ZERO / BLEACH / TWIST (here) / REVERSE / DYE / RED

I understood why she did it. At that moment I knew why people tagged graffiti on the walls of neat little houses and scratched the paint on new cars and beat up well-tended children. It was only natural to want to destroy something you could never have. -Janet Fitch

Magic trembled in the air. Like the wings of a butterfly first emerging from a cocoon. Delicate. Unsure. It filled Sakura's lungs as naturally as air did.

She had managed to get a couple hours of sleep after waking up from that jarring nightmare. She wasn't even sure whether she had actually stumbled into Shisui's dream until she woke up to a text from him at dawn.

That was weird.

She rubbed her eyes as she squinted at the too-bright words. She typed a response to him before she tossed the phone onto her bed somewhere.

Super weird. Idk what that was.

As she lay on her stomach, covers scrunched against her body, she tried to make sense of her hectic night. She had always learned that dream walking only occurred when people in close physical proximity. With enough years of practice, it was possible to extend that range. But even Madara was only able to visit dreams within a few blocks of his house. Shisui lived halfway across the city. She almost woke Madara to pick his brain, but she felt bad interrupting his sleep two times in one day.

She got out of bed anyway. She grabbed a sweater off the chair in her room that always seemed to accumulate clothes. Pulling her arms through the sleeves, she tiptoed across the cool floor. The door to Madara's room was ajar. She could see the lump his body made. His back rose and fell with each of his quiet snores.

Sakura hesitated in the doorway of Madara's bedroom.

He seemed so much smaller than she first remembered when he'd picked her up from the Senju institute all those years ago.

She suddenly recalled that awful nightmare. How he hadn't hesitated to wrap his body around hers. Holding her tight in the face of death.

And then she paused to think.

Hadn't there been another nightmare before that one? Or was that all part of the same dream?

She rubbed the heel of her hand against her temple. All her thoughts felt tangled up and it was too early in the morning to try to deal with this mess.

Sakura conjured a shield into her palm. She walked into Madara's room. When she touched the tip of her finger to his shoulder, the shield slipped from her palm and spread across the bed instead. It was a lightweight charm. It would dissolve into nothingness as soon as Madara rose from the bed. But it was something to protect him- especially from sharp claws and teeth.

She eyed the bottom drawer of his nightstand where he kept the scrying bones she liked so much. He complained every once in a while that she had her own. A really expensive set, actually. They were made from the bones of a well-respected illusionist- harvested with permission, of course.

The more powerful the caster, the more powerful the scrying bones. There was still a black market for acquiring scrying bones through more questionable means. She had the certificate that assured her that these bones had been purchased through legal channels only. It sat in one of her drawers, sandwiched between the other papers that were too important to throw out but not important enough to sort through.

Her scrying bones worked fine.

But something about the set Madara kept in that drawer just… sang to her. Divination had always been one of her strengths. But the first time she had used this particular set of bones, the clarity of the mumurs startled her. Sometimes, it almost felt like it was a person whispering right in her ear.

Sakura took a step away.

The bones weren't going anywhere. She could always consult them another time. She decided to let Madara sleep some more.

As she dressed, Sakura conjured some paper and a pen. She dictated the words as she pulled on jeans and tied her hair. She told Madara that she was going to run some errands. That she would head to the shop right after. And then… hesitated.

She had her date scheduled that night. She had dreamt about it.

A cute guy with a shy smile. Soft-spoken and fumbling.

And then his white hand, unmoving as he spilled blood across the fine floor of the library.

She had read enough and learned enough to know that there was some link between dreams and divination. Countless magic users and scholars had devoted their lives to untangling the relationship between the two. There were seminars offered at the Senju Institute where experts came to lecture about the link, that basically said, "I don't know, but there's something there."

Avoiding him the last time hadn't ended up well. Maybe things could change if she tried the opposite.

"Remember that I'm going on a date tonight. We were in the same chem class last year. I'll text you to check in. Won't stay out late," Sakura declared. She watched the pen jot down the words in perfect imitation of her handwriting. It hovered over the paper. Waiting as it sensed her hesitation.

"…Love you," she added," watching the pen write out those words too.

