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Gentle eyes bear the falsity I will never see
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II.
Sakura took a deep breath and reached in her pocket, fishing out a crumbled piece of paper with her index finger. She unfolded it gingerly in her palm, narrowing her eyes slightly to scrutinize the large letters clad in bright pink ink. At the top, it read 'To Do List' in bold letters. Reaching in her pocket one more time, she removed a small gel pen and eagerly drew her wrist across the wrinkled piece of paper.
Check.
One less thing on her list of things to do…
Her list had started out quite ridiculous actually. When she awoke that morning, the excitement of knowing she had absolutely no work or studying to do had put her in a larger-than-life state. Ridiculous and quite absurd things began filling her head like:
Today I will change my hair color!
Or…
Tonight I will eat at a five-star restaurant (with the date of my dreams of course!)
It took her quite awhile to finally realize that she was living in reality, and, although time off of work was like a dream to her, she would have to stick to more realistic items on her To Do List like do the dishes or reorganize her closet. She didn't mind too much though, because the simple pleasures of everyday life were often absent during her long, tedious days as a dedicated medic, ninja, and teacher. Even though her list had ended plainly with a mere four items, it still brought a silent thrill to her monotonous life.
And, with two of the four main priorities of the day behind her, Sakura was beginning to feel the best she had felt since she passed the jounin exam. Days off did wonders for girls like Sakura, and considering this was her first day off in possibly months, Sakura was beaming with happiness by the time she had reached priority number three of the day:
Grocery Shopping
Returning the wrinkled piece of paper to her pocket, Sakura sighed and brushed a stray pink lock away from her face. Grocery shopping was something she didn't normally enjoy because she was forced to rush through it due to a lack of time. But today, she felt a little out-of-place knowing that she would be given the opportunity to make vital decisions—like if she wanted honey wheat bread or white bread.
A small sense of satisfaction filled Sakura's bosom as that thought crossed her mind. Today, she was going to take time to actually have a relaxing trip to the market (for once). Taking a deep, wholesome breath, she began shuffling her body towards one of the most mind-bending territories for all of mankind—the land of groceries.
The market was particularly busy for a quaint Tuesday afternoon. Sakura spent most of her time squeezing between plump, stout woman and their abundant collection of groceries. Children danced around her like savages, pulling on her groceries and teasing her like blood-thirsty midgets. It took everything inside of her to not turn around and use her taijutsu on the little brats. Honestly, she never remembered children being so cruel during her days at the academy. Sure, kids like Naruto pulled their everyday (and quite hilarious) pranks, but kids these days seemed intent on actually harming others mentally and physically. She made a mental note to ask her students if they indulged in such brutal mockery…
After what seemed like hours of hell, Sakura trudged out of the market with arms full of groceries and other much needed items. Her body ached with the stabbing sensation of exhaustion, and the weight in her arms seemed ten times as dense as it should. The items in the brown, paper parcels seemed to tower above her line of sight, making it seemingly impossible to navigate through the roads of Konoha. She scolded herself mentally for not bringing a cart along with her. It would be a treacherous mission to get home with no broken or missing items, but she was an elite ninja now, she could handle a simple trip home from the market…
Peeking her head out from the groceries, Sakura caught a glimpse of the road she needed to turn down. Twisting her body slowly to the right, she began making her way down the road. Sakura's aim to make it down the road without colliding into any buildings was right on target, but, unfortunately, she failed to notice the tall, dark-haired man heading straight at her…
CRASH!
Sakura yelped sharply as groceries hurled into the air all around her. The sound of crunching, squishing, and shattering filled her ears as she clumsily lost her balance and fell to the concrete ground with an excruciating thud. She cringed as the actuality of the situation sunk her brain like the pointed edge of a knife.
God dammit….
She peeled her eyes open harshly to analyze the amount of ruined groceries. Broken eggs, busted apples, and other various ripped packages decorated the ground around her mockingly. She narrowed her eyes sharply as the burning sensation of rage spread across her like wild-fire.
