Welcome to Hell

NG: Okay before I get started. I'm sending HUGE thank you shout out to P i x. FINALLY, SOMEONE WHO KNOWS HOW TO REVIEW! I really appreciated all you wrote and I will take what you said into consideration. Heck I'll even go back and edit the last eight chapters again if it will make it easier for people to read this. I know what you said about long paragraphs but I'm not writing for kids here. I expect my readers to love reading enough not to get intimidated by a paragraph thats longer then four sentences. To me, if the information is related, it goes in the same paragraph. But I will try.

Anyways thanks again I loved reading you review, it was great. I can't do much about spelling mistakes, I can't spot them and I don't use Microsoft Word, the program I am using probably isn't as picky about spelling, plus, (I'm not sure if this is something relevant) I am Canadian and we spell some words up here differently than in America (if that's you basis for spelling and grammar checking though our grammar isn't that different...I'll stop now). Thanks eh?

Ninth Chapter

Three months later

Sakura was awake at the crack of dawn. It was a habit she had never been able to shake even now in the safety of Konoha. She had been brought here nearly two and a half months ago near death. Her memory of the past year was gone, what happened, her families death, her survival, even how she had gotten to Konoha was just another mystery to add to the rest. She sat back and watched the grey clouds drift across a pale blue sky.

It was strange, she had commented once when a nurse was drawing blood from her for tests. The only sky she could remember was varying shades of grey and red under a constant overcast of solid clouds. The nurse hadn't commented then but promptly slapped a bandaid on Sakura's arm and scurried from the room with her samples.

Sakura still lived at the hospital. The government was trying to find her a place to live but it was going to take a while. With the sudden influx of refugees the small country had experienced a housing shortage and were quickly building new houses and apartment buildings. At first Sakura was to be billeted with someone, but when news spread that she had been bitten...no one wanted to risk taking her in.

"It wasn't a bite," Sakura spoke to the doctor and government official as they gave her the news she would be staying in the hospital, "I was scratched."

"And how do you know this?" The doctor asked his face suddenly expectant.

"Are you serious?" Sakura asked the two, "Really? Jeez just look!" She rolled up her hospital gown sleeve and unwrapped the bandages they had placed around the scar to hide it. She showed them the three long jagged marks on her arm. They doctor and the official both flinched.

"Does this look like a bite?" she asked them.

"How did you get it?" The official asked.

"I don't remember." Sakura told him. "Just like everything else."

After the doctor and official left she heard them whispering in the hall. She had very good hearing apparently. She heard the doctor mention PTSD and amnesia due to mental trauma. Somehow, that didn't surprise Sakura very much. Of course she would have PTSD if what she had been told she had lived though was true. An entire year living among the undead, being hunted and almost dieing would be enough to drive anyone insane.

But then again it seemed she wasn't just anybody.

Sakura had arrived in the Land of Fire by helicopter. According to her medical file, which she had stolen from the nurses station, was that she had been found floating in the ocean holding onto a piece of floating debris with third degree burns covering over 60% of her body. Sakura had checked her body after reading this. She had scars from cuts all over her, and that particularly nasty one on her arm from where people assumed she had been bitten. But no burn scars.

Sakura didn't like thinking about it very much. It made her head hurt, another symptom of repressed memories apparently. According to her shrink, whom Sakura hated beyond imagination, it was these suppressed memories that was the key to her amnesia. If she could jus release the suppression on them, then she should be able to remember everything.

"Yeah like I want to..." Sakura had told her shrink and left his office.

But now it seemed she didn't have a choice.

As Sakura sat up in bed that morning she rubbed her head. A small throbbing was there just behind her eyes. Lately she had been having strange dreams, she couldn't remember any of them except for some blurs and incomplete sentences. She could also remember the feelings she had gotten from the dreams. Fear, joy, sadness...the last one was the strongest. This made Sakura think it was related to her most recent past. A pure, debilitating, sorrow.

'It might be that memory I'm suppressing,' Sakura thought, rubbing her eyes. Despite what she had told her shrink, Sakura did want to remember what she went through. She really wanted to remember. Because her current memory of herself over a year ago, a happy, giggly girl and fluff, just didn't match the hard muscled, lean, sharp and cynical woman she was today.

Unfortunately, she had another appointment with the shrink today. Joy. But then maybe she could get some answers. Double joy.

Sakura flopped back down onto her pillow and groaned, pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes to try and get rid of that annoying throbbing. She lifted her hands and turned to look out at the sky once more. More clouds had rolled in and it looked like it was about to rain... 'just like...' she thought then suddenly the pain spiked. And image flashed through her mind.

A lone fire on a hill. Three men sat around it. She couldn't see their faces and their forms were blurry. It was night and the wind was cold. Two of the men laughed and joked with one another, talking to her, she couldn't make out what they were saying, the wind was too loud. The third man didn't say anything. He wasn't even looking at her but deep into the fire. She said something and he suddenly looked up at her.

Then is was gone.

Sakura opened her eyes, she was lying on the cold floor, her face inches from the wall under her window. She was cold as her sweat soaked skin was in contact with the linoleum floor.

'Did I remember something?' she thought, her mind was racing. The pain in her head slowly subsided into that soft throbbing. Sakura didn't mind that anymore. It meant she was beginning to remember.

XXX

Sakura had just pulled on her short leather jacket when her door burst open. Sakura dived for a gun she didn't have before realizing it was just Ino.

Yamanaka Ino, was a blond volunteer Sakura had come to know at the hospital. The blue eyed Konoha native had taken Sakura under her wing even before Sakura had woken up from her coma three weeks after being rescued. Frankly Sakura thought she was a bit annoying but at least Ino didn't flinch when Sakura was around. Even after the news of her 'bite' spread, Ino waved off the rumours and pretended that they didn't exist. "What do they know." become her mantra.

Ino didn't even blink when as Sakura straightened herself and mad sure that the short sleeves of the jacket still covered her scar. The blond was holding a large box.

"Check it out Sakura!" Ino grinned wide, "They finally released your things!" Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. All items and clothes she had on her when she was found had been confiscated and placed in an isolated lab to be tested and disinfected. The government here was taking no chances it seemed. Sakura had almost given up hope of ever seeing her things again.

"About time," She replied indicating Ino to place the box on the bed. Ino did and began opening the box.

"Maybe there's something int here that could help you remember." The blond commented on hopefully. Sakura didn't say anything but she secretly agreed. After her episode this morning, she was eager to remember more.

"Yes, hopefully they will trigger something in your subconscious." Came a voice from the door. Sakura and Ino turned to look. Sakura flinched. It was her shrink...Dr. Orochimaru. His pale skin and long black hair made him look like a drowned corpse, something Sakura figured she now had an eternal knee jerk reaction to hating on sight. Behind him was the head of the hospital and city mayor Tsunade, whom Sakura liked very much in fact. The older blond woman smiled encouragingly.

"We just received word you got your things back and wanted to be on hand in case you remembered anything." She said. Sakura nodded her head in thanks ans finished opening the box as the others came in.

She was suddenly nervous. Her hands shook.

"Take you time my dear," Orochimaru said gently, "Take your time." Sakura took a deep breath and reached into the box.

Her hand met soft fabric and she pulled out a black zip up hooded sweater. It was ragged and was full of rips and holes. It smelled strongly of the disinfectant used by the lab and Sakura felt her nose wrinkle.

"What a rag." Ino said. Sakura rolled her eyes and folded the sweater. She had a strange attachment to the shredded garment and planned on fixing it up if she could. She reached in again and drew out a long hunting knife. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ino flinch and Orochimaru stared intently at her and the knife waiting to see her reaction to it.

Sakura drew the knife from it's beaten leather sheath and watched the light reflect off the polished blade. She had taken good care of this knife. Why?

"I noticed you don't have a close quarters weapon." an older man said to Sakura as they walked down a highway. Sakura glanced at him but the sun was in her eyes.

"No but I have used my rifle as a club it I had to." she told him. The older man looked thoughtful. "Although that is effective, I'm guessing your rifle is a bit awkward when used in such a fashion. Not to mention the damage it must receive after a time." Sakura blinked as he handed her a long hunting knife from his belt.

"Take this," He said, "It'll do you better."

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked the silver haired man, "I noticed to take special care of this one."

"I was my fathers." he replied.

"What?" Sakura was taken aback, "But then I can't..."

"Take it," The silver man said again, "It'll do you more good them me."

"But..." She protested as she took the knife.

"It's alright Sakura-chan!" Another of the men called from up front his voice was happy and she could tell without looking he was ginning, "He wouldn't give it to you unless he really wanted to. Plus he knows a lot more about combat than any of us combined."

Sakura blushed and looked down. "Thank you." she muttered.

"This was a gift, I think." Sakura told them, 'that's right.' she thought, 'One of them had silver hair.'

"It was given to me by a friend." she went on.

"Is this friend dead or alive?" Tsunade asked quietly.

"I don't know." Sakura answered truthfully and felt a pang of sorrow. She placed the knife back in it's sheath and clipped it to her belt, much to Inos' displeasure.

Next Sakura pulled out a pair of black cotton pants. Like the sweater, they were in deplorable condition and she put them down quickly.

'Where's my bag?' Sakura thought. She looked around the box in case it had fallen out without anyone noticing but didn't see one.

"What are you looking for Sakura?" Orochimaru asked.

"My bag," She replied, "I had a shoulder bag that I wore across my chest." she paused and frowned. "No, I did have one. But I threw it away. It was slowing me down. I took it off and threw it away so I could run faster." the throbbing in her head began again. She rubbed her forehead.

"Sakura what's wrong?" Ino asked.

"I don't know," Sakura said, "my head just hurts a bit."

"Maybe we should stop." Tsunade suggested.

"No!" Sakura exclaimed, surprising them all. "I have to remember, I have to!" Tsunade placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Why Sakura?" Tsunade looked at the pink haired woman, a little nervous. In the months since Sakura had come here she had never raised her voice.

"I don't know!" Sakura cried, "But I have to. It's important!"

"Okay," Ino shushed Sakura soothingly, "Okay, lets take it slow Sakura. Lets take a breather and let me know if your head gets any worse okay?" Sakura took another deep breath and nodded. She couldn't stop. Not now.

Why?

What was so important?

Sakura turned back to the box and pulled out the last item. A pair of tarnished dog tags on a broken chain. Blood stained the chain and tags both. Sakura froze. Her head began to pound.

"Sakura?" Ino prodded, worry evident on her face.

"These aren't mine." Sakura whispered, as she fingered the chain and held the dog tags up to the weak light. Outside it began to rain.

Sakura could see her eyes eyes reflect in the tarnished metal. The name engraved into the dog tags were difficult to read. She placed them in her palm and began to rub away the blood obscuring the name.

"What do you mean they're not yours?" Tsunade asked, "Did the lab make a mistake?" She looked over at Orochimaru who shrugged.

"Things happen." He replied, "Could be a mix up."

Sakura wasn't listening. She was beginning to see the name.

"Couldn't be." Ino chimed in, "Its noted in the log. See?" She showed the doctors a sheet of paper.

"Hey, you okay?" a deep voice spoke behind her and Sakura turned. Behind her stood the third man. He had pale skin and dark hair. And even darker eyes that she knew turned red.

"I'm sorry," She told him as she hurriedly wiped her eyes. She had been crying by herself as the group had taken a break to drink, eat and take naps. She could see the blond happy man the the silver haired older man napping beneath a had been walking almost non-stop since Tokyo, eager to leave the dead infested city behind them. They didn't sleep because they were so exposed in the open and didn't want to risk getting jumped unawares at night. It was hard on her.

"Che, typical." he muttered behind her. Sakura raised an eyebrow and glared at the man.

"Excuse me?" she asked. The man rolled his eyes and looked away from her.

"I said it's typical. As soon as life just gets a little difficult, you break down and cry. This is why I was against a woman joining us in the first place."

"Excuse me?" Sakura was shocked. Who did this guy think he is? "Well I'm sorry mister solider. If my poor weak body is unable to keep up with your super stamina just because I spent the last six months NOT getting bitten." The man twitched. "I just had to survive all on my own without anyone to help me in the wilderness all alone in constant fear, without anyone watching my back." She stood up and jabbed him in the chest with a finger, "So excuse me, for being exhausted, excuse me for being relieved to finally be among fellow human who aren't trying to eat me, and excuse me for being girl, jack ass!"

The man through out all this just remained impassive as Sakura ranted at him for being a misogynistic pig and so on. And when she was done he nodded.

"Okay then, now that you've got that out of your system lets get moving." he told her and turned to leave. Sakura stared after him.

"What?" she called after him. He glanced over his shoulder and caught her eyes with his. Sakura blushed.

"That's the kind of attitude we need to survive out here, now I know you have it. And besides, don't you feel better?" and he left her.

Sakura flushed red, "What just happened?"

Sakura had just finished cleaning off the blood and read the name when she felt her heart thud. Suddenly all the pain in her head just vanished and was replaced with absolute numbness. She began to shake and tears gathered at her eyes.

"Oh my God." She gasped her breath caught in her throat catching the others attention. Hot tears spilled from her eyes, tracing the contours of her face and landing on the dog tags. Sorrow engulfed her and she collapsed her knees, sobbing and screaming.

"Sakura!" Ino cried and knelt be her friend who was screaming over and over again.

"NO! NO, NO, NO!" Sakura was out of control.

"Sakura what's wrong?" Tsunade joined Ino in front of the grief stricken girl. She grabbed Sakura's shoulder and gave her a shake. "What's wrong?"

Sakura seemed to come to for a moment. Her breathing was shallow as she gasped for air. She shook uncontrollably and her eyes were wide and unseeing. Her voice was hoarse as she whispered.

"They're dead...oh god they're dead." and she collapsed once more into tears, Ino took her hand and gently unclasped Sakura's fingers from the dog tags. Ino grabbed them and read the name.

Uchiha Sasuke

End of Chapter

(please don't hate me)