"Ouch."
Whimpers escaped her trembling mouth as she held her knee trying to subdue the tears and her wobbling lower lip. The ungrateful kitten hissed at her and deserted like a traitorous, cowardly comrade on a mission. It gave her all the more reasons to cry about. Helpless and a crybaby- at least she lived up to her name on the playground.
The eleven-year-old sniffled and whimpered again looking at her throbbing ankle. All she wanted was a kitten. The helpless little fella' trapped in the tree appeared as a sign from the Gods or so she thought. A white fluffy kitten seeking help, in those illustrated storybooks she used to read read- it would've been the start of a great friendship. With such thoughts, she climbed up and endured his scratches until she hit the ground.
"Dummy..."- She muttered in the silence under the late blooming cherry tree. It was so fragrant, lush, and beautiful. Its fallen pink petals adorned her hair, blending in with its color. Breathtaking yet to her it was atrocious. It's a bad omen. Just like the cherry petal necklace she wore all the time.
"Oi..."- She almost jumped startled by the boyish voice behind her.
A raven-haired boy stood behind in training gear- an aspiring shinobi. He seemed to be around her age, perhaps a year or two older. The sharp features and pitch-black eyes were undoubtedly the traits of a Uchiha. Once Ino began her ninja journey at the academy, Sakura was also introduced to a part of that life. Uchiha Sasuke had been one meaningful detail in her best friend's stories. A cute boy around their age with a whole fan club dedicated to following him around. No wonder he'd choose secluded areas such as her favorite forest region. It was spacious enough to train and the green lush vegetation relaxed the mind.
"You alright?"- He spoke in such a monotone voice, that it felt like she was about to be scolded.
"Yeah... Sure."- Sakura tried to keep her pride and stand up, putting on a brave face but the sharp pain from her knee jolted up and made her grimace.
The Uchiha boy sighed and crouched before the injured pinkette. At first, she was dumbfounded, facing his back with the Uchiwa fan staring right back at her until she saw him glance back, urging her to get on. The Uchiha clan symbol was branded proudly on his shirt, reminding her of just who she was dealing with. Knowing he wouldn't ask twice, Sakura wasted no time and thanked him for his kindness, soon she felt him hold her knees as she held on, wrapping her frail arms around his neck.
"I'll drop you off at the hospital."- He decided with no space for her to protest.
"No. Please anywhere but the hospital."- She pleaded and nuzzled her face, hiding into the nape of his neck.
"It wasn't a question."- He declared, and his grip under her knees tightened, holding her close as he picked up his pace.
Sakura's face probably rivaled a tomato while feeling the warmth of his body. It was her first time being that close to a boy, especially one she found cute. She held back gushing at their proximity and tried to focus on his questions.
"What the hell were you doing on that tree?"
"Tried to save a kitten."
"You idiot climbed up that high all for a cat?"
"But I wanted a kitten!"- She whined and pouted in protest, taking him aback with her stubbornness.
"That was a grown-ass cat, idiot...Judging from the scratches. It's just one ungrateful cat."- Sasuke scolded her. It was a surprise to hear him talk as much. According to Ino, the boy had little to no vocabulary. Communication wasn't his forte.
"I don't care. I want it back!" - Sakura demanded.
The Uchiha sighed, perhaps tired out by her constant whining. She was a whiny child.
"Sasuke."- He abruptly introduced himself.
"What?"- She was taken aback by how he changed the topic.
"My name. Yours?"
"Sakura."
The next thing she knew, Sakura was in the hospital getting a mouthful of scolding from Tsunade and a get-well-soon flowers from Ino. Sasuke had left her there and jumped out of the hospital window. The blonde Yamanaka didn't withhold from questioning her about the raven-haired Uchiha, after all, Sakura had gotten a granted ticket to paradise while being saved by the young Uchiha heir according to Ino.
"Ano... He is gone."- Ino suddenly uttered.
"What? How do you know? Maybe he is on a mission. He is a genin after all."- Sakura tried to find a reasonable explanation.
"He wasn't at his usual hangout spot with Naruto and the rest of the genins. Plus he left with his brother. I heard he was visiting relatives."
"Oh."- Sasuke's absence shouldn't have disappointed her but it did. She wanted to see him. Meet him. Thank him... Hug him again.
Two days later. Someone rang the doorbell of the Senju residence. A white kitten with a red bow around its neck stood in front. One that enjoyed being cuddled and caressed by the pinkette. A little note hung on its bow.
'Don't climb trees again.
P.S. Stop whining!'
Three years fell faster than the petals of the cherry tree where they met. Her encounter with the Uchiha boy brought about a new chapter in which she started blossoming. He opened the door to a new world. A cat, new friends, and a lot of laughter. Sakura did get in trouble every once in a while for hanging out with the top prankster in the village - Uzumaki Naruto.
