Chapter 2: Tea
It was an early morning, but Sakura and Sarada were both awake and out on the streets. It was a market day, where several vendors and farmers around the Land of Fire came to Konoha and set up shop. It was something, no matter how tired or busy they were, the two always made sure to go to explore what new and strange things could be found there.
"Wow! This is really pretty, Mama! It kinda reminds me of Papa's eyes," Sarada commented, pointing to a necklace that had a black and red swirled charm, "Don't you think so?"
"Yeah, it kinda does," Sakura commented, "Reminds me of yours too."
The bespectacled Uchiha forgot for a moment about her own ability to use the Sharigan and blushed at her mother's comment. Sakura laughed at her daughter's reaction as they continued to explore the makeshift booths and displays that lined the streets.
As they turned the corner from one section of the market to another, they came across some familiar faces. "Oh! Mitsuki, good morning!" Sarada exclaimed.
Looking at a booth of fresh produce was Mitsuki, with two of the clones by his side looking in awe at the food that laid before them. They were wearing hooded cloaks, hiding some of their imperfections from the overall eyes of the village, and they turned away from the booth upon hearing someone call out the name of their brother.
"Sarada-chan!" one of them yelled out, running towards the young kunoichi, and she could see that it was Ura.
"Hello Ura! Ooof!" she exclaimed, letting out the noise as Ura hugged her tight, "It's nice to see you again!"
"Me too! Oh, Sarada-chan! This is one of my brothers, Ita! I don't think you were able to meet him last time," Ura said, extending a hand out to the other clone.
Ita was a bit taller than Ura, but definitely more reserved. He hid behind Mitsuki, eyeing the pair of kunoichi suspiciously, brows furrowed as if angered by them. "I remember you two... I don't like you at all. You hurt us," he muttered.
"Ita, if you remember correctly, you attacked them first," Mitsuki pointed out, knowing the story from the day they were brought to the orphanage, to which Ita made no reply.
"That was in the past, Ita... Sarada-chan and her mother are really good people!" Ura said, chiding his brother for a moment, then turning back to his new friend, "So what are you doing out here?"
"Mama and I are exploring the market; it's something we do every time it comes to Konoha. I'm guessing you three are doing the same as well?"
"Yes. Kabuto-san asked us to buy some things we're low on, but we got distracted by the market as well," Mitsuki explained, "This is the first time these two had came out to the village, and I figured taking a little bit of extra time to explore wouldn't be a bad thing."
Sakura smiled, shifting the basket she had on her arm, "How sweet of you, Mitsuki."
"Thank you, Uchiha-san."
Ita pulled at Mitsuki's sleeve, eyeing Sakura for a moment, then back at Mitsuki. He stared at the clone confused for a moment, much to Ita's annoyance as he eyed an envelope in the ninja's pocket. "Ah," Mitsuki commented, realizing what Ita was trying to do, pulling out the envelope, "Uchiha-san, since you're here, I can deliver this in person then."
The rosette raised a brow as Mitsuki stepped forward and handed her the white package, accepting it with emerald eyes scanning it, "What is this?"
"It's a note from Kabuto-san. He had asked me to give it to Sarada to give it to you, but since you're here I don't need to do such a thing. I'm unsure what it entails; I was only asked to deliver it."
Sakura's eyes widened for a moment, staring at the paper in her hand. A letter from Kabuto? What could it be? While she said three weeks ago she was willing to start accepting him, she wasn't expecting him to be so bold as to try and communicate with her. While she was curious, she placed the envelope in her belt pouch for later, "Thank you Mitsuki."
"Of course. Alright, Ura, Ita. Let's get going on our shopping; I'm sure Kabuto-san and Urushi-san are waiting for us already," he said, grabbing Ita's hand.
Ura gave Sarada one last hug before going back to Mitsuki's side and grabbing his other hand, "Bye-bye Sarada-chan! Please come see us soon!"
As the three walked away, Sarada waved them off then turned back towards her mother. "Are you going to open the envelope, Mama?"
"I will when we get home," Sakura replied, "For now, how about we continue looking around?"
The afternoon was quiet in the Uchiha home. Sarada had gone off with Boruto for a sudden delivery mission, leaving Sakura alone in their home. Since it was her day off, she took the time to catch up on some of the housework and prepare a treat for her daughter once she returns home.
Once she was done with a few of her tasks, she took a break with a cup of tea and sat down at the kitchen table to read the mysterious package Kabuto had written to her. "I wonder what he has to say," she muttered to herself, unsealing the envelope and pulling out the contents. She unfolded it to reveal a letter, written in very fine script, and leaned back in her chair as she began to read.
To Sakura-san-
Firstly, I wish to thank you for sending me the report from the check-ups on the children. I'm very happy and relieved to see how well they're growing and that they are all healthy. I'm sure you understand the feeling knowing that your children are growing up wonderfully, being a mother yourself. I'm grateful to you for your help and assurance.
