"Eating his wings variable, and maketh himself yet full stable. When all his feathers be from him gone,
he standeth still here as a stone: Here is now both white and red.And all so the stone to quicken the dead. All and some
without fable, both hard and soft and malleable. Understand now well and right, and thank your God of this sight."
{The Ripley Scroll}
She was young, and she understood that, but that didn't make her feelings any less real. She'd give anything for him. She loved him from the first moment she'd laid eyes on him. He was just perfect.
Too perfect. He watched the world with a sort of cold fury, a cold fury that was just simply, Sasuke. He was beautiful. He was stoic, surrounded by an untouchable aura. He was like a reflection in water, the closer you got, the quicker he disappeared. He was Sakura's everything. Twelve year old Sakura was bewitched.
She was infatuated; Obsessed.
Sakura walked slowly through dark empty streets, barely holding back the blubbering mess she was inside. Tears had started spilling over, she felt her throat tightening. It hurt. She loved him so much, so why doesn't Sasuke-kun love me? She thought, aggressively rubbing offending tears from her eyes. It was late, late enough that the only thing that could be heard was her hushed sobbing.
She looked up at the stone faces of the previous Hokages, their faces almost mocking her in her blurry daze. God, she felt so pathetic. The day had started just as any other.
Sakura rolled out of bed, bright and early. She just had a feeling, today would be the day. Sasuke-kun will definitely be mine today. She reassured herself, Ino-pig will see! Sasuke loves me NOT her! Sakura nodded to herself as she started opening drawers in search of something to wear. She decided on her favorite red kimono, sure she wore it everyday but still, her mother said she looked cute in it and she thought Sasuke-kun would agree.
Once dressed, Sakura fished out a comb and started on her hair. She had such pretty pink hair, a vibrant pastel reminiscent of the flower she was named after. She had grown her hair long because she had heard from some girls at school that Sasuke-kun liked girls with long-hair.
Sakura set the brush back on her bed and exited her room. She greeted her parents who sat happily at a table enjoying breakfast. Sakura walked up to her mother and hugged before tugging on some shoes and opening the front door. "Bye mom, dad. I'm going now." Sakura called over her shoulder. She the turned and left the house, pulling the door shut behind her, ignoring her parents morningly two cents, off somewhere in her own-Sakuraland.
Today was the day, today she'd confess to Sasuke-kun and then he'd fall in love with her, and they'd live happily ever after. Sakura thought to herself in childish ignorance. 'Cha! Sasuke-kun will love me and that'll show Ino-pig!' Inner Sakura declared pumping a fist high.
Sakura walked the streets of Konoha hoping she wouldn't have to deal with Ino, Ino-pig was the worst. Sakura thought, a frown marring her features. Surely enough a flash of white-blonde hair pops up in her peripheral vision and she finds herself being shoved aside.
"Forehead outta the way!" Screeches Ino. Sakura balls her fists and grunts in anger, shoving Ino back as hard as she can. Together the two push against each other in a race to konoha's ninja academy. A race to Sasuke-kun. "Sasuke-kun is mine, move Ino-pig!" Sakura exclaims, pulling ahead of Ino and rushing through the academy entrance. She pushes Ino back as she throws slams open the classroom door and enters the room. Sasuke-kun sits in his seat staring out the window leaning his chin on his palm. In that moment, nothing really exists to him. He looks lost in his thoughts but there's some level of peace that is absent. There's a restlessness to him. He looks angry. Sakura gulps as she musters her courage and strides clumsily up to him.
"Sasuke-kun...I love you!"
Sakura nervously yelps out, her heart racing and her face beat red. Murmurs of 'I can't believe she did it.' could be heard in what was otherwise, total silence. A moment passes and...nothing happens. Sasuke remains looking out the window not sparing Sakura a glance. Like she doesn't even exist. Sakura, refusing to take the hint pushes again in what might have been insanity.
"Sasuke-kun I want to be with you! I love you Sasuke-kun!" Sakura says wringing her hands together, leaning slightly forward over the desk row Sasuke sits at.
Still, she is ignored.
