Predecessor

Ghoul

When Sakura comes to, there's an air of difference and discomfort settled between her caregiver and the love of her life.

The first thing she notices is Tsunade's haori that smells strongly of her shampoo, and then the next is how drained she feels. There's only two other times she's ever felt like this. She doesn't like to remember those days. Or more so, she can't see a clear picture, and it gives her a migraine when she tries.

She slowly sits up, aware of the dull throbbing at the back of her head, and blinks. "Anko...?" she calls.

Anko turns her head and gives her a lopsided grin. "Rise and shine, Sacchan."

The Haruno weakly smiles back and raises a hand to her head, pushing chakra to her fingertips. She pauses, suddenly aware of the iron looks she's receiving from the two most important women in her life, and blinks.

They're watching her in anticipation, she realises - but for what reason, she can't comprehend.

She presses her fingers to her temples to soothe her headache, and then they relax. Sakura narrows her eyes in suspicion.

And the Mitarashi notices this. Her gaze lingers a second longer before she breaks it forcefully.

"So it's done?" asks Anko, heading towards Sakura.

"Nn. Suppose so."

The Mitarashi lifts Sakura up and onto her back. As Sakura hooks her arms around Anko's neck, she whispers, "Anko, what's going on?" Because the two have some sort of witchy telepathic connection, you can call it.

Tsunade gives a forced smile that's unbecoming of her brilliance. "Aa, I suppose we should tell her at least."

Sakura straightens. Tell her? Tell her what? The tension in her body strains as she racks her brain for whatever solution she can come up with. The Senju doesn't beat around the bush.

"Tomorrow morning after class, meet me at Training Ground 44."

Sakura's eyes went round like saucers and her jaw drops. She feels a lump building up in her chest and she writhes on Anko's back, biting on her lips.

A squeal makes its way up through her throat—

"If you're late," Tsunade bites, swivelling in her chair, "You can forget all about it—"

"—Tsuna-chaaaan, hicc!" 

The Senju pulls a face and looks away. "Gross. Kami. Don't cry, you snotty kid."

"Hicc- thank, hicc, you, Tsuna-cha- hicc!" Sakura's eyes well with tears and she tries to scrub them away with her sleeve but they're relentless.

Anko laughs and cooes at her teasingly. Tsunade sighs and ducks her head back down, fingers pressed on her temple as she lightly shakes it.

But not before she sees a look on the Haruno's face, through tears and a snotty red nose.

It's a split second that Tsunade sees it, and she doesn't know whether she's glad or regrets noticing.

Sakura - she hates to admit - has some serious issues that could either benefit the village, or be the downfall of its very structure.

Swallowing the growing clump in her throat, she recalls what Anko had said earlier on.

"We don't know what it means, or where it came from. We don't know if her parents had something to do with it, or what it's purpose is. We don't know if she was born with it, what it's supposed to do, it's capabilities...All we know is that it's foreign and it's dangerous and when it gets like that—"