Fondness Chapter 1, a naruto fanfic

Sakura recalls the first time she had seen Sasuke at court, all but five years old at the time. The particular event that day was to introduce her as Duchess Tsunade Senju's heir. Sakura recalls the cherry blossom trees lining the grand road up to the embellished estate.

Sakura and her Aunt Tsunade had bowed before the Emperor of Konoha, her great Uncle Hashirama Senju. Sakura's eye had been caught by a boy around her age giving her a mean look and sticking his tongue out at her from the crowd of nobles. He had been surrounded by a crowd all with similar features to himself. Raven colored hair, dark eyes, and adorned with robes in similar hues of red.

Sakura had furrowed her brow and sticks her own back at him. Only to be nudged harshly in her rib cage by her Aunt for misbehaving in front of the Emperor. The Emperor plays it off and laughs uproariously, spouting off to the crowd of nobles–"Much in the likeness of her Aunt this one! Just as much a spitfire!" A wave of laughter roars through the grand throne room and Sakura is officially inducted into Konoha nobility. Sakura curtsies in her fancy dress she is sure to get dirt on later from playing in her Aunt's estate garden which feels as though it goes on endlessly. Tsunade and Sakura sit in their designated chairs in the crowd and concluding remarks are made.

Her parents had agreed with her Aunt to let her take Sakura to court. Tsunade had always seen a spark in Sakura and had decided to take her on as an apprentice or an heir of sorts. She had seen a gem in the dirt and decided to make it shine. Tsunade had taken special interest in Sakura from a young age. Sakura was smart, and her parents were humble farmers with no means to support and nourish their daughter's brilliance. They had done the best they could with what they had and Sakura had been happy with them. Yet, when her Aunt would make her quarterly visits she would become elated. Tsunade would show her all of her newfound medicines and special herbs and flowers while explaining the features and properties of them all. Sakura would borrow the books Tsunade lent her and study the pictures reading the words she was able to understand and learn more than any normal five year old would ever know about the healing properties of plants.

The ceremony concludes and the members of court are told to go to the adjacent ballroom for refreshments. Naturally the adults of court socialize and the children take to a corner of the ballroom where they act as noble as they have to with their parents but a few steps away.

Sakura is not sure who to talk to. All the children look at her with disdain, or confusion, so instead she opts to sit alone.

While Sakura sips on some of the lemonade provided at the event the dark haired boy who had stuck his tongue out at her comes to stand in front of her.

"Your hair is pink." He says looking up at the hair on her head and back down to her eyes.

"Yes. You're the one who stuck his tongue out at me." Sakura spits back, she doesn't know what this boy wants.

"You stuck yours back at me." He replies snootily.

"I know and I am going to get scolded for it later."

The boy shrugs. "Not my problem."

"Who are you?"

"Sasuke Uchiha."

Sakura has heard the surname before in passing but can't quite remember where. She supposes she is going to learn about the Uchiha very quickly.

"Sasuke!" An older boy with similar features to the boy in front of her waves down the boy.

"It's time to leave. Say goodbye to your friend." The older one says with a warm smile.

"She's not my friend."

"Ignore my little brother. It's an honor. You are all your Aunt talks about at court gatherings."

Sakura blushes slightly and takes what the older Uchiha boy has said as a compliment. He urges Sasuke to follow him, ending her first strange reaction with the youngest Uchiha noble.

"Wait! What was your name?"

"Uchiha Itachi." The older replies looking back at Sakura as he urges his little brother onward.

Sakura has acclimated well to noble life. The first year she initially had dealt with strange looks and some loud whispers. She had taken them all in stride, quickly learning for her Aunt how important it was to have a thick skin in the Konoha court. She's learned so much already and gets to spend most days picking herbs and flowers in the garden outside her Aunt's massive estate.

The group of the youngest within court nobility are sent to a private school to teach basic subjects as well as special topics that pertain to their unique positions in society. Some of the more special courses they learn are self defense, event etiquette and ruling techniques.

