empathy (rewritten 2019)

chapter seven

On their third training lesson, Keiko called for a break and Sakura sighed in relief. Since Sakura was lacking in the Taijutsu area, Keiko had her run laps and drills for each weekend. With her and her short stamina, she found herself out of breath at most times.

"Here. Towel." Keiko offered as she drank some water. The chunin found herself running alongside Sakura and doing drills with her, for moral support as the pinkette stated. "Why don't you put your hair up? It's too long for it to be dragging you behind."

Sakura groomed her hair behind her shoulders, feeling the sweat amongst her temples. "Well I wouldn't want to mess it up. What if someone walks by? I'll just be a sweating mess."

"Exercise isn't for looking good all the time, Sakura," Keiko took the girl's red ribbon from her forehead to tie the small girl's long locks into a ponytail. "It's for feeling good. There."

Keiko looked at Sakura's red dress and shook her head. The pinkette had yet to buy the proper clothes for training. "And those frilly dresses need to go, too. You can't run in that."

"What, I have to stop wearing dresses too?" Sakura snorted as she drank some water.

"Well, if you want to wear a dress, wear one for proper kunoichis." Keiko said, standing up. She stretched her shoulders. "Why do you want to impress that Uchiha boy so much? What's so interesting about him?"

"Well, he's smart and fast and kinda cute. He's also from the Uchiha clan, and they were one of the most prestigious clans of Konoha," Sakura shrugged. "Every girl likes him. It's not hard to know why."

Keiko laughed. "That's it? What about his personality? Is he nice?"

Sakura thought about all the times she tried saying hello and all the times he rolled his eyes and looked away. "W-well, he's--I mean, I guess he's nice, I don't know," she said, and when Keiko nodded along, she said, "What? Don't laugh at me like that."

They laughed together. Keiko quieted down. "But, seriously, if you like him, why aren't you spending this time buying new dresses and stuff? Why practice?"

"For him?" Sakura said. She didn't mean to make her tone seem uncertain. "W--yeah, for him. He needs a strong kunoichi, right?"

Keiko laughed and shook her head. "You didn't join the Academy for him, did you? And you don't ace your tests for him either. These training sessions aren't for him either. There's gotta be another reason why, Sakura."

Keiko gave her a handful of kunai and pointed at a target on the tree. As Sakura threw one, she said, "I haven't thought about that, really. I just wanted you to train me so I can get better. Isn't that good enough of a reason?"

"Think deep. I know you have a deeper reason," Keiko said as she fixed Sakura's stance, bringing her feet a wider distance apart, and lowering her arms until they were level to her eyes. "Now throw." She did. "Isn't it easier now without a boy in your mind?" The kunai hit the target right in the middle.

Sakura thought about what Keiko said. Oftentimes she was reminded of her younger self, at five years old, as she watched that kunoichi walk by. She remembered her hopeful eyes and her mother's worried smile. But the more often she thought of that vow she said, the less it sounded like a real possibility. Her, a weak, fragile girl, a kunoichi?

But she looked in Keiko's eyes and they sparked with fire, such that was so contagious it caught her own.

And from across the street, she saw a raven haired boy walk home from the market.

...---...

Sakura spent her sixteenth birthday with Keiko. The Team Ten and Team Seven members said they were either busy on a mission or resting from one, so she spent it like any other day. Despite Tsunade's protests, she worked her regular hours until the Fifth Hokage kicked her out of the room with a bottle of wine as a gift. Later that day, Ino stopped by to give her a nice sundress and a matcha cake, before running off to find Shika.

And when Keiko picked her up after work, Sakura chose to eat at Yakiniku Q for their dinner. They strolled together on the street, walking across town to the restaurant.

"Wait here, I'll find a table," Keiko said as she eyed Team Ten inside the restaurant. She stood warily by the front desk, stared down at a menu, and listened close.

"And I shall offer a toast!" Ino giggled, raising her cup. The liquid splashed and dripped onto the dazed Hokage, who had decided to tag along. "To Naruto!"

"Ha--why are we celebrating again?" He said and everyone laughed along. He drank the rest of his cup and sat back in his seat. "Hey, after this, I say we get Sasuke back! That'll...that'll show him, yeah..." He waved around a piece of steamed meat and laughed. "Oh, right, we should invite Sakura, too..."

Everyone paused and Ino took the liberty. "Naruto, are you sure?" She said, ducking down to his stooped eye level. "You want to invite Sakura?"

Naruto paused. Hummed a little bit, Keiko heard. And he nodded his head. "Yeah, yeah, right--maybe she shouldn't come along," he said. "I don't want her getting hurt. I can just bring Sasuke to her if that's what she wants."

"Hello, miss, would you like a table?" An employee walked up to the front table and offered a cheery smile. Keiko backed away.

"Sorry, my plans changed." She said and pushed herself out of the door. Sakura sat up from the bench. "H-Hey, let's go somewhere else, this place is packed."

And they walked on.

Keiko went on through her days hoping the pinkette never heard. Hoping she'd never seen the look on their face when Naruto laughed and giggled her name--the look; knowing, assuming, and off-putting. Keiko hoped Sakura wouldn't have to go through that all over again--hearing her name thrown around in a dismayed mouth, as though she were only conversation.

But she did hear.