A/N: I've written this over the past several days. It's been an interesting stroke of
inspiration, since it came to me out of the blue and I actually finished it.
I suppose a rating of PG-13 is a bit heavy, but believe me, I'm not taking any chances,
especially on this site.
This takes place after the Chuunin Exams, but Sasuke never left. Also, it's going to be
Sakura-centric, so you won't see too much of other characters.
This is a four part series, plus an epilogue.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto, never have, never will. I only own this story and its
specifics.
ARCHIVE: Go ahead, just drop me a line.
GUIDE
"Blah" - spoken
Blah - thoughts / emphasis
Blah - emphasis in a thought
-Blah- - sound effect
- scene change
..::::.. - here, a dream sequence
Part One: The Decision
"Sakura! Look out!" Kakashi called out to her. She blinked and ducked just in
time; four shuriken went flying over her, just barely missing her face.
The way we attract trouble you'd think we were magnets or something, she
thought as she recovered her wits. It had been a simple mission; go to the Hidden Grass,
exchange a scroll, and return. Or so they had thought-- they weren't even a day out on the
way back to Konoha when several nin, bearing no country identification, attacked.
Kakashi was about twenty feet from her, battling it out with fists with his
opponent. He had already taken care of one, who was crumpled in a bloody heap nearby.
Sasuke and Naruto were fighting two others, at the moment in an apparent dead lock.
Sakura was facing one herself, now, and was just intent on surviving.
She dodged another shuriken attack and was trying to somehow get behind her
opponent. If she could do that, she might be able to take the offense. Doubtful, but it
would keep her alive until one of the boys or Kakashi could come to her aid. Sakura
didn't like the idea, but she'd berate herself later for it; now was definitely not the time.
She ran behind a tree, and making the seals as fast as she could, sent a clone out,
hoping the guy would follow. A peek out saw that he did. She smiled to herself, grabbed
some shuriken, and went to follow. She threw a barrage and they hit... or so she thought.
The guy vanished with a -poof- and left her confused. A clone...? When did he...?
She was thrown back into reality by her name being called. She did a 180, only to
be pushed roughly to the side. She snapped her head up and saw Sasuke standing in front
of her, a few shuriken sticking out of him. Her eyes widened in horror, but he just gave
her a glance before jumping back into the fight.
Sasuke...
Sakura flopped down in a chair outside Sasuke's room. They had gone back to the
Grass to get patched up. Sasuke had had the worst of it all, with several shuriken in his
body and a few cuts that needed stitching. Kakashi also had some stitching, but was
released afterwards. Sakura had just some scratches and minor abrasions, and Naruto had
already healed any wounds he had had.
The mental berating she was giving herself rivaled some of Lee's self-induced
punishments. How could I be so stupid?! I was weak, weaker than I had ever been
before! I can't believe I fell for a basic trick like an idiot... she cursed herself, over and
over. She felt beating her held off the nearest wall-- or better yet, put her head through it.
"You know it wasn't your fault-- Sasuke moved on his own," Kakashi had told
her. She had simply shrugged at him and kept on with her mental torture. Yeah, she
thought, but he wouldn't have had to if I wasn't so weak.
She kept this up for the two days they were there and the days going home, despite
Naruto's several attempts to cheer her up. She found that she couldn't even look Sasuke
in the eye. What must he think of me? I've probably sunk even lower in his eyes, if that's
even humanly possible. He shows Naruto more attention than me, and they can't stand
each other! she told herself miserably.
Sakura did brighten a bit once they arrived home. She could talk to her mother
and mope for a few more days before having to face her team again. Since Sasuke was
still out of commission technincally, Kakashi had canceled their training sessions for the
rest of the week. She tried her best to hide her profound relief, but she was pretty sure
Kakashi saw it. Naruto and Sasuke were to busy arguing... again....
"Sakura? May I have a word with you?" Kakashi asked after Naruto left for the
Ichikaru and Sasuke limped home on crutches.
"Yes, sensei?" she asked quietly, knowing what he most likely wanted.
"Sakura, I can understand that you feel guilty for Sasuke's injuries; but you need
to understand, he did that on his own. It was his choice to protect you," he said, his voice
trying to be comforting, she knew.
