Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

A/N:

Thank you for the support. Means a lot. 3 I'm trying to make the most of the holiday break. I will try to have chapter seven out soon. I hope you enjoy this chapter in the meantime. Please let me know what you think! Thanks. :)

~L.H.

Chapter 6: The Distance Pulling Apart

Flashback

She rose from the bed, unsettled to not find him next to her. She stepped into her soft orange silk robe. She tied it securely over herself. Her violet eyes scanned the gardens the second she slid the shoji doors open.

Kushina peered from the doorway for a familiar head of sunshine yellow hair. The disappointment on her face was palpable. Her heart nearly burst out of her chest when she saw him appear through the curved, stone archway. That was framed by the now barren leaves of a Japanese Maple. She ran to him. Her bare feet made contact with the cobbled walkway. The stones were cold and rough against the warm, soft soles of her feet. Her hair moved around her almost like a sentient being. It fed off of her growing unease.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. He made a sound. It was somewhere between amused and surprised. She felt her whole body vibrate from a chuckle that originated deep inside his chest.

"Oh, Minato." She pressed her face against his shoulder, breathing him in to convince herself even further that he was really there. "I had the worst dream. My Tochan was here. He was talking to your Otosama. They mentioned something about Iwa. It was terrible, dattebane! They said they had to send samurai to the border to fight them. And that war was going to break out. Neither of them knew for how long. And that it would be bad, really bad for Fire and Konoha because there are rumors of the Kumo being involved too. And that everyone needed to leave at once! And -"

"Kushina."

Something in his voice made it impossible for her to stay in her position. She needed to see his face. She pulled back. Her stomach dropped.

"No," she searched his face desperately. "Tell me it was just a dream. Tell me it was just a bad feeling." She brought her hands to her barely there bump. "Tell me I have nothing to worry about."

His blue eyes softened. He rested his hands on her shoulders. She let out a slow breath.

"You have nothing to worry about." He took her hand in his.

She watched silently as he rested a small embroidered pouch in her palm. It was light green in color with pink and yellow flowers.

"I brought this back from the Shrine this morning, it will keep you safe." He smiled disarmingly at her.

She shook her head. Her fingers curled around the charm. "What about you?" She somehow managed to work the words out.

"I'll be fine," he said calmly. He held out a similar charm. "This one is for me." He smiled easily.

'I'm scared,' she could not bring herself to voice what was in her head.

She brought her clenched hand to her heart. "Minato," she began without knowing where she was going. Just saying his name brought her a modicum of comfort.

"It's just a little misunderstanding. Everything will be fine." His eyes held promise. "I will be back in time. Nothing will keep me away." His hand rested on her stomach. "You just worry about taking care of yourself and leave the rest to me."

She blinked back the tears. She cleared her rapidly closing throat. She held onto the first emotion that rose up in her that was not remotely related to dread. She pulled on bravado like it was her armor.

"Okay, I'm going to hold you to it. There will be hell to pay, Namikaze if you back on your word."

He chuckled. She felt a wave of relief move through her. She almost felt better.

"I wouldn't dream of it," there was conviction in every fiber of his being. It was just effortless with him. Being in control of himself all the time. His calm was his allure.

"Watch your back out there."

"That's what Kakashi is for," he joked. He kissed her hair, quieting any protests she had bubbling up her throat.

"When do you leave?" She asked the question burning both in her mind and her heart.

"We have some time," he sighed. "Tomorrow." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll write to you every day."

She nodded her head. "You better. And you better be here before the baby gets here. Otherwise, I'm going to drag you back myself." Her expression and eyes contained no traces of mirth.

"I'll be here," he promised her.

"Good," she grumbled. "I'm never going to forgive you if you don't." Kushina tightened her arms around him. "You understand me?"

"Yes, ma'am." He pulled her even closer.

Kushina locked eyes with a worried-looking Tomoha standing just by the arch. The two women exchanged a long look full of understanding.

End of Flashback

Sakura looked at the lines of concentration on the boy's face. His brown cap was pulled over his blond locks. He was holding the dustbin pan very diligently as she brought the last of her swept pile to him. She watched him add the leaves to the compost bin that they had put together last week. It would come in handy as fertilizer for the garden in the spring.

