Sakura and the Prince
of Flowers
By Miss Angel Maxwell
Author's note- I think the next couple of chapters will focus back on our heroine, if nobody minds. Are people enjoying this story? Comments are always welcome! And thanks for the support!
Chapter 10: "Pinky, You're Gonna Work Your Ass Off"
There was a full moon in the sky on the night that Sakura left Konoha and it bathed the entire village in a blue glow so that familiar streets and buildings looked alien as the young woman crept back to her apartment. Sakura felt a small pang of guilt for having snuck out of the hospital before Tsunade had discharged her, but she felt perfectly healthy now and she knew that she had to put some distance behind her before Sasuke and Naruto realized she was gone.
I just hope my letter makes everything clear, she thought. I need them to know that I don't want them to come after me. I can't face them. Not yet.
Back in her bedroom, Sakura was quick but discerning in deciding what to take with her. She wanted to leave as quickly as possible, but she had no idea how long she would be gone, how long it would be before she could forgive herself. She also didn't want her luggage to be too heavy and weigh her down. Some lightweight clothes, extra kunai and shuriken, an encyclopedia of medical jutsu, and the bottle of prenatal vitamins Tsunade had given her, all went into her backpack. The only thing left to consider was her leaf forehead protector that she had gotten when she graduated from ninja academy. She held it in her hands for a good minute, tracing the shape of the leaf on the metal plate with a delicate finger.
There's really no reason for me to take it. Wherever I'm going, I won't be a shinobi of the leaf while I'm gone.
As she placed the headband back in the top drawer of her dresser and pushed it closed, Sakura saw something she'd forgotten about placed on top. It was that little white button off of Rock Lee's shirt. With the utmost dexterity, she grabbed some red string from her bedside table, bit off a length, and threaded it through the buttonholes. Then she tied it around her neck to serve as a reminder to herself why she was doing this.
She left heading westward, saying a silent goodbye in her heart to the village that had raised her. Where she had lived all her life and learned the way of the ninja. Where the two men that she loved the most would continue to be ninja without her. Where the father of her child's ashes had been scattered in the wind. It occurred to Sakura as she past stores and restaurants she had known since childhood, that when she came back, if ever, she would have a child of her own. The idea that very soon she was going to be somebody's mother was terrifying, yet indescribably exciting. For everything dreadful that had happened because of her, there was still hope in this new life that had been created. She could feel it flowing through her, the baby's tiny chakra circulating inside her body, twining with her own. Though the first time she'd felt it, it had caused her to fall out of a tree, by now she was used to it and found it to be the most wonderful sensation she'd ever felt.
The city landscape transitioned briefly into grassland, then quickly into dark dense forest, where even the light of the full moon was obscured and only shone in sparse patches through the canopy. Even for an experienced ninja such as herself, the woods at night was a frightening place. Or perhaps she was just acutely aware of it tonight because she was traveling alone. In any case, she plowed on, amidst the shifting black shadows and disembodied animal noises that surrounded her. Her goal was to travel all night and all day and not rest until it was night once again.
Dawn seemed to come early and the day passed by quickly. Journeying through the forest was scary at night, but a great advantage during the day as the trees provided cool shade from the brutal July heat. Still, by the time the sun went down, Sakura's entire body was wet with perspiration and her clothes were sticky and uncomfortable. When she came to a clean stream she decided it was the right time and place to make camp. Wading in it up to her knees, the water felt cold, crisp, invigorating against Sakura's skin. It reminded her of that day not too long ago when she had stopped to splash in the stream on the way home from a team mission. Now that day was out of reach, that feeling of utter contentment and certainty. With a small sigh she retreated to the bank and sat down, her feet still dangling in the water as she took out some bread and peanut butter for her dinner.
I've covered my tracks well, she assured herself. Even though I don't think anyone will try to track me down. Well, Naruto might want to… But Sasuke will talk him out of it. She sighed again, heavier this time, as she fondly remembered her teammates' faces. But I shouldn't think about that now. I should concentrate on where I'm going. I have to find a place where I'm needed, where I can contribute something meaningful to world… But where will I find such a place?
Once she'd finished eating, the young kunoichi decided get some sleep and not worry about her destination until she awoke. So she climbed a nearby tree and chose one of the thicker branches to be her roost for the next couple of hours. It wasn't the most comfortable bed, but at least she was safe and well hidden. She fell asleep quickly.
