It was a morning like any other, at the end of August. The air felt heavy, the temperatures were high, and the feeling of sweat under her clothes made her uncomfortable, as if a blanket had been hung over the entire village. You could hear the sound of cicadas coming from the trees, almost drowned out by the chattering of the crowd early in the morning.
The sun was shining high in the sky, and the clouds cast their shadows on the ground, as if to remind everyone that rain could come at any time, while people came and went endlessly through the gates of Konoha.
Under her bright green eyes, the ground seemed to shimmer faintly, as if holding the warmth of the sun.
She looked at this scene in wonder, her thoughts swirling over and over. Between a feeling and a friend. She swept the view in a trance, listening, feeling, but mostly lost deep in those indescribable thoughts.
Some decisions were supposed to be easy, but this one wasn't, because it was also about her own happiness. Should she give up her desires for the sake of her friend? Or pursue them boldly in spite of that hard-won friendship?
Seeing those couples by the bridge, holding hands and laughing so happily, a feeling of envy and jealousy gripped her heart. She wanted it so much, to feel close to someone like that, to feel their grasp, to feel wanted...
Sakura had been pondering for so long, for the entirety of the school vacation, to be exact.But... she couldn't continue like this.
That's it. She took a deep sigh and steeled her heart; she would definitely pursue him.
Whoosh! A gust of wind suddenly blew from the west, startling her. This fresh morning breeze swept over her, making her stop in her tracks, as a strange feeling welled within her heart.
In an instant, Sakura felt her head cool down. A feeling of comfort rising from the depths of her being spread evenly, covering all corners of her body. It was an indescribable feeling, like taking a bath in slightly cold water, or like waking up from an eight-hour sleep.
"What's happening?"
She recalled everything she had done in these few minutes, but nothing struck her as being special.Maybe she was thinking too much?
Shaking her head, she sighed slightly and decided against it.
"Ino, if not for her, perhaps I would still be that silent crybaby, always being bullied and laughed at. I cannot end our friendship just because of him. I don't think it would work out anyway..."
Having suddenly decided to give up, she felt a weight she didn't know she was carrying lift from her shoulders. She became light as a feather and just as carefree.
Smiling happily, she left the bridge and headed to the ninja Academy.
The walk didn't last long; just a dozen minutes later, she arrived at the gate.Looking at its shabby appearance, and the academy behind it, she sighed at how boring it looked.
For a place supposed to teach the next generations of ninjas, while also serving as the Hokage's office and mission dispatch hall, it almost looked like an old abandoned building. With the paint peeling off in many sections, it even looked a little eerie at night.
"Hey, good morning, Sakura!"
Right at this time, while she was distracted, a girl sneaked up behind her and slapped her on the shoulder.
"Ah! Ino, don't scare me like that!" Puffing her cheeks in anger, Sakura admonished Ino for her behavior.
"Haha, don't be like that. I was just testing your awareness! What if you met an enemy sneaking behind you in the future~? I must say, you're too weak, since you can't even notice me!"
"Nonsense! You're from a clan and were taught lots of things before me, how could I notice you?" Sakura rolled her eyes at this shameless act.
"Haha, sorry, sorry. Anyways, why are you so distracted? Are you thinking about some boy? Don't tell me my little Sakura has been captured by some blond kid! My little girl is leaving me... ah, I'm so sad!"
Sakura blushed, a certain figure appearing in her mind. "Nonsense! If you slander me like that again, see how I tell Sasuke you have feelings for him!"
Ino opened her eyes wide and immediately became flustered. "Hey, don't you dare! I... I'm not ready yet! What if he wants to do those things? I... I can't!"
"Hehe..." Sakura narrowed her eyes and looked at her teasingly. "I didn't know you, a young miss of a distinguished clan, had such a dirty mind! Tell me, Ino, what kind of things are you thinking, hmm?"
"You! Sakura, do you wanna get beaten up?! Keep up with this topic and I don't mind teaching you a taijutsu lesson!"
The two girls glared at each other for a moment and then laughed loudly. This bickering was a normal routine for them. After befriending each other, they completely let go of most inhibitions and didn't mind fooling around.
Talking about various topics, they entered the academy, heading toward their classroom.
The morning scene in the academy was usually the same, regardless of the weather, the mood, or the happenings around the village.
Inside the classroom she could see many familiar faces. The duo Shikamaru and Choji, Inuzuka Kiba with his dog, Hyuga Hinata being shy and sneaky like a mouse in a corner, Sasuke surrounded by a legion of fangirls, a blond kid sleeping on top of his notebook...Ah, there was also Shino somewhere, maybe... she wasn't sure.
Those were the ones she knew from memory. There were also some girls, like Yuki-san and Kaho-san, but looking at their profiles, completely engrossed with Sasuke, and recalling their hurtful declaration a few months ago, when they stopped being friends with her to pursue the boy they liked, she sighed in resignation. She too almost did that, but thankfully, she awakened before making a terrible decision.
Love...
This word always intrigued her.
The books say there are many kinds.
The love between friends, the love between families, the love between a pet and its owner, the love of a person for an object, the love for a concept... and finally, there's the love between two people, a love that surpasses others.
Not because it loves more or is more special; it's because this love is, fundamentally speaking, an addictive feeling that spurs from a certain obsession.
