Chapter 1
They had arrived late into the night, when all was eerie and silent in the darkened village that was her new home, her entire body aching from the journey (despite Tsunade giving her a piggy-back half the way) and begging for the sweet relief of a dreamless sleep. Much to her gratefulness, Tsunade hadn't pestered her or lingered, instead pointing out the bathroom and taking Sakura straight to what was soon to become her bedroom.
What happened to the blonde's teammates, she was unsure and quite frankly, didn't really care. They were forgotten about fairly quickly after they left.
Yet to be decorated since her living there was such a last minute plan, the room that was to be hers was plain and empty, with nothing more than her pack and a futon to fill the space – just for the time being, was what Tsunade had said before leaving her to settle in.
The rest of her belongings were presumably left downstairs for there was too much to unpack when they first returned. They had basically left her parents' home bare, save for the furniture (not including her bedroom furniture), even though Tsunade's scarier teammate argued against carrying so much under current circumstances – whatever that meant. Luckily, the big one with white hair had backed Tsunade earnestly and even offered to carry the majority for them, although admittedly, a lot of it was sealed away in scrolls.
Although part of Sakura wanted to ensure everything was there and that nothing had been meddled with now that she was awake and more aware, she could barely even find the strength to get out of bed.
But she kind of had to, didn't she?
Bottom lip quivering as the early morning light filtered into her new room, allowing her to assess the changes that she couldn't help but compare to her old room, Sakura lost herself to the waves of grief that crashed down on her relentlessly. Like her head was trapped beneath crashing waves with only brief bursts of freedom into fresh air, she sobbed brokenly, gulping in air between each one. She knew she needed to be quiet lest she wished to wake Tsunade or the brother she'd briefly been informed about, but she just… couldn't.
Everything was so uncomfortably different to the extent that it caused a vicious lashing at her heart whenever a new detail was noticed. The walls were the wrong colour, the flooring lacking the marks that showed its age and use, there were no flowers hanging outside her window. The list was endless.
And when nobody came to check on her despite her loud crying?
Sakura turned and buried her next wail into the thin pillow. Whenever she'd cried in the past, even when it was silently, her mother always seemed to sense it and instantly came to her side, gently reassuring and comforting her. If her mother wasn't around or was away on a mission, then her father would hold her in his arms and tell her everything was going to be okay, that whatever was happening, was temporary and together, they would resolve the problem.
Now there was no one.
Sakura wasn't sure how much time passed before the crying session drew to an end, her shoulders shaking with the hiccups as she worked hard to compose herself. Just the thought of going out there and confronting her first day in a strange village, surrounded by people she'd never even met before, was almost enough to throw her straight back into hysterical crying, however. It was terrifying. How could she possibly go out there and start a new life?
Even with her extensive training, like any other four year old child, she was lonely and scared.
She just wanted her parents back.
It felt like an eternity went by before Sakura eventually managed to drag herself to the bathroom down the hall, the sounds of life downstairs alerting her to Tsunade and her brother being awake and in the process of making breakfast. The clattering of pots and pans and the scent that wafted up the stairs wasn't homely like it had been whenever her mother cooked, and it turned Sakura's stomach sharply.
She had to spend fifteen minutes encouraging herself to go downstairs and converse with the family members she didn't know she had, using that time to over-wash her hands and face.
What were they like? Tsunade seemed kind so far and was almost like a mind reader with the way she effortlessly picked up on what Sakura really wanted, such as taking all of her parents' personal possessions back to Konoha with her. Was her brother just as kind? Was he like some of the jerks in the playground back home who would tease her?
Until that day – well, until yesterday, really, she had never met new people without one of her parents by her side, not even another child. Their village was close-knit. Everyone knew each other's business and the arrival of newcomers was spread faster than wildfire, complete with children being tucked away until the newcomer was deemed safe.
The home wasn't grotesquely large, but certainly bigger than what she'd lived in her entire life, Sakura noticed as she traipsed down the stairs slowly, hedging to try and gather more strength and confidence to meet her family. Pictures covered the walls and a tall table at the bottom of the stairs, the different faces staring back at her not quite strangers, though definitely not familiar either. They were Senju clansmen, she recognised vaguely.
Following the only other sounds of life in the otherwise quiet house, she found the pair in the kitchen. It was bathed in warm tones that complemented the easy banter between the siblings, although the latter ceased at her entrance, the loud creak of a floorboard she stepped on alerting them of her presence.
This is it.
"You're awake," Tsunade said as a greeting, and Sakura's cheeks burned hotly because surely, they'd both heard her crying like a baby not even half an hour ago? Smiling and sparing the boy at the stove a glance, she continued, "You two haven't met yet. Nawaki, this is Sakura, our cousin Mebuki's daughter. Sakura, this is my brother and your cousin, Nawaki."
Nodding in acknowledgement at the introduction, Sakura looked to the boy and attempted to smile back when he glanced her way with a cheery smile, his eyes creasing.
"Yo," he greeted and waved a spatula. "Nee-san is letting me cook this morning – it might not be much but believe me, you've been spared."
Although still a child, he looked older than herself, possibly twelve maximum, and unlike Tsunade's blonde hair and amber eyes, his hair was light brown with considerably darker eyes that seemed kind of familiar – she guessed it was the photographs she saw moments ago.
"Nawaki," came the blonde's mock scolding.
Nawaki was clearly unperturbed by the display of anger, even if he somehow missed the obvious fakeness of it and grinned widely. "What? Am I lying?"
Rolling her eyes but fooling no one thanks to the faint smile on her lips, Tsunade stood and ushered Sakura into the seat beside hers, soon placing a tall glass of water before her.
"This is a huge change for a four year old, even if you are a Senju by blood. You've probably got plenty of questions," she started while sitting down herself, sipping away at her cup of tea. "Know that you can come to either myself or Nawaki with whatever's bothering you. Even if it seems little, okay?"
Nodding, she asked the first thing that came to mind, gaze lowering to her glass. "Why?"
"That's too vague," came Nawaki's playful whine. "Why what?"
"Why am I here?"
The cheeriness in Nawaki's eyes faded and he returned his attention to the dish he was cooking, leaving the question for Tsunade, who sighed sadly and reached out, giving Sakura's shoulder a gentle squeeze.
"We've been in this position too, but luckily, we had each other to lean on when our parents and grandfather died," she began softly, her expression saddening on Nawaki when she glanced over in his direction. "Neither Nawaki nor I couldn't stand the thought of you going through this alone."