She rested her hands on the handle of the wooden broomstick. She surveyed the courtyard. It was clean.

"Ah!" She stretched her hands over her head as she sighed in satisfaction of a job well done. She could not help but smile as the boy mimicked her gesture. "Thanks to your help, Uzumaki-kun, I finished much sooner than I was expecting."

He grinned up at her. "Really?"

"You bet. You're a great helper. The best helper a girl could ever ask for." She kept her hands firmly on the broom, otherwise, she would have ruffled his hair after displacing his hat.

"I'm a good helper." He looked beside himself at the praise.

She watched as his face gradually dropped. The smile was replaced by a pout. Her pink brows bunched together.

"Why do you leave?" He looked at her with innocent, blue eyes.

'So that's what his sudden mood change is about.'

"I had to go into town." She explained vaguely.

"Why?" He was focused on her with as much scrutiny as he could muster.

"I need to go to the post office." She brought her face to rest atop the back of her hands.

"Why?"

"So I can send my Okaasan a letter." She answered breezily all the while studying just as closely as he was her.

"A letter?" His eyes glittered with interest.

Sakura nodded. "My Okaasan and Otosan live really far away. The only way I can talk to them is through a letter." She explained gently.

His blond brows pulled together, much like his face. He was thinking hard. "Maybe my Okaasan is far away too?" He said in a small voice. "I never get to talk to her." He looked down at his hands.

Sakura's heart panged in her chest. "Maybe you could write her a letter too."

His head snapped up to look at her. His mouth hung open and his eyes were wide with surprise. "I don't know how to write."

She laughed. "That's okay," she put a hand on his shoulder. "I can help you." She grinned at him with enthusiasm.

"But won't you get in trouble?" He asked her slowly.

Sakura crouched down to be at eye level with the five-year-old. "Thanks to you I finished all my work for today really quickly. I have some time. We can start now if you'd like."

His face lit up at her words. She watched as it dimmed nearly as quickly. He looked back down at the ground. Everything about him became reserved.

"I don't know what to say." He said in a tone that was entirely too sad.

Sakura smiled softly at him. "That's okay, Uzumaki-kun. It can be hard to start something. Especially a letter." She tapped her chin. "Do you want to know what I do when I don't know what to say or write?"

His cerulean orbs held her captive. "What?" He asked eagerly. He was struggling to stay still. She could see the excitement rolling off of him.

"I speak from the heart," she pointed to hers. "I picture my Okaasan and Otosan and I focus on the feelings that I have inside of here," she pointed to her heart. "Then it's always really easy to know what to write."

She was surprised when Naruto's face fell. "I don't know what my Okaasan looks like."

'Nice going there, Sakura.'

She forced cheer into her voice. "Well, we'll just have to use our imagination then."

"She had pretty hair!" He exclaimed. "Really, really pretty. Long too! Really, really long." He stretched out his arms as wide as his wing span would allow. "Even longer than this!"

'An Uzumaki with long hair, that I do believe.'

"That's great!" She said brightly. "This letter is going to write itself."

Naruto looked at her with excitement. "I can't wait, dattebayo!"

'Dattebayo? That's different.'

She got up onto her feet. "Let's go write your Okaasan a letter." She led the boy by his shoulder determined to keep the smile that adorned his face firmly affixed there.

Mebuki looked over the stove. It was as far as she allowed herself to go. It was starting to get compulsive, her checking the door every two minutes. Her ears perked at the sound of knocking. She shot up from the stool that she was sitting on. It all but toppled over.

She pulled open the gate that was more rust than metal. It screeched loudly. The delivery man was not at all impressed by her display. She held her breath as he pulled out a white envelope.

"Thank you," she bowed her head in gratitude as she took the letter from his outstretched hand. She held it in both of hers.

Mebuki closed the gate before turning on her heel. She ran to the faded blue door. She kicked off her shoes. She was out of breath in her excitement.

