Vigil of Sorrows
Chapter 12
"Harvest Day"
…..
Sakura had started preparing for the day and was currently watching her reflection stare back at her as she fixed her hair. Golden rays of sunlight streamed in through the open window as the curtains were swaying in the light morning breeze.
The Shinobi brushed through her short pink tresses, remembering a lullaby her father used to sing to her whenever she was sad or scared, which seemed to happen often when she was younger. The memories flooding to the forefront of her mind, she began singing the cherished melody to herself:
Close your eyes,
Rest your fears,
This coldness won't last.
When you wake, sakura blossoms will bloom.
Weep not, sweet child,
You're not alone.
Fear not, sweet child,
I am here by your side.
When you wake, sakura blossoms will bloom.
Sleep now, fearful child,
Go to where monster's arms can't reach.
Dream now, fearful child,
The evil beasts cannot find you.
When you wake, sakura blossoms will bloom.
And morning will come,
And the night will run.
Stars will vanish,
So will the sun,
But I'll always be here
When the sakura blossoms bloom.
Sakura smiled. She loved her father very much. He was her best friend growing up. She used to have nightmares all the time and would call for her dad. He would then stay in her room with her until she fell asleep again. One of those times, he came up with that song and she asked him to sing it all the time.
It was comforting singing this to herself. Suddenly she felt more prepared to face the new day. It was surprising considering what a hassle it was yesterday. She could tell, trying to teach something new to these crazy people was going to be difficult, but a determination to help coursed through her when she so much as walked through the streets and saw all the sick people.
Yesterday, she had shown Itachi how to purify the diseased water into being consumable. They had then passed the knowledge onto the inhabitants of the town. Granted, it had taken several attempts and in the end, they still hadn't learned how to cleanse the water, but at least they agreed to drink the already clean water.
Sakura sighed as she set her brush back in her bag. "I'm just going to be as patient with them as possible. If I give up now, who knows what would happen to these people. They live such…unsanitary lives."
She smiled as she headed toward the door. "Naruto would be proud of me."
Her hand on the door, she instantly remembered what the plan was for the day. They were going to find the plants that were in the herbologist's book and test if they could be used as an antibiotic against the pathogen.
"Right! We should get started on that as soon as possible. I need to go wake Itachi up. He probably had enough beauty sleep for one night."
Sakura wrenched the door open and ran into the hallway. Itachi's room was beside hers so she hastily turned in that direction. As his door quickly became closer, she spotted Itachi standing in front of it, but she couldn't stop her running and instead bumped into him. However, she didn't fall and was instead being steadily held by Itachi.
'His reaction time is incredible.'
"…good morning, Sakura-san."
She lifted her head to meet the Uchiha's gaze and grinned. "Good morning, Itachi. I was just on my way to wake you."
Itachi tilted his head as he returned her smile. "What a coincidence, as I was also on my way to wake you."
"We must think alike. I wonder what that is supposed to mean," Sakura replied.
Itachi shrugged before removing his hands from her shoulders. "We certainly must," he replied. "Though the meaning is definitely a mystery."
"Glad you agree," she nodded, reaching down and grabbing his hand. "Ready to get started?"
Itachi nodded in response, "Aa. Where do you recommend we begin?"
"We're going to pick plants so we should start with a field," Sakura stated nonchalantly. "Lots of plants there."
"Well," Itachi mused as he led her toward the staircase, "It might be more efficient to review the contents of this book, determine which specimens correlate with ones we are familiar with in our own land and then seek them out. The herbologist has some detailed descriptions of common places to find each plant."
"Alright. In that case," Sakura quickened her pace down the stairs. "We should find a table and look through the book."
Her partner nodded as they descended the last step. Sakura glanced about the room, in search of an empty table.
"How's that one, Sakura-san?" Itachi said from beside her, motioning to a table near the fireplace.
Sakura shrugged, "I suppose it's alright."
Itachi tilted his head thoughtfully. "…is there another one you would prefer?"
"No," she responded simply.
After a moment, the Uchiha nodded before walking over to the table, upon which he placed the large book. He then proceeded to release her hand and sit in one of the chairs, resting his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand.
The pinkette followed and sat in the chair across from him. However, something didn't feel right about the current position and she decided to scoot her chair around the table until she was sitting next to him. 'This is much better.'
Itachi smiled slightly before he reached forward and grabbed the book.
