Philocalist
"You heard me Sakura, you're next in line so I suggest you start getting yourself together" Mebuki said while trying focus on doing the laundry with her magic.
"What do you mean I'm next in line, I'm 16 for God's sake!" Sakura said, standing angrily from her perch on the wooden stool "Weren't you the one preaching about letting me live my childhood, huh? Where did 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 go mom? 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 did the woman who would protect me from the dangers of this world go?" Sakura said her voice steadily rising.
"Oh no you won't, you will 𝘯𝘰𝘵 pull that card on me!" Mebuki yelled, abandoning the laundry in favour of focusing on her magic so it wouldn't accidentally lash out on Sakura. Ever since the fatal wound she got on one of her simple missions, she couldn't control her magic anymore, it was like something was missing inside her, Even Tsunade, top medic of Sylvanora, her sister, couldn't figure out what exactly transpired for her not be able to control her magic anymore. All she did was simply approach these strange looking flowers during her trip to Kirigakure, the flowers were tubular in shape, and were produced on a tall spike, they varied in different colours, from purple to pink, white, and yellow. Mebuki knew quite a lot about flowers, hell you you could even say it was what she specialized in, she spends all day at the lab which belonged to Hashirama firstly but was passed on to her happily after she expressed her love for plants. From morning to night she developed potions for killing, incarcerating and healing, she has come across all kind of plants and flowers, but this one? It looked so unnatural in the mugginess and dampness of Kirigakure, she didnt hesitate on approaching the flowers, they almost looked like they were planted there.
"How many times, Sakura? How 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 times have I told you not to go outside these forests, I have tried so hard to prevent you from what is outside, yet you choose to toss it all way!" Mebuki said slowly loosing all her patience. " I've been trying my best to protect you and your childhood, but its clear as day that you need some responsibilities, and thats why you are going to run for the position of the Leader of Sylvanora."
" You can't just do that! It's my life I have a choice on how its supposed to go, not you." Sakura said her voice full of ice.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Sakura? You can't just flit about without a care in the world! It's dangerous out there!" Mebuki said with a stern expression, her wings fluttering impatiently
"Oh, come on, Mother! It's not a big deal. I can handle myself!" Sakura cried crossing her arms, her wings quivering with the force of her anger.
"Not a big deal? You were nearly caught by a Fomorian yesterday! Do you have any idea what could have happened if they saw you?" Her mom said her voice rising
"Ugh, Fomorians! Who cares? They're just big, clumsy creatures." Sakura said rolling her eyes
''Those "big, clumsy creature" could have swatted you like a bug! Have you forgotten the stories of what they're capable of? They have no idea we even exist!''
"Well, maybe it's time they found out! Maybe we should show them the magic we have!"
'Are you out of your mind? Do you want to put our entire realm at risk? Our magic is precious, and we've kept it hidden for a reason!" Mebuki couldn't believe her ears, she never knew her daughter could be this dense.
"You're just scared, Mom! Scared of change and scared of anything different, and apparently now youre scared of me since I'm not your little naive girl anymore." Sakura spat
"Don't you 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘦 belittle my concerns, Sakura. I've seen the consequences of reckless actions, and I won't let you endanger our world." Mebuki said, her voice icy.
" Oh so now I'm a threat to the realm-" Sakura said her eyes brimming with tears, the plants in their home started shaking slightly in response to Sakuras emotional distress
"Honey, you know i didn't meant it like tha-"
" You know damn well you did!" Sakura yelled " I wouldn't even blame father if he didn't want to come back home" Sakura knew she was going to regret saying this but her temper was reaching its highest peak "Especially to a wife like you" She spat and immediately fled the house, slamming the door on her way out. She didnt want to stay and see the look on her mother's face, she was a coward, just like her mom
Mebuki stood frozen in the middle of the living room, the phrase her own daughter had said to her still ringing in her head
"𝘪 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦, 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶.