"But… You don't know me," Sakura whispered, swallowing down the grief that returned at full force.
Acknowledging the words with an understanding nod and large inhale, Tsunade answered, "That may be, but we're still family and this family sticks together."
Family.
Ducking her head when tears filled her eyes, Sakura tried to hide the quivering of her bottom lip, hands clenching into fists beneath the table. "…Thank you."
"You don't have to thank us," replied Nawaki gruffly and out of the corner of her eye, she saw him wiping roughly at his face. "Just know we're here and we get it."
Although her stomach churned the entire time, Sakura did her best to be polite and eat the food placed before her. It helped settle her a little as the siblings talked and bickered over breakfast, with the blonde laughing loudly whenever Nawaki told them about the craziness of the academy. He was a prankster, proudly boasting about the successes of his pranks that left his sensei squandering to control a classroom that was overcome with laughter.
"When will I meet Tobirama…" Adding the honorific felt grossly uncomfortable since she didn't know the guy in the slightest, but Sakura did so with a barely hidden grimace, "…ojisan?"
The siblings blinked owlishly at her in surprise before meeting each other's eye and sharing a look she didn't understand. Then, Tsunade said carefully, "Sakura, Ojisan died a while back. I'm sorry – I would have thought you'd known."
"Oh."
How was she supposed to react to that? Be upset? Scared about her future in the village? Tobirama was nothing more than a name to her, but wouldn't it be wrong of her to show no sadness over his death, considering he was still her uncle? Or was it okay not to be sad?
"You guys were really out of the loop, weren't you?" questioned Nawaki, still surprised. Then, grinning once more, he told her in what she presumed was supposed to be a reassuring story but really frightened her a little, "Tobirama-ojisan went out with a bang, though! He took on deadly foes and died protecting the village."
Shaking her head with a sigh, Tsunade said when she no doubt saw her confusion and fear, "You'll have to excuse Nawaki's excitement when talking about Ojisan's death – it's not that he finds dying exciting. He thinks being Hokage and dying for the village is something to praise and strive for."
"Because I'm going to be Hokage one day too!"
Not really wishing to discuss dying anytime soon as it brought forth the horrific words from the messenger, Sakura asked thickly, "What do I do?"
While finishing up the last of her breakfast and collecting the dirty dishes, Tsunade told her, "I will be taking you to see Sarutobi-sensei – the Hokage – in an hour."
What did she do with herself until then? The thought of sitting around and forcing conversation sounded painful and Sakura wanted nothing more than to escape the house, even though merely considering that notion caused guilt to bloom in her chest. They were being so kind to her and offering up their home after she'd lost hers, and yet she sat there, wanting nothing more than to be alone.
"Until then, I guess we should probably go over some ground rules," the woman continued with a sigh. She busied herself with filling the sink, the sounds of scrubbing and rinsing filling the brief lapses of silence. "I don't like setting rules, so all I ask is that we clean up after ourselves and respect each other's privacy. We always aim to make time for dinner together, in addition to training together."
That didn't sound too bad, she supposed. It granted her the chance to disappear whenever she needed to, using the respecting each other's privacy to cover herself if they happened to question her. Sakura didn't want to make them worry about her, she simply… It was all too much for her to handle. It was all happening so fast.
"Nee-san can get really busy with missions, but we can train together," Nawaki added while placing his chopsticks down on their stand. "It's a really good outlet when you need to let out the grief too, right, Nee-san?"
Nodding proudly at her younger brother, she said more seriously to her, "It's easy getting lost, Sakura, but we're here for you. You don't have to go through this alone."
No, she was going to cry again!
"We'll take care of each other," promised the boy opposite her.
Sakura longed to return to her quaint home village where she could find her friends within minutes, where they barely even scraped a population of a hundred. The noise was overwhelming to her senses and several times, she just barely stopped herself from grabbing her cousin's hand.
Konoha was so scarily different from her village. Everything was imposingly tall and the streets were busy and noisy, the continuous flow of people heading for the marketplace Tsunade told her about attempting to knock them off course – would have, had it not been for the blonde showing impressive strength while breaking through the seemingly impenetrable wall of people. Not just physical strength either, because one look from her had the villagers parting for her without hesitation, all smiling sheepishly and apologising like they were the ones who wronged her.
To her, that wasn't entirely unusual, as she knew enough about their clan to know that they possessed a fearsome strength. Sure, there was never time to learn more about her relatives on top of everything else, but from what she did learn, Sakura knew that there had yet to be a weak Senju.
Fortunately for Sakura, the area surrounding the impressive tower belonging to the Hokage was relatively quiet. Teams of three similar to Tsunade's left and entered during their walk to the building, many of them looking exhausted as they dragged themselves over the threshold. The sight wasn't really all that uncommon to her, for she'd witnessed her parents and many others in her home village returning in similar manners.
"This is where we report to the Hokage," Tsunade informed her, guiding the way inside.
Like everywhere else in Konoha so far, the interior of the tower was huge. Had she been walking alone, Sakura knew she would have gotten lost and the thought prompted her to remain close to Tsunade's side once more. Even as they waited outside the Hokage's office, she was practically on top of the blonde, hand twitching and ready to grab hers within a second, should she need to.
"Come on, little cousin," she said encouragingly, hand coming to the top of her head. It was only an hour or so ago that she had styled her hair for her, touch gentle and soothing.
She had already explained to Sakura that because of legally being her guardian now, she would be present for meetings such as the one they were entering. Although mature for her age, she was still just a child and so was to be treated as one. It was infuriatingly unfair, Nawaki had mumbled sulkily during the talk of guardianship and being a child, but it had its bonuses at times.
"Ah, good morning, Tsunade. I take it this is Haruno Sakura?"
The man who greeted them was getting on in his years, with a noticeably receding hairline and deep set wrinkles that instantly captured Sakura's attention as she marvelled at the number of them. Similar to the elders of her home village, they were accompanied by age spots and sagging skin and she entertained herself with a guessing game of how old the Hokage was.
"Yes, sir."
Nodding, the old man stood from his desk to make his way around it, standing directly before her. He was much shorter than what she'd envisioned a powerful leader to be, for in Sakura's mind, she'd believed he would be younger, muscular like her father, with a stern expression like her mother's. Admittedly, his opposites in that regard made it easier for her to stand before him and view him as less intimidating.
"I want to start by offering you my sincerest condolences," the Hokage stated earnestly, head bowing. "Your parents were admirable shinobi, but just as importantly, they were earnest people who devoted everything to helping those less fortunate."
