Hidden Villages

I: Flower Bud

Outsider...

The warm sunlight beat down on her young, soft skin and delicate pink locks of hair almost as if the sun itself wished to invite the small girl out to play. A soft laugh escaped from Sakura's laugh while thoughts of the academy ceremony played around in the back of her head. She found herself climbing up onto the chair by her bedroom window and let her sea-foam green eyes look down on the dusty street below.

Her mother's voice echoed up the stairs of the Haruna family's small home. The sound beckoned her downstairs and Sakura slipped from the chair quickly before running down the stairs as her feet made only the softest of her sounds. Her mouth formed into a soft smile before she headed towards the door. "Sakura, what about breakfast?"

The small girl hurried back and sat at the family dinner table and ate a small bites before looking up at her mother with wide eyes. Begging worked. Her mother let out a soft laugh and Sakura found herself on her way, hurrying off towards the place the other children in her small neighborhood gathered.

None of the other children noticed her approach, and Sakura stood with her small hands folded behind her back hoping one of the girls might invite her to play. Ami instead continued laughing with Kasumi and Fuki, but about what Sakura honestly didn't know. She never found herself included in the conversations, and thus she always felt alone.

Outsider...

Eventually Ami looked up, her brown eyes digging into Sakura as she stood there. The violet-haired girl's short hair framed her face poorly, yet the smirk upon said face was quite apparent. The cruelness of said smirk at times haunted Sakura's when she went to bed at night. After all, Ami knew exactly what would make Sakura cry.

Sakura stood there, her sea-foam eyes continuing to look on hopefully. Hoping for a friend wouldn't make any of the girls her friend, yet the only girls her age in the neighborhood were those three small girls. Ami stood there with her small arms crossing her ugly shirt with the ugly red and pink stripes and purple sleeves.

"What do you want billboard brow the outsider."

Sakura felt her mouth open slightly, yet no words came out. Her small hands tucked behind her back while her sea-foam green eyes retained the hopeful look. Not even a whimper left her mouth despite the desperate feeling of loneliness which plagued her mind. "Would anybody know how I feel?"

"Oh? You weren't hoping we might play with you?" The nasty tone Sakura registered in Ami's voice finally made a sound leave the bullied child's mouth. Her fingers played at the edge of her sleeves and her lips pushed together in frustration. "Why would we want to play with an ugly billboard girl?"

Ami of course laughed, but her friends Fuki and Kasumi glared. Sakura swallowed, noting the disdain in their eyes. Her sea-foam green eyes drifted towards the ground while tears welled at the corners of her eyes.

Sakura didn't need to look up to see Ami wave her fingers as if she were shooing away a bug or a disgusting rat. "Go away. We don't want to play. Not with you billboard brow."

A sniffle left Sakura's nose and one hand reached up to brush her nose slightly even though nothing leaked out. She turned away as she felt her small body shake in an attempt to hold back the tears. The warm sun which kissed her soft skin just a few minutes before disappeared, and gray clouds raised their ugly heads above her own.

A cold drop of rain hit her cheek before driving down almost as if begging her own tears to fall. A cold wetness began seeping into her clothing, but permeated into her mind aggravating the feelings of self-doubt which plagued her young mind. A sniffle soon escaped and Sakura tried holding it back, only to find herself unable to.

The tears started pouring out while her sobs came in a choked manner.

"Sakura?"

Sakura's sea-foam teal eyes blinked upon hearing the voice of her father. Her small hands rested on her eyes, but the sobs started slowing. She felt a calloused hand reach down and ruffle her soaking wet locks of pink hair. Shakily the young girl looked up into the man's face. His dusty pink colored hair and green eyes stood out from the other villagers, but so did his infectious smile.

"Whatever is the matter?"

A sniffle escaped again from Sakura's small frame. "They won't play with me."

The soft smile faded. "What happened this time?"

"They called me..." A hiccup escaped from Sakura's chest. "... they called me billboard brow the outsider."

"Oh."

"Why do they say mean things like that?"

"They're just jealous of how pretty you are. You are very pretty Sakura, so they try making you feel ugly by saying ugly things."

"But why those words? Why am I an outsider?"

"Why?" The man reached down and scooped Sakura up into his arms so he could gently carry her home. His calloused hand rubbed the child's back, but held her close. For a few minutes he didn't answer her question, but then said, "Because they don't let you into their group? I mean, isn't the word outsider the opposite of the word insider, and only those inside their group would be insiders? You shouldn't think too much into what those other girls say. Plus, I'm sure you'll make friends when you go to the academy."

"Okay." Sakura rested her head on her father's shoulder and took a deep breath, her sobs beginning to fade. The hurt feeling remained, as did the feeling of feeling useless and unwanted. A parents comforting words could only help so much, for a parents job is to love their child unconditionally no matter what. Sakura knew this, yet her young self couldn't articulate why the words didn't fix things for her.