Sakura turned in her chair so she could look at the contents with him as Itachi flipped to the first page. She always enjoyed research, having grown fond of during her years as Tsunade's apprentice, and was especially anticipating the countless interesting facts she could find out about the plants in this book.
She scrutinized the page, closely observing every detail of both the picture and the description. She noted the pictures were artistically accurate as they almost completely resembled the real thing, the limit being what could be done on paper. However, she pushed these thoughts out of her mind as she instead focused her attention on trying to remember what medicinal purpose the plant served.
"Hmm," she heard Itachi muse. "Perhaps we should take notes or mark the pages of potential specimens. Do you have a pen and some paper, by chance?"
"Excellent suggestion, Snail," Sakura replied before grabbing her bag and setting it on the table. "Give me a second to check."
As Sakura rummaged through the satchel, she remembered that she didn't pull everything out the other day. 'I forgot to look in the side pouch. Silly me.' She then proceeded to unzip the outside pocket and sift through the various items she stored there until she found a small blue notebook and an ink pen.
"Here you are, Itachi," Sakura stated with a smile before placing the objects in front of him.
Itachi lifted the notebook off the table and opened it to the first page. However, he glanced to her questioningly before returning his slightly narrowed gaze to the page. She was curious what had caused this reaction from him so decided to simply ask, "What?"
He looked to her again and shrugged, "nothing of consequence."
Sakura narrowed her eyes at him, "that's not what it looked like. Tell me the truth, Itachi." Something in his demeanor had changed the second he glanced at the page and it definitely wasn't nothing. He was obviously pretending he hadn't seen anything.
Itachi sighed before shaking his head. "It's not anything to concern yourself with, Sakura-san."
She slammed her fist on the table impatiently and glared at him. "Damnit, Itachi, tell me what the hell it is you saw!"
The Uchiha's eyes widen slightly before he shook his head once more. "I'll show it to you later. We need to focus on our task."
"No, I demand you show it to me now! I'm the one that gave it you so I can see it whenever I want," Sakura snapped. "If you don't let me see it, Itachi, this friendship thing might take a bad turn."
"Sakura-san…" Itachi began before pausing. He then released a frustrated sigh as he handed the book over and avoided her gaze.
"Thank you!" Sakura exclaimed irately, snatching the notebook and sitting back in her chair. She breathed to calm herself before flipping it to open to the page that had caused her to lose her temper. However, as the girl read the words written on the page, she felt her cheeks heat up intensely. 'Mrs. Uchiha Sakura' was clearly displayed at the bottom, surrounded by a large heart and a drawing of the Uchiha symbol to the side.
This was probably the most embarrassing thing she had experienced in her sixteen years. She remembered writing that the day they had been placed in Team Seven together and would look at it all the time. No one had ever seen it before since she had always kept it safely hidden away, but she had forgotten about it and now Itachi had seen it. Itachi was the last person she would've wanted to see that. Well, apart from Sasuke himself.
Sakura laughed nervously and pretended to pat the notebook indifferently. "That's just something…I, uh, wrote once."
Itachi looked to her and offered a small nod before directing his attention to the book on the table. "It's no matter."
"Right…" Sakura replied awkwardly. She hesitated a moment before roughly ripping out the stupid page and tossing it into the fire, the red flames consuming the object of her embarrassment. She then set the notebook in Itachi's hand s with a sigh, "Sorry I snapped at you."
The Uchiha's onyx eyes lifted to hers and a small smile formed after a brief silence, "apology accepted, Sakura-san."
Sakura returned the smile with a nod. It was the first time Itachi hadn't told her it wasn't necessary and she was grateful for it. She had crossed a line and an apology was definitely required. She felt like her temper had been out of control and mentally scolded herself. He was right that she should work on controlling her impulsiveness.
"Alright, back to business," she finally announced.
"Aa," Itachi answered, sliding the book across the table to her and raising the pen over the paper. "Just tell me what to write."
"Very good, pupil," Sakura smiled before lowering her gaze to the plant records. Perusing the first page once more, she tapped Itachi's shoulder. "Okay, write this down. Page 1: plant is an herb used for making strong tonics."
Itachi nodded as he copied what she said onto the paper. When he finished the sentence, he flexed his hand and returned his gaze to her.
Sakura leaned in front of him and nodded in approval. "Good, good," she stated before tilting her head to look up at him. "Is there anything you would like to add?"
The Uchiha shook his head after glancing at the paper, "nothing comes to mind."
