Hey guys.... hehe... PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!!! I know I have been gone a long time, and I apologize so much! I am so so so so so sorry! School has been a jerk lately, and instead of taking any free time I had to write a bit, I just did... well nothing I guess. But I'm really sorry, and I know I need to get my act together. So hopefully, I'll be able to write way more seeing as it is vacation, so look forward to that, hopefully... Anyway, I'm not gonna keep you guys from the chapter any longer. Here is chapter 25!

            Sakura blushed as she looked at herself in the mirror. The dress was nice, but she didn't feel that yellow was her color. She pulled back the curtain to the changing room and stood in front of Hinata's scrutinizing gaze.

            "It's not your color," she stated.

            "I agree," Sakura sighed in relief.

            "Stay right here, I'm going to get you some more dresses," Hinata said, frowning as she looked over the yellow dress one more time.

            Sakura nodded and went back inside the changing room. Since Naruto had sprang a party on them on such short notice, and Tsunade had ordered her to rest for the day, Hinata had taken it upon herself to take Sakura shopping for a dress. Seeing as Sakura had nothing other than the custom-made training outfit (which she loved) it was probably a good idea to go shopping. It also distracted her from the frustrating fact that Sasuke hadn't come back yet. She had decided to be patient with him, but that didn't mean she wasn't upset. She sighed, and shook her head, slapping her cheeks lightly. It wasn't time to think about him because she was going to have fun at this party whether he was there or not! Furthermore, she was more nervous about meeting all of Hinata's and Naruto's friends than anything. She wasn't exactly good at socializing not really having had friends as a child, and all. Hinata kept telling her she would quickly get along with everyone, but she couldn't help the butterflies in her stomach.

            "Alright, put these on," Hinata said as she pulled back the curtain.

            She handed Sakura three more dresses and stepped out. Sakura tried the first one on and looked at herself in the mirror. It was a white strapless dress that was clearly meant to be a tight fit, but for Sakura there was a noticeable gap between the dress and her chest. She looked down at her breasts, depressed.

            "Well, definitely not this one..." she muttered darkly. "Stupid boobs."

            She threw it down roughly, irrationally angry at it, and grabbed the next one. She took look at it and frowned. Purple had never really been her color. She grabbed the last one which was an elegant black. It was a simple dress: a strap going over only one shoulder with small black rhinestones lining the top, becoming sparse as the skirt of the dress flowed out. The fabric was soft to the touch, and definitely felt like satin.

            In short, Sakura absolutely loved it.

            Please fit, please fit, please fit, please fit! She prayed.

           She slipped it on and closed her eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath and opening them. Wow. Even she had to admit that she looked pretty. She closed her eyes and pumped a fist in the air.

            "Yes, this dress likes my boobs!" she whisper-yelled.

            "Sakura?" Hinata called. "Have you tried a dress on?"

            Said pinkette ripped the curtain open, grinning brightly at her friend. Hinata turned to look at her, the hands that were holding two other dresses dropping slack to her sides. She gasped softly, her eyes roaming over her figure.

            "That's it. That's the dress," she breathed. "You look gorgeous."

            Sakura's cheeks hurt from how hard she was smiling, and she twirled around just for effect. Hinata laughed and put the dresses she was holding down to touch Sakura's.

            "I knew this would look good on you!" she exclaimed.

            Sakura decided not to point out that Hinata had also given her a dress whose bust was five times her own and merely nodded.

            "Alright, let's go buy it!" she said, pushing Sakura back towards the changing room.

            "Ok—" Sakura dug her heels into the ground as she realized something. Hinata peered over her shoulder, frowning.

            "Something wrong?"

            "I uh... I don't have money..." she muttered.

            How on Earth had she forgotten? She didn't have any money in this currency. She also didn't have a way of making money. Actually, now she felt kind of guilty; she was basically free loading off of the Uchiha family as it was.

            "I know. I'm buying it," Hinata stated matter-of-factly.

            "I can't let you do th—" Sakura started.

            "No buts! I am buying it, and that is final!" she said fiercely.

            Surprised by the vehemence of her outburst, Sakura didn't argue and allowed herself to be dragged to the counter and have her dress be paid for.

            They walked back to the Uchiha house to see an orange blur dashing around the house—Naruto she presumed—preparations for the party being put in place in his wake. Humming was coming from the kitchen, and the familiar smell of Mikoto's cooking wafted into every room of the house. The woman honestly was too nice; cooking food for a party someone else was throwing in her house. Speaking of...

            "Hey, Hinata, I'll meet you upstairs ok," Sakura said, heading towards the kitchen.

