Sakura Haruno

Her walk home was quiet and uneventful so far, and Sakura Haruno was glad for it; she didn't think she could handle any sort of excitement right now.

Within her, her emotions swelled and ebbed, Sasuke's last question to her before she'd apologized and walked away repeating in her head over and over again: "How is it different?"

And really, how was it different? How was the way Sasuke treated her any different from how she treated Naruto?

Her mind tried to tell that there were, in fact, lots of differences; Naruto was undoubtedly more obnoxious than she could ever be for one, and secondly, she'd always been explicit to Naruto (after his stupid prank) that she wanted nothing to do with him, meanwhile, Sasuke had never actually asked outright for her to leave him alone… Not that she could recall anyway.

Sakura sighed. Who was she kidding? The only difference she could really think of was that Sasuke had been more tolerant with her than she'd been with Naruto, as much of a heel as it made her feel to admit.

But then Sasuke had always been tolerant with her, hadn't he? Right from the beginning.

She still remembered it, even though it was almost three years ago now; the first time that she truly began to pay attention to him.

It had been during one of their training camps, during their fourth year in The Academy, and she'd been unable to sleep one night, worried about a shuriken marksmanship test they had the next day.

Despite knowing that sleep would do her better than some last minute practice, she'd left her bed all the same, and headed to the range; that's where she'd met him.

Sakura had never shared a class with Sasuke before then, and with over 160 students in their year (at the time at least), it really was no surprise.

She had heard about him though: Sasuke Uchiha; kid brother to the Uchiha genius Itachi; best student in her year, and as she watched him make shots in the moonlight that Sakura knew she could never manage even under the light of day, she understood why the boy was number one.

She had decided not to bother him, simply watch, but Sasuke had known she was there, and when, at his behest, she had explained the reason for her presence, he had offered to help her.

Even then, almost a year before the tragedy that befell him and his clan, he had been a quiet boy. Introverted. Good with words true, but preferring not to use them. Yet, he'd helped her, a girl he didn't know.

Sakura passed the test the next day, and though they didn't speak again for the rest of the year, Sakura never forgot the boy and what he did for her that night.

Fifth year came, and for the first time since she started in The Academy, Sakura found herself in the same class as Sasuke Uchiha.

She approached him then, offering friendship, and the seeds of it were only just beginning to sprout when, two weeks into the year, Itachi happened.

No one saw Sasuke for two months after that, and when he returned, he was changed.

An attempt to rekindle their fledgling friendship was ignored, as were any and all attempts to help him through his pain.

And she could tell that he was in pain. She could see it everytime she looked in his eyes, hear his hate and his rage and his gut-wrenching sorrow in every word he spoke. And it killed her when he rebuffed her; when the boy who had offered to train a girl he didn't know without asking for anything in return, now made clear efforts to avoid and ignore everyone.

So, as friends do, Sakura decided to help him.

She made it her mission to get back the boy from that moonlit night, to bring back the Sasuke Uchiha with whom she'd planted the seeds of friendship.

Sure, he didn't make it easy, but everytime he pushed her away, she pushed back harder, everytime he ignored her, she got louder, bolder. Sakura gave so much of herself… no, all of herself to get back that boy.

Because that was all she needed to do. If she could simply get him to accept her, then she would get that boy back; the boy with the kind eyes. The boy she loved.

The boy she thought that she was beginning to see glimpses of again.

Sakura blinked, pulled from her thoughts. She was home.

With a relieved sigh, she opened the door and walked in.

A familiar voice surprised her.

"Sakura, is that you?" Mebuki Haruno called.

"Yeah, it's me, mom," Sakura replied.

What was her mother doing home at this time of day? Sakura wondered. Usually she spent her mornings and early afternoons visiting friends and gossiping.

Unless, of course, her mother was the one hosting the gossip meetings today.

A few steps forward, after taking off her sandals, put Sakura in front of the doorway to the parlour and confirmed that, yes, her mother was hosting today.

"Good gracious," Suzuha, one of her mother's friends said, as all three guests present reacted with shock and some horror at her appearance. "What happened to you, child?"

Sakura looked down at herself.

