Sakura had a dream.
In her dream, she was still young, her hair swayed as the wind dances around her. Carried by the wind were the petals of a flower she was admiring. It was a beautiful flower, though as a young girl clueless about the world, she doesn't know the name of the flower nor the other dozens of flowers around her. But they were beautiful, mesmerizing. It was as if the flowers had pull her into a spell and her emerald eyes glimmer a hundred times brighter.
"What are you doing?" She heard someone spoke. In an utter surprise, Sakura jumped and hide inside the oak tree.
She took a stuff bunny from the cot and kneeled on the floor as she cradled the toy in her arms. The admiration that glimmered in her eyes changed into a swirl of fear. She gulped as she stayed still. She couldn't hear anything so she decided to sneak a peek, slowly her hand reached the fabric that separated the inside of the oak tree to the forest outside.
Soon as she took a peek, she gasped as the person stood in front, one hand in their pocket and the other halfway through opening the curtain.
Sakura squealed as she took a few steps back and landed on her back, gripping her stuff bunny.
The person took a step inside, putting the curtain on the side as sunlight seeped through the inside of the oak tree.
"You made this?" He asked.
That's right. The person was a boy. No more than a year older than her, around the same age as her. He has big obsidian eyes but she couldn't tell whether it shone with admiration or just pure curiosity. He also has raven hair that was spiked up from the back as some of his bangs fell on his forehead.
"Are you scared?" He asked, sitting in front as he stare at Sakura, head tilting on the side.
Sakura gripped her stuff bunny tighter and pulled it even closer as she nodded. Why was she scared anyways? This boy looks harmless. He couldn't have done anything else that could hurt her physically.
But verbally? She doesn't know. Recently, she's been bullied by some boys a year older than her, saying things like her forehead was so big she should've just better hide it or she better hide from their sight. This boy could also say mean words to her, and that scared her.
The boy looked down, blinking as he offered his hand towards Sakura. She just look at it though, not really sure what to do with it.
"I'm scared too, you know," he said, hand still outstretched towards her. "My mother said if I'm scared, I should hold the hand of someone I trust."
"You trust me?" Sakura asked. Slowly her hand lose its grip around the stuff bunny as she crawled towards the boy.
The boy nodded his head. A few moments after that, he felt the warm hand covered his. Sakura took his hand as they stood up.
"What are you doing here in the forest?" She asked as she stare closely at the boy. She couldn't see his face clearly because of the light source.
"I wanted to train with my brother but he left even before I could put my sandals on. I ran after him and then I–" he trailed off, light blush dusting his cheeks.
"I got lost," he whispered shyly, unconsciously tightening his grip on Sakura. "I don't know my way out so I just walked and walked and then I found you."
The boy was on the verge of crying and Sakura had to suppress her giggle. But the sound slipped from her lips as she covered her mouth.
"It's okay, I can lead the way out of here. You just have to hold my hand tightly or you'll be lost again."
When they stepped outside the oak tree, Sakura had finally seen his face clearly. He looked very familiar, like someone she knew for a very long time. But Sakura couldn't recognize him right away.
Only when the boy looked straight towards her did Sakura finally knew who it was.
"Sasuke-kun?"
Sakura woke up with a start. The dream fade away as long as she was on the verge of remembering it. She wanted to throw a book on the god of dreams' head and yell at them for taking away her dream as soon as she wake up. But somehow, Sakura knew the dream was not bad. Not when she felt her heart flutter in happiness. Whatever her dream was, she knew it was a good dream. Like a memory buried deep within the console of her mind, just waiting to be let out once she succumb to slumber.
The pinkette sat on the bed, she stretched her limbs like a cat as she looked around her. The room was way too huge than her room in her apartment back in Konoha. She wasn't sleeping beside Sasuke but a certain blonde who was snoring beside her.
Sakura shook her head as she get up from the bed. She doesn't want to wake up Ino because she looks like she's having a very nice dream considering how she cuddles the pillow beside her and a constant murmur of Sai's name.
Sakura went on to take a long shower and by the time she was done, Ino was already awake.
"Morning!" Ino greeted much too cheerful.
"Morning. Had a good dream?" Sakura asked, eyebrow raised knowingly.
"Oh you bet. I wished it wasn't just a dream though," Ino said with a sigh as she walked past the pinkette.
"By the way Sakura, we'll start today right?" Ino asked, poking her head from the bathroom.
"Sure, I'll ask Gaara before breakfast."
After the two got dressed and ready for the day, they strolled around and they came across Kankuro.
"Nice timing, I was just about to look for the two of you. Gaara would like to discuss something. He's in his office." Kankuro pointed towards the east wing. "Last door from the left."
After pointing to where the Kazekage's office was, he excused himself, a yawn escaping his mouth as he walked away.
Ino knocked on the door and it was quickly answered by a simple come in. Gaara was about just done arranging his desk when he looked up to the two kunoichi.
"Good morning. I do hope you two had a good night sleep."
They nodded after greeting him good morning.
"After breakfast, I'd like you two to accompany me to the Orphanage."
The two kunoichi soon joined Sai for breakfast in a dining hall on the building's ground floor. After that, Sai excused himself and said he's going to patrol with Kankuro. Gaara was waiting for Sakura and Ino outside the building and they proceeded to the Orphanage.
Sakura didn't even know there was an Orphanage in Sunagakure. The thought of children living in a house not knowing who their parents are made the pinkette feel a pang of sadness.
When they arrived at the building, they were greeted by a middle aged woman whose wrinkles and gray hair starting to get evident in her features.
"Gaara-dono," the woman greeted, bowing in front of Gaara. "Thank you for coming to visit the children again."
Gaara nodded his acknowledgement and the woman led them in the hall. They walked through a tunnel towards a park where children are playing with sand castles.
"These children are orphans of the war. Their parents were brave fallen shinobis. There are some who are deeply traumatized by the war and the lost of their parents," Gaara said. Now that he mentioned it, Sakura and Ino noticed the seemingly sullen atmosphere for a place surrounded with children. And never once did they hear a child laugh.
"Today would be the first day we'd start with project build Sunagakure children clinic, right Sakura?" Ino asked cheerfully, an attempt to lighten up the mood.
Sakura smiled and pumped her fist in the air. "Right! Let's get started, shannarro!"
That night, Sakura had a dream again. A continuation of the dream she had the night before.
From the other part of the world, Sasuke sat on the forest ground. He was eating some onigiri when he heard a sound akin to that of a cat. And true to his intuition, a cat did appear from the shadow of the forest.
"Are you lost?" Sasuke asked, he lowered his hand and the cat walked cautiously towards it, bumping its forehead on his palm.
"You must be lost," he said as he remembered a hazy memory from when he got lost in the woods following his brother. He was so young then, his memories weren't even as sharp. But once in a while he would dream of it and he was reminded of the kind young kid who took his hand and led the way out of the forest.
Sasuke took a small portion of the onigiri and gave it to the cat. When the cat purred and opened its eyes, Sasuke saw its eyes glisten.
"Your eyes are really beautiful. It resembled the eyes of a very special person in my life." Sasuke stared at the cat who blinked as if it was listening. The eyes of the cat were a vivid emerald, just like Sakura's.
That night as well, Sasuke had fallen asleep, the cat safely tucked under his poncho. He, too, had a dream.
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I hope you'll enjoy the little interludes while Sasuke and Sakura are apart!
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