            Hinata nodded, taking the dress upstairs. The pinkette stepped into the kitchen, fiddling with her fingers behind her back.

            "Um..." she started, knocking her knuckles against the wall. "Mikoto?"

            "Hm?" Mikoto hummed, shooting her a glance over her shoulder.

           "Um... I just wanted to thank you... for everything you're doing for me," she muttered.

            Mikoto turned the fire off, and turned to look at her, her brow raised, and arms crossed in concern.

            "What's wrong? Did something happen?" she asked, her eyes searching Sakura's face.

            "N-No, it's just that I feel bad that I'm staying here for free... I promise I'll find a way to pay you back," she said, gaze flickering to the floor.

            "Where is this coming from all of a sudden? You don't have to pay me back for anything, honey! If we didn't want you, we wouldn't have let you stay here in the first place! Plus, you've already done a lot for my family. Thanks to you, Itachi and Mina have never been happier, and although Sasuke currently isn't showing it, I'm sure you make him happy too."

            "I'm not too sure about that part..." Sakura blew out, rolling her eyes.

            "Haha, believe me as his mother when I say that you do, and he himself will hopefully come to realize it soon, or else I will beat his ass!" she growled.

            Sakura started laughing, and Mikoto joined in. She grabbed Sakura's hands then, and said softly, "Besides, you're already part of our family."

            Sakura started in surprise, biting her tongue in the process.

            "Thank you... very much," she said, trying to speak through the large bump forming in her throat. "That really means a lot to me..."

            Mikoto smiled softly at her, and patted her head, turning back to her cooking. Sakura was just about to leave the kitchen, but she stopped. She turned, and threw herself at the woman, burying her head in her hair.

            "Oh my, Sakura!" Mikoto exclaimed, hurrying to steady herself.

            Sakura didn't say anything, and held on tighter, not trusting her voice.

           "You're welcome, dear," Mikoto said softly.

             When Sakura got upstairs, Hinata was already waiting for her, her dress and Sakura's laid out on the bed, as well as makeup and two pair of shoes.

            "Sakura, are you alright?" Hinata asked as soon as she saw her, rising from the bed. Her face was probably a little blotchy.

            "Yeah, I've never been better," Sakura said honestly, smiling at the Hyuga.

            "Okay, then! Come on, we need to get you ready!" Hinata said excitedly.

            "Really? Now?" Sakura asked, looking at the time. "The party starts in a couple hours."

            "Yeah, but we both have to bathe, do our hair, put makeup on, and get dressed. It takes a lot of time!" Hinata said, clapping her hands to emphasize her point.

            Having never done anything like this before, Sakura decided to just trust Hinata on this, and submitted herself to her will. The next couple hours were honestly some of the most fun Sakura had ever had. Getting ready with a friend was a new experience for her, and she hoped she'd get to do more of this type of thing moving forwards.

            As Sakura waited for Hinata to finish up in the shower, she sat on her bed, drying her hair. After a couple tests, Hinata had already chosen exactly what makeup she was going to do on the pinkette, and it was all laid out on the dresser along with a curling iron, brushes, bobby pins, and clips. Sakura looked around her room, kind of bored, when her eyes alighted on the picture of Shizune and herself on her nightstand, and she suddenly remembered the key that she had found in the back of the frame. She hadn't given any thought to it since coming here, being so caught up in her training, and her Sasuke situation. But now... She glanced to the bathroom door, hearing the water still running. She had time.

            She quickly bent down on the floor, reaching under her bed for the bag she'd brought when they'd left the village. Carefully, she slid the ornate box out, grabbing the key. She slid it into the keyhole but paused. What could possibly be in this box that Shizune felt the need to hide the key in the back of a picture frame? Was it details about her secret mission? And if so, did Sakura have any real right to look inside? Even Tsunade hadn't told her what it was; there had to be a reason for that.

            Oh, what the hell, Shizune had raised her and was basically her parent. She had every right to look! It's not like she was around to stop her.

             She turned the key in one brusque movement and flipped the lid open. A bundle of papers was inside, a rubber band wrapped tightly around them. She took them out gingerly to reveal underneath a small vial with what seemed to be blood. She picked up the vial and looked at the stopper. A weathered sticker was on the top, indicating the date of the vial. This was blood from seventeen years ago, and yet it was excellently preserved.

            She put it down and quickly took the rubber band off, grabbing the first paper at the top of the pile, starting to read.

            Mission H

            Objective: Determine if subject is still alive.

            Time for mission: indefinite.

            Under the Fifth Hokage's orders.

            Sakura flipped to the next page, recognizing the familiar format of an identity form. A picture was attached to the top, and it took Sakura a moment to realize that it was a picture of her birth mother, Mebuki Haruno. But shouldn't this paper have been with the file Tsunade had given her?