"He shouldn't have to," was all she said before walking away. She heard him sigh,
and she ran the rest of the way home.
"Oh, Sakura! You're back!" her mother greeted her when she walked in the door.
"How did it go?"
"Oh, Mama!" she said, launching herself into her mother's arms. She couldn't
stop the tears from coming.
"There, there, dear. Why don't you go on up to your room and I'll fix us some tea,
okay?" Sakura sniffled and nodded, unable to find the voice to speak. She walked slowly
to her room and curled up on her bed. She found her old stuff bear, Scraggles, and
snuggled up with him. Her mother returned several minutes later, two mugs of hot tea in
hand. "Here, child," she said, handing Sakura a mug. "Now, why don't you tell me what
happened?"
"It was awful, Mama. We were attacked--"
"Oh, my! Are you alright?" Sakura nodded weakly and continued.
"We were attacked and -sniff- during the fight -sniff- someone called my name
and I turned around and I was -sniff- pushed to the ground..." Sakura struggled with her
words.
"Take a drink, dear, it'll help," her mother said. Sakura nodded and took a long
sip of the soothing tea. She took a deep breath and began again.
"I was pushed to the ground and I looked up and saw Sasuke standing over me.
He had pushed me out of the way of some shuriken, but he... he was hit..."
"Is he alright?" Sakura swallowed hard and nodded. Her mother was confused; if
Sasuke was fine, then why was her daughter so drastically upset?
"I was so weak... I couldn't defend myself, and because of that, Sasuke was hurt.
He was lucky this time, Mama, but what about the next?"
Those green eyes so much like her own were full of fear and worry. What could
she say? There was no words that seemed adequate. Instead, she just held her daughter
while she cried. Sometimes, actions really do speak louder than words.
Sakura rose early the next day and dressed in sweats and a t-shirt. She was feeling
very pretty today, nor did she really want to, and pulled her still short hair into a small
ponytail. Her mother had already left for work at the Hokage Tower, where she was a
secretorial manager. She had once asked her mother what that meant exactly, and was
told it meant that her mother got to tell everyone what to do when it came to running the
office. She had gone with her mother to work one day, to see for herself. It was an
interesting, if stressful, job.
Sakura made herself some ramen -- I've been around Naruto too much, she
thought-- and was out the door a half hour later. She was going to run some errands for
her mother first and then... she didn't know what she would do. She'd figure it out when
she came to it.
The first stop was the post office, where she bought a packet of stamps and mailed
some bills and whatnot. Then it was to the pet store to pick up a new water bowl for
Tsuki, their grey cat. It had been accidently left outside several months ago, and cracked
when the water in it froze over night. They had been using an old butter bowl, but it
finally bit the dust while Sakura was away and her mother had given her money to buy a
new one.
Her next stop was the general store to pick up some various things and then to the
grocery store to buy food for tonight and tomorrow. She made it back home at just before
noon, though it was closer to one by the time she had everything put away. She hadn't run
into anyone she knew, thankfully, since the other genin were still on missions. She sat
down on the couch with a mug of tea and a happily snoozing Tsuki on her lap.
"I wish I could be as easily pleased as you," she murmured to the cat, who only
twitched her ears in response. "I just can't believe I'm that weak. Sasuke and Naruto have
grown so much in their strengths, and I'm still left behind. I'll never make chuunin at this
rate."
As if to comfort her mistress, Tsuki began purring gently as Sakura stroked her.
Sakura was lost in thought over the matter, the scene of her 'unfortunate saving', as she
had begun to call it, replaying over and over in her mind. Soon, though, she was fast
asleep and dreaming.
..::::..
Huh? Where am I? Sakura thought, looking around. It's... it's the Grass! But how
can that be, we just came back from there.... She continued looking around and was
startled when she realized it was the area where they had been attacked. She suddenly
started running, but was pushed aside. Just like that day, she thought as she looked up,
half expecting to see Sasuke. In his place, though, was Kakashi. He extended his hand to
help her up, and she took it, only to be pulled into a black hole.
