Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

A/N: Thank you for the reviews, the favorites and the follows.

Chapter 3:

Flashback

"This isn't fair!" She stomped her foot with an indignant huff. Her fists were curled at her side poised to strike the first thing she could get away with pumpling.

"That's just life, Kushina-chan," her mother tried to console the rising agitation in her daughter. The soothing hands on her shoulders did nothing to lessen the anger that was heating her belly.

"I don't want to move back to Uzushiogakure! I like it here. Why do we have to go back?" She began to shake. Her red hair fluttered around her, disturbed by the energy she was putting forth into the air.

"Your father has been stationed there." Her mother shot her a sharp look. "So we are going there."

She could not believe her ears. They burned. It really was that simple for her mother. Six years ago they uprooted her to come to Konoha and they were doing it again and showing her very little regard for what she wanted.

The twelve-year-old brought her hands to her hips. "For how long?"

"For as long as needed." Her mother's nostrils flared slightly as she made her point.

"That's a load of crap." Kushina all but spat out. "Actually," she paused, "it's bullshit!"

"Kushina!" Her mother's purple eyes flashed. "That is not how a lady speaks."

"Good thing I'm not a lady then!" She screamed at the top of her voice. "And I'm not going." She wheeled around to avoid her mother's arm. "And you can't make me!"

"Kushina," her mother lunged for her.

"No!" The young girl turned out of her heel. She ran out of her family's home. Both her tears and fiery locks streaked behind her as she moved. She pushed her legs to carry her as fast as they could. Her sandals and kimono were only slowing her down.

"Dattebane!" She kicked off her sandals. Her white socks were dirtied instantly as they made contact with the graveled road. She did not care. She fisted her hands to pull up the hem of her dark green kimono. She ignored the looks she was getting from the villagers. She did not care. She never cared.

She pulled open the green gate. Her violet eyes scanned the compound. The guards, the guards that always stood guard did not spare her a second glance. The general was in. But she already knew that. She had no business with him.

She ran past the gardens, she did not look twice at the koi pond. She ran straight for where she knew he was. He was sitting under a tree, reading a book. She was seeing red at the mere sight of his laid-backness. His nonchalance was insulting. Especially given how she was being torn up inside at the prospect of moving halfway across the country.

She panted in anger as she stood over him. He tucked a bookmark into place. He lowered the book at his side.

"You know," he said calmly.

She clenched her teeth. She fisted her hand into the front of his light blue yukata. He blinked at her lazily. She reached for the book, prepared to bludgeon him with it. Maybe then he would care once his precious book was reduced to torn pages and smudged ink.

"You knew," she narrowed her eyes dangerously. The book was inches away from the top of his head.

"I found out this morning," he answered levelly. His blue eyes held hers.

"And you didn't tell me?" She asked him with betrayal coloring her words.

"I knew you would come here when you found out."

She shook her head. Her whole body vibrated. "How can you be so calm?" She asked him with fat tears raining down her face. Her voice broke. The arm holding the book lowered to her side. It landed on the grass with the thump. The spine opened. The wind flicked the pages. His place was lost. The bookmark lay on the grass a few inches from the book itself. Her fingers fisted her shirt. Whether to punch him or steady herself she did not quite know.

'Don't you care at all? Don't you care about me?'

He moved his hands to her shoulders. He squeezed them. "It's going to be okay."

"You don't know that." She let out a sob. He was no different than her parents. He did not care what happened to her. He did not care about what she wanted. He would forget all about her.

"I do." He looked at her. "I'm going to marry you."

Her violet eyes widened in surprise. "What, dattebane?" Her inner monologue was rendered speechless. She could not remember the last time that happened.

He gently uncurled her fingers from his collar. "I'm going to marry you. You know what that means right?"

She furrowed her brow. She licked her lips before speaking. "No."

"It means I will see you again."

"How will you recognize me?" She asked him, stunned.

His hand darted out. She held her breath as he rubbed a strand of her hair between his fingers. "I'll know." The way he smiled at her put all her fears to rest.