One afternoon during one of their breaks in the day Sakura had opted to sit outside the school house and observe some wildflowers. She had not seen this variety in her Aunt's garden. Sakura studies a few and plucks them the way Tsunade had instructed her to for analysis. Sakura wants to ask a few questions on the flowers when she returns home that evening.

When the teacher is heard inside the school house ringing the bell for everyone to come back inside Sakura stuffs the flowers into a pocket of her dress and runs up the hill she had been seated on back towards the school house. The single room school sat on a hill in a heavily forested area of Konoha.

One of her friends yells something out to her on the way back into the building and she turns to laugh in the direction of the voice. The next moment she feels her long pink hair being grasped and pulled back. It feels like slow motion when she turns to look and sees Sasuke pulling her hair. When she is about to yell at him for bullying her she rounds the other way and realizes a tree had found its way directly in front of her.

Sakura turns back towards Sasuke only to find him walking through the school doors.

Had he tried to stop her from running into a tree?

Why of all things to grab, would he choose her hair?

Whether he had been trying to help, or simply annoy her she still shoots him a mean look as she takes her seat in her assigned chair. He sticks his tongue out at her in response, much like the first time they had met. What she doesn't see is him smirking to himself after she turns back to face the teacher.

At nine years old her Aunt invites her to travel across the continent with her.

Sakura accepts. She had always been a quick learner and in the small schoolhouse she feels as though she is going insane. While the other kids are struggling with concepts she feels as though she has mastered them. So she packs a bag that she can carry on her back and sets off with her Aunt.

Sakur hadn't had the time to say goodbye to anyone. She knew she would be back within a year. At least that was what her Aunt had originally told her.

A year of traveling had turned into nearly three years on the road. Her Aunt had been labeled a healer in many parts of the continent. Sakura had taken to healing as well. She had the same knack for it as her Aunt. The two had done a lot of good, seen a lot of impoverished towns and villages who had relied on them for medical care. The longest time they had spent in a village was six months.

Sakura had learned more about the world and healing than she had ever dreamed of. Granted some of her knowledge had turned into nightmares but she buried those thoughts down. Sakura had grown to learn not everyone was kind, and you should never be too trusting. This had proven to be one of her most valuable lessons while they were on the road.

The gates to Konoha look foreign to Sakura as they step through them. Her bag tattered and worn from their journey. Back at Tsunade's estate they realize they have a lot of work ahead of them. The garden and the grand house had been left unattended, they hadn't initially planned to be gone so long so weeds had taken over and everything was caked in dust.

Tsunade tells Sakura to fetch food from the market before sundown, she hands her a handful of coins and sends her off. Sakura wanders through the familiar and unfamiliar streets of Konoha. Trees had gotten taller, new shops had been erected but the most shocking development were the new soldier propaganda posters littered throughout the streets and store fronts. They had heard of the tension between the city state Konoha and Suna over borders and supply but she hadn't realized it had become this bad.

Sakura is busy reading a poster on a brick wall while also walking in the direction of the market when she runs into someone.

"Sakura-chan? Is that you?" She'd recognize that voice anywhere. One of her friends from court who had been in her school class.

Naruto Uzumaki, direct heir to be the next Uzumaki Duke.

"Naruto!" Sakura steps back from the loud blonde and gets a better look at him, he's taller and tanner than she remembers him being.

"Oi. Doesn't your mother need those items?" She had been so busy observing Naruto that she failed to notice none other than Sasuke Uchiha standing beside him.

"You two are friends?" Sakura asks bluntly, she doesn't really remember them being close as kids but she hadn't really been paying much attention to her peers back then.

Naruto must take this as his cue to smack Sasuke on the back and pull him close.

"Of course!"

"We need to get to the market." Sasuke says, looking annoyed towards Sakura and shoving Naruto off of him.

"What a coincidence, so do I." Sakura replies, raising an eyebrow at the youngest Uchiha son.

