Tsunami // Sakura Haruno (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
medpacksapunch) wrote2012-07-15 12:54 pm
medpacksapunch) wrote2012-07-15 12:54 pm
Memory 17, 18, 19 || Skill 5, 6
Significant Neutral: Please, stop...(55/15-56/20)
Nimue team bond game // Day 155
Form: Cups for tea with a small vine in your team's color. Drink from them.
Shareable: yes; 3/3
Summary: Younger Sakura is in a forest, on the losing end of a three on one battle-- she is pretty roughed up and not really capable of much anymore. Naruto and Sasuke are unconscious, not from battle but possibly illness, from the look of it. Ino, and Shikamaru are there, having attempted to help, but they are all kind of outmatched. The Sound nin, their attackers, are taunting them, ready to finish them off. Suddenly they are interrupted by Neji, kind of coming to save the day but also just wanting to insult everyone ("Ugh, I can't take this anymore -- some minor Sound nin bullying these second-rate ninjas and declaring victory?"); He's actually kind of angry, probably because the Sound nin also took out Lee, his teammate -- he tells them he won't go easy on them if they don't fuck off right now-- but then says that no, his intervention is unnecessary -- because Sasuke has woken up.
Sakura is momentarily delighted and relieved by this, before she notices that um something is really wrong with Sasuke. Not only is there a freaky tattoo curse seal covering half his face all the way down his shoulder and arm, but he is giving off a pretty dangerous aura. He asks her who beat her up -- when she is still too shocked to answer, he asks again, and says she doesn't have to worry about him -- he was given this power, and he feels great. He's an avenger blah blah whatever it takes. The curse seal starts taking over more of his face, and one of the Sound nin attack him -- Sasuke retaliates, stronger and faster than normal, stronger and faster than anyone else, not only quickly beating the Sound nin but sadistically breaking his arms while taunting him, as well. He's clearly delighted in a really creepy way. He then turns on the leader of the Sound nin, saying he hopes that he'll have more fun this time. Sakura watches, kind of horrified, thinking about how this isn't Sasuke, Sasuke isn't like this-- eventually she gets so distraught over it that she flings herself at him, hugging him from behind, begging him, "please, stop".
And that... seems to work! The curse seal slowly recedes until it's gone, and Sasuke collapses onto the ground. The Sound nin wisely choose to retreat, still pretty intensely freaked out. They surrender the scroll they were holding -- which apparently team Seven wanted -- and turn to go. Sakura stops them, angry and yelling, demanding to know more about Orochimaru -- who is he, what did he do to Sasuke, why Sasuke--?! The Sound nin says he doesn't know, just that they were ordered to kill Sasuke. They leave, and the Konoha ninjas start picking themselves up/regrouping.
Effects: NO SASUKE I THOUGHT I WAS DONE WITH YOU EXCEPT FOR PROFESSIONALLY and then feelings.
Hilariously Sakura got this memory back right in the middle of her having decided to just... let Sasuke be, and not seek him out unless she needed something from he in a ninja-knight capacity. He had previously made it pretty clear that he didn't want her around, then came to tell her about Kakashi before just leaving her miserable on the beach; around the same time, Echo had told Sakura that maybe she should just stop talking to Sasuke, because while whatever relationship Sakura and Sasuke had didn't really interest Echo, Sasuke was clearly still causing Sakura pain and Echo didn't want anyone who didn't also clearly care about Sakura to hurt her (th...thanks Echo..?); COMING FROM ECHO THAT WAS VERY SWEET ACTUALLY and Sakura prioritizing the wants and opinions of her teammates pretty heavily.
But then this memory which just... gives her more conflicted feelings. Sakura and Sasuke have always had a hilarious rollercoaster of interaction in Aather and this is... just a continuation of that. THERE IS NO END TO THIS RIDE APPARENTLY. But here in this memory Sasuke does clearly care about her as a teammate, expresses an interest in her well-being, and listens to her when she asks him to do something (or...not do something, as the case may be). Obviously she is aware that all of team Seven has changed since they were 12 or whatever, but even so-- feelings feelings augh what do I do with all these feelings. It will help her, a bit -- having memories of Sasuke being at one point kind (in his Sasuke way) and knowing he's done that as well in Aather will make it harder for her to believe that Sasuke has changed that much. Of course it 'helps' her in the way that it sets her up for potentially just being hurt more frequently since she'll be more likely to just keep on with Sasuke, but. It's not like giving up on Sasuke ever made her happy anyway (sorry Echo...)
