I HAVE NO IDEA HOW MANY YEARS ITS BEEN…BUT IM BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!
If you are old readers of this story, then please note I have almost completely re-written the last three two chapters so it's best to read those first before this or you won't understand.
I don't own Naruto
CHAPTER ELEVEN
"Sasuke-nii, I feel better now, you don't have to treat me like an invalid" a nine year old Sakura exclaimed as she pushed away her brothers attempts to help her down the stairs.
Sasuke frowned at his younger sister. "It's just that, you were out for a whole day yesterday. I'm just worried you're going too fast."
They were sitting at the breakfast table eating their morning meal before the day's activities. Sakura frowned across the table at her older brother "Sasuke-Nii" she sighed "I just fainted, it's not as is I fell into an abyss or something"
Sasuke rolled his eyes "I still can't believe you fell asleep in a tree, what were you doing last night?"
"Reading" Sakura said innocently and he sighed.
"Anyway" Sakura said brightly "I was Ok in the end, because Itachi-Nii came and found me." She grinned at her eldest brother beside her and lent on his shoulder fondly. She had gotten used to the way he would suddenly tense at any contact with her a long time ago; it had been three years after all. She guessed it was probably due to his anti-social behaviour. And anyway, he didn't push her away anymore, so it was ok.
Mikoto smiled recalling how Itachi had walked in the other day with an unconscious Sakura and had refused to sleep until she was well taken care of. It was a good thing her husband was on duty early that morning. Fugaku did not approve of the extremely close relationship between their eldest and youngest. He felt it would build weakness in the oldest Uchiha son.
Mikoto however felt it was sweet that Itachi was so close with his sister. There weren't many things he liked or showed any response to. But it was obvious that Itachi cared a great deal for his sister. And Mikoto really wasn't that surprised. From the very beginning when Sakura was only a baby, the person she had always been the closest to was Itachi. Mikoto had her theory's. But in the end it did not really matter. She herself saw nothing wrong in Itachi having someone he wanted to protect.
Sakura no longer wore the usual black shirt and white shorts she had always gone around in. Instead she dressed in more feminine, yet tom-boyish cloths that seemed to suit her. Today her short pink locks were tied up in a small high pony-tail.
At that moment Fugaku walked in with a frown "Sakura" he said in his usual solemn vice. Sakura's eyes lost all its energy as she looked up with an emotionless expression at her father "Yes Chichi-ue?"
"Your sensei tells me your Tai-Jutsu is merely adequate." he said.
Sakura flinched "Sorry Chichi-ue"
He frowned but said nothing more and somehow, to Sakura, that was even worse than a scolding.
"I'm late for morning duty!" Sakura gasped and jumped up. She gulped down the rest of her orange juice and grabbed one last piece of toast. "Sorry Sasuke-Nii" she smiled apologetically at Sasuke "But I'll be going first." To her mother and father she gave a curt nod of the head and to her brother she smiled and waved "See you tonight Itachi Nii-sama"
And with that he was out the door and running through the streets of the complex.
Mikoto looked out the window and watched Sakura meet her friends. "Sorry about that Minna" she said brightly. The blond haired girl knocked her gently on the head "geeze Sakura, what's with you. You're gone two days and suddenly everyone in the academy is coming up to me and asking me where the heck are you? You just can't seem to stop giving people trouble can you?" she said with a frown. Sakura only smiled and playfully stuck out her tongue "gomen gomen"
"Uchiha-san" one brown haired girl began, but Sakura cut her off. "Megumi-chan, I told you to call me Sakura" she said softly. Megumi nodded "Sakura-chan, why weren't you in class for two days, was everything alright?"
Sakura nodded "Yeah, I just over worked myself training my tai-jutsu and used up all my chakra so I passed out in a tree. Haha-ue said it was only this bad because it was my first time exhausting all my chakra. Next time won't be so bad."
"Mou Sakura" the blond girl said again "How many times do I have to tell you, don't push yourself like that" she shook her head and Sakura shrugged.
"Demo, I'm really touched that all of you came to get me like this. Minna, Arigatou" she smiled
"Hey, don't get all sentimental" the blond girl said sharply "They came to see you, I came to tell you it's your turn for morning duty" Sakura shrieked "That's right. She checked her watched and shrieked "Kyaa, I'm late...again" and she took off running. "Sakura-chan" cried Megumi "Wait for us" and they followed in suit.
Mikoto smiled as she watched the girls disappear behind a curve and sat back down. "It seems Sakura's become quite popular in her new school."
Sasuke scoffed "Popular, everyone loves her. You don't find her anywhere without at least five people with her, she gets along with everyone."
