For as long as she could remember, Sakura was always watching someone's back. No matter what she did, how far she overcame, the end results always stayed the same. She was the shadow that everyone overlooked, the fan-girl, the weak-linked. No matter what, it always stayed the same. She wasn't strong or as fast as her teammates. She didn't have massive amounts of chakra like them. She didn't have that powerful name that came with its own unique bloodline. She wasn't someone reincarnated. Nor did she have anyone who was willing t help her. She was from a civilian background, a nobody. Everything she worked for, was through blood, sweat, and tears. Yet...she could never compare. She wanted to be recognized. She wanted to make them proud of her, of her achievements, or what she overcame. Wanting to be something more than, the girl who was the Legendary Sannin or the girl who defeated Sasori of the Red Sand. She wanted to be something more than those titles. Go ahead call her selfish, but she was human. Every once in a while, she could dream because she knew they'd never come true. It was...just something that wasn't meant to be…
Truefully she was disgusted with herself. The thought of her younger self, made her lip curl and her nostrils would flare. She felt disappointed and shame. Looking back now, how could she have acted like that, she was raised better than that. Why had she's given her precious time to someone who never even considered it in the first place. She gave up her first friend for him. She loved him with the passion hotter than a thousand suns. She thought he was the one. It was truly a wondered how she survived until now.
As she looks out onto the battlefield. Though the ground glistened as the rain had fallen, the liquid that shone wasn't clear but red. How many had fallen? How many remained strong and able to remain fighting? The battlefield lay quiet, for it was now a graveyard of the unburied. Their corpses lay among the buttercups and forget-me-nots. The battlefield was dust and dirt, all baked under an unrelenting sun. Longed have been stripped bare of its once beautiful greenery. Her gaze glanced over ever still body in front of her and help but feel sadness. Though it was useless now. Though her eye lingered a bit longer onto those she knew, be it personally or not. Until her gaze finally settled on to her teammates. Her sensei and her teacher. The tears flowed unchecked down her cheeks and dripped from her chin. She was too sad to cry out or wail, she just stood there as still as a statue while the magnitude of her loss swept over her. It was truly bittersweet, they had won the battle, but at what cost?
She smiled softly, though it didn't reach her eyes. She was dying. Her chakra had been run dry. Her body felt like it was on fire, every little move, the pain came in waves. She had loved and she had lost. There was no reason for her to remain, she had lost everything dear to her. Her family was as dysfunctional as it was large. They supported her, loved her, made sure she was alright. Truefully she felt like she somehow failed them all. The pain throbs in her gut, it's deep and warm, but not in a nice way. It feels like someone has their hand in there and are squeezing her organs either gently or as hard as they can. She winces as her vision swirls without mercy. As she falls slowly, she couldn't help but think….' I wanted to do so much more..'.
duh-duhn, duh-duhn.
could feel my heartbeat… every single pound in my chest. This great pounding, this great pressure; every beat. I couldn't hear it, but I could feel it. It shouldn't be possible. How….why?! She wakes up the way she's learned to wake up over the past several years. Like flipping a switch, her brain turns on, and her senses flare and touch on everything around her even while her body remains completely lax. But somethings wrong with her body. Everything felt wrong. Her senses felt muddled and stifled like she's being held under water while trying to feel the wind, and her mind runs through every possibility before settling on the most probably one. Then she felt the pain that has an unpleasant warmth to it, eating at her stomach. The pain isn't sharp like needlepoint or a knife, it burns around her innards better than boiling water. Everything feels scolded and, move or not, she in more pain than I could have ever imagined was possible. She felt the aching and cracks in her bones. Each crack felt like rocks were trying to burrow into her skin. As she sucked in cramped air, she felt her lungs caving in on themselves. When she tried to spread her chakra outward in her body. Only to her despair, there was no response. She could still feel it...but it was untouched, unused. It was weak and small little feeble thing compared to what it was before.
She's been captured and someone's drugged her. Possibly sealed her chakra, but not likely. She couldn't feel that distinct pressure that sealed chakra feels like. However, she can also tell that she has not been chained up or tied down. Their mistake. Though in pain she flexes her body. Checking and searching for anything more at miss.
…..What she finds, isn't what she expected, no….no one could this in a million years...Her mind begins to shut down, unwilling to think anymore. Perhaps this is shock, she's really not sure. She blacks out.
When she wakes up suddenly, every thought in high definition. But at the same time, she doesn't know what to feel. She doesn't know what to think! THIS SHOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE! right?
She didn't need chakra, too know what was wrong. She could tell by the shorter limbs and the weird sense of the new height, she was feeling. Her body doesn't feel as it used to be….she has to worry about this later. She could afford this now, she's been captured and she hurt. Though the pain has resided, its still a dull ache. But she pushes it to the back of her mind. She had more thing to worry about. She had been captured and her chakra is in a useless state right now.
From what she could tell, it was still the same as ever, only not used. She easily breaks past the barrier that held one to her chakra, and begins cautiously, working through the drugs in her system, she pokes at the room once more without opening her eyes. A relentless beeping sound comes from somewhere on her left a few feet away from her head. A... monitor of some sort? It's the first thing that occurs to her because she's heard plenty of them back when she was in Konoha and following Tsunade around at the hospital. So whoever has captured her probably wants them to live, at least for now, and Sakura knows she was critically injured but... she isn't anymore. Her chakra was a bit weird, but it's still better than the clammy chill of chakra exhaustion she remembers feeling before she lost even that awareness.