A feeling of total horror unfurls in Sakura's chest and it becomes harder and harder for her to breathe. There's no going back now. She needs an answer, if not she thinks she may really go insane. "Sasuke-kun, don't you want to be with me too?" She rushes out, proud that she managed to keep a stutter from her voice. Finally he turns to her. He looks through her with an expression of total annoyance. That look, oh god she hates it. His eyes narrow and his lips are pulled into a straight line… It's not a frown, it's blank. Sasuke observes her with refined obsidian orbs. His mouth opens after what was seemingly an eternity to Sakura. He speaks little but his point is made all in a single word.
"Obnoxious."
A single word, and just like that Sakura's perfect Sasuke-kun shattered her entire world. "Hey Sakura-chan…" Naruto starts and puts a hand on her shoulder but Sakura is not having it. "No!" She screams, shoving him away and storming out the classroom, running past Iruka as he steps into the room. Sakura can't believe it. Sasuke-kun hates me. Sakura thought as tears started leaking from her eyes.
She ran straight home, throwing the front door open-leaving it ajar, effectively interrupting her parent's breakfast. She rushed straight into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her and flopping face-first onto her bed.
She's an emotional wreck. "Sasuke-kun." She cries into her pillow, muffling her whimpers. She feels so… Pathetic. She's Pathetic. A few minutes pass and her mother knocks on her door. "Sakura, sweety? Are you alright in there? Why aren't you at school…?" Her mother speaks hesitantly only to in turn be ignored. Sakura can't speak, she's too upset. Her mother tugs on the door handle a bit, finding it to be locked. Relenting with a sigh, "I'll be downstairs with your father if you need me. Please come talk to me, Sakura, your father and I are worried." The woman speaks and shuffles away from the door and back to what Sakura assumes to be down the stairs.
She cries the day away, unmoving, laying face-down; Pretending that she doesn't exist. She's heartbroken, she was humiliated and mortified. She isn't good enough, she isn't good enough for Sasuke-kun. Sakura loves him so much, she's loved him from the very first...but that doesn't really matter, does it? No. Not now, now… I just wish I wasn't so pathetic. Sakura thinks, adorning a grim expression on her face. She closes her eyes and eventually her breathing evens out and her heart slows. She falls into a deep sleep, hoping that just maybe the events of the day had been just a terrible dream.
When Sakura woke she turned over and stared at the ceiling. The universe must hate me, if only… if only I hadn't been so damn pathetic. I'm weak. I'm so weak. Sakura thought, gritting her teeth. She sits up and turns to look out her window. It's dark already, she really had slept the day away. Her mind is still fuzzy and her heart aches. She stands, clutching a hand to her chest and walking to her door. She silently pulls it open and walks into the hall. The house is still, she can hear the soft vague sounds of snoring coming from her parents room. They've already went to sleep, it's much later than Sakura originally thought.
She walks swiftly down the stairs and looks around in consideration, she drops her hands to her sides and shakes her head. She feels strange, out of place. She can't be here right now. With that thought in mind she walk out the front door and into the night. Thankful for once, having been born into a civilian family. She'd been quiet but, heh not ninja quiet. She shakes her head again mustering a somber smile. More of a grimace really.
Here she is, Sakura stands at the base of the Hokage monument staring up into the sky and silently cursing her fate. Cursing herself for being weak. And finally cursing God for making her so weak - for making Sasuke-kun so perfect and her so pathetic. The moon is bright and illuminates the darkness. She continues forward, looking straight ahead. Not paying any mind to her feet as she moves.
That was a mistake, she soon realizes as she stumbles forward over what likely was a rock. Admittedly she's training to be a ninja, she isn't one yet and thus her reflexes suck. She falls onto the ground with prompt "oof" as the wind is knocked out of her. It takes her a moment to right herself again, she sits facing monument rock wall rubbing her knees - which, she managed to scrape in the process of falling. They sting, and she feels warmth rush through them; a telltale sign that her clumsiness has granted her a bloody mess of shredded skin. Great. She admonishes.
It's then that she notices a tunnel like cavern slightly to her left. She wants to smack herself for not noticing earlier. It's creepy. She decides. Perhaps insanity is the only explanation for her following actions, she knows that getting onto her hands and knees and crawling into what is a tiny tunnel-like cavern is idiotic.
