It's always one step forward,

Two steps back,

She keeps trying.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

Sakura stares out the window blankly. It's well past midnight, her birthday party had ended hours ago, and she is spending the night with Ino. The moon gazes down at her in an almost mocking fashion, pale light cast over her like a beacon, as if to pinpoint her exact location for monsters to snatch her away.

Her conversation with Inoichi hadn't been pleasant at all. No matter what the man said or did, he could not keep her calm during the majority of their time away from the party. Trembling hands gripped her clothes knees tightly, tears left sticky trails down her face, and her words were a mess.

It was an utter relief when he suggests peering into her mind, if only briefly.

"I'm not going to force myself into your mind, Sakura-chan. As you are aware, doing so can cause terrifying damage. You need to be absolutely sure."

She was so sure she could handle reliving those memories.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

But she was wrong.

"What c-can I do, Inoichi-san? I f-feel gross even though I'm clean." The heartbroken look on the man's face is enough to cause Sakura to look away. "Please, don't t-tell Ino."

"Of course not, but I will be honest will you. You need to allow yourself the chance to heal. Traumatic experiences are not something you can just get over and pushing them away won't make the situation better. In my professional opinion, you should seek a counselor. You need to allow yourself to feel all the emotions you feel. Don't push them away."

Sakura bites her lip. "I hate it. I hate feeling this way."

Inoichi holds his hands out in a placating fashion as he approaches her. "I know, I know. But I'm serious. Don't bottle up your emotions. If you get mad, you get mad. If you feel sad, you feel sad. Let your mind cycle through the entire process." He's standing before her. "I'm going to hug you now, okay?"

Being hugged by Ino's dad reminds her of the hugs her own father used to give her. It's not the same but it helps. It's tender and kind and wholly fatherly.

But now, in the quiet of the night, Sakura feels restless. Naruto left with his mom and half of the remaining cake, promising to not let it go to waste and not without reminding his teammates of their D-Rank mission the following day. Sasuke and Itachi departed shortly after with Sasuke promising to pick her up in the morning for breakfast out in the village.

Sakura glances down at her wrist where Naruto's present rests. It's a simple sterling silver bracelet with the word "lovely" engraved on it. The weight of Sasuke's gift rests around her neck, chain cool against her bare skin. The pendant attached to the chain is in the shape of a cherry blossom. Like Naruto's gift, the chain and pendant are both made of sterling silver.

Ino's gift is an entirely new outfit. Black pants with matching kimono-style blouse and dark red obi. The symbol of her known clan painstakingly sewn on the back by Ino's mother. It's beautiful and Sakura opts to wear it in the morning despite Ino's reassurance that she doesn't have too until her neck is completely healed.

The gift from Sasuke's older brother will be cherished right along with those given by her closest friends. Itachi's gift is a teddy bear. The same teddy bear that is resting on the window ledge across from her. It's dark red in color, with a large white bow wrapped around its neck, and black almond-shaped eyes. The word "princess" is embroidered on the bear's left foot.

She hears Ino shift in her sleep.

Sakura's eyes the teddy bear across from her. Itachi has a particular eye for unique - or cute - things and he knows Sakura rather well by now. She reaches forward and picks it up gently. Like the first time she held it, it's soft and plushie. Shaking her head at the silly thought. She holds it to her chest as a means of comfort.

An hour later, when she's thoroughly exhausted, Sakura crawls into bed next to Ino who, upon sensing her body heat, moves closer to her. Sleep doesn't come easy, but she feels safe in the presence of one of her most cherished friends.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

I don't want you to feel ashamed of your scars.

Although, your hands need to heal properly, Sakura.

These should come in handy until then.

-HK

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

Black gloves, beautifully crafted, rest in a silver box placed on her kitchen table so that it's the first thing she sees when she enters her home. The material around the wrist section is plushy and soft to the touch. Sakura feels her eyes sting. She uses a magnet to keep the message attached to the fridge and spends a moment to smile at it.

After a pleasant breakfast with Sasuke, Sakura returned home to relax by herself. D-Rank missions will start soon and she won't have much time to herself. With a sigh, she picks up the gloves, stroking the material, and brings them to her room. She's quick to change into old clothing, tying her hair up after.

Grabbing her gardening tools, she walks outside and greets the garden. The leaves shake in welcome and the flowers, once sleeping, awake to greet her. The tiny flowers on the tree bloom happily. Sakura starts with the roses. She carefully cuts a few out to place in a vase for her kitchen table.

