Chapter 5

Getting ready for work was more exciting than she thought, her night was hard since all she could do was watch a new series.

But getting back from a full 8-hour shift was threatening her physically and mentally, the uniform for work was comfortable until she felt like ripping everything off by the time she arrived home. Sadly, life alone meant you did everything... going for groceries was one of them.

As her hand gripped the small metal gate of her apartment, tiredness showing on her face with a heavy sigh and closing her eyes for a moment to think of all the things she had to do before bed. Like checking her phone for another empty imbox, lack of calls and only a texts and emails from any miscellaneous news and notification of her favourite social media sites.

No shame in learning a little about the latest's trends, even if she will forget them by tomorrow.

- "Long day?" -

She froze in her step as she opened the gate, turning to meet those dark eyes looking right at her. The grey brick wall separating the property she lived in from the next house over was tall and covered in vines, but he seemed very comfortable leaning on the side that faced the street.

- "Kurosaki." - she blurted out and could not fight the tug of a smile.

- "It's just Ichigo." - he sighed as he approached her at the gate. - "I called." -

Surprise hit her when she realised her phone was not in her bag or jeans. - "Sorry, I forgot my phone." - her quick apology was followed by guilt. Sakura was not used to keeping up with her phone and lost it often... too often to admit herself.

His eyes studied her before his shoulders shrugged whatever was on his mind. - "May I come in?" - he gestured to her apartment with a nod and lifted his school bag for her view.

Green eyes widened as her tired mind scrambled to answer. Relief washed over her right after, that is one left problem to worry about.

Never has she had a classmate over, much less a friend.

- "Yes!" - she scrambled to open the gate, almost sprint to the front door and work the lock with shaky but excited hands. - "Sorry, for the mess." - the pinket gestured him to enter.

He looked like it was every other day with his white and blue shirt, light jeans and sneakers. The wild orange spiked hair he sported must be a natural occurrence for him and she loved how comfortable he seemed.

Her hand reached for a long lock of pink hair, twisting and brushing the strand back in place. "I must look like a mess" she thought.

- "Nice place." - the orange haired boy took a stance in her small living room, he looked very tall compared to how comfortable she usually feels with the practicality of her apartment.

- "Thanks, please sit. Tea?" - her feet almost sprinted to the kitchen, "What do people offer their guests?" Sakura asked herself.

After she heard him mumble "Sure", her hands went to work. As shaky as they had been at the beginning, now she was more comfortable as the day went by. Ichigo is very patient and doesn't seem to care about anything other than what he is doing at the moment. His focus is what kept her mind at ease.

If he judged, he did not show it.

Whether or not he cared about the tea being not to his liking, he did not mention it.

Even her constant flow of questions as she tried to catch up did not seem to bother him at all.

He spoke of friends she would love to get to know, Orihime and Chad piqued her interest the most. Calm collected and not at all judgemental by the way he mentioned them. Sakura had seen them around, all the classmates he mentioned in fact, she remembered their faces and the way they spoke as if she could picture them right in front of her.

As the they went on and the light was completely gone, she wondered if he had to return soon. There were always dangers at night, hell... even during the day things could happen.

- "It's no big deal"- he almost whined at her fussiness. The small pinch of worry washed off with a bashful laugh, of course he would be fine.

It's a nice neighbourhood.

- "Good night." - she whispered shyly as she closed the gate.

- "Good night, Sakura." - he answered as he walked away.

All she could do was stare dumbfounded as a tear fell. God... how much she missed hearing that. Closing the door, now she felt the warmth leave her small space. Loneliness was her worst companion.

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Voices, growls and movements at the corner of her eye...

There was a time she loved following those things, watching them, listening to them. She even got close enough to smell their weird scent.

They never scared her. For some reason they followed close but never attacked or tried to hurt her. Some even just... stared at her, from afar.

They knew she existed. She knew they existed.

It was an equal exchange of acknowledgement. "Don't speak to them." "Don't touch them." "Run back home and hide." they told her.

She wondered if they could talk, she could feel them close by and almost taste their emotions. Those solitary souls, hurt, lost and angry caused them to become almost mindless creatures who feasted on others.

Gula was a sin they indulged in without hesitation. Not that she saw it happen, she never stayed that long... They would appear and "take care" of those unfortunate souls.

That is why she was forbidden to go near those creatures with white face masks and big mouths. She could see those who looked just like any other person, except they dressed differently. Dark long clothing with incredibly sharp weapons that glistened with sharp edges.

Sometimes she would just pass by and not even acknowledge them, other times she felt suffocated and too anxious to stay calm. Running was no option. She was any other typical teenager going by her business.

As a child, there was a fair share of them lingering near the forest that surrounded her small village, only a couple could be seen each month and other times she could feel them from afar. However, since she has been on her own... it became almost unbearable.

Her anxiety grew as each day had gone by, she felt alone in her home. The small town could not provide the comfort she needed. No distractions to keep her mind busy, no work to take her time, no one to listen to even if they spoke to other people and not to her. She needed the constant noise, the chattering of people, the inessive screams of children in the park.

There was an empty space she could not bear to have.

A space that would fill with those creatures she had to ignore.

What better place than moving into a huge city, overcrowded by all ages and more places to see than she could count. Plus... the ocean was...

Priceless.

Envy was a little bug in her mind each time she would think of the lucky people who lived by such beautiful and rare places. And now she was one of those people.

That is what moved her to get on the crowded train station right after school that afternoon, pay the small fee and hop on the one train she found was going to the seaside. She took her shoes off and walked on the sandy shores of Karakura as the golden rays of sunlight turned to pink and purple hues.

Sakura took in those precious moments when the orange light died down into the sea and her camera phone took all that for her. It was obviously going to decorate wallpaper for her to see each time.

This was life for her, and she loved it.

- "Best day ever." - she whispered to herself.

She had only been here once before. The loud waves were a melancholy lullaby to her ears, and she welcomed it with the chilled air. Winter was approaching faster than she expected. These months she had spent in this new life of hers was more than she could ever hope for.

She had friends...

Even if they thought she was weird.

There was a warm bed waiting for her, a job that gave her a certain independence. She also had an education and her plans to continue had her excited for the future.

- "Do you yearn for the life you used to have?" - she whispered to the wind, hoping for an answer of that masked companion that stared at her from a small distance.

She would not turn to them, just to avoid looking like a crazed woman in front of the few people around her.

No answer.

- "Can you smell the saltiness of the water like I do?" -

- "..." -

- "Dou you like the view?" -

- "..." -

A few small footsteps made her turn to the ground next to her. - "Miss, are you ok?" - a small child had approached her with those small plastic toys to dig in the sand.

Sakura could only smile and nod, the pure curiosity and concern in those brown eyes made her wonder.

"Do I really look that odd?"

- "I am fine now, thank you. You should go back to your family." -

- "I do love the view" - the small boy answered. - "Here, I found this and it's very pretty." -

A small pink shell rested on the boys extended hand, trying his best to reach the height difference between them.

- "Thank you, it is beautiful." -

The pinket could not hold her smile the rest of the way home. Someone answered her questions, a pure and young soul with bright brown eyes and lots of wonder. That was enough for her.

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