Chapter Two
When Sakura woke up, the feeling of being at home struck her instantly. She could hear Tsunade in the kitchen, preparing breakfast, and she could see her Chara Eggs, all set together in a small, cushioned box beside the doll house she had set up for them. Her room was bare, with plain blue walls and a simple white carpet, since she'd had little time to decorate it, yet she felt more secure in this room than she had ever felt in her other places of residence.
"Sakura, time to wake up!" called Tsunade, the sound immediately followed by a squeal and taps against her door. Sakura swept out of bed, shoving the covers aside, and opened her bedroom door for Tonton, Tsunade's little pet pig, to enter. The gilt sniffed around the room before squealing at Sakura and nudging her out.
Tonton, much like most domestic pigs, is of a light pinkish colour, though her cheeks seem to be a darker shade of the same pink as her skin. She, as always, was wearing a pearl collar and a dark red jacket, both items given to her by Shizune – Tsunade's friend and intern as well as Uchiha Sasuke's aunt. The small pig seemed to be somewhat of a mascot at Tsunade's old workplace, and everyone was sad to see her – as well as Tsunade – leave.
Luckily, with her reputation, it was not hard for Tsunade to find work in a nearby hospital – not as Chief of Medicine, like her old job, but a surgeon. She claimed to love going back to her roots, though anyone could tell she slightly missed being the boss-lady, even if it took a lot of convincing to get her to take the job in the first place. Shizune herself had just gotten past the interview stage with the hospital, managing to gain a place as a surgical intern – exactly like her last place – and things were looking up.
"Morning, Tsunade," Sakura greeted cheerfully as she entered the kitchen and took a seat at the table.
"Morning, Sakura," the woman smiled, placing a plate of waffles on the table in front of her. "Shizune will be over soon, so don't take a second helping until after she's got some. We have to head off to work soon."
"No worries," the pinkette assured her, unthinking separating off four pieces of waffle to make four smaller waffles, "I have to head to school soon anyway."
"Oh, right," nodded the blonde. "You have that 'Summer School' thing, right?"
"Yep," she said, taking a bite of her food. "This is really good."
"Thank you," smiled Tsunade as she sipped her coffee. "Sakura, in all seriousness, I want you to know that I offered to take you in because I couldn't stand the thought of you going through your childhood with strangers. It was only a matter of time before social services picked you up and shoved you into foster care. Still – are you okay with this?"
"Tsunade," Sakura began slowly, "You've been looking after me for a long time – even after I left Gakure. All you had to be was a landlady, but you became almost like a mother. I went to you for advice, help with homework, even just when I was kinda lonely. I missed you, and I'm really glad that you wanted to take me in," she smiled genuinely, tears in her eyes.
"Always, sweet girl," hummed the honey-eyed surgeon.
Sakura finished her breakfast as Shizune walked in and, after bidding the dark-haired woman good morning, the pinkette returned to her room to prepare herself for the day. The left the mini-waffles by her Chara Eggs, knowing the smell would wake them up, and went into the bathroom to shower and brush her teeth. After drying off and wrapping her hair in a towel, Sakura returned to her room wearing a dressing gown, smiling when she saw her Charas eating the waffles.
"Morning, girls," she said happily, walking to her wardrobe. She pulled out her school uniform, placing it on her bed while she plugged in the hairdryer and took the towel off her head before drying her pink locks. After her hair was done, she dressed, leaving her shirt un-tucked, her blazer un-buttoned and her tie slightly loosened.
"This is gonna suck," complained Mari, storing her food in her cheek for the moment. Setsuko gave her a disapproving look.
"It'll be fun!" Katsumi, who had already finished her waffle, grinned.
"You do realise that the only male Chara present will be Kiseki," commented Mitsu lazily, her eyes half-lidded as she observed her oldest sister's reaction to this news. As predicted, her face fell.
"Mari's right," she huffed, crossing her arms grumpily, "this is gonna suck."
{-}
I think Sakura might be dating Ikuto...Weird, huh? – H. Amu
Kukai stared long and hard at the message on his phone. He read it and re-read it over and over, but that only served to make the message less of a bad dream.
I think Sakura might be dating Ikuto
This wasn't supposed to happen. Sakura was supposed to see how much she meant to him. He was supposed to be with Sakura.
Sakura might be dating Ikuto
It was all wrong. The Black Cat didn't deserve her. She didn't deserve the trouble he caused. Who else could be to blame for Sakura getting mixed up with Easter?