She let out a breath. "Okay." She dried her tears.

"Okay."

End of Flashback

She fastened the white sheet onto the clothing line with a pin. She felt Tomoha's eyes on her as she worked. It would have been unnerving had she not been more or less desensitized to it by now. Her hand barely shook at all.

"You collected the eggs, you milked the cows and you've nearly finished the laundry." Tomoha listed off the tasks. "You're fast."

Sakura kept her gaze fixated on the sheet she was wringing dry with her hands.

"Well, I am convinced you are not a total disaster. I will not be shadowing you any longer." The woman reached into the pocket of her layered garbs. "Here is your pay for the week."

Sakura wiped her wet hands on the front of her kimono. She turned around and held out both hands. Tomoha placed three coins in her cupped palms. Two were larger than the third.

"Thank you, Ambe-san." Sakura dipped her head with the weight of immense gratitude.

"You are off the clock after you finish the rest of the laundry. If you choose to go to town, be mindful of the sun. Be back before dark." The woman looked up at the sky. Her dark eyes peered at the clouds. "The days are much shorter than what they used to be. No exceptions and no extensions."

"Yes, Ambe-san." Sakura did not lift her head until she heard the woman's footsteps recede. Her jade eyes took in the earnings from her labor. It was neither much nor nothing. She tucked the coins carefully into the small plum-colored pouch she had pinned to the inside the folds of her kimono with a safety pin. It felt heavy against her hip. It was the weight of the responsibility she carried.

Sakura bent over to grab the wrung sheet. She opened it partially before she pinned it. Her mind was more than a day's journey away. Her attention was pulled to the sound of a fluttering of a sheet. She furrowed her pink brows. Her eyes tracked as the clean white fabric fell slowly to the ground.

'Baka you didn't secure it properly! Now we have to do it all again.'

"What in the world?" She clicked her tongue. She grabbed the dirtied sheet. Her eyes narrowed on the broken clothespin. She let out a long sigh. Going into town would have to wait. She had to rewash the sheet.

She kept her eyes low and nodded her head to the guards. On her first day or first night, she had not noticed their presence. There were two at every entrance. There could be more. She only had so much purview of her surroundings. The main house which she had only seen off in the distance was a complete enigma. It was a black hole. One she did not want to be sucked into at any cost. The less she knew the better. The less she saw, the more it benefited her.

The small pin on the front of her kimono bore the mark of the family. The black triskele symbolized health, strength, and honor. But for her, it was simpler than that. The pin on her chest allowed her to come and go through the dark green, intimidating gate. It was her stamp of entry and re-entry. It marked that she belonged.

She stepped over the bottom of the gate. She still had a few hours before the sunset. The days were still getting shorter. She held the brown, leather-bound diary under her arm. Her eyes took in the village of Konoha for the first time in the light of day.

She vaguely registered the sound of the gate closing behind her. Her jade eyes took in the large buildings and the grand homes. It was much more congested than Tonika Village. She pulled her bandana down subconsciously. Her eyes did not know where to rest. They darted around, unable to settle.

'Breathe.'

She listened to the voice in her head. She inhaled deeply through her nose. She held it for ten seconds before she slowly exhaled. The earth was drier, there was less moisture in the air. She peeled her right sandal from the ground. She took her first step. Then another. Then another after that. She kept close to the wall of the compound. The streets were wide. She made herself as scarce as possible. She lost count of the number of steps she took. The street had opened up more to reveal a cluster of activity. The village center of sorts.

It was crowded. People were milling about. It was noisy. Sakura moved out of the way of a horse-drawn cart. The driver shook his head at her and kept going. Her heartbeat had picked up. It was nothing like home. Konoha seemed to be built upwards just as much as it was built wide. Gone were the fields and expanses of open land. This village was developed. Space seemed to be a scarcity.

'Focus.'

She held her brown book to her tighter, afraid she might lose it in the crowd. Sakura took three breaths before she stepped into the middle of it. She was mindful of her feet with respect to the distance of other feet. She moved like a leaf in the wind. She took the path of least resistance. She managed to make it through the crowd without bumping into anyone.

