(Chapter 9: Kumo)

A/N: Well, once again I don’t have much to say. Thanks for all of your reviews and all the support.

Temari’s eyes widened as she heard the words to the song her friend was singing.

“Kokoro wo soto

Won’t stop beating

Kokoro wo soto

Won’t stop bleeding

So it seems…

Watashi no yume

Keep tearing me apart”

“She’s not handling this nearly as well as we thought… why hasn’t she tried to talk to us?! We can help….”

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“That’s almost like a lullaby, the way you sang it, kid,” a voice said softly, “But I wouldn’t go singing that to anyone; it’s a very gothic lullaby.”

Sakura spun around to see a girl a few years older than she was, wearing a baggy, thread-bare coat, and faded jeans. Both joy and sorrow glistened in her violet eyes.

For just a second, there was quiet, the only sound being the wind rustling through the stranger’s dark hair. Sakura’s eyes widened in shock as she managed to place those eyes, that voice.

“Kumo-neesan?!”

“Hey, Chitsuki-chan… or do you prefer Sakura-chan, now? Anyway, long time, no see.”

“You’re…you’re back in Konoha!”

“Well of course, kid. What, did you think I’d just ignore your letter?”

Sakura thought back to the thin white envelope she had slipped in the mailbox just before her surgery, and gave a faint smile.

“Sorakono Kumo, don’t you ever leave the village again!” Despite the fact that she was still smiling, tears gathered in the Haruno’s eyes, threatening to spill over. Kumo sighed.

“It wasn’t like I had a choice, Chitsuki-chan…Sakura-chan…which name do you want, Haruno?”

“Well, no one here except Ino knows about my nickname… so Sakura, I guess…”

Kumo sat down next to her, placing her backpack on the ground by her feet. She turned her head so she could see her childhood friend. Her hawk-like eyes examined the kunoichi closely. At the same time, Sakura was scrutinizing her, comparing the young woman’s face to all of those memories from so long ago. The same high cheek-bones, same lean, thin stature, same worn-looking clothing. Her raven hair had been cut short, and a new scar had appeared, stretching across the back of her hand, but that was about it. Glistening beneath her gaze was still the same mischievous light.

Kumo, however, was completely surprised by how much the shy little girl she remembered had changed. She seemed stronger, yes, and tougher, yes, and more self confident, yes. But over all, what the visitor saw frightened her. So pale, and worn, and thin… she really shouldn’t have been surprised. But the eyes, Sakura’s soft emerald eyes…

The nineteen-almost-twenty year old recognized that look. She had seen it all her life: in her mother, her neighbors, her friends; if she were to look in the mirror, she was sure she would see it in herself, too. She recognized it, that troubled, world-weary gaze. Quite frankly, if it had been a stranger, Kumo wouldn’t have cared. However, to see it here… it troubled her. She knew what had forced the medic to grow up, maybe even to give up, but, no matter how many times she had warned herself, she still wasn’t prepared.

“It’s been a long 10 years since you left, Kumo-neesan.” Sakura explained quietly, as if she understood what her “older sister” was thinking.

“I know,” Kumo replied quietly, “Trust me, oh, do I know. Sakura-chan, your letter…is what it said true? Are you really dying?”

Biting her lip, the younger girl nodded.

“I don’t really want to talk about that.”

The onyx-haired ex-citizen could see why.

“Kumo-neesan, why did you leave?”

Giving Sakura a hard look, Kumo replied, “What does it matter? I’m here now, and that’s what counts, right?”

“I guess…I just want to know. When I was younger, right after you moved, I used to worry about how you were getting along. …And I guess I was a little hurt, too, that you never responded to my letters….”

“Look, ’Tsuki…”

“If you don’t want to explain, you don’t have too,” the response was all too quick, “Sometimes, its better not to know the answers, right? I mean, even if they might make sense, logically, you wouldn’t comprehend, right? Is it like that? Is it like when S-”

Sakura broke off, knowing she had said too much.

