"Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love."
– Mother Teresa
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DAWN
"Dawn!"
The first thing Dawn noticed was the spur of messy orange hair and a broad grin. Her eyes widened, not expecting the girl, Hitomi was it? To be calling her name so loudly that the Hokage was able to hear it from his office. She figured that the girl would eventually forget their encounter and move on, but it doesn't seem to be the case. This time, she was wearing black-rimmed glasses- too big for her face but for some reason suiting her quite a bit- the same pink apron and a bunch of beads dangling around her neck. Dawn knew she was quite strange from the first time they met, no stranger acted like she did.
There doesn't happen to be another person named Dawn behind me is there? She looked over her shoulders only to see her teammates giving her weird looks before she turned her head back.
The orange-haired girl stopped in front of Dawn, panting heavily with her hands on her knees. "Sorry for screaming like a maniac— ah, don't mind me... I'm kinda really out of breath, man I am unfit as hell." She wiped off the layer of sweat on her forehead.
"Anyways, Dawn! Nice to meet you again friend, even though we aren't that close and you don't know me that well and think I'm some annoying chick who keeps bothering you. I thought I'd look around for you and try to get to know you better. But then, I couldn't find you anywhere and that's when I realised, wait a minute, you had one of those ninja hair accessories which must mean you're busy with your ninja duties and so... being the kind person I am I baked you a cake for your services towards the world!"
Dawn blinked, her expression flabbergasted. She baked her a cake? A cake? Without even knowing who she was?
"Ninja hair accessories?" Dawn muttered in confusion.
"Yes!" Hitomi yipped, her honey-brown eyes sparkling as she jabbed her finger at her headband. "That thing- right there!"
"You mean my headband?" Dawn raised her eyebrow.
"Headband-shmeadband. Same thing." Hitomi waved off. "I hope you don't think I'm annoying. But then again, everyone thinks I'm annoying. Everyone meaning my nana because I don't have friends since most people don't like me that much."
Dawn frowned. Hitomi seemed too much of a bubbly, nice person to have people disliking her.
"Well... same." Dawn admitted.
"People don't like you?!" Hitomi exclaimed loudly, causing a few villagers to scowl their way. "How could anyone not like you! You're like a ball of sunshine and you have a cute scowl on your face, surely that isn't the reason why you have troubles befriending people."
"Cute?" Dawn scowled, but stopped, suddenly self-conscious. "I'm not cute."
"You're right." Hitomi nodded seriously, before a mischievous smile crept on her face. "You're adorable!"
The blonde felt her pride deflate. She didn't keep up the emotionless facade only for a random girl to call her adorable. Why was she even prolonging the conversation further? She should go to the training grounds with Jiro, ask him what's wrong and disappear the night away. There was no time to waste, yet she willingly stalled and even agreed to attend the dinner party. Was she growing soft on these people? Was she allowing her obsidian walls she'd spent years on constructing to tumble down by miniature wrecking balls who profusely insisted on getting to know her. She didn't want to be known, once she slipped away from the Village she'd merely be a ghost of the past.
Dawn slumped her shoulders in defeat. "Whatever."
"Now, now, moody woman I know my cake would definitely cheer you up! You can even meet my nana, she was excited when I told her that I kinda befriended someone." Hitomi grinned sheepishly, taking Dawn by surprise when she grabbed her wrist and tugged her along.
What was even more surprising was that Dawn allowed herself to be dragged.
What am I doing? She scrutinised at the girl humming a weird tune. Everything was weird about her, amongst the pit of villagers she seemed to stand out the most due to the uniqueness that emanated from her like luminescent rays of light. She could be working for them. No stranger would desperately want to be friends with me out of all people.
But the more she looked at her, the less she saw evil and the more she realised how idiotic it was of her to suspect an innocent girl like her.
Looks are deceiving. You out of all people should know that.
Her back straightened. Ever since these past few weeks her defences have weakened and she began to question her principles that have been the very factor that kept her alive till this day. And it was all because she allowed mere words to manoeuvre past the walls of her mind and towards the vulnerable apertures where her heart resided and settled in- manifesting the one thing she swore to not have: hope. Hope was ethereal, it lacked a somatic form and yet it could be snatched away so easily. But the thing about hope was that as long as it burns, there will always be light. The moment you stopped believing, is when reality seeps in and creates a shell of darkness that surrounds your being and plights your sense of morality. Luckily for her, vengeance guided her and was the only thing keeping her alive.
But there was nothing lucky about living a life unhappy. That even after her revenge, she will still be unhappy because it won't reverse the things they did to her or the lives taken. What it will do was grant her closure, knowing she did something right for once in her life.
"Here we are!" Hitomi grinned, spreading out her arms in front of her. "My sweet pride and joy of scrumptious treats and sugary sweets, in other words, the Fugishima bakery!"
