(Author's Note: Hello peeps! Yes, welcome to the 4th installment of my Naruto fic. This chapter will have some really interesting scenes. And we will finally uncover the mystery of Sakura's past! So, read this slowly… Hehehe! Anyways, thanks for reviewing! Enjoy!)
CHAPTER 4: Discoveries
Neji rushed forward, his eyes blazing. He grabbed Sasuke's collar and pinned him to the wall. Naruto, Lee, and Shikamaru were not able to pull him away from Sasuke…
"YOU!!! What the hell did you do to her?!" Neji spat out. Sasuke just looked at him coldly. The white-eyed ninja hardened his grip more. "I asked you a question. Now, answer me!!"
"If you so want to know just let go of me…" was the only reply he got. Slowly and reluctantly, Neji slackened his grip until he had finally let go of the guy. Sasuke rubbed his necked and looked down, "I didn't do anything. If you want to know the truth, that's all there is. She fainted in one of the temple rooms."
"Sakura!!! Where's Sakura?!" an unknown voice shouted out. The group turned their eyes to the hallway and saw Taiku running towards them. At that moment, the nurses walked out and allowed the group to go inside. They allowed Taiku to go in first and followed shortly after he went in…
'Hmm… There's something strange about him…' Sasuke said to himself as he looked at the blue-haired man. Noting his strange attire, Sasuke thought more. Taiku was wearing a ninja garb instead of his normal house kimono. The ninja garb was complete with the holster and shurikens. 'Why is he wearing that? I don't think he's the type of guy to go out on missions.'
Taiku sat down beside the bed, stroking Sakura's pale hand. His face was cast down making it impossible for Sasuke to read him. The group was surrounded the bed, everyone had a look of sadness in their faces. Sakura was deathly pale, her cherry pink hair the only contrast against all the white in the room …
"I can't take this anymore…" Ino suddenly whispered after a few moments of silence. All looked at her and eyed her questioningly. Shikamaru rubbed her back as she started to sob once more on his shoulder. "I-I want to see her smile again. What is wrong with her?! Why can't she… wake up??"
"The doctor said that it seemed as if she were in a strange coma. Something in her head won't let her go." Naruto whispered. Silence once again filled the room. Hinata was gripping Naruto's hand, her face paler than its usual ivory. Everyone's faces were turned down. "There must be something we can do to help her…"
"There is something you can do…" Taiku said, his voice filles with such authority that it made them look up at him. He was standing over Sakura's body, face still downcast. He stroked Sakura's hand once more. He looked up and gazed at the people around him. "You can help her. Someone needs to wake her up. She's hiding inside herself."
"What? How can you be so sure?" Neji asked him, his fists clenched at his side. He looked worse than before. Even if he respected Taiku, he wondered how such a crazy idea would work. "I mean, you don't even know what's wrong with her."
'He's not usually that confident. It's not his nature.' Sasuke noted as he continued to observe the sudden change in Taiku's attitude. He had disappeared into the background so that he could watch the entire scene. Sasuke pondered more, 'What made him change all of a sudden?'
"I need someone who can get inside her head." Taiku explained, ignoring Neji's comment. They all looked at Ino who was now reduced to hiccups and sniffles. She looked at them, raising her eyebrows as if daring them to say something. "You, the girl with the blonde hair, I can tell that you can do that."
"Huh? How would you know?" Ino stared blankly at him. But her eyes roved towards Sakura, who was not at all sleeping peacefully. She closed her eyes and thought for a moment. Shikamaru whispered to her that she need not do it if she did not want to. "No, Shika-kun, I need to do this… For Sakura…"
Everybody stared at her, silence filling the air. She stood up straight and wiped the tears from her eyes. Hinata reached out for Ino's hand and gave it a squeeze. Ino looked at her and gave her an encouraging smile. "Ninpou… Shintenshin no Jutsu!" (A/N: AArrrggghhh… Is that how you say it???"
Ino's body crumpled to the floor as her mind and spirit transferred to the body in front of her...
Inside Sakura's Head
It was dark. So dark that you could not see your own hands even if you held them in front of you. Ino stood up, wandering around the unusual and cold darkness. She walked some more until she found herself being transported to a different scene…
"Otou-san!! Okaa-san!! Onii-chan!! Where are you?" Ino saw a little girl, screaming as she ran through the deep forest. Her pink hair flying wildly as she ran frantically. Sakura. In the distance, Ino saw huge curls of smoke coming from a certain place. She followed the girl…
"Otou-san? Okaa-san?" the girl stopped suddenly as she stood and faced her burning home. Ino was hiding in a tree behind her, wondering about this certain incident in her friend's life. All of a sudden, two shadows stood in front of the little girl. They immediately grabbed her before she could even move. Ino gasped. Sakura screamed, "HELP!!"
