ALL NOVEL Chapter – 003[Remembrance]
KONOHA HOSPITAL
Sakura was lying on a bed with Ino sitting on a stool beside her, it had been more than an hour since they had brought her to the hospital and she still hadn't woken up.
Her parents were on the way so Ino could have left but she didn't, how could she when Sakura was in such an uncertain condition. Sakura's body would tremble, her facial expression tensing up, teeth-gritting as if she was a horrible dream.
The doctor said it's nothing to worry about when he healed the injuries but then why hasn't she woken up yet? Is that baldy even a good doctor?
Ino was fretting over her friend's condition as she once again wiped the tears which escaped Sakura's tightly shut eyes.
She looked at Sakura's hands which were clenched into fists as her nails dug into her palms and she grasped Sakura's right hand tight with her own.
Come on, wake up Sakura!
Sakura was currently trapped deep in her mind as it was being overwhelmed with foreign memories and experiences of her future self.
She, a little girl 12 years of age, had experienced more than 20 years of a battle-hardened kunoichi in a few hours, this proved to be simply too much for a child's mind, her entire sense of self was endangered.
She slowly opened her eyes in her mindscape as her spirit reawakened in a strange place.
Finding herself lying on the compact dirt streets, she took a deep breath and immediately regretted it, the air was heavy with the smell of rotting flesh and coppery smell of blood, the sun hadn't risen yet and thus it was a bit dark.
The dark black void that Inner Sakura used to occupy was now a ruined Hidden Village. Bodies littered the battlefield it had become, bloodstains abundant on the ruined streets and buildings walls, this was the condition of only a few small areas as the rest of Hidden Village had become a massive crater full of bloody rubble which failed to hide the carnage that had taken place.
Wha- what happened?! Where is this ?
She coughed from the disgusting smell as she slowly got up from the ground and checked herself, there were neither the injuries she had inflicted upon herself nor any bloodstains on her clothes.
I was in the washroom, wasn't I?..........I don't like this place.
Feeling an intense sense of discomfort from her surroundings she immediately wanted to turn back and leave so she turned around and looked back only to be stumped by the sight she witnessed.
There was a strange mist permeating every single inch of the path leading down the street westward.
For some strange reason the mist didn't feel dangerous but she felt she would be lost forever if she stepped into it.
.......I would have to go in blind if I want to go that way. Shouldn't take the risk.
Looking around once again and spotting only ruins of a strange village, she walked down the street eastward which was clear of the mist.
Why does all of this seem familiar?
Soon after she spotted a cracked neon sign near some sort of half demolished restaurant and squatted down to check the bold red lettering.
Ichi..... Ichiraku Ramen?.....This can't be. Isn't that the same name like that one stall on the village main road?
Curiosity piqued, she inspected the ruined establishment.
Wow.....this is the biggest restaurant I have ever seen. Makes sense they have the expensive new neon sign for it.
It had a light brown colour scheme, a look at the collapsed walls would reveal large shards of glass beneath them suggesting the installation of rather large expensive windows in the building's design, the building itself was quite large denoting a successful and substantial business. Neon signs were a recent new innovation from the Land of Fire's Capital which weren't used in Konoha due to the business owners complaining of it being too expensive just for a sign which further pointed to the restaurant's supposedly booming business atleast before it got destroyed.
The restaurant entrance had almost collapsed in on itself but there was enough space still left for someone to stick their head in and peek inside through the remnants of the once sturdily constructed entrance to peek in the intact back part of the restaurant.
Maybe someone could be stuck inside, I just need to be careful.
She slowly approached the entrance and cautiously stuck her head inside the gap to peek, taking care to not disturb the already precariously balanced and damaged doorway frame supported on ruined concrete walls.
"Hello, is anyone the-!"
Immediately she jumped backwards onto the street and hunched over the clear ground as she retched, feeling she might vomit from the sight she had glimpsed inside.
Corpses of shinobi and civilians pinned to the walls, their chests sliced open with their innards hanging out with strange rituals markings on the wall.
It had clearly been a while since the corpses had clearly rotted and the blood of the bodies had drained out onto the ground.
How could this have happened ?!
She gulped down the air many times trying to ease the sense of intense discomfort.
She tried to look at anything else to distract her mind from the repugnant sight she had witnessed.
Just then she saw a dusty old tattered newspaper on the ground, it was titled "The Hidden Leaf Daily".
No way this is possible!!
She hurriedly picked it up and a column of it read.
"Rising tensions have been reported in the Village Hidden in the Mist following the assassination of the Mizukage last month, many ninjas have been reported missing after the Public Square Massacre yesterday where 5 Hidden Mist Chunin and 23 Genins died in less than a minute.