"Alright then," she responded before returning to her former position beside him. Glancing at the adjoining page, she clicked her tongue before turning to the next one.
As she continued examining the plant species, she ordered Itachi to write down important information about each one that she deemed could be possibly helpful. However, this process was interrupted by the approach of the bartender.
The man looked to Sakura with a smile, "some food or perhaps a drink?"
Sakura noticed Itachi subtly shoot her a warning look and she got the message that they shouldn't eat the food here. She wanted to protest but she knew he was right. Gregor had cautioned them against it, after all.
She smiled warmly at the man and shook her head. "Thank you for the offer, but I'm fine. I don't really want to eat anything right now."
"Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure?" he looked between them, "surely you are a bit hungry, Are you sure? I prepared some infamous cake earlier."
Sakura couldn't help grinning at that last statement as she glanced at Itachi. Cake was his favorite food, after all.
"No tha-" Itachi began before he paused, seeming to actually consider the offer this time. After a short time, he finally nodded. "Aa, that would be great."
The bartender grinned widely before abruptly turning and running away.
Sakura giggled at her partner's response and he looked to her. "I guess since it was cake it's alright. Right," she cast him a wink, "Itachi?"
He answered with a small smile then shifted his gaze back to the direction the bartender had gone. Said man returned several minutes later, carrying a slice of white cake, which he set between both of them. "If there's anything else, don't hesitate. No hesitation is needed here. Ever."
Itachi nodded to the man before carefully examining the cake. Sakura rolled her eyes at him. He clearly wanted to eat the dessert so why was he wasting time checking for poison or whatever? The bartender seemed to be very trustworthy and hadn't done anything so far to arouse suspicion.
The Uchiha lifted a fork off the plate and slowly cut off a piece before cautiously lifting it to his mouth. He hesitated once more before finally relenting and taking the bite, which he seemed to like.
Sakura continued to watch him with amusement as he set the utensil back down and met her gaze. Her grin widened when she spotted a thin strip of white icing on his upper lip. He tilted his head as he slightly narrowed his eyes.
"Sakura-san?" he asked simply.
She reached forward and tapped her index finger against his mouth. "You know, Itachi, you look cute with icing on your face."
The Uchiha lifted his hand and wiped it against his lip before lowering it and looking at the white frosting. "Ah," he stated before wiping his hand on a napkin. He then returned his gaze to her with a small smile.
She laughed at him again before grabbing the same napkin and using it to wipe the rest of the icing off his mouth. Itachi stiffened instantly before ultimately relaxing as he smiled fondly at something distant, probably a memory. She decided against asking him about it though.
Sakura smiled and dropped the napkin onto the table before ruffling his hair. "There you go, Itachi. All better."
"Aa," he replied in a soft voice.
Sakura ran her fingers through his silky hair a moment before shaking her head and lowering her arm. "So," she smiled sweetly, "how is the cake?"
Itachi dropped his gaze to the dessert and nodded, "it's good."
"That's great," Sakura announced as she returned the nod. "Now hurry up and finish so we can get started."
"Of course," Itachi smiled, "Sakura-sensei."
The Uchiha then continued the process of eating the sweet and several moments later, they were back to taking notes on the plants. Hours passed before Sakura decided that they had more than enough information for a good start.
Her partner nodded as he closed the notebook and placed the pen in his pocket. He then glanced at the door before looking at her once more, "I suppose we can gather a few samples before nightfall."
Sakura felt a great sense of accomplishment as she closed the heavy volume and nodded in response, "sounds good to me. Which plants are the closest to here?"
"There are a few that grow near the water's edge," he replied. "We could start with those."
"May I have the notebook, please?" Sakura asked, holding her hand out expectantly.
Itachi handed the notebook to her as he tilted his head slightly.
Sakura smiled gratefully before she glanced down at the blue pad in her hands. Not wanting to go through another embarrassing experience like earlier, she flipped through every page, skimming the contents thoroughly. Upon finding nothing of the sort, she sighed in relief and turned back to the first page. The girl then proceeded to mark the plants that were found near the water.
"That makes eight different species," Sakura informed Itachi as she handed the notebook back to him. With a wink, she added, "and good job with those notes, pupil."
Itachi simply answered the compliment with a smile before flexing his writing hand. He then reached down to grab his bag and the plant book before meeting her gaze, "ready?"
Sakura grinned, "hell yeah. Come, Snail." She then grabbed his hand and marched toward the door.
