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Description
Previously...

Without a word Sakura turned and headed in the direction of the nearest training ground. She had a lot of pent up stress she needed to work out. Of course she had seen what Sasuke had done to Naruto and it pissed her right off. Yes, she was still mad at Naruto but that doesn’t mean Sasuke can be mean to her. She had to hold herself back from punching him right out since she didn’t think a fist fight in the middle of a mission was the best idea.

Sakura glanced back at her other two teammates and frowned. They were going separate ways.

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Naruto aimlessly wandered around the busy market place. Random merchant yelled out what they had for sale and how their deal was better than the merchant next to him. Some approached her about various things but she was really listening and continued to trudge about town.

She thought of Sakura and how much she missed her, hanging out with her, telling secrets, spying on whoever had a crush on whomever, even shopping wasn’t terrible. She wanted this to end and for Sakura and her to be best friends but that wasn’t in the cards. And now Sasuke.

“Sasuke…”

She touched the coin again, rubbing the sharp edge across her thumb. She sighed. Now she had lost two friends. She really just wanted to go home, curl up in a ball and sleep. Sleep and hope when she woke up everything would be fixed.

“Excuse me miss.”

Naruto blinked looking down at the hand holding her wrist. Her eyes traveled up the arm to the person’s face. It was an elderly woman. Her hair was wrapped in a purple shawl but Naruto could see a few grey hairs sticking out.

“Uh, yes?” Naruto asked.

The old woman smiled. “Sit.”

She gestured to the purple pillow in front of her stall. Naruto quickly surveilled the stall. It was small, just a small table with an umbrella over top. The table had a red cloth over top of it and there were various items on top. Cards, small jewels and trinkets, incents, etc. Naruto resisted rolling her eyes. She was no in the mood for some fortune telling guru or whatever.

“Sorry, I’m not-.”

“Sit.” This time the women pulled on her arm. Naruto frowned and quietly plopped down on the cushion in front of the woman’s booth. She had time to kill, she’d humour the women.

“So what? You gonna tell me my future or something?” She didn’t want to sound rude but, well, day wasn’t the best of days.

“You know; those necklaces aren’t cheap.” She waved her hand at the half coin hanging on Naruto’s neck.

“E-Excuse me?” Naruto unconsciously reached up for the coin.

“Teenage girls are loving those things. It’s a huge trend right now.” The women reached behind her and picked up a black box. She put it on the table between them and opened it. Naruto frowned when she saw the box was full of silver and gold coin necklaces. “They believe it’ll lead them to their fated one. And look what you’ve done to yours.”

Naruto glared and reached out to shut the box. “I didn’t do this.” She pulled the necklace off and held it up in front of the woman. “This is the fate I was lead to.” Naruto dropped the necklace on the now closed box and bit her lip. It was all her fault. And it was all that stupid coins’ fault. She looked down at the pillow she was sitting on.

“… I’m so stupid.”

There was a pause. Tears rolled down Naruto’s face and she held back a sob.

“Yes. You are.” Naruto’s head snapped up to see the older woman leaning back on a couple of pillows. Gone was the nice smile she had. It was replaced with bored look and a pipe between her lips. Naruto wanted to glare but the woman was right. She was stupid. A complete idiot in fact.

“You actually believe this coin holds any power over you and the people around you?” The woman picked up Naruto’s coin and rolled it between her fingers.

“Ah.” Naruto reached out for the coin, not liking the way the woman handled it.

“These coins-.” She looked from the coin to Naruto. “-are meaningless.” And with that she easily snapped the coin in half with just two fingers.

“H-HEY!” Naruto jumped up and tried to grab the necklace. But the woman just tossed the pieces into another container that held other broke coins. “What the hell lady?! That was mine!”

“Really? You wanted to keep that coin that apparently lead you to such a terrible fate?” The woman raised a grey eyebrow.

“W-Well no… but it was mine! And…!” Naruto paused, remembering when the coin held two names and wasn’t in a million pieces.

“Listen kid. I pulled you over here because I saw you walking around with that broken coin and that pitiful face. I’ve seen those coins do good and do bad. In your case, I guess bad.”

Naruto snorted. “Understatement.”

“But! If you’re truly upset by whatever fate you’re been ‘handed’ then these overpriced trinkets,” She patted the top of the black box full of necklaces. “are a lot cheaper than whatever relationship you’ve messed up. True relationships don’t snap as easily as I snapped your necklace. So whatever you did, go fix it.”

