Disclaimer: I wish, I could only wish.
Please read and enjoy! More details, hint's, and author note at the end.
Chapter 3: Memories Unfamiliar
The woman snickered behind her friend.
"Ugh, Chiyo, please stop with the jokes."
"C'mon Sakura-chan. Just do some more pushups and you'll be able to carry those without sweating from the pits."
Her friend always had some sort of affection for making her feel miserable, it seemed.
The books were heavy, but at least not as heavy as her backpack had been under Hyuuga-sensei's mock-up exams. Now, after two hours since the visit to the thrift shop, Sakura and Chiyo were finally resting in a small café. Sitting in a booth beside the window, Chiyo looked over to Sakura with a frown and narrowed her scrutinizing gaze at her. Not even a moment after taking a rest her friend had already plucked a book from the bag and placed it onto the table.
"Honestly, you're such a bookworm." She muttered, fingers pulling away rusty strands of hair to look into the window. "If it isn't Mikoto's novels, it's always something else." She glanced to see if Sakura was even paying attention to her. With the way her eyes were focused down to the covering of the novel she already knew Sakura was gone. Silently the woman wished Rin hadn't run off at the sight of Hizashi in the marketplace.
"Sakura."
"…"
"Sakura?"
"…"
Said woman was already lost in the context of the first page, reading each word in an attempt to carve into her memory. Chiyo figured that she wouldn't be talking for a while and so her dark eyes looked up to the sky—or what little she could see from her side of the window—and sighed.
Buildings seemed to be growing taller and taller each year, it was becoming a nuisance for one like her who had a love for nature. Everything seemed to be made concrete and fake just like the grass on her front lawn. At least the antique-thrift store was more natural in appearance.
She wasn't swayed by the artifacts when she waited by the cashier desk. They could have been faked and painted to give the effect of aged relics. But then Zabuza appeared after Rin had, and his sudden appearance made her only believe that either one; the shop was really fake and they forced people to buy things upon arrival, or two; a secret mafia actually held rare, rare artifacts that would cost her more than an arm and a leg.
Then right after they were brought into the back her eyes had rested directly to the object behind the glass case. She couldn't remember anything around her but the long coffin-like casing itself as she made a bee-line straight for it. She was caught enchanted by the sight of it. It was old and preserved like a body—it could have been a body—her eyes never tore away from it.
.
It was a girl, with the way her skin was slightly wrinkled as though it was beginning to be mummified and long, black hair over her scalp. Her eyes were closed, and an arm rested beside the body in a nice, satin colored sheet. The woman knew it wasn't a real person, just by the small hint of the wooden carvings within the socket of the arm that was broken off. It was a pretty woman, sleeping like an imposter to Snow White.
Still, she had never seen such a thing before.
"Looks as though you've taken an eye to one of our oldest."
Haku smiled at her upon approach and with keys pulled from his pockets he unlocked the case. His hands reached in, and Chiyo watched on as he held the detached arm up for her to gaze upon. She looked to the body in the case, then to the limb before finally glancing up warily to Haku's eyes. "You can touch it—it's not going to deteriorate." He chuckled, but she didn't hear his humor. It really looked like it would have crumbled apart at any moment.
She accepted his offer when her fingers touched the puppet's forearm, noting that the texture was actually wood. "Amazing…" she mumbled below her breath. "I've never seen such a thing like this up close."
Haku smiled. "It's called Haha no Sasori."
She reached again for the puppet arm but flinched at the sudden clatter and she looked behind herself to see Sakura dropping a book onto the floor. "What an idiot." She mumbled before turning to see that Haku had already returned the limb back to its resting spot. The woman looked over the glass case with soft eyes over the features of the makeshift person, smiling to herself.
It felt nostalgic to see it.
.
"Chiyo-chan?"
She blinked, tearing her eyes away from the sky and snapping her piercing gaze to her friend. Sakura lifted a brow, looking as though she were biting her cheek. "Huh, what?"
"You were spacing out—I've been calling you." Chiyo snorted and rolled her eyes. "You should check out these books Chiyo-chan! They're really…unique."
