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Sakura didn’t think she had ever seen anything quite like Sunagakure.
They had had to travel for a little over a week through the Land of Wind in order to reach the foreign hidden village, stopping to take cover every time a sandstorm enveloped her parent’s trading party.
The harsh environment, dry and utterly waterless, hadn’t offered much by way of sights as they made their way through it. The jagged ridges and cliffs which delineated the country’s border had quickly given way to a vast, empty expanse of white-looking desert. White chalk rock formations, eroded by the wind and sand into strange, and alien-looking shapes, towered over the worn civilian road, blocking the sight of anything that could be beyond them. They had been ever-present for days, strange and ancient, and had only begun to disappear once they finally entered what her father had claimed was the great sand sea that surrounded Sunagakure. It had gotten dryer still, then, and the only sight of green Sakura had so much as gotten was that of the palm trees at the single oasis the trading route cut through.
Sunagakure hadn’t been much better.
Though the foreign hidden village was nestled between a large expanse of cliffs, the defensive position didn’t grant the city much by way of a more reasonable temperature. It had been blisteringly hot when they had finally gotten sight of the single cleft which granted access to the hidden village; a fact which had changed when the sun set and the temperature dropped enough for Sakura to have to put on a coat.
Its inside hadn’t been much better, or so Sakura had thought. Barely any green could be seen outside of palm trees and cacti, which, as it was, were rare enough to make Sakura yearn for the great expanse of forests surrounding Konoha.
Still, she thought, following her parents through what likely was the centre of Sunagakure, at least the wind isn’t quite as harsh here.
Eventually, they came to a stop in front of a tall, plain-looking building which was indistinguishable from those around it. A civilian hotel, her mother assured. It was one of the best in Sunagakure, and also the place where they would be staying at whilst her parents negotiated a trading deal with the village’s authorities.
Sakura had entered the building with a dubious, sceptical expression, not quite certain of what to expect, only to be thrown off by the blue and white mosaics decorating its open interior. A small water fountain stood at its centre, surrounded by a few sparse potted flowers, filling the open hall with the sound of trickling water. Feeling stunned, she observed her parents as they were greeted by one of the civilians working as an attendant, who proceeded to take them to what would be their room for the coming week.
“What do you think, Sakura?” Kizashi asked, smiling widely. He gestured at the wide room where they would be staying throughout their stay in Sunagakure. “It’s quite pretty, don’t you think?”
Sakura nodded tersely. It was, far more than she had expected given the harsh and monotone exterior of the village’s buildings, though the hotel’s lush extravagance made her feel slightly out of place. It was far different from her family’s home in Konoha or the academy.
“It is,” she said quietly, looking around. “Is this the first time you come here, dad, mum?”
It was Mebuki that replied. “Oh, no,” she said with a laugh. She stopped unpacking one of their bags and turned to face Sakura. “We’ve travelled here before for business, though it’s been quite some time since we last visited.”
“As you know, some of your mother’s cousins settled in Sunagakure a long time ago,” her father added. “They invited us to stay at this place on our first trip. It’s quite convenient—it’s close to both the village’s main market and the Kazekage’s tower.”
Sakura frowned. “Why would they choose to come to Sunagakure?” she asked. If what they had been taught at the academy was right, she couldn’t imagine any reason why the Land of Wind would have been their first choice. “Why not somewhere nicer, like Yugakure?”
Kizashi laughed. “I can remember thinking the exact same thing, once,” he said. “I know it may not look like much now, but it is nicer than it seems.”
“What will I do if I miss too many classes at the academy?” Sakura asked. Pressing her lips together, she tried to contain the irrational fear that Ino, whom she had only just recently become friends with, would forget about her. “What if—.”
Kizashi approached Sakura and, crouching in front of her, placed a hand on her shoulders. “I’m sure you’ll still have time to practice some of the academy exercises when we’re in a meeting,” he said. “It will be fine.”
“Think of it as an opportunity,” Mebuki said, smiling softly. “You won’t always get the chance to see how merchant deals are worked out. Besides, you won’t get the opportunity to travel outside of Konoha too often.”