Sources report this may be the actions of a new terrorist group rising up to seize power from the Kage Office following the return of former Mizukage Mei Terumi's return to power"
For Sakura there was a much more pressing matter as it pointed to one fact which sent shivers down her spine as she stood straight immediately.
This is Konohagakure........
She immediately fixed her path in the north west direction, plotting a path straight to the supposed direction of Haruno household.
Home....my home...I need to check!!
She cautiously navigated the war-torn village, flinching each time she heard the now clear but rings of blades clashing and the sounds and screams of the ninja fighting someplace distant.
It was strange that despite the sounds of battle she found no living being in her path.
Why can't I see anyone alive?.....No I need to focus on getting back first! Shit why are the streets so damn different ?!
The ruined village was enigmatic, she only saw strange ritual marking and desecrated corpses lying around which she ignored as she refocused on her goal.
Being cautious she didn't jump over rooftops and choose to maneuver around the blocked paths to avoid being spotted regardless of the seemingly desolate state of the village.
Sakura slowly reached where her home used to be, finding only remnants of it, her former 2 storey house had become almost a basement filled with debris.
No way.......
She almost cried then and there but stopped as she realized one thing while inspecting the debris.
There were no bodies buried beneath it.
They aren't here! They must be ok......They must be!!
Her shaky legs recovered strength as her spirit revitalized with hope, she turned away from her destroyed home and exploded into a sprint. .
I-I-it's all gonna be fine as long I find father and mother, we can rebuild the house.
"MOM!!!!DAD!!!! Where are you!?!?!?!"
She ran down the broken-down street, shouting for her parents in panic.
The pink-haired young girl swiftly bolted down the strange yet familiar streets looking for her loved ones, her cries finding no answer.
Moments passed and with each second a war raged within her. With every beat of her increasingly frantic heart, the chilling tendrils of fear tightened around her, whispering the unthinkable truth.
It was a few hundred meters away from her home that she finally stopped speechless and breathless.
A bit far from the ruins of her once warm house she finally found her mother, buried under the rubble on which a damaged wall leaned, with only parts of her body sticking out, her beloved mother dead on the cold hard ground.
She saw the hand sticking out from underneath the rubble which wore a familiar wedding ring, recognizing it was her mother she immediately kneeled down, grabbed her mother's hand and carefully pulled!
"Mom! Are you okay?!"
Her words and actions received no response from the cold hand and its owner.
She clawed at the dust and wreckage covering her mother, her fingers scraping against rough concrete and the ground futilely but it was as if the pieces of debris were nailed in place.
Only her nails cracked and her skin split.
"DAMN IT!!!!! COME ON!!!!!"
Desperation clawed at her throat. Ignoring the throbbing ache in her own hands, she braced herself backfirst against the debris, digging her heels into the dust and pushed. The heavy stones wouldn't budge.
A whimper escaped her lips, a sound of utter helplessness in the face of the immense weight pinning her mother down.
Seeing that she couldn't pull her out she then tried to remove the wall that had fallen on top which failed as well.
She desperately thought of any way or anyone to save her.
I need to find Dad! If Mom's here then he wouldn't have gone far!
She circled around and found her father who had already passed away and was also covered in debris and dust.
She looked towards her father whose head could be seen unlike her mother but he was clearly dead with black and blue bruises on his face from fighting, blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth from his chest being crushed, and open unfocused eyes only leaving the faint possibility that her mother could still be alive under the rubble.
It was if the world stopped making sense only leaving the option to beg for help.
"Someone Please! HELP ME!!!"
She screamed but no one was there to respond to her pleas, her helplessness caused her to burst into tears.
*Thud-thud*
She heard the thud of boots behind her.
Is someone he-!
She turned around quickly planning to ask whoever it was for help but the person she saw made her freeze up without even being able to let out a scream.
It was a lady in her 30's wearing the standard Konoha green flak jacket, pants, and a long-sleeve shirt, what was shocking about her appearance was the familiar pink hair and green eyes, her body was full of wounds particularly the injury on the side of her head which made her face so bloody that it couldn't be seen clearly and the huge chunk of her abdomen missing, making it seem her torso would detach from her waist at any moment.
The lady slowly walked to Sakura - who was frozen in fear- with an unsteady gait and raised her hand to her face as if to caress it.
Their gazes met, two pairs of green eyes staring into each other -one vacant yet seemingly thoughtful the other curious while terrified-, as if trying to convey a lifetime worth of memories while the lady's fingertips grazed her face.
It was in a mere moment.
"Eikk!!"
Sakura let out a short yelp as the fingers skimming against her face suddenly clutched her throat as she was throttled to the ground!