Sakura held up the best-conditioned book out of the group, grinning like a child. It looked more of like an old journal that was the size of her head. "They already mention tons of things in the first chapter! Like how there was a Hokage named Hashirama and—"
Her mouth parted to silence her idealistic friend. "Clearly that book is an outright lie." Chiyo rolled her eyes once more, voice irritated at the information. Another Hokage? Maybe that Haku and Zabuza really did cheat poor Sakura of her money.
"Well, doesn't that make it interesting? Hokage Hashir—"
"There is no Hashiranda—rama—whatever Sakura, even you know that. We had a lecture about Konoha's founding just last week." She sighed, reaching up to adjust her black headband and looking pointedly to her pink-haired friend. "Lord Hokage wouldn't tolerate your thoughts nor your attitude." It was true, in a sense. It was blasphemy to even think that someone else had founded and lead Konoha's society to what it was now. It sounded like lies.
They were all lies.
Sakura's book, Chiyo quietly meant. Her friend seemed to opt to say something else, but the waiter managed to silence Sakura's tongue with the soft clatter of their tea. "Thank you." She mumbled instead.
The tea would keep Sakura in silence, but only for a few minutes. "Sakura, I have to head home after this." Chiyo quipped, sipping her drink and looking over to her with a curt nod. "My parents want me to hurry home so I can help them move some of our furniture in." She took another long sip of her tea, glancing to the book Sakura held close beside her.
"Fine, fine. Be that way! I don't need you to keep me company." Sakura huffed, sticking her tongue out and raising her chin.
"Of course not, you have your books."
"Exactly!"
"Wait until you run out of your childish stories to read." She gave a smug smirk. "At least you'll have your homework to work on too, without me or Rin to assist you. You'll have plenty of things to occupy you." With that, she rose from her seat, fiddling in her pockets for change and placing it atop of the stack of books. "See you later Sakura-chan." Tipping her head, she walked away, reddish hair blending then with everyone else, until she was removed from the woman's view. Her friend glanced to the change, frowning and suddenly now tasting the bitterness of her tea as it slipped down her throat.
"Chiyo…you always sound like an old crone."
.
.
They weren't necessarily autobiographies, but actually stories.
Under the unwavering eyes of his master, he looked then to his brother. Just like Danzo's own, they were heartless.
When the Lord dispersed under a guise of smoke, he ran.
He ran and ran like a rabbit under the eyes of a predator, his breath breaking and calling out to his comrade. As a kunai pierced the side of his cheek it only provoked the young boy to move faster and harder. He couldn't retrieve his own weapons, he'd be too slow to do so.
He cried out for his brother to acknowledge he'd never harm him, but the former merely stood overhead, eyes looming down as though he was near the end of giving a final blow.
"Shin—"
Sakura scratched the side of her head, looking to the TV that she turned on for background noise as she continued reading. So far the man was unlike any character she had read. It matched even Mikoto's writings. She never heard of people forced under training, much less having to murder one another.
What kind of world was this?
Her eyes focused a little more, the small novel regaining her attention.
When he stood beside the other member he smiled. Lips curled as though forced, he looked to the three that were perched across from him. They seemed shocked, and he wondered why that would be, and opened inky black eyes to look into ocean-blue and jasmine-green.
"It's a pleasure to be working with you. Please call me Sai." He gave a curt nod to each, even to the other shinobi with the mask that overlooked the one beside him.
"I'm Naruto!" He heard, looking away from the blonde.
"Sakura." He nodded to her as well.
"Well, I hope we get along." Another forced lift of his lips and a humble smile touched his features. He'd have to become used to such gestures. He'd need them for their trust.
Sakura? Her eyes widened, looking and re-reading the short context. Green eyes? Sakura? Such an odd coincidence. She snorted to herself. Next thing the novel will say was that the character's hair was pink.
She pulled the book aside on the mattress, looking to the window and seeing the sun starting to set. It'd be good to have something to eat. So the girl stood, stretching her arms as she began to walk out to the stairs.
Sakura was never clumsy, but her feet suddenly tripped over one another when she was about to turn to look up to the stair case.
"Sakura?"
The name rang clear in her head just as she slipped, her arms bracing her head immediately for impact to the wooden floor. Her voice caught in her throat as she tried to scream out instinctively the moment she was tossed in the air.
"Ugly!"
