On March 8th, it was raining.
It was an ordinary day as I prepared to go to school, brushing out my straight hair and applying mascara to my lashes. I was wearing my favorite color that day-- a leaf green shirt that people said was the exact color of my eyes.
I smiled at my reflection in the mirror. "It's going to be a good day, Sakura," I said, giving myself a thumbs-up.
I took the stairs two at a time and went into the kitchen, where my mom was making a salad. "Mom," I asked, "did you sign the permission slip for me to go to the museum?"
"Yeah, it's over there on the counter," Mom said, nodding in the direction of the permission slip. I used a paperclip to tuck it safely into my planner.
I got out the milk and the cereal, grabbing a spoon and bowl from the dishwasher. "These are clean, right?" I asked.
Mom nodded, chopping tomatoes. "Hurry up or you're going to be late and I can't drive you to school today. I've got a meeting early. Sorry."
"Nah, it's okay," I lied, not too thrilled about walking in the rain. But whatever, it would have to do. "Dad's coming home today, right?"
"Yeah, his plane gets in at one."
"Sweet," I said, wolfing cereal into my mouth. "I have something I want to ask him."
"Is it something I can help with?"
"Nah, it's about wood shop. I was wondering of he'd teach me how to use a saw before I started it next semester."
"I see," said Mom, smiling as she dumped the contents of her salad into a plastic container, which she put in her lunch bag. "Okay, I've got to go now. Love you," she said, pecking my cheek.
"Love you too, Mom," I said, giving her a swift hug before I put my bowl and spoon in the sink and rinsed it out quickly. I grabbed my planner, shoving it into my backpack, and snatched an umbrella from the table.
"Drive safely!" I called to Mom as she got into her car. "The roads are slippery from all the rain. I don't want you crashing or something."
"I'll be safe!" Mom laughed, waving at me as she pulled out.
I opened the umbrella and stepped out from the shelter of the porch, then started my walk to school. It wasn't very far-- just a little less than a mile. I had to cross the street twice, but otherwise it was pretty safe-- sidewalk the rest of the way.
There were large puddles everywhere I stepped, permeating my sneakers and making my socks wet and cold. "Gross," I muttered, hating the squelching feeling.
"Sasuke-kun!" a voice yelled.
My head jerked up, on a reflex, and my face blushed manically. There he was-- standing only a few yards away from me. I couldn't believe it. My heart thumped and pounded wildly.
"Sasuke-kun!" the voice called again and my heart sank.
Uchiha Sasuke...a quiet, brooding boy who didn't say much and seemed aloof most of the time. I'd had a crush on him since I was in third grade, and that affection hadn't faded since then, even though I was in tenth grade now. I'd longed to say something, to let him know how I felt about him...it was always on my mind.
...But I could never talk to him.
Ooh, curse my wretched shyness that prevented me from speaking to him without running away! I burned with shame-- I hated that I was cowardly.
But I couldn't stand it-- so many other girls fawned over him so easily and I just stood off to the side, pretending to not care but secretly wishing that I could be in that flock of young women that shared the limited attention that he gave.
The girl calling his name happened to be a girl that I knew was a transfer student-- Karin, I think her name was. I looked away from the sight of her touching his shoulder and sharing her umbrella with him and in my haste, stepped out onto the crosswalk.
"No, wait--" I heard someone yell, before I saw the headlights.
The umbrella went flying from my hand and I felt a strange rush of mind-numbing pain that was so excruciating that I could feel it on every inch of my body and at the same time feel cold.
I landed on the ground and I felt my head slam into hard cement. Everything went black-- but only for a second.
Embarrassed that I'd stepped out into the middle of the road as a car was coming, I hastily stood up and grabbed my umbrella-- only to find that I couldn't. My hand was passing right through.
"...Eh?" I wondered aloud, feeling a little silly as I reached for the umbrella again. However, I was disappointed again-- my hand appeared to pass right through. I must've hit my head really hard and was seeing things.
I looked around. Traffic had stopped all around and people were running out of cars toward a young girl on the ground. My first thought was that someone else had stepped out onto the road at the same time I did, until I saw her face.
