Yay! All the positive feedback on the first chapter made me so excited! I had posted it right before I left for work, and after I got home and checked my email, I saw the follow/favorite/review alerts and it really made my day. (:

The next morning was like every other day for Sakura.

She woke up, pulled on the stupidly conservative uniform she was forced to wear, and walked a few blocks to her daytime job. Aiding in a nursing home definitely wasn't her dream career, but without it she'd have no way to pay the bills.

At least it was slightly similar to her previous medical ambitions.

Most of the elderly people she worked with were generally pleasant, so she didn't mind too much. She liked hearing their stories, especially the ones about their youth. There weren't many people she could talk to about the things she grew up around. However, instead of wrinkly skin and white hair, her skin remained smooth and her hair bright.

When Sakura had first realized that something was different, she was thirty years old and living with an old friend from high school. Her friend would always lament about the dark circles and fine lines around her eyes, enviously asking Sakura for her secret to looking so young.

At the time, Sakura laughed it off, blaming it on good genetics. But as more years passed, her friend became more suspicious, and the questions became more frequent.

"Sakura…you don't have a single wrinkle. What cream do you use?"

"I've never seen you dye your hair…but your hair has been pink ever since I've reconnected with you. How did you manage that?"

"You're still in such great shape. What is your diet? Do you exercise often?"

And by then, Sakura had caught on. She wasn't welcome there, and she needed time to figure out what was happening with her body on her own. So one night, she left silently in the night, all of her things fitting into one suitcase.

Ever since, she had spent the decades traveling around the country, switching locations every time someone started to ask too many questions. And most recently, with the way things have been politically, it looked like she'd be moving around a lot more frequently.

She missed her friends.

She missed her family.

But most of all, she missed the feeling of belonging somewhere.

As Sakura walked back to her apartment after a long shift at work, she couldn't help but feel watched. It definitely wasn't the usual feeling she got when some creep tried to come up to her. She felt her skin prickle with goosebumps.

Quickening her pace, she kept her eyes trained forward, refusing to look as nervous as she felt.

"Sakura"

She audibly gasped, her pace increasing almost into a run.

"You don't have to run"

"Fuck this," Sakura muttered breathily before breaking into a full sprint. People walking by on the sidewalk gave her strange looks, but she paid no attention. Normally she'd be curious as to what was happening, but for some reason she felt the uncanny feeling that it was not good to be involved.

Thankfully, the voice stopped as she reached her building. With a sigh of relief, she unlocked her room and stepped inside, trying to pass of the incident as just hearing things from being so tired recently.

She heard a beeping noise, and it took her a few minutes to realize that it was the noise of the answering machine. Since she rarely received calls, it was a foreign occurrence for her.

Absentmindedly pressing "play," she began to slide off her shoes and uniform as the message played.

"Hello Sakura."

Her eyes widened. It was the voice from before! However now it sounded less urgent, and more comforting. The female voice continued.

"I don't want you to misinterpret this message. I am not planning on exposing you or forcing you to relocate. Far from it. I would like to meet you in person so that we could get to know each other. You don't have work tomorrow, so I would like to meet you at your usual coffee shop at 10am. If you do not show, I won't give up contacting you. When you arrive, you'll know me when you see me."

The telltale beep of the answering machine signaled the message's end, leaving Sakura frozen in a mix of shock and apprehension.

Although she was always prepared for the usual barrage of questions from nosy people (such as her old friend), she had never expected something like this. Was it a trap? The woman did not sound threatening, but that probably didn't mean anything. It could be the government…it could be a private organization out to get people like her…it could be someone wanting to exploit her….there were just too many possibilities that were far from positive. But something about that voice felt familiar. Comfortable, even. Sakura couldn't even begin to explain it, but something within her felt like she needed to show up.

Once she thought about it, it might be good for her, even if it turns out dangerous. After all, what was she supposed to do with her life? Just scrambling from location to location until she finally dies? It has already been so long, and to be honest, she really wasn't enjoying life in the slightest. If this encounter had even the slightest chance of excitement, it would be for the better.

