Rayne Says: Special Thanks To Storm Front for being my ONLY reviewer. Have a cookie!
Recap:
I lived my life for the well being of others,
Constantly trying to help and give everything I had to offer,
But in the end I was left with nothing,
As I lay dying on the battlefield,
An honorable death for any shinobi,
I realize,
I have lived my life for others,
And not for myself,
And then I realize,
I do not want to die,
Because I have not lived…
Reborn
Dum…
What's that sound?
Dum…
It… sounds like a heart…
Da-dum…
Whose heart is it?
Da-dum…
It can't be mine…
Da-dum…
I'm dead…
Bada-dum…
So, whose is it?
Bada-dum…
I twitch in pain as I open my eyes and stare at the open sky. Wait; stare? I'm supposed to be dead. I struggle to sit up, surprised that I feel no pain from my wound. But I guess if I'm dead, there's no pain. But why would Heaven look just like the battlefield I died on? Unless… is this Hell?
Looking around my surroundings that appear to be the same as when I last saw them, I sigh. Am I a ghost? Why would I haunt this place? I have no unfinished business; I was content with my death, wasn't I? I look at my hand with curiosity; I'm not invisible. Does that mean I'm not a ghost? Than what am I?
I gasp as I notice something different about my hand. Every single wound I had during the battle is gone. Every scratch is gone. Every scar is gone. My hand looks like it's covered in entirely new flesh. Allowing my gaze to travel up my arm, I notice that all my scars and scratches have vanished as though they never were there. I lift up the bottom of my shirt and gawk.
The wound… that caused my death… is gone. Entirely gone. All that remains is the dried blood that coats my skin. If this were Hell, why would they bother to heal me? And surely if this was Heaven, I'd see people I know. Like my grandmother, she promised me that if I ever died she'd be the first to greet me. But she's not here. So where am I?
I stand up, my legs tottering a little, and start to walk toward where a large chunk of the wall is missing. Stepping outside, I breathe in the fresh air. Another question comes to my mind, if I'm dead, how come I'm breathing? And that heartbeat earlier, assuming that it's mine, dead people don't have heartbeats do they? Does that mean… I'm alive?
And if so, how the hell am I alive?
I'm about to walk away from the cave when I feel a tug at my heart. Actually it's more like someone wrapped their hand around my heart and squeezed. I stop for a second, gasping for breath, before returning back to the cave. As if someone is controlling my body, I walk toward the area I woke up in. Something sparks in my eyes. Crouching down, I grasp the long silver chain and observe the necklace before my eyes.
How did this get here? I know it's not mine. Chiyo wasn't the type for jewelry, and Sasori wasn't wearing it when we fought- whose is it?
It's not a remarkably intricate necklace; its actually quite simple, a long silver chain with a pendant hanging from the bottom. The pendant is also simple, just a triangle within a circle. Nothing fancy or eye catching really. I set the necklace back on the ground and circle around for other materials that could be of use for my journey back to Suna. Nothing appears to be useful, so I start to return to the outside of the cave.
The near heart attack I suffer from as I step out of the cave is enough to send me scurrying back. Picking up the necklace (which I assume is the cause of my troubles), the pain in my chest abruptly stops. I heave a sigh of relief. I guess I'll just wear the dumb thing, maybe I can sell it for some money or food. A sudden shock sent through my body tells me that The Necklace doesn't like that idea.
Yes, you heard me right, The Necklace thinks. I'm assuming so because the dumb- shock- pretty thing keeps shocking me every time I think something that involves destroying the damn- shock- precious thing.
I slip the Necklace around my neck, where the pendant lies right between my breasts. What a perverted- shock- Necklace! I shut off all my thoughts on the Necklace and walk outside of the cave. I breathe in the sweet air and assume I'm alive. Thanking Kami- shock- what the Hell was that for!? Happy to be alive- or so I assume.
Walking in the general area I think Suna is, I barely feel the sun on my back. Which is odd, because during the day the desert's temperatures rise to nearly 110 degrees Fahrenheit. I know that without a cloak of some kind I'll probably start suffering from heat stroke in a couple of hours. Also oddly enough, I should be dehydrated, but I barely feel thirsty.
Several hours later, I am, what I estimate, about a couple of hours away from Suna. But the night is approaching fast and I know if I don't find shelter soon then I will really die. I spot a small cave made out of hardened sand in the not-too-distant distance and walk toward it. Upon entering the cave, I let a small smile grace my features. Lying down on the hard ground, I curl up in a small ball, praying that I don't die during the night…
When I wake up to the glaring sun shining in my face, I smile yet again, thankful that yesterday wasn't a dream and that I truly am I alive. I also dully notice the Necklace shining in the sunlight. I stretch my limbs before exiting the cave. I start off at a full run to the village in the distance. Surprisingly, I feel full of energy and my chakra levels are higher than they were when I fought Sasori.