Sakura is with Ikuto
He must have tricked her somehow! That was the only explanation. Ikuto was a lying thief – there's no way Sakura would willingly choose him over the Guardians, over her friends; over him!
Still, he couldn't help but wonder – did she really like him? It would seem so, judging by how he saw the two interact when Sakura was sick, and from the way Ikuto rejected that girl before, he knew the Black Cat liked her, too. It worried him, because Ikuto was a serious threat, yet it was also soothing to know that, even if she picked Ikuto over him, he actually cared for her. That did not, by any means, imply that Kukai was giving up without a fight!
Quite the opposite...
{-}
"And so," Tadase concluded, "our Seiyo Elementary will be participating in the Choral Competition. The event will take place during summer vacation, so let's all do a great job together!"
"It's a bit sudden," Yaya chimed in, "but we're gonna decide who'll be playing the piano and singing the solo now. Let's audition!" she cheered. The crowd buzzed with excitement, but Sakura yawned.
"Audition!" prompted Katsumi, trying with all her might to lift Sakura from her chair. The pinkette rolled her eyes, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.
"I can't sing," she said firmly, "and I can only play one song on the piano, remember? However..." the pinkette trailed off. She thought for a moment before standing from her seat and approaching the Guardians, who were surrounded now by people wanting to audition.
"Is Haruno-san going to re-join the Guardians?" whispered an excited fourth grader to her friend.
"Of course!" the other nodded proudly. "It was, after all, only a matter of time!"
"Why did she quit, anyway?" questioned a boy near them.
"No one knows," explained a girl from fifth grade. "That's part of what makes her –!"
"Cool and Mysterious!" interrupted Manami and Wanaka, glaring at the girl who almost said one of their catchphrases. Smiling at the pair, Sakura made her way through the parting crowd and tapped Amu on the shoulder. The taller pinkette turned, smiling when she noticing Sakura.
"Yes?" she asked curiously as their Charas began chatting to each other.
"I was wondering if you needed a set designer," Sakura told her calmly, her eyes wandering over the other Guardians as she spoke. "I've never really gotten involved much with school activities, so I wanted to change that."
"That would be great," agreed Tadase. "Having a beautifully designed set could put us apart from the other competing school. Good idea, Haruno-san!"
"No problem," she nodded. "Just text me the details later – I have to go for now."
"Mama will let you in, Saku-chi!" called Yaya, "Your stuff is by the door in your room, okay?"
"Thanks, Yaya," grinned the pinkette. Subtly, she gestured to her four Charas to follow her before they all left the school grounds – no one questioned that Sakura was, technically, skipping.
{-}
After transferring her belongings from Yaya's home to her new one, Sakura felt all her worries being lifted. The Easter drama was over, she and Ikuto were on good terms, she had stopped being a burden on her friend, Tsunade and Shizune were back as permanent fixtures in her life, and she was getting along well in school. Everything seemed to be going well for her, and even her Charas were all settling into this new peaceful atmosphere by upping their ability to annoy her.
"Sakura!" she heard from behind her, so she turned. To her surprise, she found Kukai – in jeans, a t-shirt and unlaced trainers – running to catch up to her.
"Hey, Kukai," she said in greeting as her Charas pounced on Daichi – literally, in Katsumi's case. "What's up?"
"Well, I was just going for a walk, and I spotted you," he laughed, lying through his teeth.
In reality, Yaya – who was a big Sakukai fan – had texted him, telling him that Sakura was out of school and would probably be wandering around the park, as she tended to do on hot afternoons when she was bored. Thank Yaya mentally, Kukai continued to grin at the pinkette, only then noticing how different she looked compared to the last time he had seen her.
"Did you cut your hair?" he asked, reaching towards one of the shorter strands with his a curious look. Smiling a little, Sakura shrugged and batted his hand away.
"I just wanted a change, is all," she waved it off. "How have you been?"
"Good," he smiled, nodding. "You?" the boy returned.
"Fine," she said. The two then lulled into an awkward silence, both unsure of how to continue the conversation, as they walked together. Kukai began whistling a little, though stopped when he got a glare from an old woman feeding the birds. Sakura giggled at this and he grinned, the awkwardness of the situation dissipating as the two settled into each other's company.
"There's a really good Dango shop around here," Kukai mentioned, mentally smiling smugly when her eyes lit up.
"Lead the way," Sakura gestured.