Nodding slowly, Sakura thought back to the unbearable heat they had had to withstand in order to reach Sunagakure. Her mother was most likely right, but she still couldn’t see how a week in an environment like this could be enjoyable.
“Okay.”
Sakura dropped herself onto the bench gracelessly. Slouching forwards, she rested her chin on her open palm and looked up at the large, sand-coloured administrative building towering just beyond the street. Around her, the crowds filling the open market continued cutting their way through the tight rows of market-stalls, ignoring her strange, out-of-place presence.
Just how long were her parents going to take?
Pressing her lips together, she scowled at the ordinary-looking building, differentiated from those around it only through the large kanji character painted on its side.
Her parents had entered it in order to meet some of the village’s elders around midday, after spending most of the morning touring around the hidden village together with some of her mother’s distant family. Hours had passed since then. The sun, which had already risen high in the sky, had already reached its zenith. The temperature had followed after it, increasing until it had become almost impossible to stay at the park her parents had told her to wait at.
Sakura frowned and looked away from the dull-looking building, instead choosing to focus on the string of people filling the marketplace. Despite the higher temperature, it was even more crowded than it had been in the early morning. Men and women scoured through the myriad of stalls, stopping before the piles of dates and peppers. Chatter filled the air, with groups of people stopping beneath the different blue and orange awnings offering a respite from the blinding sun.
How long will it take? Sakura thought tiredly. I can’t just stay here doing nothing.
She had already seen almost everything that the market had to offer. There wasn’t anything for her to do, and she couldn’t test out or practice any of the exercises the teachers at the academy had told them in a crowded place like this.
Given how long their meeting was taking, it would probably be a few hours before her parents came back to pick her up. They’d be expecting her at the park, but she couldn’t stay there, not with the sun as high as it was.
Maybe I can try to explore some of the areas around the market, Sakura thought. See if there’s anything interesting.
She hadn’t seen much outside of Sunagakure’s main streets that morning, and there was bound to be something interesting. Besides, she didn’t have any books to read.
Mind made up, she straightened the red ribbon Ino had gifted her and pulled herself up from the bench. Careful to keep the spherical building containing the Kazekage’s Office in sight, she began to cut through the stalls lined throughout the open market, gazing curiously at some of the stranger-looking goods ono offer. Though most were familiar, there still were a number of things she couldn’t remember ever seeing in Konoha. She didn’t think she had ever seen scorpion or de-scaled lizard meat on sale anywhere back home, nor could she imagine such an enthusiastic crowd of people queuing up to buy it.
Sakura grimaced. There was no way that the business her parents had travelled for involved the odd food scattered around the market. No one would want it. No, it had to be something better, like the richly coloured, intricate cloths on display, or something related to the village’s shinobi.
Her skin felt warm and clammy by the time she reached the end of the open market. Reaching up to her face, she brushed it, only to flinch at the warm temperature that met her fingers. Eyes darting up, she scowled at the looming sun. She would burn if she didn’t get out of the sun.
Sakura peered at the area around her, attempting to find a shaded area she could take refuge in, only to be met with the sight of the same unshaded areas she had been so happy to walk through earlier. Despite whatever logic dictated, there weren’t any awnings or canopies in sight. Even the stalls didn’t have any covered areas, protected areas, what with the way that people seemed to rely on heavy head-covering pieces of clothing to shield themselves.
This was terrible. How could there be no shaded areas in such an open market?
Sighing resignedly, Sakura resigned herself to look in the area around the market. Perhaps she would be able to find better, cooler places in one of the surrounding streets. A park of some sort, perhaps, or at least a tree under which she could take refuge.
Turning around, Sakura entered a narrow street set beneath two towering sandstone buildings. Pressing through it, she gazed at the red and blue patterns painted along some of the house’s sides. Though fairly simple-looking, the way that they curled around the building’s doors and windows added a strange sense of cheer to the otherwise simple street, where the only things in sight were a few barrels and a single tiny palm tree.
Before long, she had reached the end of the street. Still unhappy at the uncomfortable feeling of her soon-to-be burnt skin, she began to walk through a narrower alleyway. When she didn’t see any awnings or shade again, she began to cut through a different one, repeating the process until, finally, somewhere near the jagged wall-like cliffs that surrounded Sunagakure, she finally saw a forlorn and old-looking canopy
Sakura’s eyes widened. “Finally!” she exclaimed, smiling.