"How long did that take for you to come up with that?" The blonde snorted.
Hitomi huffed, her cheeks flushing red. "A few weeks." She mumbled. "But don't worry, a better catchphrase will come to me. Just wait!"
Dawn has never dared to venture towards the Konoha Tea Avenue knowing she might allow her sweet tooth to control her actions and gobble up all the sweet pastries. Even as a kid, despite being told off for having too much sweets, she could never have enough. And now she hasn't touched or even looked at the food in years, to the point she had forgotten the smell and taste of it. Up until now.
The Fugishima Bakery was a comfortable shop wedged in between two large buildings making it appear small in size. The sign was halfway falling down, whilst the other half seemed perfectly intact and completely new. It also appeared to be in the process of being repainted with a nice brown and cream theme that Dawn found to be quite cosy. The addition of the nicely placed treats and posters displayed on the broad window seemed inviting and also homely. Not to mention the saccharine aroma was drawing her in, she could almost taste the treats on the tip of her tongue.
"So..." Hitomi rolled on her heels, with a nervous smile on her face. "What do ya' think? I know it's not as fancy as all the other shops like Amaguriama and it's under renovations as well! I've been painting the wooden walls, changing the floorboards, preparing new menus and creating advertisement posters and such with my nana. This shop is all our hard work and love put together."
Love. Dawn stared at the shop evocatively. She could tell Hitomi considered the shop as something that she was extremely proud of just from the sparkles in her eyes and the way she spoke about it.
"It's amazing, Hitomi." She admitted in all honesty, mesmerised by the shop. It was hard not to be, just like Hitomi, the shop itself caught her attention like a bright star in the night sky.
"It's Tomi, remember?" Hitomi scolded. "And I'm glad you think so, that makes me really happy!" A grin breached her lips so widely Dawn wondered how her cheeks wasn't hurting.
Happiness.
That word piqued her interest. One small action could trigger it, and yet Dawn found it so difficult to succumb to. Would she ever be happy? Or more importantly; has she ever felt happiness during her stay here? With Jiro, she liked to think that with him she was happy as she had never felt anything else other than the sadness from the time they argued. Even now, it made her worried knowing he was acting strange. But she was more disinclined towards the fact that she may have been happy with her team. The difference being that with Jiro, she won't miss him as wherever she was he would be there too, and unlike her, her teammates had a bright future and great things destined for them, even her Sensei and Ms Izanagi were perfectly fine without her. She was going down a road where they can't follow as she doesn't have enough power to shield them from the darkness.
Yet, why was it that when she thought of happiness she thought of a life with her teammates?
"Woah, you know you have a habit of zoning out of reality quite a lot as though your internally struggling with your thoughts." Hitomi pointed. Dawn was taken aback by how oddly accurate that was.
"I get that a lot." Dawn shrugged, offering an awful excuse of a lop-sided smile. Only this time, this one felt more natural and not forged.
"Aww." Hitomi cooed, pinching her cold cheeks causing Dawn to swat her hands away. "See? This is what I mean by adorable. You have such a cute smile, you should smile more often and I bet you could make anyone do anything you want them to do."
She huffed in defiance. "My smile is-"
"Hush, child." Hitomi silenced her like a mother would. "Just take the compliment. From the way you react, I should compliment you all the time. But let's head in!"
Dawn shook her head in disbelief. The least to say was that Hitomi was a handful, she had never surrounded herself with someone like her and it was a drastic change in her life. A change that although was foreign, she felt like she could get used to it.
Well don't. You know what happens when—
She shoved her thoughts away immediately and followed Hitomi inside, even if it was for a while what's the harm in allowing herself a break from the constant torment?
The exterior was nothing in comparison to the inside. It was much more larger than it appeared to be and the space was used wisely, decorated with cubic tables by the window and a glass barrier serving as a divider between the display board and the stalls. The back of the store had a showcase of freshly cooked treats by the counter, the smell more pungent and aromatic. The lights were dimmed at the corners, giving off a mellow and restful security. The walls were painted a light cream which juxtaposed with the dark, spruce of the wooden floorboards. In consideration of the renovations occurring, a few things were out of place and messy. Dawn almost regretted stepping inside, knowing that she'd have a hard time leaving.
"This is..." Dawn looked around in awe, not only was she amazed, it made her feel connected to her home as she'd visit the local bakery all the time and the Fugishima held similar resemblances.
"I know right!" Hitomi squealed, spreading her arms out freely. "It took a couple of weeks, but I'm getting there. Since nana can't help because of her back pains and because I can't afford to pay helpers, I decided to do it myself. Not only is it fun, it gives me something to do since I get bored easily."
"I can help if you'd like?" Dawn suggested in a small voice. "I mean, I'm no professional but I can try if you show me."
Did I really just say that?
