When Sakura wakes up, she anticipates the suffocating shroud of darkness of her prison cell. With her eyes still closed, she awaits with a racing heart the creeping chill to seep through her very bones, the metal bites around her ankles and wrists. Instead, she is met with an unexpected warmth. Soft, heavy blankets wrap around her like a protective cocoon. Their scent is unfamiliar yet oddly reassuring, distracting her from the nightmares plaguing her mind, the perpetual darkness filling her heart. She peeks through her long lashes and, in the stillness of the night, catches a silver of moonlight that breaks through a small window. It casts a silvery glow that dances gently across the room, providing a surprisingly comforting ambiance.
As her senses gradually sharpen, Sakura turns onto her side, her ears catching the soft, rhythmic sound of snoring. A tender smile tugs at the corners of her lips as she lays eyes on her teammates, peacefully asleep nearby, their expressions calm and untroubled.
I'm not alone. I'm still alive.
Gratitude and relief fill her heart, but her mind is a chaotic blur.
Where's Kakashi-sensei?
What happened to Zabuza?
Where are we?
Her fingers idly play with the bandage wrapped around her head, each tug bringing fleeting memories of the recent past to the surface. Someone had taken the time to tend to her wounds. She conjures hazy images of long, shiny black hair, of soft fingers and a gentle, unfamiliar voice offering soothing words of comfort.
Her gaze drifts toward the slightly ajar door, a warm light spilling from the other side, compelling her curiosity to overpower any remnants of fatigue. She slips out from the comforting embrace of the blankets, careful not to disturb the two boys sleeping beside her. Each step is deliberate, and she tiptoes across the wooden floor, her head swimming with questions and concerns.
The three-bedroom house she steps into is both warm and modest. Family portraits adorn the wall, evoking memories of her own home in Konoha and making her heart ache with nostalgia. Among the smiling faces in the photographs, she recognizes Tazuna, further confirming their journey to safety.
We made it. We survived.
Relief washes over her, but it is quickly overshadowed by a tide of bitterness welling up inside. The thought of her own family sends a pang through her heart; she wonders if they have sensed something amiss, if they worry for her as she finds herself bound to darkness.
When tears threaten to fall, she redirects her attention to the corridor, determined to keep her emotions in check. Her instincts drive her to look through the nearest door first, where she hopes to find her sensei.
As she peeks inside, the light of a small candle flickers, revealing a figure with silver hair sprawled across a bed. Her sensei appears pale under the dim glow, but she catches the rise and fall of his chest and lets out a sigh of relief. She scans the room and notices a large, weathered book open on the desk next to him. Intrigued, she walks to it, her bare feet padding silently on the wooden floor.
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Sharing Lives | SasuSaku ✔️
Fanfiction[BOOK 1 OF THE SHARING SERIES] Two different worlds meet. Two existences collide. On the one hand, an orphan learns what love, friendship, and devotion mean. On the other, a young girl realizes the implication of being a civilian kunoichi in a worl...
