Hi there! So, I've had absolutely zero motivation to write, ever since I got sick last month with tonsillitis, and then laryngitis. All I've been doing since then is read, read, read. And in doing so, today, I finally got inspired to actually write when the summary of a random story triggered the creation of this idea. (Btw, that plot fic has nothing to do with this one)

Hopefully this means I can get stuff done for my other fics too. :P

Also posting on AO3!

In any case, disclaimer and enjoy!

A Crack In Time

Chapter One – The Scroll

Haruno Sakura was walking slowly, sniffling. Today, Ami and her friends had cornered her after Academy classes, and had pushed her around until their look-out had spotted adults coming. Sakura had taken advantage to make a run for it, not that the other girls had noticed, they'd been too busy running themselves.

Letting out one huge sniffle, Sakura brought her tiny hand up to her sore forehead, rubbing it. After all the poking the other girls had done, she wouldn't be surprised if it was a bright red by now. Making fun of her forehead was her bullies favourite pastime where Sakura was concerned, though she wasn't the only one they picked on. She was, however, the one they picked on the most.

As she plodded along, Sakura wasn't really paying attention to where she was going, and kind of swerved into the path of someone else, colliding with them. They were much bigger than her, an adult, she guessed, so she went down hard while they simply tripped over her. Her bag spilled open, dumping all of her stuff to the ground, and they also dropped what they were carrying.

"Oomph!"

"Ah! Hey kiddo, watch where you're going!"

Sakura looked up to see someone scowling down at her, though their expression softened after a moment, and they sighed, bending down to help her and to gather up their own things. "Sorry, kid," they said as they helped her pick up her school work. "Suppose I can't really blame you, I wasn't watching where I was going, either."

"It's alright, mister," Sakura said, and once she had her bag packed again, she bowed to him and apologised, "Ah! Gomen! I promise to be more aware of what I'm doing in the future!"

He chuckled and ruffled her hair. "See ya around, kiddo," he said, and took off down the street.

Sakura made sure that she was paying attention all the rest of the way home, and once she arrived on her doorstep, breathed a deep sigh of relief as she stepped through the door.

"Kaa-san! Tou-san! I'm home!"

Her mother poked her head out of the kitchen as Sakura entered their living room. "Hi sweetie," her mother greeted her. "Did you have a good day?"

"Yes," Sakura said, which was only a partial lie. It was good until Ami and her friends found her. "I'm going straight up to my room, kaa-san."

"Homework?" her mother guessed as her daughter nodded. "Well, dinner's in three hours, so make sure you see your tou-san before then in the backyard. I think he wanted to show you some new katas today."

Sakura nodded then headed up to her room.

After breezing through her homework, Sakura had a quick wash and changed into a simple pair of black pants and a red kimono styled shirt with her clan symbol on the back. Her tou-san was indeed outside, and he gave a huge grin when he saw his daughter.

"There's my little Cherry!" he greeted her. "Ready for some lessons?"

Sakura's father was a chuunin, and he was assigned to the cipher corps. So unlike most ninja parents, he spent a lot of time in the village, and hardly went out on missions. When Sakura had asked him about it, he'd told her he'd served the village plenty in the Third war and just after, and that he wanted to be a more hands on parent for his daughter.

For the next two hours, Sakura memorised the new katas her father had for her, listening with attentive awe as he explained how her great-great grandfather had come up with this unique style. It was a fast, defensive style, one that wasn't really suited for the heavy hitters, though the Haruno's had never been tanks, in the first place. Her father told her the style was appropriate for close to mid range fighting, for evasion, and was also good for courier work, as the moves were flexible enough for quickly striking to help create openings for escape.

Dinner was normal, her mother serving up a simple meal of steamed rice, tempura, and sashimi, with some anmitsu for dessert. That last bit made Sakura ecstatic, and she practically gobbled her dinner down in order to get at her favourite food. Once she was done, she bowed appreciatively, then headed upstairs to make sure she would be ready for tomorrow.

It was once she'd upturned her bag, dumping everything onto her bed for sorting, that she found it. A strange scroll that she could swear she'd never seen before. Frowning, Sakura inspected it curiously, noting that there was nothing noteworthy about it, other than it's unexpected inclusion in her bag. Ordinary paper, tied with a green ribbon, not even properly sealed, to be honest.

Temporarily putting it aside, she repacked her bag with what she'd need the following day, then went to bid her parents goodnight. Back up in her room, she sat on her bed, staring at the scroll, curiosity filling her. Almost without realising it, she opened the scroll, noting a complex series of kanji and katakana, recognising a sealing formula for what it was, even if she couldn't make heads or tails of it.

Frowning, Sakura brushed her hand over it, careful not to activate he chakra. Fat lot of good that did, since as soon as her fingers touched the seal in the middle, her chakra was sucked out of her anyway. Instantly she felt incredibly dizzy, her vision blurred, and she just knew that she was about to pass out.

'So this is what chakra exhaustion feels like,' she thought.

Right before she lost consciousness, Sakura saw the strangest thing. Green chakra swirled on the scroll, then floated out, forming the shape of a person. The last thing Sakura saw was a pair of confused, yet familiar, green eyes set in a face framed with hair the exact same shade as her own.

Then she was out like a light.

So what did you think? Review please! :)