Reaching Her

Fumiko

As you were making your way downstairs, so much information was swirling through your mind. You haven't gotten a chance to thoroughly speak with Sakura since you've been back. The woman, whom you found attractive and actually spoke to on an intimate level, is now downstairs in a jail cell. You fought alongside the Seventh Hokage, even though you didn't do much and now you don't know what you are going to do.

You can't believe how quickly everything escalated. You were glad that whatever possessed Sasuke was now incapacitated. You were also thinking that the chakra that possessed Sasuke had to be the reason why he and Sakura had that huge argument; he literally wasn't himself. You let out a heavy sigh as you tried to take some time out to situate yourself and think what you could say to Fumiko. Aside from the obvious question as to why this scroll is so important that she would put her own life on the line?

You made your way to the area where enemies are kept in cells and walked down the corridor until you found Fumiko. She was sitting on the bed doing nothing but looking towards the wall. There weren't too many people in the cells at the moment so you were able to have some privacy with her.

"Fumiko...."

"(y/n).... you came to see me."

"Yes. I did. Fumiko, why did you do this?"

"I had to get the scroll."

"What is so important about that scroll?"

"You saw how powerful it is! The Hokage was able to seal away powerful chakra into it. Of course, I need to bring it back to my village."

"....I'm sorry, Fumiko. I can't let you have the scroll."

"....I guess I really lost this time. This is my first time failing a mission this serious. I don't know what to do when I get back."

"I'm really sorry, Fumiko. I don't know what else to say other than I'm sorry."

"There's nothing else to say."

"....is it okay to ask if there's anything else that I need to know about the scroll?"

"Why would I tell you?"

"You don't have to. I was hoping you would."

"What's in it for me?"

"I don't know...."

"Excuse me?..."

"I honestly don't know what you'd benefit from telling me. I guess because we had that intimate conversation, I thought we became better acquainted despite being on different sides. We could work together on this and become allies. Our villages could become allies."

Fumiko lowered her head slightly and looked away from you as she began to ponder. You noticed that maybe you reached her. You're not just doing this because you're a ninja but you believe that you and this woman could become friends of some sort.

"I'll leave you alone with your thoughts for now Fumiko. I'll come back tomorrow and we can talk more. We've both had a long day. We should get some rest. Sleep well, Fumiko."

"Goodnight, (y/n)...."

                                                                   **

You thought it would be a good idea to stop by the supermarket before heading home to actually cook yourself a home-cooked meal; it has been a long time since you've cooked for yourself. It has felt like such a long time since things felt slow. Everything has been so fast-paced, for what feels like a long time, that all you want to do is be by yourself. You were able to get plenty of stuff on sale luckily so you're good on food for about two to three weeks. You felt victorious. You paid for your groceries and left. As you were making your way home, you wanted to take your time and enjoy the scenery since the sky is starting to become even darker. 

You couldn't believe how hectic this day has been. 

Soon, you were home. You tossed your keys on your kitchen table along with your bags of groceries. You put everything away that you weren't going to cook tonight. You were in the mood for chicken. You took your time to slow cook your chicken dinner; you really wanted to embrace yourself in the aroma of your food. When you finished, you took out a plate from your cabinet and served yourself. You also made some green tea to go along with it. As you sat down to have your dinner, it hit you that it has been a long while since you've been able to sit down with yourself and just enjoy a cup of hot green tea.

When your dinner was done, you simply left the dishes in the sink, you'd clean it up tomorrow. You made sure the rest of your kitchen was clean. Seeing that everything was looking good, you walked into the living room and tossed your body onto the couch. You let out a relieving sigh as your body sunk slightly into the cushions. You reached for the TV remote and pressed the 'on' button to turn on the TV. You set the volume low since it is late and do plan on going to bed soon. Thinking about your bed put a soft smile on your face; it's been a while.

You watched an episode of one of your favorite shows and you decided to make some popcorn. You changed your mind and decided to stay up a little since it's been a long time since you've had some downtime with yourself. Moments passed and you decided to go back into the kitchen to make yourself a TV snack. You searched the kitchen for some popcorn and luckily it wasn't expired. You're the type to put the corn into a frying pan and cover the pan to let the corn pop that way. In moments, your popcorn was popped, in a bowl and you walked back into your living room. Right before you were going to sit down, you heard a loud knock on your door; it almost startled you.

You wondered who it could be at this hour; it is pretty late now.

You set down the bowl on your coffee table, filled with the fresh popcorn that you were ready to devour, and walked over to your door. You checked the peephole and was surprised to see who it was on the other side.

You opened the door.

"....Sarada?...."