Chapter 2

"Good morning!"

"Yes indeed!"

Matthew held on to his half yawn, visibly still sleepy...who the hell agrees to go shopping first thing in the morning? Him apparently. Hazel squeezed his shoulders affectionately and gave him a peck on his cheek. Sofia shook a shiver off and blew a strand of her long hair that stuck on her eyes.

"Here! Pumpkin Spice Latte for Aby, Macchiato for Matt, Matcha for Hazy…

"Ah...you are such a darling!"

"...Ice Latte for me…and," her hand searched through her purse.

"Ah! And an official key to the gate of the rising sun!"

"I'm gonna go ahead and assume you're talking about our flight boarding passes," said Matthew, while they crossed the empty street.

"Well...not quite. That's the online booking only...boarding passes will be given to us tomorrow, at the Airport," explained Sofia. She then turned around to face the wind, so she could drink without getting her long ombre teal hair in the way. Aby did the same, while Hazel braided her shoulder-length, dirty blond hair.

Hazel was always like a big sister to her...randomly doing sisterly stuff like that. Abigail didn't mind. She kept on drinking her latte while Matt was holding Hazel's tea, drinking his own with the other hand.

"I like the hair by the way!" she said to Sofia.

"You know the drill," she answered smiling.

"Last time was pink," pointed Hazel.

"The one before was black," said Matthew.

"How are you feeling?" asked Abigail, with a concerned look.

"It's not my first breakup…"

"I wouldn't think it gets easier though…" Aby replied.

"Nahhh that one was a jerk. I mean, I was a little upset, but I saw it coming."

Abigail watched her friend drink her ice latte, smiling. She couldn't quite understand how Sofia managed to smile after a breakup. She had no experience whatsoever in relationships...but she saw all kinds of different responses to breakups all around her. She didn't think she would be the kind to move on so quickly.
She brought her booking confirmation copy to her nose.

"Mmmm guys, this smell like Japan!"

"Does it? It smells like paper to me," Matthew said.

"So, what are we going to buy first?" Sofia asked while picking up a vibrant red maple leaf on the sidewalk.

"Hum...I guess it will be a suitcase for me; since there is a store right there! I've never seen it before, it must be new!" Aby said, pointing to the shop across the street.

"You still don't have your suitcase?!" Matt looked at her, bewildered. He handed Hazel's tea back and talked louder to cover the noise of the passing garbage truck.
"Aby! We're leaving tomorrow! How can you not be packed yet?"

"I am! Kind of...I just have to put my things in...that suitcase right there," she pointed to the black suitcase covered with daisies in the shop window. They jaywalked quickly between the cars who were stopped for the red light, a few meters away. Matt reached last.

"I just need a hoodie or two," he said, ignoring Aby's lack of organisation.

"I'll buy those in Japan as souvenirs!" added Hazel with excitement as they made their way into the store.

"Everything is small in Japan, they might not fit you!" he teased her. "Owwww!"

"If anything," started Abigail, "I'll probably come back with all kinds of cutesy stuff full of colorful glitter."

"Girls…" he mumbled while rolling his eyes.

A young man with slick black hair waved at them from behind the cash register; big round earphones were covering his ears and he was drumming his fingers on the counter following the rhythm of the music. The store smelled like leather and was crowded with backpacks, purses, and suitcases of every size. But these were different than your normal Bentley and Luggage City stores. The designs looked different. A huge sign above a wall of purses read "HANDMADE". Some were simple, others had very intricate details.

How pretty! thought Abigail.

"Hey Aby! Let's get some condoms!"

She choked on her latte and nearly spilled some on the luggage she was looking at. They all chuckled at her reaction, except for Hazel.

Aby glared at Sofia, wiping the latte from her chin with her sleeve.

"What?" she teased, "you never know! You might get your big break there!"

Aby kept her focus on the suitcase, visibly uncomfortable with the subject. She loved Sofia, but her teasing about sex was always getting out of hand. She knew she didn't mean to bully her, on the contrary, it was probably to help her loosen up a little; Sofia was a free spirit, but Aby was a tense one; and she felt ashamed and embarrassed, like an outcast who never had sex before. This was unheard of at her age. But more important was the reason for it: she was very uncomfortable with guys in general; and therefore, very awkward, which is not sexy nor pretty nor cute...

Hazel gave Sofia a disapproving look.

"You know how she feels about that!" Hazel said, as she was going through the small leather backpacks, "and they don't sell that in here!" she added with a smirk.

"Aww, she knows I'm just teasing her!" She winked and gave her a quick hug. "Besides," she whispered, "I need it more than you do."

