Hey guys,
I'm not receiving any emails from FanFiction, I didn't realise there were reviews left, so I was unable to reply to you, sorry :(. Thank you to pconklin and TheBloodyLoveOfSakuraHaruno for the reviews, it means a lot :).
The story is set in modern day Suna/Konoha and the characters are not shinobi.
As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter, I will try to update sooner.
Thank you.
Lots of love XoXoXoXoXoXo
Sakura stood outside the airport, her suitcases by her side. She stared up at the building, her lips pulling up in a small smile. This is it, she thought to herself. Sakura looked up towards the sky as dawn broke. The sky was an array of pinks and oranges, before the blue sky took over. She was glad that she had an early morning flight, which also meant that she would be able to slip away without anyone fretting over her. It was finally time to go to Suna.
As she entered the airport, she heard several people shout her name. She groaned inwardly and looked over her shoulder, finding her parents, Ino and Sai, Naruto and Hinata as well as Tsunade all lined up.
"And here I thought I could leave without a big fuss," Sakura laughed and turned to face them all.
"We're not letting you leave without a fuss," Ino sniffed and wiped at her eyes.
"Oh pig, don't you start crying on me," Sakura smiled small.
"I can't help it," Ino whined.
Sakura walked up to her and threw her arms around her, "I love you pig."
"I love you billboard brow," Ino cried, hugging Sakura tightly.
"Sakura, make sure you call us when you have settled in, and make sure that you eat healthy," Mebuki said, she placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Take care of yourself."
Sakura let go of Ino and looked over at her mum, "I will mum, you don't need to worry," Sakura smiled at her and hugged her.
"I know, but I can't help it." Mebuki sighed.
Kizashi joined the hug and kissed Sakura's forehead, "take care of yourself sweetheart."
"I will," she pulled out of the hug and looked over at everyone. "I'll miss you all."
"We'll miss you too Sakura," Naruto smiled at her, "and if you ever need help, my friend in Suna will help you out. His name is Gaara." He pulled out his phone, "I'll send you his number," he tapped at his phone before pocketing it away.
"I'll make sure I speak to him," Sakura smiled back. She turned to look at Tsuande, "guess this is it."
"Looks like we finally get rid of you," the blonde laughed. She placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder, "like everyone has already said, take care of yourself and Chiyo will be expecting you at the hospital in a few days, she'll probably speak with you before then."
"Thank you for everything," Sakura hugged the blonde.
"You're welcome, and make sure you do me proud."
"You know I will," Sakura let go of her and walked back to her suitcases, "well, this is it," she smiled at everyone.
She grabbed the handles of her suitcases and wheeled them further into the airport, and checked in, before being ushered towards the lounge. She sat down and watched as several people milled around her, many speaking to their friends and family, excited about their trip, others sat quietly, immersed in either a newspaper or a book. Sakura smiled to herself, excited and nervous about what lay ahead.
She'd spent most of yesterday with Tsunade going through accommodation, who she would be reporting to and what duties she would be carrying out. Sakura had been excited, barely able to sit still, she had been raring to go.
Ten minutes later, they were all lined up, waiting to enter the plane. Sakura found herself getting caught up in the buzz of excitement that surrounded her, she smiled widely at the flight attendants as she entered the plane and was shown to her seat. Glad that she was sat next to a window. With the announcements made, and everyone was seated, the plane began its journey.
Sakura watched as Konoha fell behind, slowly getting smaller and smaller as the plane flew higher and higher. She felt sad at the sight, as her home became nothing more but greenery, but the sadness didn't last, she found herself looking forward to whatever challenges she would face, and ultimately, freedom.
For the next several hours, Sakura watched movies, listened to music and enjoyed her bento box lunch. After a while, she decided on rest. She grabbed the blanket and draped it over herself and got as comfortable as possible. She looked out the window and watched as they were surrounded by endless blue sky and a few dotted white fluffy clouds, slowly her eyes drifted shut, sleep pulling her under.
"Excuse me, ma'am," a lady spoke, pulling Sakura from her sleep. "You need to sit up and put on your seatbelt, we will be landing shortly."
Sakura sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she covered her mouth as she yawned, "what time is it?" she asked groggily.
"It's seven thirty," the woman smiled at her.
Sakura was surprised that she had managed to sleep for nearly three and a half hours. She ran a hand through her hair and fastened her seatbelt.
"Thank you," the woman smiled again before walking off and checking on the other passengers.
Sakura looked at the small screen and watched as the plane got closer and closer to its destination. She felt butterflies flutter through her, and she wasn't sure whether it was nerves or excitement that caused them.
The plane touched down and they were shown out of the plane. Sakura was greeted by dry air and even drier heat, even with the sun setting, it was still hot. Everywhere she looked, she was surrounded by sand, with the occasional tree or shrub. She followed the others into the cool airport, glad to be out of the stifling heat.