“I tried to fix it! I tried to apologize but she won’t listen to me! I just want to be friends again! I just want us to go back to normal but she won’t listen! I know I betrayed her but I care about her!” Naruto stressed, tears coming to her eyes as she remembered how Sakura ignored her as she tried to make up. “…she’s my friend.”

“Are you still mad I broke your necklace?” The woman gestured to the bin of broken coins. Naruto growled.

“Yes!”

“Did that coin mean a lot to you?” Naruto glared through her tears.

“Yes!”

“Well, I’m sorry. Better?” The woman smiled and pulled out a brand new coin necklace from her box. “Here. Let’s start from scratch. Just pretend this one is just like the old one.”

Naruto swatted the coin away in anger. “You can’t just replace it! It meant so much to me!”

The woman grinned, sitting up. “So, you’re telling me a simple apology and a shiny new coin isn’t enough to make you feel better. Because I broke something very important to you?” She smirked.

“Ye-!” Naruto paused and thought for a second. She looked at the woman with wide eyes. “You-.”

“Excuse me? Do you sell those coin necklaces?” Naruto was cut off by a young girl who was standing a little behind her. The older woman’s turned to the girl and smiled.

“Of course!” She opened the box and pulled a silver one out. “These coins will lead you to your fate, you know?” The young girls’ eyes sparkled and she handed the woman some money in exchange for the necklace.

“Thank you!” She smiled before turning and continuing through the market. Naruto watched the girl walk away before turned back to the older woman.

“But you said-?”

“Hey, got to make a living.” The woman laughed, bring the pipe to her lips. “I’ll tell you a secret kid.” She leaned forward. “They’re just dog tags.” And with that she let out a loud laugh and fell back on her pillows.

Naruto chuckled. Dog tags? She considered telling Ino just to see the look on her face. Naruto smiled down at the woman.

“Thank you.”

“Uh huh. Just get out of here kid. You’re blocking my customers.” The woman waved her away as she lay out more coin necklaces at her booth.

Naruto stood up and turned to head to the meet up spot. She took a deep breath.

“Okay, here we go.”

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Description
Previously...

Without a word Sakura turned and headed in the direction of the nearest training ground. She had a lot of pent up stress she needed to work out. Of course she had seen what Sasuke had done to Naruto and it pissed her right off. Yes, she was still mad at Naruto but that doesn’t mean Sasuke can be mean to her. She had to hold herself back from punching him right out since she didn’t think a fist fight in the middle of a mission was the best idea.

Sakura glanced back at her other two teammates and frowned. They were going separate ways.

-----------------

Naruto aimlessly wandered around the busy market place. Random merchant yelled out what they had for sale and how their deal was better than the merchant next to him. Some approached her about various things but she was really listening and continued to trudge about town.

She thought of Sakura and how much she missed her, hanging out with her, telling secrets, spying on whoever had a crush on whomever, even shopping wasn’t terrible. She wanted this to end and for Sakura and her to be best friends but that wasn’t in the cards. And now Sasuke.

“Sasuke…”

She touched the coin again, rubbing the sharp edge across her thumb. She sighed. Now she had lost two friends. She really just wanted to go home, curl up in a ball and sleep. Sleep and hope when she woke up everything would be fixed.

“Excuse me miss.”

Naruto blinked looking down at the hand holding her wrist. Her eyes traveled up the arm to the person’s face. It was an elderly woman. Her hair was wrapped in a purple shawl but Naruto could see a few grey hairs sticking out.

“Uh, yes?” Naruto asked.

The old woman smiled. “Sit.”

She gestured to the purple pillow in front of her stall. Naruto quickly surveilled the stall. It was small, just a small table with an umbrella over top. The table had a red cloth over top of it and there were various items on top. Cards, small jewels and trinkets, incents, etc. Naruto resisted rolling her eyes. She was no in the mood for some fortune telling guru or whatever.

“Sorry, I’m not-.”

“Sit.” This time the women pulled on her arm. Naruto frowned and quietly plopped down on the cushion in front of the woman’s booth. She had time to kill, she’d humour the women.

“So what? You gonna tell me my future or something?” She didn’t want to sound rude but, well, day wasn’t the best of days.

“You know; those necklaces aren’t cheap.” She waved her hand at the half coin hanging on Naruto’s neck.

