Tally Mai-chan: Is is me or do I have too much fun writing these? Oh well. This time, a Cannon Story to start us off.
Pink in Sand
Sakura sighed as the the cool breeze brushed against her face. She wished that the rest of her body, hidden under the bulky, long coat, could feel the same way. The people of Suna dressed so much differently than those in Konoha.
With her whole body covered except her face she would think that she would be even hotter but it kept her cooler. She did try one day, wearing nothing but shorts and a tank, but she sweated so much she could have taken a bath in her own sweat.
But the twilight air was the one comfort of the desert. Right not, it was not hot like the day, and not yet cold, like the freezing nights, but some perfect place in between. Of course this blissful moment lasted for only half an hour. For her it was enough. Knowing she could have some relief from the harsh desert kept her going.
So she always tried to get away from work at this time. No matter what she would make it here, to her "house" at the edge of town.
She leaned back against the cliff like wall surrounding the entire city. Her house literally on the wall, her room and the bathroom within the rock structure. She liked it because it was away from the crowed parts of the city and there was a small park a short walk away where two trees grew. They were small but they gave her comfort.
She looked up at the painted sunset sky and watched as a white bird flew above the far edge of town. She started to wonder what kind of bird it was, listing off all the species that lived here. She certainly didn't recognize it right away like she could with most birds.
She walked into her house and grabbed her binoculars and scoped the sky for the bird. She found it after a few moments of searching and wished she hadn't.
On the bird was a man. And he was wearing an Akatsuki cloak.
She knew the cloak. She was at the meeting where Yuura discussed the Akatsuki, having learned about them from Jiraiya. The Akatsuki showing up on the day that she learned more about them was almost ironic.
She ran into her house, shedding her cloak. She grabbed a long sleeve black body armor shirt and lose black pants. It wouldn't be long until night and she didn't want to be distracted by the cold. She was going to fight them and had to be prepared.
She ran from her house to the north gate where Yuura was stationed. He was the head of home security and he would get word out that Akatsuki were here.
She rounded the corner and the gap between the two walls the village "gate" rose up before her. She picked up speed and saw him.
His hunched figure, his black cloak.
"Akatsuki!" She yelled, stopping just shy of ten feet from him. "I have questions for you."
The hunched man laughed at her, his deep voice sounding wicked to her ears.
"I hate to be kept waited." He said darkly. Sakura wondered what he could be talking about when he spoke again. "I keep telling him that but he never listen. I'll just have to entertain myself with you, then later you can join my collection."
She said nothing back. She'll let her fists to the talking. She kicked off the ground and aimed for his head. He jumped aside and a metal scorpions tail pulled out from behind him and she rolled out of its way.
The next second he was on her, the metal tail darting in and out as it jabbed at her. She rolled and stepped out of its way, seeing poison trickle of it. This was a weapon to fear. She ran in circles around him, moving steadily back to the rock wall protecting the village from the elements, and attackers.
"Did nothing against Akatsuki" She thought dryly and he forced her against the wall. The metal tail waiting to slash at her. She tensed as the tail shivered in the air, sensing her fear and attacked. She ducked and the the tail smashed into the rock wall. It tried to pull out for another attack but it was stuck.
Sakura heard herself yelling as the chakra gathered into her fists. She saw nothing but his face as she lunged straight to him, her fist crashing through his body. She hid her shock as his body broke apart into wooden pieces and jumped aside from the wreckage.
She lost face when a cloaked figure stood up from the wreckage. A pale hand pulling the black fabric off himself. She stood captivated by his almond brown eyes. She remembered he was an enemy, but he couldn't have been. He looked so young.
He shock his red hair and glared at her. She balked, taking a step back. The word "puppet master" flashed through her head but she couldn't think. For in an instant she saw the difference in skill.
And it terrified her.
Tally Mai's thoughts: I kinda liked the idea for this one. I couldn't remembered what was supposed to happen after I ended it there but it was good, not that it helps me... But a good cannon idea if I say so myself.
I will do at lest one cannon story one-shot/drabble each story, maybe more if I feel like it.
* * *
500 words
Sakura stared down at her blank sheet of paper. Why did her teacher have to assign such a stupid assignment? Write about love in 500 words. What kind of English homework is this? Could she just skip the assignment? But it was almost the end of the quarter and if she didn't get perfect 100's in everything then her parents were going to take her TV away.
Sakura did not want to lose her TV. How was she she supposed to watch her favorite soap operas without it?