The girl was me, my eyes open wide but glazed over, my jaw slack. There was blood in my hair and some was running down the side of my face.
I gasped and staggered back a little-- only to feel someone place a hand on my shoulder. I looked behind me to see a young boy about my age standing there. "You ready?" he asked, his voice sounding slightly bored. He had raven black hair that was a little long, midnight blue eyes and a apathetic expression. He was wearing relatively normal clothes-- a black sweatshirt over a white tee shirt with some regular black sweatpants. The only odd thing about him was that he twirled a huge, ornate black scythe around in his fingers like it was no more than a baton. I didn't let this bother me right now, though-- I had more important things to worry about.
"...Uh...?" I said, my mind still numb from shock. Dumbly, I pointed a shaking hand at the limp, still girl-- me-- on the ground. "...That's me, right?" I asked, my voice incredulous, a hint of hysteria creeping into it.
The boy glanced at the body, then nodded. "Yup."
I looked at myself again. "...Wait. If I'm there, how can I be here too?" I asked him, my eyebrows furrowing. "Am I dreaming?"
The boy huffed slightly, as if he were tired of being asked this question, as if it were asked all the time. "You're not dreaming, you've died."
It wasn't as much of a shock as I thought it would be-- something inside of me might've guessed a minute ago but was in denial.
"...Crap," I murmured. "...What about Mom and Dad? They're gonna be sad." I felt my eyes filling with tears. "Mom, Dad...!"
It was then that the boy's icy blue eyes took on a look that was almost like sympathy. "...Look, your flame's going to appear any minute now. I can wait for a moment. Take your time." He ran a hand through his dark brown locks-- which I noticed were dry. We were both surprisingly dry.
"...Are you dead too?" I asked, my eyebrows raising. "Is that why you're not getting wet?"
The boy cocked his head at me a little, as if surprised or amused. "You're the first who has ever kept their cool so well. It's kinda refreshing, but not quite normal. Um, I guess I should introduce myself-- I'm Soichiro, and I am your guide to the spirit world. Um, I guess the best term for what I am isn't, er, dead. I'm a shinigami. A death spirit."
I titled my head. "A shinigami! I never thought I would...meet one so soon..." I looked back at my body. It was being covered with a blanket and being put into an ambulance.
A shock of fear coursed through me. "W-Wait," I said. "Mom-- and Dad--! They've got to see me, they've got to--"
Soichiro put a hand on my shoulder again. "Hey, calm down, uh..."
"S-Sakura. It's Sakura," I said, sniffling and wiping my eyes. I wasn't surprised that spirits could cry. I widened my eyes, stunned that I'd thought that-- I was a spirit now.
"Okay, um, Sakura." Soichiro looked uncomfortable. "Look. It's my job to take you to the spirit world. I haven't completed my job adequately unless you agree to come with me--"
"I don't wanna go," I whispered fearfully. "I don't wanna die yet."
Soichiro's expression went sort of wry. "That's what they all say, and then I remind them that they're dead and they're surprised all over again and need it re-explained. Look, since we're back to square one now, let's just head on back to the spirit world and get matters settled. Mm'kay?" He offered me his outstretched hand and a smile that was a pathetic attempt to be encouraging and just came off as annoyed.
I hesitated, then put my hand in his. "Okay," I said reluctantly. "I don't think I have another choice, do I?" I laughed, albeit sadly.
Soichiro's expression turned a little sad then. "I hate this job," I heard him mutter under his breath, and then we started to rise.
I concealed my slight excitement and fear at the fact that I was flying. It was kind of a strange experience that left me a little jittery, but I got used to it within seconds.
Soichiro's hand was warm, and I liked the feeling-- my hands felt cold in comparison.
...His hands reminded me of something.
I looked over my shoulder and I saw Sasuke.
The minute I registered that it was him, it sent my heart into a frenzy again. But my heart going crazy didn't account for the fact that I jerked to a stop and Soichiro's hand disappeared from mine. In surprise, I whipped my head back toward the shinigami, observing warily the now extremely peeved expression on his face.
"Crap," he muttered. "Your flame's here."
"Flame?" I asked, and he pointed above my head. I looked up and hovering above me there was a bright blue flame.