What?! she mentally yelled, her mind racing. The black slowly faded and she was
in the hospital. Frightened, she began running down the halls. It's so empty! Where is
everyone?! Why's it so dark?! Finally, when she turned down another hallway, she saw
Kakashi and Naruto talking to a man. Hey, that was the doctor that fixed Sasuke up!
Sakura thought, and began running towards them.
"Hey guys!" she called. They didn't seem to hear her. She stopped right beside
them, but they didn't look at her. She looked at them oddly, and noticed that Naruto
seemed rather subdued.
"We did the best we could, but he had a shuriken so close to his heart and another
one next to his spine... I am deeply sorry to tell you this, but your teammate didn't make
it," the doctor said. Sakura stared at him in shock. Sasuke... is dead? "May I ask what
happened?"
"We were attacked by unidentified nins," Kakashi replied. "He pushed another
teammate of ours out of the way of the attack and was hit himself."
"Did she not see it coming?" the doctor bit back.
"It was a surprise attack!" she snapped at him. She was ignored again.
"She's the weak link of our team. She couldn't handle herself," Naruto said,
astonishing Sakura with his tone of disgust.
"Naruto... it was an accident..." she said, but he didn't turn her way.
"Yes," the doctor said, "she sounds most definitely like the weak link. How did
she ever make a genin team?"
"Got me," Kakashi replied. By now, Sakura was imitating in her inner self and
was absolutely furious.
"I'm gonna--" she started to threaten, but was ignored yet again, and the doctor
spoke.
"Well, she should be eliminated! You should consider heavily speaking with your
Hokage about the matter-- perhaps you can get her sent back to school, where she
obviously belongs," the doctor said. Sakura was absolutely livid.
"I'll show you where I belong, when I shove my foot so far up your--" she
stopped, not because of anything the doctor and her teammates said or did, but because
they simply faded away.
"What the...?" Sakura said, surrounded by pitch black again.
"Sakura." She whirled around to find herself face to face with Sasuke. He looked
like he was going to say something, but fell into her arms instead.
"Sasuke? Sasuke?!" she said, laying him on the ground. She glanced at her hands
and saw that they were covered in blood. "Oh, no... Sasuke!"
"Sa... Sak... Saku... ra..." he choked out.
"Yes, it's me, what is it?" she asked, panicked.
"You... you... are..." he gasped for air.
"What? I'm what, Sasuke?!"
"P... pa... thet... ic.... You... are... pathetic..." he said, grabbing her by the collar.
Her eyes widened as he, too, vanished, leaving her covered in his blood. She
could hear his voice echoing throughout the darkness, repeating that phrase over and
over. She could hear the doctor's words join in, creating a jumbled mess of insults that
only seemed to get louder. She covered her ears, screaming for them to stop, but it only
intensified.
"NO! STOP IT! I'M NOT PATHETIC! I'M NOT WEAK! STOP IT!" she cried
out, only to be further ignored. She fell to the ground, crying. "I'm not weak..." she
whispered to the darkness, before losing consciousness.
..::::..
Sakura woke with a start, startling the ball of fur in her lap. She blinked and
rubbed her eyes. It was just a dream, Sakura, that's all. Just a dream. Sight at last
focusing, she glanced at the clock on the mantle. Four o'clock?! I slept for three hours?!
Mama's going to be home soon, and I haven't even set the meat out to thaw!
She bolted into the kitchen to catch up on her neglected chores. As she rushed to
get everything ready for dinner, she couldn't get that dream out of her mind. What did it
mean? Am I really that pathetic? Sasuke didn't really die, but he could have... and all
because of me, she thought sadly.
Her mother came in the door a few minutes later, asking how she was holding up.
Sakura replied better, but it sounded hollow even to her. They ate their meal quietly,
mostly talking about her mother's oddball coworkers. It was just them, since her father
had died several years ago when his squad was attacked on a mission. His picture was in a
frame beside the phone, smiling and throwing a peace sign, just like Naruto did.
"Mama," Sakura started, "I had a dream." She explained the entire dream to her
mother as they cleaned the table and washed the dishes.