Secondly, I had been reflecting upon what you had said that day. About accepting me. I had been wrestling with writing this letter to you since then, afraid of pushing things too far. This is the sixth attempt I've made at writing this, if that gives you an idea of my struggle...
I want to talk to you, Sakura-san. I want to try and make things between us civil. I don't want to continue this feud between us. I understand that I have a lot of sins in my life that I must try to amend, and even then I may never be able to do so, but I want the chance to try and make them right with you. I don't expect friendship or forgiveness; merely acceptance and understanding is all I wish. I hope that if I need assistance with the children – they seem to trust you – that I can count on you and that they can see us working together with civility instead of strife or discomfort.
If you are willing to accept my invitation, please come join me for tea this Friday, around 2pm. If it helps ease your mind, Urushi will be here. I could imagine that you might had been thinking we would be alone, and I want assure you that this isn't the case.
You don't need to reply to this letter; I will take your answer on Friday on whether you come over or not. However, if you don't wish to, I will understand, and I apologize for any discomfort I've given you.
Signed,
Kabuto
Sakura sighed, placing the letter down on the table and looking out of the window. What a request he made! She looked back at it, reading it over again with a crinkled brow, then released another sigh.
"What to do..." she whispered, tapping her fingers nervously on the table, "What is the right answer?"
She took a sip of her tea, then stared into the cup. She was hoping the tea leaves could give her an answer, but they provided nothing. She shook her head at the thought, realizing it was an odd move, then looked back out at the window.
"What to do...?"
Kabuto sat at a table in a small room, a teapot with steam coming from its spout and two cups positioned in front of opposing seats. His leg shook slightly under the table in nervousness as he eyed a nearby clock. It was 2pm on Friday afternoon; today he would receive an answer to his letter for the rosette medic. He knew that it may go unanswered, and he was accepting of that, but he was hopeful to finally have this step towards the end of their feud.
Urushi would inform him if Sakura was arriving, but as the time clicked by and a half-hour had come and passed, he became more and more disheartened. He started to drink a bit of tea, noticing how cold it was becoming and frowned. "I suppose I should make another batch, just in case," he said quietly, standing up from his chair and setting everything up on a tray to transport it back to the kitchen.
Just as he went to lift up the tray, he heard the door click, followed by the sound of it opening. He looked up to see Urushi, followed by a clearly nervous Sakura. A sense of relief washed over Kabuto and he smiled, "Sakura-san."
"Hello, Kabuto... I'm sorry I'm late. I... I really didn't know if I should've came," she said, fixating her gaze on the floor instead of at him.
"I understand. No apologies needed," the bespectacled man said, "I was about to go and make some more tea. This batch had gone cold."
"I'll take care of it!" Urushi volunteered, taking the tray from his brother's hands, "Please, sit down Sakura-san. I'll be back in a few minutes."
Sakura nodded as both she and Kabuto sat back down, the door clicking close and the ticking of the clock the only noises made in their enveloping silence. The rosette felt her nerves getting to her in a strange way; she couldn't remember a time where she felt this type of nervousness. Yes, on her missions, there was always a sense of nervousness, from the fear of failing and of the consequences that could follow. This, however, was far different than that.
She could feel Kabuto's eyes upon her, and her eyes fluttered up from looking at her clasped hands on the table to meet with his. She noticed how golden they were, but surprisingly there wasn't a feeling of fear as she usually had gotten from the times he had seen the same color of Orochimaru's eyes. They didn't look menacing or evil; there was a sense of softness to them that she hadn't seen with him since their first meeting. His lips were still curled into a smile, but it wasn't sadistic or fake. She could tell there was a genuine sense of happiness within the expression. Slowly, she felt her nerves unwinding and her shoulders had started to relax.
"So... what do you wish to talk about?"
"We don't need to talk about anything, if you're not comfortable with it. Having you hear for tea is enough."
"But we should talk about something? I think it might get boring if we just sit here."
"I suppose that's possible. Very well... let's start with something simple. How are things at the hospital?"
"Well... pretty normal, I guess," Sakura said thoughtfully, "I'm always busy, but nothing is terribly crazy nowadays; the worst I saw this week was a broken rib and leg. The poor man fell from some scaffolding! Honestly surprised that was the worst he had suffered, considering that I was told they were about thirty feet up."
"That is terrible. I hope the gentleman is alright," Kabuto remarked with more empathy than Sakura ever expected.
"He will be, although I hope he'll be more careful next time; I don't know if luck will be that kind to him twice!" Sakura said, earning a chuckle from her tea partner.
She smiled gently, feeling herself relaxing a little more. 'Kabuto really has changed... he would've never shown empathy towards another human being years ago. Hell, he'd likely kill the man and use him for an experiment, all with a sadistic smile on his face,' she remarked to herself, 'It's actually... kinda nice to see this side of him.'