The village soon looms over me and I smile. Soon I'll be back home in Konoha. Won't Naruto be happy to see me? And Kakashi-sensei with his perverted book? I hope Tsunade-sama isn't drunk, she'll probably be mad that I wasn't there to help her with paperwork. And I have training to do with Neji-san and Lee-san. And Hinata-chan was going to teach me a new medicine combination she discovered.
I speed up to the gate and stop in front of the guards. They both appear to be Jounin, but with their Kazekage's recent abduction I wouldn't suspect anything less from Suna.
"Halt! State your name and purpose! And we'll need to see your papers."
"I'm Sakura Haruno, I just need to rest here for a while before returning to Konoha," I say, straight to the point. "I don't have my papers on me, I left them here when I left to rescue the Kazekage."
"And you expect us to believe you?" the other guard says.
"Um… yeah?"
"You're a pathetic excuse for a ninja if you can't even do a Transformation Jutsu correctly. And you're a pathetic impersonator if you can't get your information straight."
"Huh? I don't get it? I am Sakura Haruno, can't you see?"
"First of all Sakura Haruno has pink hair, which you do not. Secondly, respect the dead and get your information from a better source- Sakura Haruno is dead. You tarnish her memory by impersonating her so poorly."
"Wait, dead? You don't get it- I am Sakura! Sakura Haruno!"
"I'm starting to get sick of you," the other Jounin says, suddenly pinning me to a wall, his hand on my throat. "Sakura Haruno is dead. If you're Sakura Haruno, than I'm the Kazekage. And the chances of that happening are slim. What does that say about you?"
"I AM SAKURA HARUNO!" I scream.
A hand punches me in the side of the face and I spit blood. Someone knees me in the stomach and I collapse. "Don't make me call the Kazekage," the guard threatens.
No offense to Gaara or anything, but since I haven't seen him yet (and when I did he was dead), but I can't help but remember him pinning me to a tree during the Chunin exams. Even when I helped him rescue his student, Matsuri, he seemed a bit… cold.
"But… I am Sakura. I swear I am," I say quietly.
"I'll tell you this just so you can realize that your charade was over from the second you said you were Sakura Haruno- Sakura Haruno was killed in a battle against the Akatsuki member, Sasori. The Elder Chiyo told Kakashi Hatake this information before she died. She revived the Kazekage using what we assume was a forbidden jutsu. The Kazekage has returned safely and all is well. A small retrieval team was sent out two days ago to find Sakura Haruno's body. They returned today with information that the cave had collapsed and no body was sighted. Does that prove to you that you are NOT Sakura Haruno?"
"But… I look just like I should! Don't I?" I ask, hesitantly.
"Sakura Haruno is named Sakura for a reason. Her hair is pink, yours is not. I'll admit your eyes match hers, but green isn't too uncommon an eye color. Your outfit also resembles her attire, but you look as if you just came out of a blender."
"I was in a BATTLE! And- what do you mean my hair isn't pink? Last time I checked it was."
"Then your transformation has worn off, because your hair doesn't even resemble pink in the least bit."
"What?" I say, grabbing a lock of my hair. Staring at it blankly- or more correctly in shock. First of all, it's long. Second of all, it's silver.
What the fuck? How the hell did my hair turn silver? And how the hell did my hair grow so long? It's nearly down to my waist, long and tangled. What happened while I was out?
"But- I really am Sakura Haruno. Please, you have to believe me," I beg.
"Leave," the guards say coldly.
"But-"
"We shall be forced to detain you if you cause any more trouble. Please leave the surrounding area."
"I-"
"Leave."
"Fine," I whisper.
I walk off into the bloody sun, disappearing from the guards' vision.
"Do you think we should tell the Kazekage about her?"
"No, she's of no consequence. Probably some punk kid."
"Yeah."
After returning to my cave (that's right I've become possessive of the cave. It's MY cave.), I sat down on the rough floor and buried my head in my knees. Why would they think I'm not Sakura Haruno? Because apparently I'm dead. But if I died, how am I alive? Divine intervention apparently. Why is my hair silver? Maybe I'm trapped in someone else's body?
I need a mirror.
And a story.
If I'm not Sakura, then who am I? I guess I'll need a new name too if I'm not Sakura. Not Sakura isn't a good name. Ayako? Emi? Gina? No, something close to my real name. Hanako? Hmm, shorter. Hana. Yeah, Hana. Okay, now I need a last name. Kiku Hana? Kin Hana? Misaki Hana? Ran Hana? Yuri Hana? Maybe a color? Kuro Hana? Akane Hana? Shiro Hana? Wait- that actually sounds good.
Shiro Hana. White Flower.
That was the day when I truly died…
The day the cherry blossom wilted…
And the white flower bloomed…
Yayz, chappie two all done Also, she'll be going by Shiro Hana from now on. Shiro last name. Hana first name.
Japanese Names Translation:
Ayako- scholarly child
Emi- smile
Gina- silvery
Hanako- flower child
Hana- favorite or flower
Kiku- chrysanthemum
Kin- golden
Misaki- beauty bloom
Ran- water lily
Yuri- lily
Kuro- black
Akane- brilliant red
Shiro- white
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