Hi again, Chapter one is here! As promised, I want to note, this chapter is third-person, so there is bound to be plenty of detail hehe. By the way, my town doesn't really exist, it's just for the purpose of this story so don't go looking for it on a map of Japan. Now please enjoy!
'text' - thoughts
'text' - memories
"text" - speech
'text' - special speech you'll figure it out later
Oh, one more note. Characters will NOT all be the same as you know them. People who hate might not hate at all, some will become related, others unrelated, evil may become good, and vice versa. Just remember, this is fan fiction so things won't be the same as in the original Naruto universe.
Disclaimer: Characters are © to Masashi Kishimoto, so I do not claim them as my own, no matter how much I wish it so. The Story is mine, however, based on something I wrote back in middle school.
Rêves Fantômes
Phantom Dreams
Chapter 1
The rustling trees let their autumn leaves fall to the ground when the wind heeded, forming puddles of color around the area. Autumn was just beginning, with the early September breezes turning from soothingly warm to slightly brisk. The bustling streets of the small town were filling shop windows with the Fall harvest, excitedly and symbolically. Pumpkins sat comfortably next to store doors, their fleshy orange reflecting the bountiful season that had come. Corn stalks and their dried leaves were hung ceremoniously from window corners to window corners, displaying colors of brown, red, yellow, purple, and orange. Squash was being sold by the pounds in shades of yellows, greens and oranges for the food feasts of this equinox season. Townspeople smiled and addressed each other with remarks of familiarity, pointing out what was planned to be done on their holiday revelry, while shoppers questioned the keepers on recipes to use and which ornamentation would best suit their needs.
A girl of medium build, with stunning green orbs and hair as rosy as the cherry blossoms she was named after, slowly walked past this pleasurable site with her hands tucked into her jacket and a slight pout on her face.
'Brigantine,' she thought with a sigh. 'You can always count on this place to be cheer-central. I still don't get what's so great about Autumn.' The roseate girl, aptly named Sakura, again sighed with annoyance. Brigantine is a town in the northern regions of Hokkaido, the most "urbanized" in the whole Abashiri-Shicho prefecture. Yet, despite its readily available access to technology and transportation systems, the town's main developmental factor is the agriculture of the area, bringing in harvests of the best variety in the country. And as such, the town tends to celebrate its achievements with decoration and festivities of the harvest. Brigantine's main festival, that honoring the harvest god Daikoku, was a mere month or so away, hence the preparations for the activity had many shop owners selling their products to accompany the event.
Sakura walked along the cobbled road, passing two clothing boutiques and a general store before stopping in front of a little café called Kameosa¹. She pushed the wood and stained-glass door, a design of a drunken fox with a sake bottle in its paw on said door, and accessed the warm air that filled her nostrils with the scent of baked goods and coffee.
'Late again I see,' the girl thought crossly, glancing around the usually busy café. She waved to a boy with messy chocolate locks, her schoolmate Kankuro, and proceeded with her journey when he waved back and grinned. Sakura crossed the small area and reached a little two-person table in the cornered window. Sitting down with a huff, the girl stripped off her three-quarters-length jacket and scarf, depositing both on the back of her chair. Averting her angry eyes from the table, she brought them to the scene outside of the café, observing the townspeople of Brigantine.
"Care for the usual, Miss Sakura?" an aged voice asked. The cherry blossom removed her eyes from the site, and her features softened into a smile at the brown-haired man. His face had wrinkles from his years of working and a scar graced his nose, but he always wore a grin of happiness and had a habit of wringing his hands in his apron when he was speaking to a friend. Sakura had known the man for years, ever since she and her family moved to Brigantine from Tokyo. The little café was a second home to her, and whenever she needed to ask some advice over a bagel, he was there.
"If you don't mind Iruka-san. I need something to distract my mind from my wayward brother." He laughed at her comment and replied with a "Coming right up"as he always did. Yes, Sakura was in fact waiting for her brother. The emerald-eyed beauty and her sibling always had dinner/snack together Tuesdays and Fridays at Kameosa, a habit they formed and retained since their arrival. (Saturdays were spent having breakfast here instead of dinner.) Although, as of late, her brother was developing a late arrival tactic that the rosy maiden did not appreciate. Sighing again, Sakura rested her head in her palm as she leaned into the glass opening, looking to the people once more.