Then, there was a twirl, as if someone grasped her shoulder and spun her around. She stared as the whirl of plain white caught her eyes before stopping and was now looking to the hall and the entrance to the front door. Her pink head bobbed down to see she was only a few steps from the bottom. Her heart hammered hard in her chest, eyes wide and legs starting to quake.
"Ugh!" she pushed the fear down and favored in anger with a punch to the side of the wall, biting profanities from skipping out of her throat. Stomping into the kitchen she angrily opened the fridge, hissing as she scoured around for something to eat. She remained frustrated at herself for stumbling so easily on the stupid steps.
The steps, she reminded herself, hissing as she faintly heard a familiar nickname pick the back of her head. It was the steps.
Stealing a drink and a few apples from the fridge, she headed to the hall, kicking the base of the stairs with a smug, content grin. "Stupid hunk of wood." Seeing that the object received its punishment Sakura moved back up to her room, much more mindful of how she walked.
.
.
The transition of afternoon to night sped by like a comet. Lights lit the surface of the city, and Sakura took the time to close the curtains and shutter her window. The TV still on, she flickered the lamp to life, pulling the novel with her as she tucked herself cozily into bed.
He couldn't save her. He wouldn't.
He was only under the obligation of targeting Sasuke. After the information that was received by Orochimaru's plans and whereabouts, his mission would come to fruition.
He didn't blink as he passed Sakura who was now toppling over the bridge. If he did this right, he wouldn't need to see Naruto, Yamato, or the pink-nin for a long time. He'd be revered and praised under Danzo's watch.
Complete the mission.
Sakura read the yellowed paper, looking over the words. The man was heartless. Emotionlessly cruel! The Sakura—Haruno—had tried to befriend him numerous times over, why'd he just let her die? It was like he didn't care.
But that was normal, for his case, she supposed.
She didn't realize her jaw was clenched and her teeth were grinding against each other as she continued to read over the words. Not until she heard the small crack, did she finally wince and gasp at the short splinter of pain.
"Damn, Sai. Could you be anymore heartless?"
For a hundred-thousand yen, his story better have a good ending. The sleepy girl was already feeling a short tantrum splitting in her head from the man's actions. If she were Sakura Haruno, she'd punch the daylights out of him and made sure he bled tears before she'd forgive him!
As the comical thought rested in her mind with terrifyingly acute images, her anger quickly smoldered down.
Her eyes read the light buzzing from the clock. "Just another hour and I'll put the book away." She assured herself, knowing she kept well to being timely with her schedule.
.
.
Sai mumbled curses to himself, seeing his company was in danger. There was a time when he'd care less—much less—and get his mission done, and head home without a need for anyone else. But he had friends now, comrades and companions he couldn't allow to just die on the battlefield.
With those clumps of white flesh hindering them from proceeding to meet with Naruto at the battlefield, he began drawing onto the paper scrolls in his pack.
He would end this savage side of his war and return to assist Naruto. He needed him, and they were friends, weren't they?
"Yes." Sai murmured again, seeing his tigers unleashed from the paint and tackle one of the ninja's jugular, ripping apart white flesh like clumps of clay.
"Naruto and Sakura need me."
It was weird.
No.
It was becoming very, very frightening. Especially how they kept re-stating her name, her physical traits, though many of it sounded so far-fetched that it was stunning her like some sort of paralysis. This was supposed to be a historical relic—like a journal or something—that helped her with learning things of the past! Not about some weird, emotionless guy named Sai—something.
She learned a few things though, she wouldn't admit truly to herself. Chakra was a new term, so was Jutsu and Shinobi. And another Hokage—a Godaime—named Tsunade appeared more than once.
Surprisingly, the mention of the other countries piqued her train of thought too. They only ever affiliated with Kumo and Otogakure. Suna was known to be resting beneath the sand over a hundred years ago so, how old could the book actually be?
The hour had passed quickly, and dutifully she placed the novel on the desk, flickering off the lights and began her quiet contemplation on the ongoing story before letting the darkness ease her thoughts to rest.
.
.
"You're such an idiot!" Her voice roared like a lion, and the next thing she knew was her fist pressed itself lightly against the pale man's face.
Lightly being an understatement. The moment she made contact with her gloved hands, he was soaring high above the thatched roofs, up, up like an eagle in the sky. Her anger fluctuated like a fire and chased his limp form with each leap on the wooden buildings, aiming to catching him only to cause more damage.
