"Lost Sakura and Mad Men"
Sakura Haruno had a good family, a nice school life and great friends. She was almost done with college and her friends were ready to join the working world with her, but…something felt missing.
Then the city was attacked and she was taken away by chance as people were stolen. Among the stolen were six men who would change her life forever.
In a world of technology and wars, a lone woman would discover the hidden legends of her land. Magic. Power. And Her Lost Origins.
This is the story of 7 reincarnated souls — Will their world die again?
—Warning: OOC. Reverse Harem—
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"There Was a Woman"
— Cities Fall,
Worlds Fall.
But Nothing Falls Forever —
—End of the Old, Beginning of the New—
A woman sat in the back of the cage as cries and screams surrounded her. Her short pink hair covered her face and the green nail polish had already half-faded. She sat in ripped jeans and a blood-stained shirt as arms jabbed her sides and people peed in the floating cage in the sky led by an army of magic-wielding strangers. Sakura Haruno could only stare silently as the cage rattled and some began to fall asleep permanently. Hoards of humans were locked in this enormous cage — Captured. When their city fell.
She tried not to cry as her green eyes grew dim in rememberance. I hope they're still alive…
It was only a few weeks ago when their city was attacked and a bunch of them were captured. They came out of nowhere. A portal. It was stuff of sci fi and she was the cannon fodder.
Sakura gripped her arms hard. There had to be a way out of this…
"Mom…Dad…Everyone…Please. Please be safe." She was heading to class when she was taken. People hovered in the sky as they threw down flashes of light and swords. Who didn't die got captured and thrown in caves. Just the day before, Naruto and Hinata were celebrating on getting their first post-college job offers. Their parents held a party.
Everything was great.
Until it wasn't.
It all happened so fast. But it's not over yet, Sakura. There's a possibility…they're -
SHUT UP!
Once more, she went through her mantra as her darker alter ego began to whisper. Push through. Push through. Be Stong.
What seemed like days or hours later, she couldn't keep track as she lost track ages ago, the cages started to float down.
"We're here! All prisoners line up!" Sakura was the last leave the cage and as luck would have it, there was only one cell open at the moment. The guards all laughed at her as they told them to change into the prison uniforms and forced them down the halls.
The guards threw her to the ground and laughed as she hit her head with a loud thud. "You will be stuck with Prisoner 00. Be careful he doesn't eat you, little girl. The last one's head got cut clean off!"
Shit my head! Sakura clasped her head as she moaned. She's lived in the city her whole life. She could cook and clean and ran every week. But she wasn't a fighter and she never liked camping so just from the journey alone, her body was full of bruises.
She hissed to herself, "Bastards. They stuffed us in cages and whipped at us. They're humans too! What kind of people would do this in the 21rst century?!"
She stopped herself when she finally took in the scene. They were led into a dungeon and this cell was the the last one at the end of a long corridor. The people next to them came from the cage that held her, but no one wanted to speak to each other much.
After a period of silence, she got the guts to look at the Prisoner 00. He was chained to the wall and there was nothing. No toilet, no bedding. Only a small blanket with holes. The pale man sat shirtless despite the growing chill and he had lean muscles. Silver hair rand down his back. His eyes were closed as he just sat in silence as if he were meditating in a temple instead of trapped to a wall. One scar came down one eye and a black mask covered half his face.
I don't know how long he's been here, but he's a fixture to this dungeon judging by the guard's attitude. Yet he looks like he's been training for the Olympics. How? And he has silver hair despite his young skin. She would talk to the inmate, but she couldn't forget the guard's words so she waited.
And waited.
Seeing that the guy didn't do anything to threaten her, Sakura couldn't take it anymore and approached the man in the corner. She walked up, but left just enough space so he couldn't reach her.
"Hi. My name's Sakura Haruno. Seeing as we're roommates, we might as well be friends." And judging from the chains, he can't come close to me from there so I don't have to worry about my ass yet. She suppressed a shiver at the thought and smiled. Adding more fear to the situation will only make things unbearable. Small steps, Sakura.
"Hm. Earlier you mentioned the 21rst century?" The man simply kept his eyes closed as he mused. "It was the year of the 20th Snake in my world…Not that it matters."
"Huh?"
"Sakura, let me tell you this once." He opened his eyes and red and black stared back at her. The red eye flared as he spoke, "I do not make friends, I make deals. Do well to remember that."
"May I have your name at least?" Business 101 class always taught her to push for info if nothing else worked. And she needed that. Names were always the beginning.
"No. You are not worthy of a deal." And with that he closed his eyes once more.
What. The. Fuck. "Excuse me?!" She was still shaken from the kidnapping, but she refused to be pushed around by a man in fucking chains. "We're stuck in this damn cell together! I'd think you'd want to cooperate if you want to break free."
"That's a fallacy."
"…What." She already knew what he was going to imply.