"R-Really?" The layer of gloss over Hitomi's honey brown eyes sent Dawn into an array of panic. Oh god, is she crying? Are those tears? I didn't say anything wrong, did I?
Dawn's eyes widened. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you cry."
"These are tears of joy silly!" Hitomi hiccuped. "You're the best!"
What the blonde didn't expect was for Hitomi to wrap her arms around her shoulders and embrace her in a tight hug. Dawn flinched, expecting to feel discomfort and pain as that was the result of letting people near her. But this was the opposite. It didn't feel unnatural, in a way, she succumbed to the heat and allowed herself to relax. She never knew that a simple hug could mean a lot to her, it consisted of everything that she yearned for; protection, comfort and warmth. Hesitantly, Dawn lifted her arms and wrapped them around the taller girl, welcoming the feeling, even if it was temporary.
"Have I mentioned you're amazing as well?" Hitomi grinned. "Seriously, I'm forever grateful to you."
"It's no problem." Dawn gave a small smile. "I'll come around when I'm free from any missions."
"Right, Ninja duties." Hitomi said in a deep voice, eliciting an eye roll from the blonde.
"And you should be very thankful towards them." A voice spoke.
Dawn turned her attention to the old woman who emerged from the door behind the counter, her eyes held wrinkles and oozed kindness and her grey hair was tied in a loose bun with a brown apron donned on top of her floral dress and cardigan. Despite her wisened years, the resemblance between the two was uncanny; they both shared the same, honey brown eyes.
"Shinobi risk their lives just so we, the defenceless, remain safe and happy. We owe everything to them and the Hokage, isn't that right Mimi?"
Hitomi whined childishly. "Nana, why do you call me that? It's sounds so uncool!"
The old woman frowned and whacked Hitomi on the back of her head. "Mimi, just because your friend is here doesn't mean you could go around acting like you're cool."
"I am cool." Hitomi said pointedly.
"Keep telling yourself that." She chortled, making her way towards Dawn before placing her hand on top of the blonde's head tenderly. "Ah, you didn't tell me your friend was so cute."
"See!" Hitomi exclaimed buoyantly. "If nana calls you cute that means you're cute."
"I'm not cute." Dawn grumbled under her breath. "It's nice to meet you Mrs Fugishima."
"Nonsense! Call me nana." She insisted waving her hand. "It's nice seeing my Mimi so cheerful, it seems what she has told me about you was all true." The old woman- or nana, grinned.
"And what did she tell you?" Dawn raised her eyebrow, partially interested.
"That you're a yellow ball of sunshine who has a cute pirate wolf and problems with being able to express yourself due to the setbacks of your intriguing thoughts. Though I'm not too sure about the wolf part."
She was no longer interested.
"That's..." Dawn blinked. "nice."
Hitomi rolled her eyes. "Nana! You weren't meant to say the second part! Okay, let's forget about that. I hope you aren't allergic to strawberries or chocolate."
Hitomi disappeared for a few moments, returning with a small, circular chocolate cake with drizzles of light chocolate spilling from the edge and strawberries placed like a crown on top. Dawn's mouth watered at the sight, her heart fluttering. She had never been gifted anything before and yet Hitomi went through so much time and effort to gift her something meaningful, despite her being a stranger. What would she do when she realised the truly, selfish person she was and the things she had done before arriving at the Leaf Village? People like Hitomi didn't belong with people like her, people that were freaks of nature, an anomaly.
"That's... for me?" Dawn questioned in uncertainty.
"My Mimi made that all by herself." Nana grinned proudly. "She insisted that it had to be perfect."
"Nana!" Hitomi groaned. "Stop embarrassing me!"
"Why? It's fun." Nana snickered.
"It's too much." Dawn shook her head, feeling overwhelmed. The gift, the cake, the warmth, the hugs, it reminded her of her home. Having that feeling suddenly slap her on her face made her feel like crying.
"Oh hush." Hitomi disregarded, shaking her head. "Here, take the spoon and tell me how it tastes."
Begrudgingly taking the spoon in her hand, she scooped a portion of the cake and slowly lifted it to her lips, her eyes closing at the explosion of flavours in her mouth. She absolutely loved the cake, the strawberries were cold but not cold enough to be considered frozen, the cream melting with the light chocolate drizzle as well as the sponginess of the cake complimented each other nicely. It was a bundle of sweetness.
"Okay... your facial expression is sending me mixed signals, but then again I can never truly tell what you're feeling so help a gal out would you?" Hitomi giggled nervously.
"It's the best thing I've tasted in years." Dawn beamed, helping herself to another bite. "It's really tasty. Really tasty."