She stepped into the dark room. It was musty. The windows were closed on account of the cooler temperatures. She placed the letter on his chest. She reached for the lantern and match that were on the table. She struck it. The smell was the first thing to pull her senses. She cupped her hand around the small flame. She pressed it against the wick in the oil lantern. She flicked her wrist. The flame in her hand died out. The smell lingered. The room erupted into an orange glow.

"Dear," she shook his shoulder gently.

"Hm?" His dull auburn and white lashes fluttered open.

"Sakura's letter is here." She was smiling. She could hear it in her ears.

Kizashi tried to push up to his elbows. She helped him sit up. The letter slid to his lap. She moved a cylindrical pillow against the small of his back. His rough, tan hands were around the envelope.

She sat back on her heels waiting for him to open it. He pulled the parchment out. With slightly shaking hands he unfolded the paper. Kizashi cleared his throat. He began to read.

Dear Okaasan and Otosan,

I'm doing well. And yes, I'm eating. You do not need to worry about that. I am also keeping enough money on hand. Please do not worry about that either. The weather is growing colder but I am used to being outside. It does not bother me much. It helps that I have a warm bed to go to every night.

It is really beautiful in Konoha. It is more colorful than I expected. That being said, I really miss the green expanses of Tonika. Because most of the able-bodied men are at war on account of the draft, I am able to do more work outside. They have chickens and cows here. I heard that they even have horses when the Master is in. I have not seen them personally yet but I am excited for when I can meet them.

I miss you. But things are really going great. I have no complaints. Please take care of yourselves.

Otosan, I do not know if you will read this but I just wanted to say that I am okay. I am fine. And I really want you to be okay. Please focus on your health and please rest. Please do not worry.

Please take care.

With All My Love,

Your Daughter.

Kizashi took a breath. Mebuki took the envelope, the coins clattered from the movement. She opened a drawer and added the coins to the pile that was hidden away under their clothes.

"See Dear?" She stretched her lips into a smile. "Sakura is fine. She is resilient. She is thriving. You worry for no reason." Her fingers clenched the edge of the wooden drawer. "She is a good, strong girl. She navigates the world just fine without us."

She turned her head. She looked at his rigid back. She sighed. There was a great sorrow in her eyes. She looked at the never-changing faces on the wall. They were smiling. Her eyes landed on the younger of the two faces. He took their smiles along with him when he left.

The rain tinked off the tiles of the roof. It was falling heavily. Puddles lined the dirt courtyard. The cold, damp air rejuvenated her airways. She could feel the cool air work its way into her lungs and the warmer air left it. Her breath was visible in front of her. Her nose was red from the cold. She paused from her task, she lowered the broom to the ground. She stepped off the smooth, wooden stool. She regarded the boy who was holding his face in his hand, hunched over on a stool of his own. His bottom lip jutted out past his top as he watched the rain come down. It was a toss-up to who was more gloomy: the weather or the boy.

"Uzumaki-kun?" She called out tentatively, capturing his attention. She felt his blue gaze on her. "What's the matter?"

"I'm bored," he said in a nasally whine.

"Oh?" She raised her brow. The cobwebs could wait. An idle mind meant plenty of time for him to think of ways of getting into trouble.

"It's raining," he pointed to the courtyard for corroboration of his claim. "There's nothing to do!" He lowered his bent elbows to his kneecaps, the weather directly affecting his mood.

She stared out at the yard. Her eyes focused on two steel woks left discarded in the elements. Her jade eyes landed back on the forlorn boy.

"Take off your socks." She instructed.

"What?" His hands moved to his feet as if he was worried she would rip off his socks herself.

"Just do it, Uzumaki-kun. We're about to not be bored." Her eyes twinkled with mischievousness.

Naruto watched as she rested the broom against the wall. The wall was lined with doors denoting the dwellings of the servants.

He slowly pulled off his socks before slipping his feet back into the sandals. He wiggled his toes. Sakura put a hand against the wall for support as she did the same. She pulled up the hem of her brown kimono just up to mid-calf. She hunched her shoulders and darted out into the rain.

Naruto's eyes widened and his mouth hung agape. He watched with a great deal of interest as she came back under the protection of the roof. Her clothes were splattered with fat raindrops. She held out the smaller of the two woks. He looked at her like she had grown a second head.