"It sounds like you're convinced everyone thinks so low of you," her mother said
when she finished. "You have it in your head that you're weak, and you think that others
see you like that as well."
"But Mama, I am weak. I didn't even sense that attack coming, and I should have!
I fell for a little kid trick." Sakura sighed, and stopped drying the dish she was on. "It's
not just that, though. I always have to be protected by one of them. Even Kakashi-sensei!
I feel so useless, Mama."
"Sakura, dear, you were the brightest genin of your year, if not the past few years.
You have to accept that you have the brains and not the brawn."
"I don't want to accept that! I don't have to be as strong as Sasuke or Naruto, I
just want to be able to defend myself without needing someone to protect me! I just want
to be... competant enough to do that," Sakura said, almost slamming the dish onto the
counter. She mumbled an apology and started drying off the next dish.
"Daughter, I can understand why you would want that. It's what any nin wants,
whether their a genin or a jounin. It's just that some of us aren't battle-oriented, no matter
how we try. I'm not telling you to stop trying, I'm just warning you that you may never
reach a level where you're satisfied. I never did myself; that's why I work at the Hokage
Tower and don't go out on missions."
"So you're saying I should just give up and accept my fate? Sounds a lot like what
Neji babbles about," Sakura replied, sullen.
"Yes, well, that Hyuuga boy is a strange one himself. The Rock boy, too. I just
wish he'd get a proper haircut," her mother said. Sakura didn't reply, knowing full well
she'd continue. "As for your question, no, I'm not telling you to give up. I'm just saying
that you may want to save yourself a lot of heartache and personal suffering."
"I can't give up, Mama; I just can't. I need to get stronger, if not for myself, then
at least for the safety of my teammates. I can't just sit around like a fragile doll, ready to
break at any sudden movement. Being smart just isn't enough. I have to get stronger."
She spoke with such quiet conviction that her mother actually paused to look at her.
Those green eyes were afire, a flame that had long burned out in her own eyes.
"Tomorrow, Sakura, go over to your grandmother's. I believe she may be able to
help you, if you are positve you want to do this," she said. Sakura looked up at her and
smiled for the first time in days.
"Thanks, Mama."
A/N: There's part one. I hope you guys like it. Please feel free to review or flame, I accept
both. Constructive criticism would be great, as well. By the way, does anyone know how to put indents in
using HTML?
inspiration, since it came to me out of the blue and I actually finished it.
I suppose a rating of PG-13 is a bit heavy, but believe me, I'm not taking any chances,
especially on this site.
This takes place after the Chuunin Exams, but Sasuke never left. Also, it's going to be
Sakura-centric, so you won't see too much of other characters.
This is a four part series, plus an epilogue.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto, never have, never will. I only own this story and its
specifics.
ARCHIVE: Go ahead, just drop me a line.
GUIDE
"Blah" - spoken
Blah - thoughts / emphasis
Blah - emphasis in a thought
-Blah- - sound effect
- scene change
..::::.. - here, a dream sequence
time; four shuriken went flying over her, just barely missing her face.
The way we attract trouble you'd think we were magnets or something, she
thought as she recovered her wits. It had been a simple mission; go to the Hidden Grass,
exchange a scroll, and return. Or so they had thought-- they weren't even a day out on the
way back to Konoha when several nin, bearing no country identification, attacked.
Kakashi was about twenty feet from her, battling it out with fists with his
opponent. He had already taken care of one, who was crumpled in a bloody heap nearby.
Sasuke and Naruto were fighting two others, at the moment in an apparent dead lock.
Sakura was facing one herself, now, and was just intent on surviving.
She dodged another shuriken attack and was trying to somehow get behind her
opponent. If she could do that, she might be able to take the offense. Doubtful, but it
would keep her alive until one of the boys or Kakashi could come to her aid. Sakura
didn't like the idea, but she'd berate herself later for it; now was definitely not the time.
She ran behind a tree, and making the seals as fast as she could, sent a clone out,
hoping the guy would follow. A peek out saw that he did. She smiled to herself, grabbed
some shuriken, and went to follow. She threw a barrage and they hit... or so she thought.
