Fighting the demons in your head will never be easy. The only way to defeat them is to run the fire of hell and not look back until you make it. The only thing that makes them worth fighting are the people waiting at the other end.

Sakura's POV

I sigh, and look at the clock. Even on the last day of school, my psychology teacher, Selene, decides to teach up until the past second of the day. Everyone is glaring at her back when the bell rings. I smile, knowing that I won't have to return to this room ever, let alone the building. My family is moving back Konoha, where I was born, in a few days. I'm nervous about seeing my friends that I haven't seen in eight years. I have written many letters to Ino, Naruto and Sasuke, but never got any replies. Three years after we left I gave up.

I had no choice in the matter of course. It was almost half a lifetime since I have been home. My father was transferred here to protect a smaller village in the nation of the leaf. The third hokage himself asked my father, so we couldn't refuse. We are going back by his orders as well, though I don't exactly know why.

I wonder what everyone's been up to for so long. Guess I'll know soon.

Jumping up from my seat, I rush to my locker then bolt from the school towards home. Despite having been here for so long I haven't made any close friends and prefer to spend my time studying.

Finally arriving home, I see my parents have our equipment for the journey all packed up. It sits by the wall and I walk into the kitchen where my mother, Mebuki, was cooking the last food from our fridge for dinner and breakfast.

"Hey mom! What time are we leaving tomorrow?" I ask skipping the usual pleasantries.

"Before the sun rises. Its going to take a good two to three days to get there, but I think the weather should be nice. Everyone is going to sleep early today, so we're eating sooner than usual." I nod, then sit down on the floor of the living room, because we had sold all of our furniture, and took out my drawing book. Tracing the outline of a few faces I had dreamt of last night.

In the dream, we were back in Konoha and were having a picnic. I only clearly recognized what I thought a few people would look like.

The first person I noticed was Naruto. The damned fool was falling out of a nearby tree and landed near a small girl with raven hair and pearl eyes. His hair was as blonde and spiky as ever, and blue eyes shining with mischief.

Then, looking to the left at a voice that began yelling at Naruto for almost crushing the poor girl, was Ino. Her hair was long enough to brush her lower back in a sleek ponytail with her bangs over her eyes as usual. Her blue eyes hadn't changed a bit.

I blinked as someone to her left caught my eye, hiding behind his chin length black hair. He then turned towards me and his onyx eyes showed a small flicker of happiness and contentment. I had woken up before anything else happened though...

Sighing as I looked at the picture, I closed the book when my mother walked in with three plates."Kizashi, time for dinner!" She called out the front door where my father was touching up the yard for the couple who was moving in in a few weeks. Silence overtook everyone as we ate. Once we were done we threw our plates away, they were made of paper, washed our silverware and packed it, as well as took the trash out one last time. We all to sleep in my parents old room, so that we could be woken quickly, and curled up together. Sleep came easily for us.