She was dirt-stained from head to toe, thanks in full to Kakashi-sensei taking the expression 'beat into the ground' way too literally.

Ordinarily, she would make an attempt to clean up, but with how everything had ended after training, she'd forgotten. Not to mention, she really hadn't expected her mother to be home. Much less with guests.

Sakura looked at her mother. The woman had a barely restrained expression of deep irritation.

Great, Sakura thought. Now she would have to deal with that nagging later.

"I'll be in my room," Sakura says, adding a small bow at the end before she walked past.

"Mebuki, is that what ninja training is like?" one of the women 'whispered' as Sakura walked away. "Wow, you're so bold letting your daughter live like that."

"And your only daughter too," the third added. "I think I saw bloodstains on her dress."

Oh, shut up, you harpies, Sakura thought in the safety of her mind. What bloodsta—

Oh, there were bloodstains on her dress. The red colour of the attire simply made it easier to miss.

Sakura sighed.

Great.

She got to the top of the stairs, walked to her room, and opened the door.

"Heya, Sakura," Kakashi said.

Sakura jumped.

"What the—Kakashi!?" She stared at the jōnin, who was currently lounging on her bed without a care in the world. "What are you doing in my room? How did you even get in?" A pause, then with rising suspicion: "Wait, how long have you been in here?"

"Hmm, about a minute or so," Kakashi said.

Sakura walked into the room, closing the door behind her.

"And why are you here?"

"Migi told me that I was needed," Kakashi said, explaining nothing.

"Who's Migi?"

Kakashi held up his right hand, and for the first time Sakura noticed that he had a yellow muppet on it.

It had the appearance of a cat, if cats had cute, human eyes that were half the size of their faces.

"Hello, Sakura, I'm Migi," the muppet 'said' in an eerily accurate little girl voice. "Would you like to be my friend?"

Sakura thought of three potential responses to the situation, all of them centred on why Kakashi really should not be so comfortable doing things like this, but in the end, the girl accepted that she didn't have the mental, emotional, or physical energy for Kakashi's… Kakashiness, and just let it go with a breath.

"Why are you really here, sensei?" she asked.

Kakashi pouted.

"Your surly teammate is starting to rub off on you," he said.

At the reminder of Sasuke, Sakura's mood fell further.

"It sucks, doesn't it?" Kakashi said, his serious tone drawing her attention.

"What does?"

"The truth," Kakashi said.

Sakura frowned in confusion, then her eyes widened in understanding.

"You were there," she said.

"I'm your sensei." Kakashi shrugged. "I'm always watching you."

"… That sounds kinda creepy, sensei."

"Does it?" Kakashi asked, and even through his mask she could tell that he was smiling guilelessly.

"Seriously though," Kakashi continued, "how do you feel?"

Sakura stared at the jōnin.

"How do I feel that Sasuke hates me and doesn't want anything to do with me and I can't even complain about it because I've been worse to Naruto? Great!"

Kakashi's lone eye blinked.

"Well, I asked," the jōnin said finally.

"Yes, you did," Sakura said.

Kakashi chuckled and rose to his feet, then he walked up to her and placed his left hand on her shoulder.

"I know it doesn't seem that way right now," he said, lone eye piercing into hers, "but in a year—maybe even a few months—this experience will simply be another block in the foundation of your relationship with your team. You will move past this, Sakura. Trust me."

And Sakura did. Somehow, she did.

Kakashi let go of her shoulder and pulled back.

"In the meantime," he said, "I've talked to Naruto; he won't be pestering you for dates anymore. So now you have no reason not to treat him nicely.

"Of course in return, I expect you to no longer bother Sasuke. Okay?"

Sakura nodded.

"Good, so now he has no reason not to treat you nicely. Who knows, maybe he'll even be the one to ask you out on a date."

Sakura rolled her eyes. She wished.

She really, really wished.

Like he could hear her thoughts, Kakashi chuckled again.

"Goodbye, my cute, little sannin," the jōnin said.

"Bye-bye," Migi added with a wave.

And Kakashi Hatake burst into a cloud of sakura petals that fluttered slowly to the ground.

"Ha ha," Sakura deadpanned at the empty room. "Very funny, sensei."

Thanks for reading.

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