The guy vanished with a -poof- and left her confused. A clone...? When did he...?
She was thrown back into reality by her name being called. She did a 180, only to
be pushed roughly to the side. She snapped her head up and saw Sasuke standing in front
of her, a few shuriken sticking out of him. Her eyes widened in horror, but he just gave
her a glance before jumping back into the fight.
Sasuke...
Grass to get patched up. Sasuke had had the worst of it all, with several shuriken in his
body and a few cuts that needed stitching. Kakashi also had some stitching, but was
released afterwards. Sakura had just some scratches and minor abrasions, and Naruto had
already healed any wounds he had had.
The mental berating she was giving herself rivaled some of Lee's self-induced
punishments. How could I be so stupid?! I was weak, weaker than I had ever been
before! I can't believe I fell for a basic trick like an idiot... she cursed herself, over and
over. She felt beating her held off the nearest wall-- or better yet, put her head through it.
"You know it wasn't your fault-- Sasuke moved on his own," Kakashi had told
her. She had simply shrugged at him and kept on with her mental torture. Yeah, she
thought, but he wouldn't have had to if I wasn't so weak.
She kept this up for the two days they were there and the days going home, despite
Naruto's several attempts to cheer her up. She found that she couldn't even look Sasuke
in the eye. What must he think of me? I've probably sunk even lower in his eyes, if that's
even humanly possible. He shows Naruto more attention than me, and they can't stand
each other! she told herself miserably.
Sakura did brighten a bit once they arrived home. She could talk to her mother
and mope for a few more days before having to face her team again. Since Sasuke was
still out of commission technincally, Kakashi had canceled their training sessions for the
rest of the week. She tried her best to hide her profound relief, but she was pretty sure
Kakashi saw it. Naruto and Sasuke were to busy arguing... again....
"Sakura? May I have a word with you?" Kakashi asked after Naruto left for the
Ichikaru and Sasuke limped home on crutches.
"Yes, sensei?" she asked quietly, knowing what he most likely wanted.
"Sakura, I can understand that you feel guilty for Sasuke's injuries; but you need
to understand, he did that on his own. It was his choice to protect you," he said, his voice
trying to be comforting, she knew.
"He shouldn't have to," was all she said before walking away. She heard him sigh,
and she ran the rest of the way home.
"Oh, Sakura! You're back!" her mother greeted her when she walked in the door.
"How did it go?"
"Oh, Mama!" she said, launching herself into her mother's arms. She couldn't
stop the tears from coming.
"There, there, dear. Why don't you go on up to your room and I'll fix us some tea,
okay?" Sakura sniffled and nodded, unable to find the voice to speak. She walked slowly
to her room and curled up on her bed. She found her old stuff bear, Scraggles, and
snuggled up with him. Her mother returned several minutes later, two mugs of hot tea in
hand. "Here, child," she said, handing Sakura a mug. "Now, why don't you tell me what
happened?"
"It was awful, Mama. We were attacked--"
"Oh, my! Are you alright?" Sakura nodded weakly and continued.
"We were attacked and -sniff- during the fight -sniff- someone called my name
and I turned around and I was -sniff- pushed to the ground..." Sakura struggled with her
words.
"Take a drink, dear, it'll help," her mother said. Sakura nodded and took a long
sip of the soothing tea. She took a deep breath and began again.
"I was pushed to the ground and I looked up and saw Sasuke standing over me.
He had pushed me out of the way of some shuriken, but he... he was hit..."
"Is he alright?" Sakura swallowed hard and nodded. Her mother was confused; if
Sasuke was fine, then why was her daughter so drastically upset?
"I was so weak... I couldn't defend myself, and because of that, Sasuke was hurt.
He was lucky this time, Mama, but what about the next?"
Those green eyes so much like her own were full of fear and worry. What could
she say? There was no words that seemed adequate. Instead, she just held her daughter
while she cried. Sometimes, actions really do speak louder than words.
very pretty today, nor did she really want to, and pulled her still short hair into a small
ponytail. Her mother had already left for work at the Hokage Tower, where she was a
secretorial manager. She had once asked her mother what that meant exactly, and was
told it meant that her mother got to tell everyone what to do when it came to running the
office. She had gone with her mother to work one day, to see for herself. It was an
interesting, if stressful, job.