{-}
Kukai was trying not to panic. Sakura was walking along beside him, smiling, and her Charas were chatting with Daichi. It seemed perfect, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen to ruin this for him. In his mental run-throughs of how his day would be destroyed, Ikuto seemed to be the main perpetrator in all of them. Mentally scowling at the thought of the black cat, Kukai somehow managed to keep a straight face outwardly.
The rest of the outing went well, with pleasant conversation, catching up and a nice meal of Dango – which made Sakura extremely happy. She mentioned that she was designing the stage for the school choir competition and he told her that he was made Captain of his school's soccer team, leading Sakura to promise to come to his first game.
Eventually, their time together had to end, so Kukai walked Sakura part of the way home, made further plans to hang out, and they went their separate ways.
Sakura was glad to have caught up with her friend.
Kukai was annoyed that they were still 'just friends'.
{-}
Sakura arrived at the school a few minutes after the school's singing rehearsal finished in order to begin planning the decorations for the stage. She turned the corner into the courtyard, raising an eyebrow and coming to a halt when she saw Amu on her knees, looking completely exhausted. Katsumi and Mari had to smother giggles at her haggard appearance while Setsuko shook her head demurely and Mitsu rolled her eyes.
"I even suck at karaoke," wept Amu.
"So do I," admitted Sakura, causing Amu to jump. "The difference being; I didn't then sign up to sing the solo."
"Neither did I!" cried the Cool and Spicy student, "It was that brat Seiichiro!"
"Now, now," Sakura soothed mockingly, walking over and helping Amu up. "I thought this singing thing was for sun, right?"
"Y-Yeah," nodded Amu. Sakura sighed, an easy smile spreading across her face.
"Then loosen up and have fun," she laughed, patting Amu on the shoulder. "Go home and get some rest – I have some work to do."
"You want any help?"
"Even if I did, you need to get some sleep," rejected Sakura. Suddenly, they heard someone singing – very badly – and both looked up.
"Do you hear that?" asked the taller pinkette, standing.
"Yeah," nodded Sakura. "Maybe you should check it out, Amu."
"Why me?" freaked the girl. Sakura smirked, snapping her fingers.
"I have a job to complete," she reminded her. "Bye-bye, Amu-san~!" she sang cheerfully, practically skipping into the school while Amu yelled at her to 'stop singing'. Smiling to herself, she pulled out her phone, checking the time.
"Is he going to be here soon?" asked Katsumi, excited.
"Very soon," nodded Sakura, looking towards the doors when she heard footsteps.
"Ahh, it's good to be back!" called Kukai as he burst into the assembly hall, his arms spread and Daichi floating above his shoulder.
{-}
"Tomorrow is finally our real performance," Tadase announced, lifting his baton to conduct the music, "so this is our last rehearsal. Everyone, please excuse having Haruno-san in the background, but she needs to do work, also, so let's sing a beautiful tune for her to work to," he prompted. Sakura rolled her eyes, but everyone seemed inspired when they began singing, so she remained silent and continued to glue glitter onto the stars she had cut out. They almost got through the first line, but the pianist, Hatanaka Marimo, when a little wrong.
"I'm sorry," she apologised with a slightly embarrassed smile. "Can we try that part again?" the girl requested.
"Of course," allowed the King's Chair, motioning for everyone to start from the top.
"No, you cannot!" rejected Saaya from in front of the stage. "If you botch such a simple song now, what, do you think, will happen tomorrow?" she challenged, her arms folded and her clones stood around her, mimicking her pose.
"Perhaps it would have been better if Saaya-sama had been chosen to play the accompaniment after all," taunted one of the clones.
"It'll be fine," Tadase shot down, slightly irritated as he turned away from them and towards the pianist. "Once more, from the top," he told her.
"If it were Saaya-sama," picked up another one of Saaya's followers, "the grand prize wouldn't just be a dream."
"Yeah," agreed the original clone, "you'd definitely win."
"Why're they being so mean?" pouted Katsumi, crossing her arms in anger.
"That's just who they are," said Mari, fighting against the glue holding her to the floor. Setsuko saw her sister's plight and moved to help her while Mitsu accidentally spilt an entire tub of gold glitter onto the stage.
"I'm sorry," apologised the girl at the piano, "I'll try harder."
"No matter how hard you try," another from Saaya's group interrupted, "will it ever be good enough?" she smirked. Sakura scowled as Marimo flinched back and Amu moved to speak, but was cut off by none other than Seiichiro.
