Take Two [Sakura x Sasuke]

(3) Editing destiny (3)

╸Words -4648╺
╸Word goal: 1000╺
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Sakura's eyelids fluttered open, and she found herself in the familiar surroundings of her old room. The orange and purple hues of the sunset streamed through the curtains, casting a warm glow upon her face. Yet, her body still felt the lingering effects of her coma—the IV line and heart monitor reminding her of the horror she had just emerged from. Her mind was filled to the brim with many questions. Memories of nothing but voices and a searing pain flooded her brain. Her eyes slowly scanned her room taking in every detail of her room.

Her father, Kizashi Haruno, sat beside her, his head down in his hands and his shoulders shaking. Sakura simply stared at him, her eyes lidded and her vision fuzzy.

She attempted to reach out to her and to offer some sort of comfort to the sad man in Infront of her, but she winced in pain at the movement. 

Kizashi's head shot up at the sound of her. His teary gaze filled with a mix of relief and lingering disappointment in himself. His heart had been heavy with guilt during her coma, as he had been away for some time, unable to be by her side or potentially prevent the event that made her coma occur during that critical time. Even during her coma, he had been even less present than before, unable to look at his daughter whom he didn't know would ever even wake up.

"Sakura... My dear Sakura," he whispered, his voice trembling with a mixture of emotions. He reached out to gently stroke her hand, his touch filled with tenderness and regret. "I'm so sorry, princess. I should have been there for you. I can't imagine what you went through alone."

Tears welled up in Sakura's eyes as she listened to her father's words. The memories of losing him in her previous timeline flooded her mind, mingling with the overwhelming relief of seeing him alive and by her side once more. But she knew she couldn't allow herself to be consumed by those emotions now—her mission to save the world still weighed heavily on her.

"Papa..." Her voice quivered, betraying the depths of her emotions. She longed to hold him, to share her relief and anguish missing him more than she expected having not heard his voice throughout most of her coma, but she knew that the fate of the village rested on her actions. With great effort, she pushed aside her turmoil and focused on the task at hand.

"Ah-" Kizashi speedily stood up, shocking Sakura, waking her from her daze of sentiments. "Mebuki, quickly come here!"

He rushed out of the room.

Sakura's eyes scanned her room once more, this time with more clarity and focus. Her eyes landed on the calendar in her room. She had heard whispers of things outside her mind on occasion, from the sound of it Sakura had been asleep for a very long time. She'd recently heard Itachi's voice, so she knew she wasn't too late to stop the massacre. 

Well, maybe.

It was the day of the Massacre.

Sakura could not decide if this was a cruel twist of fate or a second chance. She hoped for the latter.

Her heart raced with a mix of anticipation and determination. The desire to find Itachi burned within her, urging her to escape the confines of her room and continue her mission. Ignoring the IV line and the heart monitor, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and landed on her bedroom floor, noting the height she had grown. She ripped herself from the confines of the heart monitor and her IV line, quickly unplugging the heart monitor seconds after her flat line. Silently hoping her parents had not overheard her loud actions.

Her body fought back against her quick movements, but she refused to let the limits of her body stop her. After all- she had never really let the limits stop her before, had she?