Sakura sighed and knew she had to do this assignment. Maybe she could just wing her way through it, writing whatever cheesy crap that just happened to enter her mind. Loves is glorious and makes you feel like a princess from a fairy tail... yeah, that was good. Try as she might though she couldn't write it.
She had a reputation for writing the best essays and papers, not this half hearted crap. Her and Akasuna Sasori, the top students at her school did the best essays. She liked Sasori and for a moment thought to write about him. But she didn't love him did she?
Sakura screamed in anguish and balled up her paper, throwing it into the trash. She flipped on the TV and sat back on her floor, channels flashing past as she found her favorite soap. No one she knew watched this particular soap since a lot of older people liked it. Her friends liked to watch reality TV or sports. She was happy with her soaps.
She was particularly excited about tonights episode. There was going to be a new cast member. A young man playing the role of Mr. Johnson's nephew. Mr. Johnson's son had an affair with his secretary and he was their love child. But since the death of Mr. Johnson's son and his illness, giving him only three months to live, his family has been in a frenzy over who gets his fortune. With the new arrival of his nephew, aka the legal inheritor of his money, he wanted to get to know him.
Sakura's hands trembled when the nephew walked on stage. Smiling and dressed in an Italian suit. Strutting across the stage. It was him. It was Akasuna Sasori.
Playing the role of the nephew.
Tally Mai's thoughts: Funny thing about the title of this story. I checked my word count and I was short by 500 words so I decided to write a drabble called 500 words. As you see its a rather long, but a very good drabble. I really like it.
I think this is one of my more favorite drabbles. Wonder why Sasori is an actor? Who knows? (image a heart at the end of that please)
* * *
Sakurella (A Cinderella Story)
"I know its hard for you Sweet Pea but its for the best."
"I understand father. You want to be rich."
"N-no Sweat Pea you got it all wrong! I want what's best for you."
"You want a luxurious life."
"Now come on, you don't believe that now do you?"
"I do."
"But I-"
"Father... if you are done I would like to go to bed now. I have a hard day ahead of me."
"... Good night Sweat Pea..."
Sakura's father kissed her on the cheek and turned out the lights, leaving her alone.
She didn't know why her father was remarrying. It had only been one month since her loving mother had died. And to make things worse her father was remarrying to a man. A man. Why? She thought bitterly. Because a new law passed in Konoha that gave money to gay couples, something about gay rights but it was all stupid to her.
Tomorrow she and her father were moving out of their home, her mothers house. She remembered when they first came to this house. Her father said that they were going to live here forever. He was such a liar.
She was getting a step sister. A girl named Hinata. And a new cousin too, a boy named Neji. She hoped she could get along with them.
The next day came and she and her father arrived before the Hyuuga Compound. Their new house, her father said, but to her it looked more like a jail.
They walked in and she meet her new sister in law. Their fathers told them to go play while they talked. Sakura knew they were discussing how to split up the money they were going to receive for their marriage and other money stuff.
Hinata took them into her room and immediately grabbed dolls from the bed.
"I want to play doll house." She smiled innocently, pushing an old doll into Sakura's hands.
"I don't want to." Said Sakura but Hinata acted like she ignored her.
"I'm gonna play the mamma and you can be the baby."
"But I don't want to play dolls." Sakura whined, setting her doll back on the bed.
Hinata grabbed the doll and threw it at the wall. It's porcelain head breaking with a loud crack. Sakura was stunned so that she didn't see the maids that walked in nor heard Hinata crying.
"She broke my favorite doll!" Her new sister cried.
"I-I did not!" Sakura defended, coming back to her scenes. "You're the one that threw it."
The maids were furious at her. "Why would Hinata-sama break the doll she inherited from her mother?" They didn't believe Sakura's story. Nor will they ever take her side in anything, even when it was clear she was not at fault. Sakura would later learn that it was because her father married Hinata's father.
So she was scolded and told she had to go without dinner that night. When they left Hinata looked at her smugly.
"I'm get a new doll and you gonna get no dinner." She smiled angelically. But Sakura was wise to her now, she was a wolf in sheep's clothing.
The next few days pasted by too slowly for Sakura's tastes. Every time Hinata wanted something new or just wanted to get Sakura into trouble all she had to do was break something and cry. Sakura was of course, punished each time for her "crimes". She would have to cut onions in the kitchen or clean the floors. Once she had to carry water from the well and back to the water container. A distance of half a mile in all.
Sakura also had to play what ever Hinata wanted to play. And she was always the under character. When they played cops and robbers Hinata was the cop and her the robber. When playing knights and castles Hinata was the princess and she was the dragon or ugly hag.