It's too dark for her to see anything at all, straight pitch black nothingness in front of her. But still Sakura crawls further. Her bruised knees scraping against rock only bloodying them further and streaking a red trail behind her, she can imagine. She doesn't know how much time has passed but her mind has begun to wander. Sasuke-kun. His name once brought such happiness but now she feels only bitterness. Speaking it leaves a sour taste in her mouth and she feels utterly foolish, once again reminded of her poor choices.
She stretches her arms in front of her repeating a scuffling crawling motion further down the continually smaller hole. She feels a drop in front of her, the tunnel lead to a larger cavern? She didn't know, Sakura was only glad to have a enough room to move freely, the tunnel had been tight and uncomfortable. She stands and sighs, rubbing her wrists to help the soreness. She hugs herself and considers her life.
She had been born to a civilian family, a good family that loved her. She had once had a best friend but that had long since ended - she'd burned that bridge in pursuit of a boy who thought her to be nothing more than "obnoxious". A boy she did everything for. He was her sun, her entire life was hinged around Sasuke-kun.
Her world turned on its axis, her gut wrenched. A bitter grin making its way onto her face yet another time. And then, Sakura laughed. It was a soft murmur at first, like a whisper or a rush of wind through a tree. She held her sides and leaned forward, bowing her head. Her laugh turned hysteric, it was loud and maddening.
The sound reverberated off hard walls and grew even louder. Everything felt like it was shaking but Sakura couldn't stop. The flood gates had been opened and everything she felt rushed forward. She had been suffocating. That boy. She loved him so much. And in his eyes, she had been lower than shit. She felt many things, there was hurt, but more than anything else… She was furious. If only… If only she hadn't been so pathetic.
And then, she stopped. Her mouth closes and she feels the hair on the back of spine prickle. Goosebumps dust her skin and cold gusts of air spits across her face. It's not right, something is wrong. Her laugh is still echoing far down the walls, it's back to a whisper now, course that's when she hears it. It's a humming sound at first, it vibrates. Reminding Sakura of a noise an animal would make. It stops suddenly creating a feeling of utter terror that sets Sakura's heart in rapid motion. Total and utter silence fills the space, the quiet pierced only by the sharp intake of the girl's breath and hammering heartbeat. Sakura does not know what is more daunting, the fact that she can't see her own hand in front of her face or the fact that she is slowly becoming more and more sure that there is something here with her.
She feels around, groping rock in hope of finding the way she came. The more time passes, the more panicked she becomes. Her breaths come out fast and raspy, her heart is drumming in her ears, it's deafening. There's a scratching sound, to Sakura it sounds much like drawing two kunai together.
"You are afraid." A voice speaks, it's confident and laced with undertones that Sakura can't image a human making. It sounds foreign, spoken is some kind of odd broge. It's accented such as when one speaks a language they are not fluent in. Sakura is in shock and hasn't the will to respond. Gulping she steps back.
"I can smell it." The voice continues.
Sakura tries to relax, she's going to be fine-probably. It's just some weird person, yeah that's it. She stumbles out an answer, "I..I can't find….I can't find the way out. Please can you help me?" Sakura mutters.
"Out? This one does not, understand.. That is not what you want most, is it?" The voice's tone turns pondering, Sakura has some difficulty understanding it. The accent is strong and… foreboding. It makes her feel uncomfortable. Finally: "No, I guess not. But It'd be nice." She urges. "...then what do you wish for the most?" It continues ignoring her attempts at, at what she isn't exactly sure of. There's an aura, she's untrained but she feels it. It's old and powerful. It's confident - without question and it makes her feel in turn pathetic. Again, she's reminded of him and she feels rage curl into the pit of her stomach.
"To become powerful, so powerful that Sasuke-kun and everyone else will never look down on me again." Sakura says not sure what possessed her to tell this to some stranger she can not even see. She waits for answer. "How far would you go?" The person says.
"Anything, I'd give anything." Sakura says clenching her fists.
"Heavy words girl, you mean them?" Sakura feels like she's made some sort of mistake but can't stop from digging the hole deeper.