"Will you shut it?" Aby muttered. She gestured toward the cashier who was pretending to mind his own business.

"It's not funny!"

She shyly dragged the luggage she picked to the cashier...he pretended not to listen to their conversation, but the smirk he wore on his face gave him up. She avoided eye contact and realized he was waiting for the payment. She felt a rush of heat rise to her cheeks and gave him her credit card. Her friends watched as he handed over the suitcase.

He smiled at her.

"Where are you guys going?"

"Japan"

"That's cool! I'm from there! You'll like it!"

"Oh! Nice! Any advice?" Hazel asked, excited.

"Hum...well, don't litter, don't eat or drink while walking on the street or sidewalk; better do that while staying at the hotel or at the restaurant. Oh! And if you take public transportation don't be loud...and put the phone down,"

They all stared at him, not sure if he was joking or being serious.

"And also, learn a few words...people over there will appreciate the effort; respect of others are very important over there as well as respect of oneself," he glanced at Sofia with a smirk.

"Ugh, so I guess condoms would be a waste of money then?" Sofia said, elbows on the counter and her chin resting in her hand. The cashier instantly looked at Abigail, her face turned crimson. She turned around so fast, her braided brown hair slapped her in the face.

"Excuse me, miss?"

She looked back, expecting a receipt she might have forgotten.

"Are you sure you don't need a wallet? They are 30% off right now,"

He picked a deep red one in the pile on his left and waved it back and forth.

"That one matches your face," he said with a grin. You can also hide...you know...small stuff," he added, winking at Sofia who burst out laughing, but stopped when she saw Abigail's blank stare. She wanted to say something but was too angry and embarrassed. The more the seconds passed, the more she felt stupid, empty and awkward. She just turned around and walked out, her head down.

Everyone she knew had a relationship at some point, and experienced...physical stuff...

She did not.

She never even went on a date! She dreamed of some magical romantic encounter, naturally; she was always, secretly, looking for romance in movies, mangas and novels, but was so afraid to admit it. People, for some reasons, always rolled their eyes at romance, and so, rolled their eyes at her. She was just the awkward girl with her head in the clouds.

She concluded that romance was not real life...and players were feeding on that. That is what she was so afraid of: betrayal; Manipulation; A broken heart;

And this nonsensical fear affected her social life. She had been bullied a lot in high school because of that; The lack of trust that followed since, ruined all her chances. Now, that good looking guy, was in on the mockery too.

However, if he ever thought it was funny, he was no longer smiling.
He only wanted to join in on the tease a little, but now it all felt very wrong. Matt waved his hand as if to say don't worry about it.

Aby just walked out with a blank face. The day was ruined because of her.

She hated herself.

"I'm sorry," she said when they got outside. She tossed her empty cup in the trash by the road. "I got what I need for the trip...I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Look Abigail, I'm sorry...I know you're sensitive to those things, and I realize that I went a little far but...aren't you overreacting a little?"

"Ha? Oh no...I'm just a little tired all of a sudden, and I have to pack too!"

They stared back, unconvinced.

"It's not even 10 O'Clock."

"You guys wouldn't understand, ok?" she sighed in frustration. "That guy even less! Look, I don't wanna talk about it anymore."

"Wouldn't understand?! That's not fair!" said Hazel, following closely.

"Come on Aby! It wasn't that big of a deal! We're going to Japan tomorrow! Happy time! Happy time!" said Matthew.

"Miss, wait! Let me apologize!"

The same guy took them by surprise as he came running towards Aby. He had something in his hands. He bowed so low that it was embarrassing to watch.

"Huh..."

"I'm very, very sorry!" He said out of breath. "I was completely out of line. It's just...You all seemed so friendly and were enjoying yourselves; when I saw you blushing, I thought you were very cute...so…I'm so sorry!"

Aby stiffened, did he just say I was cute?

"Oh Crap…" he looked suddenly panicked. "Now that I look back, it almost sounded like sexual harassment…jeez!"

Matt snickered at the words. The guy stretched out his hands with a small leather purse; pink with yellow daisies on it.

"Please accept this as an apology."

Abigail slowly took the purse from his hands and he smiled with relief.

"Thank you,"

"It's the least I can do!", he said, still smiling. There was an awkward pause. "Right, I should go back...Oh! By the way, if you guys are planning to go to Hakone, be careful! There have been a few earthquakes recently, they think it could be the Volcano!"

"Huh, ok..."

"There is a volcano in Japan?!" Sofia whispered towards Matt who nodded.

"I truly hope you enjoy your time!"

He walked back inside, still smiling at her. Then she remembered her friends. She turned around and saw them smiling.