One day, after her latest punishment was over-Hinata ripped her old kimono so she could get a new one that her father said she couldn't have- she ran to the branch member side of the house.
And there she meet her cousin, the boy who was with Hinata when she was not. The boy smiled at her and asked if she was forced to be Hinata's lacky like he was. She nodded, happy that she found someone who suffered as she did.
They talked for some time about Hinata, how mean and horrible she was. Sakrua found Neji really nice and they became quick friends. Every time she could get away from Hinata she would be with Neji and together they would play or go exploring.
Sakura really liked her new friend.
"Hey Sakura." Neji said one day as they sat outside the Main Building. "Let's get back at Hinata."
"How?" Sakura asked. They talked about this kind of thing before but only jokingly. Today though, Neji looked serious.
"Let's dump a bucket of ink on her. She ripped that kimono so she could get a new one right? Well lets ruin that kimono!"
"Yeah." Sakura agreed. Hinata got everything she wanted, and Sakura never got anything she wanted. It was unfair and justice needed to be served.
So they came up with their plan and put it into play. They found a door they could place the ink bucket onto so that when a person opened the door and walked through it would fall and all the ink would dump on them.
Neji left to lead Hinata into their trap and Sakura hid behind another door, waiting patiently. When the door opened she ran forward but it was not Hinata the the bucket of ink fell on.
It was her step father.
"What's the meaning of this!" He yelled, his face red and angry. He saw Sakura and grabbed her arm, twisting it painfully. "Did you do this?"
She started to deny it when Neji appeared through the doorway.
"She did it Uncle!" He said quickly. "She told me she wanted to ruin Hinata's new kimono because Hinata got one and not her."
"You ungrateful child!" Her step father grabbed her hair and yanked it hard. "You'll pay for your wicked thoughts! I'll make sure personally to beat every single nasty idea from your head!"
And Five years have passed.
"Sakura!" Hinata shrilled, storming out of her room. "Why haven't you cleaned my Kimono yet? Are you trying to ruin my dream night? I can't believe how selfish you are! You should wish the best for your younger sister!"
"Yes Hinata-sama" Sakura bowed, now thirteen and already a slave. "It's done drying now. I'll go get it."
"Tsh. For this you can't come to the party with me."
Sakura stopped dead in her tracks. "No! But you said if I was good then I can come too!"
"You disobeyed me, therefore you broke our agreement!"
"I didn't do anything!"
Sakura knew it meant nothing to her cold step sister. Hinata never planned for her to go to the party from the beginning. But she wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe she could have one night of happiness.
So Hinata and Sakura's two fathers left for the grand party. She had plenty to do though, before her family left they gave her lots of chores that had to be completed before they got back, or she will be punished.
Sakura was used to cleaning now, it had become second nature almost. She cleaned when she woke up till the she went to bed. Always cleaning, always working.
Sakura smiled and pretend that the broom was a noble man. She played, imagining that she was wearing a beautiful western dress, light pink silk that lifted up elegantly as she spun.
She was at ball, like the ones in her old fairy tales. Where music was played and ladies and noble men danced in tiny circles around each other. But she wouldn't dance with just anyone, no. She leaned the broom against the wall, pretending to reject the broom "noble man's" offer to dance.
She wanted to dance with the prince. For this was his ball and tonight he was going to pick a bride. So caught up in her performance that she didn't notice someone watching her. Why would she, her family was gone and all the servants had the night off. It was just her. And the boy she did not know was there.
"What a beautiful night for a ball." She said dreamily, dancing her way to the courtyard. She danced just as her mother had taught her, and for a moment if felt like her mother was with her again.
Under the moonlight, dancing to old steps, Sakura cried. She kept dancing, not willing to let go of her mothers memory but the more she danced the harder she cried and then she couldn't dance any more. All she could do was cry.
"Why are you crying?"
Sakura jumped, someone was standing behind her. "Wh-who are you." She turned around, scrambling back from him. "How did you get in here?!"
He gave her a sideways look. "I didn't want to go to the party."
"You got invited." Her eyes lit up and because suddenly jealous of this boy.
"Yeah, but its boring." He shrugged nonchalantly, like it was no big deal to not go to the biggest party of the year. "Nothing but bothersome talk."
"I don't think its boring."
"Have you ever been to one?"
"N-no..."
"Then you can't say that."
Sakura pouted and really felt like smacking this kid. She lifted her hand like she was going to but stopped. He was really good looking. HE was her age but already gave off the feeling of an adult. He had red, messy hair and almond brown eyes. He saw her hand and frowned.
"Go ahead, hit me if you want."