"Great, we can walk together!" Naruto says cheerily.

Sakura falls in line with the two boys and they travel the distance to the bustling market. They go together to the different booths gathering the items they need. The three end up catching up and filling each other in on the past three years. She is shocked to learn the two have started basic training for beginner ranks in the Konoha army.

"They are starting twelve year olds in the army? How bad is this disagreement with Suna?" Sakura asks rather loudly, a few bystanders look at her strangely. She had never been one to shy away from tough topics just because she was supposed to be a 'lady'.

Sasuke covers her mouth with his palm.

"Not here." He says and drops his hand. Sakura gives him a mean look and the three of them finish their shopping. The three of them walk towards the direction of the west village where the most court family estates are situated.

Naruto scratches the back of his neck when they are at a fork in the road.

"I'm this way. I'll see you around Sakura-chan! Happy to have you back."

"Good seeing you Naruto!"

Sasuke walks towards the path she also needs to travel. When he keeps walking past a few side streets she becomes suspicious.

"Do you live out here?"

Now that she's thinking about it she has no idea where the Uchiha estate is.

"Ah. About half a mile more."

Her turn was coming up so he must live a few more roads away from her. She had never really paid any mind to other members of the court's homes before she had left on her journey with her Aunt.

While Sakura is trying to do the mental math, trying to recall where different landmarks are in Konoha she fails to notice Sasuke scoot closer to her and swoop the heavy sack of food she had been carrying.

"Why'd you do that?" Sakura asks, grateful for the relief. She feels rather tired from traveling earlier and her trek to the market.

"It seemed heavy." Sasuke replies, he speeds up to walk ahead of her on the dirt road, Sakura watches the way his dark hair swishes, yet still stands up on the back of his head. Hiking up the ends of her dress she catches up to his stride. She runs her fingers through his hair without thinking about it.

"Watch it! What are you doing?" He fumbles a bit, nearly dropping some of the apples that had been placed on the top of her market bag.

"Your hair looks thin from afar, yet up close it's very thick and stands up in the back."

Sakura observes him on this cool Konoha evening, trying to piece out how he had changed in the time she had been away. He's taller, his shoulders are just slightly broader, not like his elder brother from years past.

Sasuke sighs heavily.

"Itachi says it looks like a duck's behind."

Sakura is at first shocked he has shared this with her and then laughs gleefully at how true Itachi's words are.

He flicks her on the forehead with his free hand.

"Ow!"

Once she's rubbed the spot on her forehead and ceased her giggling they are able to walk in a companionable quiet. She decides to break it when her Aunt's estate comes into view.

"Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

Why she doesn't want this interaction to end is beyond her. This was Sasuke Uchiha, the boy who had always given her a hard time. But right now he wasn't doing anything of the sort, right now he's being thoughtful, talkative, and dare she say it, fun. She wishes to get to know this part of Sasuke better.

"Can I see you again soon?"

He hands back her market bag back to her once they are on the path up to the front stoop. He simply shrugs in the way twelve year old boys do, noble or not.

"Sure. We also have court training."

"Oh, I'll see you there! Thanks Sasuke."

Sasuke nods and walks down the path towards the main road disappearing under the colors of the sunset.

Sakura had been walking home from a trip to the town market. She had conversed with the girl her age at the Yamanka flower shop for longer than she had intended. Ino was a common girl but she acted as much like a lady as Sakura did (which was not much.) It was no wonder they had become fast friends after the first time her Aunt had sent her to fetch a specific flower that the Yamanaka's ordered special for her.

She's near the river that runs along the dirt path just down the way from her Aunt's estate, when she hears loud bickering.

Sakura traverses closer to the source and rolls her eyes when she finds out who it is. Of course it would be them. She watches from behind a large tree trunk as they spar with wooden swords.

"I'm telling you that you're using the wrong form!" Sasuke yells out as he lunges at Naruto.

"And I'm telling you that as long as the enemy is dead that form doesn't matter."