Suddenly Itachi stood. "I'm finished" he said politely."
Mikoto looked at his plate "Itachi you've barely touched anything."
"I'm not so hungry today" he said simply before turning to leave.
"Itachi" Fugaku called suddenly and he turned "Don't forget what we discussed last night.
His taking the test to become a ANBU captain. Itachi nodded "Yes" and walked out.
His mother and brother's words were still ringing in his ears.
Itachi knew just how popular his younger sister was.
Itachi glanced side was at the small mission scroll at his side.
It would take place in a week and would last a total of two weeks. In a way, he was looking forward to it. Simply because he was pushed into the life of a Shinobi, did not mean that he completely hated it. There was some times where he enjoyed the exhilaration of what he did. And this was one of these times. He would be protecting a monk who was to go to a mountain village to heal and help a lot of sick patients. But there was a rival group who had spread the illness in the first place and so they weren't happy with the monk.
They were after his blood, and it was Itachi's team's job to keep it safe.
But he couldn't help but know he would miss seeing her. Itachi still didn't know what to do with those feelings. He just…endured while every day, they grew stronger. He endured.
He was proud that Sakura had become popular and well loved, yet he couldn't shake off this strange feeling.
Sakura made in just in the nick of time. Since everyone had already come with her the whole group had the room ready and clean quickly and spent the rest of the time chatting.
Sakura listened pleasantly as Megumi and Sachi gossiped about Megumi's crush and listened as Ino told her how her parents flower shop was doing. When everyone came in and the sensei arrived, the girls moved away to sit with their friends.
Things in the class had settled down considerably in the past four years. Sakura was now well acquainted with almost everyone in her classes. She worked hard to get along with everyone.
"Alright class, I'll be handing out the results from last week's exam" Jakotsu-sensei called as she began returning papers. Sakura had received a 95% on hers.
"First again" Megumi whispered from beside her.
Sakura smiled. While her Tai-jutsu needed work, and her nin-jutsu needed power, gen-jutsu and theory were still her best subjects.
Sakura glanced in front of her where Asahina, the dark sullen girl with thick rimmed glasses and long black bangs, sat and saw with shock that she'd received a 94%, only one point lower from Sakura.
Asahina was the only person Sakura hadn't been able to get through to in the past four years, despite her being the one who tipped of Sasuke all those years ago and helped end the bullying. Sakura never did find out why she did it, she was as approachable as a brick wall. It wasn't that she was rude per-say it's just…
"Asahina-san" Sensei paused in front of her "You did well in this exam, but you can't keep missing school"
Asahina looked up and with neither malice nor any implication that she was being cheeky or trying to be rude, said very directly "But as long as I'm here for the required amount of days, you will have no reason not to pass me, right sensei"
"Yes…no…but…"sensei spluttered and Asahina just blinked "You can't keep missing school"
"But the work I turn in is more than acceptable" she said.
Before the teacher could argue further, the bell for home room went and the class filed out for Kunoichi training.
It was just that Asahina was very difficult. She never remembered anyone's name in the class, she missed school and when people tried talking to her, her answerers were always short and curt. She insulted people and ignored everyone; talking t her was like talking to a void. No one liked her.
Today they were working on their camouflage and disguises. As Kunoichi, they were prime for spy missions.
Told to work in groups of two, Sakura walked towards Ino. "No, No" Ryoko sensei called out "This time you work with people you don't usually team up with"
Sakura brightened. Perhaps this was her opportunity to finally learn how to approach Asahina-san"
She made her way to where she was picking out her fabrics for their disguises. "Asahina-san" Sakura called. The dark haired girl barley looked up "Uchiha?"
"Let's be partners" Sakura said brightly, undeterred.
Asahina shrugged "Suit yourself."
They worked in silence. But eventually, Sakura got bored.
"Asahina?"
Silence
"Asahina, did I do something to make you mad at me?" Sakura asked, feeling a little sub-conscious.
"Not particular" Asahina replied curtly
"Oh" they lapsed once again into awkward silence.
"Asahina, how was your morning?" Sakura asked randomly. She wasn't exactly how to speak to the sullen girl, she felt so different from Sakura, they were like polar opposites.
"Not any different than usual" Asahina replied.
Asahina was very hard to speak with. Sakura felt completely out of her league. But to be perfectly honest, she knew nothing about her. No one did. Asahina kept herself so far apart from everyone, it sometimes felt even the teachers didn't know much about her. And since she always a gloomy expression, with her hair hung deep in her eyes and thick glasses, it was no wonder people thought she was scary.
Sakura watched as Asahina smeared camouflage paints across her face with such precision that she was actually starting to look like the background of trees and dappled light. "Wow!" she gasped.
Asahina turned "Huh?"
"You're good" Sakura exclaimed, leaning forward so she could get a closer looks. Asahina looked momentarily surprised at Sakura's sudden close proximity that she leant back.
"Hey, can you do me!"
Asahina said nothing at first, and then she turned towards Sakura and motioned her to sit in front. For the next two minutes, Sakura felt Asahina's nimble fingers gently smearing paint across her face. She had such gentle hands; so light, as she brushed just hard enough not to hurt Sakura. Like this, it was difficult to remember why Sakura had found her so frightening before.
"Done" Asahina said quietly.
Sakura opened her eyes and took out her mirror. She couldn't recognise herself. In the dark cloths they'd garbed, Sakura's face no resembled their surroundings so perfectly that if she wasn't blinking, she might have mistaken herself for a piece of tree bark.
"This is amazing" Sakura said awed "You're so good, and you got a high mark in the test. How come no one knows how good you are" Sakura said. She looked up. Asahina was completely taken aback, she had a weird expression on her face "You think it's…good"
"It's amazing!" Sakura gushed. Asahina was quiet, then she let out a very soft "Thank-you" and to Sakura's her surprise, a hint of a smile could be seen on Asahina's face.
"You smiled!"
The smile disappeared back into a perpetual expression of sullen dullness, but Sakura had seen it. And it was so warm.
"Hey, Asahina-san, can I call you Rue-chan!" she suddenly exclaimed.
The request came at another surprise, Rue was silent. Then she stood and walked away. But Sakura was sure she heard a very soft "Do what you want"
"Hey Takuya" a boy with dark brown hair in a short low plait and equally dark brown eyes turned round at the sound of his name being called. He grinned and called out "Ohayo Yuuichiro"
Yuuichiro ran up to his friend and bent over to catch his breath. "It's been a while, your parents get transferred back to Konoha then?" he said with a smirk.
Takuya glared "shut...up" he huffed then straightened. "Yeah, but I'm all good now" for the past few months, Takuya's parents who were intelligence officers were scouted in a part of leaf country. Because they were gone so long they chose to bring their child with them. "So what did I miss?" they were making their way to weapon training something caught his eye. A bunch of girls were also waking in and they were talking avidly with another girl.
She was small, really small and had the weirdest pink hair all tied up in a cute high pony tail. Her eyes were a bright green.
"I've never seen her before" he murmured. And Takuya knew all the girls in the academy. Yuuichiro turned and laughed "Oh her, you don't know her?" then he gasped "Oh yeah, you have been gone a while. That over there is Uchiha Sakura."
Takuya looked at Yuuichiro like he was mad. "Uchiha Sakura? That girl isn't an Uchiha. Put aside the pink hair and green eyes she's too..."
Yuuichiro nodded "Yeah, and get this. She's the kid Uchiha Sasuke's little sister."
That Takuya didn't believe, he had seen Uchiha Sasuke before, in fact he rather hated him. Little stuck up bastard. He was a year younger than him yet just because he belonged to an older clan than his he acted all high and mighty.
"And they say that he's really attached to her..." Yuuichiro continued. That caught his attention "oh?"
Yuuichiro nodded "Yeah, I heard he's really protective of his sister. He and her had a really good relationship. When she first transferred here she always spent her time with him, so much that all the girls thought she was his girlfriend or something. And for a little bit they hated her."
"A little bit?"
"Yeah, but as you can see now..." he pointed to the chattering girls "...she's really popular now. Everyone loves Sakura."
Takuya looked at her again. Now that you mentioned it. despite the wide forehead, she was rather... "cute" he said.
Yuuichiro looked up "huh?"
"Cute" he repeated "she's pretty cute." And then he smiled.
Yuuichiro did not like that smile. "No way dude, Uchiha is way out of your league, her brother will eat you alive.
That lunch it was Sakura's lunchtime duty so Takuya took the opportunity. He approached her while her back was too him. here she wouldn't be have to put on any fake persona's. "Uchiha-san?" he said.
Then she turned "Hai?"
She had quite a smile. "My name is Takuya Fukimiya, we haven't met" Sakura shook his head. "Is there something you need Fukimiya-san"
He took out a letter and handed it to her "I wanted to say something to you. I like you Uchiha-san, please go out with me."
At that moment there was the sound of something falling and they both turned to the door where a blond haired girl who he recalled name was Ino, stood with a fallen eraser. She blushed and said in a strangely soft voice "I'll just come back later" Before exiting.
He turned to Sakura who was looking with confusion "Well that was weird, Ino's never that quiet." Then she looked at him and said brightly "Ano...Sempai..." but Yuuichiro cut her off.