             Name: Mebuki Sasuki

            Age: 20

            Rank: Chunin

            Blood type: A

            Patient number: 23

            Participation: voluntary

            Application:

            My name is Mebuki Sasaki. I am 20 years old. I want to willingly participate in this endeavor in order to prepare for the pending war with the Zetsus. According to family's family tree (see attached), Healers were very prominent in my family, which is why I would be a perfect candidate for this experiment.

            Experiment?? Her mother had participated in an experiment. Sakura skimmed the rest of her mother's papers, words seeming to fly off the page.

            Gene injection #1

            Results: healer gene not integrated in the genome.

            Gene injection #2

            Results: gene not integrated.

            Gene injection #3

            Fail

             #4

             Fail

             #7

             Fail

             #38

             Fail

             Fail

             Fail

            Fail

           Fail

          Fail.

         Failure is evident. Patient #23 is dismissed.

            They wanted to make more Healers? They knew the war was coming? But if her mom died, what would Shizune's mission have to do with her?

           She flipped to next page, almost ripping it in the process. It was dated a couple years later.

            Patient: Mebuki Haruno

            Status: pregnant

            Comments: trace amounts of Healer DNA in blood. DNA seems to have muted.

            Next page. 41 weeks later.

            Patient: Mebuki Haruno

            Comments: No trace of Healer DNA.

            Next page.

            Patient: Sakura Haruno

            Age: 3 days old

            Status: healthy

            Comments: Tested her blood and found abounding amounts of the muted Healer gene previously detected in the mother. Still don't know what characteristic the mutation expresses.

            Except that Sakura knew what the mutation expressed. It was exactly what had astounded even the Hokage. It was her blood. Its ingestion could heal any wound. So, she was a Healer because of experiments done on her mother?

            Sakura's head swam with the new information she'd learned; she didn't know what to make of it. Dizzily, she turned to the next page, and this time recognized Shizune's handwriting.

            I have finally found Sakura Haruno. She has somehow miraculously survived the Zetsu attack that killed her parents, its mark present as a scar on her abdomen. I have yet to determine whether she possesses a Healer's capabilities. I am taking the time to assess and have chosen to stay in this Normy village.

            On a personal note, it seems Sakura has not had a happy upbringing so far. I hope to be able to change that in whatever time we have together.

            Sakura skimmed through the papers, all written in Shizune's hand. Most of them were about her behavior that day, what Shizune had taught her, or what accomplishments she'd made. To know that Shizune had kept a record of everything she did was extremely touching, but a doubt nagged at her: did she keep such a record only to observe her as the product of an experiment?

            She came across a paper that was different from the others, dated a couple years later.

            Today I asked Sakura whether she sometimes heard a voice in her head, to see whether her inner had expressed itself or not. From her confusion, it seems that it hasn't. Although she goes to the forest quite often these days, it seems that the time spent in the Normy world affects the apparition of her inner, and I believe that it will only appear after a long exposition to the forest.

            On the other hand, I made a startling discovery today. Earlier in the day, I had accidentally cut myself with a knife as I was preparing food. I decided not to heal myself as to not incur questions about the sudden disappearance of my wound. Later, Sakura accidentally cut herself with a scalpel, and I sucked on her finger to get rid of the blood, not really thinking about it. When I later looked at my finger, the cut was completely gone, as if the skin had knit itself back together of its own accord. I suspect Sakura's blood may have healing properties, and that is the origin of the mutation observed at her birth, but I will seek further proof.

            Another letter dated a couple months later.

            After a couple trials, I can affirm that when ingesting Sakura's blood, any wound will heal. I should probably take her with me to Konohagakure. With proper training and education, she would probably be a valuable asset to the village. She is incredibly intelligent, a fast learner, and excellent with her hands.

            But Shizune never took her to Konohagakure. Why? What made her decide to stay?

            Sakura rifled through the stack of papers, coming across a letter dated five years later.

             I have not taken Sakura to Konohagakure. Every day, I have woken up with the determination to do it, and by the end of the day, I have lost the will to. I know that if we went back, her blood would likely be studied in an attempt to replicate it as it would greatly benefit us in the war against the Zetsus, but from here, the conflict seems so far away. Perhaps I have become a little selfish in my time here. Our days together have been so full of laughter and fun, I have found myself wishing they would never end. Going back to the Village would change that, and I suppose that I don't want that. I don't want Sakura to get involved with the war. I know it is my duty, and yet I cannot bring myself to fulfill it. I guess being a parent changes your perspective on things.