"Good luck," the bartender stated with a wide grin. "Best of luck out there."
The Uchiha looked to the man and nodded.
The pinkette waved to the man with an emulating smile, "thank you, sir. My friend enjoyed the cake."
The bartender nodded to her, "the cake. Of course the cake. The cake was my specialty. My specialty, the cake."
"Thank you for sharing it with us," Sakura replied sincerely. "And also for letting us stay here."
The man's grin widened as he dipped his head. "Of course, of course, sweet miss."
Sakura returned the grin before she felt a gentle tug on her hand as Itachi opened the door. The sky was beginning to darken and Sakura noted that they had been studying that huge book all day, which meant they had to gather the plants quickly if they wanted to make any progress before nightfall.
…..
As the young kunoichi harvested the various plants in the fading light, her mind wandered to a similar situation while on a laborious mission.
"You know, Sakura-chan, usually I don't like these kinds of missions, but I really enjoy watering plants, dattebayo."
The sun was beating down heavily on the two members of Team Seven that day. They had been assigned a D-rank mission that involved pulling weeds and watering the plants in their client's garden. It was very tedious work and Sakura had expected Naruto to complain like he always did, but he actually liked this kind of work.
"Of course you do. All you have to do is water the few plants while I'm kneeling in the dirt, pulling out all the weeds," Sakura replied irritably.
Naruto grinned at her as he moved to the next row of flowers. "Exactly, dattebayo. I'm glad you understand."
Sakura narrowed her eyes at him, but he didn't notice so she instead took her frustration out on the stupid weeds.
After several moments of silence, Naruto suddenly exclaimed, "I just realized that teme isn't here! How come he gets to slack off while we're working?"
The pinkette glared at her teammate and threw a rock, which made contact shoulder. Naruto dropped the watering can as he rubbed his now sore arm. "Why did you do that, Sakura-chan?"
"Because you're accusing Sasuke-kun of doing something he isn't. He's not slacking off, Naruto. He's just working on another client's garden by himself so we can get both jobs out of the way at the same time."
"Ohh! Then we can get better missions, dattebayo!" the blonde stated cheerfully.
Sakura smugly placed her hands on her hips, "Exactly. Now work!"
"Okay. Okay, Sakura-chan," Naruto responded defensively as he stooped and retrieved the canteen from the ground.
They continued their work in silence for a few minutes until Naruto looked to his friend and a sudden grin spread across his face.
The Shinobi released an exasperated sigh. "What's with that look, Naruto?"
"Nothing," he replied, the smile widening. "Except…Sakura-chan, you have dirt all over your clothes."
Sakura looked at her clothes and growled angrily. Not only was her outfit dirty, but he even had the nerve to mock her about it? "Fine!" She pushed herself off her knees and stamped her foot before stalking off in the direction of the village. "You can just finish the rest by yourself!"
She frowned as she set the plants she had collected into the pile with the others. Why did it always seem like she was unreasonably cruel to Naruto whenever she thought about their time together as children? In every memory, she had either ditched him for Sasuke or was simply rude to him.
Maybe it only seemed that way because those were merely the ones she was remembering at the time. She had been mean to him before, but after several months of being together that had changed. She no longer forced herself to be nice to him or anything, even now. She and Naruto were friends now and that was all that really mattered.
Sakura glanced at the pile and nodded in satisfaction. She spotted Itachi close by and walked toward him, tapping him on the shoulder when she reached her partner. "We've gathered enough for today. Let's head back"
Itachi nodded, "Aa."
"It's nice knowing that you agree," Sakura stated with a smile before retracing her steps back to the plants they had gathered. "I'll carry half of these and you can take the rest."
The Uchiha returned the smile before reaching down and proceeding to gather the collection of plants in one hand, "I've got them, Sakura-san."
"Alright," Sakura shrugged, "if you're okay with that."
Itachi nodded and grabbed his bag as well as the plant book and notepad, "of course."
The girl arched a questioning brow. "Itachi, I can carry something."
His gaze lowered to her own bag then it rose to meet hers, "you still have your satchel."
Sakura sighed as she grabbed her bag off the ground before turning back to him. "Just let me know if you need any help, Itachi."
"Aa," the Uchiha nodded with a small smile. "I will."
