around the ceiling and focused in on a clock that stood on the mantelpiece, right across from her. She had to strain to see it as she'd ended up on the floor, spread eagle just like Chikao. It's been nearly an hour. She must've fell asleep.

Gingerly, she sat up, careful not to wake up the exhausted Chikao beside her. She looked up at the figure in the kitchen. Sakura didn't notice her. She had a pepper shaker in one hand and her other wrapped around the pan's handle. Ino envied her. How relaxed she looked in that cloud-patterned apron. She watched her, invisibly, and felt her own muscles begin to relax.

Suddenly, Sakura jumped. Clumsily, she placed the shaker on the surface beside her and reached into her pockets to pick up her phone.

"Hello?" she whispered, but just loud enough for Ino to hear. She frowned and looked up from the stove to the wall space above. "Who is this?" Ino felt her heartbeat slow. What if he found her?"

"I think you have the wrong number. Yes, I'm Haruno Sakura. Temari, huh? I see. Well, how can I help you? I don't do catering by the way. Oh, well then...oh date? Really. A date. Uh...well I'm sure you're a very pretty girl, but, uh...sorry. No, no, I'm just...very busy. Maybe next time. Er, please...don't cry. I'm really sorry. Please understand that I can't remember every customer that--" Sakura removed her ear from the phone, and stared at the screen confusedly. Then, almost angrily, she punched in a number on her keypad, and continued cooking, this time without the carelessness from before.

"Temari," she whispered harshly, "what is wrong with you? That is the third time this week! Don't act all innocent on me. What did I say about giving customers my phone number? She cried. Who? ...She's sleeping. What does that have to do with anything? I'm warning you, Temari, if you do this again, I'm going to change my number and hide it from you forever. I don't care if they ask you for it, just say you don't know. Fine, okay, I know you're my best friend. Which is exactly why you should stop. Believe it or not, it doesn't do me any good. In fact, you just made me make a woman cry, and you know how I feel about that. Don't worry, I'll get over it. You really worry too much. Maybe I just don't have the same necessities that you do. Love ya, bye."

After she hung up, Ino watched her sigh. Her back slumped ever so slightly. Then, after an expert flip of the pan, a piece of steak flew onto a plate, towering with its likes. At that moment, Sakura turned and met her eyes. She smiled and immediately straightened up.

"Would you like to help me set the table?" was all she asked. Ino nodded and received a stack of deep blue plates. She placed them around the quaint little dining table, careful not to disturb the single flower in the middle. Once in a while, she would find her attention straying towards the woman at the chopping board. There was an overwhelming need for conversation. But what could she say?

"Y-y'know," Ino tried, "I, uh...I'm really...very grateful."

Sakura turned and grinned. "I know."

"I'm...sorry for what I said in the hospital two months ago."

She shrugged. "Why? You shouldn't be. If you were, I'd be worried. Besides, you still don't trust me, so it's a bit early for that."

"W-well I..."

"Don't worry about it. Trust is something you've got to gain. That's something I know very well. Oh, and please don't worry yourself about the phone call. I won't attack you in the middle of your sleep or something. You have my word for that."

"I didn't mean to...and I don't really think you're that kind of person."

"You don't. Really? Well, that's good I guess," Sakura said, throwing her knife into the sink. "You know, now that we know each other a little bit, I gotta say you're different from the first time we met. You were confident, I think, a bit defensive, but strong. You know what I mean? Don't hesitate to let it out more often."

"Is there anything else I can do?" Ino said coldly.

"No," she laughed in reply, "dinner is almost ready. I heard Chikao likes steak. Oh! By the way I think I forgot to mention... I only have two single beds, one in each room. Lucky for you, I'm completely in love with my pull-out couch.

"Also...I want you to know. The woman died because the stupid girl still believed she would be broken no matter what. One bad day, and she wasn't allowed her cigarettes or alcohol...that was all it took." Sakura bowed her head and tensed up. "Out of utter rage, she went ahead and fucked up the woman's brakes. She didn't mean to kill her. Only scare her a bit. Mom...you know...she deserved the world, and I was a stupid 17-year-old kid...I'll never be able to undo what I did...will never be able to atone for what I did. I just want you to know that I truly want to do what I can for you. For Mom's sake to show her I'm different now. And in a selfish way, I guess it's for my sake too."

Out of nowhere, for no particular reason, Ino began to cry.


A/N: Hello and hope everyone had a very merry Christmas! I apologize sincerely for my laziness, but as promised, I've produced something for the winter holidays. However I think people will be busy today with the great mobfests of Boxing Day! Either way, happy holidays everyone!