Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its affiliated characters.
Welp, here's the next chappy, R&R and enjoy! (Ps, for those who read The Exchange, please visit the poll on my profile.)
Sorry, I'm not the best proof reader of my own writing, so if you guys see a lot of mistakes, just tell me and I'll fix 'em.
..::Goodbye Mother::..
It was late in the evening and Sakura had long ago arrived. For the past few hours she'd directed the male counterparts of Team 7 to pack her belongings. She could still hardly move herself thanks to that one-night extensive training. But, the boys didn't seem too perturbed by her lack physical help, aside from some miner grumbling from Naruto.
"Sakura-chaaaaaan! Where does this one go?" Said kunoichi looked up from the clothes she was stuffing into a cardboard box to glance at the blonde.
"Mmmm…. Wrap it and put it with the other breakables. They're all going to the same place anyways." She looked back down to her task. Naruto had been referring to a small porcelain doll Sakura had been given years ago by her late beloved aunt. Sadly, there was nowhere in her new 'home' to display such cherished objects.
"Well, I think that's the last of it" Kakashi huffed as he place one box onto the stack at the back end of the room. Sakura stood, taking one last look around her childhood room. She'd lived here since she was born, it tore at her heart to leave it now.. But this is the place her mother had died, the place where her father had beat them, even gone as far to try and take from Sakura…. Something she'd never be able to re-obtain. She closed her eyes in resolution, yes, this is the right choice.
"Now we move it." Her new roommate spoke.
"Uugghhh! That'll take forever teme!"
"Shut up baka."
"Why can't you move it? She's going to your apartment after all!" Naruto steamed, still jealous at the prospect of Sakura leaving with Sasuke. Why couldn't she just have asked him?
"Hn."
Naruto growled in response.
Sakura looked blankly at them as they fought. She felt empty inside, numb. It was the only way to stop the pain. The harder the shell she made, the less she would feel.
"Both of you!" Their sensei yelled, "Calm down…" He sighed, "I may have an easier way."
Both Naruto and Sasuke looked at him quizzically, waiting to see what he'd do. Sakura continued staring at her bed. She wasn't even taking the blankets. They'd been defiled with incest. She hardly could bear to touch the quilt her mother had stitched for her when she was young. But her mother made it, and it was the last physical thing she could hold on to in memory of her.
Kakashi quickly made a series of hand signs before slamming his palm on the floor in front of the boxes. Black lettering crawled up the sides and over the cardboard. He mumbled something unintelligible to the group.
Poof!
"Where'd they go?!" Naruto looked around frantically.
Kakashi stood up slowly, "To Sasuke's….and Sakura's apartment."
Naruto's face lit up, eyes bright with excitement. "Whoa Sensei! That was SO cool! You gotta teach me!"
"Some other time, Naruto. Right now I've got… stuff to do." And with that he was gone.
He poofed away in the same fashion as the boxes.
"Kaka-sensei!" Naruto ran out of the house, going in search of him.
"Let's go." Sasuke said to Sakura, before walking out of the room. Sakura glanced around the room one last time. Good bye mother… Our memories, the good and the bad, will live on in this house. But I've got somewhere else to go. So for now, good bye. A tear slipped down her cheek. She turned and followed Sasuke out of the place she would no longer call home.
..::::..
Sasuke opened the door to a living room stacked cealing-high with cardboard boxes. He turned to Sakura, who was standing in the door way, "Tomorrow we'll take what's uneeded and place it in storage in the Uchiha compound. For now, sort through and pick out what you'll need on a daily basis. I'll shift the boxes for you."
"Arigato." She was still out of it. Numb, empty. A life time's worth of pain gone by.
Sasuke picked up a box entitled 'Breakables', another 'Baby Clothes', and others like them, and moved them to the opposite end of the room, near the kitchen. Sakura just stood by and watched for a moment.
"Sakura" Sasuke piped up after going through half the stack, "I know this is a difficult time for you but I need your co-operation."
She stepped forward and began searching for the labels she'd need. When all was said and done, she was left with a small box, which contained her bathroom and some light medical supplies, two larger boxes, containing civilian clothing and regular clothing, and another small box, with items such as her picture of Team 7 and her mother's quilt.
"I've already cleared out the wardrobe in the bedroom while you were sleeping. You can put your clothing in there. There's storage in the bathroom under the sink. Is there anything else?"
She thought about her mother's blanket, and then decided against asking; she'd just fold it up and place it in the bottom of the wardrobe when not using it. But…
"Where will I sleep?"
Sasuke turned away, "The bed or the couch, your choice." Not wanting to take anymore from Sasuke, she opted for the couch.
..::Several Days Later::..
Today had been the day of Sakura's mother's funeral. They hadn't been assigned mission for the past week or so, nor will they be for another week, due to the death in Sakura's immediate family. She'd been staying at Sasuke's now for about four days. They'd gotten used to each other's presence, but tended stay out the other one's way when possible.
All of Sakura's extra belongings had been transported to the compound by Sasuke himself. She'd been sleeping on the couch, just like she'd said. Just as she was doing now, preparing to fall asleep. The funeral had completely drained her of everything, energy, tears, happiness… She now awaited the blissful escape of nothingness that sleep brought her these days.
She no longer dreamed, no longer smiled. Hope was gone for her, loss was all that was left. Not even anger. Will? She still had that at least, the will to get stronger, so that she could protect herself and her close ones in the future. As of right now she was a walking burden to everyone who surrounded her. She made herself sick. This must be how Sasuke feels when he looks at her. Disgusted by her lack of strength; her inability to take care of herself.
But Sakura knew, the happy pink princess was no more, the spell had been broken. All her delusions shattered. Had she ever really been happy? Or was she lying about that too? Maybe for a little while… Before the fights started. Before alcohol had ever entered her father's life. She used to be daddy's little girl. His happy pink princess. He'd look at her and tell her how she'd grow to be as beautiful as her mother, if not more. She'd smile when he said that. Now she frowned. Had there been incest in those comments? Was there lust in her father's eyes when he admired her at such a young age? Sakura couldn't remember so she let it go, preferring not to add anymore self torture to the plate.
Finally all thoughts fled and Sakura was unconscious, yet she didn't slip into the usual blackness of these days….