Previously, Sakura was never given much information regarding her parents' lives as shinobi, for it was always a taboo subject at the dinner table. It was during training that she was granted glimpses of what was to come, such as struggles and pain and the sheer need to push harder to come out stronger, but still, it was never quite the information that she craved. And asking was always impossible, for they'd been incredibly crafty at redirecting her attention. They wanted her strong and prepared for anything but hesitated in telling her why.
"I'm saddened to admit that their deaths came as casualties in our war," he informed her with a weary sigh. "As you are likely already aware, your mother was a remarkable healer with tremendous talent and out of love and loyalty for the village her grandfather, our Shodai Hokage, founded, she and your father offered their assistance to our healing corps."
They died doing what they loved, Sakura told herself firmly, even though her mind blanked out the rest and fixated on they died for Konoha.
"Prior to your mother's marriage and her leaving the village, your parents agreed on and created a strict set of instructions in the case of their deaths," the Hokage continued and finally raised his head. Half turning to the desk behind him, he picked up a scroll that she didn't recognise and held it up like he would unravel it, though for whatever reason, didn't. Had he memorised the contents already, she wondered? "They requested that until you are of age, you remain in the custody of a member of your family, preferably a Senju clansmen."
Why? Although her father's clan weren't half as powerful and there weren't that many of them, they were still above average and could certainly hold their own. It was how her village survived for as long as it had, and why it would continue to thrive!
"I acted on initiative and informed Tsunade, first and foremost." Gesturing to the woman by her side, who sighed in response and place a gentle hand on her shoulder, he continued, saying, "Similar to your mother, Tsunade is a powerful medic-nin and will be more than capable of passing on Senju techniques to you, which is the explanation behind their requesting you come under the guardianship of someone from that bloodline."
She supposed that made sense, but she would have preferred to stay in her home village with someone from the Haruno clan.
Then again, that meant facing her childhood home daily and seeing it devoid of life, collecting dust or worse, helpless to people moving into it and stealing the last remainders of her parents' lives.
Sakura bit her lip harshly in a sad attempt to remain composed.
"Although it does not state anywhere in your parents' instructions what will come of you living in Konoha, Tsunade and I came to the agreement that once you are of legal age, you are more than welcome to return to your village, should that be what you wish," he informed her with a gentler tone, and Sakura felt her heart flutter with hope in response to his words. "Until that day, I have made arrangements to ensure your family home is in liveable conditions."
It would… be okay? It would still be hers when she was older? She could go back to it?
"Really?" she questioned with childish hope, the tears finally filling her eyes. "You really mean it?"
Sarutobi nodded, his eyes shutting like he found looking at her grief and hope difficult. "All that I ask is that during your time here, you take life as a Konoha-nin seriously. Your parents requested that we enrol you in the academy, however following the report of Team Hiruzen, I have come to the understanding that you are already adeptly skilled in many areas."
Much to her gratefulness, because she wasn't entirely sure what was going on in that moment or what he was even talking about, Tsunade stepped in firmly, saying, "I agree that Sakura is skilled for her age, but not nearly enough to achieve genin status. She is still a child and will need to undergo training at the academy."
Genin status? What did that even mean? It felt rude speaking up while they were talking and so she remained silent, looking between the two adults who were discussing her future like she wasn't even in the room. Did it annoy Sakura? Not really. More than anything, she just wanted the Hokage to continue telling her what her parents wanted from her, or what they wished her future to be.
Clearly, they wanted her to become a medic-nin like her mother and Tsunade, hence why they sent her to Konoha. Only vaguely could Sakura recall stories of her great-grandfather's impressive abilities and achievements, though she knew enough to understand that he too was a medic-nin.
"A minimum of a week," Tsunade argued resolutely, hand coming to her hip. Gone was the warm woman from breakfast earlier that morning. Now, her amber eyes were narrowing and daring the Hokage, of all people, to go against her. "Sakura is grieving right now and doesn't need such a huge change like joining the academy to stress over. Give the child a chance to understand and come to terms with all that has happened before throwing her headfirst into life as a shinobi."
"A week," agreed the old man.
Muttering under her breath while Sarutobi returned to sitting behind his desk and they turned to leave, Tsunade surprised her by smiling down at her when their eyes met. It was almost like the past five minutes of a flaring temper and pushiness hadn't even happened, like the woman had multiple personalities.
"What would you rather do right now?" she enquired, hand coming to the top of her head to keep them close as they exited the tower. "Unpack and set up your room, or explore the village?"
By choosing to set up her bedroom, Sakura could unpack her parents' belongings, including her mother's robe that still smelled like her. She'd triple checked it was packed the night before.
Mind made up, she took Tsunade's hand, requesting simply, "Unpack."
"Whew, I'm beat," Nawaki said with a sharp exhale. He collapsed backwards onto the grass, uncaring that it was damp from the rain of the night before.
Following his lead as she also struggled to catch her breath, she lowered herself beside him and stared up at the cloudy sky, frowning at the congregation of grey clouds slowly making their way over to the village. Soon enough they would be drenched in the downpour of rain, and while Sakura wanted to warn Nawaki of that fact, she couldn't bring herself to end their moment of peace away from the village.
Three months had passed in a blur since her parents' passing and during the first couple of weeks at the academy, Sakura found herself revelling in the change of pace. It was impossible thinking of how sad she was when surrounded by tremendously talented children who were also training to become shinobi – unless she wanted to be left behind by them, that was.
Some of the other kids were nice to her, but the majority labelled Sakura as an outsider. Even being related to the Shodai Hokage didn't spare her from that torment. Nawaki had intervened once in the playground, affronted when he noticed that his cousin was being picked on and called an outsider, but Sakura had begged of him to stay out of it in future. His getting involved only made it worse and she hung her head when the bullies came back with a vengeance, uncaring that someone close to graduating at the top of his class was related to her and more than able to kick their asses. No, if she wanted to them stop, she had to get stronger like they were and make them stop.
Thinking about it, the mean kids in her class never really cared much about statuses or clans, and Sakura wondered if that was because of their age and immaturity. They were always spreading rumours and laughing to each other about them and admittedly, Sakura was curious about some of the stuff she heard. Asking the siblings about any of it felt wrong, though – well, asking Tsunade about it felt wrong.