As for the specific content of the memory -- she will recognize Ino (and...Ino came to her rescue? ;3;) and Lee (Lee also came to her rescue...? ;3;) and obviously Neji (aw hi Neji, look how cranky you were...also aww he came to her rescue ;3;); Younger Neji-- while clearly more volatile and unpleasant than older Neji... idk this doesn't really change anything she knows about Neji. Kind of judgy if you're under-performing to his expectations, willing to help but not going to go out of his way if there's no point...yup that's her boyfriend. No real change in her perception of him, but it's interesting to see him younger.
The things about Sasuke and Orochimaru she has little bits and pieces of information about already, this is just filling in important gaps.
=====
Trivial Neutral: Stop wasting food! (v03c019p16-c020p20)
Gingerbread Witch pie eating game // Day 152
Form: Each memory comes in a miniature pie that is permanently warm. The filling happens to be whatever your favorite flavor is
Shareable: no
Summary: This is actually a pretty long memory, for its classification, though that's mostly because it's somebody-else's-story-time:
Team seven (Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura) are in a small house eating dinner with a family -- a small boy, his mother, and her father. Sasuke and Naruto eat so much so fast that they make themselves ill, then demand more food. Sakura yells at them for being stupid and wasteful and they tell her they have to eat, because they need to be strong (boys. boys you're dumb. vomiting won't help)
Sakura then wanders over to examine a torn family picture and asks about it -- it turns out the person missing is the woman ("Tsunami" XD)'s husband. Mentioning him causes the little boy to angrily get up and leave the room. Team Seven is then told a story about that man:
He isn't the boy (Inari)'s biological father; he is a stranger who came to their village several years ago and saved Inari from drowning. He was one of those super cheerful and motivated people who gave you moving shounen speeches; small and depressed Inari bonded super hard, because that was exactly the sort of thing he needed in his life. The man then married Tsunami and became Inari's father.
One day the village flooded and was in danger of being washed away. The villagers think maybe if they can get a rope tied to the levy door they can pull it closed, but unfortunately there is a flooded and dangerous river that needs to be crossed. Inari's father volunteers to swim out in the river to tie the rope -- everyone tells him that no, no, it's impossible, you'll die -- but he insists, because this is the village that he loves. 'With these arms' he will protect the village and his family. And he makes it out there and the day is saved and Inari could not love his father more.
Later, a corrupt businessman came to their village and sort of forcefully took it over with his hired thugs. The village resisted, and especially Inari's father. Unfortunately, he was beaten, and his arms cut off, and then tied to a pole in the middle of the village for everyone to see; he was labelled a terrorist and then killed, effectively breaking everyone's spirit. Inari couldn't accept this -- wasn't his father the hero who was going to protect the village? His father was clearly a liar! And from then on, Inari was sullen and angry and absolutely didn't believe in anything as stupid as a hero.
Team Seven is obviously pretty...subdued after hearing this story. Then Naruto abruptly stands, ready to head out-- Kakashi tells him he better not be going to train more; training is good but seriously he's going to hurt himself if he tries any more today. Naruto says don't be silly -- he's going to train and he's going to be awesome, because he's going to prove to Inari that absolutely heroes do exist.
Effects: Right, so while this is pretty tragic, it won't really have a lot of direct effect on Sakura. It clearly had a lot of effect on Naruto, but Sakura is just an observer to this scene. It will give her a bit more exasperated dere when she thinks about Naruto, and understand a bit more about him and why he is always doing what he does in her memories thus far -- push too hard, be kind of unreasonable in his pursuit of goals -- not that it wasn't already pretty clear. It might also encourage her a bit more towards that herself, because in Aather she is... really good at pushing too hard anyway. Yes good this is clearly how we ninja.
=====
Significant Positive: "A flower is meaningless unless it blooms, right?" (v01c071p12-13)
Columbine stuffed animal battle // Day 150
Form: A small sealed package of sugar-glazed popcorn matching appropriate team colors. Shareable: yes; 10/10
I always believed those words you told me... I always hoped they were true
summary: This is a MEMORY IN A MEMORY scene -- Sakura is thinking back on her time with Ino, in the lead up to their chuunin exam battle (which Sakura has already remembered): Very young Sakura and Ino hanging out in a field of flowers during one of their kunoichi training sessions. This is not the first time they have met-- Sakura timidly asks Ino why she gave her the ribbon for her hair. Ino uses flower metaphors to tell her it's because she wants her to reach her potential, and maybe one day grow up to be even more beautiful than Ino herself (who Sakura pretty much idolizes); after the flashback, Sakura inner monologues about how she always believed that, so she wants this to be an all-out battle between them, to prove it.
effects: THIS MEMORY ISN'T ABOUT SASUKE AT ALL. NOT EVEN A LITTLE. Yes obviously Sakura and Ino have some very Sasuke-influenced interactions BUT THIS ONE IS NOT REALLY ABOUT HIM. YAY. That will honestly make Sakura feel better, too, because gosh it's not like she hasn't noticed how Sasuke-centric her memories are...