Thunk! Thunk!
Sakura was awakened, most annoyingly, by something small and hard hitting her repeatedly. Rubbing her eyes open she realized that it was still completely dark out and that the objects hitting her were acorns. "Wuzzat, a squirrel 'r something?" she mumbled groggily as the small projectiles continued to hit her.
"Psst, over here," a hushed voice called to her from below.
Steadying herself on the tree branch, Sakura peered down towards the ground, still trying to remain out of clear site. Who could've spotted me? Who's even out here in the middle of the night? She probably would have been a lot more scared if the voice hadn't sounded like a child's. There was an opening in the leaves above her and it cast a long shaft of moonlight onto the forest floor, illuminating the intruder. The young woman gasped when she saw who he was.
"It's you," she marveled at the sad eyed little boy standing alone on the ground below her. "You're… you're the kid who's been haunting my dreams. You mean, you're a real person?"
The Prince of Flowers flashed a typically mysterious smile. "Follow me, Sakura. I know what you're looking for. I know where to find it."
"Wait!" Sakura shouted, abandoning the idea of staying hidden. But the boy had already taken off running. "Wait up! I… at least tell me your name!" By then, however, he was out of earshot and she knew she would have to move very fast to catch up to him. Hastily, she gathered up her things and took off, and in a few minutes, the little boy's back was in sight. Apparently, having such a short stride kept the child from moving too fast. Still, once Sakura was about three meters away from him she couldn't seem to get any closer. The boy turned sharply. She followed. He zigged and zagged, over some branches and under others. Sakura followed his every move.
There was something else that Sakura was beginning to notice. A faintly sweet aroma of black licorice had been hanging in the air the entire time since she awakened, and as she chased this mysterious boy, the scent was growing stronger. It filled her up like hot soup fills up an empty stomach and her head seemed to grow heavy as her limbs grew light. She was no longer thinking about her moves, they merely came to her as natural as breathing in and out. Ahead of her, the child's baggy shirt and unkempt hair swished, just out of reach.
"Please wait! Where are you taking me? Just…. Slow down!"
The boy didn't answer her, but she was drawing closer to him. Just as her fingers were barely graving the hem of her quarry's shirt, just as victory was imminent, Sakura felt the ground beneath her feet disappear and her whole body tumbling downward. She let out a startled shriek.
Sakura now found herself sprawled on the loamy floor of a deep dirty hole. Too neatly excavated to be naturally occurring, the hole was clearly a trap set by a ninja. The duped young woman growled. She'd trusted that little boy, whose face she knew from her dreams, and he'd led her right into this. What's worse was that she'd let her guard down. Ordinarily, Sakura would never have fallen into such an obvious trap.
"I'm sure glad Sasuke and Naruto weren't around to see that," she muttered miserably as she used two kunai as picks to hoist herself out of the pit. "Well, I sure hope that whoever set this trap isn't around."
She emerged from the hole in the earth, her clothes, arms, legs, and face smeared liberally with soil, and expected to see the mischievous Prince of Flowers standing there with an explanation. She would have given the troublemaker a real piece of her mind, except that he wasn't there. Instead, three full-grown ninja, whose headband insignia were not visible, were waiting for the disoriented young woman.
"Eh, well what 'ave we got 'ere?" one of them remarked slyly. "Seems a little mouse has fallen into our trap."
Sakura was trembling slightly, but she tried not to let it show. "There was a little boy, about four or five. I was following him… I really don't mean you any harm. If I'm trespassing… I'm sorry. Just please, let me go on my way."
Another of the mystery shinobi grunted contemptuously. "A little boy? Wandering around the woods at night? All by himself? This girl is mad!"
"I'm not mad!" Sakura demanded. "There really was a boy! He had black hair and sad eyes and…" At this point one of the ninja shifted and his forehead protector came into view. "You're from the Sand!" She exclaimed gratefully. "I'm from Konoha. You guys are our allies."
"You don't look like a Leaf Nin," Sand shinobi number one stated.
"Yeah, where's your headband?" number two added.
"Dammit," Sakura cursed under her breath. When she'd decided to leave her headband behind, she hadn't imagined that she would end up in a situation like this, where having it would save her from an awful mess. "I left it at home," she admitted.
"Sure ya did," the third Sand Nin said cynically. "Now, on your feet, you're coming with us."