But it wasn't all bad. In fact, Sakura had made a close friend already and the girl was just as sweet as she was scary when pushed too far. Tsunade liked her too, although she suspected that had more to do with the cute uncle they'd briefly met only once when he collected Shizune from the academy. Since then, the blonde accompanied her to and from the academy every day until Team Hiruzen was called out into the war with several others, including said cute uncle.
They hadn't seen Tsunade for about a month, but Nawaki constantly assured her that everything was okay. The reassurance didn't really hold much weight until a slug was appearing abruptly on the kitchen table during dinner one evening, carrying a scroll with a brief letter from Tsunade. It told them not to worry, that her mission was completed, and she would be returning within the next couple of weeks.
Her cousin being a part of the war sent Sakura's mind back to the rumours circulating her class and she frowned. A glance in Nawaki's direction showed her he was also in deep thought, and Sakura knew that it was mainly due to his concern for Tsunade's well-being.
"Nawaki-nii?" she called out, then hesitated. Was it really okay to bring it up?
"Hm?"
It always made her feel funny when the people who picked on her talked about it, so how would it make Nawaki feel? What if he knew nothing about the rumours or worse, what if they were true and he was completely oblivious?
Still…
She had to know.
"I… noticed that Tsunade-nee is a lot older than us. Is she really your mother?" Only realising how harsh the question had come out when his expression fell slightly, Sakura shook her head, saying, "I'm sorry. That was mean to ask–"
"No, it's okay," Nawaki assured her with a small smile. "I know people like to talk around the village and it's always best to be open to avoid confusion or misunderstandings, so to answer your question: no. Tsunade-nee-san really is my sister, but we have different mothers – it's why she's so much older than I am. After her mother died, our father was lost and it wasn't for a long time that he met mine."
That made sense, kind of. Sakura didn't really understand much about relationships like that – it wasn't until Tsunade left for war that she even entertained the notion of familiarising herself with her family tree. When she did start looking into it, however, she quickly found that Tsunade was well over twenty years older than herself, and over twelve years older than Nawaki, too. Paired with the relentless, mean rumours about inbreeding within the clans and how they were all sick, Sakura genuinely believed that she was really his mother, not sister.
"It's best to ignore those kinds of rumours, anyways," Nawaki continued with a heavy sigh, his hands folding beneath his head. "Not only are they not worth entertaining, but Tsunade-nee-san can get really tetchy about her age, so it's best not to bring up that people think she's secretly my mother."
She nodded in easy agreement, because before the blonde left for her mission, Sakura had witnessed her losing her temper on many occasions. Very rarely at home for it seemed to be her safe space – unless her white-haired teammate, Jiraiya, was present. He seemed to take the brunt of her bad moods, but for some reason that Sakura couldn't really understand, he never complained about it or looked upset about it. If anything, he liked the attention. The guy was weird.
"You two!"
Sakura was quick to sit up and greet her friend, returning Shizune's wide smile as the dark-haired girl rushed towards them, waving happily.
"What is it?"
"They're back!" she told them giddily and came to a stop several metres away, already taking a half step back to go running back in the direction of the village. "Come on, hurry up!"
She and Nawaki shared a grin.
"Legendary Sannin…?" Sakura repeated, confused.
Hands coming to her hips with a cocky smirk on her lips, Tsunade stood side by side with her teammates, surrounded by other Konoha-nin as they were embraced and welcomed home by their relieved family members, and she wasn't the only one to notice the way Nawaki's shoulders fell with relief at the sight of his sister's safe return from war. Although in the backs of their minds they knew she would undoubtedly be sent back out again, for now, she was home.
Tsunade was home.
She was alive.
Sakura allowed the emotions to overcome her as she shot forward in the same moment as Shizune charged her uncle, small arms coming around Tsunade's hips in a tight embrace. Tears fell freely from her eyes, shoulders shaking uncontrollably – it only worsened when the blonde knelt before her and returned the hold just as strongly, a soft sigh leaving her like Tsunade had also been stressed by the separation.
"How've you been holding up, kid?" she asked gently.
Better, now that she was home safely. "Please don't go again, Tsunade-nee," Sakura begged.
It was a stupid thing to ask when her cousin was so highly regarded because of her medical skills, meaning Tsunade was always going to be in high demand, just as her mother had been.
"Sakura…"
"She has to," Nawaki explained quietly as he approached them. "Konoha would be lost without Nee-san's skills."
She looked up at him helplessly, the tears threatening to fall even harder at the reluctant acceptance in his gaze. Nawaki didn't want her to leave again either.
"I do have some good news," Tsunade said lightly to try and ease the tension. Hand coming to Sakura's head, she stood up once more, saying quietly with a small smile so that no one else would overhear, "Dan is taking me out on our first date tomorrow night."
"We could be like sisters," Shizune gushed happily in the playground the next day, grinning. "Dan-ojisan kept talking about Tsunade-san all night and said he couldn't wait for their date tonight. Apparently she was so strong out on the battlefield!"
Trying to hide her frown was difficult and she slowed in their walk towards the swings, looking to her friend. If there was anyone who would never look down on her for being so open and clueless, then it was undoubtedly Shizune.
"Shizune-chan?"
She faltered in her step, looking over her shoulder curiously. "Is something wrong?"
"What's a date?"
They had left earlier than usual to ensure they had front row seats for the ceremony and Sakura held onto Tsunade tightly when the class was dismissed for the final time. It was only seconds later when Nawaki left the academy ecstatically, arm waving to garner as much attention to the forehead protector that signified he had graduated.
"Top of the class!" he said proudly before Nawaki even reached them. His grin was infectious and she immediately returned it with her own, the usual weight that was always present lightening at his happiness. "I'm a genin!"
"What do you mean I can't go out to war like everyone else?" came Nawaki's affronted demand. "I'm a man, y'know! I should be out there defending Konoha like everyone else."
"Sorry, kid," came Tsunade's flippant response, though clearly not meaning it in the slightest. Sitting awkwardly at the dinner table as the two had their first real disagreement in front of her, Sakura kept her eyes focused on the meal she'd had a hand in preparing. "Sakura's only four. She needs someone to stick around and watch over her."
"You do it!"
It was obvious from the way she was responding that Tsunade was all for Nawaki remaining in the village for the duration of the war – if it ever ended, that was. Honestly? Sakura didn't want him to go either. Her cousin was powerful and talented and watching him train always left her in a state of awe, but… War was what killed her parents, who were way more experienced than he was.
"Dan-san's niece is the same age as Imouto and he still gets to go out to the frontlines," he continued angrily, hands coming down to the table and making the contents shake. "Why can't I?"