It can be appearance, smell, ideas, traits, even anger or curiosity.
Sakura, who spent most of her life knowing only a single one of these, couldn't get this thought out of her head.
What would it be like? To experience that kind of love between two people? To spend her time with the one she liked...?
"Oi, Sakura, what are you thinking? You suddenly spaced out."
"Uh? Ino? Weren't you with the others?" Sakura tilted her head in confusion.
"Ahhh, who says I don't want to? But those brutes are like monkeys in a zoo! How can I get past them? Ah, my Sasuke, please don't fall for those easy girls!"
The corner of Sakura's mouth twitched slightly. Ino, you are talking about yourself!
The two bickered for a little while more until Iruka-sensei arrived.
"Good morning, class, how was your school vacation? I hope you guys managed to rest and finish your homework!"
"Eh, no way! I forgot it!!"
"Haha, you stupid, I reminded you yesterday!"
"I hate summer homework!"
Hearing his students joking around in the middle of the class, Iruka-sensei shook his head. "Alright, quit it! Pass on your assignments to the classmate seating in front of you. After collecting the homework, we will re-sort the class seats!"
Hearing this, both Ino and Sakura looked at each other helplessly. "Ah, damn it! I hate when this happens!"
Sakura nodded, a little sad. "True..."
Every year they changed seats. The last two times they ended up sitting far away from each other, and Ino was even unlucky to the point of sitting in the same row as Shikamaru and Choji. That was also how she got to know them.
"Let's hope we can exchange seats. Hopefully we won't have to ask one of those unreasonable girls," Sakura said.
Ino nodded at her words as she went back to her seat.
After all the homework had been collected, Iruka-sensei started drawing lots and assigning seats.
Before she noticed, Sakura had been placed at the far back of the class. Resigned to her fate, she grabbed her things and moved over.
It was so unlucky! Nobody would want to exchange this kind of terrible seat with her. Looking at this desolate place, she sat down and immediately laid her head on the table with an exasperated sigh.
"Hmm... You, uh, are you okay?"
Who is it? Hearing a somewhat unfamiliar voice, Sakura pondered but couldn't remember where she had heard a similar voice before.
Still depressed about her fate, she didn't want to lift her head and take a look at the stranger.
She just waved her hand dismissively at him.
"Yeah... super duper fine..."
"Haha, don't be like that. If you want, we can be friends. That way, you will still have someone to talk to here, y'know?"
Sakura shook her head. "That's not the same. What I wanted was to sit next to Ino, but it seems it will be another year away from my best friend. I'm so unlucky."
"Is that so...?" The voice replied, this time sounding a little depressed. "To be honest, I don't really know what it's like. I guess you must really like your friend then? Do you want me to leave? I can ask your friend if they want to exchange seats with me..."
Those words ignited a flame within her. Was she so lucky? Who was this person willing to do that? Should she accept?
Lifting her head slightly, she looked at the boy next to her.
He had spiky blond hair, whiskers on his face, and bright blue eyes. Despite the sunny appearance that seemed to be made for an outgoing person, he had an aura of gloom around him, like someone who was extremely lonely.
Seeing his sadness and downcast look, Sakura hesitated, and decided against it.
"Forget it, just stay there."
"Hm?!" Hearing this, the boy looked over in surprise. At that moment, their eyes met and a strange feeling appeared in his heart.
This girl with long pink hair... Why is she... so cute?
He watched as Sakura retracted her gaze, but couldn't extricate himself for a moment. He kept looking at her, not knowing what exactly was going on in his head.
For the remainder of the class, they remained silent in their seats, each with their own thoughts, not truly paying attention to Iruka-sensei's words. Since today there wasn't anything meaningful that she didn't already know, Sakura simply gave herself the privilege of slacking off for once.
Her deskmate, though, was simply following his usual routine of seeing but not understanding anything.
When the bell rang, the class ended and everyone started going back home.
Sakura bade farewell to Ino and left as well.
On her way out, she found Naruto, her new deskmate, leaning back on the wall, hidden under a shadow.
He observed the students leaving, wearing what she felt was a look of sorrow.
She didn't know what was happening in his head, but she simply couldn't leave it at that. Unconsciously, she walked over and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hey, Naruto!"
"Uh? Sakura-san?"
"Here, take this." Without much thought, she gave him the bento she had prepared for herself today.
"This... this is...?" Holding the package, Naruto was stunned and speechless.
"Hmph! What kind of look is that? Don't tell me you don't want it just because it's what I cooked?"
"No, no! Never! I wouldn't dare! B-but why are you giving it to me?"
Sakura rolled her eyes. "You look so down. I don't know why, but seeing how you never have a proper meal at school, I decided to share it with you. Anyway, classes ended early today since it's the first day of school, so it's fine. Oh, that reminds me, do you have any allergies?"
"Uh, no, I don't think so," Naruto replied without thinking much.
"Good, then you can eat it without worries. Remember to return the box to me tomorrow, also, don't forget to clean it."
With that, she turned around and left, leaving the stunned Naruto behind.
Watching her figure disappear into the crowd, Naruto felt a few drops of water land on his hand.
"Ah? Is it raining?" Biting his lip, he lowered his head and took a deep breath, but it seemed like a storm had taken place inside his eyes.
This pink-haired girl... why mess with my heart like that? She's so sweet, y'know?