𝘪 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦, 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶
𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦, 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺-"
Mebuki broke down into tears, hysterical cries filling the room, her magic lashing out onto all corners of the room and breaking their precious family portraits and vases
She ran her hand through her long blonde hair and tugged hard enough to pull some strands out, she needed to get herself under control unless this whole home would collapse, and she didn't want Tsunade getting angry
Her husband had gone missing 2 months ago, during a mission to Sunagakure in a team of 4 with him being the leader. It wasn't a high risk mission but it also wasn't an easy one, they just had to secure the alliance with Sasori of the Sand village, but you never knew what to expect with that man, Mebuki thought angrily. The rest of the team had returned to Konoha in perfect condition but when questioned where Kizashi Haruno was all they recieved were blank stares, there wasn't even a spark of recognition in their eyes, they were just alarmingly blank.
Tsunade and the Fae council had done their best to try and find out what happened to Kizashi Haruno, all the teams they had sent out in search of him came back with nothing. The team that was sent out Kizashi himself were all interrogated, they even had the Yamanaka go through their heads but there was nothing, just a void
Kizashi had disappeared off the face of the earth, leaving his wife and only child alone. He was declared M.I.A just a week ago
When everyone had given up on him, Mebuki and Sakura kept believing that he was out there, somewhere, they never lost faith in him and never would, even when others desperately tried to tell them that he was gone and told them move on, yet they never lost hope.
Hope could only get you so far though, lately Mebuki had started to give up on her husband, as much as she loved him there was little to no chance that he was out there alive and breathing, not in this world.
Mebuki finally calmed down and let go of her hair, her magic noticed her abrupt change in mood and finally settled down.
She quickly put herself together and stood up from the wooden floor,she straightened her gown and brought her hair to its normal flowy state with her magic. Once she felt composed she proceeded to repair all the damages done to the house with an elegant wave of her hand and finally returned to doing the laundry, her mind was for once serene and quiet of all chaos, except for the lingering worry floating through her head
Sakura never stayed mad for too long, she always came back.
༄༄༄༄
Sakura in fact did not went back.
She's been staying at the Uzumaki's House for the past 3 days and didn't intend to go back despite Kushina and Minato trying to persuade her to reconcile with her mother, Naruto on the other hand didn't mind at all, he enjoyed having his best friend around. Ever since spring had started he barely saw her around, lately Sakura has just been floating around and exploring the realm like there was no tommorow, he barely saw her at their age mates hangout spots.
So when the opportunity to spend time with his best friend came up he immediately took it and made the best out of it.
So now they were in his living room, Naruto doing push ups with Sakura comfortably sitting on his back and ranting about her last encounter with her mom
"I mean with which logic do you even put that kind of burden on your 16 year old daughter!"
"Mhm"
"Did she really expect me to react all calm and collected after dropping that bomb?!"
"I know right...wait which bomb?"
"Naruto you're not listening!" Sakura exclaimed and slapped Narutos back, making him loose his hold on the floor and fall on the big round green fluffy rug that decorated their living room
"Oww Sakura" Naruto said while rubbing his cheek that connected with the floor "You've been going on and on about this argument you've had with your mom, dont you think it's time you guys talked it out?"
Sakura stared solemnly at Naruto and then at their rug, looking at it as if it hurt her puppy
"I don't want to see her, i don't even deserve to see her right now" Sakura said "Not after what i said to her" She bit her lip in thought and for the 16th time this day cursed herself for having such a big mouth
"Well, what did you say?" Naruto said sitting up and looking into her beautiful green eyes, that somehow captured the essence of nature's finest hues. The color itself ranged from a vibrant forest green to a mesmerising pale mint reminiscent of lush meadows and towering trees. Framed by long and pale pink lashes that provide a delicate contrast, her eyes hold an air of mystery and intrigue, when she gazes upon something, it's as if she's peering into the heart of existence, seeing the interconnectedness of all things.
Then his eyes moved to her smooth upturned button nose, then to her heart shaped and full lips that were a pink that leaned towards the darker end of the spectrum, lips that commanded attention without being overly flamboyant
His gaze finally settled on her her hair that flowed like a cascade of rose petals. Her hair dances and swayed as if moved by a gentle breeze, the strands seem to have a life of their own, intertwining and weaving intricate patterns that resemble the delicate brushstrokes of an artist's masterpiece
"Naruto"
He really wanted to gather her up in his embrace and never let go, she truly was one of the prettiest fairies of his generation, if not the prettiest that has existed.