"You're too weak." He said it so calmly that it was a matter of fact, there was not even a trace of disdain. "But it is true, I do not give my name so easily."
He continued, "I am a demon after all."
…
…
…
After that began a life of hell. Day after day, the prisoners were forced to work in the fields. Their only job was to build rows of dirt from sunrise to sundown. Everyone but Prisoner 00 had to work.
She didn't know why they had to work the fields or who these people were, but the reality was dim. No one could resist.
But today was different. A little visitor decided to follow her on the field this time.
A small boy smiled up at her and pointed to her hair. "Pirkushali." He spoke in a language she's never heard before. And his voice rang out like a bird so it was hard to call it a human language.
"I'm sorry, I don't understand." She bent down a little.
"Pirsh." He pointed again and held his cheeks like a maiden in love. "Wooo!"
Sakura couldn't help but smile at the cute boy and she rubbed his head. "Thank you."
They smiled as they worked, but deep down Sakura's rage rose at the sight of the poor child digging in the dirt. Once more her alter ego whispered, How dare they abuse this child. I will make them pay.
Sakura shook her head. Well, I can't even get myself out of trouble let along punish people, Self.
They worked for hours. Sakura couldn't feel her arms anymore let alone her legs. Her lips dried to the point they bled and her clothes soaked in her sweat. Her back throbbed and she desperately needed water. She looked to the left at the strange boy and saw he wasn't faring much better.
Just then the boy fell to the ground and a guard yelled, "GET UP!" He began to whip the boy, but she grabbed him and said, "Please! I'll make him stand!" She held his waist as she got him to lean into her. "We'll work like this, so please! He needs water!"
"Hmph. Water is at the end. If he falls again, he won't need water." The guard spat at them before moving on to another fallen man.
The boy looked up at her shakily, "Coo…"
Sakura wished she could cry, but there wasn't anything left for tears. Her voice cracked, "C'mon. Almost there."
The boy only shook his head and they continued to work.
Sakura's legs were shaking. They've been digging at the soil for hours to make the fields rows. Instead of using technology, they used humans. She cursed to herself, but her knuckles turned white as she kept hold of the boy. Her hand cramped to his waist as she kept them moving.
I won't give up! We're almost there!
It would soon be sun down. Then they said we could rest. Just until sun down. Slowly, her vision grew darker and each step took longer…
I haven't farmed before but this isn't normal. Every step I take, I feel heavier. As if I were wading through heavy mud and something sucked my energy from me.
"Hapsh. Shh." The boy cried out weakly and Sakura looked down. He held out a small hand and pointed his chin to it.
Sakura paused her digging and held out her hand. The boy rested his hand in hers and suddenly a glowing light enveloped her hand for a second. A soothing energy filled her then and Sakura could feel her vision returning and the strength enter her arms and legs.
Then the boy collapsed in her arms and she froze. "No. No, no, no." Sakura cried as she tried to reach the boy who held out his hand, but it was too late. She could barely feel a pulse.
From behind her, a guard whistled, "One down, eh? Looks like he gave his last energy to you, girl. Ha! Stupid boy. It all goes to the field in the end. No energy is spared." Then before she could blink, he stabbed his sword in the boy's heart and grabbed the boy from her arms effortlessly. "Recycling time."
"No….NO!" Sakura lost her mind as she leaped at the guard only to be kicked to the ground. She moaned from the pain, but she still tried to reach out.
"You're done, girl. Go back to the cell. Your little friend here bought you time. These Life Sucking Fields need more energy from you Hahaha!"
Sakura could only watch the boy's lifeless body be taken away as the horror of the truth behind these fields struck her.
Rage and Despair. Her body broke in half. And she cried.
Sakura returned to her cell feeling angrier than she ever had before. Ever since she was captured, she'd been tossed from her tranquil college life to being beaten, cursed and degraded into nothing more than a number. But when that little boy died — she snapped. And she couldn't do anything.
The masked man listened in silence as the pink-haired woman vented, "I am a failure! No matter how much I want to help, I'm too weak!"
"No. You are not weak. They are simply stronger than you."
"There is no difference."
"You have not thrown your life off the cliffs like the other prisoners. And you have saved the life a boy, brief as it was."
"Exactly!" Sakura sobbed harder. "He died in my hands! Th-They k-k-killed him and I could only watch. Oh god. Why? How could they do that?!"
BAM! A guard smacked the metal cage and yelled, "SHUT UP!"
Sakura bit her lip until it bled to keep from screaming profanities. Useless. She was just useless! I could kill them.
I wish. Sakura was used to the dark whispers in her mind, the stronger side that thought she could take down all these guards — the psychotic part of her that begged to act suicidal. The thoughts would pop up occassionally, but now they were as regular as night and day. It whispered, she rebutted.
Escapsim. That's what this is. I can't accept my circumstances so I talk to myself. How long until I go absolutely bonkers?
The silver-haired, yet young man continued, "There is no reason."