Scowling down at her brother, Tsunade snapped in response, "Dan has fifteen years on you and someone to watch over Shizune-chan while he's away – that's why."
"Then have them watch Sakura too."
She was a burden, wasn't she?
Completely losing her appetite despite having been so proud of herself for helping with a more complex dinner than what she was used to, Sakura bit her lip, swallowing down the lump in her throat that threatened to choke the life out of her.
Tsunade's hands come down on the table and she leaned over it, glaring down at Nawaki. "Watch your mouth–"
For the past four months, she truly thought that she had found a home with them both. That they loved her and would always take care of her. But now Nawaki was eager to go to war and sounded so harsh when talking about staying behind with her, like it was the worst thing ever.
"Let me go!"
"Then go already!" she yelled at him shrilly, shocking the two siblings. They could only stare with wide eyes as Sakura stood up, tossing her tray of tempura at him without a care and storming out of the kitchen. "Just go!"
"Imouto?"
Still angry with him for making her sound like a burden, Sakura kept her back to Nawaki as he entered her bedroom after just a single knock on her door. There was an awkward pause that lasted for several uncomfortable moments, and part of her wanted to know what he was doing while he hesitated.
But no, she wouldn't look at him. Not after he made her feel so bad about herself.
"Sakura, I'm sorry."
Nawaki was always telling her not to listen to the kids who picked on her at the academy. They weren't worth getting upset over. What was she supposed to do in that moment, though? Was she supposed to ignore him too? No, she couldn't! Nawaki was her big cousin – they even called each other brother and sister. Up until dinner, he'd always been so sweet and caring towards her, and never failed to make her laugh.
Without her permission, tears filled her eyes.
Sighing, Nawaki came to sit at the bottom of her bed and in response, Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, closing in on herself.
"I didn't mean for it to come across that way," he explained quietly, and she could hear the frown in his voice. "I just want to be like all the others, you know? I want to go out–"
"And die?" she demanded, barely choking back her sob. "People die in wars."
"Hey, I won't die," came his cheery reassurance, but it did nothing to ease the weight in her heart. The churning of her stomach was now bordering on painful, leaving Sakura breathless. "I'm really strong."
"My parents were strong too."
Silence.
The bed shifted as he shuffled awkwardly closer, the comfort of his closeness unignorable as it blanketed over her. Nawaki always had that soothing effect, Sakura thought to herself while wiping her eyes on the pillow. Without even trying, he eased the suffocating grief that continuously crushed her and always managed to make her smile – sometimes without even trying.
"I don't want you to die too, Nawaki-nii," she cried into her pillow, hiding her face from him.
They were her family. Every time Tsunade left for a mission or to help on the front lines, Sakura would feel sick to her stomach with the fear of her never returning to them, and who was there to comfort her when he so effortlessly caught onto how she was feeling? Nawaki was. So what was she supposed to do when they were both gone? What did she do when she was inevitably left alone once more?
"It won't be like that, I promise."
How could he promise that, though? Sakura's parents may not have told her what they were doing or where they were going, but they'd promised they would be back soon. Then just a day later, she was receiving news that they had died. Just like that.
Nawaki couldn't die.
Who would play with her? Nobody was as patient as he was while teaching her the basics of Senju techniques, and when she nailed one of those techniques? He made such a big deal of it and motivated her to try even harder, because she loved the praise and the encouragement and the genuine excitement of her getting it.
They were both all she had left and while it had only been four months since moving in with the siblings, Sakura wasn't afraid to admit she loved them both dearly. She never wanted them to go away.
"Don't go too," she begged brokenly, the sobbing no longer able to be controlled. "I don't wanna be alone."
Careful hands lifted her out of bed the moment the sobbing started, and she cried even harder when Nawaki held her tightly.
"I'll make you a deal," he told her gruffly and Sakura was stunned by the wetness of her shoulder. "I won't put my name forward, but if Hokage-sama asks for me to go, then I will."
"It's really important," she told the woman stationed outside of the Hokage's office, tiny hands balling into fists to keep from fidgeting.
"Sakura-chan?" came a voice she had only heard a few times since being in the village. "What has brought you here?"
The sight of the old man just about to leave his office had her spinning happily towards him, so very thankful for catching him.
Bowing low at the waist, she squeezed her eyes shut, begging, "Please don't send Nawaki-nii to war!"
A whole year passed since she first begged the Hokage to refrain from sending Nawaki out and after receiving a pitiful response of, "if he's needed, he must go," Sakura had taken to harassing him daily.
She didn't care about how it made her look or whether she was annoying him. Every day, right before first classes at the academy then just before she went home for dinner, Sakura hounded the old man relentlessly. It didn't matter if he was in a meeting or taking a break to eat – a few times, he even allowed Sakura to sit with him for tea and a snack, if only to give himself a break. No matter what he was doing or who he was talking to, she would turn up and beg of him to reconsider.
For the most part, it clearly worked, because Nawaki remained in the village with her. They trained harder than ever and she often got the feeling he wanted to prove his worth, to show her that it wouldn't be the same as her parents. He would return, Nawaki repeatedly told her. The training was so intense that the sensei at the academy were forced to take notice, setting harder tasks for Sakura to complete because Nawaki already had her performing targets for her age group and the one above successfully.
Her fifth birthday came and went without issue, and while she wished dearly that her parents were there to celebrate with her, Sakura wasn't given the chance to feel sad. When she awoke, it was to not only Tsunade and Nawaki at the kitchen table, but Dan and Shizune also, and the breakfast awaiting her was all of her favourites.
Then, at the academy, Shizune rounded up all her other friends and together, they scared off those who picked on her. Sakura was certain it was more to do with the prodigy in the year below hanging out with them, but she never really got the chance to talk to Hatake Kakashi to find out if what they said about him was true. Although, she had heard the rumour of him potentially graduating early if he continued the way he was.
Would that happen for her too because of Nawaki training her?
"It's my birthday, Hokage-sama!"
The old man chuckled behind his desk, nodding once to Jiraiya as the giant man let her enter. Jiraiya had given up after the first four tries of sending her away throughout the past year, but he was never negative about it from what she could tell. Tsunade even seemed impressed about her harassing her former-sensei after Sakura told her why.
"Keep up the good work, kid."
"So it is," Sarutobi acknowledged with a nod. "Happy birthday, Sakura-chan."
"Did you buy me a present?" she questioned cheekily, ignoring Jiraiya's laugh.