"Sai! You better not pass out on me you bastard!" she hissed, catching the back of his shirt and flipping over a small house, landing neatly on the street. She looked down to him with a snort.
His inky black hair was mussed from the wind and she never thought his face could become any paler. He was still alive just by how his eyes darted from the sky to her own narrowed glare.
"S-Sakura-san." He mumbled, pulling a false smile onto his features.
"I'm waiting." She hissed out, teeth grinding against the other.
"…So-sorry." He bit out. Dirt collided into his face as he sputtered and coughed out the debris, her hands clapping and she suddenly smiled as though he complimented her.
"Sai, thank you." Her voice was light and happy, squatting down beside him. Her hands weaved a faint green glow as she brought her fingers carefully over his abdomen.
"Not a problem, Ugly." He tried his best not to yelp or think over the cracking sound of his rib.
A sudden startle and her eyes fluttered open slowly in the dark, moaning softly with the ache in her head.
"Ugly, it seems that Dickless can't stop talking about you. You should be happy that he seems to be the only one willing to have a likeness to your hag-like face."
"Sai, please." She muttered, huffing and rolling into her pillow with a groan.
"Hag, are you listening? We have new orders. Hurry up and get out."
"Naruto-kun needs us Sakura."
"Sakura…"
"Please…stop." Wearily her eyes opened a little wider as her vision continued to be bleary. One moment she was staring at the blackness of her walls, and now?
There was a white blur smudged in the center of her vision.
Her vision didn't clear yet the white smear was growing closer rapidly as if they were running. Her heart drummed upbeat and into life. A moment she was staying in her bed and the next Sakura was up on her feet, tangles of sheets tumbling around her legs as she collapsed over the edge of her mattress.
"Wo-Woah!?" A screech soon emptied from her lips and pierced her ears. She quickly kicked her legs up in terror as she freed herself of the damn cover. The frightened pinkette whipped her head around fast with eyes suddenly darting around her room. As her sight finally cleared itself, Sakura then saw nothing but the TV, her horribly messy bed, and the stacks of white paper on the desk.
The curtains fluttered to the newly opened window.
.
.
When morning broke she was slowly reawakening in her parent's bedroom with complaints and nonsense muttered under her breath.
The first thoughts that entered her mind were of last night's terror-inducing experience. She barely slept for two hours until finally digging in her mother's cabinet for pills. After that the girl let the lights remain on for the rest of the night to hopefully keep whatever it was at bay. Sakura only groaned as she opened her eyes not to a blissful dawn but brilliant, fluorescent lights burning her sight.
She certainly didn't want to be alone until her parent's came home.
"Maybe I should call Chiyo to spend the night…" she mumbled, inspecting the small forms of bags circling her eyes. "Then again I'll be stuck with her snide comments."
An hour passed before she locked the doors to her house, turning and beginning to walk down the street. She watched as other students slowly filed out of their own homes before cheering and laughing along with one another as they made their way. Her mind, however still wavered to the thoughts of what had occurred in her room.
She certainly didn't remember conjuring some sort of monster. Hopefully she didn't, with how her temper sometimes blindsided her, anything could have been possible. Sakura silently blamed her parent's late return for her recent outbursts though. It was their entire fault anyways. She thought bitterly.
Still, it was definitely worth asking one of her friends to stay for a little while until her parent's returned. Sakura continued walking down the streets, unaware as her feet knew where she was going. "Mikoto-chan maybe…or Rin." Sakura took a few lazy steps as she continued to sort her muddled and clouded thoughts.
"Mikoto?"
She froze mid-step, eyes widening at the surprise he had on her. It was a deep voice that rang into her ears with an immediate shudder, but the owner of the voice was what brought her to turn and bend forward into a bow as low as possible. She held her breath in silence, waiting until her name was spoken.
"Sakura-san, please rise. I asked you to stop addressing yourself to me in such a way a long time ago." Despite what he said she still kept her position and continued staring down to polished, black shoes.
