A/N: Whew…Life has been difficult lately. I'm busy with so much stuff now since school started. I hardly get enough sleep. I barely get through a day, so please excuse my…umm…what's the right word? ::forgets of word she was thinking of:: I dunno, but just please understand that I have other things to do before I get the pleasure of writing this story.

First Day Out

Chapter 8

Sakura woke up last. She didn't feel like facing anyone right now, last night's conversation was still on her mind. She pretended to be asleep every time someone came near, and she was quite good at pretending.

"She's sleeping in way too long!!" Sasuke complained.

Toji laughed. "Yeah, but she'll really need it. I'm gonna work her butt off tomorrow, and she'll won't be getting this kind of sleep for a LONG while. And besides, we only got up 30 minutes ago."

Sakura cringed slightly at Toji's words, but went back into sleeping position.

San sighed. "Sasuke, wake her up. It's bad to sleep in this much." She finished preparing a few meals for everybody, and wrapped them up in some cloth, then gave everyone breakfast.

Sasuke walked over to Sakura and shook her roughly. "Sakura! Wake up." He took both his and Sakura's share of breakfast, and set it on her stomach. "There's breakfast." He said, right before he started on his own breakfast.

Sakura yawned and sat up, getting her breakfast off her stomach before it fell on the floor. She tried hard to have her eyes half open, and slowly began eating her breakfast.

Sakura glanced at Toji a few times, and at one time he caught her. He smiled at her, mouth full of food. Sakura smiled slightly then turned back to her food.

San finished her meal, and started handing out supplies to everyone. Everyone got a small sack of food, a few good rocks (for sharpening weapons and such) and an extra blanket.

Ashitaka took a long look at everyone, especially Sakura. He sat down next to her. "You ready, Sakura?"

"Yeah. I think." Sakura replied, sighing. She pictured herself doing pushups in some random part of the forest, Toji sitting on her back,and collapsing after 1. 'C'mon, 50 more to go!' Toji yelled in his always too happy voice. She shook the image out of her head, and looked at her father. She noticed a new wrinkle in his face. This must be stressing Dad so much. Sakura thought.

"Well, mainly your just going to strength train. He'll teach you a few techniques, and we'll switch off a few times, just to check up on you." He said, smiling slightly and ruffling her hair. Sakura grinned back, and sighed. "I'm going to miss you guys. I've never really been without you." She said, hugging him.

"Just be strong and get stronger. You'll be fine." He said, kissing her cheek. Sakura deeply breathed in her father's scent. She wouldn't be smelling it again for a while.

She went over and hugged her mother too, saying their goodbyes and how they'll miss each other. Sakura kissed her mom on the cheek. San kissed her on the forehead. "Get strong for me, okay babe?" San said, then hugged her daughter one last time.

She went over to Sasuke, who was talking to Toji and kicked Sasuke in the butt.

"You know, that's an extremely rude way to get someone's attention." Sasuke said, looking at her the way a preist might after one committed a sin.

"Yeah, I'll miss you too bro." Sakura replied with a grin. Sasuke replied with a kick to her butt, and grinned at each other one last time before heading off to their group.

Sakura sighed deeply. Now it's time to face Toji for a whole winter.

Toji smiled at her. Sakura smiled back, hoping he wouldn't notice she was blushing slightly from remembering last night's conversation.

"We've got a long walk. We'll have to go at a quick pace." Toji said to her.

"Ok." Sakura replied, taking one last look at her family before getting in pace with Toji. Toji had long legs, so much longer than Sakura's. He took long, powerful strides. She almost had to jog to keep up. After about an hour she started to slow down.

Ugh, how much longer at this pace?! Sakura thought. She didn't dare ask to slow down though. She did not want to seem weak. Sakura also didn't likebeing insulted as agirl, such as, "Oh, you throw like a girl." She absolutely hated that idea! She always asked God why they had made girls naturally weaker than boys.