"How is Sasuke-kun these days?"
The smile began to fade from Sakura's face, and Kabuto realized he made a mistake. "I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't have asked that," he quickly tried to correct, but Sakura shook her head.
"No, that's fine! Last I knew, he's been doing fine enough. I hadn't seen him about two weeks or so; the last time he was home, he was around for about three days before he set out on another mission," Sakura explained, "I wish he would stay much longer than that, for Sarada's sake, but I understand how important it is for him to do these things for Konoha and for Naruto."
Kabuto didn't say anything, but he understood. Like Sasuke, he also went on a journey of self-discovery before coming back to Konoha, and now is doing whatever he can to redeem himself in the eyes of the village. However, he didn't have such special loved ones constantly waiting for his return. He watched Sakura's head fall a bit, and he frowned. He moved a hand towards her, wanting to give her some comfort, but he hesitated before he could reach her hands.
The door clicked open again, forcing Kabuto to quickly retreat. Urushi pushed the door open, moving towards the table and placing the tray down. "I hope this will be more acceptable; I wasn't sure what strength you might enjoy your tea at, Sakura-san, so I tried to moderate it," he explained as he poured the tea into cups and passing them around.
"That's alright; however you make it is fine. I'm not that picky," Sakura explained, "Thank you, Urushi-san."
"Thank you, aniki," Kabuto echoed.
Urushi nodded, grabbing a chair to place at the table and his own tea cup, "Of course. So, what is the topic of conversation?"
"We were just talking about a few life things," Kabuto responded, "She was just telling me about her work at the hospital."
"Ah! It must be rather slow in peacetime, isn't it?" Urushi asked.
"To a degree. It's not crazy, but it's not like I spend my day doing puzzles at my desk either," Sakura replied, "I'm happy for the work I have, and could deal without any life or death situations."
"I can agree with that," the dark-haired male said with a chuckle, then before he could say anything further there was a knock at the door.
"Yes, come in," Kabuto answered.
The door opened and one of the clones appeared in the doorway, "I'm sorry for interrupting, Fathers, but some of the kids are fighting and it's getting really rough."
Urushi shook his head, standing up from his chair and heading towards the door. "I'm sorry to leave so suddenly, but I should look into this," he replied, giving them a small bow as his excuse, then following the clone with the door closing behind him.
Now alone, Sakura turned back towards Kabuto with an arched eyebrow, "We weren't talking about the hospital when he came in."
"I know that. You seemed so sad talking about Sasuke-kun, so I didn't want you to continue to make yourself upset just out of an obligation to talk with us," Kabuto explained, taking a drink from his tea, "You were relaxing and smiling before that; I want to see that again."
The bespectacled man smiled at her, a smile that surprised Sakura with how sincere it seemed, and her lips parted a bit in the surprise. Then she relaxed, smiling again as she grabbed her tea cup and took a sip. "Thank you, Kabuto," she said quietly, earning a nod in return.
The afternoon went on and before anyone knew it, it was nearly 5pm. Needing to head back home, they wrapped up their conversations, Urushi bid his goodbyes to Sakura before heading off to the kitchen to start on the nightly meal, and Kabuto escorted Sakura to the doorway for her departure.
"I'm glad you decided to come today, Sakura-san."
"So did I. I actually really enjoyed myself. It's been awhile since I just sat down and chatted with anyone. It was nice."
"You're welcome to come back at any time; I'll always have time to chat with you."
"Maybe I might accept that offer sometime," the rosette replied, "Thank you for inviting me, and for listening to me. I never really thought that I'd be able to enjoy tea and conversation with you."
Kabuto chuckled, "I can say the same. Well, I hope you have a safe trip home, Sakura-san. Please give my regards to Sarada-san, and invite her to come over the next time you wish to visit. I'm sure the children, especially Ura, would love to see her again."
"I'll see what I can do," Sakura said, looking down at the ground with her hands folded in front of her.
Kabuto arched a brow at her motions, confused by the sudden, shy expression she was showing. She looked up at him, lifting a hand towards him, a faint blush on her face but with a strong smile.
"Maybe we can be friends?"
Kabuto's eyes widened and his lips parted with a small gasp of surprise. He couldn't believe what he had heard. "Friends...?" he whispered, "Truly, Sakura-san?"
"Yeah. I mean, it's still going to be hard to forgive you for everything you had done, but... But you've proven to me that you have changed, and maybe we can try to be friends from here on out?" Sakura explained, looking away a few times as she talked.
The silver-haired male stood there stunned a few moments still, then smiled as he took Sakura's hand within his, "I don't expect forgiveness. But I would be honored to be able to call you my friend."
The two shook on it, smiling at one another, before letting go and Sakura turned away and began to walk back towards the village. She waved at Kabuto as she did, receiving a wave in return.
"Sakura-san..." Kabuto whispered, looking down at his hand, then back at her retreating figure, "Thank you."