Sakura glanced the message over. With a flick of her hand, she sent the paper flying down the stairs. It would land on the kitchen table. Right at the spot where Madara usually sat.

She took the subway to Shisui's apartment. She passed by a bakery on her way to the station. The smell of something buttery caught her attention. She popped in to buy a couple croissants, still a little warm as the baker levitated them and deposited them into a waxed paper bag. Sakura tucked the bag into her hoodie as she took the stairs down to the tracks.

It didn't take long for the train to come screeching along the tracks. She got into one of the cars. It was busy. Not much room to sit. So she stood, conjuring a spectral hand to grab on to one of the poles to keep balance. Madara had taught her the trick a long time ago. He looked revolted the first time he'd seen her reaching for one of the straps.

"Humans are filthy," he had warned her.

And she remembered laughing at his wording.

"We're human too," she pointed out. But always eager to learn, she had watched him conjure the translucent hand. And by the time they arrived at their destination, she had managed to make one too.

All these years later, she was still doing it the same way. It was funny how little moments like that stuck. It was as if Madara had shared a little part of himself that then became part of her before she even realized.

An old man sitting directly in front of her nodded off. His chin drooped toward his chest. On his lap sat a canvas tote. It wriggled a little. And then a shiny black nose sniffed its way out. Beside him sat a woman reading a book. She turned the pages with flicks of her finger and a scattering of magic dust as she went.

Standing a little ways away from her were two girls carrying backpacks. They were wearing the uniform of the Senju Institute- which hadn't changed at all since she had once dormed there. As it turned out, there were plenty of students who commuted to the school. The ones whose parents hadn't abandoned them, probably.

Sakura couldn't help but overhear their conversation. They were fussing over the ribbon on the uniform, which was supposed to be tied in a specific way. Most of the teachers didn't really care as long as it was where it was supposed to be. But there was the occasional hard ass who would make a fuss about the direction of the knot or similar nonsense. One of them struggled to fold the ribbon into the right shapes. The other cursed as she tried to look up directions on her phone.

"Hey," Sakura called.

Several eyes fell on her. But Sakura waited until the girls turned around to look at her. She gestured toward the ribbon. Waited until the girls nodded.

With a twist of her hand, Sakura levitated the ribbon and tucked it under the collar of the girl's shirt. She wiggled her fingers in a pattern she had often watched her classmates and roommate practice many years ago. The ribbon tied itself in the perfect shape. Her hand fell to her side.

"There you go."

"Thanks!" the girl chirruped. She tried to offer Sakura one of her granola bars as thanks but Sakura just smiled and waved the offer away.

As Sakura got off at her stop, she spotted the two girls waving at her. She didn't have time to return the gesture as the train pulled out of the station and sped off down the tunnel. Onwards to the next place in this big city.

She had been to Shisui's place a few times before. Enough to remember that the elevators took forever and that it was faster just to walk up the stairs. She knocked on the door, glancing around the empty hall as she waited. When there was no response, Sakura knocked again.

"Coming, coming. Man, what the heck? It's too early for this," she heard him grumbling as he fumbled with locks and the knob. When he cracked the door open, he scowled.

"It's 8."

"It's 8:27," Sakura corrected as she pushed past him, walking right into his apartment.

Rubbing his eyes, Shisui closed the door behind her. He yawned as he swept his hand through the air. The coffee maker gurgled as he conjured water into one compartment. One of the cabinets opened and the bright yellow lid on a squat can popped open. A scoop appeared from thin air to dip into the grounds. Turning his back on this orchestra of coffee-making, Shisui leaned against the counter. He scratched his stubble.

"Okay. What's going on? You get into some trouble you can't tell Uncle about?" he asked. He started when Sakura crossed the cramped kitchen to throw her arms around him.

"Woah! What's up with you?" he demanded. But he hugged her back. Shisui might have been the only Uchiha in history who was a fan of physical affection. She squeezed him a little harder. Laughing, Shisui patted her back. But when she didn't laugh in return, Shisui's laugh faded.

"Don't go anywhere," she said.

"Huh?"

"Don't plan any trips for a while, Shi. You can't go," she pleaded, looking up at him.