"Take it," she instructed.

His hands curled around the two handles. He looked up from the cookware. The question was clear as day on his face.

"We're going to jump in puddles." She said with a grin.

"Is that allowed?" He asked in a pure state of awe.

"Sure!" She said with confidence. "We'll just be sure to dry our feet right after, and it will all be fine. Trust me." She winked at him.

"Okay!" He got up to his feet. The floor was cold on his feet. It was a shock to his system, almost. He inhaled sharply.

"Great," Sakura turned the wok upside down. She held onto the wooden handle tightly. "Ready?" She asked him.

Naruto nodded his head. He ducked his head underneath the steel dome. He inhaled deeply and followed after her. His face pulled into a large grin.

"So cold!" He exclaimed as his feet broke through the surface of a puddle. Naruto kicked water up toward her.

"Hey!" Sakura said with a laugh. "I'm going to get you for that!" She chased after him. The sounds of his laughter rang in her ears. Her white teeth were out on display thanks to the large smile on her face.

He moved his arms back and forth in an animated fashion. His eyes were larger than his face as he continued to narrate a story.

"My, my Naruto-sama." She tried to get him to settle into his bed. "Should I bring you some warm milk?" The boy needed his rest. "To help you calm down?"

"And then the princess reveals that her hair is red! She saved the day!" Naruto paid her questions no mind. "Red! Just like Okaasan's." He made a sound of pure adulation like he himself could not believe it.

Tomoha looked at him with a particular look in her eye. "Who told you this story?"

"Sakura, my friend." He answered not picking up the edge of her voice. He was too busy floating in the clouds to see what plagued the minds of those who dwelled below him. Those who worked hard to clear his path so that he would never have to come down.

"Did you tell your friend your Okaasan had red hair?" She asked him nonchalantly.

Naruto shook his head. "No. She doesn't know. I didn't tell her. Or anyone. Just like you taught me."

"Good boy." Tomoha tucked him in. "You were also a good boy and finished your breakfast this morning. I am thankful I did not have to chase you down, Naruto-sama."

He looked sheepish. "Sakura said it's bad to waste food." He folded his hands over his chest.

"Did she now?" Tomoha brushed his bangs from his face. "Time for bed, Naruto-sama."

"Okay." The boy closed his eyes.

Tomoha watched until he fell asleep. Her hand patted his chest in rhythmic, predictable motions. The expression she wore was grave.

He moved his head from side to side. His bones cracked audibly. The release in pressure was instant. He rolled his shoulders and blinked his eyes. The map before him did not change nor did the circumstances. His forearms that were stretched out in front of him led to flat palms on the table. They supported the weight of his torso offloading some of it from his shoulders who had been responsible for it all for so long. His body was a crypt. It remembered everything even when he was so desperate to forget. His skin pricked. He felt a pair of dark eyes regarding him. Waiting for him to transform the thoughts swarming in his head into actionable, debatable items.

"The fourth battalion was reduced to half their numbers between these two escarpments?" The blond general asked in a level voice, he pointed to the position on the map. His finger moved along the winding stretch of unpaved road. His cobalt eyes still and flat studied the path closely peering for vulnerabilities and points to exploit.

Kakashi nodded his head. "Iwa had soldiers all along the terrain. They walked into a trap. We're lucky to have any survivors at all."

They were not. They watched their comrades get slaughtered. Survivor's guilt would torment them for as long as they would allow it. What Kakashi meant was they were the lucky ones to get word of the calamity from a friendly face rather than Iwa burning their base to the ground in the dead of the night.

Minato crossed his arms, his armor groaned from the action. The iron plates creaked as they settled together. His helmet sat upon the table weighting the brown map down. The crest at the top was a singular flame, the kanji for 'fire' engraved into the metal. His affiliation. Their affiliation. The crest they were all prepared to lay down their lives for.

"We'll take the same path," Minato said decisively with a controlled calm. "Get the men ready to move. Add the unwounded from the fourth to our ranks."

Kakashi stared at the face of his leader, his general, searching for any hints of insight into his strategy.

"It's risky," Kakashi said in a low tone.

"War is not without risk," Minato's blue eyes bore into his.