'Stupid brother. I saw him heading toward Kameosa after school, so I figured by the time I got here, he'd already be waiting for me. Aaghh! I shouldn't have told him I was asking Asuma-sensei for help in history. He probably figured it would take a while, but I just had a few questions!' Berating herself, the girl closed her eyes and thought about the day's events, including her conversation with Ino during lunch.
A blonde-haired female with oceanic eyes sashayed her way toward a girl with pink tresses, slyly smiling at the site. Sakura had her face immersed in a novel, one that Ino, the blonde, could not even begin to decipher. The lady's fetish for reading was odd, but that was a trait Ino loved her for. As she reached her target, the taller figure squatted on her haunches and tipped the top of the book downward to see shocked green orbs.
"Hey Forehead, whatcha reading?" Ino gently asked. Sakura smiled at her friend's antics and calmly replied,
"Newtonian Logical in the Physical World." Ino blinked repeatedly for a few seconds before giggling at the other female and hitting her arm. As she did so, the girl moved to Sakura's right side and sat down.
"Don't be such a geek! What are you really reading?" Sakura smiled at her companion and told her,
"Legends of the Rising Sun. Does that satisfy your curiosity, Miss Piggy?" To the blue-orb princess, that made plenty of sense. Her best friend was obsessed with mythology and legends, if only for locating all the inconsistencies and giving them logical explanations. A geek, but a fun geek. With a snort, she retorted,
"Yes, it does. So have you found anything interesting that you can't prove?" The sarcasm laced in her voice was barely hidden. She averted her line of view to the rest of the school's courtyard, observing people and nature's dying beauty. Fall was definitely here. Much to her surprise, Sakura shocked Ino into staring at her by answering in an unexpected manner.
"As much as I hate to admit the fact, I have. I was reading up on Brigantine today because of that dream I had." The blonde knew exactly which dream, for Sakura and she have been friends for ages and everything was shared between the two. In the dream, the girl wandered around in an ancient house and had discovered books describing the town in historical terms, but also was attacked by a black cat who whispered she was the savior from death to those living in the house. Of course, it would never cross Sakura's mind that anything of that sort was real, but she always jumped at an opportunity to figure out what her dream meant in relation to fictional myths. This dream was particularly interesting to Sakura because the house was Uheaa's Mansion, Brigantine's own legendary haunted house.
"Brigantine has never done a 'paranormal investigation' so there's no background to disprove any of the stories." The way she stated 'paranormal investigation', you would think she was mocking the entire idea. Sakura really did not believe in ANYTHING fictional. So Ino took the statement to heart and formulated a plan.
"You don't say. Well, if that's the case, why don't we administer our own little investigation to see what's going on?" the blonde suggested. The skeptic teen stared at her friend before shaking her head in amused disbelief.
"Ha, why not? At least I could present it as my class research project . . ."
"Did someone order a caramel cappuccino with a turkey tomato wrap?" Sakura jumped slightly from her seat, and whipped her head in the direction of the voice. There stood a boy of about five feet, ten inches, with brown hair tied in a high ponytail, and hazel, patronizing eyes. In his hands he balanced two cups of coffee and a plate with two sandwich wraps resting in the crook of his left arm.
"Shikamaru!" the roseate girl shouted as she grabbed the plate to put it onto the table, while he set the cups onto a solid surface. As soon as both finished, she grabbed the said boy into a hug, only to hit his arm painfully after letting go."Where have you been!? I expected you to be here waiting for me, not the other way around!"
