A/N: I'm so sorry it took me so long to update. May things haven been happening in RL(real life for those who don't know what RL is short for) and because of that I haven't had a clear enough head to write. Oh btw this is is Sakura's POV.

Sakura's Decision

I stare at the photo, trying to suppress the sickening sensation that is crawling all over me.

I don't know who's in this image but I can tell they suffered horribly. Behind the corpses on the ground I see the burning city, the broken bodies of civilians hanging from the trees, and the triple bladed scythe standing from the ground as if it were a flag.

But there is something else in this picture…I just can't put my finger on it.

Before I try to figure out the nagging feeling about the portrait Asuma-sensei continues speaking.

"The reason these horrific nights are known as the Nine Nights of the Beasts is because of the ceremonies the Jashinist would perform during each attack. When the ceremony was finished the Jashinist would leave." He clicks to the next photo.

My hand flies to my mouth to prevent me from giving into the urge to puke.

This photo must have been taken from a helicopter and zoomed into the forest right on the edge of the city. I could see the burn mark of a creature in the ground. Limbs that seem to be reaching for something a giant head with its jaws open into a roar, long ears branch out from its head are slanted backwards as if to show aggression. And lastly nine long twists of tails are fanning out into the forest. I don't know how the zealots accomplished it but the entire beast seems to be covered in dark reddish fur.

Another click another photo.

This one is a close up, and I shut my eyes to try and remove the image from my head.

Too late, it won't leave.

The kindle for the fire…the reason the beast was covered in fur is because…

I lower my head and swallow down the bile rising in my throat.

Then Asuma-sensei continues.

"Konoha used to have nearly half a million residents; we were quite the popular place until that night. Families were taken from their homes; the homeless were bribed and beaten. The police had no chance. This night there were over two hundred thousand deaths, and this imprint is the grave of all those people. You can still see their boiling blood and their ashes…"

Suddenly the bell rings.

My first day at school is done. Finally.

As I hurry to pack my bags I can hear my fellow classmates chatting grow louder and louder.

"I heard Iruka-sensei lost his parents that night…"

"So what do you think of the new chick? She's pretty cute…"

"Shut up," mutters Inner.

"The previous principle that was running for mayor was found among the bodies. I know because my dad was good friends with him but they had a falling out a few months before that night. Every year we go to the stone and pay our respects…"

"Sasuke walked her to class you know. Maybe he has a thing for pink?"

I tilt my head forward so my bangs cover my pained filled face. Breath, I tell myself, just breath.

"I would have had a sister had she not been taken that night…"

"Uzumaki is trying to hit that. It was so obvious during lunch when he was all over her…"

Inner is rubbing my back trying to distract me from the pain of others and the humiliation I feel.

"I just wish I knew them you know? I'll never know my parents all I ever hear are stories…"

"That dumbass must be an orphan too; you never hear anything about his parents…"

"I bet she's easy that's why those two are by her she must have already given them a little something…"

I can't take this anymore!

Abruptly I stand and leave the class before any of the other students had a chance to walk out the door. I can hear their confusion and the complaints about me but I don't care. I need to get away from here.

Inner follows me she keeps trying to lead me down another hall, but I ignore her. I don't want to turn the school anymore; I just want to go home.

I weave throughout the halls. Ignoring all the stares and voices as I've done so many times today.

I see the front door, and I walk as fast as I can to reach it.

It's almost over, just a little more…

"Sakura-chan?" calls a voice.

I continue towards the door.

"Sakura-chan! Wait up!" Suddenly a hand is on my shoulder stopping me from leaving this hell disguised as a school.

Frustrated I turn to confront Naruto. But the worry in his eyes stops me in my tracks. It's not his fault the photo freaked me out or that my classmates are starting horrible rumors about me and my friends. It's not his fault, so I shouldn't be angry with him.

But like usual, as my anger fades Inner's increases.

"Let her go!" she screams at the blond who is deaf to her words.

"Sakura-chan are you okay? You looked really upset a moment ago. Did something happen?" His whiskered face expressed his worry and he tries to look me in the eyes.

Oh no, I think, I won't fall into his mysterious gaze again. Once a day is enough, thank you.

"I'm fine Naruto I just have a lot of homework to do and need to get home." I reply with a forced smile.

"I know you can sense me you Idiot! Now let her go!" Inner yells.

I feel my face freeze as I replay those words in my head.

Naruto…can sense Inner?!

What the hell? First he sees her, then he doesn't, but now he senses her?

Inner what happened today, I wonder as she smirks the disappears.

Where did she go?

Suddenly Naruto is tugging on my wrist. I look up to him in confusion as he tries to lead me back into the thinning hall.

"Come on Sakura-chan or we'll be late to our last class!"

Class? But my day is done… My eyes widen as I realize Naruto thinks I have the same schedule as others.

"Wait Naruto I don't have a seventh period!"

He stops and turns towards me with a frown. Students are barely paying attention to us as they hurry towards their seventh period.

"Remember what I told you and Sasuke at lunch? Well because of my circumstances I get to leave school early this semester. I was just on my way home when you stopped me." I explain.

The look of clarity on his face causes me to laugh. My bad mood nearly forgotten.

"Oh well then I guess I can leave and walk you home." He suddenly remarks.

Then to my dismay he turns and starts leading me towards the exit. The final bell echoing around me.

Before I could say anything to stop him though a voice rings throughout the hall.

"NARUTO!"

Shock strikes me like a bolt of lightning at the fury in the familiar voice. I turn to see Iruka-sensei charging down the now empty hall towards us. Inner eagerly following him with her signature shit eating grin across her face.

What did she do?

Naruto squeaks before he starts pulling me towards the door.

Sadly Iruka caught up with us right as Naruto flung the doors wide open.

With a tight grip on my blond friends right ear Iruka pulls him back inside.

"You! Why are you not in class!" Hisses the scared man. I just stare, bug eyed at the exchange. Iruka-sensei has always been nice to me. But then again I only met him twice…

"Oh," I glace up to see the male secretary looking at me with his usual smile. "Sakura you may go now. I'm sorry to have kept you from your mother." And with that he pulls Naruto in tow down the hall as Naruto whines.

"B-but I was just going to take Sakura-chan to Ichiraku's! To celebrate her first day and then walk her home!"

I don't hear Iruka-sensei's response because I laugh as I remember Naruto's attempt this morning to ask me out. Was it really only a few hours ago when we first met? It felt like forever ago.

Officially out of my bad mood I call out to my friend. "Naruto! See you tomorrow!"

I see him struggle to turn my way and wave at him before I walk out the door to see my mom's car waiting for me.

"Finally," Inner sighs in relief. "Let's get out of here, I got a lot to tell you." I glace her way with confusion written on my face.

She shakes her head. "I'll explain once we get home." And with that she walks to the car.

Mom rolls down her window, the one on the right side of the car. "Hey honey. How was your first day?"

I smile as I open the back door. "It was…interesting."

She frowns as she starts the car. I let Inner get in first then I slide in and close the door looking up at the school one as mom drives away from the curb. As if I'm drawn to it, I look up to a window on the third floor. And if it isn't for his hair I wouldn't have known who it is I'm staring at.

He turns his face and looks down as the car continues on its way.

Sasuke.

Mom interrogated me all the way home. She wanted to know everything about my first day. Did I make new friends? How were my classes? Who were my teachers and did I have homework? The questions were never ending.

It wasn't until she had to go pick up dad from work that I got to confront Inner about what she told me this afternoon, about Naruto being able to sense her.

"Well," she begins as she sits on the edge on my bed with her arm resting on her raised knee, "at first I thought it was just a coincidence you know? When the guys turned towards us right after I spoke this morning. But when I fell through him I found out what was so unnerving about the Idiot." A deep breath then she takes my hand. "Sakura remember that baby in the photo…"

And so Inner explains all her findings today. About her meeting with the Kyuubi, how he possibly was forced into Naruto that night all those years ago and her suspicions about Sasuke being about to sense spirits. She describes all my classmates who had a similar reaction that I did to the horrifying photo. I tell her their names; Hinata Hyuuga, Shikamaru Nara, and Kiba Something-or-other because I never caught his last name. She warns me about Tenten and her sister Ami who is already spreading more rumors; this time about me and Ino.

Finally Inner asks, "So Sakura what do we do? They can sense me and we have no clue what that could mean for you. We don't even know what they are! The only other humans we have encountered that had any abilities like this we met at the hospital! And they all hurt you except Ino! Do you want to stay at this school? You can tell your mom you don't think you're ready and want to wait another semester or we can see if you can transfer to another school." She moves to squat in front of me. Her face inches from mine as worry clouds her expression.

I don't answer for a long time as I think of everything I've been through today. Besides the bullying today was actually rather awesome. I got some new friends and reunited with another. I learned so much from my classes and had more excitement than I've had in years. If I leave just because of the possibility of danger then I will never get to fulfill my dream when it comes to living an exciting school life with a ton of friends. So with the calmest voice I have I answer Inner. "I…think we should stay. We can try to find out what they are and see if they are dangerous for me to be around if only to calm your nerves Inner because you freak out when it comes to others."

She glares at me as I smile. "It's okay to be a little over protective but Inner I think it would be good for me to have more friends."

Her pink eye glow for a moment before she nods in agreement. Guilt stabs me through the heart as I think of a way to cheer her up.

With a smirk I lean close to her and whisper, "By the way…did I tell you I met my spirit guide? And that he's a Weasle-Otter named Itachi?"

After mom and dad return home we ate dinner, a healthy meal filled with vegetables and chicken, when it was dad's turn to question me about my day. Inner laughs at him and sits in her chair I make sure to leave for her while I answer dads questions. I tell him everything I told mom. With was what I learned and how I reunited with Ino. I left out the rumors being planted and accidentally let Naruto's and Sasuke's names slip out.

"Sasuke Uchiha?" mom suddenly asks.

I nod as I eat my eggplant and carrots.

"Oh!" She happily exclaims causing me to look up to her in confusion. Seeing my face she laughs and dives into story.

"The Uchiha's had once been the richest in all of Konoha. After their leader Madara left the village their clan became the policemen of our village. They still kept their strange ways though. They were once strange monks worshiping a god only known to their clan. Because of this they claim they were the only ones who could protect the village. But that changed as the years went by. Eventually they were the advisors of the mayor and even owned their own district." She explains.

I cock my head to the side. "So what happened to them?"

Her smiles falls and she depressingly fiddles with her chopsticks. "The Ninth Night happened honey. So many of the Uchiha's where lost that dreadful night. But the main family survived. That is until…the eldest son was kidnapped and murdered."

My eyes widen as I remember Sasuke's story.

"No one really knows how he was taken, it wasn't even released on who the suspect was because their...witness isn't reliable. All we know is one night as he was walking to the store right next to their district he vanished. No one saw him for nearly six months and when they found him…"She looks towards me with tears in her eyes.

"Oh…" I place down my chopsticks and stare at my half eaten food.

"That poor boy…he was only seventeen. He shouldn't have suffered so, and his parents when they learned of his death they couldn't seem to handle it. One day they just fell asleep and never woke up."

And Sasuke couldn't do anything except watch as his parents wasted away.

A tear trickles down my cheeks then a hand cups the back of my head. I look up to see dad giving me a weak smile.

"It's okay baby, I know they suffered but Sasuke has proven to be strong. He will see his family again someday. It's what his clan believed in. And I certainly am happy you are here."

I blink in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

Now it's dad's turn to blink. "You don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

Mom sobs. "Oh honey…remember when you too were kidnapped?"

I shiver at the reminder. My thirteenth birthday.

"I try not to," I mumble. After Orochimaru took me from the hospital that day he drugged me so heavily I can't really remember everything that I saw. I remember seeing his disturbingly yellow eyes and Nurse Kabuto along with someone else lying down but I never saw their face.

Only their dark hair, I couldn't even tell if it was red, brown, or black. And with how long it was I couldn't tell if it was a boy or girl.

All I know it that was the night I got a new heart.

"Honey remember? When you told the police you might have seen another person there? After you were returned to the hospital?" Mom questions.

"Yeah…" I look up to her and see her tears. Because of the large amount of drugs in my system the police weren't completely sure I actually saw my old therapist. Too much from that week was blurred in my mind and with me being schizophrenic what i tend to see isn't all that reliable. So no matter how much i told them it was him they had no proof because apparently Orochimaru had an alibi.

"They found a body not far from where you were found. In the old playground you used to play in."

Why…am I just now hearing this? I wonder.

"Dear…" dad stresses. He leans towards her and takes her hand in his. His bearded face showing his pain.

"Who did they find?" I whisper. My heart pounding as if I ran a mile while Inner stands next to me; her hand on mine, giving it a comforting squeeze.

Mom gulps before she explains. "They found the body of the original owner of your heart honey. They found Itachi Uchiha."

A/N:

I am such a bitch for cutting you all off here after not updating for weeks. But I wanted this uploaded as soon as possible!

I can finally tell you! Yes Itachi is Sakura's heart donor…but he wasn't willing. He was taken by Orochimaru and suffered long before his heart was taken from him.

I will be updating much sooner than later possibly within a couple of days so you can all see how Sakura is taking this horrible news.

So who saw this coming? Did anyone? Yes or no?