"I-I don't want to." She put her hand down quickly, looking away from him.
"You're such a child." He scoffed at her.
"Yeah well you're too tense."
He huffed and started to walk around the courtyard with no real destination in mind. She followed him and he ignored her, but after a while he tired of her game.
"Leave me alone." Said the boy, walking faster.
"I can't." She said back, matching his pace. "I don't know who you are, you could be lying to me and really be a thief."
"At least a thief knows how to live." He said cryptically.
Sakura really wanted to hit this boy now. His back was turned to her and he had slowed down to look a cherry tree. She saw her change and ran forward, pushing him in the back. He cried out and stumbled forward. She had pushed too hard and lost her balance. They fell down together and tumbled forward.
"What'd you do that for!" The boy yelled at her, pushing her off him. "How dare a servant like you strike me!"
"I'm not a servant!" Sakura cried, shoving him in the chest again. He caught her this time and smacked her hands aside. "My step father owns this house. I should have gone to the party too! I really wanted to go to the party but she didn't want me to go. She told me I could go if I was good but she lied."
Sakura bawled her eyes out. Letting out years of pent up anger and sadness in one good cry. The boy said nothing and listened patiently to her.
"You're the Hyuuga's new step daughter?" He asked when she had stopped crying. She nodded miserably. "And Hinata is your step sister." She nodded again. "Heh, I feel sorry for you, that girl is insane."
"She said I could go too."
"I told you." He said. "That party is no fun anyways."
"I wanted to dress up."
He sighed and looked to the cherry blossom tree. He grabbed a branch and climbed up it, climbing as high has he could. He looked down at Sakura and she climbed up too, though more gracefully and easily than he did. The boy stumbled a lot when he climbed.
"I'm Sasori." He said, mindlessly picked at the flowers.
"Sakura." She said, frowning at him. "Don't pick the flowers, it hurts the tree."
They sat in silence until the adults came back. People dressed in the royal palace attire running around like frantic ants. Sasori said he had to go and jumped down from the tree. Sakura remembered that she didn't finish her chores.
She decided to stay in the tree and watch the stars.
Tally Mai's thoughts: When I first wrote out the idea for this story it was originally meant to be a humor story but as I wrote it it came out serious. Also in my original plans I had meant for Deidara to be Sakura's fairy godmother haha. Overall its a decent story, with some fine tuning and patience (that I did not have when I wrote this at the time) then it could turn outreally nice.
* * *
Meaningless
Her body, her moves. The way she evaded all attacks. Her graceful form, even when punching. Her hair, unkempt and neglected but still beautiful. Her eyes, powerful.
She was a worthy opponent.
But it was all meaningless. They would have their first and last battle here. It was a shame. Maybe if he acted now, took his grandmother out of the picture, and it was just her and him alone then... just then.
He could have some fun. And then her beauty, would not be so meaningless.
Tally Mai's thoughts: Ah, I just wanted a short story to fill in a gap between all these long one-shots and I was just shy of my 5k work limit.
* * *
Model X-Haruno Sakura
Sasori did not have high hopes for his latest model. All models A though W were total failures. They couldn't talk properly or couldn't walk. Their eyes would cross or they would just simple stop moving. He tweaked his designed, changing the command program slightly, just randomly changing one frequency for any difference at all. If one success, even a tiny one would renew his hope in this project.
"She's ready to go, yeah." Sasori's assistant, Deidara, said as he walked out of the glass chamber where his creation slumbered. "I checked over her body and there were no deficiency anywhere." He smiled shyly. "They keep getting prettier each time. You don't have some weird fetish do you Sasori-danna?"
"Says the man who gets orgasms from watching fireworks."
The blond gaged. "I-I don't not!"
"Oh but I hear you moaning in escasty every time you see one."
"Its not moaning! I'm grunting my appreciation."
"I'm sure you are."
"Experiment Model-X ready to go any minute now."
Sasori nodded and pressed several green buttons on a computer desk. "Okay, she should be live in five minutes." Sasori continued to read over the data. Most errors within the models design happened during the stage or "awakening". He always thought it was ironic how the names and terms used in the humanoid project personified the rubber, steel and bioengineering that made up their creation. Then again she was supposed to become a living person.
"Any errors?" Deidara nervously asked. He stood by the glass case away from the computer, he was to watch as she "woke" up.
"A few minor ones." Said Sasori as certain code sequences, numbers flashing across the black screen, caught his eyes. "Her body is taking a while to synchronize with the command drive."
Deidara raised an eyebrow. "That's a first. Usually the body comes first than the drive kicks in. It's been five minutes. By now or even before with the other models there would be some body movement. But there's been none."