Sakura suddenly remembered one incident from last year. She and Sasuke had been playing together, wrestling and playing games together. She noticed that Sasuke, at 13, was getting taller than her and getting stronger. She had always been the stronger one the last few years. But now she found herself losing so often to him.

"Haha, I win again!" Sasuke yelled after a wrestling match. Sakura managed a smile, but was tired of losing. She hadn't won anything in a while.

"You're on the right track to become a good, weak woman!" Sasuke said, grinning.

Sakura's smile dropped. Her eyes narrowed, blood boiling. A good weak woman?! I'll show that jerk!

Sasuke had a questionable look on his face, then a scared one. Sakura charged after him, and kicked him in the side. She wrestled him to the ground in almost 5 seconds flat.

"Don't EVER call me weak again! And don't remind me of what I'm to become of!" Sakura yelled at his face.

Sasuke rubbed his side. "Dammit, you didn't have to kick me!" He yelled angrily.

Sakura grinned devilishly. "Then don't ever call me weak."

Sakura smiled at the memory. She liked that she had finally beat Sasuke in a while. Later that day Sasuke had kicked her in the butt as revenge, and so started their tradition of kicking each other in the butt a few days every week.

She noticed that Toji had gone far ahead of her. She started running to him.

"Next time you fall behind, I'll make you do fifty push-ups and we'll run for3 hours. Hard." Toji warned.

"Uh, ok." Sakura replied. Ok, just gotta make sure to keep up with him and I won't have to do extra work.

They walked all day, finally stopping an hour before the sunset. They set down their sack on a huge leaf bed. Toji sent Sakura to get wood for the fire. Toji gathered some small twigs to start a fire. He started a small one, and carefully tended to it. Sakura came back 10 minutes later, a huge stack oftwigs and branches and some foragedfoodin her arms. She dropped the pile next to the tiny fire.

Soon there was a huge fire. Sakura and Toji sat close to it, across from eachother. They slowly ate some of the food San had provided for them. Toji put the pre-made food away and started chowing down on all the food Sakura had foraged from the forest.

A few minutes later Toji stopped, and looked at Sakura. Sakura noticed this, and looked at him questioningly.

"I'll go over my expectations for the training." Toji said.

"Ok." Sakura replied, putting away her food. She wasn't very hungry anymore.

Toji looked at her seriously, sternly looking in her eyes. "You will get stronger. What I'm training you for is strength training. Which means lots of work that you aren't used to. I'll also improve your fighting skills, and teach you some new techniques that will help you in battle." He paused for a moment, and then continued. "I will not allow you to slack off. If you do, it means more exercise for you, or no meal that day. And you'll be very grateful for all the food and water you will consume in the future."

Toji paused again. He lifted his face a little, bringing the seriousness in his face down a notch. "And there will be some days that you will be able to relax. Of course, these will mostly be days that are spent improving weapons or going over techniques."

Sakura nodded. Oh great, this is going to be hell. She thought to herself.

Toji breathed deeply. "Well, you better get lots of sleep! First day of training is tomorrow!!" He added in his always happy tone, while getting himself comfortable.

Sakura grabbed her animal skin blanket, wrapping it tightly around herself, laying down close to the fire for extra warmth.

After a few minutes later, Sakura fell asleep, the warmth of the fire enveloping her.

She was running through the forest, with so much force and power. She flew past trees and boulders in the night. She came upon New Iron Town, up in flames. She gasped, and choked on the smoke. Suddenly, theflames were behind her, licking her ears and they felt...wet?!

Sakura woke up, rubbing her wet ear. Someone snorted on her cheek. Sakura sat upright, one of her daggers in hand, facing the thing.

Neko faced her, sitting down and panting. Sakura blew a sigh of relief.

"Oh my God, you scared the hell out of me." Sakura said, grabbing Neko and rubbing his head. Neko licked her face.

She laid back down, pulling Neko down next to her.

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