Ch. IV: The Promised Place
Clouds.
Did you ever dream,
Beyond the clouds?
To the place
Promised
In our childhood,
The place we dreamed of
Laying on the grass
Staring at the sky.
But no matter where we dreamed of
The place we always wish
To return to is
The grassy field
Where all of our dreams
Took flight.
It was calm and peaceful; those were the only reasons Sakura stayed in Momotsuki Village.
From any normal person's perspective it would appear that Dr. Haruno led a busy life. Every day she opened her small clinic to the public, offering various and sundry of medicines from all over the world. She would make house calls to the farmers who lived on the outskirts of the village. And whenever the school was shorthanded she taught classes, this kept the pinkette eternally busy.
However this busy-ness was her saving grace. It never allowed for a moments rest from sun up till sun down. There was never time to stop and think; thinking was bad as far as Sakura was concerned. Thinking meant reminiscing about a certain someone. Reminiscing about a certain someone was absolutely forbidden lest she become distracted during work. The constant actions of the day cleared her mind of emotions and let her think and breathe easily.
Unfortunately she couldn't suppress the constant ache in her heart all day. She needed a place where all the painful memories could overrun her mind and her tears could fall freely. She needed a place where she could be completely alone, a place where she could run, scream, cry, laugh, or maybe all of them at once, without fear of scrutiny. That, however, was not the more urgent reason for such an empty place. She needed that empty place because it reminded her of her old place; the dark place in her mind where her loved one's ghosts plagued her. As much as she hated it there, it provided sense of security
So one day when the ache had gotten so strong her heart felt it would burst out of her chest, Sakura went out for a walk. The place she found was perfect. From beneath a grove of cherry trees she found an empty plain. Green grass stretched for miles and miles. Dandelions covered the grass like a thin layer of snow, and each time there was a breeze hundreds of thousands of puffs flew into the air. Huge thunder clouds hung low on the horizon seemingly docile. Standing amidst the flowing grasses and dandelion puffs, Sakura felt completely and utterly alone. It was perfect.
It had only been a week since she discovered the fields, but stopping by before she went home had become routine.
Today was no different, as she gazed across the rolling hills. A peaceful contented sigh escaped Sakura's lips as she pulled the chopsticks out of her hair letting it blow freely with the wind. For such a rocky start to the day, the rest had seemed relatively normal and surprisingly gratifying. The clinic, as usual, had been overly busy, and Mrs. Nakamura had chattered endlessly about the state of affairs around town.
"Well, I've never been so excited in my entire life! Let me tell you, besides my wedding of course, this town has never been in more of an uproar!"
Sakura couldn't help but shake her head indulgently at Keiko Nakamura. As much of a chatterbox and social butterfly as she was Keiko carried an air of amiability and friendliness you fell in love with.
"Haven't you heard yet, there is a mysterious stranger about town!" Keiko giggled with absolute glee before continuing. "And apparently he's quite the piece of eye candy," "But that's not even the juiciest part, he just came from the Three Wolves mountains. He's been living up there you see, you can tell by his tough skin, he must be one of the samurai who train up in those mountains!"
Sakura was about to comment when Keiko started rambling again. "Oo it's been so long since a samurai came to our little town! I know you haven't been here long Sakura-chan, but during the war whenever samurai came it meant a celebration!"
Sakura finally managed to squeeze in a "Huh?"
"Samurai are to be held in the highest regard whenever they come to your village seeking food or shelter. Momotsuki Village always uses the tradition to honor samurai as an excuse to party!"Keiko's eyes were shining a million volts in Sakura's general direction. It hurt like hell to look at.
"So um…Keiko-san what should I do if I see him on the street?" The traditions were vastly different in the Land of Iron and Sakura certainly didn't want to offend anyone.
"…Keiko-san, you in there?"
"Huh? What? Oh…Gomen Sakura-chan I was just…um…What did you say again?"The starring eyed look on Keiko's face was beginning to fade as she came back to reality.