Her captors must have healed most of her other injuries as well. The worst ones are on the mend, and the less serious ones are bandaged and won't slow her down. Even her hands are functioning again, though her fingers ache every time she flexes them. Another mistake on their part. However, the drugs in her system are muddying up her senses, and she doesn't know how she'll fare on her feet, but overall, her situation could be worse.
She tenses where she hears there is a suggestion of movement from beyond the doors, the approaching footsteps have the wet sound of someone on grass; someone who has not learned to walk quietly. Each footfall is chaotically spaced from the last, no rhythm at all…. It seems shes spoken too soon…..
She hears the door handle jiggled, and the sound of the door opening slowly. But before she can fully register what was happening. She felt pain. A sharp pain lanced through her head and colorful spots flashed in front of her eyes, it felt like her whole body had been beaten and every movement caused some muscle or bone to ache. The insides of her head were in chaos. A mess. Something felt so wrong, but she couldn't tell what. Something was hurting her. She tried to reason this unbearable burning but didn't find any. Suddenly, every memory slams into her, it was like being forced to swim once more in the tide waters of the past and awakened memories long forgotten.
Everything became fuzzy; then she saw nothing at all.
When she was aware, she keeps her eyes close still Knowing she's not alone. She could practically see the nervous twitching and smell them being close to her person Cautiously, she slowly opens her lids, ignoring the sting in her eyes as she does. The first thing she sees the blinding white of the wall of the roof. She blinks twice before looking slowly towards her left and stared. The person before her flinches back, unconsciously lowing her eye. Her stare wasn't intentionally cold, but her face somehow lacked the mobility others had. She sees is the fearful face and body language. Her brain recognized this stranger as her mother. At first glance, you could say she was beautiful. She had a rounded face, slightly lighter than ivory with a rose-colored tint to her cheeks. Her brown eyes shone brightly, reflecting the warmth of the sun. They were such a unique color, a mix of light and dark. Her pink, freckled, buttoned nose that was just above her lips, that were a pale pink and would remind you of a curly brown hair falling in soft layers around bare shoulders. Her bare arms were honed from hours of labor. Truthfully, she was a small little thing. Unknown to Sakura, her eyes softened just a bit and her lips quirked upwards. She watches as this body's mother - Haruno Akiyo -relaxes and watches as her eyes lighten and she smiles at her.
Sakura stares at Akiyo, for a minute before looking away and scanning around the room. From what she can tell, the bed sits low to the ground, the frame bearing the signs of rust and the mattress, thin. The hospital room is as devoid of beauty, the far end is windows in brown metal frames, only openable at the top. Its walls are simply cream, not peeling or dirty, just cream. There are stands for intravenous drips and monitors. At the door are dispensers for rubber gloves, hand sanitizer, and soap. It has a stagnant smell like it's cleaned with plain water instead of disinfectant. There are a few plastic chairs as well, scattered around the room, and a plain wooden bedside table. Other than that, there's a door, closed and presumably leading into the rest of the building, and another doorway at the far end. She glimpses a sink, which must mean that's the bathroom.
A gentle voice, filled with worry broke her thoughts.
"Saku-chan…", she turns towards Akiyo, her senses feel muddled and stifled like she's being held under water while trying to feel the wind. Someone increased the dosage of the drug. She gently nudges her chakra into working through the drugs in her system, feeling a little surprised at how quick her chakra responds. Sakura blinks before giving Akiyo her full attention but remains quiet.
Akiyo couldn't help but feel uncomfortable by her child's stare. That same stare had an effect on Akiyo's breathing, constricted and shallow. There was no life behind those eyes. She felt more worry creep up as she continued to look into her son's green eyes. Emerald and the color of deep forest pools, stared back at her, the owner giving her his full attention. Akiyo wondered when eyes sons eye were this way. Looking away she focused on the rest of her Saku's face. He had her rounded face with a cute little button nose. His disheveled, long, bright pink curls were scattered across the pillow. She reaches a handout, watching with an emoition she cants explain, as her son watches her hand as she rests it against his cheek. His gaze flickers back to her before leaning into her hand. She can feel her smile widen as he purs when she moves her hand into his hair. Watching as her son's eyes become narrow and unfocused. She can imagine him with little pink ears and him flicking a long pink tail. Whatever had happened, she likes him this way.
Sakura feels her body go completely relax as Akiyo, trended her fingers through her hair. She felt no shame as she began to purr loudly. Akiyo truly has fingers of a god.
Her last mother would have never done this. She was strict and old fashioned. She drilled proper manners into Sakura. And she never supported her in her ninja carrier. Sakura quickly pushed down the memories, violently shoving them the deepest darkest corner. She wouldn't let this moment be interrupted. Sakura paused slightly, surprised how she was feeling towards this woman. But she couldn't help but feel love towards Akiyo. And found herself, slowly trusting this around her person. And she found herself not really minding these new feelings of affection.