He sighed. Thumped her on the back a couple times. "What're you talking about? Did you have a nightmare again?"

"You're planning on observing Venus. It's a 3 day trip," Sakura recited. She stared into his eyes hard.

An odd look crossed Shisui's face.

"I haven't told anyone about that."

At first, Shisui smiled. Like he was waiting for her to admit that it was a joke. But as her stare didn't waver, his smile faded.

"Come on. It'll be quick. When I get back, we'll go to that Cuban place you love so much. On me, okay?"

Sakura shuddered. He had said those words to her once before.

He hadn't kept that promise at all.

"I think I- no. I'm sure. I divined something. If you go on that trip, you'll die, Shi," Sakura insisted, grabbing the front of his sleep-rumpled shirt. When Shisui's moved away from her, she shook him a little.

The expressions on Shisui's face shifted too fast for her to understand. But he ended up hissing out a breath through his teeth. Shaking his head, he finally met her gaze again.

"Fine. I'll stay put," he conceded.

Relief rushed through Sakura. In fact, she was so elated that her knees buckled. Shisui's eyes widened as he reached out to grab her. They ended up falling to the kitchen floor. Sakura burst into laughter. And after a beat, Shisui did too.

"What's wrong with you?" Shisui scolded between chuckles.

Once the coffee finished brewing, they had the croissants for breakfast. They sat right there on the floor, leaving the mugs on the linoleum tile beside them.

Shisui scrutinized her as he watched her take a bite.

"You gonna ask Uncle about last night?"

Sakura blinked, brushing crumbs away from her mouth with the back of her wrist. For a second, she had forgotten how she had accidentally barged into Shisui's dream. It had been forgotten in the chaos of trying to get Shisui to stay.

When she didn't respond, Shisui sighed.

"Magic is weird."

"Seriously."

"You got any plans for today?"

"Yeah. I'm going on a date, I think."

"Cool. Need a ride to the shop?"

"Please."

It was a normal day at the dream shop. Itachi stopped in the door when he spotted her standing at the counter with Shisui.

"Why are you so early?" he demanded as he unzipped his coat. He tossed it into the air. An enchantment caught it and deposited it onto the coat rack in the corner.

Shisui tapped a pen against the counter.

"We had breakfast together," he interrupted himself with a big yawn. He blinked a few times. He had mentioned over an extra cup of coffee that he hadn't been sleeping so well lately. Even before she had barged in. Sakura made a mental note to brew him a good sleeping draught. Something to help him get some rest uninterrupted by complicated dreams. All she had to do was throw a handful of lavender and chamomile into a cauldron with some other ingredients.

Itachi just nodded. He headed upstairs to get ready for his morning appointment. Shisui scanned through the appointment book, cheek in his hand as he slouched against the counter. Sakura ducked into the back room to check on their supply of potions.

Sakura leaned against the door as she looked around the room. Plenty of bottled dreams swirled around in their glass jars. Some thrummed with a particular resonance; that let her know that those were dreams she had harvested. As he gaze fell on the cabinet to the left, she had a strange feeling. She reached out for the handle.

Hesitated.

She suspected that when she opened the cabinet, there would be four bottles of extra strength soothing potion. Under that would be a single bottle of children's sleeping draught.

Sakura held her breath as she grasped the handle. When she pulled the door open, she felt some part of her sink toward her gut.

She was right.

Just like she had seen in her strange dream the night before.

Just like how she knew Shisui's brief trip to see the stars would go terribly wrong.

Just like how some part of her knew that her dream wasn't really a dream at all.

She jolted when she heard the front door to the shop open and close. Sasuke's boots creaked across the floor.

Sakura mouthed the words before she heard them.

"You're late."

"Yeah, sorry. My train was delayed. Is Sakura here?"

"In the back."

Sakura slumped against the cabinet as she realized that she had known every word of that short conversation. She scrambled to hide her shock when she heard the door creak open behind her.

"Hey."

She put a smile on her face as she turned to greet Sasuke. "Hey!"

Sasuke gripped the doorknob as he leaned into the back room. He glanced around.

"Need any help?"

Sakura shook her head, smiling a little harder. "I got it."

