Chapter 15
Chapter 15: Storm
The storm outside roared as lightning streaked across the dark sky, casting brief, flickering light into the Hatake compound. Rain lashed against the windows, and the wind howled through the trees. Sakura stared at Sakumo Hatake in disbelief as he patted her shoulder reassuringly.
“Come on,” he said with a gentle smile. “There’s no way I’m letting you go all the way back to your home in this storm. You’ll get sick.”
Her heart sank. She’d stayed later than she should have, practicing taijutsu in an attempt to "improve," even though the rain had long since begun. Kakashi had been getting suspicious of her so she asked for extra training to imrpove. Sasuke and Naruto had gone home earlier, both undoubtedly getting help from their families or clans. Sakura, on the other hand, had no such support.
I should’ve left when they did, she thought bitterly, watching lightning flash through the sky. But now she was stuck.
Sakumo handed her a set of clothes—clearly old and a little too large for her. “Sorry,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “These belonged to Kakashi when he was younger. They’re the only thing that might fit.”
Sakura sighed but didn’t complain. She never did. Taking something from others felt like a burden she didn’t deserve, yet she didn’t want to be rude to Sakumo. She accepted the clothes with a small bow.
The guest room she was given was simple but warm. The rain against the windows created a rhythm that should have been comforting, but Sakura felt her chest tighten. She slowed her chakra deliberately, masking her wakefulness and making it appear as though she were asleep.
She waited, listening intently for the soft padding of footsteps, and the quiet creak of the floorboards. Once she was certain Sakumo and Kakashi had stopped watching over her, she crawled from the bed. She wouldn’t risk falling asleep. She couldn’t. What if she hurt them?
Sakura settled herself in the corner of the room, sitting cross-legged. She breathed in and out, trying to calm her racing heart. The storm outside raged, thunder rolling in waves and rain pelting the windows like tiny daggers. Wind rattled the wooden frames.
She wouldn’t sleep.
She couldn’t sleep.
She couldn’t sleep.
She couldn’t sleep.
Yet somehow, exhaustion claimed her.
When Sakura awoke, it was to her own screams.
Her throat was raw, her voice tearing through the quiet of the night as her hands dug into something solid. Her vision swam with half-remembered nightmares, a torrent of distorted faces and commands barked in Danzo’s voice. She gasped, her fingers trembling as she came to her senses.
Her nails were embedded in the wooden furniture beside the bed, claw marks splintering the wood. Worse, her other hand was hovering dangerously close to Sakumo’s chest.
“Sakura,” Sakumo said softly, his voice steady despite his wide eyes. He patted her back, his touch gentle but firm. “Breathe. You’re having a night terror. You’re safe.”
“No,” Sakura choked, her voice breaking. “No, no, no…”
She pulled back as if burned, clutching her hands to her chest. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t hurt them.
Her chakra surged uncontrollably, slipping through the ironclad restraints she’d built over the years. The air around her thickened as her reserves flooded the room, the sheer magnitude unmistakable—Jonin level, if not higher.
Sakumo’s eyes widened.
“Sakura,” he said again, his tone calm but serious.
The door slammed open, and Kakashi rushed in with his Sharingan uncovered. His gaze darted to the scene—Sakura on her knees, trembling, her chakra spiraling out of control, and Sakumo standing before her, his expression unreadable.
“Oh no,” Sakura whispered, her voice barely audible over the storm outside. “Oh no, no, no…”
Her hands pressed against her chest, her nails biting into her skin as she tried to force her chakra back under control. Tears streamed down her face as her breathing grew erratic.
“I’m sorry,” she gasped. “I’m so sorry.”She jumped up from her bed to dash out to leave.
Kakashi stepped forward cautiously, his voice soft but firm. “Sakura, you need to calm your chakra. You’re safe. You’re not alone.”
But she shook her head violently, her body trembling. “I— I can’t… I promised—”
“You didn’t hurt me,” Sakumo said gently, kneeling beside her. “You stopped yourself. You didn’t hurt anyone.”
Sakura’s sobs grew louder, her breaths shallow and uneven. Kakashi exchanged a glance with his father, his expression unreadable.
“I can’t stay here,” Sakura said through her tears. “I shouldn’t have stayed. I— I could’ve…”
“You didn’t,” Sakumo said firmly, his voice cutting through her panic. “You didn’t hurt me, or Kakashi, or anyone else. We are stronger than you think, Sakura.”
Kakashi’s voice was quieter but no less resolute. “You can trust us. We’re here to help, not to judge.”
The storm outside raged on, but inside, the room was still. Sakura’s chakra began to recede, her trembling slowing as she forced herself to breathe. In and out, just like she’d practiced.
She looked between the two Hatake men, her vision blurry from tears. The weight of their words settled over her like a fragile shield against the storm of her thoughts.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered again, her voice breaking.
“There, is nothing to be sorry about kid,” Sakumo said gently, patting her shoulder. “Try to rest. You’re safe here.”
Sakura nodded weakly, though the guilt still clung to her like a second skin.
Kakashi lingered in the doorway as Sakumo helped her back to the bed, his uncovered Sharingan taking in the faint traces of chakra that lingered in the air. His gaze narrowed slightly, his mind already turning over the questions he didn’t dare ask.
As the storm outside began to wane, Sakura lay back down, her body trembling but her mind too numb to think. Even though she closed her eyes images of blood, corpses, and Danzos order barked into her mind, she fell asleep for some reason...
Safe, she told herself, though the word felt foreign.
She wasn’t sure she believed it as she drifted into a half-sleep, keeping one brain half awake to avoid another scream festival.