“E-Excuse me?” Naruto unconsciously reached up for the coin.

“Teenage girls are loving those things. It’s a huge trend right now.” The women reached behind her and picked up a black box. She put it on the table between them and opened it. Naruto frowned when she saw the box was full of silver and gold coin necklaces. “They believe it’ll lead them to their fated one. And look what you’ve done to yours.”

Naruto glared and reached out to shut the box. “I didn’t do this.” She pulled the necklace off and held it up in front of the woman. “This is the fate I was lead to.” Naruto dropped the necklace on the now closed box and bit her lip. It was all her fault. And it was all that stupid coins’ fault. She looked down at the pillow she was sitting on.

“… I’m so stupid.”

There was a pause. Tears rolled down Naruto’s face and she held back a sob.

“Yes. You are.” Naruto’s head snapped up to see the older woman leaning back on a couple of pillows. Gone was the nice smile she had. It was replaced with bored look and a pipe between her lips. Naruto wanted to glare but the woman was right. She was stupid. A complete idiot in fact.

“You actually believe this coin holds any power over you and the people around you?” The woman picked up Naruto’s coin and rolled it between her fingers.

“Ah.” Naruto reached out for the coin, not liking the way the woman handled it.

“These coins-.” She looked from the coin to Naruto. “-are meaningless.” And with that she easily snapped the coin in half with just two fingers.

“H-HEY!” Naruto jumped up and tried to grab the necklace. But the woman just tossed the pieces into another container that held other broke coins. “What the hell lady?! That was mine!”

“Really? You wanted to keep that coin that apparently lead you to such a terrible fate?” The woman raised a grey eyebrow.

“W-Well no… but it was mine! And…!” Naruto paused, remembering when the coin held two names and wasn’t in a million pieces.

“Listen kid. I pulled you over here because I saw you walking around with that broken coin and that pitiful face. I’ve seen those coins do good and do bad. In your case, I guess bad.”

Naruto snorted. “Understatement.”

“But! If you’re truly upset by whatever fate you’re been ‘handed’ then these overpriced trinkets,” She patted the top of the black box full of necklaces. “are a lot cheaper than whatever relationship you’ve messed up. True relationships don’t snap as easily as I snapped your necklace. So whatever you did, go fix it.”

“I tried to fix it! I tried to apologize but she won’t listen to me! I just want to be friends again! I just want us to go back to normal but she won’t listen! I know I betrayed her but I care about her!” Naruto stressed, tears coming to her eyes as she remembered how Sakura ignored her as she tried to make up. “…she’s my friend.”

“Are you still mad I broke your necklace?” The woman gestured to the bin of broken coins. Naruto growled.

“Yes!”

“Did that coin mean a lot to you?” Naruto glared through her tears.

“Yes!”

“Well, I’m sorry. Better?” The woman smiled and pulled out a brand new coin necklace from her box. “Here. Let’s start from scratch. Just pretend this one is just like the old one.”

Naruto swatted the coin away in anger. “You can’t just replace it! It meant so much to me!”

The woman grinned, sitting up. “So, you’re telling me a simple apology and a shiny new coin isn’t enough to make you feel better. Because I broke something very important to you?” She smirked.

“Ye-!” Naruto paused and thought for a second. She looked at the woman with wide eyes. “You-.”

“Excuse me? Do you sell those coin necklaces?” Naruto was cut off by a young girl who was standing a little behind her. The older woman’s turned to the girl and smiled.

“Of course!” She opened the box and pulled a silver one out. “These coins will lead you to your fate, you know?” The young girls’ eyes sparkled and she handed the woman some money in exchange for the necklace.

“Thank you!” She smiled before turning and continuing through the market. Naruto watched the girl walk away before turned back to the older woman.

“But you said-?”

“Hey, got to make a living.” The woman laughed, bring the pipe to her lips. “I’ll tell you a secret kid.” She leaned forward. “They’re just dog tags.” And with that she let out a loud laugh and fell back on her pillows.

Naruto chuckled. Dog tags? She considered telling Ino just to see the look on her face. Naruto smiled down at the woman.

“Thank you.”

“Uh huh. Just get out of here kid. You’re blocking my customers.” The woman waved her away as she lay out more coin necklaces at her booth.

Naruto stood up and turned to head to the meet up spot. She took a deep breath.

“Okay, here we go.”

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