She was fully aware it was a dream, she knew that much, but it was all fuzzy. Then she would find two figures and she would run towards them, longing for them, but she would never reach them— she couldn't catch up. She would run until her legs burned and her lungs begged her to give up, but they seemed farther and farther. Finally, right before they disappear completely, she screamed.

"DON'T LEAVE—!"

But they'd be gone and she'd be alone until her head starts ringing and pain from her chest rips her apart.

Sakura woke up drenched in sweat and panting. Again. A nightmare. She glanced at the clock on her bedside. 3:20 am. Groaning, she dragged herself off bed and trudged off to the bathroom. Might as well start the day early. Again.

3 months of recurring nightmares and one would expect she got used to it. But she hasn't. She couldn't. To cope with it in a healthier way, she usually heads to the training grounds or runs a couple of laps around Konoha. Today was her day off so she decided on both. On the way out, she grabbed her keys from inside a glass bowl, next to a faced-down picture frame. Later. She'll deal with it later.

When she stepped out, Konoha was far from the bustling village it usually was. The sky was still a dark hue with specks of light and there were no signs of life on the streets. It was quiet— not the unsettling type of quiet that usually puts her on edge, but the type that releases the tension and lets her let her guard down even by just a bit. The type of comfort that she hasn't been able to find anywhere in years. At the back of her head, there was a nagging feeling that once upon a time, she did find the same solace in something, maybe even someone, but it was drifting somewhere in the blanks of her mind. Tsunade-shishou would tell her not to overthink and that the memories would come back without her having to force it, but it's been such a long time and those blanks were filled with nothing but photographs of strangers in her home, carefully placed in pretty frames.

On her third lap around the village, she felt chakra signatures— powerful ones at that. She tensed as she saw two men at the gate, and finally noticing her presence, they stopped walking. One of them disappeared, only to reappear after a fraction of a second right in front of her. She braced herself for an attack of some sort, but instead felt strong arms wrap around her. He was hugging her. A tight, almost bone-crushing hug. Is that a new attack method? A kill them with kindness kind of torture?

The man was taller than she was and soon enough, she was lifted off the ground and spun around. She could barely understand what he was murmuring in her ear, his breath tickling her neck.

I missed you so much.

She froze. She's a kunoichi, dammit. She should never freeze nor hesitate, otherwise she could put not only herself, but others at risk. Her muscles weren't cooperating. 'Move! Move your fucking body! He can kill you if you don't do anything!'

Despite how much she berated herself, she couldn't rip herself off the man who was still holding her tight. She struggled to get the words out. "Let— Let go of me."

"I- sorry," He dropped her, too abruptly that she almost lost her balance. It was too dark to make out much of his features aside from his cerulean eyes. Not even 10 seconds later, she was brought in another hug, this one much less constricting, but just as difficult to pull out of. Why can't she move? Run? Scream? She felt so utterly pathetic. After a minute, his hold on her loosened and she felt something on her forehead. Something soft. Shit, did he just kiss her forehead?

Blood rushed to her cheeks, finally breaking her off whatever trance she was just in. She stared right at his onyx orbs and in the calmest tone she could muster, she said, "State your name and business in Konoha."

"Is this a prank? Sakura-chan, it's us." The cerulean eyed one laughed nervously. She whipped out a kunai from her pouch.

"Step under the light."

They complied. Blonde hair, blue eyes, three whisker-like line on both cheeks. Raven hair, one dark eye, the other pale with rings. Her head started ringing, something that was painful but familiar.

"It's us." That was all she heard before everything went dark and her consciousness slipped away.