"Forgive me, Itachi-sama, but I mustn't adhere to such a request." She waited another moment, before finally raising her head and standing straight, looking to her classmate with a frown. "I didn't mean to speak of Mikoto-san as though you weren't there. I truly didn't know you were right behi—"
"Continue walking." It wasn't stern, but a command nonetheless. Sakura began walking quickly with heart thrumming into a fast rhythm. Her steps sounded as though they were doubled when she noticed that he was following beside her in a similar pattern. She continued looking up ahead the streets, seeing the edge of the large household she now crossed and left behind. Good going Sakura, you should have paid more attention and avoided the damn compound altogether.
The steps were silently uncomfortable. "I'm sorry." She mumbled, walking a little faster now as she saw the Academy slowly peeking into view.
"No need to be." His pretty onyx eyes were smiling down at her, even if his lips refused to do so. "You were speaking of Mikoto earlier, is something the matter?"
Itachi eyed her pink hair with amusement as the long locks bobbed against her back in her steps. How peculiar, for her to be walking right across the Uchiha's compound and not even notice? Her minty-green eyes caught his interest as she glanced to him briefly. They were much darker than last time he met her.
"I've—erm…I'm sorry you have to hear my worries Itachi-sama. I was going to ask if I could see Mikoto-san and see if she'd be nice enough to…" she bit her lip, and her eyes closed as she did her best to sound polite to him. "To, honor my house with her presence, for a few nights."
A soft rumble nestled deep in his throat.
"Hn."
Her blood immediately boiled. Sakura did her best around the Uchiha's—except Mikoto-chan—especially him and Shisui. The two were known to be the next in line to receive the Hokage's Honor, and she was like every other citizen in belittling themselves to the sight of them. To speak to them the honorific was always used and praised under her tongue.
Her hands curled into themselves as she fought her temper. It set her off the most when those with the Uchiha blood reveled in their people's actions. They always acted so grand and mighty. Her friend was different.
She had to praise Mikoto as Mikoto-sama or "san" depending on which of their family members were with them. Sakura was only relieved that it was Itachi that met her and not someone like Izuna, or Kagami.
"I'll ask Mikoto about those matters later." He looked down to her and tilted the corner of his lips. "For now, you'll have to do me the honor of allowing me to escort you to the Academy, dear Sakura-san."
"I-Itachi-sama, please, there's no need for a civilian like me to be…graced…with such a notion." She smiled up at him but he could see the forcefulness. He smirked at the tone that the venom was traced in. The odd-haired girl always amused him whenever she tried her best to speak to him in such a way.
He licked his lips, and gracefully pulled his arm under hers. "Sakura-san, please allow me."
She always did her best.
So she smiled up at him, even blushed as he touched her hands.
"Your gloves are new." He mumbled, looking up to see that they would have quite a walk to the Academy. Itachi noticed another movement of her hair.
"It was a gift."
His breath was caught silently at the words, and moved to feel the fabric of her latest adornment. His fingers locked between hers delicately and silently he only wished her name wasn't Natsuno, but Uchiha.
Damn his bloodline.
Koucha Here!
Haha no Sasori はは の さそり: Is roughly "Scorpion Mother"
Chiyo-Chan: She was actually suppose to be replaced by Ayame, but I made a quick change, otherwise the character wouldn't fit in well. If you haven't noticed yet, she moved recently to Konoha.
Itachi-Sama/Mikoto-Sama:
Ah yes! More hints. I think I dropped off a good detail of the life in Konoha here now. It is Sakura-Centric, but I'll try and let characters who have some sort of feeling for her be subtle. To be honest, being able to include Itachi wasn't what I was expecting. I do have a good idea of how far I'll be able to take this whole new Konoha-Universe.
.. .. ..
I gave away another hint to the characters. Someone (Lady Lys, thank you by the way!) seems to have a good idea! Now if only I knew if we're thinking the same thing...
Despite that this was the longest chapter so far, it feels rushed, and I'm not sure if that's alright, and I think I may have rushed details from Sai's book too quickly. Then again my writing is odd...
Concerning to people will think I got details wrong with Sai's story: It's not ideal for me to go back and double check my resources, and I do to the best of my ability to make it as close to canon as possible! However, everyone doesn't know every detail, past, or memory a character could have, so I just enter some moments that maybe Sakura could help identify Sai better. (Or Sai himself.) Expect this a little more often, some of the books Sakura reads will be off-course eventually.
Please, read and review! It would help me alot to know if people do like the story or not. Even some advice would do very well!