So anyway, obviously there are a lot of feelings here. There's the sudden odd knowledge that younger her was apparently pretty small and timid and even more prone to crying, and the feeling of idolizing someone who was clearly so confident, and the (unfamiliar in this memory) feeling of being supported and believed in. This was clearly a friendship and a person who meant a lot to tiny Sakura.
So despite Sakura's self assurance and determination, a lot of her motivation remains pretty solidly other-people-based, especially here in Aather; this reinforces and confirms that for her, subconsciously -- the feeling of living up to someone else's expectations, of really really wanting to -- is motivating and feels pretty good.
She's already remembered the battle that follows this though, and it's-- pretty sad, seeing this part after the fact. I mean, intense ninja battles are kind of a thing and that's not the part that retroactively bothers her; it's more that both she and Ino are clearly out to hurt each other emotionally, which is a lot more mean-spirited than just 'I'm going to beat you up as hard as I can', especially as this is a tournament battle.
Likely in response Sakura will try and bond a little harder with her female friends/teammates; there have been times when Breeze and Echo have caught her off guard with unexpected kindness-- not that they are ever really unkind to her, just that Sakura never thinks to expect specific, directed-at-her kindness. And much like with Ino in this memory, it's always super touching and kind of exponentially increases Sakura's dere and determination. THAT WILL ONLY GET WORSE NOW. With everyone, not only her female friends.
Also she will be really curious as to what caused their falling out...
=====
Mundane: general practice medical knowledge/basic first aid
Unicorn Neg-Cr game // Day 153
Form: two pieces of interlocking but jagged wood
The knowledge half of Sakura's medical training! She will now have a really solid and intimate knowledge of how the human body and the chakra network functions. She knows how all your bits should go together. This gives her not only skill as a 'healer' (in the fantasy sense) but also a more real-world 'doctor' skill.
=====
Special: advanced chakra control
Jabberwocky points game // Day 140
Form: a slightly-too-rare bite of meat of unknown origin
As it says! Sakura now has better control in general (which helps her with fighting/healing), and can do more complicated things like walk on water or up vertical surfaces.
Nimue team bond game // Day 155
Form: Cups for tea with a small vine in your team's color. Drink from them.
Shareable: yes; 3/3
Summary: Younger Sakura is in a forest, on the losing end of a three on one battle-- she is pretty roughed up and not really capable of much anymore. Naruto and Sasuke are unconscious, not from battle but possibly illness, from the look of it. Ino, and Shikamaru are there, having attempted to help, but they are all kind of outmatched. The Sound nin, their attackers, are taunting them, ready to finish them off. Suddenly they are interrupted by Neji, kind of coming to save the day but also just wanting to insult everyone ("Ugh, I can't take this anymore -- some minor Sound nin bullying these second-rate ninjas and declaring victory?"); He's actually kind of angry, probably because the Sound nin also took out Lee, his teammate -- he tells them he won't go easy on them if they don't fuck off right now-- but then says that no, his intervention is unnecessary -- because Sasuke has woken up.
Sakura is momentarily delighted and relieved by this, before she notices that um something is really wrong with Sasuke. Not only is there a freaky tattoo curse seal covering half his face all the way down his shoulder and arm, but he is giving off a pretty dangerous aura. He asks her who beat her up -- when she is still too shocked to answer, he asks again, and says she doesn't have to worry about him -- he was given this power, and he feels great. He's an avenger blah blah whatever it takes. The curse seal starts taking over more of his face, and one of the Sound nin attack him -- Sasuke retaliates, stronger and faster than normal, stronger and faster than anyone else, not only quickly beating the Sound nin but sadistically breaking his arms while taunting him, as well. He's clearly delighted in a really creepy way. He then turns on the leader of the Sound nin, saying he hopes that he'll have more fun this time. Sakura watches, kind of horrified, thinking about how this isn't Sasuke, Sasuke isn't like this-- eventually she gets so distraught over it that she flings herself at him, hugging him from behind, begging him, "please, stop".