Sasuke gave a slow nod, rolling his tongue against the inside of his cheek.

"Cool. You want coffee?"

Sakura nodded.

Sasuke closed the door without saying anything else.

That night, Sakura messaged Madara to let him know that she had left the shop, Sasuke would be closing up, and not to wait up for her.

Izuna brought jerk chicken. I'll pack leftovers for your lunch tomorrow, Madara replied.

Sakura sent him a series of purple hearts in response.

The date went just as she had expected. Gaara fumbled and turned red as he talked about his job. His shy looks were just as endearing the second time around. She told him again that his devotion to his job was cool. He looked like she had just told him that he had won the lottery.

As they stood on the sidewalk waiting for her driver to arrive, Sakura stuck her hands in her pockets. She heard him shuffle his feet.

"Uh… so… can I see you again?" he asked.

Sakura looked down at her feet. She was a little afraid to see his face. Afraid she would blurt something out without thinking.

"I'd like that," she answered.

When the black car pulled up, Gaara opened the door for her. He waited for her to get into the back seat before he closed the door. And then he hesitated, fingers resting on the handle. Sakura opened the window.

"Can you text me to let me know you got home okay?" he requested.

"I will," she promised. As she rolled up the window, his fingers slipped off the door.

Sakura listed out her address to the driver before she leaned back in her seat. She caught the driver glancing at her in the rearview mirror.

"Good date?" he asked.

"Yeah," answered Sakura, unsmiling. She could see the driver's forehead wrinkle in the mirror.

She felt bad. For lots of reasons. But in this particular instance for thinking that Gaara had something to do with her finding Madara covered in blood on New Year's Eve. Rubbing her temples, Sakura stared down at her lap.

Gaara was connected to the strange flow of her dream. Keeping him far from her hadn't severed that connection. So it was obviously something else that led to him ending up dead on the floor of her library. Not a lot of this situation made sense, but one thing she was certain of was that figuring out what that connection was had to be important.

Even though she had told Madara not to wait up, he was sitting at the kitchen table when she got home. Not that that surprised her.

She tossed her coat in the air. One of Madara's spells caught it and draped it over a hanger. Just like the one that gathered her discarded shoes and slipped them into an empty spot on the shelf. She climbed the steps, rubbing her hands through her hair.

"Hi, Papa," she greeted him as she walked into the kitchen. He raised his eyebrows and nodded before he returned his attention to his book. Sakura scrubbed her hands clean in the sink. The smell of the fruity soap filled the room. She rubbed her hands on a kitchen towel before she took a seat next to Madara at the round table.

"How'd it go?" questioned Madara. He slipped a bookmark between the pages before he shut the cover.

"Pretty good. He seems nice," Sakura said right away. Madara pulled his glasses down, hooking them into the front of his shirt.

"Are you going to see him again?" He tried to keep his tone casual, but Sakura wasn't fooled. She tilted her head to one side, as if still considering.

"Yeah, I think so." She kept her answer vague. And then her eyes fell on the book sitting on the table.

"New research?"

"Yeah. Dry as hell," he huffed. He tapped his fingers on the cover a few times. It was an old book- bound with a hint of enchantment to hold everything together.

"What's it about?" She hadn't thought to ask him about it in her dream.

"Magical prosthetics and casting compatibility," Madara answered without hesitation. He was never stingy about sharing with her- especially not with knowledge.

"So whether casters can channel magic through prosthetic limbs?" Sakura guessed.

Madara's mouth twisted. "Sort of. Also whether those prosthetics can be enchanted to respond better to certain types of magic."

Sakura wrinkled her nose. "Sounds complicated."

"It is," Madara agreed. Yawning, he got out of his chair, feet of the chair squeaking against the tile.

"I need coffee. You want some?" he called over his shoulder.

Sakura considered. Then she shook her head.

"No thanks. I think I'm gonna go to bed," she decided. She gathered her purse and her phone.

Madara, about to reach for a second mug, stopped. He lowered his hand, leaning it against the counter instead.

"Night," she greeted him, giving his shoulder a quick squeeze as she walked past.

"Good night, Sakura," he replied.