Sakura starts singing under her breath. "Let the flower bloom / Let the petals glow / Let the beauty shine / Don't let it go / Let the flower bloom / Let the flower bloom."

She feels the ground ripple in warning. Someone is on her property and is hiding in one of the trees nearby. Whoever it is, they don't have any intention to bother her. She allows them to observe. The weeds are pulled and the rose bushes are trimmed. The moment she steps to the sacred tree, Sakura feels at ease.

"Hello," she whispers. "I'm sorry for being dismissive in the past. I really missed you." Sakura spends a while peeling off the old bark to allow new bark to grow in properly. "I'm neglectful. I really am the worse." She looks up at the tree and sighs, disappointed in herself. "I will do better. I promise."

She feels the ground ripple beneath her knees and sighs in relief. Whoever was observing her is gone now. Observations don't bother her so much anymore. Sakura knows Naruto's dad sends people to check up on her from time to time. But the tree doesn't touch her until she's by herself. A rain of leaves falls over her. Comforting.

A single tear rolls down Sakura's cheek.

"Thank you."

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

D-Rank missions aren't so terrible in Sakura's opinion. They're rather simple, really. Chase after a cat and return the poor thing to its overbearing owner. They complete those tasks in less than 20 minutes. Paint a fence for an elderly couple. That's done in an hour. Babysit a group of kids for the afternoon. Give them something to stay occupied and everything is golden.

"- and then we get to walk Lady Tanita's dogs tomorrow," Kakashi states. "Wear old clothes because they are very strong dogs and are likely to drag you through the mud if you don't have the strength to restrain them."

Naruto groans. "Why dogs? Why can't it be snails?"

"That would be quite boring," Kakashi answer. "Besides, dogs are wonderful creatures and we are not worthy of being on the same land as them."

Sakura laughs lightly. "You must really like dogs, Kakashi-sensei."

"Oh, I love them. I'll never be ashamed of saying that. I have a dog summon but - "

" - if you had a dog summon, why didn't you send them after Sakura?" Sasuke's question destroys the calm atmosphere. Sakura closes her eyes briefly, exhaling quietly.

"If you would allow me to finish speaking, Sasuke-chan?" Kakashi's voice is much more quiet. "I haven't summoned them since the death of my teammate, Rin. It's been years since I've seen them and I didn't bring the scroll with me. If you want to call me careless, you may. It would have benefitted us on our mission in Wave."

Sasuke averts his gaze to the ground. "Sorry."

"Do you remember what I told you at the hospital? Don't apologize for feeling the way you feel. Especially when it comes to me." Kakashi cracks his neck. "We really need to work on our team relationship which is why we're going to do some team bonding activities."

Curious, Sakura speaks up, "What sort of team bonding activities?"

"Have any of you three played two truths and one lie?"

"Nope." Naruto pops the 'p' and then grins. "But I know what it is. We tell two truths and one lie and, like, someone has to guess what the lie is."

Kakashi nods. "Sounds simple enough, right?"

They gather in a circle on the ground under a large tree that provides just enough shade to keep them out of the hot sun. Temperatures have been spiking over the last few days and not many people spend their time outside if they can help it. Sakura still wears the gloves Kakashi has given her despite the heat. His reaction to seeing them on her hands brings a little smile to her face.

"I'll begin," Kakashi says. "I graduated the Academy at the age of 5. My best friend was an Uchiha. I pay for my own meals when I eat out with others."

"You didn't graduate the Academy at 5!" Naruto answeres quickly.

"Your best friend wasn't an Uchiha."

Sakura shakes her head. "You're both wrong. When have you ever seen Kakashi-sensei pay for his lunch when we go out to eat?"

"Who was the Uchiha?" Sasuke asks straight away.

Sakura sees Kakashi's hand, the one immediately out of the view out Sasuke's imploring gaze, clench briefly. "His name was Uchiha Obito and he died a hero." Something like recognition, and maybe regret, appears on Sasuke's face.

"Alright!" The false cheer in Kakashi's voice sounds ugly to Sakura's ears. "Since Sakura got it correct, she gets to go next. Be creative. Naruto and Sasuke know plenty about you."

She taps a finger to her chin. "Okay. I own every book in the Live and Love* series." Sasuke snorts. "The sacred tree in my family's garden is magical. I prefer dogs to cats."

"You do not own every book in the Live and Love series," Kakashi answers immediately.

"Correct."

"The tree is magical?" Naruto asks. "How?"