"It's not honorable." Sasuke shouts, Sakura observes his dark hair sticking to his forehead from overexertion. The two must have been at this for quite some time.

"Is anything honorable in war?" Naruto spits back.

Sasuke and Naruto dance around each other trying to land a hit with the end of their respective swords.

"So, you're telling me that if I kicked you between the legs that that wouldn't matter in battle?" Sasuke asks with a lilt in his voice.

"Don't even think of it bastard!"

Sakura finds herself laughing and the two boys stop their sparring, both turning their heads to the source of the laughter. Sakura emerges still chuckling into her hand.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto runs over to her.

"Were you spying on us?" Sasuke calls out as he takes steady strides over to her.

"Hard not to when you bicker like old men!" She pauses and looks at the wooden swords. "...Can I try?" She asks.

The three end up sparring with two wooden swords for hours, until the noon sun becomes sundown.

"I did not realize how sweaty a lady of the court can get!" Naruto chides and rubs an elbow into her side.

Sakura had to roll up her dress sleeves to her elbows and tie her medium length rosy locks up with a ribbon.

Sakura punches him lightly on his arm.

"And I did not realize how smelly two lords of the court can get!" Naruto's expression sours and she sees Sasuke from the corner of her eye lift his arm to smell under his armpit.

"Damn, I have to head back. Ma will be upset if I'm home late again. Bye you smelly pigs!" Naruto yells out running off towards the direction of his home. Sasuke collects his things and starts walking towards the dirt path, Sakura following after him.

"Today was fun." Sakura walks with her arms clasped behind her back. Sasuke provides a small smile next to her and not for the first time does she feel her heart skip a few beats. This was the moment when she had realized the animosity she had once felt for this quiet, cocky boy had grown and changed into a fondness as well as a new feeling she had just begun to work through.

Sasuke and Sakura are seated next to each other at an abruptly scheduled court event. Sakura looks at him nervously, and he shrugs his shoulders, both unsure what is happening.

It could be any number of things that had gone wrong…or even right. Sakura was beginning to understand that war is a bunch of wrongs that make a questionable right.

The war with Suna had shifted into a war with Wind Country, having started three months ago. It was proving to be more bloody and costly than Fire Country had initially thought it to be. Wind Country was a formidable opponent and Fire had to put up its best fighters.

Emperor Hashirama comes out from behind embellished curtains to address the court. The room goes silent. Sakura without thinking reaches under the table they are seated at for Sasuke's hand where she clutches it as if her life depends on it. She feels Sasuke stiffen but slowly relax into her touch. His hand is clammy and there are calluses coating his palm but his touch is still a comfort she didn't quite realize how much she needed.

She had been in court long enough to know the differences in tone from the Senju Emperor.

"Well, there is good and bad news." Emperor Senju, greets the court with his bright smile, his face shifting as he goes on to something reminiscent of grief.

"The bad news is I have been told from healers all over the land that I am indeed dying. This has been confirmed by my granddaughter Tsunade, whose wisdom I trust most of all. I am unsure how long I have on this plane but until then I will be guiding and leading Konoha to my fullest capacity."

Sakura looks around the room, people are tearing up and the mood of the room is somber. One person she does not see is her Aunt. She cares not for the good news. Letting go of Sasuke's hand after giving it a tight squeeze she stands and brushes the wrinkles of her dress away. Sasuke looks up at her with a perturbed expression, she looks back at him and he nods in understanding.

Sakura sneaks out through a nearby side door. She knows exactly where her Aunt is. She travels the castle hallways and down a set of stone stairs to a secret sake cellar.

She pushes the heavy oak door to bottles and bottles of rice wine stacked one on top of the others. In the far back corner she sees a familiar figure.

"Aunt, are you in here?"

"Sakura?"

"Yes."

"Come over here."

As Sakura takes in her Aunt she observes her reddened eyes and her sniffling nose. Her Aunt pours two small glasses of sake, pushing one towards Sakura. Sakura sits on a stool next to the small table her Aunt has set herself up at.