She rushed to meet with them after every mission, Sakura stood there by the gates. Tsunade was surprised to see her apprentice mingle with Shinobi outside her comfort zone. It would take a lot to drag her away from the books in the library. For a bookworm like herself who found solace in knowledge, Uchiha Sasuke had become a source of admiration.
The stoic and introverted Uchiha rarely strike a conversation but whenever he did - she was the one he conversed with the most. Sakura tended to feed her childish delusional mind that he might like her with the same vigor. After all, she had been among the few people invited into his home.
The great Uchiha Compound. It felt so warm and welcoming, for a place rumored to be cursed. A place where the 'cursed' clan lived. That day she let the rumors be. One couldn't believe those when greeted by Uchiha Mikoto's kind smile and tasty cooking. The woman was delighted to know Sasuke had more friends, especially one who was a girl. Even his mother was aware of his poor social skills rivaling a rock's.
"I took an oath never to become a shinobi."- She responded to her friends. They were perplexed by her choice while immersed in Tsunade's sacred encyclopedia of medical ninjutsu.
When she was younger, pinpointing the reason for her distaste was harder. It took years of therapy to get past her trauma of parental loss. A mere toddler shouldn't remember her parents' sacrifice.
Prematurely she became aware of their system's base, built upon using innocent people as weaponry and discarding them when required. She thought that perhaps a Uchiha like Sasuke might understand, someone whose clan was known for their kekkei Genkai, utilized like weaponry and completely dehumanized. However, even he was taken aback by her choice not to enter the Academy after being taken in by the famous Senju family.
"Then why that subject... You're aware it's still ninjutsu, right, Sakura?"- Shikamaru Nara raised an eyebrow.
"I'll heal people. I took an oath to protect life in a way only I can, without taking anyone's life away."
"I hate the system..."- She concluded once and now there she was at thirteen imagining a future life with a Shinobi. The boy was not just someone random.
He was about to battle Sabaku no Gaara for the title of chunin. When politely asked by her friends for her support during the exams she couldn't refuse, thus standing on the bleachers and hoping, cheering for their glory.
It was pure pressure. The Fourth Hokage, the Kazekage along with the Third Hokage observed the showdown intently. Sakura swore she saw Namikaze Minato's worry and fear when his son battled. Then she realized the huge burden that weighed each of her friends down.
The blonde Yamanaka next to her was equally agitated. Ino's eyebrows were pulled together in worry, her hands pulled into fists tightly as she sat next to her watching the battles unveil. All from Nara Shikamaru to Naruto and Sasuke, had to live up to someone's expectation or perhaps under someone's shadow.
It was a difficult life for a child yet they fought with tooth and nails. Nobody believed it but Uzumaki Naruto had beat up the Hyuuga prodigy Neji into a pulp and knocked sense into the fool who had mercilessly injured his cousin. Sakura watched in awe as she observed the scenes unfold and the people's ovations all in the name of the Kyuubi vessel- the one they underestimated and refused to recognize on the streets.
The cheers died down and the arena's echo went mute, people's expectant eyes hungrily searched for the Uchiha to appear in the battleground. Uchiha Fugaku's secondborn was about to arrive and his battle was most anticipated. Sakura clenched her hands tightly, holding her breath, praying that he suddenly waltzed inside.
Ten minutes and the spectator was about to disqualify him.
The injured Rock Lee and Gai-sensei had made their presence known in the crowd. Hinata Hyuuga who had previously suffered a cardiac arrest, managed to come, yet no sign of the young Uchiha heir. Her green eyes scanned the crowd, landing on his family and the members of his clan. Even his stoic father seemed restless and preoccupied.
Sakura could care less about the feudal lords and another aristocracy that made their bargains and created a spectacle out of a Uchiha boy fighting and showing his capabilities. She only wished to see him healthy and alive. Ever since preliminaries finished Sasuke had disappeared.
Time was ticking fast, and the exam proctor appeared indecisive, looking up from the arena toward the conflicted Hokage, quiring for a sign to disqualify the tardy rookie. Naruto's restless nature echoed in each corner, cursing at his best friend's odd timing when suddenly leaves danced around in a whirlpool, twirling around two figures, slowly revealing their identity like a curtain at a theatric spectacle.
Sakura could recognize that stuck-up stance and those eyes from anywhere, especially the grey-haired man who seemed too invested in the book he was reading. One had to have the guts to be that unbothered. Sakura finally let out the breath she had been holding.
The crowd woke up again. Relief washed over the faces of Sasuke's parents and for a second there she witnessed the poker-faced Uchiha Fugaku look down attempting to hide a smug smile.
