Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Journey With Me ❯ Time To Go ( Chapter 2 )

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Bottles clanked together as they were lifted from their home on the wooden shelf. They were pressed tightly together as they were packed roughly in a small bag. A blanket was laid on top of them, restricting light from passing through. The bag was then tightened shut in a single pull.
It was then placed onto Sakura’s back, the strap adjusted to a length that it would be impossible to be stolen. The girl took on last look around. She wanted to be sure that she didn’t forget anything. Then it came to her. She opened an antique chest, the hinges moaned with age. Out she removed a cream colored cloak and rubbed the material between her delicate fingers.
The gold trim was faded, the metallic glow nothing more than a dull brown. The hood was large, the perfect size to hide her beacon of hair. A smile tugged on her lips when she saw the fastening. A ruby placed in the center of a ring, overshadowing the small diamonds that also inhabited the clip. It was the only treasure she owned and the only memory of her parents she had left.
When she was very little, her parents owned a small farm near the village. They didn’t always have enough money to pay for the things they needed, but they got by when things got tough. It surprised her when her father brought the cloak home to her mother. It looked heavily expensive and almost too delicate for a mere farmer’s wife. Her father had saved every penny he owned to buy it and they ended up being slightly more broke than they originally had been. Her mother loved it though. She wore it all the time, now it was harbored in an old chest for many years.
Then the day came when Sakura’s world changed. She was with her mother in the kitchen making bread when they heard a knock. Her mother went to answer it and greeted a grizzly of a man at the door. He was very stern when he asked her for money. When her mother stated that they had none to spare, the man accused her of lying and attacked.
Sakura’s mother shouted for her to run and she sped out the door in search of her father. She was overjoyed when she saw him in the field working. He listened to her explain the situation and he sprinted home.
She couldn’t keep up with him and was worried when she saw the man rushing out of the house with a heavy bag. Inside, she walked cautiously over to her parents on the ground. They weren’t breathing and she screamed at the top of her lungs. She rushed into the village and scouted out Lady Tsunade, the village healer and a family friend.
Tsunade had told the frantic girl that there was nothing that she could do, that they were already gone. Seeing that the small child had no one to be cared by, the healer took the girl in as her own and taught her what she knew about healing.
A tear splattered on top of the ruby and the pink-haired girl wiped her eyes. She hated crying and since the memory was painful, she had forbid herself to remember it. She shook the thought from her mind and stood from her spot on the floor. Swinging the cloak around her shoulders, she fastened it to her body. Since her mother was much taller than she was, the cloak pooled at her feet. It was a little long, she had to admit, but it would keep her warm and somewhat hidden. Content with her supplies, Sakura took once last glimpse before closing the door to her room.
She bid Shizune and Ino goodbye before heading to her mentor’s study. Taking a deep breath, the girl knocked on the door before proceeding. At her desk, Lady Tsunade eyed her student. She noted the sadness in her eyes and started to form words on her lips. Then she caught herself when she noticed the apparel draped on her shoulders on the girl’s shoulders.
“I assume you’re here to say goodbye?” her teacher proclaimed, opening a drawer on the side of the desk. The girl nodded.
“I see,” Tsunade said beckoning for Sakura’s hand. “You probably don’t want me to give you this, but here.”
A small velvet pouch was dropped into Sakura’s hands. She peered inside and gasped. She couldn’t believe that she was just given sixty gold coins. That was ten times the amount their tiny shop usually made in a month. She tried her hardest to give it back, but her mentor refused.
“B-but I can’t accept this! It’s too much!”
“Yes you can. You never know when you’re going to need it; just think of it as a payment for what I have put you through and what’s to come.”
Sakura smiled weakly and hugged her mentor one last time.
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Sasuke waited impatiently by his horse for Sakura to arrive. He wanted to get moving and the girl was taking forever. Since she decided to annoy him and take her sweet time, the prince took it upon himself to count the minutes as they go by.
He was up to twenty before the pink-haired medic hurried outside. She almost stumbled when she reached him and he had to smirk at her clumsiness.
