Chapter 1
Childhood Hero
Sobs…
Those were the only sound.
A single incandescent bulb lit the spacious room. Its dust-covered wire suspended it from the ceiling.
The faint yellow light touched the figure of a girl not more than eight years of age. She was sitting on a wooden chair; a shabby fiber rope joining her torso with the backrest. The tear-soaked blindfold and the black cloth over her mouth concealed most of her face.
The sobbing continued on; until the sound of a wooden door, crashing against a solid wall, drowned her senses. She gasped. Her spine stiffened. And her sobs doubled.
"Shut up! Ya' brat!" barked a masculine voice.
The girl flinched, which earned a sadistic chuckle from the man.
"Looks like 'yer gettin' outta here. If ya' know how to pray kid, ya' better start now." The voice drew close, until his stinky breath fanned her face. "'Coz once 'yer dear daddy didn't play his part of the deal and brought cops over, we'll have no choice but to make ya' join those li'l angels in heaven ya' believe in."
A malicious laugh followed his statement, making all the hairs on her body stand on ends. She didn't move a muscle and tried to contain her sobs. She wouldn't want to anger the man with the scary voice.
The man unlaced the rope around her torso, none too gently, and slung her over his left shoulder like a rag doll. A breath hitched in her throat for a second upon the impact, before the man started walking and more footsteps followed.
After a few seconds, the man came to a halt, but kept the girl on his hold.
"Here she is, now hand over the money!" Stated a deep voice from the front. It was foreign to her ears and authority latched with it.
"Sakura-hime," whispered the lone man standing opposite the group. He was carrying a large silver briefcase. His white hair a perfect contrast to the black formal suit he was wearing. "Hand her over first," he countered the kidnappers with a levelled tone.
"Tch, we're not that stupid you know. Open that briefcase first and show us the money! Now!" growled the same authoritative voice.
He must be the leader. To make this man aggravated was the least thing the white-haired man wanted. So, he did as he was told.
"Good." The leader turned to the man carrying the girl. "Put her down. Take the gag and blindfold off."
The assigned man complied, before standing beside the girl. Just as the blindfold was removed, Sakura's blood shot emerald eyes adjusted to take in her surroundings.
"Sakumo-san!" she blurted out, as soon as her eyes caught the figure meters before her.
"Hime, don't be scared. I'm here to get you. Kizashi-sama sent me here to take you back home."
"Look at tha'! 'Yer own scaredy daddy couldn't even come in person 'te getcha'! Poor li'l thing," mocked the bulky man to her right, whom she recognized – by his gruff voice – as the one who had carried her. On cue, tears threatened to fill her eyes again.
"Don't listen to him, hime. Your daddy cares about you; he's just out of the country for the moment and couldn't come right away. But don't worry. I'm here to get you back."
"Aw… Uncwe's a pwotective one, eh?" One of the kidnappers joined in the exchange, followed by the sniggers of the rest of them. Sakura turned behind and discovered they were many, more than the number of fingers in her hands.
"Enough!" interrupted the man to her left. She whipped her head towards him and took in his appearance. His face was shaved, unlike the others who had beards and moustaches. He was wearing a branded overcoat with the last two buttons at the top undone, where a shiny golden necklace peeked.
"Now let's get down to business, shall we?" The leader's left eyebrow twitched. The childish behavior of his stupid pawns was getting into his nerves. If they weren't so useful to him, he would've disposed them himself. "Let's switch possessions simultaneously at the count of three." His eyes narrowed at the white-haired man, while the said man nodded.
"One…"
Sakumo squatted, ready to slide the briefcase over to the kidnappers.
"Two…"
The two men on either side of Sakura made eye contact; before the bulky man loosened his hold on her shoulder, preparing to push her to the other side.
"Three!"
Everything happened at the same time.
The briefcase was released from Sakumo's hold and was gliding its way to the kidnappers. Sakura was pushed forward and broke out into a run towards her saviour. It was a race between her and the briefcase… and the briefcase won.
Just as the men caught it, one was suddenly aiming a gun at the girl's back. The others ran frantically toward the backdoor of the abandoned slaughterhouse. They weren't stupid indeed. They knew that the white-haired man wasn't alone. They just had to divert the backup's attention from their route. They had to create a distraction… and distraction they would make.
"No! Hime!" Sakumo launched forward and tried to avert the girl.
Just then, a gunshot dominated the entire place.
BANG!