"Well, I–"
"Good, because I know what I want!" The man was a genius and his weary sigh told Sakura he knew exactly what she was about to say, but she brushed his reluctance off, saying with as much enthusiasm as she could (because he always seemed torn whenever she did), "I want Nawaki-nii to stay at home even longer!"
It wasn't long after her birthday when Nawaki was sent to war.
Oh, Tsunade had been furious – angrier than Sakura had ever witnessed before and she'd truly believed that that would cause the Hokage to hesitate. The pure malice in her voice as she was informed of Nawaki being sent out was terrifying, but awe-inspiring at the same time, and Sakura recalled watching her older cousin with wide eyes, filled with nothing but admiration for her.
"What do you mean you don't have a choice?" the blonde snarled venomously. The cracking of her knuckles as her hands clenched tightly into fists had Sakura glancing to them, completely aware of how much damage they could create. During a training session, Tsunade had taught her the basics on how to enhance her strength, much to the horror of her sensei and the bullies at the academy. "He's barely fourteen!"
Sarutobi sighed wearily, saying like it made it any better, "His classmates were sent out to war at twelve–"
"And look at where they are now," she snapped shrilly, those dangerous fists slamming down to the desk and creating noticeable cracks in the wood. "They're all dead!"
"Tsunade–"
"Send me instead," Tsunade demanded. "Nawaki has his whole life ahead of him. He's just a child!"
But it did no good. Sakura could tell by the seriousness in Sarutobi's expression and at the sight of it, she felt her heart breaking.
"Take care of yourself out there," Tsunade stated quietly, seriously, while securing his pack with jerky tugs.
"Nee-san, you don't have to–"
"Let me fuss over my baby brother."
His cheeks coloured furiously and Nawaki ducked his head, but Sakura could see his small smile.
"Don't worry so much," he told them both with a wide grin once she was done, holding up the necklace she recognised as their grandfather's. "I have this for good luck!"
"Nawaki-nii is… dead?" she repeated quietly, voice cracking. "But… But he was… just here."
It had only been a day since he was sent out to the frontlines.
Tsunade's tear-streaked face stared back at her brokenly and Sakura was sickened by the sight of the necklace in her shaking grasp. From the sight of it, it'd been cleaned in a hurry, the blood staining the chain still disgustingly obvious.
"He's…" Tsunade gasped for breath suddenly, hand slamming to her chest like she couldn't breathe and she collapsed to her knees, wailing, "H-He's… Nawaki's gone."
It seemed as though death plagued their clan ruthlessly, for he wasn't the only Senju defeated.
Hundreds died in the war, but since Nawaki's funeral, Sakura found the following deaths of others didn't affect her half as much.
Tsunade was a wreck – not that she could blame her. She did her best to help her out, to do better and make life easier for her, but while Sakura was just a child, she wasn't an idiot. Just seeing the concern in Dan's eyes whenever he happened a glance towards their always full bin told Sakura it was bad.
But that didn't mean Tsunade didn't try, because she did. Nobody on the outside knew a thing about her suffering, for she didn't want their pity. She didn't want their condolences and for the longest time, she vehemently refused to go anywhere near the Hokage. Sakura couldn't stand to be in his presence either. Every time she looked at the old man, she felt rage sparking to life within her and whenever that happened, she had to go to the training grounds. Like Nawaki told her on her first day in Konoha, training was a good outlet, so she lost herself in it. Every day.
That was kind of how she got to know that Kakashi guy, though. Apparently, he'd lost someone too because on more than one occasion, he joined her in the training grounds.
They never really spoke in the beginning – just acknowledged one another and got on with whatever tasks they'd set themselves, though there was no hiding that they found comfort in the other's silent presence on the field, otherwise one of them would have moved elsewhere. It wasn't until she badly sprained her ankle one day that they started talking to each other (which she was kind of grateful for, otherwise the piggyback ride back to the village and to Tsunade would have been awkward).
"Hatake Kakashi, huh?" questioned Tsunade once the boy had left. The green glow of her chakra was steady and vibrant and like any other time she sustained any injuries, Tsunade soothed her, the pain never lasting more than a few seconds under her care. "I heard he's the prodigy of his generation."
She nodded enthusiastically, telling her, "They're talking about letting him graduate early."
"It's not that uncommon," her older cousin mumbled and for a few long moments, she seemed lost in her head, gaze growing distant.
"Tsunade-nee? What's wrong?"
Shaking her head to come back to herself, the blonde ended the healing session once she was certain the sprain was all healed, tapping her ankle reassuringly. "Keep up the good work, kid."
She found out what had Tsunade concerned only a few weeks later when her sensei pulled her out of class.
Waiting outside was Kakashi and the Hokage, and her heart had skipped a beat upon meeting the latter's gaze, the cold sting of betrayal and anger that lingered making it impossible to continue the eye contact.
They were each asked to perform several tasks and while Kakashi had each one nailed perfectly and was certainly at a higher level than her, Sakura knew from the impressed murmur amongst the sensei that she had performed well also.
A day later and they were both graduating the academy early.
"Here are your forehead protectors," the Hokage began.
Her parents…
But she turned her back on him without a care for insubordination or Kakashi's surprise as he watched her. Nawaki's face flashed through her mind, the painful reminder of how carelessly the lives of children were tossed aside by the village turning her stomach.
Nawaki-nii…
It made her wonder if that was the reason behind her mother's leaving Konoha. In her home village, the place she hadn't thought of for so long, no children were ever sent to war or on missions. They trained sure and they could hold their own fiercely, but Sakura knew they were never sent out.
Konoha had taken so much from her.
So, to show her disliking of the system she was trapped in until legal age, she ignored the shiny new forehead protector and donned her mother's, knowing that Sarutobi got the message when his gaze lowered after she glanced back at him with anger and a growing hate that she refused to conceal.
A blond man had taken Kakashi on as his student – had even offered her a place also, but Sakura politely declined and approached her big cousin, asking Tsunade to teach her everything she knew about medical-ninjutsu, since it was her mother's final wishes for Sakura to become a medic-nin. To say the blonde was shocked by her turning down Namikaze Minato once she found out who her teacher was supposed to be, was an understatement. But that didn't matter.
The purpose in Tsunade's dulled eyes returned.
That was what mattered.
The training was agonising and more often than not, Sakura found herself ending her day by ranting to Nawaki's photograph, accusing him of going way too easy on her. You could've given me some warning, she'd chide with a pout. Tsunade-nee's gonna kill me!
