5: Nightmare
Sakura led the way back to the Leaf Village, wondering just how her mother was doing. How had her condition worsened? Tsunade hadn’t said anything since they had left the others, was she just giving Sakura her space?
“Lady Tsunade, how is my mother doing? What are her symptoms?” Sakura asked, breaking the silence and wondering why Tsunade was so quiet- it was so unlike her nature.
“Your mother? Oh, she is running a fever, and she says she is in a lot of pain. She’s been asking for you,” Tsunade answered. Sakura noted that she seemed to be distracted.
“But, she already had those symptoms. Did she receive new symptoms?” Sakura shook her head confused. The Hokage would not have risked leaving the village to come get her when she could send someone else. Also, the hokage would not have wanted her back home if her mother hadn’t changed.
Sakura stopped abruptly and turned to face the faker. Had the others figured out that Shizune was an imposter as well? Knowing them, they had figured it out long before she had. How could something like this slip passed her so easily? Probably when it came to her mother, Sakura only thought of her. Sakura wasn’t easily distracted, now- though she couldn’t say the same thing years ago, but things had changed; times had changed. She had changed.
“The jig is up! I know you aren’t the real hokage. Now, tell me who you really are!” Sakura ordered fiercely.
“Ah, but that wouldn’t be any fun,” the imposter stopped a few feet away and crossed their arms across their chest. “And, I’m all about fun.” It just didn’t look right with Tsunade and the body language this Shinobi was adding.
Sakura had to hide her cringe. “What do you want with me?” she demanded, knowing full well that it probably had to do with her death.
“I only want to kill you,” the faker replied innocently. Typical. Predictable.
Sakura knew this act all too well. She was so used to other ninjas trying to kill her when she went on missions for the sand village, but then Gaara had always been there to protect her. This time she was alone with no one to protect her. Good. It was exactly how she wanted it.
Sakura pulled out her kunei and was ready to go down fighting- not that she planned on going down at all.
Sasuke wasn’t too far behind Sakura and the fake Tsunade. He just hoped he could get there before Sakura took her on. He didn’t want anything to happen to Sakura; if she died, so would a part of him. He knew it was a bad cliché, but it fit.
Jumping through the brush, he found himself in a clearing. Sakura stood with her back to him facing the imposter who was just changing back to her real form. It was Shauna! So they were making their move first? Fine with him. With Sakura’s help, they could easily take Shauna on.
“Sakura, I’m here. Back off! I’ll help you,” Sasuke told her as he took a few steps forward. Sakura didn’t move, didn’t even flinch.
Shauna laughed cruelly. “I’m afraid she can’t hear you. She can’t hear anything but the voices in her head.” She threw back her head and laughed again.
Sasuke reached for Sakura and turned her to face him. Her eyes were wide and glazed over with a white film covering the pupil. Her face was twisted as though she was in a panic, like she was frightened. Her body was rigid, and her hands were limp at her side. She was moaning quietly to herself.
Sasuke turned to Shauna. “What did you do?” he asked furiously.
“Why, I just enhanced her greatest fears. Just like you’ll be now.” She made some rapid hand signs, and the next thing he knew, he was thrust forward, or backward, he couldn’t tell.
Opening his eyes, Sasuke awoke in his own bed of his Uchiha estate. He was dazed and confused. Why was he here? He tried to remember where he was yesterday, but he couldn’t remember anything; he was fairly sure that he hadn’t been here. He sat up in bed and looked around; it was exactly as he knew his room should be. Was this some sort of ninjutsu? He didn’t think so, but he couldn’t be sure until he got outside.
Kicking his covers away, he stumbled to his dresser and threw on a T-shirt and some khaki shorts. Glancing in the mirror, he appeared much older than he would have thought. It looked as if he was about twenty three. Sasuke was getting more and more confused by the minute, and every second any suspicion of anything else vanished until he knew he was supposed to be here.