Abigail's grandmother stretched her frail arm over the old crocheted table cloth to offer the bread she had baked earlier. She happily hummed a tune as she took the bread in the center of the old wooden table.

My very first flight!..and to Japan of all places!

She was still surprised her grandma was able to help her pay for it. She didn't even know where she found the money, but she was so grateful.

"Are you all packed?" she asked as Aby cut a slice of bread.

"You bet!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeshh" she said with a mouthful.

"Did you check off your list?"

"Yeshh!"

"And how about planning for….you know?"

Aby stopped chewing on her bread.

"And you know how to use them?"

Now she froze, her eyes fixed on her grandmother's face.

"And bring plenty of 'em! You don't want to ruin your trip because of that. I mean, I'm sure you can find some in the stores, but just in case you can't find any on the spot, you always want to have at least one on you..."

"...What are you talking about?!"

"Well, you know...every month?" she whispered, as if it was some outrageous secret.

"Granny!" Abigail sighed, with the sudden realization. "You!...why wouldn't I know how to use that?! My first period was a long time ago! Jeez…" Aby mumbled.

"I thought you were speaking of...oh never mind!"

She stood up to clear the old wooden table and made her way towards the dishwasher, mumbling some more.

"You scared me for a minute".

"Why? What did you think I was speaking of?"

She looked at her confused face and gave a gentle smile.

"Nothing Gran." she said, looking at her from the kitchen. "They're not due until the end of the month…"

She walked around the island to clean the table. "Dinner was yummy Gran, thank you."

Her grandmother smiled back.

"You're welcome dear...however, those brocolis were horrible! So bitter! I'm not sure what I did wrong…"

"Those were Rapinis, Gran," she explained laughing. "I think they're, like, italian brocolis or something. They taste bitter but they're pretty good for you!"

"Oh dear! That is why they looked different! hahaha"

Aby loved her grandma's laugh. It was so gentle and hearty at the same time. Her grandma wiped the tears from her eyes as she kept laughing at her own silliness.

"Are you gonna be OK for two weeks by yourself, Gran?"

Her grandmother's petite figure looked out the window.

"Ohhh, I'm gonna go out there and get myself a boyfriend," she said in a dreamy voice, then burst out laughing when she saw her granddaughter's face.

"I was just kidding dear! I never went to Japan, you know? Do not forget to take a lot of photos for me!"

Her grandmother never went anywhere; she always contented herself with what she had and never complained. Aby studied her with a gentle smile. She wasn't sure how one person could spend a whole life without going out of the country. She even wondered if she ever went out of Maine...Surely she did when she was younger?

"Will do. Did anything come in the mail for me?"

"Oh! Yes!"

Her luggage was so shiny! She loved it!

"You and me, we are going to start this journey together and visit many countries! This will be the first one! Do not fail me!"
The new black luggage with the pearly white and yellow daisies on it, obviously, did not answer her. She wrapped a pink ribbon around the handle, like her grandma suggested; "in case someone else has the same one". She thought the idea pretty clever.

She sat on the bed and started opening the little beaten up box that came in the mail; then removed the bubble wrap to uncover the little treasure: a little Chibi Gaara on a key-chain, hugging his huge sand gourd and looking at her with his big shiny green eyes. Her favorite Character in the Naruto franchise. She meant to hook it on the backpack, but then changed her mind...She grabbed the purse the cashier gave her earlier.

That cashier needs a name, she thought. I'll call him...Kiyo.

She hooked the little Gaara on the purse, and stroked its clay hair. It was cheaply made, but it was still cute.

It won't be strange, right? If grown up ass people can cosplay as their favorite anime character, surely it would be reasonable for a 22 year old girl to have a chibi Gaara key-chain on her purse? Japan will know this character anyway; it will be a wonderful tribute to their manga writers!

Only a handful of college students did that here...but there were usually not little anime characters...there were more like fluffy fur balls or jewelry type key-chains. Hazel had some purple crystals on hers; Sophia had a little skater figure.
"Who cares if you put it on your backpack, Aby? It's who you are, you know? It's you!" she said two months ago, when they saw it on Alibaba.
She smiled, put her purse on her luggage and went to sleep.
In just a few hours, her and her friends would be on a 14 hour flight, heading to Japan.

Konoha, 3 days before the Earthquake

"So you guys are going on a mission together huh?"

Hinata slowly made her way to the table, carrying a tea set they had gotten for their wedding a year prior. She loved to use it when she had guests over. She distributed the cups and poured the tea; Her cup was already filled with a different kind.

"Thanks Hinata." Naruto said.