The disturbing loud sound elicited a gasp of surprise from Sakura. The gunshot overwhelmed the rest of her senses. She couldn't register what happened. She wasn't even sure if she was breathing. She found herself wrapped protectively in the arms of the man who was like a father to her.
"Sakumo-san…" she whispered, because that was all she could manage at the moment.
Sakumo was crouched to her height and held the shocked girl at arm's length. His gaze roamed the girl's figure to check for any signs of injury, relief evident in his features when he found none. He was able to save her. Thank goodness, he was just on time to keep her away from that bullet.
"Hime… Don't be afraid. You're safe now…" he murmured.
Sakumo smiled at her then, complete with all the wrinkles he earned in his years. Sakura was just about to return the smile, but then she froze in place. Red liquid trickled from one corner of his mouth.
Then it hit her. He acted as a shield. He took the bullet for her.
BANG!
A new wave of horror swept through Sakura as Sakumo's figure hunched forward. Black eyes widened for a second, before they slowly hid behind eyelids. And the warm smile faded.
Sakura kept her eyes wide open. She couldn't shut them down even if she badly wanted to. She wanted to scream, but her voice was somehow stuck in her throat. The echo of the loud noise rang in her ears.
She was living her worst nightmare.
Sakumo's grip on her limbs loosened, he slid to the ground and landed inches from her feet. Her gaze remained fixed straight ahead in shock. She could make out the figure of the man responsible for it. His gun was still aimed at her direction. And she was rooted in place.
BANG!
She flinched, and the man dropped to the ground. Burgundy liquid quickly poured out of the wound at his head, creating a pool of blood around his form.
She was getting too familiar with that sickening noise. That noise was horrible, engraving itself in her mind.
The rescue team, who had been hiding outside the whole time, was alarmed by the first gunshot. They arrived at the scene and immediately took down the remaining kidnapper via head shot. In her peripheral vision, Sakura saw them checking the area. The others ran toward her and the fallen man beside her.
Sakura landed her gaze at the white-haired man, now aware of the river of tears that were unconsciously flowing down her cheeks.
Her breathing accelerated and her hands trembled. What if the kidnappers came back for her? Why was there so much blood crawling to her feet? What would happen to Sakumo-san? Would he leave her too?
A man was talking to her, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. The surroundings spun and she started feeling nauseous. The last thing she heard was an ambulance siren before nothing. And everything faded to black.
"Sakura..."
"..."
"Sakura, honey, I know it's not easy to accept but he's in a better place now and..."
Sakura tuned out the woman's voice. No matter how calm her voice sounded, she didn't want to hear her words. She didn't want to hear the sadness in the woman's voice. She wanted to hear Sakumo-san's gleeful tone. She wanted to see the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes whenever he smiled.
And that was exactly what she was trying to see while her gaze remained on the wall behind the talking woman.
…
…
It was Sakura's fifth birthday. A huge fairy-tale-themed party was being held. Complete with balloons around the place, children in their costumes, a huge birthday cake, and funny clowns. It was almost the perfect children's party. Almost. Sakura frowned at the thought. Her daddy wasn't home yet and she wasn't planning to blow her candles without him.
She was dressed in a white princess' dress; complete with a tiara on her bright pink hair, which was pulled up into a bun. She was sitting on the porch, instead of enjoying the party at the backyard. It's almost two o'clock in the afternoon; three hours had passed since her party started, and she was still waiting for her daddy.
She ignored the maids, who were practically begging for her to go back to the venue. She refused to celebrate without her daddy this time, since he wasn't present on her last birthday.
A classy black car came into view and she jumped with joy at the thought of her father finally home. The car stopped in front of the porch. The door swung open, and then came out her daddy's bodyguard, Sakumo-san. She waited for her daddy's figure to appear next, but the door was then shut.
"Wow! Is that a princess I see? Happy Birthday Sakura-chan!" Sakumo wore a smile, as he walked to the girl and kneeled to her height.
"Sakumo-san!" Sakura grinned widely and ran toward the white-haired man for a hug. "Thank you, but where's daddy?" She asked innocently, still eyeing the car that was on its way to park in the basement.
Sakumo carefully picked out his next words. "Sakura-chan, Kizashi-sama is really really excited to attend your party. Something just came up at work, so he sent me here in advance because he would be coming home really really late."
Sakura's cheerful expression slowly turned into a frown. "Oh, I'll wait for him then."
"Sakura-chan... he would like it if you'll wait for him, but it would make him happier if you enjoy the party he arranged for you. Don't you want him to be happy?" The girl meekly nodded. "Do you know that if you're happy, your daddy will be happy as well?"
