Chapter one
Sleeping Beauty
By Windy days and daisy chains
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It was Friday, January 17th about half past six in the evening and the train was almost empty. The trains passing by on the opposite track were packed to the roof with steamed up commuters heading back home from a hard days work, but the only passengers in the train on the right were a bunch of giggly girls dressed up for a night out, a couple of men wearing orange overalls and a silent looking woman slumped down low in the corner, keeping well out of sight from the rest of the world.
There wasn't much to see in the underground, it was all black and grey darkness with the constant rattling of carriages and the low hum of machinery, the rhythm of the tracks.
She tapped her fingers to the beat, a small smile playing her lips. She was always doing that back then- making up songs, playing tunes in her head, imagining the music….
When everything changed it kept her going.
It used to mean something.
One day hopefully it will mean something again.
As the train approached its stop the young woman carried on staring through the window and listening to the sounds of the carriage. The announcer was reminding them not to leave any personal belongings on the train, the girls were laughing at his strange accent- by the sound of his voice he had the flu. The other passengers were standing up, getting their bags, getting ready to leave.
They were trundling along an old brick tunnel lined with wires and cables and trackside waste. She was still playing with the rhythm of the carriages when the train slowed to a crawl, the darkness lifted and they hissed to a halt in the steerie light of the station platform.
The other passengers got off first. As the girls pushed and shoved their way through the door and headed off along the platform their high heeled shrieks echoing coldly round the station. Emerald eyes sneaked a glance at them through the window, they were only a few years younger then herself nut somehow they didn't feel a few years younger and she wasn't sure how or why.
But she felt older beyond her years.
A different feeling.
Then she picked up her handbag, adjusted her hat and got off the train.
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"Sakura!"
It was the celebration party and the place was packed to the brim and I was late. Ino's voice saying this was the first thing I heard when I stepped in the door.
At the time I couldn't see her but a moment later she appeared with a glass of coke in each hand. When she saw me, she smiled. "There you are," she said, "What took you so long?"
"I got held up at home," I told Ino. "What did I miss?"
"Naruto and Kiba are having a drinking contest, Neji was playing but he's already drunk, it seems out jounin captain can't keep his liquor in," Ino giggled.
I looked around, past the clump of people beside us and into the sitting area where I spotted Shikamaru and Sasuke on a couch by the window, a bored expression on their faces.
"This way," I told Ino, taking one of the drinks from her as I worked through the crowd over to the couch. "Hey," I called out to the duo. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," Shikamaru replied, his voice flat.
Sasuke exhaled loudly, shaking his head. "This party is crap."
"It's only eight thirty," I told him, looking around the room. There was a couple making out on a nearby armchair, and I could see a group of people sitting around a table playing cards. The dance floor was crowded with sweaty bodies moving to the beat and I caught the flash of the familiar bun hairstyle of the weapon mistress before it quickly disappeared into the crowd. "Things could improve."
He took a swig of sake, "doubt it."
"Oh come on," Ino whined, "be happy, Sound has been defeated!"
"Yeah," I chimed in, "now that is something to celebrate about. Orochimaru is finally gone and Konoha can continue in peace."
"For now," Sasuke muttered.
Before I could reply Choji bounded up to us excitedly.
"You guys have to see this," he rasped, "Neji's lost it! Him and Ten-Ten are whipping the dance floor with their dirty dancing!"
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The concourse was crowded with hordes of commuters everyone rushing and racing and fighting for trains. There were thousands of them pouring in from the streets and arriving from tube trains in a never-ending tide of dark suits and briefcases and hurry-up faces, like some kind of manic migration.
The noise was incredible- a swirling tornado of shuffling feet, crowded voices, hissing trains, muffled announcements, railway shrieks, the metallic clanging of hundreds of high heeled shoes denting the surface-all of it merging together to form a vast blind noise that whirled around and steamed and rose up into the stone domed roof, like the sound of a million birds.
She moved along the concourse swiftly dodging from side to side, struggling against the tide- making her way up the tube station. More pushes, more shoves, more harried faces. More noise. She kept going- past the ticket barriers, along the corridor, over the bridge, up the steps and then with a leap she was just another face in the luminous bustling city.
Five more streets.
Not long to go now.
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No one bothered to talk.
In fact they didn't even bother to spare a glance at each other.
Thousands of bodies following the waves, concentrating on getting to their allocated destination. It was rush hour and the road was emerged with chaos- cars, buses, taxis, speeding bikes, flashing lights, roadworks, cranes, pelican crossings, junctions and more commuters.
She stuffed her hands in her pockets avoiding the 'Specials' dark glares and manoeuvred her body to a right turn. It was best to avoid their eyes, so dark, so cruel. Specials kept to themselves, always skulking around the city, making sure there was no trouble- protecting the city. Like a secret police agency only not as helpful and merciful, she remembered being hunted through the ruins of Konoha on that awful day they had come to take her.