Kakashi brought his hands to rest on the table. He leaned forward. He looked down at the map. As if an aerial view would give him a better path forward to finding the right words that toed the line without hinting at insubordination.

"It might prove to be beneficial to be more conservative," he pointed to a path along the trees just to the other side of one of the cliffs. His finger came to a stop right at the border of the Land of Earth.

"We can take them out there. I am confident Waterfall and Grass will not interfere. They will continue to remain neutral." He looked up at Minato's face reading it just as closely as his dark eyes had been reading the map.

Minato shook his head. "Being conservative is what led this war to stretch out as long as it has. If we can cut them off here they would have no choice but to mount an attack from either Waterfall or Grass, foreign land. It would add days and strain on their resources. It might also push either land to not remain neutral anymore. It is risky, but if we can cut them off, cut their path off, the war will be over."

"It could work," a man with dark hair and dark eyes emerged from the side of the tent. Shikaku leaned on the table just as the other two were. "But as Kakashi said, it will not be without cost. The question is, are you prepared to pay it?" He pulled at his goatee.

His question hung heavily in the air weighed down by the conflicting emotions in the tent. The silence was almost as telling as any of the voices had been. It was not an easy decision.

"I am," Minato said without blinking. He looked at both of their faces.

"This will end the war, one way or the other." Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. "When do you want me to head out?"

"I'm leading this one." He ran his thumb along his jaw, slowly. "I can't ask the men to make a sacrifice that I myself am not prepared to make. We'll make arrangements. Let the men rest a few days and we'll start the trek northwest."

"All this for a piece of land," Kakashi said with a long sigh. His breath was filled with wariness.

"It can't be helped." Minato picked up his helmet. He held it against his hip. "We have our orders from the Shogun."

Shikaku let out a slow breath. "If you pull this off, he won't be Shogun for much longer." He looked at the tight frame of the general. "You'll achieve your dream."

Minato's face was unreadable. "It was never my dream." He ducked under the navy flaps of the tent. He looked up at the sky. There were not many hours of daylight left.

"Are you sure about this?" Kakashi's nonchalant voice filled the restless still.

Minato walked through the row of guards. "As sure as one can be about anything."

"What about Naruto?" Kakashi looked at him with a solemn expression.

Minato stopped in his tracks. His boots crunched in the gravel. He looked over at his childhood friend. "He'll be fine. He has Ojisan."

Kakashi scoffed. His dark eyes rolled up lazily to the heavens; unclear if in scorn or prayer, his lips barely moved as he uttered: "Kami, help that boy."

Somewhere a very tall man in a brothel sneezed three times in a row.

She watched warily as two women carried a large wooden crate between them. They lowered it next to her with a thud. The dishes clinked together in a taunt. A taunt that was directed at her because she was the one to understand it.

"Another one," the woman sounded almost apologetic.

"What did you do?" The older of the two women looked at Sakura with imploring eyes.

"I wish I knew," Sakura answered honestly. Her voice was hoarse as it was the first time she had used it all day. She looked down at her hands covered in a black sudsy soap.

'I wonder if I'll have any skin left after this.'

'Look at the bright side, there'll be nothing for you to pick at. You might just break that habit of yours.'

The two women shot her looks over their shoulders. They left without another word.

"The way they're acting, you'd think I'm contagious." She muttered to herself. She tackled another particularly stubborn black mark on the steel pan. Now that the seal was broken, the words came tumbling out of her eager to make up their quota for the day.

"I wonder where the kid is," her green eyes scanned the courtyard for any flashes of a brown hat. She let out a deep sigh. She got up to her feet and pumped the lever of the cast iron hand pump.

'It's going to be a long day.'

She rolled her shoulders to no avail as she continued to accept her punishment for a crime she did not even know she committed.

She lowered her tired frame into the furthest wooden stool. A small sigh escaped her lips. Her whole body was sore. The warm bath only took some of the edge off from being hunched over all day. She would further straighten out once she was on her mattress. Only then would her spine have a true reprieve. She only had her imagination to rely on for what awaited her tomorrow. She rested her bowl against her kneecaps, balancing it precariously between the domes of bone.

