Forever Mine

Chapter 1

Moonlight illuminated the dark and deserted street. No sound other than the wind sweeping through the trees and bushes being heard.

It had to be past midnight; she wasn't sure. The lone pinkette stood confused by her surroundings, as she couldn't recall the reason for her standing where she was. She couldn't even remember how she'd gotten there.

"Did I...sleepwalk here?" Sakura spoke to herself while her eyes scanned the area.

Her only source of light was the moon. It wasn't the best lighting, but it was still enough for her to recognize her location. She was a long walk from home, standing at a familiar spot by a familiar bench. Just up ahead were the village gates.

She knew the spot well. Simply taking it in made a strange sense of déjà vu crawl up her spine causing goosebumps to pass through her.

Why was she there at such a late hour? She needed to go home and sleep. She had work in the morning. She didn't have time to mope around in a place that only brought her bad memories.

However, just as she was about to turn around and head back home, a sudden presence forced her to freeze in place. She could feel them standing behind her. So close that the tiny hair at the back of her neck shot up straight and an unpleasant feeling build up inside her causing her chest to feel tight. The feeling was so familiar, tears started to spill down her face without her consent, and when the realization of who stood behind her came, her eyes widened while her heart clenched.

"Sakura...thank you," they said.

She knew the impact was coming, yet her feet remained rooted in place as if the pain in her heart was restraining any movement she wanted to make.

With a sharp intake of breath, Sakura sat up from her bed and instinctively touched the back of her neck. It was in the same exact spot where a certain raven had...

"It was just a dream," she breathed out, trying to calm herself.

It took her a moment to steady her rapid heartbeat and calm her heavy breathing, leaving her staring absently ahead. She had no idea why she dreamt of a memory that'd been long put behind her. It was a random dream—a nightmare—on a random day. Nothing was going on as far as she knew, merely another regular Friday. Nothing special. The only thing she had going on was work.

Work!

Sakura shot her gaze toward the alarm clock sitting on her nightstand, then she immediately flew out of bed and into her bathroom. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, threw on her usual attire, and then she rushed out the door as fast as she could.

She was late; more than an hour late.

[Konoha Hospital]

Sakura stormed past the entrance doors and headed straight to her office. It was unnecessary for her to be in such a hurry, considering no one would be upset about her running late. If anything, they would be happy about it. To see her being human instead of the workaholic robot that she was.

Even so, she continued to speed through the hallways, ignoring those who stared at her questionably. She didn't plan to stop until she reached her office—or that's what she had hoped for, anyway.

Unfortunately, when she turned the corner that led her to the elevators, she suddenly crashed into someone's hard chest, forcing her to stumble back. If it weren't for them grabbing onto her, her bum would've landed smack on the floor.

"Wow, there," the person chuckled. "Where's the fire?"

Sakura had to tilt to tilt her head back in order to catch their gaze, and when she did, she was met with a pair of crystal blue eyes looking back down at her. The owner of said eyes was also holding onto her upper arms in order to keep her steady on her feet.