Standing on the platform, she wondered if the world enjoyed laughing at her. Her whole life had had its ups and downs, but never before had she thought that at nineteen it would all fall apart like this.
The one person who allowed her to get away from reality and be the happiest in the world is now saying things she never thought would ever come out of his mouth.
"Are you listening to me?" she looked at him through teary eyes, trying to confirm that yes she was listening to him, but what he was saying was nonsensical. What had happened to him. With this quiet, often annoyed by her behavior, but still caring and providing a sense of security, young man. She didn't have the strength to get anything out through her throat, so she nodded, and he continued, "Here's enough money for the train and to find an apartment." he handed her an envelope in which was an item meant as a farewell. She refused to accept it.
"I don't want the money." she said in a softly breaking voice " I want you. Why can't I stay with you? What have I done wrong?" in all the four years since they had known each other, she had never done anything to make him mad. After all, if he was angry with her, he wouldn't have made her leave Konoha, so what happened. Maybe the times they lived in weren't the best, after all, they would get along together. They always did.
"Take the money, and tomorrow you're not supposed to be here anymore." was he even listening to her? She wanted to start yelling at him, tugging, only to have him finally look her in the eye and tell what the hell was going on here. He had always been honest with her. She remembered him telling about his mother and how he'd felt when, at seventeen, she'd passed away during a birth in which his barely-born sister had died. About his older brother Itachi and his illness, through which he could lose him at any moment. About his father and his bad relationship with him. So why now can't he tell her what happened instead of pushing her away.
Even more so now that the day was supposed to be so much more happy.
"I thought you loved me and wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. But as I can see, I was wrong." wiping away tears with her hand, she snatched the envelope from his hand, stuffing it into a pocket in her dress. Sasuke didn't say anything. Though what had Sakura been expecting. Confirmation that she was wrong, or maybe a denial. Or maybe just anything, but not silence.
Turning on her heel, she moved towards the platform exit. Since he had nothing more to say, she wasn't going to stand there like a fool. She needed to get home and pack. Maybe she shouldn't leave her hometown just because he wants her to, but as she thought about it longer she wanted it herself. She had been thinking about leaving here for a long time. Konoha hadn't been home to her for a few years now.
For Sakura, home was the person, the one who doesn't want her now.
Funny.
Parents, the same people who should take care of their child and provide the best possible conditions for them, seldom came home, and because of little money, food as well as ordinary human needs were practically nonexistent. And maybe she wouldn't have had a problem with that, if it weren't for the fact that the money they earned they preferred to spend on themselves and foolishness.
Her father bought alcohol, which was expensive in those days, and her mother bought a lot of clothes she didn't need. Whenever she asked for a few coins, she was yelled at and told how much they were needed for things other than her whims.
Their behavior towards her, and towards each other, also left a lot to be desired. The father cheated on the mother, which she was well aware of, and after drinking he became violent and raised his hand against them more than once. Mother said many times that she would leave him, but she never did. Maybe because of the fact that he made most of the money. But she still loved her, she was her mother after all.
Her father, however, she could no longer love. If she were someone else, she would probably even stop calling him her dad.
That's why ever since she met Sasuke, at the age of fifteen, she felt like fate had finally smiled on her. One summer morning, he was standing outside the bakery where her friend Hinata worked. By his appearance, she immediately knew who he was. The second son of the ruler of Konoha - Uchiha Sasuke.
Sakura had approached him then, to say hello, and so their friendship had begun, and then something much stronger, more intimate. She loved him, of that she was sure, and so did she think he felt, but now she had her doubts.
Likewise, things in the village were slowly pushing Sakura away from it.
Since a year in this place, as in the whole world, but especially here, things started to get worse. Riots and many more murders, of high ranked people or ordinary civilians, were the daily routine. Two news about the possible start of a war, also did not surprise anyone.
Throughout their lives, people have fought wars, fought for power, tried to get rid of others. But it had been so bad a hundred years ago. After the Senju were brought into power, it got better, though twenty years ago, when she was only in her mother's belly, it was the Uchiha who stepped into power.
Uchiha Madara was a harsh ruler whom people feared, but he improved living conditions. No one could deny that. For reasons unexplained, five years after his reign began, he died. After him, Sasuke's father Fugaku Uchiha took over the leadership. He was quite good at ruling the village, and the others liked him. Sasuke once told her that he found it hard to believe that his father was well-liked, but to her it was no surprise. It was even better than before. At least, she thought so.
People from the lowest classes, to which she belonged, earned more than before, although still little, but this was due to the difficult situation everywhere, when it came to money. Although jobs were few, if one found a position, they gladly accepted them.
Schools also changed their attitude towards them and they were treated better in them. Before, they argued that they should not gain knowledge, they did not deserve it.
A couple of years ago, everyone looked down on them. They thought of them as people who shouldn't even be alive. Just because of who they were.
Big green eyes and hair in shades of pink that were not natural to others. Only to her people. They called them cursed, but why she never found out. They were normal people after all, they had nothing special about them. So why did others hate them?