Sakura sighed, "I asked you what I should do if I come across him?"
"Ah yes, you're not from the Land of Iron originally are you? If you see him on the street bow low and if he comes into your clinic, ignore your other costumers and treat him with the utmost care and respect. If he speaks to you avert your eyes and stay in a half bow. Remember, they hold the most respected position in the Land of Iron, so always be...well...respectful!"
Keiko gave Sakura a winning smile before departing from the clinic, leaving Sakura with a cloud of dread hanging over her head. How on earth was she supposed to ignore her patients just for one guy? What if one of them needed her immediate attention? Sighing again Sakura hoped that whoever he was, he wasn't cold- hearted and would hopefully forgive her if her attention was needed elsewhere.
Afterwards Sakura made her rounds to the surrounding farms.
She finally headed to the children's school which rested on a small hill that overlooked town.
As usual the children clamored around her begging for stories and "magic tricks". For three hours she did just that reveling in the innocence of the young children. Finally set free of her duties when Yoshino-sensei came back, Sakura set off for the fields.
Relishing the chilly wind Sakura gazed up at the clouds and felt content. Contentment and a sense of peace, those were the only reasons for her being in Momotsuki Village. It was also why she panicked this morning at the thought that she might be losing it again. Perhaps she wouldn't be able to be happy without her friends and family, but it was possible to find a small measure of peace wasn't it? She didn't want to lose the world she lived in now; with Keiko-san, the children, and silly samurai festivals.
The Land of Iron snowed almost year round except for a small time in spring. Spring would soon be over and Sakura wouldn't be able to come here as often as before. For now though she could gaze at the clouds and watch the wind turn the fields into an ocean.
For a long time she stood there. Slowly her heartbeat began to beat in time with the swishing of the grass. Her mind emptied as she watched the clouds drift lazily through the sky. Sakura let her presence disappear among nature as her chakra flowed in time with the rhythm of the earth. Deep in meditation the whole world melted away; leaving Sakura in a world that had no beginning and no end. Only she existed in this world. Nothing was born and nothing died, it was an empty and lonely world.
She was empty and alone in this world, no one existed, no one ever had. In this empty place Sakura cried and cried. Tears flowed mercilessly down her cheeks. Her ragged sobs soon became screams of agony and then just hollow screams. In this world of her own making Sakura hoped if she cried hard enough someone might hear her. But that was absurd. Nothing existed in this world. It was dead.
Sakura snapped back to reality when she heard someone approach. Whipping her head from side to side Sakura couldn't see anyone. Gritting her teeth and tensing her muscles in case whoever it was meant her harm,
Sakura called out "Who's there? Show yourselves!"
With a swirl of leaves someone appeared behind her. Just as she was about to whirl around and face the interloper, a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her small frame. Locked in an iron grip Sakura was rendered immobile even with her monstrous strength. That sure as hell didn't mean she wasn't going down without a fight. Wiggling, biting, scratching, and kicking at any piece of flesh she could get her hands on, Sakura was rewarded with sounds of muted pain coming from the man behind her.
Good, she thought icily. With one more, well aimed kick to the forbidden place, the interloper's grip loosened enough for Sakura to break free. Rolling along his side Sakura grabbed the man's arm and pumped chakra into her arm. She pitched the man like he was a baseball straight towards the trees. However the man vanished in midair, only to appear behind her again grabbing her wrist in the process; he was fast, almost too fast. The last thought was unsettling.
Sakura used her considerable speed and flexibility to break out of the man's vice-like grip yet again. Only this time she hesitated, his speed was familiar and it brought back memories. Sensing her hesitation the man recaptured her wrist and pinned her to the ground. His weight was crushing her small body and Sakura was left gasping for air. The man was chuckling. Sakura wanted to tear his head off.
"Well, well Sakura-chan, long time no see!" Big cerulean eyes met Sakura's emerald ones. An even bigger grin was plastered on his face.
No. It wasn't possible .