Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ 14 Gifts ❯ Snowdrops ( Chapter 1 )

February 1st - Snowdrops

It was a cold, late evening in the village of Konoha, not unusual at this time of year. It was towards the end of winter and spring would hopefully begin to bring life to the barren trees that surrounded its walls. The first of February was always cold but there was the hope that the weather would change soon.

A pink-haired kunoichi had just completed her shift at the hospital, fatigue apparent in her posture and her face as she walked the empty road leading to her apartment. It wasn't only exhaustion that weighed her down but loneliness that she currently felt that just didn't seem to want to leave. Sure she had friends, but she needed - wanted - more.

So much had already happened in her very short life. She was only 20, but due to the things she had experienced in her years made her feel somewhat older. It was nothing unusual in a shinobi, to go through so much in so little time.

An unrequited love was lost to her early on in her youth. Then there was training for hours on end, the missions that were completed leaving a lot of blood on her hands and more training. There were her friends and comrades that were lost during the war that left a gaping hole in her already fragile heart. Now she found that many of her friends that had survived the war were moving on and pairing up.

Ino and Shikamaru getting together had been a surprise to her. Both of their fathers were lost during the war, seeming to give them a common ground to pull them together. Sakura had honestly thought that Choji would have finally wooed her blonde friend, but seeing as how the Nara and Ino had seemed to be drawn to each other in their grief, the male gave up.

Even Temari was seen less and less in Konoha, coming only when absolutely necessary for Chunin exams or other political reasons. She was rarely seen in the company of the shadow-user, and only when absolutely necessary.

Naruto finally pulled his head out of the clouds and realized his feelings for Hinata. Things that had happened during the war had truly opened his eyes, including the loss of friends that were close to him. The conflict had also pushed him to grow up exponentially and it was this change in him that had made Lady Tsunade take him under her wing to teach him the ropes.

He would be Hokage soon. It was only a matter of time before the Godaime named him successor formally.

Even Shizune had hooked up with the usually flirtatious playboy, Genma. The two were only apart for work at the hospital and missions. Sakura smiled at that thought. They were really good together.

Kakashi was still single, which really hadn't surprised Sakura. Many of the beliefs he held about the past had been dashed during the Allied Shinobi War and had made him relook at how he lived his life, and suddenly there were obvious changes made with regards to the copy nin.

Sakura, as well as many of his closest friends, had noticed that he no longer spent hours at the stone where the names of those who lost their life in battle for their beloved Konoha stood. No longer did Kakashi wander around the streets with his nose buried in one of those books of Icha Icha anymore, and no longer was he terrifically late for any type of meeting, whether it was mission related or just a gathering of friends.

But the biggest change in their ex-sensei was the fact that he no longer hid behind his mask. That was the biggest shock to Sakura and every other being in Konoha. Kakashi just showed up to sparring practice one day sans mask making Sakura, Naruto and even Sai gape in awe.

He never wore it again.

Secretly, Sakura had fallen head over heels for the elder shinobi. There was a stable maturity that she appreciated and yearned for; yet he did have his moments of childishness that endeared him to her. Those episodes of immaturity were usually present when Gai challenged him to some feat of strength causing Sakura to laugh at their antics.

The fact that beneath that mask that he had worn for the majority of her years was the face of an extremely handsome man had some bearing on her crush. Not a line of age showed his advancing years, nor did he appear to have any scars except for the one that adorned the eye that held the Sharingan. Sakura also knew his physical body was in tiptop shape due to the extreme training and constant mission work he did. Being his team healer had given her first-hand experience with that battle-worn body and she had seen the scars that seemed to add to his masculinity.

He wasn't perfect by any means. But in her eyes, he was all man.

Sakura was happy that he seemed to be more a part of life in the village, and not just as a faithful shinobi. But she wanted him to have more in his life than just his friends. She wanted to see him to settle down, maybe even marry and have a child of his own and have some bit of happiness. Kakashi had lost so many that were close to him, even betrayed by some, that she felt he deserved someone to love him unconditionally.

She sighed as she entered the large apartment building that was her home and climbed her way up the steps, slowly reaching the third floor where she lived. When she arrived at her door, there in front of it was a bulging pink envelope the size of a card. She leaned down and picked up the envelope before unlocking her door to her home.

Sakura entered the small one bedroom place and turned on the lights. She dropped her keys and the envelope on the table next to the door before taking off her long coat and hung it on the hook near the door. Then sitting on a nearby chair, she took the time to remove her boots rubbing each foot gingerly. Her feet were tired from being on them most of the day. There had been a number of injured shinobi to heal due to random skirmishes on the outskirts of the village. The war may be over, but there were still bandits who thought to take advantage of the war-torn lands of Fire.

She went into her kitchenette and washed her hands before filling her teakettle with water for a cup of tea to warm her insides. While she waited for the water to boil, Sakura reclaimed the envelope and looked it over. It was a simple non-descript pink envelope with her name written in simple handwriting. She seemed to recognize the handwriting, but couldn't at the moment.

She slipped her finger to the opening of the envelope and opened it. Within its confines were two small white flowers and a piece of paper with writing. Unfolding the white paper she found what looked like a poem.

After reading the small, choppy verse, Sakura didn't know what to think. Who could it be that left her such a gift? And why?

oOo

AN: Apparently there is a tradition in Denmark of sending snowdrops along with a poem to loved ones. At the end of the poem, there are a series of dots that take place of each letter in the person's name that sent it. The idea is to figure out who it is that sent the poem and snowdrops based on the number of dots.