She nodded in response as she spun on her heel and led the way back to the crazy village. As she entered it, Sakura saw a young couple standing a few feet away from well, drinking the water they had purified the day before. She smiled triumphantly at the thought that the inhabitants were at least drinking clean water now. 'Now, they just have to learn how to do it themselves.'
The snail had finally caught up to her and Sakura congratulated herself for picking such a suitable nickname for Itachi. He certainly walked slower than she did, and sometimes she had to slow down to match his pace. She looked up at him with a conceited smirk as they continued venturing through the streets. He was such an amusing person to be around.
As the inn came into view, Sakura was anticipating starting the tests on the plants. It was always the most interesting process of making medicines and probably the most crucial. If she couldn't concentrate, then the chances of creating a proper antibiotic would be very slim. 'And that won't happen. There's nothing here that could distract me from my work.'
Sakura nodded before opening the door and crossing the threshold of the inn with a stronger resolve than when she had left nearly an hour prior. She smiled in greeting to the bartender when she saw him. Itachi simply nodded to the man before looking down at her.
Determining it was now time they begin the experiments, she walked toward the table in the far corner then proceeded to pull out a chair and sit down. Itachi soon joined her and set his belongings down as well as the plants they had gathered before taking the seat next to her.
"Good, you're here," Sakura proclaimed with a grin as she pulled her medical kit out of her bag.
"Aa," Itachi replied with a nod and an answering smile before removing the pen and notebook. He flexed his hand and prepared to take notes.
Sakura carefully removed the microscope and slides and set them beside each other on the table. She then placed a pipette, a pair of scissors, and a scalpel down next to them. Lastly, she placed a mortar and pestle on the table.
"Okay," Sakura began. "Hand me one of the plants then find its page in the notebook."
Itachi nodded before grabbing one of the specimens then looking at his notes. He turned it so that she could read it as she leaned forward
'…has medicinal characteristics similar to the herb, elderberry, a component for treating fever, skin rash, and intestinal ailments.'
Sakura nodded before she set to work cutting a slice of both the stem and the berry off the plant. She then dropped it in the mortar and smashed it with the pestle.
A sudden thought popped into her head as she turned to her partner. "Itachi, I'm going to need your help restraining some people tomorrow."
He blinked and tilted his head slightly, "of course. However, I must ask what the reason is."
"Oh!" Sakura exclaimed as her eyes widened. "Sorry. I need blood samples to test."
Itachi nodded, "Ah. That makes sense."
"Thank you," Sakura replied with a smile. "Now hand me the next one, Snail."
He nodded before proceeding to follow her instructions.
…..
Two young Shinobis stood on either side of an alley, adorned in black funeral attire. It was the day of the Third Hokage's funeral. The sky was grey and cloudy, the foreboding presence of rain looming overhead. Haruno Sakura's head was lifted to the dismal clouds while Uzumaki Naruto silently stared at an academy poster on the opposite wall.
The shuffling of footsteps approaching from the end of the path alerted their attention to their missing teammate. Uchiha Sasuke slowly journeyed towards the two figures, his gaze never lifting from the ground. He didn't stop once he reached them and instead walked past them, but halted after a few steps.
A blustery breeze blew dead leaves around the three friends and carried them away along with any hope of a lighter atmosphere. Sasuke then continued his journey down the lane and the other two children ran to catch up and walk in step beside him.
The village of Konoha shared the dismal silence of the three young Shinobi as they walked down the street and passed by the many, typically lively, shops. They walked as slow as possible, in no rush to get to a funeral that hadn't even begun. None of them dared say a word to break the melancholic silence. Even Naruto, the ball of sunshine and endless energy, shared in this wordless agreement.
Sakura didn't know how to feel about the coming event. The Third Hokage had always been there for everyone, even her. He had been involved in all their lives in some way and it was such a big loss to the Hidden Leaf.
'What are we going to do now?' This same question repeated itself in her mind as she walked with her friends down the long road, the Hokage Tower coming ever closer with each footfall.
Sasuke suddenly stopped mid-step. Naruto and the pinkette turned to him, blatant concern present on their faces. His unreadable expression hadn't changed, but his onyx eyes possessed a hint of deep sadness as they remained fixed on the ground beneath his feet.
The thought passed through Sakura's mind that he might be feeling unwell considering the gruesome fight he and Naruto had with the Suna Shinobi, Gaara, on the day of the invasion. 'That was the same day that…' she couldn't bear to finish that thought as a single silver tear formed in her teal eye and slipped down her cheek to the ground.