Sakura eyes the glass wearily.

"You're old enough now."

Sakura shrugs and takes a sip. It burns, but sweetly. Her Aunt throws it back in one gulp.

"How long?" Sakura asks meekly.

Tsunade lifts a brow at her and shakes her head.

"I'd say about three months." Tsunade looks up from her empty glass to Sakura and gives her a dark warning.

"Sakura, you are tough. I'm sharing this with you in confidence. The war is going to get much worse. Especially since news of the Emperor's health will soon spread to neighboring lands. Leadership will fall to either an Uchiha or Uzumaki and one of them will most likely take over as Emperor." Her Aunt pours another glass, even topping off Sakura's. She had only taken a few small sips.

"You, as my apprentice and heir, will have to take on more responsibilities. Especially with your abilities in healing. You have seen lives lost and gained, but this will be like nothing you have seen before. Prepare yourself."

Tsunade gulps down her glass again. Sakura raises her glass to her lips and swallows slowly, but downs the whole glass.

"That's my girl. The old bat should be done now." Her Aunt stands, albeit wobbly and they both walk the way back to where the court gathering had been held, nervous chatter can be heard from down the corridor.

Before Sakura can walk back into the gathering, Tsunade grabs her by the arm, shaking her head side to side.

"Let's go home."

14 ½

It's late one brisk Autumn evening when Sakura wakes to pebbles being thrown at her window. She had been especially tired that day from preparing herbs for medical supplies. Her Aunt had tasked her with drying the herbs and preparing them to be mixed with solutions to have sent to the front lines. The war had proceeded. Wind Country had lost marginally more lives than Fire but the lives lost had been overshadowed by the loss of one of Konoha's greatest Emperors. Emperor Hashirama Senju had passed two months after his announcement to court, and just as her Aunt had predicted the Uchiha and the Uzumaki clans had stood out among the rest.

Fugaku Uchiha and Minato Namikaze of clan Uzumaki had taken roles as leaders. The Uchiha clan head had taken his rightful place as head of the Konoha army, while Minato had been made lead strategist in charge of political affairs with neighboring lands.

Due to these new developments, as well as how busy she has been healing wounded soldiers and preparing countless medical vials, she has seen her two friends Sasuke and Naruto far less. It saddens her greatly but she knows they both have clan and family commitments, as does she.

Sakura rises from her bed slowly, curious who would be targeting her window at this ungodly hour.

Much to her surprise it's Sasuke and she feels herself smile.

"Come down." He calls out.

"Just a moment!" She says back, quietly enough so he can hear but softly enough to not wake her Aunt down the hall.

She quickly changes into riding pants and a loose blouse. It's cold and she wants easy access to move if she's scaling the trellis part of the wall down to the garden where Sasuke is.

She nearly trips on the second to last brick but he stops her from falling face first into dirt.

"Why do you call me at this hour Uchiha?"

"To take a walk."

Sakura ponders for a moment. While this is not an unusual request, this has not been their first midnight walk but it had been some time since their last. Still, it feels as though something is wrong. Her gut is telling her to be wary.

"Fine. Where to?" Sakura steps towards the stone path out of her Aunt's estate towards the dirt road.

"The river."

They walk the grassy path off the dirt road. When the river comes into view Sasuke reaches into his pants pocket and pulls a slender box out and hands it to her.

"What's this?"

"Open it."

Sakura separates the top from the bottom, moonlight casting a sheen onto the perfectly sleek metal. Sakura pulls out a dagger with a blossom embellishment much in the likeness of her namesake on the handle. She recognizes the beautiful Konoha steel. This had to have cost him an arm and a leg. She feels sick to her stomach now.

"Why?"

"I'm going to teach you how to use it." Sasuke removes the box it came in from her hands and sets it on the damp earth below them.