Kumo’s eyes got angry. Her hand unconsciously went to her kunai pouch.

“Sakura, like what?! Did someone hurt you?! If they did, I, swear, I’ll-”

Jade eyes kept staring at the dirt, as their owner gently placed a hand on Kumo’s arm. She didn’t look up when she spoke.

“Uchiha Sasuke, the missing nin, is my teammate,” she clarified, refusing to use the word ‘was’ “He left team seven a long time ago. I understand his reasons, but I don’t, you know? Anyway, it’s nothing for you to worry about.”

Sensing the hurt that poured off of the speaker like waves, Kumo responded cautiously, choosing her words carefully.

“Sakura…I can’t give you the full story, ’Tsuki; I’m still…well, I’m not ready for that. Just like you have a hard time talking about your missing nin. But, well, my guardian decided it was best if I stayed away from the village for a while. Akimi-sensei was a great medic nin, a great teacher, and a great family member to me, but she didn’t understand that I needed to be here, the village where I was born. After my parents died…” a pained look came across her face; she paused for a moment, and then continued, “well…there were special circumstances…and I guess they wanted to keep me sane, the third and Akimi-sensei, that is.” She made a weak attempt at a joke, “They wouldn’t listen to me when I told them it had been too late for that since my birth.”

Sakura didn’t smile or laugh. “They had one of their fights, didn’t they?” She knew it was a personal question, most likely out-of-bounds, but she asked anyway.

Silence. A pause, no one moving or speaking. The, a slight brisk, nod, and a choked “I suppose you could say that…”

And then there was the quiet again, each girl hearing nothing but her own thoughts. The cold wind whistled, people laughed not too far away, loud machinery slowly warmed up like sleepy, lumbering giants waking from a winter nap. Still, nothing was louder than those few precious brainwaves. That is, nothing but…

“Sakura-chan!” the grin slid off of Naruto’s face when he saw Kumo, who was sitting there, glaring at him, “Sakura-chan, who’s this?”

“Naruto, remember that letter I was writing?”

Naruto nodded; how could he forget. He had been concerned when he found her, crying over a half-finished piece of writing. Who wouldn’t be? But Sakura had simply said it was a letter to an old friend, and had refused to work on it anymore in front of him. He had simply had to be content with her answer; not that he was.

“This is who I was writing too. Meet Sorakono Kumo. Kumo-neesan, this is my teammate and boyfriend, Uzumaki Naruto.”

Kumo gave another brisk nod. Naruto wondered what the heck Sakura was doing conversing with a female Sasuke. Walking over, he gently put his hand on Sakura’s shoulder. Kumo flinched a bit, feeling overprotective as ever. Sakura was her little sister. Well, maybe not in blood, but it came to the same thing.

“It’s time for your check up,” he said; Kumo was taken aback by the tenderness in his voice, “Shizune’s looking you over this time. Come on, I promised I’d walk you, didn’t I?”

Moaning, Sakura stood up, and turned to Kumo.

“Maybe we could meet later?”

Another silent nod. Naruto shot Kumo a hostile glance. She returned it, and then said, “I’ll find you later.”

She watched as the blonde lead his girlfriend off. Nothing in his stance was similar to her father’s, nothing at all. His tone was different, too. It had been a long time since Kumo had heard a voice laden with that kind of love. Her conscience was chastising her for being so suspicious, but her memories reminded her that people could be very good actors. Oh, yes, she knew that so very well.

As soon as the splotches of orange and red were out of sight, she stomped off to the office of a very surprised Tsunade, throwing the door open carelessly as she walked in. Thirty minutes later, she emerged and headed to her first shift at the hospital.

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A/N: Okay, well, that’s over with. I meant to have something about New Years in here, but it just doesn’t fit the mood. So just imagine New Years in your head, and it’s over with okay?

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