“Where is your horse?” he asked bluntly, taking his ride’s reins.
“I don’t own one,” she remarked, hands at her hips.
“Hn.”
“What? Not everyone can afford to own one like you do.”
“Whatever, just get on.”
Sasuke positioned his hands together in order to make a makeshift step for the girl. To his surprise, Sakura pulled herself on top of the steed by herself and was waiting for him to mount. He grunted and swung himself up. His feet slide into the stirrups and his fingers gripped the reins tightly. The horse beneath him restlessly stamped its hoof to the dirt.
“Hold on,” he commanded.
He felt her arms wrapped around his middle and her body press against his. He smirked when her arms begin to tremble.
“Never been on a horse before?”
Sakura’s face blossomed into a rosy red tint.
“O-of course I-I have! W-why?”
“No reason.”
Sasuke kicked the horse’s side and it burst into a gallop. Sakura gripped his middle a little harder and closed her eyes. Of course she hadn’t have ridden a horse before. She had always wanted to, but never had to chance to learn. Now that she was on one, it seemed both exciting and terrifying.
“Sakura.”
The girl opened her eyes at the sound of her name.
“Yes,” she answered.
“Your grip is starting to kill me.”
She blushed a little more and released it.
“Sorry.”
“Hn.”
She than began to look around at the scenery as it went rushing by. They were now in a forest-like area. The trees towered overhead and bushes sprouted up in random areas. Wind played with her hair and earthy smell of it all delighted her. It was a peaceful place.
Before long it started to get dark and the moon positioned itself high in the sky. Stars began to pop up and shine brilliantly in the night. The two travelers decided to camp beside a small pond where they could supply both themselves and the horse with water.
Sakura began to prepare a small meal while Sasuke started up a fire. She handed him a plate of food and dug into her own. It was extremely silent and uncomfortable around the campfire. So Sakura decided to start a conversation.
“So…um…thanks for taking care of those bandits this morning.”
“Not a problem,” he grumbled, biting down on some bread.
“And sorry for being so mean about it too,” she stated, looking down at her plate. “I just don’t like to feel weak and helpless, so I try to do things on my own. I like to show people that I am a strong-willed person and I don’t need anyone’s help. It’s doesn’t mean that I never need help, but you get the gist of what I mean right?”
Sakura looked up to the prince and waited for a reply. She was trying hard to make nice with the guy and wanted to start a clean slate with him. After a while, he responded.
“You think you are strong, but you’re not.”
“What?”
Sasuke’s raven locks fluttered when he looked at the girl. He face was completely simple and unmoving.
“You say that you are strong, but I can see that you’re weak. You show signs that you hate to fight and when you have to, it doesn’t end in your favor.”
Sakura was completely shocked. How dare he say such things about her? Does he know what she’s been through?
“You think you know me Sasuke? Know about what I think and about what I feel? Well you don’t!” she argued. “In fact I don’t think you even know yourself!”
“And you think you do?”
“No and I don’t think I want to know! But you better get to know me better before you accuse me for something I’m not!”
“I haven’t accused you of anything Sakura; I have just told you my opinion of you.”
“And you couldn’t keep your opinion to yourself?”
“Whatever.”
“Goodnight, Sasuke,” Sakura muttered, pulling out her blanket and curling into a ball onto the ground. She was so furious with him! What on earth made him say those words to her? Sure she wasn’t the strongest person around, but she could hold her own if she wanted to. She squeezed her eyes shut and fell asleep.
Sasuke sat on a log by the fire for a while and mapped out their path for the next couple of days. If his calculations were correct, they would make it to the town he wanted to be at in three to four days. His onyx eyes shifted over to the Sakura when he heard her whimper.
“Mother,” she mumbled in her sleep. A cold breeze tickled his ear and he watched as the girl shivered. He grabbed his blanket from his pack and draped it over her small body. The shivering began to slightly stop and then completely go away. Satisfied, Sasuke leaned against the log he had been sitting on and nodded off to sleep.