"Eh?" I asked, instinctively reaching for it. It didn't burn me, luckily. I wondered if I could feel pain or fatigue or hunger or sleepiness as a ghost...
"What does this mean?" I asked Soichiro, whose eyes were narrowed.
"It means you have unfinished business here in the human world, the world of the living," he explained, his voice tight. Poor guy-- he looked so stressed.
"Hmmm? What does that have to do with anything--"
"You won't go to the spirit world until your business here is settled," Soichiro said grumpily, turning from me and shaking his head, throwing his hands up. "Gad, I hate ghosts like you...always taking up my time..."
"So what do I do now?" I asked him, confused.
He looked over his shoulder at me. "You have unfinished business here. That's why you stopped in your ascent into the world of the dead-- you can't go until the matter of biggest importance here is settled. Now you have to settle this business, or you can't pass on to the world of the dead, Sakura."
What had stopped me? Was it Sasuke?
It was-- my unfinished business was that I never got to tell him that I loved him. Quickly, I flew down toward him and stood next to him, clearing my throat.
"Sasuke-kun," I said, "I need to tell you...ummm...something..." My old habits quickly took over and I stared at the ground, blushing furiously and losing my voice.
I glanced up, and Sasuke hadn't even batted an eye. He was still staring at the ambulance. "...Hey," he said to Karin, who was slack-jawed with shock. "That girl that just died-- she was from our school, wasn't she? Something Sakura? What was it-- Haruka Sakura? Haruno Sakura?"
My jaw dropped for two reasons. One, he knew who I was, though I'd never even spoken to him.
Two-- he couldn't sense me.
...Crap.
"What do I do?!" I cried to Soichiro, who had floated down next to me, twirling his scythe expertly once again, looking completely consumed by ennui. "He can't sense me!"
"What do you think? You're dead, let me remind you. A mosquito would have more of an impact on him," snapped Soichiro. "We've gotta find you a partner."
"A partner?" I asked.
"Yeah, a compatible human who is able to sense you and that can deliver or get a message through to this guy," Soichiro said, jerking a thumb at the oblivious Sasuke. "What is your unfinished business again?"
I considered it for a second, then gave Soichiro his answer. "I want to tell my feelings to Sasuke-kun and also...I want to make Sasuke-kun fall in love with me."
Soichiro's eyebrows raised for only a brief instant. "Okay, let's find you a suitable partner. I warn you, it could be anyone. I bet you're hoping it's a nice girl who will help you achieve your goals, right? Wrong-- it could be a grumpy old man who won't believe you're a ghost pleading for his assistance. And in your case, I do't think Sasuke-kun or whatever will enjoy getting proclamations of love and getting hit on by an old man, even if it is you. Got it?"
I swallowed, but nodded. "S-Sure. Find me my partner."
Soichiro pulled out a tiny device from his jacket pocket. He held it up, and after a moment, there was a beeping noise.
"Gotcha," he said triumphantly. "C'mon, let's go!"
We flew quickly, following the beeping of Soichiro's tracker that evidently had found my partner. The beeping finally stopped at a young man who stood at a vending machine, putting in a hundred yen to get a coffee, balancing his umbrella and his book bag and attempting to keep everything dry.
My jaw dropped. "...Wait. Wait, there's gotta be some mistake..."
"Nope-- he's your man," Soichiro said.
I swallowed, my heart sinking into my stomach.
My partner was Uzumaki Naruto, a boy I'd barely spoken three words to in my whole life. I knew of him of course-- a rambunctious, hyperactive dolt who had ridiculous blond hair.
I felt a little ill knowing that I would have to possess his body to get Sasuke to fall in love with me and to tell him my feelings. Crap, Sasuke would hate that-- Naruto was a boy too!
I grumbled, but accepted defeat. "I'll make this work, I promise," I vowed. "Just you wait and see."
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Story notes: Um, I got this idea in the middle of class and I started laughing really hard and was sent out into the hallway. So I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter notes: Hope you enjoy this. ^-^ I know nothing I write can live up to "Firefly Tears" but I can try.
Kisses,
Sarah-hime