Pieces of Sakura

By: XI Heart NinjasX

Chapter One: Home Again

She came with the darkness, the cold, bitter wind billowing around her. Her steps were crisp and flowing, as if she weighed nothing. An artful, yet deadly grace surrounded her, her motions fluid. The moonlight never seemed to hit her, clouds always blocking the rays that could light her steps. It seemed even her own shadow was afraid to be around her.

The cold, bitter eyes took in the sleeping sentries at the gate leading into Konoha. They were there to protect her home village from deadly things. Deadly things like her. She took in the sentries faces into her memories. They would do no help in protecting her village.

Her village.

Since when had it been her village? As a child, it was home. Sanctuary. But even then, she knew it had never been hers. She could do nothing to protect it, or even claim in it. Part of the reason she had become a ninja, was to protect something that was hers.

You will only fail again...

She closed her eyes as the voice that had floated through her head since she was a child, resounded in her head with the criptic message. No. That's why she was coming back. So she would never fail again. That's why she had left. So she could not fail.

As a child she had been weak. So weak, that the only thing she had to fall back on was her brains and even then, her judgment was sometimes -no always- clouded by her infatuation of him.

She tightened her fist as she walked silenlty through the shadows. Weak was she no more. She was strong. She had come to claim and protect what was hers. Her home, her village, her friends. She wasn't weak now, and she would never allow herself to be that weak ever again. She would not count of another's strength and skill to save her skin. She would save her own, or she didn't deserve to live. She could now stalk through the shadows of the village without even being detected. No. She was not weak, anymore.

The noises from the bar reached her sensitive ears, even though she was at least a mile away. The streets were quiet, the house lights were turned off. Only a drunk would occasionally be seen being lugged down the street to his or her house by a few friends, all laughing merrily.

A frown appeared on her face as she darted across the street, a blur to the human eye. She now stood on the steps of the house she once called, 'Home Sweet Home'.

Don't please don't! I'll... I'll do anything!

Her hand wavered over the door knob to her house. The dying screams echoed in her head as she fought them off, the blood she was seeing on the door handle suddenly dissappeared and a calm serenity seeped in through her. She would not let simple memories effect her.

And then suddenly her hand was flying through the air, and the door handle was smacked off.

Okay, from now on she wouldn't let memories effect her. She shook her head as she pushed opened the unlocked door.

Memories threatened to overwhelm her, unshed tears pushed behind her eyes, and the un voiced screams gathered in her throat. With one large amount of control, she pushed everything she was feeling at the moment down, and started her self gudied tour through the house. She could do this. She would do this.

The furniture had been moved out, or at least the furniture that hadn't been covered in blood. Faded white on the carpet showed where the furniture had one sat, and big white sheets covered the blood stained furniture. Her face remained passive as she turned to go down the hallways to the rooms.

Pictures passed by her. A time line of a sort.

A young, smiling bride with her arms around a smiling husband. A young woman with her arms resting around her swollen belly, her husband kissing her cheek. The young couple holding a sleeping baby with a tuft of bright pink hair setting atop her head. A series of pictures of a young girl with bright pink hair growing up. Her first steps and first bite of real food, to her first bike ride or day of ninja academy.

She stopped as she came to the end of the hallway, a golden frame hung outside a door. Her eyes were dead set on the floor. She would not look, she would not look, she would not be weak... Her courage failed her as she looked up at the picture, drops of blood framing the edges.

A golden haired boy with to much of a whiskery face for a twelve year old had his arm around another boys shoulder. Dark hair flowed over his eyes and only one eye could be seen as his lips curled up as if he was trying to blow the hair out of his face. Beside him, a girl with short pink hair had her arms wrapped around his waist, a huge smile adoring her face. Both the boys were only in swim trunks, but the man standing beside the girl was in full clothing, only a slive of his face showing that showed he was just as happy as they were. His hand rested around the girls thin waist also.

Team 7...

That was all it took for Sakura to remember before the tears spilled from her eyes. It had been a treat from Kakashi. He had taken them to the coast, to the beach. This picture had been her favorite. It had been the last time Team 7 had gone anywhere as a team... and it had been the day Sasuke had said... had said...

Vocal cords and her will failed her as Sakura dropped to her knees infront of her child hood door, a scream of anguish escaping her lips. Her hands instantly came to her ears, weather she was trying to block out her screaming, or Sasuke's words that even to this day, resounded in her head, she didn't know.

The scream stopped, but the tears didn't. Her strength returning, Sakura jumped to her knees and ran down the hallways, ending up in the kitchein.

Instantly her eyes saw blood, her eyes saw bodies, but her mind told her they were not real. With another small cry, Sakura fled the kitchein and ran. Ran as far and as fast as she could. She ran though the living room, through the door to her house, down the steps and into the street not caring enough to take to the shadows. She ran down the street like she had as a child. She ran and she ran and she ran... Her tears fogged her vision and only her feet knew where they were taking her.

And suddenly she stopped. As she stopped, the tears stopped, the anguish stopped, and even the shock and hurt stopped. Her mind had finally rebooted and kicked in. Her survial had kicked in also. Not so much physically, but mentally.

What are you? Stupid! How can you just run down streets at night, not even knowing where your going? There could be enemy ninja anywhere and you could fall so easily with a kunai in your thorat! ARGH! STUPID!

The anger Sakura felt at herself allowed her to snap out of, well, whatever had just happened and allowed her to think with and hide behind her analytical mind.

First she needed to know where she was. Rolling her eyes upwards, Sakura found herself infront of a building. An apartment building to be correct. Her feet had taken her to the first place she had gone after she woke up for 2 years of her life. Kakashi's apartment.

When Sakura had turned 14, she had grown tired of waiting on Kakashi to awaken and instead had gotten up early every morning for the next two years, gotten ready, and then had walked to his house. There she would wake him, cook his breakfast and coffee, and then walk with him to the memorial graves. There she would stand off to the side, and then grab his hand when they needed to go. Sakura would go first to meet up with Narutu and Sasuke, and then Kakashi would show up 5 minutes later. Not only did it shorten the wait time, but a special bond had been formed between Kakashi and Sakura.

And now, 5 years later, her body had taken her to the one place that was like a second home to her.

Sighing, Sakura started up the steps to the third floor where Kakashi lived. In the distance she could see the sun just beginning to rise. She would need a place to stay, at least. She couldn't spend another moment in that house. She didn't know where Naruto livedat the moment. With the thought, she took a second thought at going up to Kakashi's apartment. It had been 5 years since she had talked to, no, contacted anyone from Konoha. She didn't even know if Kakashi still lived here! Hell, if he even lived at all!

A sudden tighening at her chest stopped her short of breath, but as Sakura made the final turn that would leave her infront of Kakashi's door, she saw a small package at his doorstep. Stnading over it, she was able to read the name of the newest volume to Itcha Itcha: Paradice! Sent to one, Hatake Kakashi.

Half smiling, Sakura bent down and picked up the package. As soon as she did, her ears picked up the minute sound of a string snapping and a volley of kunai rainging down on her. No normal ninja would have been able to escape it.

As Sakura put her 5 years of hard training to work, dodging all the kunai a thought crossed her mind.

Things might not have changed around here, her eyes narrowed as she deflected all the kunai with her own, but I most certaintly have.

So how do you like it?

Yes, no? Should I continue? Message me and tell me! If everyone likes it, I'll post then next chapter some time next week.!

thanks-- Lady Raven