Sakura shoots him a secretive smile. "My mother once told me that the tree bloomed the day I was born; the moment I was brought to the garden. The blossoms weren't fully grown but they bloomed anyway."

"Shisui is going to be upset when he finds out that you like dogs over cats."

She shrugs, smiling. "He's the one who decided to enter into a contract with leopards."

"Does this mean Kakashi-sensei gets to go again?"

"Afraid so, Naruto-chan. Sorry."

As Kakashi thinks about what to say, Sakura takes the opportunity to nudge a frowning Sasuke and offer him a concerned glance. He merely shakes his head and nods towards Kakashi who, impressively, ignores the obvious.

"Okay. Here we go. I've been in love before. I own a pet cactus. I've been on more than a 1000 missions."

"You don't own a pet cactus," Sasuke replies quickly.

"Correct."

Sakura blinks. "What's being in love like, sensei?"

"Forget that," Naruto butts in. "Over a 1000 missions?! How? You can't, uh, be more than 25 or whatever!"

"I started my career at quite the young age, Naruto-chan."

Naruto isn't deterred in the slightest. "What about your parents, sensei? How can they be okay with that?"

Oh, Naruto. Sakura closes her eyes. They don't know.

"I never met my mother and my father died when I was 6."

The response is immediate. "I'm sorry for being insensitive, sensei."

Sakura watches as Kakashi leans over and pats Naruto's head good-naturedly. "It's alright, Naruto-chan. It happened a long time ago. I miss my old man but I'm doing better these days."

You lost more than I did and you're still standing. You're an inspiration, sensei.

"I believe it's Sasuke-chan's turn now."

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

Team bonding becomes a constant in Sakura's life over the next month. After every mission, Kakashi instructs them through an activity where he gets to know them on a more personal level. Some of those cases end on a serious note where Kakashi reveals bits and pieces of his troubling pass. Sasuke seems to loosen up around the older man the more he talks about Uchiha Obito who was also known as "The Most UnUchiha Uchiha to ever Uchiha."

"He was more like Naruto than any other member of your family I've ever met, Sasuke-chan."

They even learn about Nohara Rin.

"She was a dedicated medic nin and a great friend. Obito loved her so much he was ready to die for her. I loved them so much more than they were aware of and I regret, to this day, that I never made that apparent."

Learning about their sensei really opened up Team Seven's eyes. Obito was tardy so their sensei is tardy - Sakura knows he visits the memorial stone - and Rin liked to read a lot so their sensei reads a lot. His material may not always be the most appropriate but Sakura won't pick on that.

"Who was your sensei?" Naruto asks during a cooldown from gardening. The sun is glaring down at them with a vicious anger. "Was he lame? Was he ugly?"

Kakashi stares at him. "You're joking, right?"

"Um, why would I be joking?" Naruto tilts his head to the side, genuinely confused. "Are you embarrassed by your sensei, sensei? Was he really bad at being a sensei?"

"Quite the contrary," Kakashi replies slowly. "He was, and is, a very good sensei."

"Oh, what does he do now? Is he retired or something?"

Kakashi's chuckle has Sakura very curious. "Quite the opposite, Naruto-chan. He's the most important person in the village."

There's something utterly fascinating about watching as Naruto's eyes slowly get bigger and bigger. "W-Wait! Wait just a damn minute! Dad?! My dad was your sensei?!"

"Yes? How can you not know this, Naruto? There are pictures of myself and my former team in your house."

Naruto shrugs. Kakashi's visible eye twitches. "Sorry, sensei. I just never really paid attention to the pictures on the wall. I'm usually with Sasuke or Sakura-chan most days."

"I don't know if I should feel insulted or not." Kakashi shakes his head. "When you get home tonight, ask your dad about his genin team. You might learn something interesting."

"What sort of team dynamic did you have?" Sakura yawns into the palm of her hand. "Sorry."

Kakashi waves her apology off. "We were much like all of you, but it took us a while to reach a point where we could fully rely on each other. The disappointing part of that is that we didn't come to that until the end of our time together. I suppose," he pauses to stroke his masked chin, "that's one thing I'm envious of when it comes to you three. You've come together long before my team and I did."

"I hope we can reach that point soon." Sakura doesn't pay attention to the various looks sent her way. "I like the idea of a team becoming a family."

"We'll be like one big family," Rin says followed with a giggle. "Since we're all oddballs of our families. We'll fit right in together."

"Sounds good, Sakura-chan."