"Yes." Sakura says unable to stop herself. "Then we have a deal." The words are spoken in glee and a deep laugh meets her ears. Oh god, what did she do. Sakura's mouth feels as if it has been sewed shut. She feels herself falling, like she's paralysed.
"Who...No, what are you?" Sakura gets out feeling a sensation akin to being choked. There's energy it's easing into her hands and feet. Her hands and feet? She can't feel them… Are they still there? Sakura doesn't know.
"My name has been lost in the ages, I am from the old world. A world absent of men, occupied only by monsters and Gods. My existence is not something one such as you could fathom." It continues. "Am I going to die here?" Sakura cries.
"Yes." The voice returns, adding "Your wish shall be granted but your body is no longer your own. I shall take the form of Haruno Sakura and take what you were unable. Your story has drawn to a close. Sleep now, know you will not be you when you wake." Sakura feels exhausted, she can't stop her eyes from shutting. In her last moments she thinks of Sasuke-kun, if only... she hadn't been so pathetic.
The body of the girl named after a flower laid barren on the ground, the demon observes it coldly. Perhaps in her younger days she may have pitied this girl, but as time wore on, she like all others grew cruel. She needed a body, and now she had one. That is all. There is no savagery in this act, regardless of how unsavory or apathetic.
She slept for an endless span of time only to be awoken by this 'pink' girl. So be it then. In a single fluid motion she joins herself with the corpse. It takes little time for her to attune herself with the fleshy meat suit. She holds a clawed hand in front of her face, practices flexing it a few times.
With great satisfaction she pulsates her energy, altering the chakra coils and by extension the outward appearance. Long pink hair bleeds black, skin whitens to a 'untouched by the sun' look, nails turn black; resembling something more of a claw and once green eyes become a vibrant orangey-red, teeth sharpen into perfect points, the lower back is adorned by moving black markings - the demon's pride - unfortunately, she had to hide her tails. Finally, muscles and curves become more pronounced. "Yes, this will do." The demon somewhat chuckles, taking form as a twelve year old girl was indeed quite amusing. She scrapes her nails into the rock.
With that thought she pushed herself into a stand and removed her presence from the cavern. Yes, it was underhanded of her to take this body but she had full intention of honoring her agreement.
The sun was rising, she found this to be rather displeasing. The stir of day creatures had begun, shinobi walked the streets and roofs, children did as children do, and civilians went about their morning routines. They had not noticed her, perhaps that was a good thing? The demon was somewhat insulted, there was once a time she would have been worshiped… But this? She had not imagined being ignored. Tsk, it did annoy her.
That was a good thing though, she did not need to attract the attention of the locals. This world was much different than the one she once knew. She'd conceal herself under the guise of this 'flower girl' for a bit longer and take the time to properly reincorporate herself into society. She'd take this world by a storm, regaining what was rightfully hers and not a damn thing was going to stand in her way. Releasing her grip over the girl, she slipped comfortably back into Sakura's subconscious... taking a back seat and silently observing.
Black and red faded into the infamous pink and green. Sakura stumbled and fell into the middle of the street. Her mind was in a sickened daze, the world was spinning and it wouldn't stop. With an attempt to pull herself together the pinkette begins to dry heave and promptly spew the entire contents of her stomach - or so she presumed, regaining her senses she quickly realized her error. It was not a previous meal she had violently ejected from her body but a coppery black substance.
Sakura, despite being a ninja academy student having only seen blood twice in her life; the color was wrong, but she knew beyond a doubt, that it was blood. Disgusting.
With little help from the surrounding bystanders, Sakura began the trudge home. She considered the events of the night before, it all seemed so surreal. Should she tell someone? Could she? Would it let her? Whatever the case, Sakura couldn't afford to consider that at the moment.
Sakura stumbles home, though it's by some kind of damn miracle that she actually gets there. She crashes through the door and onto the floor. Her cheek bruising against the cold tile floor as a result of the aggressive impact, and a surprisingly sharp tooth snags her lip - tearing viciously at the skin, revealing more of that black coppery substance.
