SPIRIT: Sakura Haruno (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter III: Survival

        The melody of birdsongs was heard for miles, echoing all around the woods. But it wouldn't matter if people heard it or not. It was 4:15 in the morning. I mean, who even wakes up this early?

        Sakura was sleeping in her bed, clinging to a sky-blue pillow and wrapped in a sunset-colored comforter draped with blues and yellows fading to pinks and purples. Her hair was an awful mess, sprawled all over her face. Yuki was curled up and sleeping in the nook by her stomach.

        Everything was quiet and calm until Sakura's alarm went off. It produced the most whiny and annoying beeping sound to ever exist. Startled, Yuki jumped and started howling.

       Sakura growled to herself and with one swift motion, grabbed the alarm clock, pulled it out of the outlet, and launched it out of her open window. Yuki stared at the window with wide coal black eyes, astonished as the echoes of the alarm clock faded with a crash. Sakura sat up, leaning on her cushioned brown headboard. She rubbed her eyes and patted Yuki.

        "Haruno Sakura! Do NOT start off the day breaking your alarm clock! That is the fifth one this month! Not to mention that the prices have been going up missus!" Mebuki hollered all the way from the kitchen.

        "Sorry Ma! I'll pay for it!" Sakura yelled back as she tumbled out of her double bed.

        "You had better!"

        She made up her bed, folding the comforters as she ushered Yuki off the bed. Sakura shuffled into her clothes, adjusting her fingerless gloves.

        "Good morning Saki, how was your sleep?" Nuriazi asked pleasantly, trying to ignore the fact that Sakura just hurled an alarm clock out the window.

        "It was good. I'm actually glad I didn't stay up doing who knows what."

        "You see? It's better to get well-needed sleep than to stay up until two in the morning. Now go brush your teeth and get ready for the survival exercise with your sensei."

        "Nuriazi, stop acting like a mother figure to Saki. She already has one, y'know." Inner added, no doubt sneering.

        "Inner, I am only reminding Sakura. You on the other hand, should stop being such a bad example to her!" Nuriazi scolded, holding up a firm claw to Inner.

        "Oi! Who you calling a bad example!? I am Saki's consciousness!"

        Sakura scoffed and tuned herself out of Inner and Nuriazi's quarreling as she trudged to the bathroom to clean herself up. She held her breath, squeezed her eyes shut and splashed handfuls of water into her face to wash the sleep from her eyes. She yanked her toothbrush from the jar and scrubbed her teeth, still feeling a bit dreary. Instead of a standard bun, she decided to put her hair in a ponytail.

        She traipsed back into her room and grabbed her throwing knives, shuriken, and bandages. She loaded her kunai holster with as many kunai as she could fit, and her ninja pouch with the shuriken and bandages. She strapped her holster to her thigh and the pouch to her hip.

        She tied her Hitai-ate to her forehead and wrapped Yuki's around her neck, who was still laying on the bed. With a quick snap of her fingers, Yuki was the ground and following as Sakura headed downstairs. She saw her mother dressed in her doctor outfit and was making breakfast. The large stony-brown clock mounted on the wall read four-thirty something.

        "Mornin' Ma."

        "Good morning Sakura."

         Sakura opened the pantry and grabbed some energy bars, stuffing them in her pouch. She scooped a cup of dog food for Yuki and poured it into her bowl. She glanced around for Yuki's water bowl, but quickly stepped aside as Mebuki placed it down full of water for her.