She found her suitcases and grabbed them, and made her way towards the checkout area. She handed over her documents and answered the questions, before being shown where to go. "We hope you enjoy your time in Suna," the man smiled at her.
"I'm sure I will," Sakura smiled back and made her way to the exit. She looked around until her eyes fell on a card with her name on it. She walked up to the man and smiled, introducing herself.
"Can I help you with your bags?" Hakui asked as they made their way to the car.
"No thank you, I've got it," Sakura hauled the suitcases into the boot and shut it before getting into the car and buckled herself in. As Hakui drove by, Sakura watched in wonder as they drove towards her new place. Nearly all the building were in different shades of sand, almost blending into their surroundings, with the occasional brightly coloured building.
As they pulled up on the driveway, Sakura looked in wonder at her new home. It was beautiful, with a rustic finish. The front of the house had different shades of sandstone bricks, two small palm trees on either side of the door, making it feel like a hidden oasis.
Hakui got out of the car and got her suitcases out, placing them against the front door. "The door should be open, and there should be a set of keys for you in the living room," he smiled at Sakura.
"Thank you Hakui," Sakura got out of the car, she smiled at him as she walked to the front door and pushed it open. She was expecting to be met by warm, if not hot air, but instead, she was greeted by a cool, welcoming breeze. She wheeled her suitcases inside and placed them in the living room.
"If you need anything," Hakui said from the open door, "don't hesitate to contact me," he placed a card on the small table. "I hope you settle in well," he smiled and turned away, making his way back to his car.
Sakura stood in the doorway and waved goodbye to him, once he was gone, she shut the door and squealed in excitement, "FREEDOM!". She ran into the living room and looked around, it had cream walls, light brown sofas and furnishings, and a blue rug. In the corners of the room, there were small palm trees.
On the table in the living room, she found an envelope with her name on it. She opened it and fished out the set of keys and a card.
Welcome to Suna Sakura.
I hope you find this house to be comfortable and inviting. If there is anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask.
I look forward to meeting you soon.
Chiyo.
She smiled at the card and placed it back on the table, followed by the keys, she made a mental reminder to place the keys on her keychain, so she wouldn't lose them.
The colour scheme flowed through the whole house, each room having accents of blue and brown, and potted palm trees in almost every corner, adding to the oasis feel. The upstairs had two rooms, and a bathroom.
Sakura took her suitcases upstairs and placed them on the bed For the next hour, she went through all her belongings and put them away, making sure to keep the room tidy, something she didn't do in Konoha. With everything unpacked, she wondered around the house, looking through each drawer. She found a few leaflets for takeaways, places of interest and local bus routes.
By the time she was done, it was pushing 10. She was still buzzing with excitement, she wanted to go out and explore her new city, but she needed to get rest, plus she'd have several days to explore Suna.
Back in the kitchen, Sakura went through the cupboards and found a few pots of instant noodles. She prepared a pot of instant noodles and sat down in the living room. She picked up her phone and found several messages from her parents, Ino, Tsunade and the others. She sent them a quick message, letting them know she had arrived safely, and that she would call them tomorrow.
With her noodles over, she went through her nightly routine and got into bed. Book in hand, she read until her eyelids felt heavy and she could no longer keep them open. She turned off the lamp and snuggled on her side, a blissful sleep taking over.
XoXoXoXoXoXoXo
"Hey mum, dad, how are you two doing?" Sakura spoke into the phone.
"We're doing well thanks. Are you okay? What is your house like? Are you eating properly?" Mebuki's worried voice came through.
Sakura smiled and huffed out a laugh, "I've only been gone a day mum, you're worrying like I've been away for months. The house is amazing mum, it's beautiful, I'll send you some pictures. And stop worrying," Sakura smiled.
"I can't help it, you're so far away from me and I don't know when I'll get to hear from you, and I'll always worry whether you're eating heathy, sleeping well and who you might be see-
"Okay mum," Sakura quickly cut through, not wanting to hear her mum bring up potential boyfriends. "I'm going to explore; I'll call you later okay?"
"Fine," Mebuki sighed out, "take care of yourself. We love you."
"Love you too, bye." Sakura hung up and looked at her phone. "I put several hundred miles between us and she still finds a way to bring up relationships," Sakura muttered to herself. She picked up her keys and slipped into her shoes. Once outside, she locked the front door and clicked on her phone, bringing up the maps. She studied it for a while before making her way towards the town centre.
The walk took her twenty minutes. She was surrounded by the hustle and bustle of people going about their day, merchants calling out what goods they had to offer, tantalising smells from close by stalls. She looked around with a smile on her face.
