A/N:I've realized that the only thing stopping me from posting a new multi-chapter story was myself. So I've decided to post this. For you people who are waiting for A Walk To Remember and France, I must inform you that I shall not update those stories before the Christmas holidays. As for this one, the updates might come in very slowly, since I'm in my last year of high school and I don't have much time to myself. I'm sorry, but that's life. I can't please everyone.
Soooo, I got this idea from just about nowhere. I was sitting in my room, I guess, and it just popped into my head. I don't even remember what I was doing… Anyway, I've had this written long ago, but I upgraded it because when I reread it, I actually thought it sucked. It's gotten slightly better, but I think I'll need to work a bit harder on the upcoming chapters to make it really worth something.
Enjoy!
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The Photograph: Chapter 1
by Queen of Pascalities
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Written while listening to:
The Heart Never Lies – McFly
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"Damn, it's cold!"
A young girl was walking down a dirt road. She knew it led to a city, where she knew she could find shelter for the night. She hugged herself, rubbing her bare arms to warm her skin. It was a cold November night but she didn't have a coat on. She didn't have one period. She hadn't had time to take one when she was kicked out of the only place she could call home. She only wore a too large shirt, worn out sweat pants and old running shoes that didn't even rightfully belong to her. To top it all, it was raining.
It had been at least four hours since she had started walking, her legs and feet hurt and she couldn't feel her fingers anymore. She was trembling from the cold, her hair stuck to her forehead, her clothes hung on her body, heavy because of the water and everything from her waist down felt like it was going to suddenly stop working from the lack of energy. She couldn't see a thing through the rain and the dark and she knew the road was surrounded by trees, so all she could count on to guide her was the sound of her steps on the asphalt.
Stopping to rest, she let herself plop down on the ground, not really caring if she got any wetter, half-expecting to hurt her backside on the hard ground of the road. However, when her bum hit the ground, she found it was rather soft. She felt around herself. It was grass. She should have known. She waited a bit for her legs to stop throbbing then got up again, aware that she could pass out from the cold very soon if she didn't find somewhere to stay for the night. Looking up, she saw something shine dimly through the trees.
"Maybe it's a house!" She thought aloud.
A house! She was saved!
She proceeded towards the light, raising her numb hands in front of her body, to make sure she didn't run into anything. As she took a rather long step, her foot didn't hit the ground when it was supposed to. She felt it sink down into nothing and felt her whole body following. It wasn't until she was lying in the mud down a gutter that she realized she should have searched for a path to the light instead of walking just right through the treacherous forest. She slowly got up and followed the line of the gutter, trying to find some kind of alleyway that would lead to the light.
After a few minutes of splashing around in the muddy water, she felt grass against her shins. She felt a little further with her hands and found a dirt road. Well, at least that was going to lead her somewhere. She climbed out of the gutter and proceeded down the pathway. She could see the light much more clearly and the best thing was, it was getting closer.
It took her ten minutes to get to the light, which turned out to be the porch light of a big, black house. She climbed up the few steps that lead to the door and knocked frantically, more aware of the cold than ever. She waited, her teeth chattering, once again useslessly hugging herself with her arms to keep warm.
The door opened slowly, letting a grey-haired man with a moustache appear in the light. The warmth of the house reached her, along with the smell of food, making her remember she hadn't eaten in about eight hours. The man scrutinized her from head to toe, then addressed to her in a calm, composed way.
"What business do you have here, miss?"
"Erm… Is-… Is the owner of the house here?" She asked, slightly intimidated, teeth clattering.
"Who asks him?"
"No one he would recognize, I can assure you. I'd just like to know if the person who owns this place is in it at the moment." A gust of wind blew upon her, sending a violent shiver down her spine.
"Yes, he is here. What do you want with him?"
Another gust of wind and her mind went as numb as the rest of her body. Stars danced in from of her eyes, then darkness surrounded her.
"What's going on, here?" A low voice asked.
Uchiha Fugaku arrived at the door right at the moment the girl collapsed in the unsuspecting arms of his butler. He ran to help him and hauled the girl up in his arms. He ordered the butler to close the door and to go tell his wife to get to their bathroom as fast as she could, then ordered a maid to go up the stairs with him and prepare a very warm bath.
He climbed the staircase three steps at a time and ran to his bedroom, where his bathroom was also located. While he waited for his wife, he put the most towels he could over the girl's clothes to warm her up a bit. Once he was finished, he set the girl's head on his shoulder and encircled her with his arms. He waited a few minutes until he heard rushed footsteps outside the room. His wife rushed inside the bathroom, a worried look on her face.
"What-…?" She started.
"Hypothermia. Mikoto, could you-…?"
"Of course. Leave her to me."
Fugaku cautiously handed the unconscious girl to his wife and left the room. As soon as he was gone, Uchiha Mikoto tore the towels and the clothes off of the girl's body and plunged her in the hot water the maid had prepared in the large bath. Mikoto told the maid to go get one of her pyjamas and bring it to her. The maid nodded and left.
Mikoto brushed the pink hair off of the girl's face and poured hot water over her head, making sure she didn't swallow any. Her lips and eyelids were purple and her skin was almost translucent. She seemed oddly familiar to Mikoto, but she didn't pay any attention to it.
When the maid came back with the pyjama, the girl's skin had turned a pale shade of red, meaning it had warmed up. Mikoto asked the maid to help her get the girl out of the bath and put the clothes on her. When they were done, they wrapped a dry towel around her and brought her out of the room. Once outside the bedroom, Mikoto made a gesture to a door further down the corridor.
"We'll put her in Sasuke's room, he's out for the weekend."
The maid nodded and the proceeded to the other bedroom. They tucked the girl in the large bed, then Mikoto thanked the maid and sent her off. She sat on the side of the bed, next to the young girl. Her eyes fluttered open, but remained partly closed.
"Hmm…" She moaned. "Where-… Where am I?"
"Don't worry," Mikoto said, smiling. "You're in good hands. We'll talk tomorrow."
"… Mkay. Thank you." Sakura whispered, swiftly falling asleep.
Mikoto got up from the bed, gazing one last time at the familiar girl's face, then walked to the door. However, the girl's voice stopped her.
"I-… I'm Sakura. Haruno Sakura."
Surprise dawned upon Mikoto. Haruno. Her name was Haruno Sakura. No wonder she was so familiar. She lingered at the door, then said:
"Nice to meet you, Sakura. I'm Uchiha Mikoto."
Sakura didn't answer. Mikoto knew she had gone back to sleep, and that she probably wouldn't remember her name in the morning. She smiled again and left the room, closing the door behind her.
She slowly walked down the stairs, joining her husband that was waiting for her anxiously in the living room. When he saw her come in, her got up from the couch he had been sitting on and approached her, a worried look on his handsome face. Mikoto smiled once more.
"She's fine. She was awake for a few seconds. She's sleeping, now."
Fugaku let a sigh of relief escape his lips and went to sit back down. Mikoto fiddled with her fingers, uncertain if she should tell her husband what she knew. She went to sit next to him upon deciding it would be best if he knew too.
"Say, Fugaku? Did… Did you notice anything about that girl?" She asked hesitantly.
Fugaku sent her a questioning look, then answered.
"Yes, actually. She looked rather… Familiar. Weird, isn't it?"
"Not really. Her name's Sakura. Haruno Sakura."
Fugaku's eyes went blank, then shock painted itself on his face.
"You-… You don't mean…"
"Yes."
"Oh my God."
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A/N: Ha! Only I know what's up with Sakura! You'll just have to stick around to know why the Uchihas are so surprised about her name.
Till next time!
Queen of Pascalities