Leaving his unruly hair alone, he left the confines of his room and headed downstairs. Everything here was as it should be, nothing out of place. Walking into the kitchen, he grabbed a bottle of water and headed out the front door.
What was he going to do today? He felt as though he was supposed to be doing something, but he couldn’t remember what. The streets of Konoha was exactly the same, nothing different. He waved to his fellow villagers; they no longer held the grudge against him for leaving, too many years had past, and he had served his punishment.
He headed to the ramen shop, hoping to find something that fit, something that would let him remember anything before today in detail. When he entered the ramen shop, he suddenly remembered the time he came back that very first day when he met everyone again. He remembered how they were married, how they had kids. This time, though, they had their kids with them. Three years had passed since then.
Again, there was no Sakura. What, did she not run with this ‘crowd’ now? Did she think she was better than everyone else? Or, was she still in the Sand Village? Maybe her mother was better, or died, and she felt like she didn’t need to come back. Maybe she was still angry with him. Well, he was going to go set her straight.
Still, he had to be sure. “Guys, have you seen Sakura lately?” he asked casually in the same tone someone would ask about the weather, as if he didn’t care.
Ino looked up from her little girl who looked exactly like her; yeah! Sasuke thought sarcastically. “Ya, I saw her a little while ago. She was shopping down at the market. She said she needed to stalk up, so she might be down there awhile, why?” Ino replied curiously.
“No reason. But, I got to go. Catch up later!” he walked faster than normal out of the ramen shop towards the old market street. He was going to confess, tell her that she couldn’t not be with him. He didn’t care if he looked like a fool, just as long as he had her.
He jogged down the street, getting a few curious looks his way, but he ignored them and kept going. Sakura was the only thing on his mind, and he had a one tracked mind. Once he set his mind to something, there was no stopping him.
That it, until he saw her. Her back was to him, so he couldn’t get a good look at her. She was talking to a man in front of her. Her hair was a little longer, and she had curled it today. She was wearing a nice white shirt that left a lot to his imagination. She wore a pink skirt that billowed in the light breeze. She was even more stunning than he remembered, and age had only made her more beautiful.
His heart pounding, his hands sweaty, he took the nervous steps forward until he was right behind her. She turned, the basket held in front of her was full of food. Her emerald eyes were still able to melt his ice, cold heart, and those full, pink lips…
“Sakura,” he breathed.
“Sasuke?” she asked worriedly, though anger was evident in her voice. “Do you need something? Are you okay? You look a little pale, like you don’t feel well.”
“No, I’m fine,” he managed to choke out. Why did she sound so hostile towards him? What had he done now?
“Are you sure? You really don’t look too good. Your hands and face are all sweaty,” the guy stepped to Sakura’s side and looked Sasuke over. He had an air of protectiveness around Sakura, like he sensed the anger emanating from her.
“Oh, I uh, just got done running. I’m fine,” Sasuke lied. Truth was he was hyperventilating upon seeing her. Now, he just needed to get her away from the guy and talk to her in private. “Look, Sakura, I want to talk to you. Can we talk privately?” Might as well be blunt.
She hesitated, like she didn‘t really want to, yet she didn‘t want to be rude. “Uh, sure. Sai, why don’t you head home? I can finish when I’m done talking to Sasuke,” Sakura told him. When she said his name, it sent chills down his spine- she said it with such disgust it scared him.
“Sure,” he was hesitant, but Sai nodded and turned to head home.
Sasuke didn’t wait, he pulled her to a bench and sat down, Sakura opposite him. She set the basket down on the bench beside her.
“Okay, Sasuke, what is it?” Sakura asked impatiently. Her green eyes pierced through his and seemed to look into his very soul.
“Who is that?” Sasuke was too nervous. He had to build up to it.
She frowned. “You know Sai, he became part of team seven when you left.”
“No, I mean, who is that to you?” Sasuke was now very curious. He hadn’t liked the way he had looked at Sakura, not one bit.
