Cherry Blossoms Ch. 2
By Gouki

“The final attack from Batsu granting him another victory, Sakura remains conscious enough to hear the friendly advice he gave her before leaving Sakura to her thoughts. Though she lost the match, she will take it into account not to repeat the same mistakes in her next one. Fortunately for Sakura, her Summer Term begins as from tomorrow and without the restraints of School and homework, is free to enjoy its benefits…”

“Are you okay?” Sakura’s friend Kei questioned with concern. The crowd and Batsu had long dispersed and only Sakura and Kei were left. Sakura gave a low groan, before she held her hand to her head and gave a warm smile.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine” she replied, but when she placed her hand to the bruise that adorned her face and tried to get up, the winces would say otherwise. “The bruises will fade after a couple of days, but mom won’t be happy ‘bout this…” Of course, Sakura’s mother didn’t know about her interest in street fighting, but Sakura knew that her excuses would one day backfire and reveal her dangerous hobby. For now it seemed she would never know as her profession left her too busy to notice the social life Sakura had. Though this meant that her mother couldn’t spend enough time with her, Sakura had learned to become self-dependant and this would aid her whenever her mom wasn’t around and so was used to being alone most of the time at home. Deep down, a part of her wished her mom didn’t take her work too seriously at times and take some interest in what she did.

“Sakura?” Kei waved a hand in front of her face and dragging Sakura out of her daze.

“Oh, sorry…did you say something?” Sakura inquired.

“Nothing important…” she trailed off. “Just this ‘interest’ of yours is getting outta hand. I mean, I’m surprised you’re still able to walk after that match.”

“I can’t explain why I have this interest, but it’s something I can’t get rid of,” she explained. “It’s like something takes over when I go into a battle, everything goes and I’m only thinking of a need to win. But this time, I felt something during and after the match. I felt…a need to train harder, a need to grow stronger, a need to grow as strong and skilled as…” she stopped, a new understanding striking her and she realised.

“I need to be like…him. Like Ryu…” she thought. “I have to find him and make him teach me to become stronger and skilled, just like Batsu and others I've faced…” “That’s it!” she exclaimed.

“Huh?!” came the bewildered voice of her friend. “What’s it?”

“Oh er, nothing…” Sakura replied. “Just thinking on where I went wrong in the fight.” Kei gave a nod of acceptance, much to Sakura’s relief and the pair trudged on towards their homes

After waving goodbye to her friend Sakura walked to the door, a set of keys hanging loosely from her fingers as she slid it into the lock. She turned the metallic source to the side, but it failed to move.

“Locked? But mom’s usually home by now…” she pondered as she procured another key and placed it its pacific keyhole before turning it. A click verified the door had been unlocked and a few seconds later, Sakura had entered her illustrious home.

“Mom” she cried out, but received no response. The hallway light was on, but no one other than her was home. “Maybe she left a note” Sakura thought, and headed for the kitchen where notes were usually kept. Sure enough, stuck to the fridge by a magnet shaped like a sliced tomato was one. She reached out for it, and read the handwriting her mom had written.

Hi Sakura,

Sorry to leave on such short notice, but I’ve gone away on a business trip to the States. I’ll be gone for a long period, so I’m leaving you in charge of the house. You’re growing into an adult now and I trust that you’ll have the responsibility to keep this place clean and in good condition. Everything has been taken care of, so there’s no need to worry. Remember, only invite your friends here and no parties of any sort while I’m gone. I hope to see you soon.

Love, Mom.

Sakura’s eyes finished scanning the message, and she placed the note on top of the fridge. She hadn’t expected that to occur, but now she was glad it did. Now she could search for Ryu without the worry of her mom finding out. She knew Kei wouldn’t be thrilled with the concept of her plan, but knew she wouldn’t be able to stop her. With a small smile on her face, she went to her room in order to pack and prepare for her journey.