"Naruto?" Sakura asked worryingly, maybe it's just her overly caring side but Naruto was zoning out more than usual, she knew his attention span was horrible, but this was just dragging it
Just as she leaned in and reached up to brush her hand against his shaggy blonde hair to bring him back two loud knocks reverberated throught the house
Naruto abruptly stood up almost tripping on his haste to open the door, his whole body felt warm
Why is it so hot in here? He thought pulling on the collar of his white shirt
"Sasuke you asshole, there is zero need for you to be banging on these doors!" Naruto yelled and with a clumsy wave of his hand opened the household's large oak door
He was greeted by the sight of a gloomy Sasuke with his black hair in disarray as always, honestly did this dude ever thought of using a comb? He knew the Uchihas were annoyingly sticking to the traditional customs but that didnt mean Sasuke had to walk around with that bird nest he called hair
"Move dobe, I'm not here for you" Sasuke said scathingly
"You're forgetting this is my house too!"
"How do i forget something that doesn't stand?"
"You-!"
Sasuke didn't let him finish his sentence and roughly shoved him aside, stepping into the Uzumaki's household the smell of baked goods filled his nose, his lips quirked up slightly at the memories the scent brought
He was on his way to the kitchen ignoring the screeching Naruto behind him when he stumbled upon Sakura sitting quietly in the living room, she looked really deep in thought, he didn't want to startle her so he quietly made his way to the kitchen where Kushina was humming a tune he was unfamiliar with and at the same time cutting some vegetables, when she sensed him she stopped what she was doing and walked over to him
"Sasuke chann how are you my boy?" She said and affectionately hugged him
"I'm doing good Kushina san, how are you?" He asked and returned her hug easily, he was far from a hug person but when it came to some particular women in his life, he always gave them, those particular women being his mom, Kushina, Sakura and begrudgingly his aunties
"I'm fine im fine, would you like to stay for dinner im preparing it right now it won't take long" She said or rather stated, then noticed the little bowl he was holding in his hand "Ooh what's this?"
"My mom made onigiri and suggested i bring some here, since she made quite a lot" Sasuke said, the passed it to her
"Ohoho Mikoto has done it again! Please tell her thank you from me, also inform her about the change in plans for the council meeting, its going to be on Monday instead of Sunday" Kushina said then turned back to chopping the vegetables "You 𝘢𝘳𝘦 staying for dinner right Sasu chan?" She said in a saccharine voice
"Of course"
"Great! Now go back to the living room i can hear Narutos voice from here" she said "Oh and Sakura chan is here" She winked at him
"Hn" Sasuke said, his ears slightly reddening with they way Kushina knowingly gazed at him. He exited the kitchen and made his way to the living room, once he spotted a now normal Sakura having a conversation with a blushing Naruto, he fixed his hair and made his way to them
༄༄༄
Sakura turned her head to the sound of the footsteps approaching and a frown marred her face when she recognised the face
"Oh Sasuke" She stated rather disappointingly
"𝘖𝘩 𝘚𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘬𝘦? What's up with the attitude?" He asked raising his eyebrow at her blant showcase of disappointment and sat down on the plush chair right next to where Sakura was sitting crossed legged on the carpet
She rolled her eyes so hard she was worried for a second they would pop out, when she didn't elaborate further Naruto took the cue and spoke for her
"She's going through an angsty fase, where she thinks everyone is against her-"
"You know thats not true-"
"To be honest i expected this more from Sasuke than you" Naruto said laughing to himself until Sakura threw a menacing glare at him but thought about it for a minute "Actually he goes through that fase at least once a week" She said chuckling slightly
"I know right, it's like he has marked specific days on his calendar where he chooses what days to be an asshole and what day to be a softie-"
"Naruto we are talking about an Uchiha here, of course he has the mood swings of a pregnant lady" Sakura said giggling hysterically, she looked over at him and noticed his expression, it was undeniably his blank face but there was hints of underlying mirth hididng there
"Oi Sasuke when's the gender reveal-!" Narutos loud guffaws were caught off by the pillow that was thrown with the intention to shut him up and maybe knock him out for a couple minutes
Sasuke looked proudly at the now whining Naruto in the floor "If your both done with the immature banter-" A scoff was heard "Please inform me about what's going on between you-" he pointedly looked at Sakura "And your mom"
