She doesn't understand much anymore.

Moreover, Sakura cannot bring herself to believe that is her fault. Her parents—or the man and woman who have tried to fill her in on years of love that she is supposed to have—are cagey when she tries to dig deeper into her past.

When she asks them what her goal was (isisis, she reminds herself), they tell her that she wanted to be a doctor, but couldn't bear the sight of blood, and so Sakura settled for working and, eventually, managing the bookstore.

(She doubts them, those familial strangers, for she could not imagine finding a bleeding stranger—

a bleeding friend, a bleeding heart—

and focusing more on her own fear than she would another's overwhelming pain.)

She asks them who her friends are and they tell her that she is an introvert, that she doesn't like socializing, that she is usually buried in a book.

(But, in her mind, she catches flashes and whispers and yells and laughs and giggles and grins, and she does not think that that would be characteristic of a reclusive girl with no friends.)

She asks them about who she is, why they love her, what kind of mark she has made on earth. They tell her she is a shy girl, frail due to having been bullied when she was a little girl, that they love her because she is Sakura, that she has never cared about what impact she had on the earth but it's ok to start caring now.

Then they smile kindly at her—

(these familial strangers)

—and all Sakura can think is that they are bleeding liars.

The bell rings over the door, signaling Sakura to put away her book and lean away from the counter to catch a glimpse of who entered the store. She feels like she is forcing these books down her throat; like it is not something she would ever have done for a pastime.

In her daydreams, Sakura imagines herself as an active girl, but her parents are reluctant to let her go outside, insisting that the bookstore is her favorite place, insisting that she will eventually come to recognize it as such.

Sometimes, Sakura thinks they are not trying to convince her so much as they are trying to convince themselves.

"Hello!" she calls cheerfully, jumping out of her chair, though she still hasn't seen who came in. It is better, she has found, to talk to people than to grit her teeth and think of the reality being forced on her because she is somewhat helpless in that aspect.

(Though, she rather hates thinking of herself as helpless.)

And so she gets up and jogs around, only to find that not one person has entered but two.

There are two things that Sakura instantly notes about the couple.

The first is that they are both extraordinarily beautiful.

The woman is tall and slender, but not without her fair set of curves. Her long—long, long, something slyly tugs at her memory—hair is pulled back into a high ponytail, her bangs swept over one of her light blue eyes. They are eyes that belong to someone sparkling, someone full of joy, someone who enjoys life and is not afraid to show it.

They do not belong on the woman's face when her entire countenance is grim, as if she's barely resisting agony, barely resisting the urge to sit down and cry her lungs out.

Oddly, Sakura wants to comfort this woman who she has not yet met. She's seen her before, of course, through the window of the store, staring at the sign on top as if it is a barrier stopping her from coming in.

The man is a direct contrast to his companion's physical attributes. He is tall, as well, over six feet, with lean muscles, sculpted to perfection. They are not muscles made for showing off, but muscles made to fight, power in each step. Dark eyes—dark, dark, something slyly sends shivers down her body—bore into her own, his messy hair leaving bangs that fall into his face. His confidence leaves him with a straight, proud back. But his face is just as grim as the woman's and Sakura has the same urge to comfort him, to let him know everything will be alright, to tell him that laughter is the best medicine and that if she was a doctor, she would prescribe a heavy dose of it to him.

The second thing she notices is that they are shinobi.

notes: why hello there everyone how have you been? :)

i realize it's been awhile-MORE THAN A YEAR OH MY GOD-and i must apologize for keeping you all waiting. i was motivated to update when i saw a recent review from ANARCHY and realized that it actually has been a very long time since i've written for this story. so thank you ANARCHY for your-probable-unintentional motivation :))

this is shorter than i was going to make it but i didn't want to keep you all waiting any longer, so please forgive me hahaha.

i hope you enjoyed!