She let out a sigh of relief. She read the signs that labeled each shop. She recognized her goal immediately. It was towards the end of the street. She was not far. She kept her eyes on the sign. The painted blue building with a brown tiled roof. She peered into the glass door. She could see wooden cubbies. They were filled with envelopes and boxes. There was no one behind the counter.

She frowned. She grabbed the curved handle of the door. It was cool to the touch against her clammy palm. She twisted it to her right. The latch disengaged with a click. She pulled the door towards her. The sound of a bell greeted her ears as she stepped inside. It was musty in the room. The windows were all sealed shut. It smelled like paper and wax. It was oddly comforting.

Her sandals clanked against the polished, wooden floors. They left dustprints with each step she took. Sakura put her hands on the counter. Her diary was pressed between her hand and the wood. She craned her neck in an effort to see if anyone was behind the wooden built-ins. There was a door-sized gap right in the middle. She assumed it led to a back room of some kind.

She waited. Her fingers tapped rhythmically against the wood grain of the counter. It was textured. Her jagged, blunt nails caught against the grooves pulling slightly. Her jade-colored eyes darted over to the large, antique grandfather clock as it ticked seconds from her day. She could picture an hourglass. Her freedom passed through the narrow neck like beads of sand. She only had a finite amount. Sakura gathered her resolve. She cleared her throat.

"Hello?" She called out. The clock continued to count the seconds away loudly and unapologetically. "Excuse me?" She said in a louder volume, she was practically leaning over the counter now.

The bell rang.

She nearly fell on her face, losing balance. Sakura turned around just in time to see boxes. She tilted her head to the side. Three large boxes were walking towards her in the arms of what she assumed had to be a person. She watched as he set the boxes down on the ground, not far from the threshold.

"Excuse me," she tried to get his attention.

The man with dark, black hair and thick eyebrows paid her no mind. He grabbed a pair of scissors from a nearby table and began to cut open the first box.

"Excuse me, sir," Sakura took a step towards him. It was clear that he worked here. The uniform and familiarity in which he moved through the space spoke to as much.

He did not look up from his task. She closed the distance between them. Her diary was pressed firmly to her chest.

Sakura raised her voice. "Sir!"

He jumped. Sakura jumped. His wide eyes took her in. His hand moved to his heart.

"You scared me!" He exclaimed in a loud voice.

Sakura blinked at him in confusion. Her heart was beating in her ears. She could feel the adrenaline in her veins.

"Did you not hear me?"

He narrowed his eyes. He took three steps closer to her. Sakura took as many back.

"What did you say?" He all but shouted.

She took a couple more steps back, she felt the counter dig into the small of her back. There was nowhere for her to go.

"I'm sorry." She muttered out of habit. She put up her hand as a barrier from his approach.

He furrowed his brow. "What for?" His volume did not lower in the slightest. He was frowning. His dark brow was furrowed together in a thick carpet over his large, round eyes.

"I tried to get your attention, I didn't mean to scare you." She said slowly, lowering her eyes. He was watching her closely. It was unnerving and very unsettling.

"Oh!" He rubbed the back of his head. "I'm deaf," he explained. "Well almost." He laughed. "I read lips to get by."

"Oh." She brought a hand to her mouth out of instinct.

"What can I do for you, Miss?" He smiled at her. He was from here. His accent gave him away.

Sakura's lips twitched in response. "I - I," she pressed her hand to her flushed face. Her mind drew a blank as to why she was here in the first place.

"Sending or receiving?" He asked her. He readjusted the brown hat on his head.

"Sending," Sakura cleared her throat. She opened up her diary. She pulled out a letter. Something inside of it clinked.

"I can help with that," he slid over the counter and pinned her with a bright smile. "Is that the letter?"

"Y-yes," she set it down on the counter. "I need to send it to Tonika Village." She moved it closer to him.

"Okay," he took the letter. He looked at the address. "It will take two, maybe three days to arrive."