"Oh, my god! I am so sorry, mam!"
Sakura balled her hand into a taut fist, ready to pummel the idiot who was responsible for such a tragic accident. But as she traced her eyes up the dark-haired man in front of her, surprise caught her quickly off-guard, leaving her breathless.
"Keiji?!"
Instantly, his chocolate eyes lightened. "Sakura-san!" A gentle smile spread across his face, but the apologetic tone in his voice stayed even. "I am terribly sorry! Honestly, I didn't see you there!"
He bent over quickly and began gathering items in his arms. "Oh my… look at the damage I have done! I swear I will replace any of your broken items."
Sakura continued to stare wide-eyed at the dark-haired man, completely taken aback by the whole accident. "Oh! No, no… it's not a problem!"
Inner Sakura: "I'll make you pay for that you prick!"
She quickly scurried to her feet, brushing off any crumbs on her skirt. "Really, it's okay… there wasn't too much that got ruined."
He sighed lightly. "Alright… at least let me help you pick up this mess."
She smiled softly at him, bending over to retrieve the brown, paper parcels and what was left inside of them. She peered inside quickly, gauging how much actually got destroyed in the incident. To her relief, both parcels seemed more than half full of untouched objects.
"At first I wondered what you would be doing out at this time of day, but then I realized that Hokage-sama had given you time off." He paused, returning a few items to the bag in her arms. "How is that going? Are you enjoying it?"
She chuckled lightly. "Of course! Though, I have only done chores since I woke up this morning… but… it is still relaxing to be able to pace yourself during the day."
He nodded. "Of course, that is understandable. The life of a shinobi doesn't consist of relaxation often."
She turned to face him, her jade eyes sparkling in the sunlight. "What about you, Keiji-san? Shouldn't you be at the hospital?"
"Well, yes and no." He chuckled. "I would be at the hospital if we had any patients to tend to. Fortunately, it is a slow day and I was given the rest of the day off."
"Ah, I see. That's a nice surprise when that happens, isn't it?"
He smiled brightly, seemingly melting Sakura into a ball of repose. "Sure is—especially when it has been months since your first day off."
Sakura nodded, analyzing the ground one last time, checking to see if she had missed any intact groceries. The concrete seemed a lot less wrecked than it did right after the collision incident occurred, but it did seem to bear a few battle scars—broken glass and other shattered remains covered it in a light blanket. She peered in the paper bag one last time, ensuring that everything was intact.
"Well, thanks for your help Keiji-san."
He shrugged. "No problem. It was my fault really; it was my duty to help you." He paused, motioning to the full weight in the kunoichi's arms. "Hey, why don't I help you with that?"
"Oh, don't worry about it…"
"No really, I would love to walk you home."
The soft feeling of butterflies fluttered in her bosom as she peered at him with bright eyes. She hadn't been walked home by a man since Naruto took her out for ramen months ago. In fact, the only men that ever walked her home were Naruto, and, on rare occasion, Sasuke. She could briefly remember Kakashi walking her home once, but she was probably only 13 and had a fractured leg.
She smiled lightly at him, offering him a parcel full of groceries. "I guess so…" She paused, pressing her lips into a sarcastic smile. "Well, since it was your fault and all."
He chuckled, taking the parcel into his arms. "Of course."
Sakura bit her lip nervously as she made her way down the busy streets of Konoha. Peering up at Keiji from the corner of her eye, she smiled, feeling satisfied with the outcome of the whole situation.
"So…" Keiji began. "I never got to congratulate you on Hatake's surgery."
She blushed slightly. "Oh! It's no biggie…"
Keiji continued his slow pace next to the pink-haired beauty. "Well, sure it is! Not just anybody could've pulled that off."
The pleasurable feeling of pride spread across her mind as Inner Sakura smirked devilishly. 'Hell yeah!'
"Well, yeah, I guess you are right… but it wasn't easy."