"Music is about having fun with sound!" he declared confidently, "So, winning isn't what's important. What's important is to have fun participating!"
"Huh?" drawled Saaya, bored, "If you're not aiming for the grand prize, then what are you aiming for? Just participating? What's the point in that? Doesn't everyone want to win?" she asked the group.
"Well, winning would be nice," agreed one group of girls quietly as the rest of the group muttered affirmatives.
"Hey, we all chose her!" yelled Yaya, standing up for the slowly less confident pianist.
"The masses are always fickle," spoke the voice of experience, Rima.
"Please, calm down, everyone," Tadase said, attempting to salvage the situation with words.
"If you're going to do something," spoke Saaya, her voice final, "there's no point unless you're number one. Saying 'it's okay to be average', or 'just to have fun'," she shorted, "Those are merely excuses for people who can't be number one! Is there even any point in doing something if you can't distinguish yourself?"
"The grand prize?" considered one of the boys.
"It might be impossible with our current accompanist," the boy beside him stated unsurely.
"Everyone!" attempted Tadase again, only to be interrupted by the sound of the piano fall board closing. They all looked over, seeing the girl on her feet, looking down in sadness. "Hatanaka-san," the blonde said in concern.
"I'm okay," she told them, looking up but not meeting anyone's eye. "I think it would be better if someone else did it," the girl attempted, smiling at them all weakly. "Excuse me," she then said, turning and running out of the room. Amu followed soon after, going to check on the girl.
With no other choice, Saaya was allowed onto the stage to play the piano in the other girl's absence. Sakura was not happy about the circumstance but also knew that the musical side of this event was none of her business, so she continued with the decorations. Saaya seated herself at the piano, opened the fall board and rested her fingers on the keys with the grace of someone who obviously knew how to play – unfortunately, Saaya would only play to the beat of her own drum, making her an incompetent accompanist.
"Finally, it is my time to shine," smiled Saaya dreamily. "Now, Tadase-sama – conduct!" she ordered. He looked slightly startled by the command but, with Kiseki, was incapable of standing up for himself.
"Okay," he complied, turning towards the singers. Sakura's fist clenched, but again she remained silent. Before anyone could begin, Saaya began to butcher a song of her own creation, embarrassing even her lackeys with her lack of singing talent.
"This is the perfect song!" announced Saaya, cutting herself off with a flourish of the keys. "We should switch to this instead!"
"It's a little late to learn a new song," Tadase said to subdue her, but Saaya was having none of it.
"Well, if that's the case," she smirked, "I suppose I shall have to play piano and sing lead. Not to worry, I am fully capable of handling both," she assured them all. Unable to stay silent any longer, Sakura stood.
"You're a self-righteous, spoilt, bratty, unaware drama Queen, Yamabuki Saaya, and I'm tired of it," she spat, stepping closer to Saaya with every word. The pompous girl at least had the decency to look slightly afraid. "You tear down a girl who was trying her best, dismiss a boy who finally had the confidence in himself to speak up, take control over an event that you're not really even interested in, and try to command us all like your peons. Not today."
"Haruno-sama," gushed the small gathering while Tadase, Yaya and Rima smiled at her verbal bashing.
{-}
Sakura had just finished placing the final star on the stage-right curtain so that it matched the one on the left – as this was not their school stage, and she had only five minutes, this had to do. The pinkette had to leave the remainder of the stars in the dressing room with the team, slightly disappointed that some of her efforts would go to waste. Rather than make a fuss, however, she finished attaching the stars and took her seat in the second row, just left from the centre.
The singers filed on and Sakura smiled, warmed when she saw them each wearing one of the stars on their left, with their pianist wearing one on each side and another attached to her headband. Amu, of course, had clipped her own to her tie rather than wearing it like everyone else – she had to be different. Seeing them appreciating her efforts, Sakura grinned at them, offering Amu a thumbs-up when she stepped forwards for her solo.
After the performance, she snuck backstage and offered her congrats to the team, all of whom thanked her for the lovely stars she had made. Amu caught her and filled her in on the X-Chara who had appeared while she was setting up the stars on the stage and Yaya had made a 'subtle' comment on how it would have been taken care of quicker if Sakura rejoined the Guardians. She laughed this off, wanting to spend the year at ease rather than fighting.
Regardless, for the first time in a long while, Sakura felt as though she finally belonged.