But Gods, was her big cousin something to marvel.
Not one to take breaks or be left behind, she held her own whenever her teammates joined in the training sessions, even giving that creepy Orochimaru a run for his money whenever he screwed up and got too close. It was after watching the deadlock their spars always ended in that Sakura demanded to learn everything Tsunade had to offer – not just medical-ninjutsu.
But the war was not over yet and just as she thought they were back on track, that Tsunade was learning to accept Nawaki's death and was even making a change within the village and demanding a medic be on every team, she returned in a far worse state than before. She was, for lack of better word, broken beyond repair.
Dan was dead.
Jiraiya cared for her for a while after that, claiming that Tsunade was still trying to come to terms with whatever happened out there on the battlefield and needed to do so alone. It must have been horrific, however. She'd never seen such… such trauma in her cousin's eyes before and the shaking! It was bad enough for her to be taken off the mission rota indefinitely. No matter what she was doing or what time of day it was, the shaking never left Tsunade for a moment. In fact, it worsened during their training sessions once she believed herself ready to continue them.
"What a shame," Orochimaru stated as Jiraiya approached the collapsed Tsunade. She was closed in on herself, holding her hands out before herself until they were shoved towards the giant man, eyes huge and filled with terror and the noise that left her haunted Sakura. "A medic with a fear of blood."
It wasn't long after her tenth birthday that she told Tsunade to leave.
The woman couldn't cope in the village and now that Sakura was regularly going on missions with Jiraiya (who'd taken over the fighting side of her training – Tsunade was still capable of the medical side of things, though only if it didn't involve blood), she felt she was old enough to care for herself. She had to be. The guy was a weirdo who would ditch her to gawk at women, much to her embarrassment.
"No, I should stay," her cousin told her, frowning. "You're still a child–"
"What part of me even remotely resembles a child, Tsunade-nee?" Sakura had no qualms in contesting. Hand coming to her hip in a way that mirrored how Tsunade did so when she was being stubborn, she said, "Now that I'm a chūnin, I'm basically an adult."
"Don't remind me."
There was no coldness to her tone, but she knew from the way amber eyes averted that she'd struck a nerve.
To that day, Tsunade had done all she could to lessen the chances of Sakura dying in action (almost making it her life's mission) and while she appreciated the tenacity massively, she wanted nothing more than for her cousin to take a break. Distracting herself from the grief of losing not only her little brother, but lover also, was doing more harm than good and damn it, Sakura was tired of the funny looks she received whenever she was taking the trash out, the clinking of the empty bottles unmistakable.
"No, I'm not going anywhere until I'm certain you can take care of yourself," Tsunade stated resolutely, eyes hardening and daring Sakura to try and argue. "I can't take any more bad news."
Just before her thirteenth birthday, Tsunade finally found a way to assure herself that nothing bad would ever happen to her.
"We'll keep in touch via Katsuyu," the blonde promised her as they lingered at the gate. "As soon as you need me, tell me and I'll be here."
For three whole years she'd engrossed herself in work, ignoring everyone and anything as she devoted herself to it entirely. Sakura didn't try and sway her for a second, for it was the most alive Tsunade had appeared since the ending of the war. We should encourage it, was what Jiraiya said during his regular stop to the house to check in on them. She finally has some light back in her eyes.
Although the technique wasn't mastered as of yet, after Tsunade pitched it to her close to her eleventh birthday, they both tirelessly began storing mass amounts of chakra to one tiny point in their foreheads. It was draining as hell (literally) and several times, Sakura fainted after healing someone, but she could feel the raw power oozing beneath the surface, ready to try out the techniques her cousin went on to create once she mastered the seal.
Even while drowning in her grief, Sakura was astounded by the perseverance of the blonde. Was it healthily that she coped with the losses? No, definitely not. But she was trying.
She'd never admired anyone so intensely before.
"Wait!"
Frowning over her shoulder at the familiar voice, Sakura felt her heart lurch at the sight of the rucksack on Shizune's shoulders.
Since the death of her uncle, she'd also been lost and rumour had it, she'd struggled through the rest of the academy to the point where she was repeating a year and barely managed to graduate with what was once Kakashi's year. Much to her utter regret, they hadn't really spoken much since Sakura graduated. Between training, working at the hospital to gain more experience (since Tsunade couldn't handle blood) and missions with Jiraiya (sometimes Minato and Kakashi too), she had little time to spare. They'd drifted painfully.
She should have been there for her.
Shizune didn't falter once before them and even while struggling to catch her breath, the brunette bowed her head, all but demanding, "Please, take me with you."
They were going to war. Again.
Sending children to their deaths. Again.
Just when Sakura slowly started to forgive the Hokage for sending Nawaki to the front lines after a whole year of begging him not to, he went and did it all over again with even younger genin.
Only this time, he was sending her too.
Granted, she was now a jōnin but that was beside the point.
Gritting her teeth as she stormed her way back home, Sakura kept her head down in the hopes of avoiding all contact with the nosy villagers. Not for the first time and undoubtedly not for the last, she longed to return to her home village.
Hate was a strong word but damnit, she hated Sarutobi Hiruzen and the day that he was replaced as Hokage was the day she would start to feel at home in Konoha. Not a moment sooner. Why could no one else see how terrible he truly was?
"Sakura-chan," called a familiar voice that almost had her sighing. However, because Nohara Rin had never done her wrong and was genuinely one of the nicest people she knew, Sakura didn't hesitate to turn towards her, trying her best to offer a smile. "Are you free right now?"
Barely. And that was because Sarutobi found her medical abilities too great to keep her in one place for too long. With Tsunade gone (not that she could heal anyone anyway), all responsibilities fell heavily on Sakura's shoulders, sapping away any childhood she could have possibly clawed at as it crushed her under its excruciating weight.
Although she wanted nothing more than to return to her eerily silent home and fester in her foul mood, she found herself reluctantly tagging along when Rin cheerfully told her, "We're celebrating Kakashi making jōnin!"
It seemed many were being promoted with war on the horizon and the possibilities sickened Sakura, because it was certainly no coincidence. Four promotions in the past week alone? Without there being a jōnin exam? Then again, it was coming from the same old man who apparently didn't find his creepy student suspicious until others hounded him with concrete evidence and forced him to act (and even then, Orochimaru managed to escape), so she shouldn't have really felt surprised.