Sakura finally stood up from her cross legged position and tried to leave the room "Nothing happened Sasuke, it was just a silly little fight between mother and daughter, nothing serious"
"If it wasnt anything serious you wouldn't be here and your mother wouldnt be knocking on our doors asking if you're alright"
That made Sakura pause, she turned around and stormed over to Sasuke "You're lying, you just want get the truth out of me" She said even though she herself didnt believe what she said
Sasuke clenched his jaw "That would be a really silly reason to lie Sakura" He said incredulously "Everyone is worried about you, tell me what's going on" Seeing the unsure look on her face he added "𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦?" He said in that deep velvety voice that always made her insides tingle
He had at last stood up to his full height, which was unsurprisingly quite tall, so he could make his point across. His untamed and wild hair quickly drew her attention, the play of light on his dark hair revealed subtle hues of midnught blue
His striking features were framed by the rebellious strands of hair that were currently falling across his captivating onyx eyes
"You know how I've been missing lately?" Sakura timidly whispered she watched as his eyes slightly grew wide, from the corner of her eye she also noticed Narutos pointy ears perking up at her whisper
"How could I not notice?" He said
Sakura ignored the tingly feeling at his easy admission "Well I'm not going to tell you guys what I've been doing-" an exasperated huff from behind her "But anyways mother got tired of me exploring, said i needed responsibilities and proceeded to sign me up for next in line for the crown-" two perfect eyebrows shot up in disbelief and an exaggerated gasp sounded from behind her "And she 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴 that Shishou would pick me out of everyone immediately, yet she still chose to do it. Moral of the story I got rightfully mad, we had a heated exchange and then I said something i shouldn't have" She whispered the last sentence to herself.
Now that she got everything out, she really started to realise how immature she had reacted, that was not her, no, Sakura was far from immature, she was indeed very mature, its one thing everyone characterized her as.
She undeniably had the right to be mad and express her feelings on the matter, but uttering those words to her grieving mother who finally accepted the fact that her husband was gone, was unacceptable.
Oh how bad she wanted the Fomorians to get her right now.
Sakura didn't notice the tears sliding down her cheeks until a palm smoother than ever, reached up to wipe them away
"Dinner is ready cmon lets go" Sasuke quietly uttered and gently took her hand and led her to the dining room.
He definetely is on softie mode today, she thought affectionately
𝘏𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘪𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶, she quickly banished that thought
An arm suddenly wraps around her shoulder, the cinnamon and wood scent immediately wafting to her nose making her identify the person's arm
"You know Sakura chan, we're always here for you" Naruto genuinely said, a big smile playing on his pale pink lips "I definitely am, i dont know about teme here" He gestured with his thumb
For the second time this day Sasuke roughly shoved Naruto away, making him stumble on Sakuras feet and dragging both of them down with the hand that was wrapped around her dainty shoulders
Sakura truly couldn't keep up with what was transpiring and burst into loud laughter not the cute little giggle that they were used to, but loud belly laughs that shook the entire room
Naruto of course couldnt help but be affected by her laughter and automatically joined in, his eyes creasing in joy
Before you knew it Sakura wrapped her entire hand around Sasukes hand that was holding hers and dragged him down too, making sure he landed on her and not on the wood
She probably shouldn't have done that.
Next second she felt the air leave her lungs so quick she was left lightheaded for minutes later
"Sakura, what the 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬!?" Sasukes concerned voice drowned out their loud guffaws
"I'm fine, im fine" Sakura reassured then tried to get up but fell back on her butt, the one second eye contact with Naruto made them dissolve into another round of wheezing
"Sasuke you knocked the shit out of her!" Naruto wheezed, wiping the tears out of his eyes "Look she's actually out of it-!"
Despite being almost unconscious, she couldn't help but release small giddy giggles
Looking at Sasuke fretting over her, and Naruto dying of laughter next to her, she thought she could die happily here
𝘎𝘰𝘥, she truly loved these boys more than anything
"I 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 dinner's ready-!!" An angry screech sounded from the kitchen
And all the laughter slowly died,
Nope, they didn't want Kushina angry, nobody wanted 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵.