What it means...
Chapter 1 - Pink
For the rest of the day, Hana, now known as Sakura, tries to wake up from what she assumes to be a dream. First, she bites her thumb, then her tongue. However, the iron taste that slowly spreads in her mouth doesn't wake her up. So, seeing that it clearly doesn't work, she "stabs" her thigh with her pencil, giving blows according to the rhythm of her heart. The beats accelerate faster and faster as she realizes the uselessness of the action. As bruises form on her white soft skin, Hana decides to cut her forearm with scissors that she found previously in the pink pencil case in front of her. "Pink, really?" Feeling a glare burning the side of her face, she turns around and notices that her neighbor, whom she believes to be Sasuke, stares intently at her. "It may be a little too bloody", she thinks, wiping her arm on her red dress.
"Well, it's over for today, guys", says Iruka-sensei. "See you on Monday! We can then create the three men squads and you'll finally have the chance to know the identity of the other two companions who will become your teammates for the years to come, as well as meet your new sensei who will guide you and teach you even more about the shinobi profession. In the meantime, I suggest you take advantage of this weekend to relax and spend time with your family, because God knows that the life of a shinobi is a busy one!"
"Hai!", the class answers in unison.
As people start to leave the room, Hana stands up abruptly, realizing that she still doesn't know what to do. "Where am I going now? Shit, why didn't I wake up? It's ridiculous, I don't even know who I am, where I live…" Her wide, motionless eyes stare into the distance and one of her hands clutch the desk, her knuckles turning white.
"Hey, Sakura-chan! Would you like me to walk you home?"
With a start, Hana inadvertently pushes the desk, creating an unpleasant noise that makes the few students still in the classroom to turn. She then looks to her right where the same blond boy, who tried earlier to give her a mouth-to-mouth, watches her, his blue eyes filled with hope. "It's my chance!"
"Yeah, of course! Thank you, Naruto", she says.
"Wow, thanks to my gigantic brain for remembering his name! Maybe that's why the other girl called me Forehead. Maybe this Sakura is smart too… Although her decisions seem to say otherwise…" Regaining a little of her boldness, Hana raises her chin proudly and slowly turns her gaze to the left, a smug smile on her lips. However, her eyes stopping on her black-haired neighbor, her lips suddenly fall, along with the rest of her confidence.
"YEAH! SAKURA-CHAN SAID YES! You're serious, aren't you, Sakura-chan?", she hears to her right.
Still looking at the two suspicious onyx orbs staring at her, Hana gulps loudly. The boy narrows his eyes a little more, then leaves without a word. Slowly, by following him with her gaze, she finds herself facing Naruto and his inquisitive eyes again.
"Well, yes… but it's not a date or something, you know?"
"Yeah, yeah. Alright… It's a beginning, I guess! Come on, I'll take you home!"
Following Naruto outside, Hana is surprised by the vision unfolding before her eyes. A hand lands on her upper back and pushes her gently, so she starts to walk, glancing around. During their journey, she doesn't listen to anything her companion tells her. On the other hand, she is overwhelmed by everything around her, her wide eyes always staring at something strange, unusual. "The architecture is clearly different in this city… People too… I wonder what are these strange headbands? A new trend? And are there dyes or is it their true hair color? I've never met anyone with natural purple hair, but we never know…" When they finally stop in front of a small yellow house, Hana notices that she didn't cross a single car at all and that people don't seem to have a cell either… "Maybe there is just no technology here…", she ultimately tells herself.
Naruto finally leaves her after a moment of awkward silence, during which she feels like he's waiting to be invited in while she just wants to be alone to think. As soon as she closes the door, she lets out a sigh of relief that is quickly interrupted by the maternal embrace of a blonde woman, petite, but surprisingly powerful.
"Congratulations, honey! You have now completed the academy. My little girl will now become a respected kunoichi and be feared by everyone", says a deep voice coming from the next room to her right. "Your mother has decided to celebrate it as it should, so come here and admire the result."
Pushed in the back by the woman, Hana finds herself in the living room. Sitting in a beige loveseat, a man with purple and star-shaped hair smiles at her with a warm, honest smile that even reaches his piercing blue eyes. "This life shouldn't be so hard to live, ultimately…" On the coffee table is a round cake with strawberry and glazed sugar. Two pink banners hang from the ceiling, crossing in the middle of the room. Pink, purple and green balloons litter the ground and music fills the silences of its happy notes.
"Kizashi, you always ruin surprises. Who in the world warns the person before it enters the room? Really, you're a Haruno for sure…"
"Ah, my dear Mebuki, I think you forget that that's why you chose me, the big bearded man with strange hair, among all your suitors."
After a little laugh and a pat on her husband's shoulder, Mebuki turns to look at her daughter.
"You seem strange, Sakura. Everything is fine?"
"Yes… Uh no… In fact, I fainted this afternoon… and I must say I still feel a little upside down…"
"You fainted?" Both parents exclaim, the man even getting up from his seat.
"Nothing very serious, but I would like to lie down a little, if you don't mind…"
"Honey, we understand perfectly! Go to bed, I'll bring you a warm cup of tea, it'll do you good."
The mother then leaves the living room and heads for the kitchen facing it, on the other side of the corridor. Timidly, Hana starts to follow her, looking for her room.
"Come on, Kiddo, I'll tuck you in", the father says, resting his big hand on her frail shoulder.
Pushing the door of the room at the end of the corridor, Hana is blinded by all the pink she sees. The man guides her into the bed, and after covering her well, he drops a kiss on her forehead. He then closes the door behind him after whispering: "I love you, my treasure."
Rising up, the girl stops herself in front of a mirror beside the bed, curious to finally know her new face. "Well, it seems like I have no choice but to accept the pink color now...", she thinks. Indeed, Hana's hair is now a light shade of pink and with her rosy cheeks and lips, she can't really say it's ugly at all. She also has two seafoam eyes, a little larger than average, just like Mebuki. All this contrasts completely with her old brown hair and eyes, that's for sure, but Hana thinks she kind of likes it. Despite everything, her face looks like the old, but in a more refined, delicate way. A small nose with freckles on it, the rounded cheeks of a preteen and full lips covering tiny white teeth. Finally, her eyes land on her forehead. "No, this time around, it's definitely bigger. That explain that, I guess…", she says, remembering the nickname the blonde gave her earlier. Then, her eyes narrow as she notices the rest of her body. "Far too small, really. I understand what Naruto meant." Her chest is flat, like her belly, and her arms and legs seem to have no muscles at all. In addition, the dress she wears, much too tight, reveals an extremely thin waist. "I look like anything but a threatening ninja…"
Staring at her reflection, Hana sees her expression change into a determined one, her brows frowning. Now, she has a plan. First, she gives herself until tomorrow morning to wake up and if she's still in that same pink room by then, she will spend the rest of the weekend reading Sakura's notes on her different classes. She must indeed understand the new world she is in and what it really means to be a kunoichi. Plus, she also wants to spend time with her new parents, something she hasn't had the opportunity to do for a long time.
When she goes back to bed a few moments later, Hana has a thought for Sakura, because, well, she guesses that the pink-haired girl is not here anymore. "At least I have another chance... I will make sure to enjoy it in her honor."