A/N: Woo Hoo! Hey everybody, I'm writing this chapter at 2:02 am after not sleeping the night prior. Also I'm exhausted from being squished by a mattress and chased by a sofa with no cushions. If you think I'm kidding, you've obviously never moved these items out of a three story apartment building with no elevator! So here I am writing this chapter after all that, and that everyone is called dedication.
(Shakes fist) you all better appreciate this!…I'm a wee bit over tired, excuse the craziness.
Quasi101: I'm glad you reviewed! Thank you for taking the time to comment. I'm happy that my story was good enough to lure you out of lurking, lol. I hope you continue to enjoy my story!
Rel : I'm glad you like the fic! Thank you for the review!
Krista: I know I'm cutting it close but I hope I made it in time, I don't want to loose one of my readers! Why wont you be able to read my story anymore? I'm so sad now.
AnimeManiac09 : I hope the anticipation doesn't kill you! Then you wouldn't be able to find out what happens. Thank you for the review!
Only Secret : Haha, and this chapter will be like flour to the gravy…if the plot was gravy…flour makes gravy thick…you get it right? I'm over tired, can you tell? Lol. You will see more connections as the story progresses! Thanks for the review as always.
Xelagirl2: I wont answer your questions, but this chapter will, well one of your questions. I'm glad you are enjoying the story so much, it makes me happy to know that. Huggle. Thank you again for your review!
Shinobi Darkbeak: Thank you for the review. I'm glad you like my chapters, I will continue to update and hope that my work stays good!
Ruriko89: I liked that last chapter the best too, cause it finally explained a few things, lol. Ass for Sakura's destiny, Jaaku plans to use her blood to wipe out mankind, I haven't explained how though, all that I leaked out is that Sakura needs her wings to appear before he can do that. Also, I've been hinting at an alternative. But you'll have to keep reading to find out what that is.
O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
The dream started out like the others, in an open field with a lake and forest. Sakura was now used to watching everything through Michiko's eyes. Her father was there again. Sakura could feel her host's happiness bubble inside herself. However, as Sakura knew, this would not last.
Like before, Jaaku arrived. The actions were quick, as though they fast forwarding through the dream. 'It's not really a dream,' Sakura thought as she watched Jaaku kill Michiko's father. 'These must be memories,' she decided. The white light appeared around Michiko like before. Sakura then saw white feathers float in front of her face.
"Her blood is that of those with wings…Lets see if I can't coax those wings of yours out"
Sakura felt a tremor dance down her back. The white light dimmed and Sakura felt the same searing pain on her shoulder blades from her last encounter with the demon.
The dream Jaaku was smiling now. Michiko's head turned to the right allowing her and Sakura to see the large feathery white wing that protruded from her back. To the left was another. Had Sakura not already have been unconscious, she was sure this would have made her faint.
Jaaku reached out for the small girl who was no shaking in fear. Sakura tried to urge her host to run but it was a fruitless effort as Sakura reminded herself that these events had already taken place, she was just watching them.
"Senichi? Is that you? Have you returned to Tengoku?" Michiko and Sakura looked down at the young blonde's father who was just barely holding on to life. "It is you Senichi, you finally came back," a somewhat sad smile crossed the man's lips and he closed his eyes. "You have changed, Senichi. Was it worth it?" Jaaku snarled angrily at the dieing man.
"Senichi? That fool of a mortal? I shed that identity a hundred years before you were even born," Jaaku spit. "Don't act familiar with me." Jaaku stepped over to Michiko's father who was lying on his stomach. Blood was pooling below him over the green grass. Michiko was too scared to move, she was too young to witness such heinous acts of cruelty. "Ah, I see now. You are of the Hashinaka clan. Minako, that horrible woman, must have been one of your ancestors," Jaaku seemed intrigued now.
"How could you leave her like that? She loved you!" Michiko's father asked. His voice was fading and he knew he would be dead soon. "It broke her heart and killed her when you left."
Jaaku laughed. "Good, Minako was always in my way," he said. "Besides, she loved Senichi, not me. You see, I have found what I was looking for," he added waving his hands around as if to show himself off . "Immortality, and only at the coast of my humanity. It was quite a deal really."
Michiko's father was growing angry now. "She wanted to protect you from that," he wheezed. "But since she is not here, I will grant her last wish," her shouted. His hands moved fast creating seals. Jaaku realized what the man was doing, but it was to late. The deed had been done.
Jaaku screamed in anger and pain as Michiko's father grabbed his ankle. I bright green light flashed around the man's grip and slowly died down. "Bastard! Hw could you!" Jaaku screamed. He yanked his leg away in sheer rage. "Curse you! Don't you dare think this is over," Jaaku shouted as he scrambled away from the man who was only half alive. "I'll get rid of this curse, then she will die!" Jaaku then disappeared back into the forest.
Michiko stood frozen for a moment, then cried. Sakura whished that the bubbly feeling would come back, anything would have felt better then this child's remorse. The small body crawled over to her father and timid hands rolled him onto his back. "Otousan?"
A weak smile. "Michiko-Chan, I need you to find Ojisan and tell him what happened. He will know what to do. don't worry about Senichi, he cannot harm you for now," Michiko's father stopped to cough. Blood speckled his lips. "I have cursed him with humanity, however he may find a way to break the curse, you must be prepared," Michiko just nodded her head as her father spoke. Her heart was beating fast now and she fought to keep the tears out of her eyes.
"It's okay to cry, Michiko-Chan," her father reassured. The small girl wrapped her tiny arms around the man and sobbed into his chest. The man's body became cold and Sakura felt a chill run down her spine. She looked up at the sky. the blue cloud covered sky began to ripple like water.
Sakura's lungs bean to burn as she soon realized the scenery had changed. she was now below the water of what seemed like a bathtub. Two hands were pining her shoulders down. Above her, Sakura made out the image of a crying woman. Red swirls twisted around in the water and above her face.
Sakura tried to scream but instead she let out a bubbly gasp as the air escaped her mouth. He vision was going black when she was finally released.
"Shouta! Shouta, what have I done?" the woman cried.
Before Michiko's body broke the watery surface, Sakura felt herself being pulled from the dream.
O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
"Sakura?"
The pink haired konouchi woke up to find a pair of cold black eyes staring down at her. "Was it another dream?" Sasuke asked. He watched his female teammate struggle slightly to sit up and offered her help as he placed his hand against the small of her back. Sakura nodded gratefully at him.
"Yeah, but this one was much longer then the other one," she explained. "I think they are memories. Michiko's memories. Of when her father was killed." Sakura's shoulders slumped at that thought. The name Shouta stuck out in her mind. "Shouta, I think that was her father's name."
Sasuke was considering Sakura's theory on her reams when she said that last part. "Shouta? Why that name?" He questioned.
"At the end of my dream, a woman was calling out to someone named Shouta, and I think that happened after he died. Who ever the women was, she must have known him since she had his daughter." Sakura pondered further, surprised by her minds capability to work so quickly after just waking up. However, she reasoned with herself that the images were fresh in her mind and she didn't want to forget anything.
"Why did the woman have Michiko?" Sasuke asked. "Unless she was the her mother. Why else would she have Shouta's child?" Sakura shook her head.
"No way. The woman was trying to drown Michiko, the is no way that was her mother," Sakura said. She vaugly wondered were the blood had come from. Sasuke pulled her mind away from the question before she could analyze it.
"Something must be triggering your dreams," he said. He looked at Sakura expectantly. She just shrugged in return. No way in hell was she going to tell him that her dreams were brought on by some ire lullaby that she'd been humming to herself for the past few days. That would lead to her telling him about the locket and as far as she knew, he didn't want her to have it.
"Whatever it is, I bless it. I found something interesting out about our friend Jaaku," Sakura said eagerly. Sasuke listened intently as she explained her dream to him in perfect detail, everything from Jaaku's dead lover Minako all the way to the crying woman. She was careful not to forget to mention Senichi. She also shared her speculation that Jaaku was once human and that he was called Senichi.
"Hn," Sasuke said when Sakura finished telling him everything. "Sounds like Minako was trying to stop him from doing something stupid," Sasuke said with a smirk. "The two of you seem to share that trait," he said with a smirk as he remembered a certain night with the pink haired girl just before he left Konoha.
Sakura blushed slightly and looked away, determined not to be distracted. "Kaori-san said that Jaaku still had humanity in him, even though she killed him. He must have thought that would break the curse Shouta put on him, but I guess it wasn't completed."
Sasuke agreed with a nod of his head. The two then sat in thought.
They sat there for a half hour in silence, thinking over the facts that they had gathered between them. Sakura was beginning to feel drowsy after a restless sleep then deep thinking. Her eyelids felt heavy and her neck soon could not hold up her head. Before she knew it, her body shut down and Sakura fell asleep, her head of pink locks resting gently on Sasuke's shoulder.
The Uchiha looked down at the pink konouchi and smirked. The girl had been pushing herself so much, he was relived she would have a peaceful sleep. Hopefully her mind would not be plagued by more dreams to analyze the next day. She needed a break.
Besides all that, Sasuke had a bad feeling about her dreams. He recognized their usefulness, but somehow he thought they would show her something that would hurt her. Something he was sure of.
Michiko's child. The thought floated around in the Uchiha's mind for a while as he laid the sleeping girl onto her knapsack and exited her tent.
"Sasuke?"
Sasuke looked to were his name had come from and found his sensei sitting by the previously exited tent's opening. Sasuke frowned. "What?" he responded. Kakashi didn't seem to have his carefree attitude for the second time that night. Kakashi stood up and moved away from Sakura's tent to his own.
"Be careful of her dreams, Sasuke," Kakashi warned. "They'll be more harmful the helpful in the long run. The less she knows, the better," Kakashi said in his ever so mysterious way. The silver haired man disappeared into his tent.
Sasuke stood there with his fists clenched as his teeth grit against each other. He was not thrilled with Kakashi so blatantly eavesdropping on his and Sakura's conversations. It also seemed to bother him that Kakashi was voicing Sasuke's own apprehensions. Something about Kakashi's warning made Sasuke want to shake Sakura awake and command that she have another dream just to spite the old man.
Sasuke place his hand against his shoulder were Sakura had fallen asleep. He smirked. He wasn;t sure why he smirked, but he didn't mind either. He had a sense of self satisfaction from the small tingle of warmth that came from his shoulder.
Sasuke returned to his tent for the night and settled into sleep.
Kakashi, however would not be sleeping tonight. He was kept awake by the conversation he previously had with Kaori, and the thoughts of his audience. Though he wasn't positive, something told him Sasuke and Sakura now had more information on the situation then he would have liked. It wasn't that he wanted to lie to them necessarily, he just felt that it would be easier for Sakura if she didn't know much of what was going on.
He hoped Sasuke would take his warning seriously, thought the brooding boy had been acting strangely as of late. For some reason or another, Sasuke seemed to have some hostile feelings toward his sensei.
Kakashi sighed. This was going to be a long affair.
O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
A/N: Ok, it is now 4:04 am and I have finished this chapter. I wrote for two hours and two minutes straight. I know the chapter is short, but I'm sleep depraved so deal with it. Ok, I used some nifty words in this chapter that I don't know if everyone is familiar with.
Otousan: means father.
Ojisan: means uncle. (I'm fairly certain it does anyway, if anyone finds out I'm wrong, please tell me! Thanks)
T-T-that's all folks!