After several moments, the Uchiha finally lifted his gaze but directed it to a shop on his left instead of at his comrades. He then proceeded to venture in the direction of the shop and Sakura followed, realizing it was a vacant Ichiraku Ramen. She looked behind her at Naruto, who was in-step behind her, but the blonde still didn't say a word.
One by one, raindrops fell from the gray sky and landed in their wake then they started falling faster. Team Seven entered the ramen shop as the rain turned into a heavy downpour.
They mechanically sat on the stools, Naruto between the other two Shinobi. Three bowls of ramen were then set in front of them and Sakura simply stared at the noodles swirling around in the broth.
"It's on me today," the old man said and the girl lifted her head to see him offering them a small reassuring smile.
Sakura nodded and the man went back to cleaning bowls. The kunoichi glanced at her friends. The only movement Sasuke had made since sitting down was to hold the chopsticks in his hand, but he hadn't even broken them and merely stared at the wooden objects. A rumble of thunder sounded in the distance and his grip tightened slightly.
She remained silent and looked across him to Naruto, but he wore a completely broken expression. The blonde separated the chopsticks and the sound of the familiar snap seemed to echo throughout the small booth. He refrained from saying the typical thanks before a meal is consumed and dropped the chopsticks into the bowl. However, rather than eat it he formed random shapes with the noodles.
The girl didn't know what to say to her teammates. What could she say? There was nothing she could ever say or do that would give her friends some sense of comfort. She returned her gaze to the Hokage Tower and sighed before rising from her seat. If there was one thing she could do in this situation, she could guarantee they made it to the Third's funeral on time.
Sakura tapped Naruto's and Sasuke's shoulders and they both craned their necks to look at her. She offered them both a sad smile, "Come on. We can't be late."
They nodded in unison then proceeded to follow her out of the stall as another loud crack of thunder pierced the silence.
The familiar sound of rain pounding on roof of the building could be heard in Sakura's room. She was sitting on her bed in the dark with her pillow clutched tightly to her chest. The girl had attempted sleep but the sudden onslaught of the storm rendered this task a lost cause.
Thunder resounded outside her sealed window as lightning flashed and instantly disappeared, reflecting the emotions Sakura felt building up in her heart. She wasn't afraid of the thunderstorm; never had been, even in her childhood. It wasn't even the thunderstorm per-se that brought about the unwanted feelings she now felt. It was the incessant rain.
Every time it rained, she always felt an extreme emotion of both sadness and loneliness.
Plop. Plop. Plop.
Rain didn't used to produce this result. It only started after that day.
Plop. Plop. Plop.
The day that Naruto and the retrieval squad left to bring Sasuke back. The day Kakashi went after them to aid in their mission. The day she was left alone in Konoha…
Rain had been falling for over an hour. The street had started flooding and the park abandoned, except for one twelve-year old girl with rosy pink hair. She was sitting on the lone cement bench, tears cascading down her cheeks as relentlessly as the rain falling from the sky.
"Sasuke-kun."
The girl had been repeating the same word repeatedly ever since the torrent of water had begun. She wrapped her arms tightly around her torso, not even attempting to control her sobs.
Sakura didn't want to doubt Naruto. He always managed to pull through, no matter how certain is was that he would fail. But, this time didn't feel the same as any of the other times. As much as she wished, and hoped, that it wasn't so, it truly seemed like it was hopeless.
"Sasuke-kun isn't coming back," she choked out through her tears. "I can't blindly hope that Naruto can…bring him back to me. It's pointless. Sasuke-kun is never going to come back."
Sakura lied down on the cold bench and lifted her legs, which she clutched with her arms. "I'm all alone. Naruto is gone. Kakashi-sensei is gone. And Sasuke-kun…is gone. I'm alone."
A new trail of tears leaked out of her eyes as she voiced her thoughts, the sadness overwhelming her. She didn't want to sit and wait for the retrieval squad to return with the inevitable news.
Even though she thought this, in the back of her mind, Naruto's promise gave her a small hope.
Sakura buried her face in her pillow. She felt tears forming and she refused to let them fall. She didn't want to think about this anymore, but the rain refused to leave her alone. She felt so sad and lonely. Was there no one who could comfort her?
Her head popped up instantly as the obvious answer came to her. She smiled weakly and wiped the tears out of her eyes before jumping off the bed and hastily crossing the room to the door. She turned the knob and quickly escaped the dismal chamber.
