The Girl Who Waited

第6章

Author's Note: Manako Inuzuka is an original character belonging to KuriQuinn. Don't use her without contacting the author for permission.

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It's been almost four months since Sasuke left. Four months since Sakura's entire life was upended and thrown onto a path she never would've imagined. For herself or her friends.

She hasn't seen Naruto in a weeks, not since he started travelling and training with Lord Jiraiya. He sends letters when he can, but they're rare. She barely sees Kakashi anymore, either—he's always off on one mission or another. And, of course, Sakura herself is busy training with Tsunade and interning at the hospital. Most days, she can push away the hurt and worry, but other days, it feels like the glaring absences in her life are even more obvious.

She supposes that's why she makes the rounds on Valentine's Day, passing out chocolate to her male friends. Anything for a bit of normalcy. Anything to pretend like she's still a kid and not training until she bleeds almost every day to be strong enough to save the boy she loves.

Because she does love him.

Sakura knew she cared for Sasuke when they were little, but his complete absence in her life has created a gnawing, hollow void. The sensation is too painful for her feelings to have been a simple crush.

Somewhere along the line while she was on his team, learning to become a shinobi alongside him, Sasuke stopped being just a good-looking, smart boy to her. Sakura got to know him—the darkness he wore like armour, and the light he only revealed in his rarest, most unguarded moments. The boy who thanked her for loving him, instead of outright rejecting her even when he was leaving her behind. That boy needs to be saved, even if it is from himself. It's why she let Naruto make a promise to bring him back. And, no matter what, she will be right beside him when they do.

Until that moment, she's taking every day one at a time, trying to enjoy the little things that used to make her happy.

This year, there's no way to send anything to Naruto—even if there was, she suspects Lord Jiraiya would eat it before her friend got a chance. The guy is a complete lout, legendary shinobi or not. As for Kakashi, with his frequent absences, he's hard to pin down. Sakura considers giving her small gift to Gai-sensei to pass on, but she honestly can't take his overwhelming exuberance today.

Instead, she heads downtown to Manako's shop. If Kakashi checks in with anyone when he gets back from a mission, it's either his rival or his...well, whatever Manako is to him. In any case, the Inuzuka woman is the more perceptive and relaxed of the two options.

Upon entering her little shop, the familiar scent of parchment, ink, and gunpowder wash over Sakura. Shelves with different scrolls and tags line the walls, each one able to create explosive blasts of varying degrees of severity and with different effects. Manako is a genius of demolition—probably due to her keen senses—and, for a civilian, understands the shinobi world better than most.

The woman herself is hunched over the counter, frowning at several complex equations on a scroll from beneath a fringe of dark hair. As Sakura ventures closer, Manako sniffs and glances up, smirking in recognition.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is," she drawls, sliding her work away then straightening up, arms crossed. "It's funny. You kind of remind me of this kid who used to come in here to buy tags. Skinny little thing, about so high?" She makes a motion toward her hip with one hand. "Usually with a loud, blond brat who smells like ramen?"

"Knock it off. I was here last month."

"I'm just saying you used to be in here more often," Manako sighs dramatically. "I still keep your usual order in stock, too. But then again, you don't really have much use for that Sakura Fubuki technique of yours anymore, do you? Is it true that old Tsunade's teaching you to break mountains?"