"That smells good! Is this mint?" asked Sakura, pointing at Hinata's cup.

"Um yes" she answered while slightly blushing. "It helps me with morning sickness"

She sat down, slowly.

"Are you alright?" Asked Naruto, concerned.

"Hm. Just a little dizzy…"

"It's been pretty bad on you lately; the nausea and all."

Naruto stood up and quickly walked to the kitchen. "I'll make you a sandwich!"

She smiled, grateful.

Sakura watched Sasuke from the corner of her eyes. He was staring at Naruto, in deep thoughts.

"Naruto sure changed a lot, huh?" she said, as if reading his mind. "You sure make a good and loving husband Naruto!"

"Well I have to grow up y'know? I'm gonna be a dad after all...Ahhh!"

Naruto shook his hand.

"Oh Naruto! Did you cut yourself?"

Before Hinata could stand up, Sakura was already pushing her back down onto the chair.

"Sit lady! Seriously Naruto, how did you even become the hero of the village? You can't even work a kitchen knife?" she teased him while joining him in the kitchen.

"I missed it," said Sasuke. "The growing up part, I mean."

They all turned to him; and for a moment, there was silence.

"I missed a lot of things..."

"You can't change the past, Sasuke; you have no control over it. But you can at least look to the future! Forget about it and look to that future, okay? Who knows, y'know, one day you might even be in my shoes and having to take care of your wife and kids!"

Naruto instantly regretted those last words. Not because they were not true, but because of Sakura. She held her head down, pretending to focus on the superficial cut on his finger. He watched her from the corner of his eyes. He knew she had deep feelings for Sasuke; everybody knew it, including Sasuke! But how he felt in return was unclear, even to himself. He had been in a dark place for too long, and, although Sakura held a special place in his heart, he wasn't sure he could ever feel 'that way' towards her...or anybody. Sasuke nervously shook his leg. Now the atmosphere just became awkward.

"By 'in your shoes', you mean taking your wife and taking care of your kids?"

Sakura snorted while Hinata gracefully contained a giggle.

"WHA?...HEY! I wasn't being literal you idiot! I was speaking figuratively! Taking my wife?! Over my dead..." A tremor shook the house and made glasses and plates clinking for a few seconds.

"Another one," said Hinata, taking a sip of her tea once it was over.

"That one was bigger,'' Naruto looked at Hinata. "It's getting weird; I'm wondering if we should start to worry."

"Kakashi sensei seems to think so…" said Sakura without thinking. She brought Hinata her sandwich.

"The Hokage, Kazekage and Tsuchikage seem to think that the Land of Birds is the epicenter...although not really, since it is not coming from the ground"

"What? Aren't earthquakes always from the ground?" asked Naruto.

"That's what we need to find out. Earthquakes are the results of tectonic plates moving around and rubbing and overlapping each other. But Iwagakure geologists said that those plates have not been moving that much...Whatever it is, it's definitely coming from the Land of Birds, but not from the underground," said Sasuke.

" I'm going with Sasuke to assist, in case of injuries; I can heal people quickly! I feel very happy that you thought of me for this purpose!" Sakura said, turning to Sasuke. "Thank you for trusting me!"

'And thank you for keeping your promise,' she thought to herself. "maybe next time" he said two years ago, when he left the village to atone for his sins.

"Man! I wish I could come too! Then it would be like good old times! Team 7 is united at last!"

"Guys," suddenly said Hinata. "I'm very sorry, but I can barely keep my eyes open. This child-bearing thing is so exhausting...I really need to go lie down. Please, forgive me!"

"Oh dear! Hinata, we should be the ones to apologize! Of course you need to rest! We'll be on our way!"

"Oh no! Please stay! You do not have to leave because of me! I was just gonna go lie down! I would hate to interrupt your reunion with Naruto, especially with you Sasuke-sama! You are not in the village very often. You have a lot to talk about!""No, no. We really need to get going anyway. We have a long road ahead and need to prepare accordingly. This is going to be...troublesome. I have a funny feeling," said Sasuke."Please Naruto, watch over her!"
Sakura helped Hinata stand up and handed her to Naruto.

"You bet!" He gave a thumbs up. "You two, be careful okay?"

"Will do!" Sakura gave the thumbs-up back.

Sasuke stood up and bowed before the expecting lady.
"Take care, Hinata."

She smiled in response.

They both went down the road to part for the night. Sakura looked up to her partner.

"Hey Sasuke," she said while blushing a little. "You know, if you don't have anywhere to go, you can stay at my place for tonight, we can leave together in the morning?"

"No need, but thank you. Kakashi also offered for me to stay at his place when I came back, but I went where I used to live. I'll do the same tonight."

She looked at him surprised. The village was destroyed because of Pain, before the fourth great ninja war. It was rebuilt, but the Uchiha village was not. It was not erased completely, but was never fixed up since no Uchiha ever survived...except for Sasuke; and at the time, nobody ever thought he would be back. That thought brought back bad memories. Sakura shook them away.

"Sasuke, were you...able to fix up your house?""Not really, I didn't really have the time yet, since I've been away."

Sakura suddenly felt guilty. Why hasn't no one help him with that? Sasuke studied her, as if reading her mind.
"That is my responsibility. I made a mess of my life, I need to clean it up."

They kept walking on, side by side.

"Where are you going?" he asked her, as she kept going his way, "Your place is that way, no?""Oh...yeah."

She thought he would appreciate her company, but in reality, it was she who was appreciating his. "Well...good night Sasuke!"
"Good night."

He watched her turning the corner and for a moment, wondered if he should have brought her home. Nah...Sakura definitely did not need protection.

He walked towards what was left of his clan district. He jumped over beams that were taken over by vines and vegetation. The completely destroyed houses were all ruins and memories of Yesterdays. Young trees were growing from inside the houses and birds have made their nests on the windowsills. He turned the same corner he used to take when he was young. A piece of metal cable, hanging from the wall took hold of his dark grey cloak. He stared at it blankly and yanked it free. It was a depressing sight. He reached his house and went inside through the window; the door was obstructed by some boulders and tree branches intertwined. He looked on the floor where his parents once laid, lifeless. He was sure he could still see their silhouettes on the ground. He shook the feeling and buried it somewhere in his mind. After all this time, one would think he would come to peace with it...

He reached the far end of the house and turned right at the back. He slid the door as far as it would go, which wasn't very far, and went into what used to be his room. The window was broken, but he didn't mind. It was like sleeping out in the forest, but with a partial roof over him. He let himself fall on the mat. He obviously outgrew it since. But it was better than nothing. He threw his satchel on the floor and looked out the window. He could see the moon, and some clouds passing in front of it. Then he looked at the ceiling; surprisingly, there were very few spider webs, but some cockroaches and moths walked around. He saw them last night too; didn't mind them too much. For some reason, nothing really bothered him, except, well...
everything.

Sakura was already in bed when she heard something hitting her window. She ignored it a couple of times, but opened her eyes the third time, annoyed.
"What the heck is that?" she thought. She remembered when Naruto used to throw rocks at her window once when they had to go on a mission in the middle of the night. She got up and opened the window; expecting to see Naruto, but was startled by the person standing down below.

"Sasuke!? Is everything ok?"

It took him a few seconds to answer. He mumbled something she couldn't make out.

"What?""I...don't like cockroaches."

Sakura studied him from the window.

"Ok, I'm coming down." She closed the window and went downstairs. She knew it wasn't the cockroaches. If it was her, she thought, she would find it depressing there, in a ruin, full of painful memories. She was glad that he came to her. She let him in quietly. It was late and her parents were sleeping. She boiled some water to make chamomile tea, and quickly fixed some bed sheets, a blanket and a cushion on the couch."Oh, don't worry about it, I can sleep on the floor, I'm dirty, didn't have a shower for a while.""Don't be stupid!" she smiled. "Shinobis do not need showers," she said, imitating Kakashi; long ago when they were on a mission, Sakura had complained about not having taken a shower for days. He replied the exact same words.

"You can take one tomorrow morning though; before we leave. Here, take this; it'll help you sleep."

She handed the chamomile tea to him. Then headed back towards the stairs that led to her room.

"Hey Sakura?" She turned back to look at him. "It won't bother your parents? That I'm here I mean." Sakura smiled. "You are a war hero now. They will be honored." He looked down at his cup.
She walked back to him and put her small hand on his shoulder. "The past doesn't matter Sasuke; Naruto was right...what matters it what's in front of you."

He looked at her with an unimpressed look.

"Are you flirting with me, again?""Huh?!"
She realized, two seconds too late, that she was standing "in front of him". She removed her hand quickly."No! I meant the future, you idiot! I meant 'the future' is what matters!""So you're saying you're my future?"

She paused for a second...the thought of it was sweet, then she violently shook her head.

"Arrg...just go to sleep already!"

She ran up the stairs two by two.

"Seriously! What would be the big deal anyway? I'm sure I could make a wonderful future for him." She entered her bedroom and closed the door. She couldn't help but smile."Sasuke is in my house, hihi!"

Just then, a little tremor was felt in the house, again.