She smiled with glee, hearing Sasuke introduce himself next to the proctor and his sensei's awkward apology. The spectator's joy was quickly stifled by the ominous aura that penetrated the air once Sabaku no Gaara made his way down. An aura too dark for a child to bear. The kind to make you shiver and run for your life. The kind on the hunt for blood and gore just for the thrill of it, and those empty green eyes under the bangs of red were preying on the Uchiha.
They battled. The spectacle began once the younger Uchiha heir demonstrated his lightning style. Sakura had never seen anything like it- the sound of thousands of birds chirping all running through his sword, utilized like an electrical cord. He had embedded it into a ball of sand where the red-haired nemesis was hiding. The arena was shining from the electrical current running from Sasuke through the sword into the sand. Then her blood froze from the echo of Gaara's panicked antagonizing scream.
It was supposed to be a simple battle to declare who would gain the title of a chunnin. People watched in bewilderment, commenting on Sasuke's unforeseen expertise, and for once the comparison between him and his older brother faded. While it seemed her friend had the upper hand and the members of the crowd who placed a bid on him were about to crown him victorious, Sabaku no Gaara had other plans.
The events that played out changed Konoha forever.
Feathers fell like rain in the arena, as if some part of a special effect for a spectacle. One by one the audience fell asleep under some form of a genjutsu.
The arena was ambushed and the Third Hokage was taken hostage.
Her first instinct was to look for the injured. It was no time to cry over spilled milk, Senju Tsunade was out of the village and the emergency called for her to act quickly. The medical specialists were nowhere to be seen so she headed downstairs. The halls were empty and she didn't sense anyone on her trail. Sakura noticed an Anbu member lying unconscious by the entrance.
Next, she only recalled sequences of memories. She remembered being pushed and her body heavily tumbling down the stairs. She felt the hand gripping her hair tightly into her scalp and threatening to cut it off. She barely remembered the harsh blow on her cheek and stomach when she fought back and stabbed the intruder.
But Sakura could vividly recall the pissed-off Uchiha Sasuke with his blaring red eyes and dark markings growing like vines all over his body. That malevolent purple chakra empowered his body like nothing she had seen previously in the arena.
"Who did this to you, Sakura?"
His aura was dark as if he had crawled up from the pits of hell just to get there. Her abusers cowered and attempted to dodge him while his speed was rendered to a flash-step.
"Was it him?"- Sasuke's smile widened rejoicing at the sound of bones cracking while the man surrendered on the floor.
"Or her?"- The woman who had held her hair in a tight grip attempted to run but he caught her slamming her into the opposite wall.
She heard the arms of the last abuser crack in Sasuke's hold. And he would've continued tearing off limb after limb on a killing spree with a malicious grin on his face unless she reacted. As fast as her legs could carry her, she wrapped her arms around his restless figure hugging him from behind.
She held on tightly pleading for him to stop his madness, desperately crying for him to come to his senses.
It was a desperate measure. In his condition, she half-expected to be tossed aside while he continued on a killing spree, but he looked back. The bloody red eye of the Sharingan stared into her teary green eyes that begged him to wake up.
He did. His whole being settled and left to fight the perpetrators of Konoha.
Seemingly, Sasuke looked like his normal self, but Sakura knew nothing would be normal again.
The chunin exams had been pivotal for her and the people in her circle. What was supposed to be a student exchange between the villages had become a disturbing event with a tragic ending. Death had been a familiar factor in Sakura's life. However, the third Hokage's existence had seemed eternal. She didn't like funerals but still managed to show up in the pouring rain and stay alongside a distraught Tsunade who had previously wallowed up in a large dose of alcohol and self-blame.
Sasuke's expression was unreadable. Never once had he spared her a glance during the funeral, only stayed in line with the rest of the Uchiha clan, laid down his flower, and left.
Ever since the dire incident she had been stuck in the hospital where they needed all the help they could get. Naruto refused to come for a check-up long after even though after battling Suna's junchuriki he had been unresponsive for days.
Once admitted to the hospital Sasuke had encountered her with a chilling cold gaze. Cold enough to freeze a heart.
"Uchiha Sasuke has escaped the hospital."
Once as she walked through the halls alongside Ino, they heard such whispers. Sakura had just gotten off work after preparing Rock Lee for his surgery. Ino suggested they have a picnic to relieve their heads from stress when the head nurse relaid the news to Shizune. The curse mark on his shoulder was the most recent topic that had taken the hospital staff by storm. The rumors were ridiculous, both girls shared a look of worry. Curiosity got the best of them thus they wound up heading for the place where the young Uchiha would likely frequent. They hid in the forest behind the trees near the waterfall.