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

Sakura bumps into Hyuga Neji while he's out with his younger cousin, Hinata, a few days later. Having little contact with Hinata but being placed in Neji's class during their days in the Academy, she's at ease with the boy. She hasn't seen much of him since their graduation, but, from what she recalls, he was a great conversationist.

"My apologies, Neji-san. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

The boy helps her right herself before letting go. "No need to apologize, Sakura-san. It was a simple accident." Neji bends down, along with his cousin, to pick up her fallen groceries. "I hope these are still usable." There are a couple of bruised lemons and peaches.

"Lemon cobbler and peach pie it seems." Sakura smiles faintly. "Though, I'm not much of a sweet tooth person." She blinks. "Unless, of course, it's dango."

Neji chuckles. "Sakura-san, I don't know if you remember, but this is my cousin, Hinata. Hinata-sama, this is Haruno Sakura. She was a classmate of mine when I attended the Academy."

"Pleased to meet you, Hinata-sama." Sakura takes the offered hand, marveling at the delicate skin, and shakes it. "I hope today has been pleasant for both of you?"

"On the contrary," Hinata states, before sighing, "it's been rather stressful." She shares a look with her cousin. "The elders of our clan are already speaking of marriage arrangements and it hasn't been a pleasant conversation with any of them."

Sympathy fills Sakura's heart. The situation surrounding Hinata is a delicate one. For one, Hinata is clearly not seeing proper training at home. Her hands are far too smooth and that speaks a lot to the lack of proper training. For another, if Hinata's genin sensei doesn't pick up with their training, Hinata will not stand a single fight. Of course, while the Hyuga are not nearly as misogynistic in their views of women as the Uchiha are, the need to keep the young girl confined benefits the clan because she remains soft, delicate, and pretty. Pretty enough to marry her off.

Sympathy is replaced by annoyance. The entire situation is not fair.

"As a shinobi, you're far too busy to be worrying about marriage."

"I wish our elders would see it that way, Sakura-san." Hinata hugs herself, eyes on the ground. "I feel as though my only freedom comes from spending time with nii-san and my younger sister." She shrugs, forcing a smile. "Well, that's enough of that. We," Hinata motions between herself and Neji, "heard you went on your first C-Rank out of Konoha. How was that?"

"You are not to mention mission details to anyone aside from a select few people," Lord Fourth states. "Not only would this cause an uproar among other genin teams, but would lead to unnecessary complications for our entire village."

Sakura smiles politely. "It was a simple escort mission, Hinata-san. There isn't much to say other than Wave is dark and gloomy and I have no desire to return at any point currently."

Hinata's girlish giggle is not enough to distract her from Neji's calculative look.

He knows I'm lying.

"Yes, Wave does seem to be a dreary place."

"Perhaps, not worse than Earth Country in this case." Sakura shares in Hinata's contagious laughter.

Sakura tilts her head thoughtfully. "We should get our teams together for a spar. I think it would be a good experience for all of us."

Neji nods slowly, but his express remains much of a calculative type. "Gai-sensei claims to be Kakashi-san's greatest rival so he'll be more than ecstatic at the idea of our teams sparring."

Hinata nods. "I'm not sure were Kurenai-sensei stands with Kakashi-san, but I'm sure she would agree to a friendly spar. Especially if it means Asuma-san will be there as well." She giggles again while Neji rolls his eye skyward. "There's something going on between them. It's endearing, to say the least."

"I'm sure it is." The two girls smile at one another. "Unfortunately, I really must be going. Put in a word with both your senseis, alright?" They nod together. "I bid you both a pleasant day."

"Goodbye, Sakura-san!" Hinata calls out.

"Good day," Neji states.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

Sakura has Ino stay the night before Team Ten is sent on a trades run to an outpost two days away. They make dark hot chocolate loaded with wipe cream, sprinkles, and chocolate truffles. They braid each other's hair while discussing their teammates and senseis respectively. It's like they're kids again.

They play cards, Ino helps her clean up around her house, and then they make their way to the roof to watch the stars. It's a comfort to know that Ino will only be gone for less than a week, that her team will have additional jounin assigned, and that things are likely to run smoothly.

"Come back safely," Sakura says anyway while her head rests on Ino's shoulder. "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."

Ino nods as she rests her head on top. "I promise." Their pinkies connect after that and stay that way until they retreat to bed.

The following morning, bright and early, Sakura sees Ino off along with Ino's parents. Ino's hair, short and ruffled by her father, glows in the morning sun. Aside from her eyes, it's her most beautiful physical feature. They hug tightly and makes promises to meet up as soon as she gets back.

