Inner hummed happily as she made her way home, the sweet but savory taste of dango still present in her mouth. Shisui had offered to walk her home but she had declined, saying that she didn't want to trouble him. Of course, Shisui being Shisui, he kept insisting but Inner managed to shut him up. We shall not speak of how but to satisfy your curiosity she.. demonstrated just how capable she was with a well-timed kick that left him lying in pain.
'Should I stop to get some food?' The pinkette thought for a moment before shrugging and changing paths. Now, instead of the path home she was taking the one towards a shop that sold some of the most delicious mochi in the village.
'Inner! You better not waste our money!' Came the voice of Outer Sakura.
'Of course not Saku, cha!'
'Hmph!'
'What's got you so riled up anyway Outer?' Inner asked curiously as she walked round a corner.
'Hm..' Inner Sakura frowned slightly at the lack of response from her other half. She knew that they were both affected by the bullying but Outer usually just sat silently and either ignored them or just listened to them whilst she preferred to retaliate. She puffed out her cheeks, she hated bullies.
Huffing, the girl moved swiftly through a crowd of people, making her way to the front of the group easily. She opened the door to one of her favourite shops in all of Konohagakure and headed straight to where the shop's owner was sitting behind the register.
"Oh, hello Sakura-chan! What can I do for you today?" The woman said as she smiled down at her. Inner grinned back, she had always loved the woman. I mean, who wouldn't love such a pure soul?
The woman's light blue hair had a few strands of grey striped through it. Her hair reached her shoulders and the majority of it was left down with a handful tied up in a small ponytail. Her fringe was brushed around her forehead and occasionally the woman would have to clip it back to prevent the strands of hair from flying into her light periwinkle coloured eyes. The woman was wearing a blue, long sleeved dress that reached halfway down her shins. Her peach coloured skin was glowing in the light that crept through the big windows of the shop.
Inner went through the profile she had made for the woman in her and Outer's mind.
'Name: Azumi Ejiri
Age: 48
Staus: Alive, civilian
Family: Arata Ejiri (Deceased), Takumi Ejiri (Deceased), Koharu Ejiri.
Job: Owner of Cotton tails Shop
Extra Info: Azumi's husband and son both died in the Third shinobi war, leaving Azumi and her daughter to grieve alone. Azumi makes some of the best dango ever and is very kind.'
Sakura had met Azumi back when her parents were still alive. The woman had come to buy something from the stall her parents had set up one summer and both Inner and Outer Sakura took an immediate liking to her. At this time Inner was still known as 'The Voice' to Outer Sakura so Inner hadn't been able meet the woman face to face but since Inner had learnt how to take control she took full advantage of the woman's talent in cooking.
'You just like her because she sneaks you extra mochi.' Outer Sakura huffed. Inner shushed her before replying to Azumi.
"Hello Azumi-obaasan! Cha!" The woman chuckled at the little girl's antics.
"You seem quite energetic today Sakura-chan." The woman gave the pinkette another closed eyed smile. "Have you come here for some dango again?" Azumi had an amused glint in her eyes.
Inner nodded her head eagerly and watched as the bluenette went off to fetch the tasty treat. Whilst she was waiting, Inner looked around the small shop, she had seen it all before but she always loved how the small space was crammed with colour.
The many wooden shelves that filled the room were stocked with books and toys of all kinds. Outside the shop there were flowers that caught the eyes of many with their beautiful shades. Dream catchers and wind chimes were hung by the window swinging rhythmically, as if they were dancing to a silent tune. The wooden floorboards contrasted nicely against the soft pastel pink and yellow of the walls and the room was lit up by the sun's rays shining through the windows at the front of the shop.
"Sorry about the wait Sakura-chan, please help yourself!" Azumi said kindly as she came back into the room, a tray of freshly made goods in hand. She placed the tray on the counter the register was on before patting the four year old's head. "Enjoy!"
Inner's eyes brightened and she reached for a mochi, grabbing it before stuffing it in her mouth.
'Yummy!' She thought as she chewed the treat. Whilst the pinkette was eating Azumi disappeared from the room. Inner didn't pay any attention to this though since the woman was still technically working. The pinkette sat down on a wooden stool as she munched on a new piece of mochi.
Moments later the blue haired woman reentered, a first aid kit in hand. She kneeled down in front of the four year old and opened the box full of medical supplies.
"Huh?" Azumi looked up and chuckled when she saw the pinkette's confused face.
"Have you really not noticed Sakura-chan? Both your knees are bleeding."
"Oh.." Inner had forgotten about that.
'Dummy.'
'Hey! Cha! What is with you today?' Outer Sakura was definitely in a bad mood which only meant bad things for Inner.
The woman cleaned her knees of the blood that had already started rolling down her legs. Then Azumi wiped away any germs or filth that could have gotten into the cuts on her knees. It stung a bit but Inner ignored it easily.
"There you go my dear!" Azumi smiled as she stood up.
"Thank you Azumi-obaasan!" Inner grinned. They said their farewells before Inner marched out of the shop, a bag of mochi secured in her hand.
'Can we switch back please?' Inner stopped in her tracks, placed down the bag of dango and closed her eyes as she released her control over the body. 'Thank you!' Outer Sakura smiled as she opened and closed her fist. She still wasn't completely used to the feeling of switching with Inner but it was kind of nice to have someone you can always rely on to take your place in a tough situation; kind of like having a twin!
'Yeah yeah, make sure not to forget my dango, cha!' Then again her 'twin' was Inner so it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. She bent down as she took ahold of the bag of dango, Inner probably had put it on the ground so that when they switched their body wouldn't drop it.
The pinkette started on her journey home, it was a relief that Azumi didn't charge them for the dango otherwise she would be broke. She didn't fully understand what Inner was, besides being a crazy second being inside her she was also an eternally hungry information filled white outline of her. The four year old really wasn't sure why she hadn't gone to a phycologist or a Yamanaka.
'It's cause your stupid.' The ever helpful voice of Inner echoed through her mind.
'So you're saying that I'm stupid for trusting you? You do realise that if I had gone to see a psychologist they would most likely label me as insane. If I went to a Yamanaka, well.. I'm not even sure what would happen but I would most likely get caught up in clan business.' Sakura of course did not mention how they were already involved with the Uchihas.
'..' Inner was silent for a moment. 'Should have gone to a phycologist..' The shadow muttered. Sakura huffed but ignored her other half, Inner could be incredibly frustrating sometimes.
As she got closer to her house she noticed that there were two people standing in front of her door. The pinkette could tell that one was a man whilst the other was a woman. She walked up behind them and the two turned around. Sakura's emerald green eyes widened slightly when she recognised the people in front of her.
"Sakura-chan!" The woman cried as she rushed forward, pulling the four year old into a tight embrace.
"Yui-obasan.."
A/N: Sooooo this chapter is slightly shorter then the last two but I just thought it was a good place to leave it! I wonder if any of you remember who Yui is? It seems like ages ago since she was last mentioned!
Please make sure to check out my other stories!
Sorry for any mistakes!
Hope you enjoyed!