"I am not!" she boldly insisted. But two of the men had already seized her arms and pulled her up to a standing position. And despite how hard she struggled against them, they were grown men and their strength outmatched hers.
"She's rather cute. But we'll see what the Kazekage has to say."
Sakura was fuming, more at her own carelessness than at the ninja who'd captured her. "Fine!" she spat. "But I'll have you know that your Kazekage is an acquaintance of mine! That's right, I know Gaara! And I know he won't hurt me!"
At this outburst, all three of her captors began howling with laughter. "Oh really? Well, then I guess it would disappoint you to know that your dear friend Gaara isn't in charge at the moment."
"Yep, the man's left Suna for a couple of weeks."
"And his replacement is a real hard-ass."
Their words had baffled Sakura into silence. She really couldn't think of anything she could say in the situation.
"Go ahead and tie her up," the ninja who seemed to be their leader commanded the other two. "And gag her, too. I don't want to have to listen to her yapping the whole way back."
A few minutes later, Sakura was bound, gagged, and blindfolded, and slung unceremoniously over the lead nin's shoulder. Though her arms and legs were tightly constricted, it didn't stop her from thrashing about violently and howling muffled throaty screams. She did this for hours until she was so exhausted that she fell asleep, still on the brute's shoulder. When she woke up, they had reached Suna.
Sakura's captors untied her legs and set her down on her feet before they entered the Kazekage's palace, forcing her forward with jabs from their kunai just to remind her that she was a prisoner. They walked past all the various guards and administrators without saying a word. When they reached the huge doors to the village leader's office, one of the Sand Nin removed her gag, then shoved her forward into the room and closed the doors behind her. As she was bent over, gasping for breath and staring at the floor, the impromptu Kazekage addressed her, having recognized her immediately.
"Sakura?" the leader asked. "Haruno Sakura of the Leaf? You're the one who's been robbing our citizens out in the woods?"
The pink-haired girl was a bit surprised, but relieved at who Gaara had chosen as his substitute. "Temari, I think there's been a mistake. I've never robbed anyone. I just fell into a trap by accident. Please, do you think you could untie me?"
"Alright," the blonde stated, taking out a kunai to sever the poor girl's bonds. "But I'm very curious as to how you ended up in our trap. I mean, it wasn't exactly on your daily route. You're a Leaf Ninja."
Sakura rubbed at the rope burns on her newly freed wrists, carefully avoiding eye contact with the older girl. "I've sort of run away from Konoha," she explained. "I did something I'm not proud of and I hurt people I care about… Now I'm trying to make up for it, go someplace where I can make a fresh start and do something good for people."
Temari raised a graceful eyebrow. "I don't suppose you're going to tell me what happened, are you?"
"Sorry," Sakura sighed. "At least not yet. But listen could you do me a favor? Could you not tell anyone, especially anyone from Konoha, that I've been this way after you let me go?"
The Kazekage shifted uncomfortably. Now she seemed afraid to make eye contact. "I'm afraid it might not be that easy. I like you a lot, Haruno Sakura. You cured Kankurou when he was poisoned by Sasori, and along with that Naruto kid and your other friends, you saved Gaara's life." She paused. "But our laws are pretty absolute. Legally, I can't let you go without putting you through a trial first. And that would definitely conflict with you not wanting anyone to know where you are."
"What?" Sakura gasped. "No! I can't go on trial! Is there no other way?"
"Well, there is one way…" Temari said a bit hesitantly. "You could stay here, in the Kazekage's custody until the heat dies down. I'm sure Gaara can find a way to pardon you without anyone finding out… But it may take some time, and some major loopholes."
"I don't really think I have much choice," sighed Sakura. "I'm not going to go through with a trial… Are you sure there's no other options?"
"I'm afraid not. But hopefully, it won't be for too long. Let's be honest, I'm not crazy about having a freeloader living here, but I'll try to make it as pleasant as possible."
"Then give me a job," Sakura insisted. "Please tell me that there is something I can do here! I don't want to burden anybody, in Konoha or Suna… So please, give me a job! I won't be a freeloader! I'll work very hard!"
Temari scratched her chin for a moment, considering the younger girl's request. "You certainly are eager. And we could use a good maid around here. Very well, you can start tomorrow. But I'll hold you to the claim that you're a hard worker. Pinky, you're gonna work your ass off."
To be continued…