"Before you refuse Uchiha-san, I recommend that you date me for a total of three weeks and if you don't like me we can break up. Please consider it" and with that he turned and left.
Sakura looked dumbfounded at the letter in her hands.
What was that all about?
He liked her? What was that supposed to mean. What did it matter if he liked her? Everyone liked her and she liked everyone. Go out with him? to where, he didn't give any info of where he wanted to meet up. And what was with the strange envelope?
"Uchiha Sakura, did you just get confessed to by Fukimiya-sempai?" Ino suddenly appeared at her side and grinned like the cat that got the crème "and he even sent a love letter," she slapped Sakura playfully, yet painfully on the shoulder. Sakura rubbed her joint "Confession? Love letter, what's that?"
Ino stopped grining and looked at Sakura with a shocked expression "what's a...are you honestly standing there and telling me that you don't know what a confession or a love letter is?"
When Sakura shook her head Ino slapped her forehead "Bloody heck, didn't your mother or that older brother ever prepare you for this? You poor, naive little girl."
And she pulled Sakura close and whispered the definitions of the two in her ears, Sakura's eyes widened and she gasped as a blush covered her cheeks. "So he...and this...and I..." she gibbered.
Ino elbowed her "Well go on, what does it say?"
Sakura opened it "Dear Uchiha-san…" but Ino slapped her shoulder again
"Ow" she cried.
"Don't read it out loud!" Ino scolded.
"Why?"
"I don't know" she said "it's just not how it is done. You read it and then tell me what it says in a quick version in your own words. Quotes are allowed but you never read a love letter out loud! It's just...not right"
Sakura opened the envelope and read out in her mind
Dear Uchiha-san.
My name is Takuya Fukimiya from class 1-C.
From the moment I first saw you I've been drawn to you by your cheerfulness and energetic smile. I've never said this to a girl before, so it's a little embarrassing.
I like you. I think you're really cute and kind and caring.
I would be very happy if you were to become my girlfriend. You don't have to decide right away. We could date, or if you want, just be friends for a short time and if I can make you fall in love with me we could date.
Please consider my confession; I'll be waiting by the dog blossom tree in the yard outside the academy after school in three weeks for your answer.
I'll be waiting till you come
From Takuya
Sakura read through the letter three times. For some reason, she felt her heart skip.
Her first love letter
Itachi groaned and rubbed his head. He had been careless in a sparring match against his older cousin, Shisui, and had taken a rather painful blow to the head. Of course at the time he had not allowed it to get in his way and was able to win the match. But now that the match was over his head felt like it was suffering a hangover.
Groaning again for the third time in a row he pushed the door to the living room open to a surprise. His mother and Sakura were sat on the sofa together for once.
Sakura spied him immediately and leapt up "Itachi-nii, Okaeri-nasai"
"Tadaima" he said quietly in return.
"Welcome back" his mother said smiling. Sakura was just telling me about something interesting that happened to her today.
Itachi riffled her hair playfully, an action he knew she hated. She exclaimed loudly and began muttering under her breath as she tried to rectify his destruction to her hair. He smiled gently "What?"
"I got a confession today"
Though no expression other than a slight from crossed his face, he felt like he'd been kicked in the stomach.
"Aren't you too young for that?" he managed to get out eventually.
"I'm nine years old!" she pouted "Look, I even got a love letter!" she handed up a small envelope but he couldn't take it.
His chest felt so tight "Who?" was all he could say.
"A boy in her class, Takuya Fukimiya" his mother said softly, she had a frown on her face, unusual for their usual gentle mother, but Itachi hardly noticed.
Fukimiya, he knew that name. It was a lesser Shinobi family with no bloodline trait, he'd worked with a Fukimiya on one account. Itachi took a deep breath and walked past Sakura, careful not to look at her. "I'm tired" he said as he walked up the stairs, ignoring Sakura's cry for him to stay and talk with her. Usually he would have listened, but right now he couldn't even look at her.
Once in his room, he slumped onto his bed, his head hung low.
Why was he feeling so bad, he shouldn't let himself get so worked up? Hadn't he known something like this would happen? Despite his feelings for her, he was just her brother and had no hold on her. He knew that eventually, someone would catch her attention, eventually; someone would see in her what he's always seen in her, though he hadn't expected it so soon. Even though he knew that a silly confession at nine years old was very unlikely to go anywhere, it didn't lessen the pain.
Sakura wasn't his, he may care for her, but there was nothing he could do for her. He needed to understand that this sadness was completely illogical.
He was quickly learning that logic meant nothing to his heart.
