FLASHBACK
Sakura looked up.
White. That was all she could see, just white. It was like she was floating in a plain of nothingness. All around her, a blank open canvas.
Her face scrunched up in confusion. "Wait," She thought. The look of confusion turned to surprise when she heard her thoughts echo aloud around her. She jumped a little at the volume at which she had heard it. Sakura heard something again, but this time it wasn't her thoughts. "Huh?" She said (well, what she thought was,) aloud. This time her voice was projected even louder and more offensively. Her knees buckled slightly as she quickly clamped her hands over her ears to stop the onslaught of sound. When the ringing in her ears stopped, she uncupped them and for the second time, she heard that sound.
Sakura strained her ears to get a better listen. "It sounds like…music…what song though? It sounds so familiar…" The music faded away. The raven-haired girl heard the strange tune fade back, but it was just barely above a ghostly whisper.
"Feelings she never knew…"
Sakura's liquid-turquoise eyes widened. She knew this song.
"Pullin' you under now…"
"Oh Kami not this song." She feebly tried to cover her ears again.
"You're fighting the undertow, before it sucks you down…"
"Pushin' the senses. We're pushin' the senses now. C'mon, c'mon! What're you gonna do, you can't find another day."
"C'mon, c'mon! You're pushin' your senses, pushin' your senses now!"
Make it stop, Sakura thought to herself. This horrible song was so loud it flooded her being. It brought back so many memories. It was their first big concert, Neji, Kiba, Shikamaru and herself. They were opening for her father's band, and they had been amazing.
"Maybe it's not so bad," She thought. She opened her ears again.
"Always, cuz I can depend on you. But sometimes, it's burning a hole right through. Let's talk about it, ALWAYS! Cuz I can depend on you! But sometimes, it's burning a hole right through, keep pushin' the senses through!"
Sakura recupped her ears. "Okay," She thought. "Maybe it IS so bad." She winced as the volume suddenly shot up again. She started hearing ringing echo through her head, and her fingers were becoming slimy with blood as they plugged her ears. Sakura doubled over, she couldn't take it anymore.
She screamed.
END FLASHBACK
"Sakura!"
Said girl jumped out of her daze. "Huh?" She looked past the hand that was waving in front of her face. It was Tenten's. "Sakura! Jesus Christ! You've been out of it for like, five minutes! You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Don't worry about it. What were we talking about?" She realized she had been walking at the front of the group. They were at the edge of the forest. Sakura turned and looked at the rest of the Rookie 9. Besides her aunt and uncle, (and Ino of course, who was still out from that blow from Tenten,) everyone looked either afraid, worried, or just plain lost.
"You were telling all of us about these two strangers here." Said Shikamaru as he pointed his thumb at Sango and Miroku. Of Course the genious knew who the two of them were, but the others didn't. And he wasn't going to blow cover until Sakura blew hers. "Well, it's a bit late to say that." He thought tiredly. But he knew that Sakura hadn't told them everything, so he wasn't going to spill until she did.
Because, I mean, come on. What were brothers for?
"Have you ever heard of the Jigoku-Kaen Karite?" Sakura asked, her tone cold and business-like.
"Who?" Sasuke asked skeptically. "The hell is she talking about?" "What does this have to do with them?" He asked bitingly while gesturing at the exterminator and monk. She was going completely off topic, he thought to himself.
"I'm getting to it." Sakura pivoted and looked the Uchiha Survivor directly in the eye. Sasuke had never heard her voice so venemous. He searched her narrowed eyes and could almost see the raw, animalistic power raging behind her golden orbs.
"Getting back to the story. Have any of you heard of him?" Sakura looked at the faces of sensei and student alike, and found no answer. "I'll take that as a 'no'. That's a name he rarely goes by though, so I'm not suprised. You may know him as,"
Everyone held their breath on the forrest path as they waited for her answer. Sakura turned her back to them and kept walking as as she continued.
"Howaido-Kiba Katsu: The White-Fanged Ripper."
Kiba winced slightly. He had alway been aware of the coined term used by enemies on the battlefield, but it still gave him the shivers.
Kurenai and Azuma both gasped. They had been thinking the same thing. "How can Haruno-chan know about him? That's classified Konoha information! And not just Konoha! ALL the hidden ninja village-kages aren't supposed to breath a word of his existence to the public! The whole reason for the Third Great War was to help cover up his destruction! How can she know?!" Kurenai's wide and panicked eyes looked at Kakashi as Sakura said the blasphemous name. "Hatake!" She whispered urgently. Upon hearing his comrade's voice, Kakashi glanced away from his Icha Icha. "How does your student know about him? What the hell is Sakura-san talking about?!" Kurenai whispered urgently.
"You'll see." That was all The Copy-Nin said, and he buried his nose back into his book.
"Haruno-chan," Kurenai started. She took a step away from the group and closer to Sakura. "H-How do you know about Howaido-Kiba Katsu? Where did you hear that name?" Sakura picked up on the panic and anxiety in Kurenai's voice. "Well, it's to be expected, after all."
Sakura turned slightly and raised her hand to examine it in front of her face. It looked as if she was searching for Kurenai's answer in her palm. She squinted at her hand scrutinizingly. "Sakura," Kurenai started again. "How do you know of the Howaido-Kiba Katsu?
Sakura lowered her to let it rest back at her side. She looked down at her shoes with a distant look in her eyes. "I know who he is because," Everyone (except for, well, you know who) held their breath.
Sakura faced the group, her posture straight and legs spread shoulder-width apart. Clearly she spoke:
"I know who he is because he's my father."