The two black-clad ninjas took her to a wagon. She was struggling, hoping to get away from them. She looked up as she heard a scream. She recognized that voice as her mother's. The door of the burning house burst open and a huge man mercilessly dragged her mother and father outside…
"Kouji… I have finally gotten my revenge…" the man said as he tossed Sakura's father onto the ground. Her mother was unconscious. Ino stared at the scene before her, struck by the massacre that lay around. The people's bodies were everywhere. All bloody and dead because of kunais and shurikens. "Ha! Look around you, Kouji! Look at your precious wife. They are all going to die. Why? Because of you! Bwahahahaha!!!"
"Otou-san!!! Okaa-san!!!" Sakura screamed as the two ninjas continued to hold her. They were holding her head, forcing her to watch the cruelty of their master. "Iie! Onii-chan, where are you? I need you…"
'Sakura…' Ino's hand involuntarily went up to her collarbone. She looked around and closed her eyes, knowing this would stay with her forever. 'This… This is the reason she didn't want to tell us about her past. Why? Why did she have to suffer so much?'
"Hiroko…" Sakura's father struggled as he stood up. Holding a sword in his hands, he pointed it towards the giant man. The giant man just laughed and laughed. Ino watched as they both moved into fighting stances. "I will never forgive you for doing this. You will kill no more!"
"Hahahaha!! Let's just see about that!" the man shouted as he ran towards Sakura's father, sword also in hand. "Remember that this is a fight to the death. You, Haruno Kouji, being the best swordsman in the land will finally face your defeat!"
Ino watched helplessly as the two men fought with each other. He noticed the woman beside them, her body lying so still as if she were not alive. Suddenly, she heard a cry coming from Sakura's father. The huge man had finally stabbed him. Not just in any part of his body but through his heart. He dropped down, his eyes staring blankly at the crimson sky…
"Otou-san!!!!" Sakura screamed, trying her best to get out of the men's grip. She failed. She hung her head, tears falling down the dusty, bloody ground. She looked up as she heard the sound of footsteps coming towards her. She looked up and was face to face with her father's murderer. "Why? Why kill my father?!"
The man did not answer but just lifted the sword above her head. Sakura hung her head again, sadly, tears spilling again into the ground. As the sword came down, she heard her mother scream, "Noooooo!!!"
Sakura lifted her head high enough to see her mother stretching her hands before her. Her eyes had become a strange golden color and there were brown swirls twirling around it. (A/N: Like in Gatekeepers. Which is, like, so cool!!) Ino saw the entire scene. All of a sudden, yellow light emerged from Sakura's mother's hand. And everything faded away…
"Grandmother? When can I go back home?" a girl's voice called out. Ino opened her eyes and saw Sakura standing in front of an elegantly dressed old lady. The lady had specks of blue in her whitish hair and it was swept up gracefully in a bun. Sakura continued, "I want to see if Onii-chan is alive. Please."
"No, young one. Not until you are of age." The lady said as she stood over Sakura. The little girl just nodded and bowed her head as she silently went out of the room. Ino followed her and saw her go into a beautiful Zen garden. She had seen that garden in the Haruno Mansion, so she guessed that this was it…
"Sakura! Where have you been?! Don't you know that you have to train?" an elderly man called out as he huffily marched across the garden to her. "Taiku will get your gear ready, so don't be late, young lady!"
"Yes, grandfather…" the little girl sighed. She did not want to go. Ino saw her sad look as she gazed silently at the sky. Ino still watched her, 'Sakura…'
Suddenly she was transported again into another scene. She saw an older Sakura, all bruised and bleeding, lying on the floor unconscious. Ino gasped as she saw the man standing over her. It was Hatake Kakashi…
"Oi… If you want to defeat me, you have to do better than that. Geez, I don't know if you can even live through this." The silver-haired man muttered. Ino looked at Sakura, her eyes showing hurt for her friend. "Hey! Get up! Training is NOT over yet!"
"Uuuuhhh… Gomen ne, sensei…" Sakura said as she slowly opened her eyes. They were hazy and she tried to stand up. As she was trying to stand up, Ino noticed a huge gash on her side. It was bleeding intensely. Ino wanted so much to reach out to her but knew that it would all be in vain because this was like a dream world. Nothing was really tangible. Sakura stood up, her shoulders going up and down because of her breathing, "Sensei… Where were we?"
Then, Ino was transported back to the dark place she started with. In her mind, the scenes of the massacre and her friend's suffering were playing over and over again. Her eyes wide with shock and fright, she sat down and stared blankly at the darkness surrounding her. All of a sudden, an image started to form in front of her…
Ino looked up and saw Sakura standing in front of her. She wore a white kimono much like the woman Ino guessed as Sakura's mother. Her friend was not at all pale but strangely rosy. "Sakura… Please… Make it stop!"
"Make what stop?" a cold voice answered, a ghostly smile plastered on her lips. Her eyes showed nothing more than strange and cold amusement. "You wanted to see what was in my head. That's all there is."
"Sakura! Come to your senses. You can't keep hiding in here forever. Think of all the people who care for you!" Ino reasoned out. She didn't come here for nothing. Putting aside her fears for a while, she stood up to face the pink-haired girl. "Think about it, Sakura-chan. You have to go back out!"