She fruitlessly tried to pry away claws of death as she slowly asphyxiated, her lungs burning from the lack of air and her throat bruising.
No thoughts ran through her head, none could even as she saw herself being strangled in her assailant's gaze because she was overwhelmed by the look on lady's face.
She was angry yet calm as a profound sadness was conveyed through the tears running down the blood soaked face.
Finally the quiet assailant whimpered out a request to her victim or was it to herself.
"Just give up please....."
And she almost did.
As a bloody tear drop landed on Sakura's face she snapped out of it.
I am not dying here!! I won't let you kill me!! I need to save Mom!!!
With a renewed almost frenzied vigor she clawed at the fingers aiming to snuff out her life as she kicked at the bloodied abdomen of the attacker. Each successive kick led to more blood drenching her feet.
"Go to hell!!!! Leave me alone!"
Sakura screamed as her kick connected with something vital, finally managing to free her neck of the deathly she gasped at the inflow of the precious air.
Sitting up she saw her attacker grasping at her side as blood rapidly drained out through her fingers.
"SHANNAROOO!!!"
With a fierce battle-cry Sakura launched herself at her, striking her in the chest knocking her down, she immediately knelt on one knee as she delivered a finishing blow to her face, she felt the ground shake and burst apart from the impact as her fist pummeled her opponent's mug, the look the dying lady's green eyes gave to her forever branded into her mind.
A peaceful yet sympathetic look of despair, the teary green eyes expressed relief as if she had accepted her demise.
The entire nightmare world started collapsing as if her victory over her attacker signaled the end of her horrifying plight and she felt a faint warmth on her bleeding right hand.
Immediately a multitude of scenes flashed in Sakura's mind but her immature mind couldn't retain them, only a handful of less disturbing information could be transferred as Sakura's mind went into a shock to protect itself.
In the hospital Mebuki and Kizashi Haruno finally came from their work to the hospital, running into the room while a nurse angrily pursued them to slow them down and create less noise.
"Sakura-chan!""My lovely daughter!"
Both parents were incredibly fast as they appeared by their daughter's bedside, Ino aptly realized she should give some space and move but when she stood up and tried to move away she discovered that Sakura had at sometime started holding onto her hand, she awkwardly sat back down after some consideration as she could see that Kizashi and Mebuki's full attention was on Sakura.
Just need to make myself transparent.
She thought to herself and tried to pry her hand out of the grip to no result.
Both of the parents had already burst into tears and their cries rang out in the entire ward until the nurse finally managed to shut them up by explaining Sakura's condition wasn't that bad and she was just unconscious for a while after the concussion but tears kept coming out of their wide trembling eyes.
They are acting as intense as always.
Ino thought while staring at the ever-dramatic loving parents. Just when they were calming each other down, they got into an argument on which one of them was disturbing their daughter's rest after which the nurse finally had enough and started scolding them.
"Ouch!"
Ino gave out a small yelp as she looked down and saw that Sakura had tightened her grip on her hand. Ino's gaze immediately snapped to Sakura's face and gave out a sigh of relief when she saw her open eyes.
"Sakura, are you ok now?"
Sakura was in a daze but after a few seconds she slowly nodded her head, her eyes looking at Ino yet at the same time as if looking beyond her. Kizashi and Mebuki saw that their daughter had awoken, they thanked Ino and the instructor standing outside and crowded around Sakura asking all sort of questions about how she was feeling.
Ino slowly slipped away and went home. Sakura was later visited by the doctor who sat down in front of her and asked about her condition and the symptoms she had felt prior to losing consciousness.
Sakura looked at the doctor in a daze but answered honestly.
"I felt a huge headache and felt like I couldn't breathe... my heart felt like it would burst out of my chest other than that........."
She thought about the flashes and voices she had heard but had no way of describing them as the doctor took her silence as end of the list.
The doctor looked at the pink haired little lady and re-read her patient history.
No prior record of any physical illness, no mental illness record as well plus all tests came back normal.......should be ok to just send her back.
Scratching his nearly bald head he gave his diagnosis as her parents stared at him as if he were a god deciding their fate.
"Hmm.... It sounds like very much like an anxiety attack, I am prescribing some Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and Benzodiazepines in case of another attack"
The doctor confused as to why a perfectly healthy 12 year old would experience a sudden attack, prescribed some antidepressant and anxiolytics medication and decided to send her home.
Receiving the prescription Kizashi rushed to the pharmacy like an arrow launched out of a bow.
The doctor stared dumbfounded as her father once again destroyed the hospital decorum.
I have to run these idiots out of here!
He gave a few warnings to the parents to keep a check on their child and on themselves and then sent them on their way.