"Ah, gomen, gomen. I had a run in with Ino, and you know how she gets. The troublesome woman talked my ear off before I could inform her I was late." As he said this, his hand traveled to the back of his head and he lazily smiled at his pretty sibling. Any anger Sakura felt vanished as she noted his features. Grinning while attempting an aggravated expression, she plopped down into her seat and commented,
"Yeah, yeah. I'm sure you didn't enjoy it in the least. What a horrible brother you are." Shikamaru mirrored his sister's motion as he sluggishly stirred the foam milk atop his beverage. He knew there was no arguing with her, since his blatant admission about the interest he had in her best friend was stated. Sakura had persuaded her older brother to admit his beguilement, and being the slothful individual he was, could not afford the effort of denying what was in fact true. Besides, the blonde was attractive in many ways, if not her attitude; a challenge was definitely something worth the endeavor in Sakura's words.
"Whatever. Anyway, what was she blabbering about when she alleged the two of you were heading to Uheaa's Mansion for some ghost hunting? I thought you didn't believe in ghost stories?" He raised a brow when his sister spewed her sip of cappuccino back into her cup. 'Ewww . . .'
"We are NOT going ghost hunting! All I wanted to do was disprove the ghost stories about that place. God, Ino really needs to learn that dramatizing everything on the face of this earth is not a good idea. Just because she's going to be an acting major . . ." The pink-haired teenager decided it would be a reasonable idea to tell her brother how this plan came about. So as she described the events of the day, both finished their respective meals.
"And so that's that," she finished, placing the last bit of turkey warp into her awaiting mouth. "You know me, Shika-kun. I'm just pursuing my intellectual curiosity, that's all."
"Haha, sure Sakura. I'm worried, though. I thought your dreams had stopped a few years ago. You haven't had one since, so why now of all times?" His brows furrowed together as he contemplated this information. Sakura observed her brother with scanning eyes. Shikamaru, regardless of his lack of motivation and physical appearance, was strong in mind and body. The boy had an IQ over 200, and could easily throw his 118-lb sister into the air without breaking a sweat. Thus, it came as no surprise when his thinking cap took over, and he analyzed the situation before him.
"Relax Shikamaru. I guarantee you it's just a one time thing. I'll run through every aspect of this idea, and I won't have another one for ages, you'll see. It's probably because of all the festivities in Brigantine right now. My psyche is probably using the busyness to run wild with my imagination."
"I don't know. Sakura, something just isn't making sense . . ." the hazel-eyed boy started uncertainly. The girl merely waved her hand at him while glancing over his shoulder to the counter.
"Iruka-san, can you get us the check please?" The man addressed looked up from the shelves where he was restocking missing pastries, and nodded when he saw the teenager's shining jade orbs. Turning her attention back to the brunette in front of her, she noted his calm facade, and decided it was time to move away from the subject of her dream.
"Is Otou-san gonna be home tonight?" Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as Iruka stepped into their line of view and passed them a strip of paper. Being the nice sibling he was, or perhaps from a partial guilty conscience, the male paid for the snack, and the two dressed in their autumn garments.
"Bye Iruka-san! See you tomorrow morning!" Sakura shouted excitedly as she pushed through the wood-and-glass door. Shikamaru, following his sister's path, nodded at the man who returned both gestures with a simple wave. A few tourists sitting in the booths looked strangely at the roseate girl as she exited, not accustomed to such loudness or such bright hair, but the young lady paid them no heed. She was used to those looks since childhood. Her brother shoved his hands deep into his pockets when both were outside and that was Sakura's green light. She looped her right arm through his left, and the two walked arm in arm down the street.
It was a darker day, even with the town's energetic atmosphere. Clouds blocked out potential sun rays, and the air was more chilled than that of the previous weeks. Sakura took all this in with little care, but allowed her orbs to wander around her settings. Looking skyward, she ventured to see if any light would stream past the fluffy gray, but there was no such luck. Instead, her eyes locked onto a black object circling above them. Sakura felt a tug at her side and glimpsed at Shikamaru whose glazed look was focused on the road.
"Shika-kun, did you just . . ." Noting his startled face and curious glance, she knew he hadn't done anything. To not look like a complete fool, she continued, "Do you see that bird? Isn't it strange for a crow to be this far away from the fields and alone?" He mutely stared up to where Sakura's line of view was directed, and saw the crow.