So with a shaky nod to herself, she made her decision.

Walking into the coffee shop, Sakura had no idea what to expect. The woman basically said that she would be obvious to find, but just a quick glance into the warm café didn't alert Sakura to anyone in particular. Should I just leave? Maybe this is a dumb idea.

Her gaze fell to the corner where she usually sat, immediately making eye contact with a busty blonde woman sitting by herself.

It was so strange. She somehow just knew that she had to go over.

The woman smiled as Sakura approached, sitting across from her without looking away.

"How did you do that?" the pink-haired woman asked, the wonder evident in her tone.

She only smiled in response. Sakura couldn't help but notice that she seemed very mature for her age.

"Who are you? Why did you call me? Where you the voice from earlier yesterday?"

"My name is Tsuande," she replied smoothly. "And I believe that we have something in common."

Sakura gave her a skeptical look. "I highly doubt it."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Don't believe me?"

Before Sakura could respond, Tsunade quickly grabbed one of the forks lying on the table and stabbed it through her own hand without wincing.

"Holy f—what is wrong with you!?" Sakura hissed out, utterly horrified as she watched the blood stream out. However, within seconds, she realized that no more blood was coming out. With a gasp, she recognized that the wound had healed up almost instantly.

"As my information leads me to believe, you can do the same," she said confidently.

"Only about half that speed," Sakura assured, eyes still wide.

"Sakura, can I ask you a question?"

She nodded.

"How old are you?"

Sakura frowned. "Uh…it's hard to explain."

Tsunade's expression remained firm, so Sakura felt obliged to answer.

"A little over 110."

Much to her surprise, the other woman's expression didn't show the slightest bit of shock.

"I understand why you live alone," she said sadly.

Seeing Sakura stiffen, she continued.

"Myself, I've made my way through a few centuries…"

The pink haired woman's face lit up. "Wait—really?"

"I know what it's like to see people come and go. It gets hard to have to start over every time all of the people close to you have passed on."

In all of her long life, Sakura had never been able to talk about this sensitive subject with anybody. It was a secret she thought she would have to hold her entire life, since no one could truly understand.

She couldn't help her eyes from watering up a little. The blonde woman gave her a sympathetic smile.

"I know the feeling. We've been watching you for awhile, and I think you'd be better off with an actual home."

Sakura looked up with a confused look on her face. "What do you mean by 'we'?"

"It's simple," Tsuande said quite matter-of-factly. "The only hope people like us have of survival is to band together."

What she meant was obvious: Mutants.

And as much as Sakura liked this woman, she immediately became wary. She wasn't much for confrontation when it wasn't necessary, and it didn't seem very logical to congregate in large groups of mutants when there was rising political heat against them. Their future was dubious, but it seemed smarter to stay in hiding in case things took a massive turn for the worse.

"I can guess what you're probably thinking," Tsunade added. "You're used to being in hiding, but we are living in a time where that will eventually be impossible. And trust me, we are your best bet for staying safe. If you associate with the wrong group of people, you could make things worse for both yourself and mutants all over the world."

Sakura let loose a slightly cynical chuckle.

"So how am I supposed to know that you're the right group of people?"

"I can't tell you our location for now, but we are a decently-sized group of those with many diverse backgrounds and specialties. We have everything from those who have recently 'awakened' to those that have mastered their abilities. Also, we can test you and see i-"

She stopped mid-sentence. Sakura's brows furrowed.

"Test me for what?"

Tsunade sighed. "I really don't want to tell you anything too early. It's just that we have some information on you that, if correct, is a huge game-changer in our world. I understand if you want to remain on your own…but…."

"….yes?"

"Do you know what happened to you around 90 years ago?"

Sakura froze. "How do you…."

Tsunade frowned. "I highly suggest you join us. I won't force you into a decision today, but you have until the rest of the week to choose."

"And how am I supposed to alert you of my decision?" she replied a little sharply.

Tsunade smirked.

"Trust me. When your mind is made up, we'll know."

Who was the voice? Who is in this group? What exactly happened to Sakura 90 years ago? The next chapter will answer one of these questionz !