The few dying rays of the sun filtered through a thick canopy of trees, casting ominous shadows across the forest floor. Sasuke stood next to a thick tree trunk, panting heavily, a look of agony on his face. Blood dripped form his lower thigh, pooling below his sandaled foot on the muddy ground.
A beautiful woman with impossibly silky black hair crouched nearby, an evil smile illuminating her face, revealing pointed teeth. Plants withered at her gaze; animals fled the scene. Without warning, she sprang forward, sinking her fangs into Sasuke's neck.
"Aaaaaaaggggggggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!" he screamed, eyes widening in shock and horror.
A flash. Sasuke now stood in a dark room, bathed in firelight. All you could see was his back. The stone walls seemed too much like a tomb, like a mausoleum. He began to turn, but it was not Sasuke. This man had a pale white face with cold black eyes and a long, forked tongue…
No!
Sakura screamed, and sat up with a jolt. Chest heaving, she tried to gather her thoughts in her whirling head. What the hell was that?
She continued to fight to regain her breath. It was a dream.
Sakura lay back, staring at the dark ceiling. The moon illuminated the complicated swirls with a mysterious glow; a puzzle Sakura still could not figure out… Sakura was very familiar with her bedroom ceiling, unfortunately. How often she had lain here, exhausted, unable to sleep…
Sakura glanced at the clock. She sighed. It was four in the morning. There would be no more sleep tonight. She rolled over on her side, gazing out the window. This was so weird! She hadn't' had dreams like this for nearly a year and a half.
If only Naruto hadn't left… Yes. If only Sasuke had never gotten that damn seal. If only he had never run off. If only Naruto hadn't gone after him. If only they had returned. If only…
The year after their disappearances had really taken their toll on the village. Sakura, mostly, but you had to count the decreased demand for roman with Naruto gone. Sakura had no one to talk to, no one to understand. Every night she had terrible nightmares; some about Naruto, most depicting Sasuke's death.
Sakura had thrown herself at anything and everything to take her mind of the two of them. She eventually settled for the one thing was good at: her studies. Reading by day, training by night, Sakura worked herself ragged. But it was the only way she could protect herself from all the pain she felt. The two had abandoned her, without a backwards thought. And no, Naruto hadn't even considered taking her with him. She would have just slowed him down.
Over the next year and a half, Sakura became a very gifted healer; someone whom Tsunade herself took notice of. So she became the Hokage's apprentice, and was granted duties to occupy herself and prepare her for being the next top healer. Still she studied, still she trained. Her body put on a very different appearance: unhealthily skinny, hair she refused to cut, sallow skin, haunted eyes. Even Ino didn't bother to try to talk to her anymore.
But gradually, (and to Sakura's great surprise) Sakura became extravagant at what she did. She became a hospital healer, and thought she never re-took the Chuunin exam, a Juunin level jutsu healer. Tsunade had tried to convince her many times to re-take the exams, but each time Sakura refuted. She didn't want the rank Chuunin. She didn't want to get any closer to Hokage; the rank Naruto had so desperately sought…
With a sigh, Sakura pulled herself out of bed and went into the bathroom. She turned on the faucet and splashed some water on her face.
Gazing into the mirror, Sakura hardly recognized the face. The cerulean eyes had gone dull. She could see her ribs beneath the nightgown she wore. Her palms were a motley brown color from so much chakra….
This has got to change, Sakura thought. Today, she would only read her Healer's Guide: The Path to Tsunade for three hours. She would eat a big breakfast, and maybe lunch. She would take a walk next to the lake, and smell some flowers along the way. Enjoy nature. Only train until eleven.
But what would she think about during those long unoccupied hours… Stop it, Sakura told herself sternly. If you looked how old you felt, you'd be fifty instead of sixteen. You weigh ninety-five pounds, for crying out loud! You need to get your act together, and start acting like a ninja!
Perhaps she should look into ninjutsu to gain some muscle…
With another sigh, Sakura turned back into her room to get ready to go to the hospital. If she was going to be awake, she may as well me doing something productive.