"Congratulations on making jōnin," she told Kakashi during the celebratory picnic hosted by Rin. He'd always been a loner and while she usually tried to be the opposite, she was in a bad mood, so didn't feel guilty for slipping away from the group to stand beneath the shade of the tree to talk to him.
"Congratulations to you too."
Meeting his gaze, she couldn't help but snort derisively, saying, "Yeah."
Unlike herself, who was passed from team to team as the local healer, Kakashi was in a set team that was captained by Namikaze Minato. It consisted of Rin and Obito, who'd been in his class in the academy and from what she'd heard, they were a remarkable team. A bit shaky in terms of teamwork, but that was mostly down to Kakashi and Obito's rivalry, from what she'd heard.
"You're not happy about it?" he questioned.
"What's there to be happy about?" she shot back with a frown, once more looking to him. "We've been made jōnin just before going to war. You know what that means, right?"
His sigh was heavy, but it contradicted the determination in his eyes. "Aa."
While the majority of shinobi were sent out in platoons during the war, Sakura knew that three man teams were handy for reconnaissance. So while the more experienced shinobi were to the front lines and held the fort, novices like herself and Kakashi lingered on the outskirts, leading teams and playing a risky game of trial and error to see where said platoons could strike next.
They were bait.
Just like Nawaki had been.
"We can't complain," he continued.
That was probably where she and Kakashi differed, Sakura believed as she assessed the look in his eyes while watching his team. Whereas she wasn't afraid to use her own initiative, he remained resolute in sticking to the rules. He wasn't cold per se, but he always put missions first. They were top priority. So, if the Hokage said their team was needed out there, even if they weren't wholly ready? Then they were needed. No questions asked.
"Well, I should get going," Sakura said, stepping away.
Looking back to her, Kakashi seemed to thankfully understand her need for escape, merely murmuring, "Thanks for stopping by."
It wasn't soon enough when she returned to her empty home, placing a hand to the wall and kicking off her sandals with a weary sigh. An array of photographs stared back at her upon looking up, and Sakura's shoulders sagged, the ghosts in the photographs too much too bear but too important to hide away in cupboards.
Their clan really was cursed.
She and Tsunade were the only ones left, from what they were aware of, and while Sakura found solace in the fact that she was technically a Haruno and had more family out there, she knew she was equal parts Senju. In the eyes of the village, she was exclusively a Senju. Many thought that made her more important and indispensable, but Sakura knew the truth. Sarutobi was just as willing to throw her to the wolves as the rest of the damned village, perhaps more so because of her being a Senju medic-nin.
"Welcome back."
Instinct told her to take out the intruder, hand already on its way to the weapons pouch she'd yet to remove, but the sight of the blonde leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen, watching her silently for several long moments, caused Sakura to pause.
"You've gotten taller."
"You're back," she mumbled in surprise and stepped closer, blinking owlishly. "Did something happen?"
"Sarutobi-sensei said you're captaining a squad," she began, then faltered, features falling. "In the war."
Why Tsunade returned was a mystery to Sakura, seeing as she couldn't fight in her condition, nor could she perform medical-ninjutsu. Blood, to put simply, freaked her the hell out and left her in an unshakeable state of dissociation.
"I had to come back," she explained without being prompted. Pushing away from the doorframe, her folded arms fell to her sides, the frown on Tsunade's face deepening. "When I heard you were being sent out, I just…" Words failed her and unlike with anyone else, the blonde didn't hide her emotions from her. Never had. "I knew I had to come home."
Not without great struggle, though. Sakura could tell from the way she couldn't bring herself to look at the photographs that being home was painful for her, the restless fidgeting of the cursed necklace she wore even bringing Sakura a bout of anxiety. But for her, she returned and faced her ghosts. It brought a small, hopeful smile to her lips.
The awful bite of loneliness eased when Tsunade approached in purposeful strides, arms coming around her securely and without leaving any room for getting out of it – like she ever would. Tsunade was perhaps the closest thing she had to a mother figure, even with her flaws. So, Sakura basked in the warmth of her fierce embrace, returning it in equal strength.
"So, please… You come home too, little cousin."
A/N - The response for this has been insane! I've never received 19 reviews for a prologue before! Thank you all so, so much for the love!
What do you all think of Sakura in this? I played around a lot with the idea of her receiving the same upbringing and training as everyone else, since we all know how much she flourished under Tsunade's training. Like, what if she'd received that basically from the get-go? How different would her life had been because of it? Also, I really liked the thought of Nawaki taking her under his wing (which reminds me, imouto means little sister!).
Oooof, I remember now why I tried to steer clear of time-travel fics and age swaps and the such. Timelines and ages and whatever always gets to me and I end up messing with the timeline hahah! Apologies for those who are confused. I'll quickly explain it here:
Tsunade and Nawaki are Mebuki's cousins, their parents being siblings and the children of Hashirama. With Sakura being Mebuki's child, she's Tsunade and Nawaki's second cousin (but she and Nawaki addressed each other as siblings because of how close them became and because they loved one another).
Sakura is a year or two older than Kakashi and that lot, making her like 10-11 years older than Itachi? I think? Ages are sketchy af because everywhere I looked, Tsunade had a different age for each arc and a few people have said how cool it'd be having Sakura be in Kakashi's screwy generation, so I'm sticking with the one that cropped up the most, which was: Tsunade was 24 when Nawaki died (26 in this story, since he wasn't sent out at 12) and 37 during the third shinobi war, which is what Sakura has now joined (also did any of you know that Tsunade also graduated early from the academy?).
Anyway, so, Tsunade is 37, Sakura and Shizune are now 14, Kakashi and the gang are between 12 and 13 and Itachi is 4. His first appearance will be next chapter!
Also, I just wanted to leave this here to explain the gaps in updates.
I've dropped to just one weekly update due to my mental health being shitty right now and not wanting to burn myself out with having twelve stories on-going (I know it says different below, but that's because Discoveries is a bit of a pain right now). The schedule:
Week 1: Ghost Inside My Chest (COMMISSION)
Week 2: Could Roses Bloom? (COMMISSION)
Week 3: The Shadows of Your Heart
Week 4: Dying Embers
Week 5: Then Our Hearts Combined
Week 6: So This is Love
Week 7: Unravelling Since I Found You (COMMISSION)
Week 8: But Still, I Rise (COMMISSION)
Week 9: Red String of Fate
Week 10: Mercy, Love & Other Useless Things (COMMISSION)
Week 11: Come Undone (COMMISSION)
Thanks again everyone! I hope you all enjoyed this transition chapter of sorts!