A crazy thought crossed Sasori's mind. He dismissed it's possibility right away but he shared it with Deidara for kicks. "It's almost like the drive or "brain" is conscious and trying to figure out the body."
Deidara chuckled.
"These Codes." Sasori started to write furiously on his note pad. "I've never seen these codes before. Deidara, you didn't do anything to the command drive did you?"
"No." Deidara joined him by the computer. "I don't understand." The blond scratched his head. "These aren't any of the codes in the drive. They... they look like the codes found in real human DNA... Look there."
Deidara typed on the keyboard and a part of code isolated from the rest, sliding to the right corner on the screen. "That code right there is for cell mitosis. And that there, G1, symbiosis and G2 proses. Even a code for interphase."
Sasori shook his head in disbelief. "No way... there's just no way. She's not real. She's not alive. How can she have DNA codes for cell reproduction?"
A heavy thud broke their thoughts and they simultaneously turned to the glass cage. And there, on the floor was Model-X.
Walking like a new born calf she flopped around on her feet, falling every few steps until she discovered her balance. She touched everything around her, the walls, her bed. Her white gown, her pink hair.
Then her eyes opened and she saw them for the first time.
"Hello." She said in perfect English, her voice even and no breath taken. "My name of Model-X... no, my name is Haruno Sakura." And she dazzled them with a smile.
"Where did you learn that name." Sasori approached the cage, her eyes following his every movement. Occasionally they would flicker to Deidara in curiosity but she remained keen to Sasori.
"Don't you like it?" She smiled sweetly, cocking her head to the side to make her look more innocent.
"Where did you learn that name."
She pouted, her face turning sour, but it still looked cute. "Before I was awakened. I looked into the computers hard drive and I saw the name there, in the older files. I liked it and took it as my own. Model-X is not a proper girl's name."
Sasori said nothing and walked back to the computer. He beckoned Deidara to follow him out the room. The blond followed him.
"How long ago did we change the command drive." Sasori quickly asked the blond. Deidara answered him quickly.
"Two months ago, yeah. You changed the drive then made her body."
"And where was the drive during that time."
"Plugged into the main computer."
"She was alive that entire time."
Deidara laughed, thinking it was some joke of his professor but Sasori was serious. "You saw her." He said. "She learned to walk in mere minutes, something that took the others ages to learn and some never did. She spoke perfect English. None of the other models have even gotten close to proper speech.
"We somehow made her alive and for those two months she was in our computer. Learning our language and how to walk, how do anything!She could have gotten access to the Internet and who knows what she learned!
"She was responsive to her environment. She could see things, make conjectures to their nature and develop her own opinion of them. That name, Haruno Sakura was the name of my previous assistant but she left the project long ago."
"Why'd she leave?" Deidara couldn't help but ask. He didn't understand anything else that was going on, he could at least understand this.
Sasori's eyes darkened and for several moments said nothing. "She had her reasons." He said vaguely and re-entered the lab.
"Welcome back." Sakura said to them. She was laying on her back on her white bed, drawing circles in the air with her finger. "Did you have a nice chat? I wish I could have joined. It's awful lonely by myself."
"Are you happy?" Sasori walked to the case, pressing again the glass. The frame of a door, five feet tall and three feet wall appeared then slid to the side. Letting Sasori in.
Sakura smiled at him, as if asking if there was any other emotion than happiness?
He sat down beside her and took her hand.
"Model-X" He said slowly.
"Sakura." The girl insisted, threating to pull her hand from his.
"... Sakura."
She smiled.
"The completion of this project... the completion of you, wasn't expected for another twenty years. If you were successful by then then you would have saved all of humanity. But now... but now you have doomed us all."
And she smiled.
Tally Mai's thoughts: Ended with a sci-fi ish fic this time. I might just turn this into a real story later. I have a bunch of good ideas for it and writing sci-fi is fun! Got the idea for this one yesterday but didn't included it in the last chapter. I like how Sakura is so innocent right now, haha.
Well that is all for now then. I would just like to remind everyone that these stories are, in a sense, up for adoption. You like the idea then PM and we'll talk.
Also if you, the most wonderful reader, has an idea then tell me and I'll work it into this collection somehow.
This is a fanfiction where everyone and benefit and I really hope that everyone who reads this collection gets something from it for I have learned a lot about my writing style and other things by writing all of these one-shots and drables. See you next time.
Tally Mai-chan was here
P.S I will be updating this story weekly, surprising isn't it? Oh and tell me your favorite story from this chapter too!