Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters!
Prologue: The stranger in the night.
Thunder pealed, shattering the once blissful calm of the August night; foreshadowing the curtain of rain that loomed in the distance, which was quickly approaching the village Konoha. Many of the ever dignified night guards who attended the gates, which were left open the elements, muttered strings of curses, as if meaningless words would somehow cease the inevitable. A flash of startling white light, accompanied by another roll of thunder, instigated the merciless assault of heavenly tears. The watchers by the North Gate were the first to come into contact by the frontline, and were soon drenched from head to toe. The ground quickly reached its capacity and small puddles formed, rapidly evolving into much more daunting bodies of water.
A small splash, barely audible due to the ongoing downpour, alerted the North Gate's guards of the arrival of an uninvited guest. Though wet, cold, grumpy, and more then a bit grimy, the guards took their jobs with the utmost seriousness, reacting immediately, tensing and readying themselves for an attack from any direction since visibility was almost zero. Another splash, another footstep. Evidently the person wasn't too keen on keeping hidden.
"Calm yourselves, I mean you no harm." A voice rang out from in front of them, distinctly feminine, shortly followed by a shadow detaching itself from the curtain of darkness before them. The woman continued to stride towards the guards, seemingly unaware of their brandished weapons, stopping a mere three feet before them. One of the guards, the one on the right, squinted at her in a feeble attempt to distinguish her as a friend or a foe. Unfortunately, for said guard, she was clad in a simple, dark colored robe and hood, leaving no patches of skin; even her hands were gloved.
"Remove your hood." The guard's voice wavered slightly as an unknown apprehension contaminated the air.
"Tch. I hate doing so in such conditions, but I guess it cannot be avoided." The woman spoke more to herself then to the guards.
Her right hand slowly ascended to the back of her hood where it hesitated as if teasing them. Then in one vicious yank it was off, and the mysterious intruder unveiled. Both guards' eyes widened and their jaws slackened from shock. Hastily they sheathed their weapons, muttering humble apologizes and more confident 'welcome back's'.
Giving slight, courteous nods of recognition and acceptance to them, she continued, unperturbed, with unmatched grace, to her unknown destination; her vibrant yet soothing, pink hair clinging to her thoroughly soaked attire, and her emerald eyes, once bright and lively, stared directly in front of her, unwavering, dull and empty. Though numerous things had most certainly changed about her, one this was for sure. The long awaited, yet unscheduled, day had finally arrived.
On August 18th, in the year of the Tiger, at 2:00 AM, in unsightly weather conditions, soaked to the bone, Sakura Haruno finally returned to the village Konoha, her home.
Dear Readers,
I can't seem to get anything further on my other stories. I guess you could say I dove in without thinking about how deep the water was. Or how shallow. I didn't have a plot fully set up, and even for this story I don't, though I have it 2/4 - 3/4 of the way compiled. (Only written up to the second chapter). Since I can't seem to move on with my other stories they are up for adoption. Also, I'm a little confused on how to redo chapters if I find a mistake. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. :) Anyways, read and review! And if you see any mistakes of have any comments/suggestion/constructive critisism (sp?) please be sure to tell me! :) I'm all ears!... Well not literally.
Ja ne!