Sakura made herself some ramen -- I've been around Naruto too much, she
thought-- and was out the door a half hour later. She was going to run some errands for
her mother first and then... she didn't know what she would do. She'd figure it out when
she came to it.
The first stop was the post office, where she bought a packet of stamps and mailed
some bills and whatnot. Then it was to the pet store to pick up a new water bowl for
Tsuki, their grey cat. It had been accidently left outside several months ago, and cracked
when the water in it froze over night. They had been using an old butter bowl, but it
finally bit the dust while Sakura was away and her mother had given her money to buy a
new one.
Her next stop was the general store to pick up some various things and then to the
grocery store to buy food for tonight and tomorrow. She made it back home at just before
noon, though it was closer to one by the time she had everything put away. She hadn't run
into anyone she knew, thankfully, since the other genin were still on missions. She sat
down on the couch with a mug of tea and a happily snoozing Tsuki on her lap.
"I wish I could be as easily pleased as you," she murmured to the cat, who only
twitched her ears in response. "I just can't believe I'm that weak. Sasuke and Naruto have
grown so much in their strengths, and I'm still left behind. I'll never make chuunin at this
rate."
As if to comfort her mistress, Tsuki began purring gently as Sakura stroked her.
Sakura was lost in thought over the matter, the scene of her 'unfortunate saving', as she
had begun to call it, replaying over and over in her mind. Soon, though, she was fast
asleep and dreaming.
can that be, we just came back from there.... She continued looking around and was
startled when she realized it was the area where they had been attacked. She suddenly
started running, but was pushed aside. Just like that day, she thought as she looked up,
half expecting to see Sasuke. In his place, though, was Kakashi. He extended his hand to
help her up, and she took it, only to be pulled into a black hole.
What?! she mentally yelled, her mind racing. The black slowly faded and she was
in the hospital. Frightened, she began running down the halls. It's so empty! Where is
everyone?! Why's it so dark?! Finally, when she turned down another hallway, she saw
Kakashi and Naruto talking to a man. Hey, that was the doctor that fixed Sasuke up!
Sakura thought, and began running towards them.
"Hey guys!" she called. They didn't seem to hear her. She stopped right beside
them, but they didn't look at her. She looked at them oddly, and noticed that Naruto
seemed rather subdued.
"We did the best we could, but he had a shuriken so close to his heart and another
one next to his spine... I am deeply sorry to tell you this, but your teammate didn't make
it," the doctor said. Sakura stared at him in shock. Sasuke... is dead? "May I ask what
happened?"
"We were attacked by unidentified nins," Kakashi replied. "He pushed another
teammate of ours out of the way of the attack and was hit himself."
"Did she not see it coming?" the doctor bit back.
"It was a surprise attack!" she snapped at him. She was ignored again.
"She's the weak link of our team. She couldn't handle herself," Naruto said,
astonishing Sakura with his tone of disgust.
"Naruto... it was an accident..." she said, but he didn't turn her way.
"Yes," the doctor said, "she sounds most definitely like the weak link. How did
she ever make a genin team?"
"Got me," Kakashi replied. By now, Sakura was imitating in her inner self and
was absolutely furious.
"I'm gonna--" she started to threaten, but was ignored yet again, and the doctor
spoke.
"Well, she should be eliminated! You should consider heavily speaking with your
Hokage about the matter-- perhaps you can get her sent back to school, where she
obviously belongs," the doctor said. Sakura was absolutely livid.
"I'll show you where I belong, when I shove my foot so far up your--" she
stopped, not because of anything the doctor and her teammates said or did, but because
they simply faded away.
"What the...?" Sakura said, surrounded by pitch black again.
"Sakura." She whirled around to find herself face to face with Sasuke. He looked
like he was going to say something, but fell into her arms instead.
"Sasuke? Sasuke?!" she said, laying him on the ground. She glanced at her hands
and saw that they were covered in blood. "Oh, no... Sasuke!"
"Sa... Sak... Saku... ra..." he choked out.