"Really?" that picked Sakura's curiosity and her sad mood seemed to lessen, so Sakumo nodded in assurance. "Then if I'm sad, he'll feel it too. I don't want daddy to be sad."
She is indeed a bright girl, thought Sakumo. He had been a witness to the growth of this girl since she was just in her mother's womb. He treated Sakura like a daughter, because he never had one. Sakumo only had a single son. He became busy on his job as the head bodyguard of the Haruno family, that he had less to no time looking-out for his own.
"Then let's get you to your kingdom, you're highness." Sakumo smiled brightly at the girl, taking note of her costume. The corners of his eyes wrinkled at the action. "You are indeed a princess, a hime. And from now on, you will be addressed as Sakura-hime."
Sakura giggled and grinned from ear to ear at the thought of her being called a princess. The sadness a moment ago was completely forgotten. She took the hand Sakumo-san had offered and let him escort her to the party that was waiting for her in her palace grounds.
…
…
"...would not be happy to see you like this." The woman in front of her finished.
"..."
"Sakura..." She whispered one last time.
"..."
The blonde woman sighed and offered her a sad smile. "I'll be going now, honey. I'll come back next week, okay?"
"..."
"You know… you can always talk to me. I'm here for you, honey."
I'm here for you.
Sakura averted her gaze to the hazel eyes of the woman. Those words didn't match with these eyes that she was seeing. Although they were sincere, these were not the same eyes she expected. These were not Sakumo-san's. So she settled to look at the wall for the nth time and tried to remember those warm dark eyes.
…
…
She was six years old. It was her first day of grade school. The longest day so far that she had spent away from the people in their house. She learned new things. She made new friends. She was happy the whole day, but it ended up not the way she expected.
She had just come out of their school building and was on her way to the gates, where she 'demanded' her nanny should wait for her. She wanted to start doing things on her own, she had argued. She was passing by the school grounds, which was crowded of other parents and guardians meeting up with their respective children. She was so busy observing the others that she didn't notice the person approaching her. A tall man with dark hair stopped directly before her.
"There you are!" exclaimed the man. He was talking to her, but she didn't know the mister. Then, she remembered her daddy's advice about not talking to strangers. She went nervous and pursed her lips together to refrain from talking. She decided to ignore the man and go around him, but he gripped her arm and stopped her on her track.
"Hey sweetie, where are you going?" The man crouched to her height. He smiled and acted as if they knew each other. "Now, what did I tell you about not letting your sweat dry out? Here let me wipe that." He took out a handkerchief then.
Sakura got even more uneasy, since she couldn't free herself from the man's grip. She didn't know what the handkerchief was for, but she definitely wasn't sweating. She was taken aback when the cloth covered her nose and mouth instead, before a sudden need to sleep took over.
"This is just too easy…" she heard the man murmur before giving in to sleep.
She had been crying since she woke up to this unfamiliar creepy place. She was in a room. It was dark and if it weren't for the faint light of the moon, she wouldn't have made out anything. Judging by the barely noticeable old bed on her side and the dusty vanity, she was in a bedroom, or what used to be one.
Her wrists were tied together and so were her ankles. Her mouth was gagged by a cloth that was now soaked from the tears rolling down her face. She had no idea what was happening. Why had the man hid her in here? What did he want from her?
The door creaked open. The same man from a while ago came into view. He snorted at the pathetic sight of the girl on the floor.
"Now, it's time to play hide and seek," the chilly voice sent goose bumps to Sakura's skin. He lifted her from the ground by hooking his hands under her arms, and carried her towards the closet. The door was already open, so he proceeded to drop her inside unceremoniously.
"Well kid, it was nice knowing you. You are a walking bank, do you know that? Oh, and say 'thank you' to your daddy for me, if he was able to find you, that is." He laughed at his own joke, the laugh she unconsciously labelled as the 'evil laugh'.
He closed the closet door, and it wasn't long before Sakura heard the creak of the bedroom door as it was also pulled to a close. She was left inside this small closet, and her crying never came more freely than before.
She was a walking bank? What did he mean by that? Aren't banks supposed to have a lot of money? But she didn't have that much money, other than the coins in her piggy bank.
Sakura was choking on the blackness. She never liked dark places. She couldn't stomach the reality that she may not get a chance to see her daddy again, her kingdom that was their house, Sakumo-san, and the friends she had just met that morning. She cried even harder at the thought. She cried until she fell asleep.