Mikoto smiled as Sakura danced around the room with her letter, but inside she was worried.
Sakura had grown up into such a delightful child. Mikoto was so happy with the person she was becoming, Sakura was an essential part of their family and she was happy to have her.
Thought in the back of Mikoto's mind, every moment of every day, she could never forget that Sakura wasn't really her child. She was the child of her best and dearest friend, who had lived with the harshest that life, could offer. Every moment Mikoto spent with Sakura was a moment stolen, a moment that should have belonged to Amaya-chan.
Perhaps that was why, though Mikoto loved Sakura, a part of her would never see her as her own daughter, and that created a distance between them, making it hard for Mikoto to treat her completely like her own and she knew Sakura felt it.
But more than that, she and Fugaku were the only ones who knew that Sakura was half a Kazuki, not an Uchiha. The curse that killed off the Kazuki clan ran though Sakura too. The curse that killed the Kazuki and their partner every time.
Seeing Sakura get so excited about a love letter, Mikoto couldn't help but feel so sad. because she knew that one day Sakura would meet someone and fall in love, perhaps this Takuya would even be that one, after all Amaya met Ryouta Haruno in the academy. But when she did find love.
Sakura and that man would die.
The next day when Sakura walked into class she sat next to Rue-chan.
The entire room went silent. Sasuke and Sakura weren't in the same class this year, so Sakura usually sat with friends. Today, she sat with Rue.
She smiled brightly at her desk partner "Good Morning Rue-chan"
Rue, to her credit, said nothing, and seemed focused on the scroll she was reading. "Rue-chan?" Sakura tried again.
Rue looked up; "Ah…" she trailed off. Sakura sighed, of course she'd forget her name in the span of one day, that was what Rue was famous for "Uchiha" she supplied "Uchiha Sakura"
"Uchiha-san" Rue nodded, and went back to ignoring her.
Sakura wasn't about to give up. "So Rue-chan, what did you do when you went home?"
Silence. Sakura tried again.
"Did you do anything fun?"
"No" Rue deadpanned.
Sakura sighed "What are you reading?"
"A scroll" was Rue's awnser.
"Really, what's it about?"
Rue glanced at her form the corner of her eye "Uchiha," she said "Ive noticed that you seem to be trying to engage me in conversation"
"Yep" Sakura said
"Please don't. I need to read this."
Sakura visible wilted "Oh…ok"
And they were quiet till the teacher came in.
Later when class finished, Ino cornered her "Sakura, what was that all about?"
Sakura looked up from sharpening her Kunai "Huh?"
"You know, sitting with Asahina. Aren't you scared you're gonna get possessed"
"Possessed? Ino-chan, she's not that bad" Sakura laughed. Sakura hadn't forgotten that warm smile from yesterday. She refused to believe Asahina was a bad person.
"All I'm saying is she's really weird, and she doesn't look like she even wants to be friends with you. You know" ino sat down next to Sakura "I've heard weird rumours about Asahina."
Sakura wasn't one to gossip, but the way into put it made her very curious "Like…what?"
"Like someone how Asahina always gets free things from the old men in shops, and she's out really late at night"
"That's not so bad?" Sakura said "I get things from the shop vendors sometimes"
"And someone saw her in she goes to all sorts of weird shops and once even to the red-light district. And once, someone saw her hit a child on the head and threatens to drown it in the river"
"That's horrible" Sakura exclaimed. Asahina did that?
But still, something told Sakura there was more to it. After all, Asahina was the one who helped Sakura first all those years ago.
"All I'm saying" ino said "Is maybe you should just stay away from her."
Sakura did not take Ino's words to heart. For the next two weeks, Sakura did everything imaginable to try an initiate conversation and contact with Rue-chan while at school. She sat with her, always picked her for a partner, trained with her, fought with her (Rue was considerably better at Tai-jutsu) but every time Asahina either said only what was needed or didn't say anything at all.
Even though she didn't respond to any of Sakura's advances, she didn't object to them either.
The only time Asahina seem to be against Sakura always being around her was one time when Sakura had asked if she could walk with Rue home, to which Rue said strictly "No."
Two weeks passed and it came time to answer Takuya-kun's confession. Sakura almost forgot until Megumi and Miho reminded her.
So Sakura waited under the Dog blossom tree. She had arrived a little early, but she didn't mind waiting. Although Sakura hadn't done much thinking on the matter of the love letter, she'd been to concerned with the Rue predicament. But she had decided to accept Takuya's confession.
As she waited, something suddenly caught her eye.
Rue-chan?
It's actually been years…wow.
But if my fans of this story are still out there and reading, I promise to update a little more often.
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