"You must be a very developed medic to be able to control your chakra for so long. It's not often that you see a medic with such an amazing control of chakra."
"Well, I guess I learned from the best." Images of Tsunade and Kakashi scolding her flashed in her mind momentarily. She cringed lightly at Tsunade's deep frown… but, for some odd reason, the apathetic gaze in the silver-haired man's eye brought a soothing smile to her face.
A comfortable silence slipped between the two as they made their way towards Sakura's apartment. Sakura shuffled nervously besides the tall, attractive man next to her, her mind racing with something appropriate to say. She studied the man from the corner of her eye, picking up any minute details she missed the day before in Tsunade's office.
He seemed like an organized man; everything about him seemed tailored and orderly; his clothes held no unnecessary wrinkles, and his hair was combed in a professional manner. He even seemed to walk and move in a structured manner as well, keeping his movements in rhythm. But despite the rigid conduct, everything about him seemed soothing and relaxing. It was hard to picture such a man losing his cool as Naruto would. In fact, everything about him—from his behavior to the way her dressed—was absolutely opposite of the blonde-haired kyuubi container. Sakura chuckled inwardly at that thought, peering up at the dark-haired man with humored eyes.
He sighed lightly, breaking the silence between them. Glancing over at the pink-haired kunoichi, he smiled gently, his soothing chocolate orbs sending shivers down her spine. She returned his kindness with an awkward smile, inwardly fighting the anxiety shoveling its way out of the hidden cove in the back of her mind. She felt so silly; he was just a man. There was no real reason to get nervous and edgy. But Sakura lacked contact with men in her life; the only men she spoke to were Naruto, Sasuke, and the injured men at the hospital. It had been awhile since she executed small talk with an attractive man. And from what she could tell, she was failing miserably…
Glancing up momentarily, Sakura saw the red shingles of her apartment building glinting in the mid-day sun. They were almost to their destination, and Sakura could barely fight the feeling of disappointment arising in her bosom.
"My place is just ahead." She paused, motioning ahead. "It's the one with the red roof."
"Ah, but that was much too short of a walk… don't you agree?"
She squinted her eyes slightly, attempting to maintain her level demeanor. Of course she thought it was too short of a walk. A man like Keiji was someone she didn't find often in life… she didn't want their communication with each other ending so shortly… but she was much too shy to speak up. "Yeah, I guess so… but these groceries are getting pretty heavy."
Bluff. Sakura was a shinobi, if mere groceries were too heavy for her than she must've cheated her way through both the chuunin and jounin exam…
"Well, Sakura-san, if we both agree that the walk was much too short, than I guess that means you have to go out to dinner with me tonight to make up for such a lack of time together."
Her breath caught in her throat as she peered up at him with wide-eyes. "Oh, is that what that means?"
"Of course. Besides, I owe you dinner for trashing half of your groceries earlier. What do you say?"
She paused momentarily, letting the exhilarating reality of the situation sink in. "Sure. That sounds great."
He stopped at the front steps to her apartment building. "Well then, I guess I will pick you up here tonight say… 7?"
She nodded nervously, retrieving the parcel from Keiji's arms. "Sounds good…" She stepped back, situating the paper bags in her arms. "Well… I guess I will see you then."
He nodded, flashing her another mind-melting smile. "Alright. Well it's been a pleasure Ms. Haruno."
"Thank you Keiji-san. I really appreciate your help."
"No problem…" He paused. "Well… see you later then."
Sending her a respectful nod, Keiji turned away and began making his way down the streets of Konoha. Sakura watched his retreating figure for a few moments, unable to wake up from her mesmerized state.
It had been months… maybe even years since she had a respectful date with another man. He had walked into her life so quickly like some noble-man on a gracious stallion; it was hard for her to realize that she was still Haruno Sakura. She wasn't dreaming… or at least she thought she wasn't dreaming.
But then again, appearances and first impressions weren't everything; she had just met the man the day before. There was still time to reveal any hidden flaws or defects. She was just hoping that imperfections were something that Nakamura Keiji didn't come across often.