The closet door was opened and light entered the small space.
"Sakura-hime!" She heard a man call out, his voice familiar. She opened her eyes and cringed at the sudden strike of light. It was now morning. The sunlight illuminated the room that was just a blurry black last night.
Sakumo and the rest of the security squad, together with the authorities, had been having a rescue search for Sakura since the previous night. The kidnappers only left them a clue that the girl was kept at an 'aged building that was once a home'. They searched the entire Konoha City for buildings that were previously of residential use and were converted to another function. They searched for abandoned apartments. Then they searched for haunted houses, and that was what led them to this place.
Sakura looked up and was met with two, warm, worry-filled onyx orbs. He reached for her and carefully removed the gag from her mouth.
"It's okay now Sakura-hime. No one's going to hurt you now. I'm here for you." Sakumo tried to comfort the stunned girl. Sakura still couldn't bring herself to speak. She just stared at his onyx eyes with her puffy ones.
Sakumo untied the binds around her wrists. And as soon as she was free, Sakura automatically wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and buried her face on his shoulder blade in gratitude.
Sakumo-san was now officially her hero.
…
…
The blonde woman was caught off guard when the girl's eyes shifted to hers. She thought that these therapy sessions were finally paying off. She was starting to see fire from the embers… but then Sakura's eyes left hers and were unfocused once again. She exchanged meaningful glances with the dark haired woman beside her and let out another silent sigh.
"See you soon, honey." She whispered, trying not to sound disappointed, but failing at it. "Take care. We're leaving now."
She attempted to pat the girl's head, but Sakura dodged her arm. So, she pulled it back and offered another sad smile instead.
The two women stood and headed for the door. They took one last glance at the broken child behind them, before walking out the door and gently closing it.
A week had passed since the incident. A week since Sakura's third kidnapping. A week since Sakumo saved her for the third time. A week since she had last seen him… and she will not get a chance to, ever again.
At the main parlour of the Haruno mansion, a middle-aged man with pinkish-brown hair was sitting on one of the sofas. His elbows were rested on the knees and his face was buried with his hands. He was starting to feel a migraine coming. He couldn't do anything to bring his little girl back to normal. What now remains of her is a shell of his daughter. And there was no one else to blame but him.
If only he had hired more bodyguards for her, considering the threat note he received prior to his business trip. But he was just so used to receiving such threats and overlooked the situation. He had not known that the kidnappers that time were actually greater in number than the usual. He had no idea they were a lot stronger to take on three of the most skilled bodyguards he had assigned for his daughter while he was away.
And to take matters worse, they were able to kill the best in his security squad, Sakumo.
He had assigned Sakumo to protect Sakura way back after her first kidnapping. And since then, she was only kidnapped once more until last week. He had been careless. If only he had not taken Sakumo with him to his business trip, his little girl would've stayed safe in the first place. He wouldn't have lost the man who was like a part of his family.
He sent Sakumo back to Japan after the kidnappers called and announced they had his daughter. He was so ashamed of Sakumo's son now. He felt responsible for robbing the boy of his only family left.
He was distracted from his thoughts when he heard footsteps nearing the room. He looked up as two women walked in. He stood from his seat and inquired.
"How is she?"
The blonde shook her head, and the dark-haired one answered him professionally.
"I'm afraid, she hasn't made any significant improvements yet, Kizashi-san. The events in the past week are too much for an eight year-old girl to handle. She had witnessed the crime scene, and because of that she hadn't been allowed to attend Sakumo's funeral either. It's normal for her to experience trauma. But with constant therapy, she'll be able to come through."
"I'm counting on you Shizune, Dr. Tsunade. Thank you very much for attending to my little girl."
Tsunade answered this time, "Oh, you can drop the formalities. It's not like we're not acquaintances." She sighed. "It's the least I could do for my best friend's daughter. If Mebuki were here, she would've beaten me up to help Sakura. But that's not necessary, 'cause I'm willing to help no matter what. It's a good thing Shizune here specializes in Psychology. But remember Kizashi, you play the biggest part in Sakura's recovery. Don't just depend everything on us, because you are what she needs at this point."
There's a renewed look of determination in Kizashi's eyes as he nodded. "I understand. Thank you... Tsunade."
Tsunade's heart twitched at that. She could see in the man's turquoise eyes just how much he really cared for his daughter. She smiled politely and Kizashi returned the smile as they bid goodbye, not for the first time.