She walked around and looked around, eyeing what was on offer, from jewellery made from different coloured sandstones, to glass sculptures that shone in the bright sunlight. She walked further into town and came across a dessert parlour. Her face lit up at the sight of it, and even more when she saw they served anmitsu.
She decided to go in and have a bowl of anmitsu, before carrying on with her exploring. The décor of the shop was similar to the one in Konoha. With baby pink walls and grey furniture, at the front of the shop, there was a large freezer with all the different flavours of ice cream, to the side a fridge full of cold drinks. The place was bustling with people, young and old, all enjoying the desserts.
"Welcome to Desert Desserts, what can I get you?" the young woman behind the counter asked.
Sakura smiled at her, "hi, can I please have a bowl of anmitsu."
"Would you like Cream anmitsu, or regular anmitsu?"
Sakura thought for a second, "Cream anmitsu please." She paid for the dessert and sat down at an empty table. She watched as several children came running in, shouting their orders to the young lady. She smiled at them, at their delight of being in the shop.
"One order of Cream anmitsu," the bowl was placed in front of her.
"Thank you," Sakura smiled. She eyed the bowl with hungry eyes. Spoon in hand, she dug into her dessert happily.
With her dessert over, Sakura brought up the map on her phone and looked at it, she studied it longer, learning as many routes as possible. She stood up and made her way towards the main square. There was a magnificent beautiful and sparkling water fountain in the middle, with water shooting through the pumps. Several children were laughing as they ran around the large water fountain, parents yelling after their children, warning them to be careful. The area was busy with people, friends walking around, talking and laughing. Others walking around with bags of shopping, some on their phones.
"Sakura," a woman's voice called from behind her.
She turned around to face an elderly lady. She had a weathered face, black eyes and grey hair which was tied back in a bun. Sakura smiled at the woman, "you must be Lady Chiyo."
"Eh? Lady?" the woman laughed heartily, "aren't you polite. Call me Granny Chiyo, everyone does."
Sakura smiled, "as you wish, Granny Chiyo."
"How are you finding Suna?" Chiyo moved closer to Sakura, "was the house okay?"
"Thank you so much for the house, it's beautiful," Sakura smiled sincerely.
"Think nothing of it," Chiyo waved away her thanks, "we had to impress you somehow," she laughed. She walked towards an empty bench and sat down, patting the seat next to her for Sakura.
Sakura sat down next to Chiyo, "thank you for letting me come here."
"Really, we should be thanking you for wanting to come work with us, we've heard so much about you" Chiyo smiled. "The old slug didn't say why you wanted to come here though."
Sakura looked at her in confusion, "old slug…?"
"Huhuhu," Chiyo laughed, "your mentor, Tsunade."
"Oh," Sakura nodded, not really knowing what else to say to the comment, as well as, she was bristling at the comment slightly.
"It's a nickname for Tsunade," Chiyo explained, "when she was young, I had caught her looking after some slugs, and since then, I called her the slug princess, a name she doesn't agree with," Chiyo laughed.
Sakura smiled slightly; she knew Tsunade well enough to know how the blonde woman would react to the name.
"She did tell me how amazing you are, and how you have surpassed her in your work," Chiyo added.
Sakura blushed slightly, "she's too kind."
"Tsunade? Kind?" Chiyo laughed, "child, that woman is ruthless, she works people to the bone and she makes sure that the job is done." She looked Sakura over, "you remind me of her."
Sakura smiled again, this time with pride, "thank you."
"If you do need anything," Chiyo stood up and stretched her back, "you can always ask me, and I'll try to help," she smiled kindly.
"Thank you," Sakura stood up and returned the smile. "It was nice meeting you."
"You too my child," Chiyo waved as walked away.
Sakura made her way through the rest of the town, looking at all the shops and what they had to offer. By the time she was done looking around, Sakura was tired, her feet aching. She made her way back home and sat down, sighing with relief. Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out, Ino's name on the display.
"Hey pig, did you get my pictures?"
"I did, the house looks amazing. Have you explored?"
"I did, and it's so beautiful, you would love it here. Plus, I found an amazing dessert parlour."
"Why am I not surprised that you'd find a dessert parlour anywhere," Ino laughed.
They spoke for a long time, before they both hung up.
In the kitchen, Sakura made herself some dinner, and spent the rest of the evening watching tv, before calling it a night.
XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo
Over the next few days, Sakura explored more of the town. Suna had a lot to offer, from five star hotels, to spas and high end shops. There was something for everyone here, and Sakura loved it. And the night life was something else. She watched how the town would change come nightfall. Gone were the shades of sand, in their place, there were neon lights on many buildings, mainly bars, clubs and stalls.
The town was beautiful both in the day and night and Sakura enjoyed every second she got to spend here. She was happy here.
