I did as Juu demanded and suddenly felt my vision blur. Someone entered with a tray of water and towels before they stopped in surprise and stepped back, "oh, you're awake. Don't worry, I mean you no harm. I'm one of the partners of the swordsmen, you can trust me."
I couldn't answer but the boy gave a closed-eye smile and his words must have triggered something in Juu.
I felt feeling back in my arms and legs, but my mouth moved on its own accord, in a booming voice that was definitely not my own, "so Momochi is here?"
"A-ah, yes," the boy said softly as he moved back, not expecting what had just happened. Juu grunted in approval of sorts and I felt a chill run down my back before I gained back control of my voice, making me shiver.
"Where am I?"
"Raiga-san brought you to the base a while back. Zabuza-san made him leave you here instead of taking you with him," the boy said gently, and my eyes slowly rounded in disbelief, staring at the boy with multiple questions running through my dizzy head.
"Moo-moo is here? Fuzakeruna!"
"Oi, oi, why are you making so much noise? The day just about started. Do you really want to be killed right now?" a very familiar voice interrupted in a drawl and I watched the door click open and there appeared the man.
Momochi Zabuza.
- Time-skip three months -
Sakura's POV:
One day passed, the second day passed, the third day passed and just like that it had been a whole three months since Sarada left home with oba-san. Now, I was alone and bored.
I'd expected her to have returned the day after she left as they were supposed to go on a trip, but there had been no word sent from either my sister or oba-san.
Truthfully, I was worried about her, and not to mention Iruka-sensei regularly questioned me about her lack of presence, to which I had no genuine reply.
My loneliness had compelled me to ask my parents. But I didn't receive the response I was hoping for.
As soon as the words left my mouth, I watched the glass tou-chan had been drinking from shatter onto the ground while kaa-chan dropped the plate she had been washing.
"Kaa-chan, tou-chan, what's wrong? Did something happen to Sarada? Is that why she isn't back yet?" I tried again, hope evident in my tone, but they exchanged a look I couldn't recognise and looked at me hesitantly.
"Sakura-chan, Sarada isn't coming back. Oba-san took her to a new home. They won't be back."
"B-but... I thought they were going on a small trip... why is Sarada not coming- tou-chan, kaa-chan, why did you let Sarada go forever?" I questioned in a quiet voice, tears collecting in my eyes, but they both looked away.
"We thought it would be best for Sarada to have a new start. It has always been hard for Sarada since she was younger, but since she still wasn't settling in, we thought it was unfair to press on a matter that seemed impossible. Meeting new people may help her the most," kaa-chan explained, hiding her expression.
"I- I feel sorry for her," I admitted quietly and hung my head low, "I didn't want her to honestly leave for good... I just thought she was getting in the way as usual..."
"We know how you feel Sakura, but think of this as a growing chance for her, okay? Hey, maybe she's having so much fun with aunty and uncle that she's completely forgotten about us, huh? Let's go out to have some dango," tou-chan suggested.
I nodded, quickly wiping at the tears on my cheeks and smiling at tou-chan who lifted me up and held kaa-chan's hand.
Sarada's POV:
