Surreal

Chapter One

"Haruno? Are you paying attention?" I jolted out of my thoughts as soon as I heard my sensei's harsh voice.

Actually, I wasn't.

"Y-yeah!" I nodded timidly.

He looked at me unsurely, "Then, please continue reading the next paragraph."

My face turned a weak shade of pink that matched my hair slightly. I wasn't paying attention and now I didn't know what paragraph I was supposed to read. In fact, I didn't even know what page they were on. "I-I d-don't know where we...um s-stopped..."

The whole class laughed out loud and started pointing at me. The word freak was heard countless of times.

Kakashi-sensei looked aggravated when he scolded the class. He looked at me and uttered something, his weird, dark mask moving slightly at the process, but, fortunately, his voice got drowned by a noisy ringing sound.

Saved by the bell.

I stumbled quickly out of the class and headed towards my locker. This week was weird, to say the least. This was the very first time in a while that I slept three times in one week. Daisuke, that wretched, stuck up man, didn't come once, never mind call my mom. And the weirdest thing out of all of these was that my nightmares had something new, something off about them.

Whenever I slept, the nightmares were always the same. It was always a sort of recap from that day. But recently, there was something different at the end. Something that always seemed to warm me up inside and fuel me with hope. Hope for tomorrow. Hope for something better. It enveloped me in a hug and carried me. Though before I could go anywhere or see what was behind it all, it kind of disappeared and leaved me hanging. Then, I would wake up feeling refreshed and, dare I say, a little comfortable.

That never happened before. Always, I would wake up with a scream, totally disheveled, and drenched with sweat from head to toes. But this new thing that always appeared at the end of my nightmares, turned it into a dream. This thing, this good thing; I had to find out what it was.

And I would do whatever I could to find what was inside that light.

"So you're saying that in the end of every nightmare there is a mysterious light?"

"Yes."

"And that light is a good sign because...?"

"Because now I want to sleep more and I always wake up rather refreshed."

"So any idea what that could be?"

"Not the slightest idea."

I was sitting with my therapist (I like to call her my best friend) and we were trying to figure out what that light might be.

"Well, that's certainly new. But it seems like a new hope or something and it has a good influence on you," she was about to continue but was cut off by a knock on the door.

"Excuse me you two, I'll see what's going on and come back," Shizune, my therapist, excused herself.

Gaara, my partner in the healing sessions, looked at me weirdly, "A light?"

I nodded meekly, "What if it was an angel or something." My eyes gleamed, "Or maybe it's a message of some sort!"

He looked at me, totally exasperated, "Seriously, Sak, stop watching anime and reading manga! It's affecting your mind."

Laughing slightly, I punched him on the arm.

Gaara was the best thing that ever happened to me ever since that day. He was the star in the dark sky, my light when I am lost, and my guardian. He was my best friend in this whole entire world. I considered him my brother. Too bad he was not in our school. He was the only one in this world that understood me, the only one I trust. I trust him more than my own mother.

"How are you?" I asked

He sighed, running his hand through his magenta locks, "I still have them."

Nightmares. He has them too. But his are quite different. While I couldn't save my father from being murdered, he is the one that kills his own. Not only that. He dreams that he kills his own mom (which he did, in a way, because she died while giving birth to him), his own sister and brother too. Also, one day he came crying, sobbing, and Shizune and I were very worried. When I asked him what happened, he wouldn't tell me at first. But then Shizune calmed him down and he confessed that he dreamt about killing me. It was a shocker and he wouldn't come near me for a whole month; afraid he would do it.

That's how much these things affect us. And that's why Shizune is working so hard to cure us.

"Don't worry. Maybe one day you will find your own light, Gaara-kun," I hugged him to show my support.

Flashing me with one of his shy smiles, he thanked me, his sea foam eyes filled with hope.

"Sakura! Dinner!" my mother called.

"Not hungry!" I called back.

I bet she sighed and then accompanied Daisuke on the table for dinner. The usual.

Tucking myself under the blankets and deeper into the pillows, I willed myself to sleep. I figured that the best way to find out what exactly did that light mean was to sleep. So here I am, trying so hard to sleep.

Closing my eyes, I began reminiscing memories. Soon enough, I was lost in the darkness.

"It is coming out of his chest!"

The light enveloped me, carrying me to the unknown. Something in the distance formed. A...body?

The body stood tall and husky, a little muscular. The light dissipated, showing his face more clearly. He had a serene look on his face, his pale pink lips formed into a smile. His pinkish-brownish hair pointed at all places, totally disarrayed. Some of his spiky locks fell on his virid-

Viridian...eyes.

Those eyes...

His eyes...!

I can recognize them anywhere! Those happy, hopeful eyes that always managed to lighten up the house with their light shade of green, a replica of mine.

"D-daddy?" His smile grew wider and-

Oh my God! It's him! He's alive!

"Saki!" he extended his arms, gesturing for me to come over.

I ran. I ran so fast. But this time, I am not running to save him. I am running to hug him. I jumped in his arms, wrapping my legs around him in mirth. Grasping him for my dear life, I asked, "Is this real? Or is it just a dream?"

He nudged my head softly, "Only if you believe, this could turn into reality."

I untangled myself from his arms, looking at him innocently, "What do you mean?"

Chuckling to himself about my obvious ignorance, he grabbed my hand softly and turned to a humongous, gigantic door. The door was white, with Japanese cherry blossom patterns on it. Lying on the center was a golden plate with "Sakura" written on it in emerald green.

"Come; I'll show you."

And then he opened the door...

A/N: I'M SPOILING YOU PEOPLE TWO CHAPTERS IN TWO DAYS YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL LOVELY READERS…but um sorry for not putting Sasuke in this chapter either heh heh SORRY! I PROMISE THE SAUCE WILL APPEAR BE PATIENT!

As I mentioned before, this is Sakura-centric so it's all about our little Saku-chan and her struggle in this cruel life, kay? Kay! But I swear Sasuke has a great role. Also, Gaara is only OOC with Sakura (very OOC but just bare with me please).

REVIEW YOU LOVELY SILENT READERS I'M BEGGING YOU! Thanks for reading and have a nice week.