The Flowers Cherish You

Chapter 2; Team 7

(A/N: Play the media for more effect.)

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

Weeds fill a garden,

When there's no heart involved,

The old tree starts fading...

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

Sakura becomes accustomed to many things since the death of her parents four years ago. For one, she knows that a member of Konoha's highest-security force, ANBU, follows her to and from her house every day. For another, her friends make it a habit to get her out of the old house she's grown up in as often as possible. She simply refused to leave it behind after that fateful night; going as far as to demand it be rebuilt when things settled down. That worries the Hokage, but Sakura ignores his worry. Her home remains her home until her death. Her parents put a lot of love into keeping the place updated and clean. She would never willingly abandon it.

The trip home from the morgue feels surreal. It's late into the evening by the time she leaves. The disfigured faces of her parents will haunt her for the rest of her life, she's convinced. Weasel and Crow remain silent as they follow her from the morgue to her home. She expects them too. ANBU never engage with civilians unless otherwise ordered by the Hokage or it is absolutely necessary. She remains silent, focused, and doesn't acknowledge them.

The gate leading into her family's property remains the same. The walls attached to them, surrounding the property, also remain the same. It's what she sees behind those walls that make her stop. The main house, her home, has several large holes in it; parts even knocked down. There is glass on the ground from the upstairs windows, things flung about the yard, but there are no weapons on the ground. Aside from her home, the few building on her family's property is all but destroyed. It's easy for her to deduce that this was done out of malice with no particular goal in mind.

She starts walking again. Books clutched tighter to her chest. The front door looks as if someone kicked it open with incredible speed; with half of it hanging off the formerly attached hinges. She steps inside silently. In the dark, she doesn't see much. The lights soon flicker on. Sakura glances behind herself quick enough to see Crow lower his hand.

It's as if a tornado tore through the place. And Sakura knows, she knows, that some of the damage was done deliberately. But much like outside, there are no weapons on the ground or embedded in the wall. She places her books on the floor near the door and walks forward. There's a closet near the kitchen, a giant hole in the door, but she opens it anyway. Inside is a broom, dustpan, and other cleaning supplies. Grabbing the broom and the dustpan, Sakura uses her foot to close the door.

"I'm going to clean," she tells Weasel and Crow. Her voice is rough from crying, from screaming, from pleading to anyone who will listen when she entered the room holding her parent's bodies. "Please don't get in my way."

Only silence follows. Sakura expects that. Under the watchful gaze of two ANBU members, she sets about sweeping up the glass and broken dishes. Sometime during her cleaning, the furniture in the living room is returned to their proper position, the table and chairs in the dining room are back where they should be, and any chunks of wall or ceiling have been removed. She glances at the two by the door. They moved, silently, and helped her without her noticing until the last second.

"Thank you," she calls out.

The Hokage sends Nara Shikaku to pick her up well after midnight. Shikaku is quick to dismiss the ANBU with a scroll and a wave of his hand. Sakura manages a polite wave and soft, "Thank you." After that, he helps Sakura pack an overnight bag with what clothes remained untouched in her bedroom and they head off to Naruto's home.