Rushing forwards, she sat on the rickety-looking bench at its centre, doing her best to ignore the heat she could feel radiating from her cheeks. It had taken her quite some time to find somewhere to sit down and take refuge, but she had finally managed to do it.
Her smile vanished as she took a proper look at the area around her. The bulbous, spherical building that contained the Kazekage’s Office was nowhere in sight, and she couldn’t recognise a single one out of the buildings surrounding the canopy.
A cold, creeping sense of terror crawled up her back. How was she going to get back to where her parents had told her to wait at? What if they were already looking for her?
The thought made Sakura spring to her feet. Ignoring the sun, she began to walk through the street she thought she had traversed moments before, only to realise that she had must have made a mistake. She couldn’t remember a single one of these houses, nor the close view of the cliffs surrounding the hidden village.
Her footsteps got more frantic as she turned into a different street. Mentally berating herself at her carelessness, she observed the area around her in an attempt to find a something she could recognise.
Slowly, as the fact that she was lost became more and more apparent, she began to panic. She couldn’t recognise anything, and it only seemed like she had gotten closer to Sunagakure’s cliffs. If the sky’s yellows, reds, and blues were any indication, the sun was close to setting, too, and it wouldn’t be long before it was night-time.
It was only when her red ribbon snagged on a dry-looking tree’s branch that Sakura finally came to a stop. Untying it from her head, she quickly resolved to untangle it. It had been an important gift, and she didn’t want to see it damaged.
Sakura allowed herself to sink into the floor as soon as the smooth, red fabric had been freed, only to feel her eyes water at the sight of it. One of its edges had been snagged by the branch, causing a small but noticeable tear.
Her eyes watered further as she looked down at herself. Her clothes, which she and Ino had selected so carefully before her trip, were a mess of dirt and sweat. Worse; her light shirt didn’t offer the protection she had though it would now that the sun was setting, and she was sure that her skin had definitely burnt.
Pressing her lips together, she attempted to hold back a sniffle. Not only had she gotten herself lost. She had also ruined Ino’s ribbon. She would have to ask her mother to repair it when she found her, though it didn’t look like it’d be possible.
A voice startled her just as she felt a first trickle of tears make its way down her cheeks. “Are you lost?”
Sakura whipped her head around, surprised, only to inhale sharply at the sight of a boy with a mess of red hair and soft, half-lidded, brown eyes. He was wearing one of the the strange, long robes that people from Sunagakure seemed to be so fond of, with a white scarf covering the area around his neck.
“Y—yes,” Sakura stuttered, brushing the trickle of tears away.
The boy crouched in the space besides here. “How did you even get here?” he asked petulantly. Then, looking at her up and down, “you don’t look like you’re from Suna.”
An embarrassed flush rose to her cheeks. Given the state she was in, she must have made a horrid sight. Particularly without her ribbon. “I wanted to look for some shade, but I got lost along the way.”
The boy didn’t reply. Feeling slightly annoyed, Sakura forced herself to meet his deadpan eyes. I can’t be rude, she told herself. She couldn’t afford to. He was the very first person she had seen in quite some time, and, most likely, her only chance to getting back to the park where her parents had left her at.
“What were you doing here?” she finally decided to ask. “Do you know the way back to the centre of the village?”
“I was training,” the red-haired boy answered. He tilted his head to a side, as if curious, and observed her thorough the red strands of hair that fell in front of his eyes. “And yes, I do. I live near here.”
Whatever annoyance Sakura must have felt at the boy’s laconic way of speaking was forgotten at his words. “Training?” she asked, peering at him. He wasn’t wearing a hitai-ate, so he couldn’t be a shinobi, though the way he held himself reminded her of some of the Academy’s older students. “What for?”
“I will be having my graduation exam soon,” the boy answered. “I want to be ready.”
Sakura’s eyes widened. “Already?” she asked. He didn’t seem to be any older than she was. How was it possible for anyone to be graduating that early? “That’s amazing!” Then, before she could quite stop herself, “What were you practicing?”