"…I know." She whispered, hating herself for her cowardice.
"So why do you ask?"
"Because it's not right. I know it's stupid, okay? Do you want me to suck it up? I get it!" She whispered harshly and pounded her fist into the ground, though the only result was pain on her hand. "Hiss. Fuck. Fuck!"
"You're not using it right." He nodded to her fist.
"What?"
"Your hand. That's not how you transfer energy."
"For. Once. Can you not speak in riddles?!" She lost it. He acted like everything was ok, like they weren't prisoners worked to death — and now he had the balls to correct how she punched the fucking floor. "If you're looking down on me —"
He raised a palm. "My apologies. I'm not."
"…" Sakura was ready to fight him, too, but the slender man said it so calmly and humbly that she knew she couldn't do it. She couldn't take it out on him no matter how much she wanted to lose her mind.
The cell was quiet and only the whispers of the neighboring cells filled the dark dungeons. As well as the scuffles of the few guards.
After several minutes, Sakura finished taking deep breaths and finally asked, "Ok. I'm calmer. What did you mean?" I swear if he fucking jokes…
Instead of answering, the man simply looked at her and a gust of wind blew her hair back.
"Impossible…" There were no windows here. No way. Sakura looked at the other cells, but no one even noticed. "How…"
"They are too weak to break through my walls." He nodded to the ground. "The moment you enter my cell, it became my "space" that I can spell without trouble from the prison. So no one but the guards have the power to see pass the illusion of a cell with two sitting prisoners doing nothing."
"Huh?"
"The prison can't fully restrict me, let's just leave it at that. Now, listen to what I say and you will see what I meant. Come here."
Sakura hesitated, but the image of that boy loomed in her mind and she stepped closer. To hell with it. If I don't die here, I'd die on those evil fields.
"Bend down so I may reach your forehead. This would usually take years of training starting at a young age, but I will open a forced channel. If it works, you will access what all humans should. If it fails, it just means you remain normal, never knowing what you lost."
"Okay." She didn't hesitate and the two fingers laid between her brows.
The man mumbled a foreign language and a feeling of power came off each syllable. They ran through her mind and a thousand colors covered everything. They filled her mind to the brim and when she couldn't fit anymore, they started swirling around her in a raging typhoon.
"…!" She couldn't see, couldn't speak, nothing made sense. Her back hit the ground. For a long time, she was in a state of rushing energy as if she were confined in it before it began to fade.
Longer still passed until only the smallest of white flames were held in her palms and she could see again. Slowly, she sat up and watched as the fires soaked into her palms then disappeared. A strange energy ran in her veins now.
The experience was nothing short of a miracle. Sakura looked up in shock. "You said all humans could do this?"
"Most. But not many so well." He rubbed his chin like he was inpecting an antique.
"Where am I on that scale?"
"You have potential. Others would scream in pain if they were not trained to be compatible with magic."
"What."
"It is fortunate for you that your body is adaptable. Very adaptable. I see great potential, hmm…"
They locked eyes and for once, Sakura felt on equal footing with the mysterious prisoner. "It sounds like you want a deal."
"I've found you're more than I thought. As I said when we met, I only make deals not friends."
"A real devil's bargain. So what do you offer?" She nodded to his chains. "Can't help if you're dead weight."
For the first time, the man's eyes turned up into crescent and Sakura realized that was the first 'smile' she saw.
His voice grew lower and sinister, "You're right. That is the deal. As I mentioned, you have potential…"
He extended out his arms and legs. Although he's never been fed, not once did his body lose it's muscle. He shook the heavy chains like shaking a light rope and made the deal.
Sakura felt a pressure fall down on her shoulders and it took all her strength to not bend her head even a bit. Sweat dotted her forehead and her arms shook a bit.
"Here is the deal, Sakura Haruno. Learn from me and break the seal on these chains. Release me and I will aid in your escape and teach you what you need to survive.
Betray me, and you will die from the inside out — slowly burning.
Do you accept?"
…
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….
AUTHOR NOTE:
Yes. I'm on a writing spree. I just updated other series, but Sakura Haruno has been waiting for some years so why not start now? Since pandemic and all.
I'll be updating this when I can fit it, but it's definitely one I'll hold close to heart. This and another Sakura series that's waaay lighter though still angsty. That's more set in naruto universe but heaven help me, I can not remember every jutsu so here we go.
This one will be a reverse harem, warning, but I want her to grow stronger as she progresses through the foreign lands. And in case it wasn't obvious, I aint making a tragedy (well, kind of) so don't worry.
That's not a spoiler, is it?
Anywhoo, Itachi, Sasuke, Naruto, Deidara, Gaara, Tsunade, ETC will come out when they will and will be a bit OOC so there's that.
I hope you enjoy this apocalyptic sakura haruno city girl with a secret to *spoiler* tale.
Have a good night and and eat croissants yo!
—WitchySkies