Author's Note: I haven't written in a while, actually, an amazingly long time! This is also my first Naruto story. Reviews are appreciated; if a flame is felt absolutely necessary, please, at least make it constructive!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything! I barely own my car!

Shishou teacher

ANBU assassin ninja, specially trained.

'...' Sakura's thoughts

'Italics...' Inner Sakura / Sakura's Conscious's thoughts or Dream Sequence (noted in text)

Chapter 1

Tsunade was already in her cups when Sakura walked in the door of the Hokage's office that morning.

'It's only 9! What is up with her?!' screamed inner Sakura as outer Sakura slouched into a chair, glaring at her shishou and surreptitiously kicking her desk.

Tsunade jerked awake. "Huh, wha, wassamatta with you, Sakura-chan? You aren't normally this mean at this time of the..." She trailed off, rubbing her eyes and glancing at the clock. "9 in the morning."

"You were up all night drinking again, weren't you? You're probably still drunk!"

"What's wrong, Sakura? Did you have another nightmare?"

Sakura sighed and sank into her chair. "Yeah. It doesn't make any sense. It's like I don't have all the pieces. It just feels too familiar to be ignored."

Tsunade sat up a little straighter, putting her hands under her chin, "Go on."

"Okay..." Sakura took a deep breath, calmed herself, and began.

Begin Dream Sequence

I lay in my bed, sleeping peacefully, probably not any older than 7 or so, when I awake suddenly to the sound of a woman screaming, pain, fear and anger in her voice. The first thoughts raging through my head are that this woman needs help, and since she is my mommy I must help her. I start to run to the voice, racing out of my room, scared, crying, worried.

I'm tripping over countless dead bodies as I race toward the voice. I look down and see so many people I recognize, family and friends, and cry even harder because of them. I'm getting nearer the source of the scream, because it's getting louder, but just as I catch a glimpse of the woman, my mommy, an ANBU operative grabs me around the waist and lifts me over his shoulder. As we leave, I hear one last scream, and look up from my position held over the ANBU's shoulder, to see my mommy fall to the ground, kunai poking out of her back and a katana through her midriff.

I start kicking and screaming at the ANBU to let me go, ordering him to let me go help my mommy, screaming at him because he's not letting me and he hurting me by holding me like this and I'm terrified.

We leave the compound, and he sets me on the ground, holding me still with his hands on my waist, as he had done countless times when I was upset. I cried pitifully, begging to see my mommy, and all he tells me is 'everything will be okay,' and that 'I would be safe.' Needless to say, I am not satisfied with this answer, and beg him to take me to my mommy. I ask him what happened to her and why he wouldn't let me see her. He replies that he can't let me see her, but just to remember that she was a very brave and wonderful woman and I would be just like her when I get older. I start bawling at that point, terrified that my mommy was dead. All the ANBU does is just holds me like he has done many times in the past.

I look up to him, tears in my eyes.

End Dream Sequence

"I never see his face. I never really see any faces actually; they're all just kind of blurs. Does it make any more sense to you, Tsunade-sama?" Tears were freely flowing down Sakura's face as she finished the story.

"Is this the first time you've had this dream?" Tsunade had begun to rub her temples.

'That's not a good sign.'

'Nope, certainly not. I wonder what got into her?'

"No Tsunade-shishou, it's just the first night that it's been so clear."

"Well," Tsunade put on a bright smile, which Sakura saw straight through, "why don't you go and train for a little while with someone. I'm sure Shizune has a lot of paperwork for me to do."

"Yeah right, I know you. All you're going to do is avoid Shizune and go drink!"

"Sakura!"

Sakura growled in response, "Fine." And with that, she jumped out of the window, knocking Tsunade's sake bottle in the process.

"Hey!" Tsunade yelled as she saved her sake from imminent doom.

"What did I do?" asked Shizune, just stepping into the room. "Was that Sakura?"

"It wasn't you, and yes it was Sakura." Tsunade got a thoughtful look on her face, one Shizune didn't see too often anymore. "She told me about an interesting dream." Shizune looked up from the paperwork she was stacking on the desk, a questioning look on her face. "Her memories are returning."

Shizune gasped. "Oh no..."