Sakura was hugged and pretty much lifted to her home by Kizashi and Mebuki. When she reached her home everything she had experienced felt just like an awfully grim nightmare.
Her parents rushed to the kitchen, both working together to give their "frail" daughter the best dinner possible.
Sakura looked around her eyes staring at the mess taking place in the kitchen, her mind finally recovering from the shock of it all. Tears started blurring her green eyes as she knelt down and cried as it finally set in that her ordeal was over. The parents in the kitchen immediately rushed to their child hearing her faint cries, their panic obvious on their faces.
"Sakura, does it hurt again?!"
"Hold on I am gonna get the medicine!"
Mebuki immediately hugged her daughter, stroking her head to calm her down while Kizashi turned around to get the medicine but Sakura grabbed the hem of his shirt.
"I am fine..... Just please don't leave me again"
"Of Course I won't Sakura-chan"
He immediately stopped and knelt down next to Mebuki and took her into her embrace.
Both parents comforted their daughter until she calmed down, glad that it wasn't another anxiety attack they went to the dinner table and ate the scrumptious dinner.
As Sakura ate her dinner she heard her father call her.
"Sakura-chan why don't you sleep in Dad and Mom's room today?? We have an extra bed in there so you can sleep comfortably"
This request obviously came in response to the doctor's suggestion to keep an eye on her condition.
"Mm-hmm"
Sakura gave a sound of approval and they finished their dinner and as Sakura went to the room Mebuki and Kizashi sat down to talk in the living room.
"Kizashi......we should pull Sakura out from the academy, Lord knows I never wanted her to be a kunoichi, a normal life is better for someone like her just look what happened today."
"We have talked about this before and just like before it's Sakura's decision and you're being being unreasonable saying this when her graduation's so close"
Kizashi scratched his beard stubble as he reiterated to his wife what they had discussed when Sakura had joined the academy but Mebuki didn't back down.
"Can't you see?! Look what happened with her just in the academy I really don't think she's capable of going on missions."
Kizashi sighed, got up and made a compromise with his wife.
"Look let her pass the exam, you know she can do it, after that we can see how it goes from there plus no Genin is usually going out from the village since they usually have D-rank missions so she will be fine inside the village and not to mention she would be on a team with a Jounin sensei, you really think something bad will happen inside the village?"
He walked to her side and took her in his embrace.
"Don't worry my dear, we're here for her. Now let me enjoy the company of my beautiful wife who I'm so lucky to have"
He said as he gave his wife a kiss on the cheek.
"......Smooth talker"
Mebuki admitted defeat as she blushed in face of her husband's affections.
Unknown to them Sakura had been listening to them as she hid in the shadows of the hall.
I knew Mom would say something like that. Good thing I don't have to intervene, thanks Dad.
Thankful to her Father's consideration of her opinion she went to their room and laid out the spare bedding, preparing to sleep.
Her parents flirted in the living room for a while and then came to the room as well as they all fell asleep before mightnight.
Sakura's eyes stared out the window as her eyelids gradually started drooping as she thought about today.
It was just a nightmare.......has to be.
And the Haruno household fell into stillness which lasted till morning or atleast it should have.
Two Hours Past Midnight
As Sakura slept the pendant on her neck started glowing with a faint light visible through her clothes.
The pink-haired girl's eyes suddenly opened as she abruptly sat up, she assessed the room and her unusually cold eyes settled on the couple sleeping on the main bed.
She stared at them for a while and then she got up and left the room. Her steps made no sound even as she walked on the wooden floorboards, displaying a mastery of stealth unnatural to even Jounins as she silently navigated the Haruno household. Her hands slid over the walls and furniture as she went to her room as if reminiscing about something.
She finally reached her room, opened the door and went inside. Scanning the room she spotted the bookshelf filled with notebooks and scrolls. Taking a pencil from her study table she started filling out the page of a blank notebook with information that made no sense.
Incomplete sentences filled the notebook page.
She suddenly grasped at her head as if suffering a sudden blow, stopped writing and instead took scrolls usually used for storing confidential jutsu details and started writing down again.
Taking ten scrolls, she started noting down jutsu details and medical procedures. This information was much more complete but some lacked key details which the girl couldn't write down even as she stared hard at the blank spaces left by her.
She stopped writing and put the fruits of labour on the shelf and made a mark on them as she opened her room's window and jumped to the roof of her house.
Her pink hair twisted and turned in the wind's grasp, like a field of wheat swaying in a summer breeze as she looked at the Village and the Hokage Monument wordlessly. She dug out the cracked pendant from her clothes embrace and looked at the fading glow.
Taking a final look at the village she went back inside and laid back in her bed closing her eyes as if what she had just done never happened in the first place as the night passed peacefully.