Sakura pushes herself back to sit on her haunches, pinching the bridge of her nose to try and stem the leaking magnesium, at the same time trying to massage the stabbing pains which hint of the existence of yet another bruise. Her efforts do no good, blood leaks from the corner of her mouth, splattering the floor.
Cursing in a very un-Sakura-like way, she gets up and drags her weak form up the stairs and into her bathroom, leaving a black droplet pattern behind her - probably to cause her mother great concern when the woman finally starts her morning routine.
Sakura quiety slides the door shut behind her, securing it into place. She walks over the shower on shaky legs, weakly turning the faucet knob with some effort. Waiting for the water to warm, she strips off her torn and thoroughly stained clothing onto the floor.
She turns back and observes herself in the body length mirror she begged her parents to purchase for her. In short, she looks like hell.
Her body is marked up with purple, her face included. It looks like she took on an entire army and lost. Her skin was whiter than usual, contrasting the violet hue even further. Heavy bags of insomnia ring her eyes giving her a ghastly sort of look, and her mouth is tinged with a grey-blue shade that'd naturally belong to a corpse.
Sakura's lip is split, the arch of her nose smeared with indigo, and her left cheek busted. Worse still, black blood drips from the corners of her eyes and ears. She reaches a hand up to cover her mouth and hacks up some more of the wet substance into her palm.
The girl's eyes widen in surprise, her nails are a similar dark tone. Blood wells in her nail beds and pools onto the floor. Sakura sniffles and begins to cry, rubbing at her face with her knuckles - pulling sourly at the crusted blood. Tears cascade down her cheeks, mingling with the flaking iron. "Why is this happening to me?" She gasps out, her voice cracking.
She expected no answer but, "Is this not what you asked for?" Sakura stares at her reflection in shock. Watching the words spill from her own lips. It's Sakura's voice, but it's clearly not Sakura. In morbid succession, her left eye burns back into an orangey-red.
"What are you?" Sakura questions her reflection. The girl's mouth twists into a feral grin, "That's for you to decide, girl. Shall I be your savior or your jailer?" sharp teeth expose themselves as the words take shape.
"What's going to happen to me?" Sakura whimpers, tears leaking from only the remaining green right eye. Her face is a stunning display of asymmetry. The right and the left, green and red - good and evil.
The demon is silent for a few moments, suspense rocks the blossom girl's soul as she listens to the water patter against the shower curtain.
"There is only us." The girl's left eye creases in a smile, "There is no you. And we will have everything that belongs to us." Sakura relaxes a bit, despite her previous observations, maybe the situation is not so dire as she assumed. This thing that's inside of her, she's sure that it's some kind of demon but maybe - just maybe, that's okay. Maybe, this is what she needed.
On her own, Sakura had been a pathetic, obnoxiously weak girl. But, together, along with this thing… Sakura could achieve impossible feats of strength. Sasuke-kun? He'd be the weak one.
New emotions coat Sakura's conscious, influenced or no… She really is an entirely different person.
The next few hours pass quickly, after thoroughly scrubbing her skin to rinse away the grime, Sakura went back to her bedroom and began to prepare for school. Yesterday, had been a half day to review information and teams were not yet assigned. That'd be done this morning.
She dug through her dresser drawers looking for something wearable, she just wasn't feeling her usual pink today. With some luck she finds a sleeveless grey over-shirt. She slides on some red shorts and wraps her chest with a black bandage, letting the grey hooded coat hang open.
Sakura sweeps her hair back into a tight bun, a few strands hanging loosely - cupping the left side of her face, a few pieces slipping over the eye to obscure it a bit. Finally, she reaches for her forehead protector. She doesn't put it on immediately, she hesitates and stares down at it.
She couldn't remember the stigma that led her to wish for such a thing in the first place. Why had she become a ninja? Had she seriously done something like this just for a boy? How intelligent of you, Sakura. Good move. The girl shakes her head slightly in disapproval of her own acts, as if sicken by the thought.
No, whatever the reason… the choice has been made, and the consequences paid. Sakura could not regret now. Then again, how could she? Especially when she was no longer Sakura anymore.
Sakura, the pinkette born to the Haruno merchant family. The girl who was naive and selfish. The girl who knew nothing of the world except an earnest infatuation for a broken boy. That Sakura died.