She lifted her head to see a girl, who could not be any more than ten sit down across from her. The brown-haired girl spared her a timid smile. Sakura smiled in return.

"Hi," the girl seemed to gather courage from Sakura's receptive gesture.

"Hi," Sakura greeted back. "Are you new here?" She asked gently.

"I am. My name is Nohara Rin." She tucked her hair behind her ears.

"That's a pretty name, Rin-chan." Sakura's smile migrated to her eyes.

"Thank you," Rin's cheeks were dusted in a faint pink. The girl busied herself with tucking into her meal. She peered at the insides of her bowl like it was the most fascinating thing on earth, having used up most of her boldness.

'She's so young.' She could not help but think. 'She looks like the same age I was when….'

Sakura shook her head to free herself from her thoughts.

"What's your name?" She asked in a voice so small that Sakura almost missed it. The sound of others eating nearly drowned it out.

"Sakura."

Rin nodded her head. "That's my favorite flower," she said, not looking up. Her bowl was empty.

"Hm," Sakura weighed her words. "How old are you Rin-chan?"

The girl looked surprised at the question. She set her bowl down on the ground with a hollow sound. Empty. It resonated in Sakura's ears. "Thirteen."

Sakura kept the surprise off her face.

'She's small for her age.'

"Here," Sakura held out her bowl.

Rin looked at her with wide eyes, unsure of what to do with herself.

"I'm not all that hungry," she lied through her teeth. "You'd be doing me a favor. I didn't touch it."

"A-are you sure?" Her brown eyes were filled with reluctance. Her gaunt cheeks said something entirely different.

"I'm sure," Sakura smiled encouragingly at her.

"Thank you, Sakura-san." The girl took the bowl carefully with both hands. She made extra effort not to touch Sakura's hand in any way.

Sakura grabbed her glass of warm milk from the ground, by her ankles. It would have to do for now. She peered into the distance as the girl dipped her head and finished the second bowl clean.

Sakura chewed on the birch bark. She eyed the jar that contained it. She was running low.

'I'll need to grab some more.' She added it to her mental checklist of things to do the next time she left the confines of the compound. Her jaw worked as she turned the bark into a paste.

It was bitter and fibrous and left her mouth incredibly dry. But it was sustenance. Sustenance she desperately needed. It kept the acid in her stomach from eating itself. It prolonged the inevitable so that she could slowly starve for another day. But even then, it was welcome over the other starved parts of her that had inadvertently been given slivers of nourishment. Just enough for her to realize how difficult it was to go without.

Her eyes wandered to the stack of papers that did not belong to her on her desk. She tore her eyes away.

'He'll be back.'

She swallowed thickly. He haunted her thoughts while another face haunted her dreams.

Sakura walked with her hands clasped behind her back. The telltale sounds of children playing were what she honed her ears on. Three faces looked up at her. A marble rolled over and came to a stop after hitting her sandal. She regarded it with a thoughtful expression. The boys continued to eye her. Not sure what to make of her. Was she going to interrupt their game with a lecture? Was she going to join in? Why was she still here? She could see the questions on their distinct faces. Faces that were nowhere close to the one she searched for.

She kept the disappointment off her own face. "Sorry," she apologized for interrupting their game.

"Are you looking for the boy with the brown hat?"

Sakura turned on her heel at the sound of a woman's voice. She took in the owner. She was not much older than Sakura - if her age guesstimation meter could be trusted at all. She had kind hazel eyes and warm caramel-brown hair, swept up into a loose, effortless bun. She was beautiful not just in the face but the energy she exuded.

"Have you seen him?" Sakura's hands twitched as she asked the question. Her need to know outweighed her aversion to conversing with strangers.

"No, sorry." She offered Sakura a small smile. She brought her hands to her bulging stomach, drawing Sakura's attention to it for the first time. "I'll keep an eye out for you. My name is Juna." She held up her hand and waved her fingers. "Hi." She smiled brightly.

"Sakura," she pointed to herself to eliminate all possibility of doubt. She pulled down her off-white bandana. "Thank you." Sakura took in the woman's face. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine," Juna waved off her concerns. "I still have a ways to go, three months or so." She rubbed her belly with a tender look in her eyes. "My husband works here too. Out in the stables, with the animals." She shuffled on her feet.

