Anko's blinks were rapid as she sat up from bed, pulling the blankets away and stumbling up to stand in the middle of her room.
Hands covering her heart, she felt it beat against her palms. It felt like it would leave her chest the second she moved her hand away. The ceiling fan hummed and clicked away, cooling the wet surface of her skin in a way that made her sweat stick.
She blew a breath out, shaking her head—she would not revisit those thoughts.
After all, those images—those voices—were just her bizarre, uncanny imagination. It had to be. She could not even begin to imagine if what she could 'remember' was the future for the world she had been born into. That would be crazy talk—no one knew the future.
Shaking out her long, violet hair, Anko felt the edges fall against her back and she noticed the sweat at her neck. Being particular in the first place, she loathed these signs of her fear. Anyone could take one look at her and see through her. They could see her as weak.
Forcing out a cough, the nine year old set her shoulders back, inhaling and exhaling until her heart slowed to something she could call manageable. She bent forward, gathered her hair into a large bun on the top of her hair and, as always, began her usual morning workout routine.
Out of everything Anko did not like—she did admit she was a negative girl—exercise was not among the list, despite the whole sweat issue.
Moving one's body required hard work, dedication, and commitment. She had those three qualities in spades. Even at breaks, Anko could be found practicing katas and warming up for additional practice. Dutiful in her studies, quiet among peers, and kind as a general rule, Anko had not developed much spotlight aside from the usual praise for her competency.
She liked to think herself as someone very average—she enjoyed the idea a lot. It meant that she would live the sort of life she had been promised. The sort of life that did not include being the subject of experimentation by the hands of one of the most respected shinobi in all of Fire.
It was an ignorant way of thinking but she was too afraid to open her eyes.