Reborn as Sakura and Hinata: Lost in the Wind

We're All in this Together

The urge to scream was definitely hard to fight when we approached the outside of the school building. I mean, this was it, I was going to be meeting them, all of those adorable little babies who were going to be so fun to change for the better. How could I not be excited? This was a proper project that I was going to be pursuing!

Ino was amused enough by my evident excitement although she didn't know where it came from, "Wow, Sakura, that excited about being Genin?" She eyed me with a touch of confusion as I uncontrollably bounced next to her, not being able to fully contain it anymore.

"Of course I am!" I turned to her with such overt energy that she flinched back a little, "This is a new part of our lives!" with a grand gesture I pulled Ino through the doors despite her mounting concern, "We are like lions about to kill our first prey! Sinking our teeth into a new life experience!" Whether or not that analogy made any sense did not matter because I was going to meet them any second now!

"Sakura," Ino's eyes narrowed as her bemusement turned more suspicious, "Are you... feeling okay today?" I suppose it was only natural for my behavior to be seen as weird, after all I was not acting like the Sakura she knew at all, and I wasn't really planning on changing that.

"Absolutely, amazing!" I cheered, resolved to ignore any notices of my personality change because I didn't care, "I'm. Just. So. Excited!"

Luckily for me, though, Ino finally smiled at my antics, "Okay, got it." Her grip shifted in my hand with a chuckle, it becoming much more friendly and less reserved. We continued onwards, but my happy atmosphere was suddenly dulled by a very familiar sense of dread. Someone was glaring at me, menacingly, and what confused me most about it was that I recognized the feeling of that glare, who it might belong to. But, when I turned to look back all I saw was Hinata giving me an oddly serious look.

It was weird, unsettling, but I was going to ignore it. So, when Ino glanced back to see what had slowed my steps I just resumed our walk, "Isn't Hinata just the cutest little thing? I just wanna squish her!" Maybe I would have actually gone over to her and done so if: one, I was sure I wouldn't accidentally kill her or something, she just seemed so fragile, and, two, she wasn't looking at me so weirdly because she actually looked kind of angry.

"She... is pretty cute I guess." Ino shot another confused glance back, seeming to be walking the line between accepting my behavior and wanting to call it out.

"Come on! " Taking both of her hands in mine, I began to jump up and down, "Be more excited already!" Whether or not going along with the plot was what I should have been doing at the moment, I was more than happy too, if only everyone else was as excited.

"Okay! Okay!" she smiled although it weakened, "I'm just nervous is all."

"What's there to be nervous about?" I prompted, already falling into my 'anxiety suppression' tactics that I had learned so well, "You're obviously becoming a genin, and as long as there's no one you really hate in class then any team you're put on should be great!" With a smirk, I put a finger to my temple 'Shawn Spencer' style, "But I predict you're going to be put on the perfect team." I held up a finger as her eyes lit up at the mere concept of being on a team with Sasuke, "It probably won't be who you want it to be, but I think your team is going to end up working really well."

Her brow furrowed, "You trying to turn into a psychic or something?" after the quip her gaze softened, "But... I guess you're right. I don't really hate anyone, so I guess I just have to be open minded and not write anyone off too early."

"That's the spirit!" I beamed, ready to at last burst into that room, "Now, off to cla-Ah!"

My work ending in an exclamation, I leapt to the side and nearly out of my skin as Hinata was just there, beside me like she had materialized. That or I was just too into my conversation to notice. Her gaze was just as serious as before, if not more properly angry with an expression that seemed so familiar somehow, something burning through those glassy pale eyes, "Sakura, could I talk to you?"