"Yes, it's me, what is it?" she asked, panicked.
"You... you... are..." he gasped for air.
"What? I'm what, Sasuke?!"
"P... pa... thet... ic.... You... are... pathetic..." he said, grabbing her by the collar.
Her eyes widened as he, too, vanished, leaving her covered in his blood. She
could hear his voice echoing throughout the darkness, repeating that phrase over and
over. She could hear the doctor's words join in, creating a jumbled mess of insults that
only seemed to get louder. She covered her ears, screaming for them to stop, but it only
intensified.
"NO! STOP IT! I'M NOT PATHETIC! I'M NOT WEAK! STOP IT!" she cried
out, only to be further ignored. She fell to the ground, crying. "I'm not weak..." she
whispered to the darkness, before losing consciousness.
rubbed her eyes. It was just a dream, Sakura, that's all. Just a dream. Sight at last
focusing, she glanced at the clock on the mantle. Four o'clock?! I slept for three hours?!
Mama's going to be home soon, and I haven't even set the meat out to thaw!
She bolted into the kitchen to catch up on her neglected chores. As she rushed to
get everything ready for dinner, she couldn't get that dream out of her mind. What did it
mean? Am I really that pathetic? Sasuke didn't really die, but he could have... and all
because of me, she thought sadly.
Her mother came in the door a few minutes later, asking how she was holding up.
Sakura replied better, but it sounded hollow even to her. They ate their meal quietly,
mostly talking about her mother's oddball coworkers. It was just them, since her father
had died several years ago when his squad was attacked on a mission. His picture was in a
frame beside the phone, smiling and throwing a peace sign, just like Naruto did.
"Mama," Sakura started, "I had a dream." She explained the entire dream to her
mother as they cleaned the table and washed the dishes.
"It sounds like you're convinced everyone thinks so low of you," her mother said
when she finished. "You have it in your head that you're weak, and you think that others
see you like that as well."
"But Mama, I am weak. I didn't even sense that attack coming, and I should have!
I fell for a little kid trick." Sakura sighed, and stopped drying the dish she was on. "It's
not just that, though. I always have to be protected by one of them. Even Kakashi-sensei!
I feel so useless, Mama."
"Sakura, dear, you were the brightest genin of your year, if not the past few years.
You have to accept that you have the brains and not the brawn."
"I don't want to accept that! I don't have to be as strong as Sasuke or Naruto, I
just want to be able to defend myself without needing someone to protect me! I just want
to be... competant enough to do that," Sakura said, almost slamming the dish onto the
counter. She mumbled an apology and started drying off the next dish.
"Daughter, I can understand why you would want that. It's what any nin wants,
whether their a genin or a jounin. It's just that some of us aren't battle-oriented, no matter
how we try. I'm not telling you to stop trying, I'm just warning you that you may never
reach a level where you're satisfied. I never did myself; that's why I work at the Hokage
Tower and don't go out on missions."
"So you're saying I should just give up and accept my fate? Sounds a lot like what
Neji babbles about," Sakura replied, sullen.
"Yes, well, that Hyuuga boy is a strange one himself. The Rock boy, too. I just
wish he'd get a proper haircut," her mother said. Sakura didn't reply, knowing full well
she'd continue. "As for your question, no, I'm not telling you to give up. I'm just saying
that you may want to save yourself a lot of heartache and personal suffering."
"I can't give up, Mama; I just can't. I need to get stronger, if not for myself, then
at least for the safety of my teammates. I can't just sit around like a fragile doll, ready to
break at any sudden movement. Being smart just isn't enough. I have to get stronger."
She spoke with such quiet conviction that her mother actually paused to look at her.
Those green eyes were afire, a flame that had long burned out in her own eyes.
"Tomorrow, Sakura, go over to your grandmother's. I believe she may be able to
help you, if you are positve you want to do this," she said. Sakura looked up at her and
smiled for the first time in days.
"Thanks, Mama."
A/N: There's part one. I hope you guys like it. Please feel free to review or flame, I accept
both. Constructive criticism would be great, as well. By the way, does anyone know how to put indents in
using HTML?