Sakura hesitated.

"Miss," the man's intensity softened slightly. "I can assure you, in my name, that your letter will arrive at its destination. It will be safe."

Sakura regarded his earnestness. "Thank you," she dipped her head.

"Rock Lee," he said with a smile as he pointed to himself.

"What?" Sakura looked at him in confusion.

"That's my name." His grin grew in size.

"Right," she found herself smiling despite her unease. "Thank you, Lee-san." She bowed.

"You're welcome, Haruno-san." He returned the gesture. He pointed to the name before the return address on the envelope, her name.

"How much will it be?" She asked.

"One copper coin," he answered. "But you pay me once I deliver the letter."

"Are you sure, Lee-san?" She slipped a coin from her pouch. "I can pay you now."

He shook his head. "No, my name is worth more than one copper coin, Haruno-san."

Her fingers curled around the copper coin. She nodded her head in understanding.

"I will come back next Sunday," she promised him.

"I will be waiting." He said with a grin.

Sakura stepped through the door. The bell bade her farewell. She tucked the leather-bound diary under her arm. She felt lighter. Lighter than she had since she stepped onto foreign soil. The sun glared in her face. She brought a hand over her eyes. She looked at the mirrors reflecting the sunlight. Sakura's eyes focused on the sign of a shop.

'A medicinal shop.'

She moved her feet in the direction of the store. Her eyes darted as she read signs against the glass doors. She could see the rows of jars and containers filled to the brim with dried herbs and concoctions.

"Interesting," she muttered to herself. The one coin she had left would not buy her much. "Maybe later," she told herself.

She turned her head. The streets had become even more crowded in the short time she spent in the courier shop. Now that her mission objective was complete she was less than motivated to brave the masses again. She turned her feet towards the mountainside. The giant brown rock loomed over the village. It was promising.

The further she moved from the village center, the easier she found it to breathe.

'Trees.'

"For a developed land, it's surprisingly green." She moved along the shaded path. Her fingers touched the bark of each tree she passed. A small smile tugged at her lips. She could feel her face start to get dewy from the exertion of moving up the incline. She was higher up in elevation. Her breath was coming out slightly ragged. She unclenched the fabric in her fist. Her kimono brushed against her ankles. She grinned.

"I was right," she mentally patted herself on the back. Right before the steep incline that led up to the mountain, there was a clearing. Surrounded by the trees on one side, leading up to the mountain on the other.

She looked around. She was convinced that she was indeed alone. Her fingers found the knot holding the cloth together on her head. She undid it. She tucked the bandana into her sleeve. She moved her head until she felt her still damn locks spill down her back. She let out a small sigh.

She opened the button clasp of her book. She flipped through the pages. Her fingers traced the sketch of a thin, stemmy plant with clusters of yellow flowers.

Sakura moved to them. They came up to her waist. She snapped them from the plant at the base, right before they branched out into the cluster of flowers. She flipped through until she found an empty set of pages, she pressed the flower between the pages. She continued to survey the area, moving section from section. She filled the pages as more beads of sand settled down at the bottom of the hourglass.

"I'll have to come back," she noted with a sigh. "Who would have thought Konoha would have so much variety of plant life?"

"Oh," she made a face. She gathered the hem of the kimono. "Snake hole," she looked at the hole no wider than four inches in circumference in the ground. "Have to be careful where I step." She told herself.

She looked overhead at the waning sun. She gathered her hair and tied it together. Her bandage obscured her pink hair from view.

"I should get back," she declared right before heading back to the village, completely oblivious to the pair of dark eyes who had been watching her for nearly the entirety of the time.

Sakura placed the last of the flowers, the white bulbs in the clear jars. In a couple of weeks, they would be dry enough to be of use. She hummed softly to herself as she moved to the desk. She began to write notes in the diary she had. Her mind swam with notions of plants, herbs, and their various uses for remedying hosts of bodily ailments.

A soft smile settled on her face as she hummed to herself while she worked. The sound of her voice made the space seem less drafty and a little less empty.

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