Sakura watches, along with Ino's and the rest of Team Ten's parents, as her friend and comrades leave with the promised extra jounin.

"How have you been, Sakura?" Inoichi asks after his bids his friends a 'good day' and walks on one side of her as his wife walks on the other side of her. She thinks they did it on purpose, but makes no outward sign of being uncomfortable or upset.

"As well as I can manage, Inoichi-san."

"Do - "

"Sakura-chan," Ino's mother cuts in smoothly. "Are you free this afternoon?"

Nodding, Sakura turns towards the woman. "Flower arrangements, Yana-san?" She smiles a little when a pretty flush appears on the older woman's cheeks.

Yana smiles sheepishly. "Only a few this time, but I need to be in the flower shop today and Inoichi has to leave for work soon."

"I can spare some time, but I have to meet with Kakashi-sensei and my teammates by 12 PM."

Yana waves her off, smiling morphing to an easy grin. "It's only a few arrangements, I promise."

"Okay, Yana-san. I would love to help."

"Thank you."

Sakura doesn't notice the exchanged looks over her head.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

"Are we really babysitting a bunch of brats?" Naruto whines. "Those kids get handsy with Sakura-chan!"

Sasuke nods. "They're seven and nine. They know what they're doing." He glares at the floor when only silence meets their statements.

"Sakura won't be with you two today," Minato replies easily. "She has a separate mission today."

"Oh," Naruto responds. "Doing what?"

Minato grins. "Paperwork. Lots and lots of paperwork."

Sakura remains unmoving nor is she bothered by the conversation around her. There's someone on the outside of the window in the Hokage's office. Whoever it is, they're containing their chakra like a lifeline. It's clear that both the Hokage and Kakashi are aware of whoever this person if. Subtle shifts in demeanor give them away.

"That sounds boring."

"Oh, it will be." Minato sends an apologetic look towards Sakura. "It's confidential, but she will meet up with you three later. Depending, of course, on how fast she gets her work done."

Naruto groans. "Sorry, Sakura-chan. I'd take babysitting over paperwork any day."

"We'll meet up later," Sasuke states. "For dinner."

Sakura nods. "Have fun." She grins a little. "Try not to pick on the kids too much, okay?"

"No promises," Naruto and Sasuke mutter under their breath.

"Dismissed," Minato's voice is full of merry. "Naruto can write the mission report." Kakashi and Sasuke manage to drag a protesting Naruto out of the room. "Now, Sakura, this is a list of papers that need to be copied and filed correctly. You'll also be filling out a checklist of damages and replacements." Sakura steps forward and takes the paper, looking it over for a moment.

"Permission to speak, Hokage-sama?"

"Granted."

Sakura folds the paper and puts it in her hip pouch. "Why have you assigned me a separate mission? This list is rather long. It would be quicker with teammates."

"Because I choose too." She frowns. "Because half of the paperwork that needs to be filled out and filed relates to your family."

"My family?"

Minato nods slowly. "Property, mostly. Not just the Haruno compound, but what's also in storage. You need to go through it all and much of it can't be accessed by those outside of the family. I don't expect you to get through it all today, but you need to within the month. It's quite a bit."

"May I ask another question?"

"Of course."

"Why did you wait until now to tell me about this?"

Minato laces his fingers together as he rests his elbows on his desk. "I think you know why, Sakura." His sky blue eyes flicker to the remaining marks on her neck and her gloved hands.

Sakura averts her gaze to the floor. "I appreciate your kindness, sir, but I'm not a fragile person. Going easy on me won't benefit me in the slightest, not in this career." She bows. "I will have a report for you when I'm done." She dismisses herself, rudely, and leaves the room.

A feeling of anger bubbles under her skin.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

I'm not fragile.

I'm not fragile.

I'm not fragile.

Sakura starts sifting through the large boxes brought to her once she entered the large, empty meeting room. Plenty of the boxes have sealed scrolls in them so she sets them aside. Others have notes and books, personal or really old, and none of them could be open unless they have the blood of a Haruno flowing through them.

And then there's a box full of books and scrolls so old, Sakura's almost afraid to pick them up. Almost. The first book is a personal journal. As clear as day, it was well-loved (or well-used) by whoever owned it. Curiosity getting the better of her, Sakura picks it up gently, blows off the dust, and looks at the lock.