She frowned again. “Sasuke, did you bump your head or something? Why are you acting so weird? Are you trying to make me even angrier? I told you we are over! We weren’t ever a thing, and I got it, okay? I wasn’t your type. What I don’t understand is why you keep coming back and trying to get me to leave Sai. He is my husband, Sasuke!” She flashed her ring, the diamond bigger than his pinky nail on his hand.
It was Sasuke’s turn to frown, “You married him? You never gave me a chance to redeem myself?” He shook his head, as if he didn’t believe it.
Sakura screamed in frustration. She looked as though she wanted to pull her hair out. “Since your memory is obviously failing you… When you returned three years ago, we ran into each other, and you asked me out, I turned you down. Sai helped me with my mother after a mission we went on because I couldn’t stand to be near you, so Tsunade sent him to watch over me. Well, one thing led to another and he proposed about a year after that, and we were married shortly after that. You wouldn’t even come to my wedding.” She shook her head with disgust. “I am now happily waiting for the birth of our first child.”
Standing up, Sakura turned to grab the basket; Sasuke finally got a good look at her stomach. It looked like she would pop at any moment. The basket had been in the way before, and he hadn’t seen how big she actually was.
Sasuke had to repress himself from gawking at her. His mouth wanted to drop open. He reached for her, not sure what he was going to do- all he knew was that he needed to touch her, hold her in his arms, but she slapped his hand away.
“Sasuke, I was a fool when I was younger. I don’t know what I saw in you. I don’t know what anyone saw in you.” she shook her head. “I pity you. You could have been great, but you threw it away.”
With that, she stormed away. Sasuke ran after her. “Please, Sakura, give me another chance. I’ve changed. I’m not who I used to be. I’m different now; I realize I was a jerk to you. I want to make it up to you, make you see.”
She turned, her face softened ever so lightly. Was that hope he saw flicker across her eyes? She shook her head. “No. And, I’d prefer you stay away from me.”
Suddenly everything took a deadly turn. Sasuke was suddenly there in the hospital as Sakura’s screams could be heard in the room over. She was going into labor. Not only did he have to look at the child that wasn’t his, he had to see how happy Sakura was without him. A sharp pain attacked his heart and he clutched at it. It was beating a mile a minute. Way too fast. Was he having a heart attack?
The next thing he knew, he was in the hospital room watching as Sai leaned over Sakura. She was wincing in pain, but no sound was coming out. Sasuke couldn’t hear any sound at all. All he saw was Sakura dieing in Sai’s arms. Her eyes fluttered open for a moment before closing eternally.
The pain in his chest worsened. This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t be real. Sakura couldn’t be gone. He was going to open his eyes and find himself in a dream. That was when it hit him. This was all a dream.
Sasuke opened his eyes to find Naruto fighting off Shauna, and he was winning. The pendent they had been after in his left hand. Looking to his left, he found Sakura still unconscious on the ground. Her eyes were shut tightly and her face was in a grimace. Was she in the same place he had been? Why wasn’t she coming to?
His heart was still racing, and he was worried she was feeling the same thing he had been feeling.
“What?” Shauna’s voice pierced Sasuke’s thoughts. “How did you break through my jutsu? That’s impossible. No one has ever done that before!”
Naruto took advantage of her being distracted and attacked her, knocking her unconscious. He rushed to Sakura’s side. “What’s wrong with her?” he asked, worry written across his face.
“It‘s some sort of an illusion. I came out of it, so maybe she will too,” Sasuke replied, examining Sakura’s condition.
“Either way, we need to get her to the Leaf Village and to Granny Tsunade,” Naruto pointed out. “You take her and I’ll bring the thieves. Why don’t you bring the pendent with you, just to be safe.”
Sasuke nodded and took the pendent from him and shoved it in his pocket. He gently picked Sakura up, bridal style and took off towards the village as gently as possible to make the ride easier for her, though he didn’t think she knew what was going on out here.
She would be okay. She had to be.