Sasuke unsheathes the small chokuto blade that has been a recent addition to his attire, ever since his father had taken up his role as military head.

"Come on, you're always complaining about your ladies tea times. Don't you want to learn what the men have been doing?"

Sakura looks around playfully in the dark forest setting. The river flowing behind them reflects the moon, giving them enough light to see each other and not much else.

"Men? Where?" She giggles when she sees his signature pout.

"Fine, fine, go on then, show me." Sakura resigns and Sasuke smirks.

Sasuke is a surprisingly patient and informative teacher. He starts by showing her the proper way to hold the sharp dagger and where to store it so others won't see it but she will have it for her safety.

Once Sakura has mastered how to hold it. He shows her all the vital striking points on a body for if she ever needs to incapacitate an enemy or attacker.

She is a quick study, always has been.

By the time they are mock sparring with their respective weapons the sun is on the horizon.

"We should head back. My Aunt will wake soon."

Her bones ache and her exhaustion has returned, but the night had been enjoyable in a messed up sort of way. When they were sparring it was the same as if they had been doing a couples waltz. It was like banter, a give and take.

It had felt for a small moment like there was no war. There were no medical supplies that needed to get to the front lines. No training for the front lines. Soldiers were alive, civilians were safe and it was only them under the moonlit sky.

—

They walk the distance back down the familiar dirt road that separates their estates from each other and he walks her all the way back to her window. His mood from earlier seems to be gone, replaced by a heavy brooding presence.

"I'll see you in two days for the monthly court dinner." Sakura says as she grabs onto the bottom of the wooden trellis that climbs up the brick exterior wall to her bedroom.

"Ah." Sasuke replies. His simple response is not out of the ordinary.

Sakura lets go of the trellis and steps close to him, embracing him in a tight hug.

"Thank you for the gift. I'll cherish it." She lets go and sees his cheeks dusted pink, but she doesn't mind because hers are too. "I wish I had a gift for you."

"That's not necessary." He says back cooly.

"Hmm." Sakura steps back over to the wall and begins her climb. "Just wait! I'll have something for you at dinner! Be prepared to be amazed!"

She's nearly at her window when she waves down at him with a free hand and he waves back. A somber look washed over his face.

Once she's climbed back into her open window she waves down at him, but he's already walking the path back to his home.

The queasy, unsteady feeling from earlier returns. She doesn't end up sleeping that night.

—

Two days have passed and she is looking forward to seeing Sasuke at the court dinner that evening. She had made him a talisman. Sakura had hand stitched the Uchiha clan's signature fan, one he adorns on all his clothes onto a centuries old blessed fabric she had received from her Aunt some years ago.

It's no sword but the fabric had been blessed by a monk who had prevented a slaughter by protecting a small village's population that he had been passing through at the time. Nothing else is known of the story but she can sense the protective energy emanating from the fabric.

She searches for him all evening. His usual seat with his family is empty, as is the one for his father and brother. Their mother sits alone save for the other sparse Uchiha women who had shown as well.

Once the meal is over and the dancing portion of the evening has commenced she walks over to Naruto at the refreshments table. Sakura nudges him in the side.

"Have you seen Sasuke?"

Naruto looks down at her, he had grown taller than her that year and she was still getting used to this new perspective. He places a comforting hand onto her shoulder. The same sick feeling takes over her stomach, the one from the other night.

"He didn't tell you?" Naruto asks uncharacteristically quiet.

"Tell me what?"

"That bastard." He whispers before continuing.

"He left for the frontlines with the rest of the Uchiha men."

Naruto must say some consoling words or another, about how one of her closest friends had up and left for war at the tender age of 14. All of what he says is a fuzzy jumble of far away words. What does reach her is his own news.

"...I join the Uchiha clan with my father at weeks end."

She was not only losing one, but two of her dearest friends all to a bloody war that seems more and more nonsensical by the day.

Instead of tears her heart begins to ache. An ache that grows into a familiar pain by the time the war eventually ends years later.