            Additionally, I have discovered that, as I feared, I have contracted my father's illness. It seems I only have a couple more years left. Could this be a punishment for neglecting my duty? If it is, I have no regrets. I fully enjoy the life I have now, and despite its difficulties, I wouldn't give it up for the world. I guess I have Sakura to thank for it.

            Sakura swallowed hard past the lump that had mysteriously formed in her throat, forcing herself to turn to the next page. It was dated only a couple weeks ago, and unlike the others, this one was addressed to her.

            Dear Sakura,

            If you've somehow managed to find this letter, it means that you've found everything else as well. You're a bright girl, so I'm sure it was a small matter to find this. I would like to apologize for keeping all of this from you, everything about your past. I suppose I had no right to, but I got lost in the comfort of our life together. As I write this now, all the thoughts I had dismissed before come rushing back to me. In omitting the truth from you, I have stolen so much from you: the chance to learn about our kind, the chance to grow up surrounded by people who understand and accept you, the chance to find your mate... Maybe even if you had been involved in the war, you would have preferred that life to this one, and who knows, maybe you would have been the one with the ability to change the course of the war with your special ability. Although I am having these thoughts now, it's too late to do anything about them. And yet, is it wrong to say that I enjoyed our life together? If it is, call me a criminal!

             I hope that by now you've somehow made it to Konoha, and if you haven't, the paper attached to this one gives directions as well as an authorization slip to give to the guards at the gate.

            In case I don't get to say this to you in person, I need to put it down in writing. I could not be prouder of the person you have become. You excel in everything you put your mind to, you are kind, generous, strong, you are an excellent doctor, and I am sure you will make an excellent Healer. These past eleven years have been the best of my life. I found my family in you; you became my whole world. All those teaching moments, all the times we went and looked at flowers together, that time when you drew your first picture of you and me; all of these moments became what I lived for from day to day. So, thank you so much, Sakura, for these past eleven years. Thank you for giving me the chance to be a mother, and the happiest one in the world at that. I hope you live a long and happy life, and please remember that I love you more than anything in the world, my little Sakura blossom.

            Dark circles stained the wrinkled paper. Sakura put a hand against her mouth, trying to control her emotions. She stuffed her fist in her mouth, her throat and chest tight. More circles came to join the other on the paper, and Sakura cradled the paper to her chest.

            "Those were the best years of my life, too, and I don't regret a single moment. And I will. I promise I'll live my life to the fullest, Mom. But I miss you. I miss you so much!" she whispered, her heart aching.

             "Sakura, I forgot a towel, could you bring me one, please?" Hinata's voice called from behind the bathroom door, causing Sakura to jump in surprise.

            She hastily wiped her tears and cleared her throat.

            "Yeah, no problem," she said, her voice sounding rough even to her ears. She cracked the door open, not wanting her to see her blotchy face, and handed it to her.

            "Thanks."

            "No problem."

            She grabbed her own towel and wiped her face off, sniffling. She gently put all the papers back in the box, and locked it, tucking it under her bed. She walked over to her mirror, wearing nothing but her undergarments. Her eyes were red, as was her nose.

            Shit.

            Her gaze traveled down, and she sighed. She traced her finger from below the middle of her ribcage to her left hip, feeling the ridges of the scarred skin. The Zetsus, huh? They seemed to be responsible for all misfortune: her parents' death, Sasuke living with the belief that she was dead, the Village's current situation. Sakura realized that if they hadn't attacked, she would have never met Shizune, and not lived her life as she had, so, she couldn't quite bring herself to wish they hadn't. But that didn't mean their actions should be dismissed. They needed to be stopped. Shizune believed that she could change the course of the war. So, she would work hard to be able to do something and defeat them.

            "Man, that was a nice shower," Hinata said, steam billowing out from behind her as she emerged from the bathroom.

            "Ready to get dressed?" Sakura asked, cracking a smile as she turned to her.

            "Yeah. Oh! And we have to hurry cause the party starts in half an hour!" Hinata exclaimed.

            "What?" Sakura looked at the clock on her bedside, and her eyes widened. "Oh shit. Alright, let's go, go, go!"  

Hey, so I hope you enjoyed that chapter. It was pretty emotional, and we learned a lot of new things. Unfortunately, Sasuke didn't make an appearance this chapter. Who know when he'll appear, eh? I'm just kidding. I know. Big things coming up. Who's ready for the party??? I am! (not). Alright, this is my Christmas gift to you guys (ooh, and it's chapter 25!), so I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas and happy New Year! Hopefully, I'll update before I can say it's 2019 (yuck), but we'll see. My house is undergoing some major changes at the moment, so hard to tell, but I will do my best. Happy Holidays everybody! Until next time! Ja ne!