Hey, she still held onto the fairy-tale loving twelve year old that never dared to stop dreaming…
But hopefully, Keiji would be the perfect reality, and not some ornamented fairy-tale that existed only her mind (ahem, Uchiha Sasuke…).
Pushing the door open to her apartment, Sakura sighed, making her way through the doorway. Dropping her groceries on the kitchen table, she glanced up at the clock.
1:13 p.m.
If she didn't hurry, she just might show up late to her lunch date with her favorite boys of all time…
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"NO WAY!!!!!" Naruto's distinct voice bellowed through the small café, turning heads and rattling glass.
Sakura peered at the blonde with livid, jade eyes, utterly unmoved by his outburst. "I don't care what you say, Naruto. It's my life. We both know damn well if you ran it I would end up being a lonely, old lady with twenty cats."
He crossed his arms dramatically, leaning back against the cushioned booth. "I don't care! You just aren't allowed to go tonight!"
She leaned over the table, narrowing her eyes at him slightly. "And why is that?"
He threw his hands up in exasperation. "Because… because…" He sighed heavily. "Because we haven't met him yet, that's why! For all I know he could be some sick rapist preying on attractive women."
Sasuke scoffed lightly besides the agitated boy. "So then… he would be like you?"
Naruto growled, raising his fist at the dark-haired Uchiha. "Don't you start with me!"
Sasuke regarded his threat with a simple grunt, turning his dark eyes towards the pink-haired beauty across the table. "Well, how long have you known this… Keiji…?" Keiji's name slid of Sasuke's tongue as if he had just swallowed bitter poison.
Sakura gritted her teeth tightly, unable to control the anger seeping out of her outer exterior. "I don't know! A few days! Jesus! Why does it matter to you guys?!"
Naruto stood abruptly, pounding his fist on the table clamorously. "A FEW DAYS?! He's nothing but a stranger to you!"
Sasuke shrugged. "Well, the dobe has actually made a valid point for once."
It was Sakura's turn to raise her voice. "WHAT?!"
The petite, blue-eyed waitress who had been venturing her way towards their table to take their order stopped in her tracks. Flinching her face slightly, she wrinkled her nose and spun on her heel, concerned for her safety at the moment.
"It's enough having the idiot control my decisions! But now, I have Sasuke backing him up!" She threw her hands up. "What the hell is going on here?"
Sasuke scoffed. "We are not controlling your decisions… we're just stopping you from doing anything stupid." Under his breath, a quiet "as usual" was muttered.
Sakura clinched her teeth, sighing in annoyance. "I am going tonight. If I end up bloody and raped in a ditch somewhere… simply don't bother." She raised a hand up to silence Naruto, who had his mouth open and ready to form a rebuttal. "End of subject. Let's just drop it."
Naruto pouted his lip slightly, settling back in the booth. He turned his head away from the kunoichi dramatically, crossing his arms in a forceful manner. Sakura ignored the silent tantrum from the blonde jounin, turning towards Sasuke with gentle eyes.
"Now… we were discussing current happenings in our lives. What's been up with you guys? How is life as a jounin treating you?"
Sasuke shrugged. "It's treating me, I guess."
Naruto remained stationary in his silent tantrum…
Sakura sighed. "Well… how have the missions been? Have they been successful?"
"Of course."
Sakura gritted her teeth. At times, she just had no idea how she saw past Sasuke's arrogance when she was younger. Crushes do that to people; they make you completely oblivious, she decided.
"Well… have you been assigned to any genin groups?"
Sasuke sent her a disbelieving look. "Not a chance… I have no desire to baby-sit little, arrogant brats."
Ironic, she thought. He was referencing the young Sasuke and didn't even realize it…
"Oh, jeez, Sasuke, you're so heartless." She paused, a slightly arrogant smirk spreading across her face. "I have taken on a group of kids, but they aren't genin. They are medics in training."
