Bygone

Part 1: Headaches

Bygone

Part 1 • Headaches

It was dark out, the moon high and the stars bright. The cold wind blows harshly against trees and bushes. It's quiet and deserted in the streets. No one awake when a bright light flashes from the window on the second floor of a civilian home. No one is awake to witness it and no one is awake to hear the groans of pain and coughs of blood. No one is awake when a civilian girl of ten years disappears to be replaced by a woman of twenty-five years.

. I .

Sakura blinks several times before she closes her eyes shut as pain runs through her body. She bites her lips trying to suppress a groan. She turns to her side on the floor, curling into herself as more pain racks her body. A cough escapes her, spitting out blood. She does a quick diagnostic scan on herself.

Punctured left lung, four cracked ribs, wound on the back and lower abdomen, some bruises, and scratches on the legs and arms. Great.

Sakura sighs to herself while healing her wounds. When she's done, she pushes herself on to her knees and coughs some more. She opens her eyes slowly and stares at the light pink carpeted floor. Her brows furrow and her eyes narrow. Where is she? What happened? She sits back and blankly stares at the yellow painted walls.

Hold on...Sakura quickly looks around and her eyes widen. No way...what's going on? Genjutsu? She quickly disperses her chakra out hoping to break the illusion. It doesn't work. She climbs to her feet and pulls her chakra into a non-existent level. She raises her guard as she walks around with soundless steps.

Enemy terrritory? If so, why would they replicate my bedroom from when I was a genin? What's going on?

Sakura enters the bathroom, it all looks exactly as it did when she was twelve. Staring into the mirror, she can see the bags under her eyes and the effects of only eating two energy bars a day weighing down on her. She sighs, pushing her hair back as she walked back to the room. Glancing at the window and door, she checks and finds them unlocked. Her eyes narrow.

Why would they leave me in an unlocked room? What is going on?

She walked out of the room into the dark halls. Felling two chakra signatures in one room to her right she quickly and quietly opened the door. It squeaked and she cursed under her breath. Her eyes widen and her breath caught

My parents...why would they set up an entire perfect simulation of my genin house? These people look exactly like my parents...

She closed the door and rushed downstairs. Her hands clenched as she glared at everything. It was all the same as she remembered. Sakura turns to rush out the building when a wave of nausea comes over her. She slowly dropped to her knees while cradling her head in her hands as it felt like someone was pulling it open with their bare hands.

( Blood. Bodies. Ashes. Dark.

"-kura! -ra! -kura! Sakura!"

Hazel eyes. Blonde hair. Tsunade-shishou.

"Hang on! "Listen -fully..." "-oo- a- -e! "Send -ou..-ack..time.."

Tears. Light. Pain. )

Sakura panted as tears slid down her cheeks. Shakily, she dropped her arms and pushed herself off the floor. She slumped against the nearest wall but continued moving, using the wall as support. She climbs the stairs and makes it inside the room she woke up in. She fell to the ground without a sound. She swallowed the lump in her throat and controlled her breathing. Steeling her emotions and reslove, she stood and walked firmly to the window by the bed. She pushed it open, sticking her head outside.