"That's nice," Sakura scratched behind her ear lobe. "I really should get back to work." She dipped her head. "It was nice to meet you, Juna-san."

"Likewise, Sakura-chan." The woman smiled warmly at her.

Sakura's footsteps lead her back to where she had been prior to her unfruitful field trip. She looked at the patch of dirt that had been cleared of rocks and roots.

'Uzumaki-kun, where are you?' She bit her lip.

She stopped just outside of her door. She looked at the pair of shoes waiting neatly for their owner. Her pink brows furrowed together. She pulled down on her garb, trying to smooth out what wrinkles she could. Sakura's hands moved to the knot of her bandana. She tightened it.

'What now?'

She slipped out of her sandals and squared her shoulders. She cleared her throat more than loudly enough. She counted to five before opening the wooden sliding door. It was lit inside. Both of the lanterns were illuminating the space. She stood by the entrance.

Her jade-colored eyes took in the woman to her right. There was a stern expression on her face as she studied the various jars closely. Her dark eyes lingered on the drying garlands that hung from the walls.

Sakura brought her hands together, they rested loosely at her front. She kept her eyes trained on the ground. She breathed shallowly.

"Quite an interesting setup," Tomoha said with an upturned lip. Her dark eyes had yet to acknowledge Sakura's presence even if her voice had already done so.

The younger woman kept her head bowed and her mouth closed.

"You must have a lot of free time for you to have so many hobbies." The woman continued on.

Sakura's fingers tensed but she remained silent.

"I should give you more work." Tomoha mused. "Despite your stature, you seem to be handling the load just fine."

Sakura bit her lip. "Ambe-san if I've done something to offend -"

"You are nothing." She said sharply.

"I'm sorry," Sakura looked back down at her feet. She truly felt less than nothing in that moment in the room with the elderly woman.

"You need to understand something," Tomoha's face was pulled into a pinched expression. "If you want to remain here and remain employed by the great Namikaze family, you will focus on your work. And only your work."

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek. She felt heat rise from her belly.

"You will stay away from the boy. You will not engage the boy even if he approaches you. You will ignore him." Tomoha was pacing in front of Sakura. Her irateness was palpable. It made the air around her painful to breathe in. "If you disobey this order, your employment will be terminated. Is that clear?"

She tasted blood in her mouth. It took everything not to gag. "Yes, Ambe-san." She drew in a shaky breath.

"Good."

Sakura took a step to the side. The woman was at the door.

"Ambe-san?" Sakura looked straight ahead at the desk on the opposite wall of the room.

The woman looked over her shoulder at Sakura. "What?"

Sakura took the steps to cross the room. She opened the drawer and pulled out the stack of folded papers held together by a knot of twine. She walked back to the manager of the house.

"Please give these to him." She met the woman in the eye.

"What is this?" Tomoha asked with a raised brow and a scowl.

"Letters," Sakura answered. "Letters Uzumaki-kun dictated me to write."

The woman raised her dark eyes from the stack and pinned Sakura with a look of impatience.

"They are for his mother," Sakura answered impassively before the woman could interrupt.

Tomoha narrowed her eyes. "I do not know what you're playing at."

"I'm not playing at anything," Sakura said. "Respectfully, Ambe-san. Uzumaki-kun worked really hard to put together his feelings. I don't know his situation. I don't know what hardships he is dealing with. But one day he's going to want these letters. So please take care of them for him until then." They were not hers to keep.

Tomoha took a step closer to the woman. Sakura remained rooted in place; it was unclear if it was out of stubbornness or fear.

"You came here to take care of your family. Do that. Mind your business." Tomoha's tone was frigid. It was colder than the well water.

Sakura bowed her head. "I have every intention of doing so, Ambe-san. Just like I have every intention of complying with your order."

Tomoha took in her bent form. She scoffed as she snatched the letters from Sakura's hands. She left the room and closed the doors without uttering a single sound.

Sakura lifted her head. She closed her eyes, willing nothing to escape behind the eyelids that had become airtight.

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