And that... seems to work! The curse seal slowly recedes until it's gone, and Sasuke collapses onto the ground. The Sound nin wisely choose to retreat, still pretty intensely freaked out. They surrender the scroll they were holding -- which apparently team Seven wanted -- and turn to go. Sakura stops them, angry and yelling, demanding to know more about Orochimaru -- who is he, what did he do to Sasuke, why Sasuke--?! The Sound nin says he doesn't know, just that they were ordered to kill Sasuke. They leave, and the Konoha ninjas start picking themselves up/regrouping.
Effects: NO SASUKE I THOUGHT I WAS DONE WITH YOU EXCEPT FOR PROFESSIONALLY and then feelings.
Hilariously Sakura got this memory back right in the middle of her having decided to just... let Sasuke be, and not seek him out unless she needed something from he in a ninja-knight capacity. He had previously made it pretty clear that he didn't want her around, then came to tell her about Kakashi before just leaving her miserable on the beach; around the same time, Echo had told Sakura that maybe she should just stop talking to Sasuke, because while whatever relationship Sakura and Sasuke had didn't really interest Echo, Sasuke was clearly still causing Sakura pain and Echo didn't want anyone who didn't also clearly care about Sakura to hurt her (th...thanks Echo..?); COMING FROM ECHO THAT WAS VERY SWEET ACTUALLY and Sakura prioritizing the wants and opinions of her teammates pretty heavily.
But then this memory which just... gives her more conflicted feelings. Sakura and Sasuke have always had a hilarious rollercoaster of interaction in Aather and this is... just a continuation of that. THERE IS NO END TO THIS RIDE APPARENTLY. But here in this memory Sasuke does clearly care about her as a teammate, expresses an interest in her well-being, and listens to her when she asks him to do something (or...not do something, as the case may be). Obviously she is aware that all of team Seven has changed since they were 12 or whatever, but even so-- feelings feelings augh what do I do with all these feelings. It will help her, a bit -- having memories of Sasuke being at one point kind (in his Sasuke way) and knowing he's done that as well in Aather will make it harder for her to believe that Sasuke has changed that much. Of course it 'helps' her in the way that it sets her up for potentially just being hurt more frequently since she'll be more likely to just keep on with Sasuke, but. It's not like giving up on Sasuke ever made her happy anyway (sorry Echo...)
As for the specific content of the memory -- she will recognize Ino (and...Ino came to her rescue? ;3;) and Lee (Lee also came to her rescue...? ;3;) and obviously Neji (aw hi Neji, look how cranky you were...also aww he came to her rescue ;3;); Younger Neji-- while clearly more volatile and unpleasant than older Neji... idk this doesn't really change anything she knows about Neji. Kind of judgy if you're under-performing to his expectations, willing to help but not going to go out of his way if there's no point...yup that's her boyfriend. No real change in her perception of him, but it's interesting to see him younger.
The things about Sasuke and Orochimaru she has little bits and pieces of information about already, this is just filling in important gaps.
Trivial Neutral: Stop wasting food! (v03c019p16-c020p20)
Gingerbread Witch pie eating game // Day 152
Form: Each memory comes in a miniature pie that is permanently warm. The filling happens to be whatever your favorite flavor is
Shareable: no
Summary: This is actually a pretty long memory, for its classification, though that's mostly because it's somebody-else's-story-time:
Team seven (Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura) are in a small house eating dinner with a family -- a small boy, his mother, and her father. Sasuke and Naruto eat so much so fast that they make themselves ill, then demand more food. Sakura yells at them for being stupid and wasteful and they tell her they have to eat, because they need to be strong (boys. boys you're dumb. vomiting won't help)
Sakura then wanders over to examine a torn family picture and asks about it -- it turns out the person missing is the woman ("Tsunami" XD)'s husband. Mentioning him causes the little boy to angrily get up and leave the room. Team Seven is then told a story about that man:
He isn't the boy (Inari)'s biological father; he is a stranger who came to their village several years ago and saved Inari from drowning. He was one of those super cheerful and motivated people who gave you moving shounen speeches; small and depressed Inari bonded super hard, because that was exactly the sort of thing he needed in his life. The man then married Tsunami and became Inari's father.
One day the village flooded and was in danger of being washed away. The villagers think maybe if they can get a rope tied to the levy door they can pull it closed, but unfortunately there is a flooded and dangerous river that needs to be crossed. Inari's father volunteers to swim out in the river to tie the rope -- everyone tells him that no, no, it's impossible, you'll die -- but he insists, because this is the village that he loves. 'With these arms' he will protect the village and his family. And he makes it out there and the day is saved and Inari could not love his father more.