On the ground stood Hatake Kakashi, hands behind his back while carefully observing his student. Sakura could only see his back, the Uchiha symbol glaring at them as he climbed on those sturdy rocks doing it with one arm behind his back. She nearly gasped seeing him slip luckily he quickly grasped another rock concentrating all chakra in his hand. Sasuke was unaware of the attention he had gathered, only Kakashi turned to them and smiled, reassuring his friends to leave.
"Why are boys like that, Ino?"- She asked reluctantly as they walked through the forest. The blonde looked at her puzzled by the question.
"Why do they have to push too far?"
"Why you're asking me? I'm not a guy!"
Weeks later, Uchiha Sasuke went far and beyond, infinitely changing his demeanor. Looking at his grim expression she missed the boy she met under the cherry tree, the one who would never ignore her endlessly. A fight with Naruto, his best friend and comrade, exploded on a rooftop and Sakura got stuck in between. If it weren't for Kakashi, Sakura would've taken the blow of their Chidori and Rasengan. The fight culminated with her panic attack and their marred friendship.
A night after Sakura tossed and turned, sweat running down her forehead as the dreams were more torturous than reality. It was around midnight, and Tsunade was fast asleep in her room when Sakura carefully on her tiptoes sneaked out of the home like a burglar trying not to get caught. The chill nocturne air nipped on the skin of her arms as she hadn't bothered taking a cardigan. Under the light of the full moon and flickering street lights, stood the figure of Uchiha Sasuke by the gates of their village. The large backpack on his back meant he was departing. No team-mates or team leader was present meaning Sasuke was about to desert Konoha.
He halted in his tracks and turned sensing her chakra. His dark gaze was exhausted and troubled yet he masked it impeccably. "Why are you prowling alone at night, Sakura?"
"I knew it... I knew you'd leave."- The strength in her voice wavered as if she had trouble uttering the word 'leave'.
"Go back home and get some sleep."- He put his hands in his pockets, lingering there to see her follow the order but she stood her ground.
"How can you go just like that? Why do you single me out and not say anything?"
"I don't need anyone's help. Stop caring so much."
"Do you hate me?"
"You are being ridiculous. This has nothing to do with you, Sakura. Go!"
"What about your family? What will your mom say? Kakashi sensei? Naruto?"- Sakura attempted to reason with him as tears finally fell. Even if it wouldn't suffice, she forced him to remember all the people he was leaving behind but he refused to spare her a glance.
The wind blew ruffling the tree leaves and Sasuke remained quiet for a while. "I know you feel incompetent in front of the expectations from your clan. I know your burden but thirst for power in the darkside won't heal that mark."
He turned around avoiding her saddened eyes. "Don't you see Sasuke? It won't make you happy. Not you... nor me."
"I am not like you, Sakura. This is what I must do."
"Do you know how painful loneliness is?! Do you want that for yourself?"- She sobbed watching him stand there facing the gate. Her arguing was a desperate measure.
"If you were to leave, no matter the people in my life. To me, it will be just loneliness left. So please..."- Sakura's cries stopped her trail of thought.
"From here on out, we are on different paths."- His voice was crudely honest, underlining the verity that they were officially parting ways. Sasuke took steps away from her and her heartbeat ceased to exist.
"I... I love you with all my heart!"- Sakura screamed at the top of her lungs for all Konoha to know. Her confession was nothing like she had daydreamed before. They weren't near the blooming cherry blossoms, the sun wasn't shining and her voice wasn't soft and shy. It was desperate, emotional, and miserable. "I would do anything for you. I swear..."- She pleaded while sobbing. "If you stay we'll find a way to happiness. I'll help you make your dreams a reality so... Please, stay!"
For a while, only her sobs and sniffles added to the tension in the air between them. "So please stay with me... or take me with you."- She whispered sniffling and the teardrops felt hot on her hands' skin as she wiped them.
This time he turned to see her reddened face full of tears. His lips spread into a smirk instead, as he broke her heart with words she was used to hearing.
"You really are annoying, Sakura."
She tensed seeing him go for the gate again, condemning and ordering him not to leave in vain until his figure vanished in a split second. Sakura's emerald green eyes grew wide, sensing his breath fanning the nape of her neck and the warmth of his figure behind her back.
"Sakura..."- He had never called her name so tenderly. So close to her ear that she almost flushed red.
"Thank you..."
Darkness swept her off her feet, it was so tempting to close her tear-filled eyes and give in. The last her senses were able to perceive was a stranger's arms carrying her and laying her down somewhere.
The pinkette never forgot that night, the moon, the bench, and the two of them. Not even years down the line when he returned victoriously, when they avoided each other. She had never forgotten his words of gratitude.