"You like it?" Hitomi grinned. "I'm really glad that you do, it came out decent but I was pacing around and contemplating whether or not I should remake it but nana smacked me on the back of my head and told me to quit worrying and to go out and find you or do something useful for once in my life and here I am making a fool out of myself and it's probably scaring you away because of how much I ramble because once I've started it's really- and I mean, really- difficult to stop, anyways please stop me I really need you to stop me like right now, right now or later it doesn't really matter, actually it does—"
"Hitomi." Dawn interrupted with a smirk. "Breathe."
"Right." Hitomi cleared her throat. "And what did I say? It's Tomi, man you have really bad memory don't ya?"
"I wish." Dawn muttered, taking another bite of the cake to make her forget about the sudden, dark thought she received. For once, she was allowing herself to forget, just for a short while.
"Hey, Dawn?"
Dawn lifted her head up, the spoon halfway in her mouth.
"I'm grateful to you for choosing to be friends with me. You didn't have to stick around, any normal person wouldn't because you hardly know me, but right now I feel happy. Just so you know, I'm incredibly thankful towards you." Hitomi fiddled with her fingers, a shy smile on her face.
Dawn's face softened, her cheeks warming up to the extent the air was turning hot and her mouth yearned to be pulled into a smile.
So this is what it feels like to be happy?
"You're welcome, Hitomi."
"Oh, here we go again. Dude, it's Tomi. I really do think you should get your brain checked out."
───※ ·❆· ※───
"Isn't it too late for you to be training at this time?"
Dawn panted heavily, clenching and unclenching her knuckles- bruised to the extent it cracked open and blood was now seeping passed the open lacerations. Her good mood had turned bad the moment she returned back to the hut, hoping to see Jiro. She was welcomed by an eery silence filled with loneliness and decided that she'd release her frustration out on a random tree in the training grounds outside. The taste of chocolate cake no longer lingered in her mouth though she could still smell it on her clothes. It reminded her that no matter how hard she pretended to be like everyone else, she couldn't fit it. Not in a place like this, not in Konoha.
"Did you forget when I said that I don't sleep?" She responded wryly, her tone cold and desolate. She didn't bother to send Sasuke a glance.
"Did someone piss in your dinner or something?" Sasuke shot back equally as dry. He leaned up from his position on the tree and uncrossed his arms.
"Wouldn't know, skipped the meal." She said bluntly, her body sliding down to the grass in exhaustion, using the tree for support. Pausing her training sessions that led to collapsing to the ground due to pure fatigue made her body ache to the extent she could barely stand up. That was the problem with change, once you change you can't go back in time. The change is permanent.
"Why are you skipping meals?" Sasuke frowned in disappointment.
"Why do you care?" Dawn muttered, closing her eyes in attempt to drown out his annoying voice. Sasuke nagging her in her head was already enough as it was.
"Oh, maybe it's because, I don't know, you dropped dead in my arms a week ago and miraculously came back to life?" He sassed sarcastically.
"And like I said, why do you care?" She repeated vehemently. "You don't even know me. Who cares if I die? It doesn't affect you or anyone."
"It may not have affected me as much, but it would've affected Jiro and I would've been swarmed with guilt. What kind of a Ninja would I be if I couldn't even protect my teammate?"
"Tell me about it." She retorted, allowing his words to settle in, but nothing made sense.
Why did he care? Why does anyone care? I don't get it, I don't understand anything.
"You have our back, we have yours. That's how it works."
"Get out of my head." She groaned into her hands.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing." Dawn snapped, but instantly regretted it seeing the look on his face.
Why do I feel bad? This is the right thing to do... isn't it?
An awkward silence engulfed the two, different ways to apologise clouded Dawn's mind but she didn't know how to bring it into words. She was never good at communication and she had no idea how to express herself or what she feels or if what she's doing is right or wrong or anything.
"I'm sorry." Sasuke finally spoke.
She furrowed her eyebrows. Why was he the one apologising? "For what? I'm the one who snapped at you."
"Yeah, but..." he sighed, wiping his hands over his face. "I've said things to you before the Land of Waves that weren't particularly nice when all you were trying to do was help me. I was an asshole and it was wrong of me to do so. That's why I'm sorry."
She slowly nodded. Without even realising, she had already forgiven him the moment he promised to not say anything about her panic attack. But it felt nice hearing it aloud.
"It's fine." Dawn shrugged, sincerity in her voice. "I never really held it against you, I just arrived at the wrong time. I should be the one apologising for intrusion, so.... I'm sorry."
"You don't have to be sorry." Sasuke said immediately, he then coughed. "I mean... you did nothing wrong."
She slowly bobbed her head. "Oh... okay."
Another silence immersed them, and this time it was awkward due to the fact neither of them knew what to do. Dawn was accustomed to having to hate the Uchiha, and now that he apologised she has to be somewhat civil and vice versa. Not only that, she felt... weird in his company. And it wasn't the bad kind.
"Would it be too late to accept your deal?"
A smile crept on Dawn's face. "Not at all."