Uchiha - that name was a salvation for them. She learned from her parents that the previous ruler, loved a woman who was one of them. Unfortunately, she died at the hands of Hashirama, who claimed that he did not do so because of her background, but because she betrayed the village. Madara, however, did not accept his explanation and took over his position in the cruelest of ways, improving the living conditions of the people to which Sakura belonged before all else.
Unfortunately, recently others have started to be bothered by their presence again. It was as if someone had implanted in their heads all the bad things that were not even true. For some unknown reason, everything was slowly returning to what happened those hundred years ago. And it wasn't because of the Uchiha clan. Someone else was perpetrating it, from a place no one knew.
She wouldn't be surprised if war broke out in the near future.
Reaching the house, she opened the door and quickly heading to her room, pulled out a small suitcase to pack in. She wanted to take only the most necessary things, so as not to strain herself. Even more so now.
Sakura walked over to the small cabinet where the clothes were, and took from it three dresses, one pant, and two shirts. She didn't own any more clothes anyway. She took some more underwear, then moving to a shelf of books. Two of them were about healing, and one was a simple romance that she liked to read sometimes. Packing only the hygiene products, she closed the suitcase.
Tearing out a small card, she wrote a short note to her parents, letting them know where she would be. She also asked them not to worry about her. She would be fine.
The way back to the platform was not long. She just stood in line at the ticket window to buy one. Sakura had counted the money she had been given earlier and there was a lot of it. The most she had ever seen. Like Sasuke said, it would be enough for everything and about three months of living expenses without having to work. She hoped she could find a position they would be willing to hire her for in a short time though.
Walking up to the counter she laid down the money intended for the ride.
"Where to?" asked the woman behind the countertop.
"Amegakure, one way." the most devastated village by the civil war, which further after so many years, had not recovered. She wasn't fond of the climate there, but right now it was the most peaceful. There was nothing to fight about, and practically all the people had moved out of there. She needed a quiet place like this now.
"Here you go." handing her the ticket Sakura held out her hand, taking it. The train was leaving in ten minutes, so she quickly started towards the platform it was leaving from.
Getting into the vehicle, Sakura turned left to find her seat. She placed her luggage on top, sitting down comfortably and looking out the window at Kohona. This last time.
She set off.
The next day, the Uchiha clan fell.
"Honey, are you okay?" spoke up Sakura's mother, who was sitting in the chair across from her. She had arrived two days ago to see her daughter again after two months.
"Yes mom." she smiled gently to dispel her doubts. Sakura didn't want her to know she was thinking about that day again.
"You're getting worse and worse." she muttered under her breath, rising and heading to the kitchen to make some tea " Recently, they organized another store robbery where our men were working. Twelve people died." she put the water on "Ever since the Uchiha lost power six years ago and Danzo took over it has gotten a lot worse. War is certain."
"Let's hope we get past it after all." Sakura looked through the books her mother had brought. They were colorful and had lots of pictures. Let's hope they enjoy it.
"When was the last time you were at work?" Mebuki's voice reached her ear, from somewhere in the far corner of the kitchen.
"A week ago. Now I better not go out, I don't want to get accidentally killed." by her background and the propaganda prevailing for a good few years now, it didn't take long to ask for a knife in the back or a bullet in the head. It happened very often. Although she lived in a quiet neighborhood anyway, now it happened more and more often. That's why her boss asked her to sit at home for the time being.
"Good choice." her mother came out of the kitchen, carrying two cups of rose tea in her hands. Her favorite. She set them on the table sitting down comfortably in her chair again "I haven't told you this yet, but I'm going to Otogakure tomorrow."
"What for?" taking a sip of the still warm tea, Sakura asked.
"Our people are holding a meeting there to discuss the situation. Someone made a camp there for us."
"Do you know who is leading this?"
"No, but apparently he wants to help us."
"So he's not one of us?" holding the cup in her hands, she looked at her mother with a puzzled expression. It had been a long time since she had heard of an outsider self-proclaiming his help. Her mother just nodded "Are you going with father?"
"Yes, it's hard for a woman to travel alone now, without putting herself in even more danger." it was true. Sakura had often heard of cruel things that women experienced and not just when traveling. Even walking during the day something could happen to them "I'll go to bed now dear. It's late and I have a long journey ahead of me tomorrow." she walked up to Sakura kissing the top of her head "Don't stay up late." she disappeared behind the door to the guest room.
Breathing slowly, Sakura sipped her tea, which relaxed and warmed her. She wasn't tired yet, so she was going to read about surgery. She knew it by heart, but she didn't own any more books, and this was the subject she was most curious about.
With a candle burning, she absorbed herself into the world of medicine she so loved, not knowing that her world would turn a hundred and eighty degrees again.
The idea came to me quite by accident, but I thought it seemed cool.
I'm posting the first chapter (I don't have a definite plot yet), but the chapters will appear in slightly longer intervals
"The Long Way" is more important for now ;p