A puzzled look bloomed across Sasuke's face. "What? They aren't going to be shinobi at all?"
"Nope. Tsunade has noticed that other villages run smoother when there are a few medics who are solely medics. That way, they aren't distracted by the dangerous, time-consuming life as a ninja. They can focus on only their medical studies."
She heard Naruto scoff lightly. And she swore she heard him mutter 'what a waste…'
She rolled her eyes at the blonde. "Actually, I agree with her. As a medic and a jounin…" She paused dramatically for effect. "I can see that life is just too demanding and it's difficult to be very developed in both areas of my life."
"Soo…" Sasuke paused. "That means you must be lacking either as a medic or a shinobi. And after such a surgery on Kakashi… that means you are very rusty as a shinobi."
"Am not!"
Sasuke raised a brow. "Ah."
She growled at him, swallowing away the rage arising rapidly. Well, he was partly right… she had only focused on being a medic for the past few months and literally hadn't picked up a kunai or shuriken since her last mission—six months ago. But she wasn't about to let them know that…
She knew if she didn't change the subject now, their lunch would take a turn for the worst. "Speaking of which, has anyone seen Kakashi since yesterday? I am sure he left the hospital… I just wanted to know how he was feeling."
Naruto finally spoke up. "I did."
Sakura's jade eyes lit up with excitement as she beamed at the pouting ninja across the table. "Well, what did he say? How is he feeling?"
Naruto shrugged. "I don't know. I saw him on the streets earlier and all he said was 'Yo.'…"
Sakura sighed, lowering her head. Hopeless. "Well, hopefully, I will run into him some time soon before he leaves for another mission."
She turned her eyes towards the blonde across the table. "Well, now that you are willing to talk to me, why don't you tell me how life is treating you, Naruto. Anything new?"
He shrugged, still executing an I am mad at you composure. "Well, I am with Sasuke. I don't want to take on a genin team any time soon. It's not like those little brats are worth anything besides being annoying…"
How ironic, yet again. Sakura could clearly recall Naruto being worth nothing besides being annoying…
"Then, you are only going to be taking on missions?"
He shook his head. "Actually, both Sasuke and I have decided to try out for ANBU."
Surprise shook Sakura's conscience. "Really?"
"Well, that way, I know I won't end up being something worthless like a baby-sitter, and people will be able to actually respect me for the skills I have."
Sasuke grunted quietly to confirm Naruto's words. Sakura was used to his quiet grunts and scoffs—it was just the way the cold Uchiha agreed with someone.
Suddenly, the anxious waitress appeared quietly at the edge of their table, peering at the three-some with wide, worried eyes. The look on her face screamed 'give me your order NOW before I am harmed.'
Sakura ordered quickly, followed by Sasuke. The two both ordered green tea and a light meal, but… Naruto, on the other hand, beamed happily with a long list of the things he wanted—most of which had the word ramen in them. The waitress quickly scurried away before any off their touchy tempers were tested again.
"That's great guys! But I can't tell you that I won't be worried all the time…" Sakura gazed at her friends with worried eyes.
Naruto, regaining his usual demeanor, puffed his chest out as he leaned over the table. "Worried? No need, Sakura-chan… nobody can touch me. Now, Sasuke on the other hand…"
Sasuke rolled his eyes, ignoring the blonde's attempt to attack his pride. At 19, he should know now that it was quite impossible to bring Sasuke's arrogance with mere words.
The waitress appeared at their table again, a tray full of hot, steaming tea in her hand. Carefully, she placed their drinks in front of them, the porcelain rattling in her shaky hand. Sakura regarded the petite waitress with a respectful nod as she placed the cup of steaming liquid in front of the kunoichi. She glanced uneasily at the group one last time before sending a courteous bow and quickly dashing away. Sasuke gazed at her retreating form with disgust. Such nervousness over silly matters was just repulsive to him…
Sakura cleared her throat, raising the cup of hot tea to her lips. "Naruto… I hope you realize that ANBU is like suicide daily… even the most powerful ninja find death before they can realize it. You should research such issues before making such important decisions."