The boy’s lips curled up at her compliment. Hesitating only briefly, he raised a hand and, twisting his fingers delicately, made Sakura’s own hand raise unprompted.
“Wow,” Sakura said solemnly. “How did you do that?” she asked, looking at the strange, blue-like strings connecting his fingers with her hand. “Are those chakra strings?”
The boy’s expression remained fixed. “Yes.”
Fascinated, Sakura observed as the boy allowed the chakra strings to fade. The way he had formed and controlled them had looked really graceful; far more than anything she had seen at the Academy.
Opening her mouth, Sakura was about to ask the red-haired boy exactly that when she felt herself shiver. Looking up at the sky, she balked at the sight of the deep reds and blues. It was almost night-time.
Before she could so much as react, the boy unwrapped the white scarf which covered his shoulders and much of his neck and, leaning forwards, began to wrap it around her own neck.
“Here,” he said in a measured, low tone of voice.
Sakura felt herself blush in embarrassment. “Won’t you need it?” she asked, reaching up to touch what turned out to be a soft, light fabric. It didn’t cover her completely, but it offered more protection than her own clothes did; enough to make the increasingly cold air bearable.
The boy shook his head. “It can get quite cold at night,” he stated, as if the words explained anything. “Besides, I’m used to it.”
Feeling dumbfounded, Sakura only stared at him, not quite knowing what to say.
The boy began to stand up. “I can take you to the centre of the village,” he declared matter-of-factly.
Sakura nodded. Meeting his half-lidded eyes, she was suddenly struck by the thought of just how lovely the shade of brown was. It fitted him, somehow, and made him look quite pretty. Far more than any boy in her class.
Her blush deepened. He looked just like a prince.
“Thank you,” she stammered, mirroring his action. “Is it far away?”
“Not too much,” he said. “We should be there by nightfall.”
Glancing at her again, the red-haired boy then began to walk forwards, and Sakura followed after him.
The moon had just begun to rise by the time Sakura got to the hotel she and her parents were staying at.
Cutting through the beautiful mosaics decorating its open interior, she made her way back to the room her family was staying at, forcing herself to not stop to stare at the place where the red-haired boy had bidden her farewell. She had been so startled by his refusal to reclaim his scarf back that she had forgotten to ask for his name in the end, a fact which had quickly begun to bother her. There was not much she could do—not now that he had left, at any rate—and she could only hope that she’d run into him again.
Her mother embraced her as soon as she entered their room. “Where did you go to Sakura? We got worried when you weren’t at the park,” she exclaimed. Breaking away, she looked at her skin. “Your poor skin! You must have gotten yourself burnt, Sakura.”
Behind her, Sakura saw her father look curiously at her scarf. “Who gave you that scarf, Sakura?”
Sakura looked away. “I got lost trying to get out of the sun,” she explained, feeling embarrassed. Then, touching the white scarf the red-haired boy had given her again, “I met a prince.”
Mebuki’s frown deepened. Turning around, she shared an inscrutable, unreadable look with Kizashi before placing the palm of her hand on Sakura’s forehead.
“Are you feeling alright, Sakura?” she asked.
“I am, why?”
Kizashi laughed and stepped forwards, smiling widely. “Well, it doesn’t sound like you had too much of a bad time, at least,” he said, wrapping a hand around Mebuki’s shoulders. “Just try to avoid getting lost next time, alright? We were quite worried.”
Sakura nodded, unsure of what to say, and looked back to her mother. “I will,” she said. “Suna was bigger than I thought.”
It had been. Prettier, too, despite its sand and general lack of lush greenery.
Kizashi nodded. “That it is,” he said with a soft, easy-going tone of voice. “I hope you are ready to see more of it tomorrow, Sakura. Your mother’s cousins have promised to tour us around a few more places,” he said. “They will be inviting us to have dinner with some of the elders, too. It should be much more entertaining for you this time. One of the village’s elders, Chiyo, apparently has a grandson around your age.”
Smiling, Sakura nodded. She didn’t know about how the elder’s grandson would be, but she hoped she’d at least get to see the red-haired boy she had met before returning to Konoha.