"And then what?! Huh? So that I could be reminded every single day that my family is dead?! So that every single day I would regret ever being born?!" Sakura snapped. Ino looked into her eyes and saw anger, frustration and sadness all at the same time. Sakura looked away. "You have no idea about what I've gone through. You will never understand!"
"Sakura-chan…" Ino whispered. Feeling hurt for her friend, she decided to approach her. Taking a step forward, she held out her arms to Sakura. "Please… You have to let go… For all of us… Especially for me…"
Sakura looked up, her eyes brimming with tears. She took a step backward while shaking her head. "I-I can't… I'm sorry…"
"No! Please… Sakura-chan!" Ino screamed as Sakura's figure dissolved in the darkness. She sat down again and sighed. (A/N: So, you guys, want some more of Sakura's memories? Oh well, I guess a little more!! ) She buried her head in her knees. Suddenly, she heard someone whimpering near here. She stood up, closed her eyes, and groaned, "No… No more! Please!"
Ino opened her eyes and saw that she was back at the Haruno Mansion. Looking around her, she saw her friend's room and in the corner was a little girl. Her head and arms were bandaged, blood still visible. She was crying silently at the corner…
"No… I can't take this anymore! Sakura! Make it stop!" Ino shouted as she started to turn around, hoping to get a glimpse of her friend. She started to weep. Looking up, she saw darkness once more. Then, little screens started popping out, each displaying a part of Sakura's dark past. She quickly made some hand seals as the screens started to emit sounds, horrible and painful sounds. "I'm sorry, guys… Kai!! (A/N: Goodness, is this how you say this?? Is this the word for release?")
BACK AT THE HOSPITAL…
"Guys, look at Sakura!" Lee exclaimed as he observed the bed. Sakura's body was still not moving but was strangely glowing in a faint blue color. "Is Ino coming out?"
"Well, it's about time too." Neji sighed as he leaned at the wall. He had dark rings in his eyes. It was obvious that he stayed awake the whole time Ino was inside Sakura's body, hoping that she would awaken. "I'm so gonna kill her if she doesn't."
"Aaaaaahhhh!!!" Ino's voice screamed. Everyone who had been sleeping suddenly woke up. They looked at Ino and saw her face. It was full of fear. Shikamaru immediately went to her side and started to comfort her. "It was horrible… Please don't let me go back there again."
"Wait! Tell me! What did you see?" Taiku asked as he stood up and knelt down in front of Ino. She was crying hysterically and everyone could see that she was traumatized. Her voice breaking, she whispered, "She-she lost her parents in a horrible way and she has no idea if her brother is still alive…"
At the mention of Sakura's brother, Taiku suddenly tensed up. He looked extremely serious as he waited for Ino's next words. This reaction caused Sasuke to look at him again, 'What is it with this guy?'
"She spent her entire life training." Ino continued as she stared up blankly at Taiku. Her eyes were wide with fright. (A/N: You know when people are extremely surprised or scared of what they see, their eyes widen or become extremely small. Cool, huh?) "Please don't make me go back in there again."
"No, I won't…" Taiku replied, his eyes showing sympathy at the girl. Ino thanked him. She sighed and soon fell asleep, exhausted. "Guys, I would really appreciate it if you would all go and get some rest. I'll stay here and watch over Sakura. If ever she wakes up, I'll alert you immediately."
The group nodded and they all stood up. They stretched and headed towards the door. They all said their goodbyes and left…
THE NEXT DAY…
"Uuuhhh… My head…" Sakura groaned as she slowly sat up. Feeling weight on her abdomen, she looked towards her lower body and saw a head full of blue hair. She tilted her head and wondered why Taiku was in her room. Looking around, she realized that she wasn't in her room anymore. She ruffled the man's head. "Taiku?"
The man immediately woke up, looked at her, and smiled. She repeated her question. The man shook his head and smiled even more. He stood up and looked down at her, the smile still on his face. She gasped as a thought suddenly dawned on her. 'No… It can't be!'
She stood up and walked towards him, her mind still dazed at the thought that was playing in her head. Taiku suddenly held out his arms, as if expecting something to happen. Not waiting a second longer, she ran, tears already pouring from her eyes, towards him. She sobbed in his arms, his smile still there. She looked up and through her teary eyes, you could see joy. Taiku kissed her forehead as she continuously pulled the lock of hair behind his ears…
"Ohayo, Sakura-chan!" a cheerful voice belonging only to a blue-eyed fox boy was heard. With him, was the group of friends. (A/N: The group consists of all the peeps. I mean, Ino, Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Hinata, Lee, and Neji.) They had come early to see if she were awake. Realizing the queer silence surrounding him, Naruto looked to where the others were looking. There he saw Sakura in the arms of Taiku, who was kissing her forehead, tugging at a lock of hair behind his ear. "What the heck?!"
(A/N: Okay, this is the end… For now… Oh my God, what's happening to Taiku? Well, the next chapter is still about Sakura's past… I mean, if I wrote everything down in one chapter, you guys would take forever to read it. But wait, what's the use of cliffhangers if you won't use them? Oh well, guys, please read and review! Take care and God bless! –chibiabi)