A little chakra could open it. It's technically mine, she thinks. But it's been in the family for years. With a little pulse of chakra, the lock snaps open. Placing the book on the table, she gingerly opens the cover to the first page.

Property of Senju Tobirama

It takes everything in her to not slam the cover closed. She flips the next page as gently as she can. There are long passages that describe life during the Warring States Era, about the Senju family in general, much focusing on the eldest of the Senju children, of a cousin names Toka, and much to do with the Uchiha. She skims the pages briefly, telling herself that she'll go back and read them thoroughly.

The further she goes in the book, the less it talks about life and experiences. Experimental jutsu' start popping up. Concoctions and chakra related exercises soon follow. There are doodles and sidenotes, plenty is scratched out and revised.

Great grandfather was a genius. This is something learned in the Academy. But how did this end up within the Haruno storage? Why wasn't it placed with the things that belonged to Great Uncle? She shakes her. I need to keep these safe. In the wrong hands, this could cause disaster.

"Do all of these belong to him?" Sakura wonders out loud. There are several journals, each with experiments or notes. Some go off on tangents of the Uchiha. Great Grandfather did not like the Uchiha, or he was just incredibly distrustful of them. Flashes of Uchiha Fugaku appear in her mind. He's cold, but a good man. Mikoto-san and Itachi-nii and Shishi-nii are kind. Sasuke is one of my best friends. If Great Grandfather saw the Uchiha today, would he still feel the same?

Sakura places the books back in the box. "I will take these home." She starts writing down her findings, being careful to leave out anything involving the Senju.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

The night before Ino and her team are due back, Sakura has a nightmare. It leaves her choking on her own saliva, sweat-soaked clothes sticking to her like a second skin, and eyes red-rimmed with unshed tears. She throws her sheets off her body and walks out of her room.

Her feet carry her to a familiar, but unexpected place. Sakura slowly opens the door to her parent's bedroom. The air is stale and furniture covered with a thick layer of dust. She walks in, closes the door behind her, and moves towards the balcony. A dusty picture frame catches her eye as she moves past; Sakura plucks it up.

Once on the balcony, she takes a ginger seat in one of the two plush chairs. Some old leaves crunch as she sits down, but Sakura doesn't care one bit about them. She'll shower later anyway and do laundry later in the day. Swiping a hand across the dusty picture, Sakura stares down with mixed emotions.

The picture was taken during a picnic her mother planned as a surprise. She and her parents are squashed in the picture, smiling without a care in the world. There's frosting smeared on all of their faces and some dirt and twigs are in her hair. She remembers that day well - rolling around on the ground, feeling the earth's gentle caress.

Sakura hugs the picture to her chest. "I miss you both so much." Something brushes against her cheek. Looking up, Sakura smiles a little. A vine, with tiny little flowers, is hovering before her. "Thank you." She rubs her eyes and yawns, feeling tired and awake all at once (a tired body with an active mind).

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

"You haven't been sleeping well," Itachi comments while he and Sakura sit off to the side as Naruto and Sasuke spar. "Do you want to talk about?"

Sakura gathers her hair over her shoulder, sighing as she does. "Sasuke really didn't tell you what happened in Wave?"

"He said you were taken and seriously injured - I've been to your hospital room - but didn't provide more than that. There's a certain level of privacy placed on higher ranked missions, even if the missions don't start out that way. Not even I am privy to certain things."

"I was almost violated." Sakura pauses to suppress a shiver. "I killed a lot of people, nii-san."

Itachi doesn't outwardly react aside from the clenching of fists. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan."

"I suppose all I can do now is learn to live with it." She shrugs, trying to stay nonchalant.

"And these?" Itachi takes her gloved hand and raised it to inspect them. "They're new."

Sakura nods. "A gift from Kakashi-sensei." She pulls her hand away and takes off one of the gloves to reveal her scarred hand. "They'll heal with a special balm Inoichi-san gave me but it will take some time. I don't mind it, though. I like the gloves."

Itachi reaches over and traces over one scar that crosses from thumb to wrist. "Scars are a part of everyday life, but your gloves conceal what you're not ready to show."

Sakura pulls away and puts her glove back on. "I think they're ugly. I go to sleep with the gloves on sometimes."

"They're not ugly."

"You're emotionally obligated to say that because of our relationship, Itachi-nii." She smiles a little when he taps the center of her forehead. "Don't think you can distract me."

Itachi smiles. "Nothing gets past you, Sakura-chan."

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

(A/N: Sakura's re-connecting with the tree! And things will be picking up from here on out.)

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