The kunoichi ran down the hall and wasted no time before she knocked loudly on Itachi's door. She heard movement from inside the room and the sound of someone grabbing the door handle.
"Who's there?" Itachi asked simply.
"It's me, Snail," Sakura replied quietly.
After a moment, Itachi unlocked the door and opened it. Upon seeing her, he tilted his head.
"Are you alright, Sakura-san?"
Sakura avoided his gaze and stared pointedly at the wall beside him. "Not really."
Another crack of thunder sounded, but she simply waited for a response from her partner
Itachi smiled, "would you like some tea?"
She met his gaze and nodded slowly. If she could be around him until the rain stopped then it would be fine. Besides, she liked tea. "Yeah."
The Uchiha nodded before stepping aside and she gratefully stepped into the room. He flipped the switch and the room instantly lit up before he moved to a small stove in the corner.
As Itachi prepared the tea, Sakura glanced about the room for a place to sit before she shrugged and moved to sit on the bed.
Her eyes wandered about the room before they rested on Itachi, who was currently pouring the contents of the kettle into a cup and proceeding to prepare another. After several moments, he repeated the same process before turning of the stove.
He then turned and walked toward her, handing a cup to her when he reached the bed. She accepted it with a smile and took a slow sip of the warm liquid as Itachi sat next to her.
Itachi glanced at her and tilted his head. "Are you frightened of the storm?" he asked in a soft voice.
Sakura lowered her eyes to the steaming tea in her hand. She wasn't afraid of the storm. She wasn't even afraid. However, she also didn't want to reveal the real reason she sought his company, especially after what he had read earlier that day.
The pinkette met his gaze with a convincing nod, "y-yeah. They always scare me."
Itachi took a sip of his tea and smiled distantly as he lowered the cup. "Sasuke…was always afraid of them too."
"He was?" Sakura asked with widened eyes. That explained why he seemed to be tense whenever there was a storm…but always? She didn't expect that, though it did make sense. They were something he had been afraid of ever since he was a child. Actually, she didn't expect him to be afraid of thunderstorms at all.
"Aa," Itachi nodded. After a moment, he met her gaze. "Is he…still afraid of them? Do you know?"
"I'm not entirely certain. I never knew he was afraid of them before, but now that you told me I think there were always subtle hints," Sakura replied thoughtfully.
Itachi nodded again before smiling.
"Did he…" Sakura paused briefly before continuing. "Always come to you whenever he was scared?"
"Aa," he nodded slowly. "He did."
Sakura smiled fondly at the thought of a young Sasuke running to his older brother because there was a loud storm outside. She considered her own predicament and her smile widened. "You're the perfect person to come to when someone is scared…or otherwise."
Itachi smiled slightly and nodded before pointedly observing her, "…or otherwise."
Her smile faltered in response before it was replaced with a warmer one as she met his scrutinizing gaze. She debated whether she should tell him the actual reason behind her coming in here and shrugged. He had confided in her about things so she may as well do the same. "I, umm, lied earlier. Thunderstorms don't actually frighten me."
He nodded, his smile still in place as he replied, "I thought as much."
"Of course you did," Sakura laughed. "I can't keep anything from you, can I?"
Itachi shrugged before casting her a wink, "I suppose not."
She shook her head before taking another sip of tea. As she lowered it, however, she glanced at him curiously. "Don't you want to know the real reason I came here?"
"Only if you want to tell me," Itachi replied.
Sakura nodded before she considered his proposal. She decided to just answer simply but not elaborate further. "I feel sad and lonely whenever it rains and I needed to be around someone. That's why."
The Uchiha tilted his head thoughtfully in response before returning the nod. "I see," he stated with a smile. "Are you feeling any better, then?"
"Yes, thanks to you, Itachi," she responded before yawning. The day's work must've finally caught up with her. She leaned her head onto his shoulder with a smile. "You're a good friend."
Itachi looked to her with a small smile before glancing to her tea. "Have you finished your tea, Sakura-san?"
Sakura tiredly lifted the cup and drank the last few drops of the contents before holding the cup up to him. "Now I have."
He took it from her before finishing his own tea and leaning forward to set both cups on the night stand. He straightened, glanced down at her, and then looked aimlessly about the room.
Sakura's eyes grew heavy and she relented to close them when the thunder sounded again. She snuggled closer to him before ultimately drifting off to sleep.
'Goodnight, Itachi.'
