Chapter 3 – New Prospect
Two weeks went by and, in between missions, the group would come by to help Sasuke repair or clean.
However, whenever he went out of the gates to shop or gather supplies, there would be gangs of disgruntled men watching him with blatant anger. He didn't pay them any heed until one day they threw rotten vegetables at him.
He caught them before they hit his body, but instead of throwing the food back –or getting even— he dropped them on the ground and walked away. Villagers in town gave him a lot of space. Mothers would guard their children behind them and shop keepers nervously said little to him.
He wasn't the smiling type so he knew this was going to be a long process. He sighed in frustration. Nothing but time was the healer of this predicament.
When a vender offered to bag his purchase, he nodded thankfully and then the vender smiled at something behind him.
"Greetings Haruno-san," the merchant replied.
"Ohayo Tayu-kun," Sakura replied and she stood next to Sasuke.
He looked over to her and wondered why she was there.
She reached across and handed the merchant money for the goods and took the bag. Both men were surprised and Sasuke was about to protest when she put her hand up for silence.
"You haven't been on any missions, save your money for when you need it. This is on me." She nodded at Tayu, who realized she was wordlessly showing her friendship and support to the known traitor. He respected her meaning and bowed his head to the both of them.
Sasuke also noticed her gesture and added it to the list of things he needed to thank her for.
As they walked down the street, she talked about what he may want in the vegetable garden his mother had started, but Sasuke was only partially listening. He kept his eyes on the villagers who were taking in the friendliness Sakura was showing towards him. Apparently no one knew that he had such respectable friends in town.
Inside he grinned at the expressions and, as if it was a normal occurrence, he nodded respectfully to those who had scorned him the days before.
Sakura was pleased that he was getting the hint. No one dared throw things at him when she was with him. Her heart had been crushed when she found out that there were villagers stooping to that level of stupidity but then she knew from the start it wasn't going to be easy for anyone.
The disgruntled group was gone when they approached the gate. She was going to leave him be but then she remembered she had time to till the garden before she had to be home. He unlocked the gate and let her enter ahead of him.
She gave him the bag and headed for the garden shed to grab the garden tools they had recently found.
Sasuke watched the sway of her hips as she walked away from him and took the moment to admire the way she had grown. All woman. Breaking the spell she had somehow cast on him, he shook his head and walked off to the main house.
Later, when Sasuke finished fixing the dock in the pond, he went searching for Sakura.
He found her trimming the roots on a plant before placing it in the dirt.
"Tired?" he asked as he approached with a glass of water.
She turned to see him and smiled at his hand, "A little parched." She stood and gladly took it.
"I didn't know you knew how to garden," he said as he reached up to remove a streak of dirt from her temple.
Sakura overlooked the sensation his fingers gave her, "my mother has made sure I knew how before I get married."
He raised an eyebrow at this news and Sakura looked away quickly.
"Father is currently scouting for a man to select for me…" she murmured and set the empty glass on the wooden fence beside her.
"That explains it."
Sakura looked up at him, "Explains what?"
"That explains why you know so much and have been so accomplished in all the upkeep. Has your father found you a prospect?"
She hesitated, "What time is it?"
He was confused by her change of subject, "Almost seven."
She brushed her pants and grabbed her bag, "I have to go." She was about to exit the fence when he placed his hand on her elbow.
"Meeting someone tonight?" he inquired knowingly.
She sighed before nodding.
He let go.
Sakura left without a sound and when her figure vanished through the main gate he smashed the water glass into a million pieces.
He'd deal with his bleeding hand when it stopped hurting.
--
Sakura dragged the door open, closed it behind her, and took her shoes off. She could hear the camaraderie in the dining room and dread set in her stomach.
Entering her room, she changed into her nice Kimono, like all the other times she was to meet a prospect. She washed her face, ran a brush through her hair and then headed for the living room. She looked into the mirror and was pleased that she could at least look nice even if she wasn't interested in the man.
Her mother walked into the hallway from the kitchen and was drying her hands on a hand towel when she spotted her daughter. She smiled proudly and winked before going into the dining room. She announced her daughter before she went to finish the meal.
Sakura entered respectfully and bowed before her father and the man sitting next to him. Sakura was accepted and she knelt on the pillow at the end of the table.
Her father introduced Buzaki Uramai to her, even though they already knew of each other. He was six years older than she and he was a talented ninja who passed the chunnin exam when he was 8 years old. He had only talked to her once when she was in the Academy. Sadly she knew little about him except that he was respected for his talents and came from a good family.
Nodding to her, Uramai tried to smile but she knew he pushed it a little too much. It was difficult to be friendly when unsure what the other was like.
She watched him nervously push his hand through his dark hair and when he took notice of her watching him, his ears got red.
Her mother brought in the food, platter by platter, as her father made sociable chitchat. Sakura remained silent and respectful but she had a hard time staying comfortable.
Uramai seemed to relax with her father playing host.
Sakura took moments to study him. She liked his easy smile, his respectful behavior and friendly golden-brown eyes. Maybe tonight wouldn't be a complete waist of time. If her father didn't choose him, at least she could be friends with him.
Her father kept bragging about Sakura and she blushed at his comments. Uramai was hesitant to reply so he kept smiling and nodding.
After an hour for dinner it was typical of the two to be left alone in the back yard for conversation. When that time came, Sakura was completely relaxed and her suitor seemed to be more nervous than earlier.
Sakura sympathized because she too was dealing with it the best she knew how.
Uramai held out his hand to help her down the four steps to the ground from the walkway. He couldn't seem to find the words to start a conversation but he was thinking very hard.
Sakura could see his mind was searching deeply from the slight scowl on his forehead. Walking beside him she stayed quiet until he found the right topic.
"Your father is a respectable man," he started.
She smiled and hoped he would continue so she would have something to expound on.
"I met him when I was young but didn't remember him very well. After tonight, memories of him are coming back. Is there a reason he stopped teaching at the academy after my graduating year?"
"He took the job offer to work in the communications tower. It was less stress and he thought that if he left, no one would accuse him of favoring me."
"How did you like school?"
"It was challenging…but I made many friends and pushed myself to be more studious."
"Did it work?"
"I'd like to think it did, but one never stops learning."
"How true," he smiled at her and appeared to loosen up.
"Did you like academy years?" she searched.
"Mostly, of course I don't remember too much of them because there was a lot going on at home those four early years."
"Really, what happened?"
He barely hesitated before answering, "Well, my grandfather became very ill and so my family took turns taking care of him. It was usually left to me though because they believed I would be the least likely to catch the illness from him."
Sakura nodded in understanding, "Most children also have the time to take care of the elderly since their responsibilities are minimal…"
"I suppose so," he agreed as they rounded a corner of the pathway.
"Was he a normal villager?"
"Hai, how did you know?"
"Because around that time, ninja would have been taken care of by Tsunade-hime, and he wouldn't have gotten ill."
"I see," Uramai smiled sadly.
"Do you miss him?"
"Hai."
They conversed softly for the remainder of the night and he left with a bright smile on his face.
Sakura worried that he may start falling for her. She wasn't ready to let her heart out of its shell just yet…especially to someone new.