Naruto crossed his arms, leaning back against the cushioned booth. "I know Sakura-chan! I understand that! That is what is going to make people see my strength!"
Sakura shook her head. "Alright… alright… but did you also know that ANBU missions are top-secret? I hardly believe that you will be able to keep your mouth shut," She paused, taking a precarious sip of her tea. "And besides, people won't be able to hear about your strength because ANBU missions can't be repeated. The only thing they will know is that you are ANBU."
Naruto sighed, getting annoyed by Sakura's never-ending reserve of knowledge. "I get it, Sakura-chan…" He paused, the agitation in his voice slipping to a serious tone. "But it's something I have thought about for awhile now…"
Sasuke scoffed. "Yeah, like two weeks…"
"Hey! That's a long time!"
Sakura rolled her eyes, though she had to admit it was a long time in Naruto's book. He was quite the type to act on foolish impulse; the fact that he actually thought about a decision baffled her.
Sakura placed her cup on the table carefully, turning her jade eyes towards Sasuke. "When are you planning on trying out?"
"As soon as we can I guess…"
She nodded slightly, a small pang of fear striking her heart. She had always knew in the back of her mind that Sasuke would try out for ANBU—especially after the death of his brother—but, inwardly, she always hoped and prayed he wouldn't. She never wanted to be the one who attended his funeral… but you can't live forever—at least that's what Sasuke believed. But Naruto, on the other hand… she never really thought about him joining ANBU. His type most likely didn't fit very well in a secretly operated group. She knew his skills would be up to standards for ANBU… but she never imagined that his carefree attitude would want to be around such a cut-throat environment. Apparently, there were dimensions to the kyuubi bearer that she never noticed…
The timid waitress appeared at their table one more time, breaking Sakura from her thoughts. She peered up at the uneasy girl with grateful eyes as she placed a plate of steaming, white rice in front of her. After all of their food was served (in which most of it belonged to Naruto's half of the table), she muttered a soft 'thank you' and quickly left their table as fast as she arrived.
Naruto squealed an 'Alright!!' before hastily digging in his bountiful plates of food. Sakura smiled lightly, gazing upon the two most important men in her life.
Oh, how their journey started out together… Things were so different back then. In fact, she had to admit, that, out of all three of them, she had changed the most—but only for the better. It took her a while to realize that Sasuke would never be hers and that the hopes and dreams she planned involving him were mere fairy-tales—distant fragments of the truth that she pieced together herself. She felt empty for a while after this realization, but once she noticed the potential she had inside her, she bloomed into a very developed and sophisticated woman—but still the hot-headed, stubborn Haruno Sakura that greeted the joining of Team 7.
There was one thing that stabbed at Sakura's conscience every time she was re-united with her old teammates—Kakashi.
She missed him in a peculiar way. It was odd to think that he was such an important part of her adolescence years, and then, suddenly, one day, he disappears like he was nothing but a stranger. A pang of nostalgia pierced her heart every time she thought about him; she still wished Team 7 could be together… she still wished Kakashi was there to keep them in line and enlighten them with his dry sarcasm. Well, she thought, times are always changing…
It's something I just have to accept…
Tearing herself back to reality, Sakura blinked a few times before digging into her meal. Thinking was something she did too often… right now… she was off work, and she was with her boys… relaxing…
There was no need to think about anything but the lunch she was eating…
Yet, still… it was very hard for her to turn off the recent events in her mind. Excitement was something she didn't come by often, and in the past two days she had miraculously healed her former sensei and received a dinner invitation from a very attractive and developed medic. In her book, those were very important feats. The excitement of it all had crept up behind her and caught her fully off-guard. But…
Little did she know…
Her life was getting ready to spiral out-of-control…
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TBC
A/N: Jeez I am sorry it is moving so slow! It will get much, much better I promise! Thanks for reading!