She shook her head. Thinking of those days always brought up blurred memories that didn't fit together. The Specials hadn't hunted her of course. Why would they? They'd rescued her, bringing her home from the ruins, sobbing and shivering.
Only two more streets now.
Her mind was trying to calculate a formula on how to cross a busy road at rush hour when the advertisement board caught her eye. Tearing her gaze away from the duo of double-decker buses the WANTED sign flashed loud and clear, startling her whole body.
Suddenly her mind was spinning; the world was getting blurry, that face- it seemed to have triggered something inside of her, something deep.
She blinked, her fists clenching until fingernails drove into her palms. The world had changed somehow. Pinpoints of artificial lights cut harshly through the buildings as she tried to take deep, slow breathes. And then the pain came.
Like a huge piano falling, falling then suddenly hitting her hard on the head at full force. Everything was becoming fuzzy again, and the pain in a head throbbed harder, she resisted the urge of clutching it and moaning. This wasn't the place for dramatics. She let out a slow breathe, telling herself to calm down, somehow that face seemed to ring something familiar.
Pale smooth skin, blond spikey hair, whisker marks etched on both cheeks. A mouth that was permanently stretched into a grin and bright blue azure eyes sparkling with mischief.
Somehow she knew his name.
Naruto.
But in this picture he seemed different.
His face was nothing like it had been a few years ago, now that round full face had turned sharp and angular, short dirty blond hair tangled on top of his head, shadowing fractions of his flashing azure eyes Her skin crawled at the unshaven beard, grotty teeth and uncharacteristic snarl.
Pulling her hat further down she plunged into the crowd.
She tagged along with the ever-growing crowd as they crossed the busy steamed up road.
Another turn to the right, more walking, another road-crossing-drama, a swift manoeuvre to the left and more walking.
Her heels clacked noisily up the marble stairs as she flashed the guard her ID and shuffled into a tall white building wedged between "Rosemary Flats" and "Goggle Enterprises".
The entrance was empty and thankfully so was the elevator.
The rubbery stink of buses, the choke of exhaust fumes, busy dull lives, constantly looking around, thinking about things. That was city life.
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When it was finally over we retired at the Hyuugas estate. Crowded into one of their many living rooms nobody spoke. For once even Naruto was speechless, Tsunade's woeful words stamped into our minds.
"So I guess this is it then."
Ten-Tens voice echoed round the room, the honesty burning our skin. I leaned against Ino's shoulder and closed my eyes, this couldn't be happening.
"I never thought- well I guess this is goodbye."
"Goodbye," I repeated.
"Yes."
I looked at Sasuke who was watching me, his hands in his pockets. "Will we ever see each other again?"
His dark eyes turned away from mine, we both knew the answer but still- I wanted him to lie. I wanted them all to lie. To say this was all a joke- a sick horrible joke. But they couldn't.
Naruto forced a grin, "don't worry, we'll see each other again! Believe it!" Good old Naruto.
"Will we?"
"I mean they're going to destroy Konoha!"
Ino's familiar shrill voice shivered down my back, I gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder but she ignored me. Her fierce blue eyes, glaring around the room, challenging anyone who opposed her.
"They're not going to destroy Konoha," said Sai solemnly, "they're 'modernising' it."
"Call it what you want but those bastards are going to destroy our village and did you hear what else Tsunade-sama said!?!" snapped Ino.
A very tense silence followed after Ino's voice but she seemed unaware of it, in fact I could see she was on the verge of tears. Out of all of us she was one of the few who had taken the blow hard which was kind of strange to me because I never knew she was that attached to Konoha.
Naruto uttered an angry sigh, "they don't need us any more."
No one bothered to object, no one bothered to act optimistic, and no one bothered to speak.
The ninja era had ended.
And a new modern world had begun.
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Leaning against one of the elevators four walls, the young woman fingered her lank brown hair as her green eyes plunged deep in thought. Seeing Naruto again had set a few of her old memories free but even those were a bit blurred in some places, she mentally scolded herself at not being able to remember properly. It was like something was trying to stop her- tug her away from the past.
Catching sight of her reflection in the mirror she forced her lips upwards and shook her head. It was no point trying to remember those smudged memories, whatever they were about- well, they were no use to her now.
She had a life now, a job, a place to live and she wasn't going to ruin it all with all this useless thinking and hoping.
She sighed and listened to the gentle humming of the lift, slowly increasing its height from the ground. Then with a small ping the doors slid open and she stepped out.
Walking past a few doors she rummaged through her handbag and finally emerged with a small silver room key.
Pushing it into the allocated lock of number seventy three she twisted it anti-clockwise and pushed forward.
Soon destiny would tie their fates together once more.
In the form of five faces from the past.
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So this is my first chapter, hope you all found it fairly interesting.
I might not be able to update this very often because i have another fic posted up, Blossoms of Sakura. Please check that out as well.
Thank you