"Hm, I suppose so, but it's not that strange. It's probably looking for an easy meal in a garden." I nod in understanding, and think it over. Many of the families in the residential area like to produce their own mini garden of specific foods they favor during this time of year. The Ishiyamas do it too, mostly because Shikamaru and Sakura both adore apples, and their father enjoys gardening. Lazy crows, or those of the weaker sort, like to go picking in these gardens to graze on some yummy treats.
The duo made their way past the decorative downtown toward the residential zone of Brigantine. As they continued, Sakura entertained her eyes with the surrounds, trying to keep her thoughts from the elated town and its soon-to-come parties, but also the odd dream that occupied today's events, and the crow she had seen earlier. Shikamaru and Sakura made it to the entrance of the path leading to their home, when something caught the female's attention.
Perched upon the wooden sign entitled 'Ishiyama' sat a black cat. It stared at the pair as they moved in its direction with half lidded eyes. Now, it wasn't the feline that caught Sakura's eye, no that cat had been napping on the Ishiyama sign since forever ago, but it was the fact that its eyes were mismatched. Never before had the girl registered that little detail. She stopped mid-step to blankly look at the furry creature. The pause caused Shikamaru to sidestep and almost trip. He gave a slight glare to the lady next to him, before regarding her gaze to the cat with a,
"What's wrong Sakura?" The addressee did not look at the male, but merely squinted her eyes as she replied,
"Shika-kun, did that cat always have mismatched eyes?" The boy was confused for a second, before registering her question and giving his sister a skeptical look.
"Sakura, what are you on about? That's the same cat we've passed for the last few years. It doesn't have mismatched eyes." The said girl double-took from the creature to her brother. Was he crazy? She looked to the cat who had now opened its left, crimson eye completely, and could not comprehend Shikamaru's statement. There it was clearly sitting, one eye navy, one eye red. There was also a smooth scar running down the left lid and onto the cheek.
"But, look at it, it's . . ."
"Sakura, I think that imagination of yours has burst from any means of control you had. Let's get home. I wanna snuggle into a sweater and go to bed." The elder of the two yanked at her arm, and dragged her forward, away from the feline and up the slight hill. Sakura, not one to be bossed around by anyone, especially her indolent brother, snatched her arm back, and stepped toward the cat. When she was standing before the animal, the roseate female raised her hand slowly to it, and allowed it to hover right above the cat's head. With a signal unrecognized by human sight, the cat stretched its limber neck up, and brushed Sakura's hand affectionately.
"Shika-kun, let's take it home, ne? The weather's getting colder, and it seems to be a nice cat." The boy with brown locks sighed in annoyance. His fingers were slightly numb, and he didn't really care about the cat. His only thoughts were retreating to the safety of the sure-to-be warm house.
"Feh, why not? But don't expect Otou-san to let you keep it. And I won't help you persuade him." She grinned at the other, and picked up the discussed creature. Tucking it into her arms, the girl jogged forward to Shikamaru's side, and the two made their way home. As they strolled along the leaf-littered road, Sakura stroked the midnight fur on the creature's neck. It nuzzled her arm while staring at her with curious, almost mischievous orbs.
'What a beautiful animal. But I don't understand why Shikamaru is denying its eye colors. What is going on? And why did I never notice before? I wonder . . .'
1
Author's Note:
Kameosa¹ is a word meaning a bottle that never runs dry, referring to both the service the café provides and the amount of customers it always receives.
Oh, wow, I wrote quite a long first chapter. And nothing's happened yet! Well, I suppose not, cause I was just doing a background of the story. To answer a coming question:
Yes, Sakura and Shikamaru are siblings. I gave them the name Ishiyama because I didn't want one to be Haruno and the other Nara. I would have had to make up a story about divorced parents or something, and that wouldn't fit with my story. Plus, it's too tedious.
Second, Otou-san is probably not someone your going to expect, so don't hate me! I needed the father role to be, well, filled. Okay, hope you enjoyed, chapter two is a comin'!