Later, a corrupt businessman came to their village and sort of forcefully took it over with his hired thugs. The village resisted, and especially Inari's father. Unfortunately, he was beaten, and his arms cut off, and then tied to a pole in the middle of the village for everyone to see; he was labelled a terrorist and then killed, effectively breaking everyone's spirit. Inari couldn't accept this -- wasn't his father the hero who was going to protect the village? His father was clearly a liar! And from then on, Inari was sullen and angry and absolutely didn't believe in anything as stupid as a hero.
Team Seven is obviously pretty...subdued after hearing this story. Then Naruto abruptly stands, ready to head out-- Kakashi tells him he better not be going to train more; training is good but seriously he's going to hurt himself if he tries any more today. Naruto says don't be silly -- he's going to train and he's going to be awesome, because he's going to prove to Inari that absolutely heroes do exist.
Effects: Right, so while this is pretty tragic, it won't really have a lot of direct effect on Sakura. It clearly had a lot of effect on Naruto, but Sakura is just an observer to this scene. It will give her a bit more exasperated dere when she thinks about Naruto, and understand a bit more about him and why he is always doing what he does in her memories thus far -- push too hard, be kind of unreasonable in his pursuit of goals -- not that it wasn't already pretty clear. It might also encourage her a bit more towards that herself, because in Aather she is... really good at pushing too hard anyway. Yes good this is clearly how we ninja.
Significant Positive: "A flower is meaningless unless it blooms, right?" (v01c071p12-13)
Columbine stuffed animal battle // Day 150
Form: A small sealed package of sugar-glazed popcorn matching appropriate team colors. Shareable: yes; 10/10
I always believed those words you told me... I always hoped they were true
summary: This is a MEMORY IN A MEMORY scene -- Sakura is thinking back on her time with Ino, in the lead up to their chuunin exam battle (which Sakura has already remembered): Very young Sakura and Ino hanging out in a field of flowers during one of their kunoichi training sessions. This is not the first time they have met-- Sakura timidly asks Ino why she gave her the ribbon for her hair. Ino uses flower metaphors to tell her it's because she wants her to reach her potential, and maybe one day grow up to be even more beautiful than Ino herself (who Sakura pretty much idolizes); after the flashback, Sakura inner monologues about how she always believed that, so she wants this to be an all-out battle between them, to prove it.
effects: THIS MEMORY ISN'T ABOUT SASUKE AT ALL. NOT EVEN A LITTLE. Yes obviously Sakura and Ino have some very Sasuke-influenced interactions BUT THIS ONE IS NOT REALLY ABOUT HIM. YAY. That will honestly make Sakura feel better, too, because gosh it's not like she hasn't noticed how Sasuke-centric her memories are...
So anyway, obviously there are a lot of feelings here. There's the sudden odd knowledge that younger her was apparently pretty small and timid and even more prone to crying, and the feeling of idolizing someone who was clearly so confident, and the (unfamiliar in this memory) feeling of being supported and believed in. This was clearly a friendship and a person who meant a lot to tiny Sakura.
So despite Sakura's self assurance and determination, a lot of her motivation remains pretty solidly other-people-based, especially here in Aather; this reinforces and confirms that for her, subconsciously -- the feeling of living up to someone else's expectations, of really really wanting to -- is motivating and feels pretty good.
She's already remembered the battle that follows this though, and it's-- pretty sad, seeing this part after the fact. I mean, intense ninja battles are kind of a thing and that's not the part that retroactively bothers her; it's more that both she and Ino are clearly out to hurt each other emotionally, which is a lot more mean-spirited than just 'I'm going to beat you up as hard as I can', especially as this is a tournament battle.
Likely in response Sakura will try and bond a little harder with her female friends/teammates; there have been times when Breeze and Echo have caught her off guard with unexpected kindness-- not that they are ever really unkind to her, just that Sakura never thinks to expect specific, directed-at-her kindness. And much like with Ino in this memory, it's always super touching and kind of exponentially increases Sakura's dere and determination. THAT WILL ONLY GET WORSE NOW. With everyone, not only her female friends.
Also she will be really curious as to what caused their falling out...
Mundane: general practice medical knowledge/basic first aid
Unicorn Neg-Cr game // Day 153
Form: two pieces of interlocking but jagged wood
The knowledge half of Sakura's medical training! She will now have a really solid and intimate knowledge of how the human body and the chakra network functions. She knows how all your bits should go together. This gives her not only skill as a 'healer' (in the fantasy sense) but also a more real-world 'doctor' skill.
Special: advanced chakra control
Jabberwocky points game // Day 140
Form: a slightly-too-rare bite of meat of unknown origin
As it says! Sakura now has better control in general (which helps her with fighting/healing), and can do more complicated things like walk on water or up vertical surfaces.